first zipper

[nellacerniera]

[So, originally, Bucciarati hadn't intended to give the network more than a passing glance unless it was completely necessary.

But then sometimes, as you try to get your bearings, you see a news broadcast about giant birds being menaces at an event, and you manage to spot a somehow familiar face in that footage. Then it becomes necessary.

(Plus, as it happens, he did have a couple of questions that occurred to him when he had been making plans. Funny how such things happen.)

And that's why the video opens on an Italian man, no older than twenty, with a Slowpoke in his lap. The man is rather intent on what he's doing--adjusting his Gear so that the camera's steady--while the Pokémon just... vacantly stares off into the distance, as a Slowpoke is wont to do. Once the man's apparently satisfied, he leans back a bit.]

There we are... Ah... Hello, everyone. I'm a recent arrival. My name's Bruno Bucciarati, and if anyone has the time to spare to answer a couple of questions for me, I'd appreciate it. First of all... Does anyone happen to have any advice for a newcomer that the provided handbook doesn't somehow cover?

Secondly... [He glances down at the Slowpoke, patting the Water-type's head briefly, but frowns when it takes the Slowpoke at least a full second or two to acknowledge the affection.] For Teodoro's species here, are the delayed reactions normal or something I should be concerned about?

Comments

VIDEO

[seacub]

[The one answering is still somewhat dressed up from the prom party- they haven't Quite returned home yet after all. Emporio adjusts his hat in any case, blinking at the screen.]

Teodoro..?

[And then. Looks at it. Ah.] Oh! ...That's...a slowpoke, [The young teen laughs.] They're sort of known for that kind of delay.

[nellacerniera]

Well, that's an indicative name if I've ever heard one. But that does soothe a worry I had, thank you.

[It also just means Teodoro won't be out of his ball much when Bucciarati's on the road.

... And neither will Buttons, but that's for a completely different reason.]

[seacub]

A lot of pokemon names are like that, honestly. They all seem to be puns, [he laughs, adjusting his hat.] ...But, Slowpoke can be pretty impressive when they evolve- though they can evolve in different ways if you have the right items available!

[nellacerniera]

Right items? What would those be?

[seacub]

Well, if it grows powerful enough, it should become 'slowbro' on its own... ...but to become a 'Slowking', you'll need something called a 'King's Rock'. They're not rare though- I've seen them in department stores actually.

[orangesmith]

What the- Bruno?!

[Would you look at that, it's Narancia! Based on the background and his current outfit, he's still on the airship. And perhaps he's still a little cranky from having to share a secret with a giant bird, but there's nothing he can do about that for now.]

When did you get here?!

[nellacerniera]

[Well, this has lifted Bucciarati's mood considerably.]

I just got here a few hours ago... I haven't quite managed to settle in yet.

[orangesmith]

Crap, okay, which way are you going? I'm going through Kanto right now.

[He knows there's two ways out of New Bark Town, either by Route 29 or by ferry to Kanto. Assuming of course that Bruno started in New Bark Town, Narancia, as someone in Team Rocket, sure didn't.

Not that he can say that of course.]

[nellacerniera]

I haven't left New Bark Town yet. I was going to leave by Route 29, but if you're in Kanto, I may have to rethink that...

[orangesmith]

I'll try to meet you at the Kanto end of the ferry if you come this way!

[Key word try. He's got stuff to do first.]

I still have to go get a badge from Vermilion once I get off this airship, but I don't think that'll take long.

[He's confident in his team's skills, and getting the Thunder Badge has been something he's intended to do for a little while now. He might as well get that done before rushing off to Pallet Town.]

[crystalmaster]

Hi there. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things the guidebook doesn't talk about that you can't really prepare for, like the giant bird attack and the naughty little foxes that like impersonating people as a joke. Pretty much, you've gotta brace yourself for almost anything.

[nellacerniera]

[... Give him, like, a minute to process all of that.]

... Pardon?

[crystalmaster]

Yeah, we've had a crazy month. First these giant birds showed up and started attacking people and carrying them off. Then these shape-shifting foxes swarmed us and caused a lot of embarrassment and awkward situations by turning into people and having them say stupid things they wouldn't really say. And apparently this kinda thing is par for the course.

[nellacerniera]

I... I see.

[This is, uh, quite a bit to take in! He's not sure this was the sort of info he was looking for when he'd asked the question, no, but... good to know, he figures. So, filing that away.]

video

[epitaffio]

[The video opens rather abruptly, with an extreme close-up on a pink beetle thing that appears to be chewing on something right at the bottom of the field of view, and... coughing. Loud, choking coughing.]

Scara-- Shhhhhh...!

[The young man's strained voice gives way to more coughing, but he does manage to reach out and gently shove his Pokémon's head downwards, clearing the view to reveal one Vinegar Doppio, still in his prom clothes, with a half-drunk glass of soda in his free hand.

He makes eye contact with Bruno Bucciarati on the other side of the feed and realises he was a little too slow to stop Scarabella from gnawing right on the Video button.]

[nellacerniera]

[Well, huh. That was unexpected. He frowns a bit with concern at the coughing, but it'll probably be really clear really quickly that Bucciarati absolutely has no idea who this is. Just. Mild concern.]

... Are you alright?

[epitaffio]

[It is an unambiguously good thing that Bucciarati doesn't recognise him. And how could he, really? They've never crossed paths in any official capacity; Doppio has only ever seen him from a distance and looked over reports of his work.

That is where any and all unambiguity ends, because Doppio understands his reaction in and of itself is suspicious as all hell and now he has to fix it. It may not matter too much right now, but if they ever return home and Bucciarati knows who he is... It could get dicey.]

Uh, yeah-- [Oh god the coughing isn't all out of his system yet. He THINKS the soda's nearly done going down the right pipe, though.] Sorry, I-- I wasn't ready for, uh... S-Scarabella pushed the button, not me, so...

[nellacerniera]

[This poor guy. Bucciarati's just going to pet his Slowpoke as he waits, and then listens.]

It's fine. [If anything, it's one more thing he needs to keep in mind--keep his Gear well away from the mouths of his Pokémon... maybe more of a concern for Teodoro than Buttons, currently.]

... Do you need a bit more time to collect yourself there?

[video]

[sonrise]

[Varian makes his reply with his Gear propped up on the coffee table-turned-work table in his hotel, and only occasionally looks up from what appears to be taking notes as he speaks.]

That's a Slowpoke! They're all like that, as far as I can tell-- They like to hang out by the well here in Azalea Town, so I've seen a lot.

[nellacerniera]

All like this... Well, that soothes a worry I had, thank you. If they're all like that, then it's not a problem.

[He strokes the Slowpoke's head. After a couple of seconds, the Slowpoke lets out a pleased noise. It's cute, he can't help but think.]

Is there anything else I should know about them?

[sonrise]

[Oh. This is where Varian realizes he's reached a point where he can be helpful to newcomers, in terms of information. That's exciting!]

Yeah, actually! I know there's another kind of Slowpoke besides that one. It has something called a Galarian form, apparently from another place in this world, where it's forehead is yellow and isn't a Water type, only Psychic. ...Oh! And from what I've seen, there's two different ways a Slowpoke can evolve. You can end up with either a Slowbro or a Slowking.

[nellacerniera]

I guess some variation depending on location is to be expected, but that's still fascinating...

[He's not much of a book-smart guy, but that's still kind of incredible.

... Maybe getting one of these Galarian Slowpokes for himself could be in the cards in the future. Making a mental note to look into that eventually.]

Slowbro and Slowking... Would you happen to know the difference between the two?

[Video]

[perfectteatime]

Welcome, Bruno. I suppose there's a good many things to cover that may be unexpected, but that depends on what the world you came from is like.

As for your new friend, he's a Slowpoke, so yeah that's normal. They usually take a while to do- well. Anything.

[nellacerniera]

To tell you the truth, it doesn't seem... terribly different, I think. The Pokémon are new. To be honest, when I made this post, I was thinking about things that might be useful for travel or general day-to-day life.

[... The last part though, that gets a faint chuckle as he pats the Slowpoke's head.]

As long as it's a species thing, I'm less concerned, at least. He might be slow, but he seems fairly reliable otherwise.

[perfectteatime]

Oh yes, slowpoke are lovely creatures honestly. Very charming.

Well, thankfully the only thing you really need be concerned about here are wild Pokemon. You'll be fine for the most part by staying on designated trails. That said, if you run into trouble, use your Pokedex and your little friend there should also be able to protect you.