Tenth Spell: "It followed me home." [Video. Open to voice/text/video.]

[behindblueskin]

It's been going on for at least a fortnight now.

Just about every time Keldor's gone out, no matter what for, there'll be a Slowpoke either waiting for him to get there or for him to return to his hotel room.

Now, this is Azalea Town and thus Slowpoke Central™, and therefore you really can't go very far without running into one of these pink lumps with their generous five watts of brain power, and you really can't prove it, but...

Keldor switches on the camera of his pokegear and aims it at the one staring blankly up at him outside the door to the hotel he's staying at; expression that of someone especially dumb.

...he's pretty sure the one he keeps running into is the exact same one.

"..................sssssssssssssssssssssssslllooooooooooooooooooooow.............?"

He sighs, but gives it a pat on its head anyways.

"You do not need to follow me about this locale. It is not necessary."

"..............................pooooooooooooooooooooooooooookeee....................?"

Once he's inside, though, Keldor stops, then wonders aloud one thing:

"Should I capture it? It does seem to desire making me its trainer."

Comments

[behindblueskin]

[And here we were about to assume that "balls in bag = safe".]

That is quite the tale.

[At least the Slowpoke that's been following him doesn't appear to be able to come up with any plans that complex. We think.]

[behindblueskin]

[Looks like the general consensus on the network is "go for it".]

I think I shall, then.

[pinkmacaron]

I bet it loves you!

[behindblueskin]

"Human standards"?

[No, he understands that there are people here who aren't human—Keldor himself isn't. Well. Not fully, anyways. His tone is more "oh, you too?" than "What'chu talkin' 'bout Willis?".]

Yes. There were quite a few new ones encountered during this "Christmas".

[His Crocalor he was told was something never seen in these parts before.]

[lifebloomsanew]

I've only been human for...four years? I think? It's so hard to tell! I'm very, very, very old. Years still feel like nothing.

[Rose laughs.]

Oh yes! I got a new Pokemon, too. Well an egg. But she's a Pokemon now.

[behindblueskin]

[Something you see a lot of in Azalea Town. Slowpokes draped over things.]

There is one who does just that in the lobby to this hotel.

[Just flops. On the couch. All day. Every day. As one does. It's just not the one that's been following Keldor about. For one, Keldor's poke-stalker is a Galarian Slowpoke. The hotel's living bean bag is just a run-of-the-mill Kanto Slowpoke.]

[crystalmaster]

[Radley laughs.]

I should have figured.

[Evie thinks it sounds boring. "Vee...."]

[behindblueskin]

[This statement makes him think of Count Marzo. Rumour has it that the now-depowered sorcerer is very old. "How", no one knows. But he's been around for quite a while now.]

I have not been such long enough that it could be measured in years. Months, perhaps.

[Pause.]

It is a strange feeling.

[Especially to one who prided himself on his non-human heritage.]

What was it that you got?

[behindblueskin]

[Oh.

Yeah. Oh.]

It is that easy, then.

[Yeah, he can overthink things at times. It's one of the curses that comes with being smart. Maybe that's why he's being followed by one of the dumbest pokemon in existence. To learn something.]

[behindblueskin]

I do believe it does.

[A laugh.]

Yes. I do believe it does.

[lifebloomsanew]

Oh there's so much for you to see here! This is such a wonderful world!

And my egg hatched into one of those bread dogs. She's very cute.

[lorentzforcego]

[Monsoon feels that. Especially in this place. It's almost annoying how simple some things are here.]

It can be, yes.

That's if you want to go the buddy-buddy route, of course.

[behindblueskin]

And I have seen but only a fraction of it.

[Pause.]

May I see this "bread dog"?

[behindblueskin]

It appears to be a favoured pastime with these creatures.

[Just lazing about anywhere and everywhere, and people just accept that there will be living pink speed bumps in their way.]

[behindblueskin]

Befriending does seem to be a lot easier than battling.

[Easier on the 'mons. Easier on the wallet. Easier on your reputation.]

[crystalmaster]

It sure does. I'm kind of amazed they ever do anything else.

[lorentzforcego]

It is.

Unless you managed to surprise them before they can even fight.

[lifebloomsanew]

Have you done much traveling yet?

Oh, of course! Let me just find her. All of mine just sort of roam free around the caravan. I love traveling, so I have a house that can travel with me!

[behindblueskin]

Only a small amount. I spend a fair bit of time when I reach a new destination so as to give me time to capture and train as needed.

[It's not like before, when he had only Panthor as company during his exile, and hostility from humans to keep him either out of their settlements or in it just long enough to get whatever he needed—usually under cover of darkness.]

Caravan? I had considered building my own form of transport back before the weather turned foul...

[...but he was dissuaded for the moment.]

I should revisit the idea.

[It never hurts to have something to shelter in that's not on the ground.]

[behindblueskin]

I would believe the same were it not for the fact that I am being followed about this little town by one of their number.

[Hey, they move. Glacially, most of the time.]

[behindblueskin]

[That's an idea, so long as what you surprise isn't a troop of Mankey. That never ends well.]

Alas, I have yet to have managed to so much as creep up unnoticed. The wilder they are the warier they are.

[Except for the time when he caught his Hisuian Voltorb. That's one "took by surprise" he doesn't intend to repeat.]

[crystalmaster]

I would say that definitely means he likes you a lot. They probably don't get up for just anybody.

[behindblueskin]

No. I would presume that they do not. Or for very much else.

[Makes him wonder just how effective one of these things would be in battle. Would they require a lot of prodding to get into gear?]

[crystalmaster]

[Radley laughs.]

Probably. I guess you could ask somebody more about them.

[lorentzforcego]

[Yeah, Monsoon got lucky with his Rotom before pissing off a bunch of other ones.]

Then try your hand at the ones in the cities. They're a bit easier to catch due to being more accustomed to human presence.