victory_road | [Video]

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[Hunter... does not look well-rested. There's deep shadows under his eyes and he's not as put together as he otherwise might be. He rubs one eye as he starts up the video, crooked at first but straightening it out after a moment, once he's figured out how to do this.]

I've got a question for other breeders, but I guess others can answer too, if you have any advice. My question is, how do you even start? [He pauses, half mutters "Agh Titan that sounds stupid" then tries again.] I mean, not the actual stuff. I read the guide, and I've talked to a couple others, I know all that.

What I mean is... I guess, how do you not get overwhelmed? Catching lots of Pokemon, making sure they're strong and have good moves, breeding the dozens of dozens of eggs and selling them, buying more Pokeballs, more TMs, doing it all over again, and making sure you have enough human snails to do all of that in the first place.

It- [He's interrupted by a badly stifled yawn.] -just seems so daunting. I'm, ehr, used to taking on big missions. But this? This almost seems like a whole other level. And I know, I know, "take it a little at a time." But even the little stuff seems like big steps, so... I guess, I just wanted to know what others had to say.

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[Riz has never looked well-rested a day in his life.

He's also listened to this whole litany with a frown, before speaking, probably more blunt than intended.]

Why do you even want to do that?

Beeecause I want to?

[He seems more unsure than snotty, then huffs a bit before speaking again.]

I've been having problems figuring out how to keep myself busy since showing up here, and I figured trying the breeder thing would at least be something.

You just don't really sound very excited about it. I get wanting to stay busy, trust me I do, just... you don't have to do whatever this world tells you to. That's bullshit.

I know it is. I don't want to do anything anyone tells me what to do, I've had enough of that for the rest of my life.

I'm just trying to figure out things, there's a lot on my mind anyway... So using the breeding guide sounded at least like a good place to start.

Cool.

[A silence that is definitely awkward. Riz doesn't really know anything to add breeding-wise (super not his scene) and he is bad talking to people on a good day. Fuck. What is it people do to keep conversations going? Supply information of their own?]

I'm trying to uncover the corruption in the police system.

[His head perks up a bit at that.]

Oh yeah? Like what kind of corruption?

So much.

[Oh no. Hunter has no idea what he has unleashed.]

I mean, let's start with the fact that there is definitely something freaky going on with the Jennies in general. Like... your police force is all identical women? And we are supposed to accept this is just normal? People don't just look that identical without some... magic or something involved. Which is not supposed to exist here.

Plus, hasn't anyone else ever wanted to be a cop? Only these women? Maybe it isn't always the most popular job, but you'd expect some other people to want to do it. But instead, you only get these freaky clone women. Doesn't that strike you as odd?

Seems like they are trying to keep regular people from becoming cops, and you don't do that unless you've got something to fucking hide.

I broke into one of their stations [Just gonna casually mention that as if that is not a crime.] and you know what I found? Nothing. And I don't mean nothing suspicious, I mean nothing at all. No paperwork, no evidence, no cleared cases. Just... nothing. Even if they were just incompetent, there'd have to be more than that. Trust me, back home, our police force is pretty incompetent -- except my mom who is the best -- and even they have more files and evidence than they had here.

[At this point, Riz is in full conspiracy mode, his breathing a bit quick as he tries to say everything he knows, flapping his hands to underline his words.]

What I think is that these Jennies are actually just a smokescreen. Like, they are supposed to look like a competent police force, so people don't question it too much, but they don't actually care about stopping crime.

You know who benefits from that?

Criminals.

I met a guy once who was kidnapped by Team Rocket. But even though he went straight to the Jennies and could even show them where they had been keeping him, they didn't believe him. Or do anything. The only way that makes sense is if the Jennies are in league with Team Rocket.

[Even as tired as he is, he pays rapt attention, even seems to be following along! His eyes are pretty wide by the end of it.][

Wow, I had no idea..! So you didn't find anything? Not even a scrap of paper?

[He rubs his chin, rolling over some thoughts.]

Back home, the Emperor's Coven- our version of a guard force -would have plenty of stuff to find at the center of operations, even as much as Emperor Belos kept it from literally everyone else. You might be on to something with this being criminal-related. You broke into a station right? Was it a central station, or just one of the outposts? Is there a Team Rocket outpost that can be similarly broken into? Do we know anyone in Team Rocket to ask, more than just someone who'd been kidnapped by them?

There was paper there, but it was all just the same onboarding paperwork. I took pictures and video -- I can show you if you want.

[Riz isn't asking to just be believed. He is willing to share his evidence.]

As for the other stuff, I don't think it's good to discuss that sort of thing on the network. Team Rocket could have eyes and ears everywhere. Meet me in person, and I can tell you.

[Interesting, very interesting. How deep does this stuff go down?]

Meeting in person, huh. Yeah, I think I can do that. Are you anywhere near Ecruteak?

[So deep, man. We've only begun to scratch the surface of The Jenny Complot (working title, Riz is still trying to find a cooler, more noir-title for his Jenny notes)]

I'm in Goldenrod. I can get there in... give me half an hour? 45 minutes at most.

[Gotta collect some evidence and his notes and maybe take a few pictures of his conspiracy boards and he'll be hopping right onto one of those teleport pads.]

[ Kaiba's in a cabin in Mahogany Town, with an Alolan Raichu and Sylveon visible playing in the background. ]

If you got a mysterious egg for Christmas, I'd suggest you start breeding that Pokémon once it's big enough. It'll be the rarest species you have, and you can probably charge more for those eggs.

Most people took months to years to build up their massive stables. Just do one thing at a time.

Huh. I didn't think of that. I did get an egg for Christmas, actually.

[He sorts around for a few moments, then pulls out a Pokeball and releases it off-screen; a Fuecoco leans into the shot after a few moments, getting right up into the camera. Hunter, gingerly, puts his hand on his head and gently pushes him back down.]

So, people look for rarer Pokemon. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.

...I just pick what seems cute, and what people would find good companions.

[A long pause.]

The Pikipek is still following you, aren't they.

I guess I could do that, yeah.

[He pauses, sighs.]

Yes they are. I don't think I get more than an hour of sleep a night.

[Come with a long scrub at his face as he speaks.]

Nothing seems to drive it off...in that case, an extra-strong coffee will work in an emergency. How strong do you normally take yours?

[Hunter, you don't know it, but you are in grave danger.]

As far as breeding goes...I think it's fine to catch and breed what appeals to you, and then read around the network to see what people like. I don't have a great sense for what's rare, but I do know that some pokemon are born with rarer abilities. I have a couple I could loan you to see if it breeds through, if you had ones that matched.

I uh- have no idea, honestly. I've never had coffee before, but you're already the second person to bring it up.

[He considers the advice for a moment, then nods.]

And yeah-! Yeah, that sounds great, the loans I mean. I don't know what I have that matches, but I guess that can always change, too?

It can be pretty overwhelming. It helps if your Pokemon are cooperative and want to help out.

[Several Eevees pop up and warble. He pets them all.]

You could try it out small and see if it's something you really wanna do. You look pretty worn-out right now.

You know...I don't really think about all of that. Oh, but I became a breeder after I'd been a trainer for a while, so I already had a lot of Pokemon. And my husband was a breeder, too, so we had all of his Pokemon, too!

Come to think of it, he kept track of things like moves and all of that....

Maybe I should, now.

[That's a lot of past tense there.]

Oh uh, is your husband not... around anymore, to do that instead?

Oh he's gone back home. But it's alright, he has a very good life and lots of friends and family he went back to. I miss him, but that's his home. And we had a wonderful time while he was here.

Look, here's the important question: Are you breeding to sell eggs, or is this something you're doing for yourself?

If you're just looking to breed Pokemon for the sake of it, I don't know what to tell you, really. I'd just let your Pokemon... [Uh.] Make their own choices.

But if you're approaching this as a business, you'll need to know the market so you can meet costumer demand.

[Yyyyyeah, he's just gonna awkwardly fiddle with his fingers right now.]

I actually hadn't considered why. Just that it might be something to do. It's not like we need the snails, I... think...? But I also don't know what I'd do with so many Pokemon, and...

[He grunted a bit then folded his arms, tone cooling off.]

No. Nevermind. Anyway I guess I'm gonna breed Pokemon for other people here. That seems to make the most logical sense.

Even the smallest, shittiest garden takes time to cultivate. Don't get caught up trying to do all the things at once.

Well that was succinct.

[Thank you for your candor. Truly.]

But, yeah you have a point. "A little at a time" just seems a bit more daunting when I don't even know where to begin.

[At least the assorted advice on this post can help him figure that out.]

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