victory_road | video;

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Ahem.

[Oh hi Shiro. It's almost prom season, right? That means you're here to deliver some kind of warning about Prom, right? That's what you do.]

[He clears his throat.]

[Looks directly into the camera.]

Fuck!

[Somewhere off screen, a Gallade is howling in squeaky laughter. Looks like someone let one of the Zorua into the house.]

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Sure!

Butts!

[Okay "butts" isn't a bad word, but it's a funny one.]

Yeah... butts.

[It is a funny word, but Mando is too busy trying to figure out what's going on to appreciate it.]

It's not one of those weird weekends yet, is it?

Weekends?

[What is that word? Is that another naughty word?]

I heard there are weekends when everything gets strange.

[But since he still doesn't have his armour or guns back, Mando assumes this isn't it.]

Straaaaaaaange...?

[No, it's not. It's a poor Zorua who hasn't got the hang of language.]

All right, you're not Shiro.

[And now Mando's hackles are up!]

What did you do with him?

[If you hurt Shiro, imposter, so help him!]

[The Zorua yelps. And immediately... POOF, ends up back as a tiny fox. Even for a Zorua, it's little. Little and trying to hide under a chair.]

[It did nothing! It's very sorry! Please don't be mad, it was just being funny!]

[Mando jumps when the fox transforms. When it hides under a chair, he sighs. It's obviously a Pokemon, and not something more sinister. When he speaks again, his voice just sounds tired, with no aggression in it.]

All right, fox. How'd you get Shiro's communicator?

[The Zorua's ears stay flat. But it reaches out, pawing at the 'gear until it can get it turned toward the kitchen.]

[Where Shiro's Gallade is cheerfully stealing a bag of cookies.]

[Blue - that's how the Zorua got it.]

[Ah, the true culprit reveals himself.]

Hey.

[There's only so much he can do through a communicator, but Mando can definitely do the Big Scary Mandalorian voice.]

Put that down.

[Well. It worked.]

[Blue yelps. He drops the bag, and just kind of... books it out of the kitchen. A moment's pause. Then the Zorua slinks out from under the chair, darting over to the fallen bag of snacks.]

[It returns, holding a cookie. Which it deposits in front of the 'gear. Here, loud human. Apology cookie.]

[Mando sighs. He really doesn't like scaring Pokemon, especially not this fox, who seems like a decent sort. The other Pokemon is more of a turd, but Mando fortunately doesn't have to soothe that one.]

Thank you, but I can't eat that. You can have it.

[His voice is much calmer now, more resigned.]

Why don't you pick up the communicator, fox, and go find Shiro? I'm sure he'd like it back.

[The little ears droop. Aw - it really wanted to make amends. But then the mask-face makes another suggestion. Those ears perk right back up again.]

[Yip!]

[... Mando is treated to a view of the 'gear getting dragged along the floor. It's too big for the Zorua to hold in its mouth. So it has resorted to shoving the device along.]

[Mando watches the ceiling pass by, and sighs. This is his life now.]

Good fox.

[Make your peace with it, Mando. Because, well... the fox inevitably leaves the 'gear somewhere.]

[Distracted by something else.]

[D E E P sigh.]

Goodbye, fox.

[All right then, he's just going to see if, on some off chance, he can get the attention of any of Shiro's other Pokemon. The sensible ones he knows by name.]

Kuro? Haunter? Are you there?

[It takes a while.]

[A long while. Until something finds the 'gear. But it isn't Kuro or Haunter. It's a fuzzy black nose, sniffing at it. Then big red eyes. Shiro's Umbreon.]

[She paws at it, then sits down, trilling.]

- what? What'd you find?

[Oh! Shiro's voice!]

[Hark! A human!]

[Mando has been keeping himself occupied with other things, just keeping an eye on the communicator so it doesn't get stolen again. He doesn't know the Umbreon, but she's alerted Shiro, so he ranks her as a Good Pokemon.]

Thank you.

[Said to the Umbreon, and then louder for Shiro.]

Someone took your communicator, Shiro.

[Footsteps crunch in the sand. Finally, Shiro appears, peering down at the 'gear before scooping it up. Brushing more sand off it. He's dressed for running, and looks like that's exactly what he was up to a minute ago.]

Great. I'm sure that went extremely well.

You seem to have a new fox Pokemon that can look just like you.

[Now that the communicator is back in the right hands, Mando can relax.]

It was swearing on the network.

[Shiro just... lets his face fall into his hand. Just one, because the other is holding the 'gear.]

... of course it did. That's... that just figures.

The fox was apologetic when it got caught.

[Mando isn't going to throw the fox under the bus!]

It seems like another Pokemon set him up.

[That other jackass, on the other hand...]

... Another pokemon, hm?

[Both Shiro and his Umbreon suddenly have the same expression on their faces.]

Blue.

A tall one? Long white legs?

[Because yeah, that's the guy.]

Yeah. Yeah that's Blue.