victory_road | First Report [video]

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First Report [video]

[ In one of the Paldea dorms, there is a young preteen girl sitting at a desk, having set up the device to look at her. Her expression isn't... much, and her voice sounds flat. As she begins to speak, she repeatedly taps her fingers on the desk - those who have any knowledge of morse code will understand what she's "saying" there the same things she's speaking out loud. ]

This is a distress signal, calling for Scrooge McDuck or any one of his many... many... many associates. S.O.S. Violet Sabrewing reporting. I haven't been able to deduce if this kidnapping and subsequent hideous transformation is the work of any remaining members of F.O.W.L. or one of Mister McDuck's many... many... many enemies. Regardless, I will stay in place until further information is gathered about my situation and will appreciate a rescue post-haste. My fathers know that whenever I sleep over at Webbigail's, things tend to happen, but this may too much for them to handle.

Speaking of which - Webbigail, Lena, if you're hearing this, rest assured I am currently safe, albeit possibly traumatized by my transmogrification. I look forward to seeing you both as soon as possible. Dewford, Hubert, and Llewellyn, I trust the three of you to keep those two from going into homicidal revenge mode.

[ A pause, and then she moves to grab something from beneath the table... it's an Espurr! She props it on the table.]

On a less distressing note, any ideas on how to convince my fathers to let me keep this strange magic cat would be highly appreciated. I have named him Loki, after the Norse God of trickery. Say hello, Loki.

[ Loki says nothing, and just stares into the camera. o_o ]

Once again, this is Violet Sabrewing, over and out.

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Hmmm.

[ She places Loki in her lap, giving Louie a contemplative stare, folding her hands as she studies him. ]

How do I know this is the real Llewllyn, and not an additional part of whatever scheme I've been thrust into?

[ Better to be safe than sorry, JWG rule number godonlyknows. ]

You know what, that's fair enough. If someone from home had been around when I first got here, I would've had my doubts, too.

But can we cut a little deal? I'll answer any questions that'd prove to you it's really me, just, can you maybe... Not have the Espurr on camera?

You know I like cats, and that hasn't changed - trust me, you'll see when you meet some of my team - but those guys? Not my favorite.

You're not exactly winning any favors by disparaging my new companion. I find him rather adorable.

[ But she'll oblige, picking Loki up and placing him on the floor and off-camera.

But you can feel him staring at you, Louie. It won't stop. Ever.

o_o ]

Fortunately, when it comes to the McDuck family, Webbigail is a fountain of knowledge that never stops running. So I've learned much from her that many other outsiders might not know about. I shall ask you three questions, and base my judgement on the collected answer.

First. What was your mother's original intended name for you?

Sorry, but in my defense, they also don't seem to like me-- Espurr in general, I mean.

[Okay but he does have to lighten up when she brings up Webby. He misses her.]

Mom was gonna name me Rebel. Which, I've gotta admit, I don't think is great but I still would've taken over Llewellyn.

Correct. Webbigail regaled the tale of your reunion to me while sobbing heavily. It was quite adorable.

Second. Out of all three of you triplets, who was once assigned to wear a life jacket consisting of hot dogs?

[ ... is this a genuine investigation into if this is really Louie, or is she purposely asking the most embarrassing questions. ]

Wait, was it me and my brothers meeting our mom after not having her for over ten years - including, when we first hatched - that was adorable, or was it Webby?

[Look, he gets it, Webby's a lot of facts and butt-kicking in a cute pint-sized package. Fair! But he has to tease a little. It's his right as-- Not actually Violet's cousin, but her sister's... best friend's... cousin? Yeah. As that.]

Anyway, that's a bit of a trick question, Vi. Webby was going to have herself and my brothers wearing those in case we got lost and started getting hungry, because according to her I'd go mad with starvation first. [A small, amused scoff.] If she'd known Huey better by then, she probably would've known he's almost always the most likely to crack.

...From what Hue's let slip about when he competed with you for Senior Junior Woodchuck status, you would probably agree.

I admit, Webbigail is typically adorable no matter what tale she's sharing, but this instance had her cute factor increased by seventy-five percent. That said, it was a rather endearing story in particular, once I could translate what she was saying through her sobbing.

[ Webby is always cute. That's a scientific fact. She could write a whole thesis on it.

But back to the matter at hand. She gives an approving nod at his response. So far, so good. ]

Well said, and well answered. Time for your final question.

What spices did I destroy my mouth with in order to save our hides?

[ ... yeah she's definitely just trying to razz him now. ]

Edited 2024-05-07 23:09 (UTC)

[At first, Louie sputters, one part flustered by that incident being brought up, and one part...]

I don't remember their names! I was too busy panicking...! One of them was something in Spanish, right? And then something about a snake? Or was that just- I know that the name I used. The Silver-Tongued Serpent--

[But then it all clicks in place, and he just sighs with a tired look.]

So did you ever think I wasn't really me at all, or...?

I'll admit, I was torn down the middle at first. But perhaps spending so much time with your family has made me lean more towards my heart than my head. I really did want to think it was actually you right from the start.

[ Finally, an actual smile! ]

I am very relieved to see you you, Llewellyn.

[He snickers.]

Gotta admit, even after that... I'm glad you're here.

[Though he's still not thrilled about the Espurr.]

It's hard to be too upset about a well-done con, anyway.

Praise from the master of deception? I find myself honored.

[ It's a genuine compliment, in her own weird way. ]

With all the dramatics out of the way, what information can you give me regarding our not-exactly-kidnapping situation?

Well, I've been here for a long time, so there's a lot to cover... Although you probably won't be complaining about a lot of information, huh?

People end up here from all kinds of different places, and most of them aren't at all like anywhere the family's been - as crazy as that is to think about. There's lots of places where people aren't like us normally, they're like us now, all humans. Sometimes I still get a fun reaction out of telling people I'm normally a duck, they only think of the animal kind.

Pokemon are the closest things to animals here, by the way. There's so many, and sometimes new ones start turning up. They're probably closer to some magical creatures than animals, though. They've got powers that they use to battle one another, which sounds weird, but it's normal for them...

Actually, you might've gotten a book with information about pokemon that will probably be better at explaining it. And beyond them, it seems hard to figure out what kind of place this might be.

A friend of mine here, from a couple years ago, she and I once tried to figure out what Pokemon could be. And we landed on maybe they're demons, kind of? So I still think this might be some kind of demonic realm. I know Uncle Scrooge has been to at least one.

It's not really not dangerous, at least, it isn't dangerous a lot. Not as much as adventuring with the family, so...

[ As Louie begins explaining, a notepad and pencil float on screen - thanks to the off-screen Espurr using its powers to bring it over. Violet doesn't even bat an eyelash at this, instead taking the items and starting to jot down the info Louie is relaying.

She only seems to finally realize hoe weird that was once there's a break in conversation, and blinks down at the cat. ]

If that's the case, I hardly expected demons to be so adorable and useful... at least without making some kind of Faustian bargain, and I'd never be so foolish as to sell my soul for a pet, even if it is cute.

But is there any sort of grand quest or purpose for us to be in this realm? An ultimate goal to be achieved?

Uh, yeah, there can be. If your trainer ID has you down as a pokemon breeder, you can join the JKBA like I did. You'll get different assignments about pokemon eggs--

Oh! Yeah. They lay eggs. Even ones that you'd think must be mammals; it doesn't make sense. I figured I'd get that out of the way now. Anyway, you can climb the member ranks. This stuffy guy and his daughter, very old money, started the whole thing around the time I switched over to pokemon breeder. The pay gets really good as you get up there, and I'm working on my final ranking test now.

[Working on it now in the sense that he got the assignment in February. And in fairness, he was putting in effort before this trip, only to have hit wall after wall. He needed the break!]

I've done the normal pokemon trainer thing, too, though... Training up your team and making a strategy to take on different gyms. It can be fun! And anyone can do it, really, but if you're a breeder it pays off more to focus on breeder things.

But you know, it can be fun to just do whatever. There aren't as many crazy adventures going on! I'm sure that could be a tough sell in this case, but just living a pretty normal life here? It's not half-bad.

[ She lightly taps the pencil to her beak, contemplative as he continues to explain. ]

... I must say, I didn't exactly expect that outcome from you. While I know your heart's greatest desire is all things money, you often lacked the fortitude to achieve it in hard work and effort. But from what you described, you've been tackling all that and more. I'm quite impressed and proud of you, Llewellyn.

[Huh...

That's not unlike how Huey reacted to hearing about his accomplishments, but without the heaping helping of sibling tension that'd been part of the deal then. This is just... Somehow noticing that he's matured and being proud of him for it.

Oh that's gross.

Yeah, he's also touched, and the whole thing is sort of... Validating, coming from someone outside of his literal family? But still, drawing attention to how he's improved as a person-- Ew, how awkward. ~~Clearly, he's only matured so much by now!~~]

I-- Thanks? That's... Nice of you?

[He sighs and shrugs helplessly.]

It is, it's nice of you... I've been here a long time, Vi. I turned 16 last month. [The emphasis isn't about her being younger, but rather, about his older brother being younger.] A lot has happened, and I guess that means some things about me kind of changed.

[Don't take him being weird about it personally, Violet, he's been struggling with to wrap his mind around this since a little before that birthday even came around.]

... Sixteen?

[ That's... concerning. Her smile of pride begins turning upside-down, her eyes becoming sad and sympathetic. If what she's gathered from him and everyone else is true, he's been away from his family for a while. And even if he has apparently blipped back and forth, that doesn't make this any less unsettling. She's only had Lena for a short while, but the idea of being away from her and their fathers for years is...

not good.

She hesitates. Out of the Team Magic trio, Webby is definitely the heart. Violet isn't good with emotions, and she knows it, so she feels unqualified to help Louie through whatever mental and emotional trauma's he's been through. (Granted, she doesn't expect him to flat out ADMIT he's been through any such thing. Out of his own trio, Dewey and Huey wear their hearts of their sleeves and Louie tries to pretend he doesn't own any such organ.) But at the same time, she can't just let it slide, since she does care about him as a good friend. She may as well offer. ]

I... know that we haven't been acquainted with each other long, but if you'd ever like to speak privately about how these... years... have treated you, I can give you all the secrecy you wish. I have the Junior Woodchuck Freudian Psychoanalysis badge.

[ always reassuring to sneak in a JW reference. ]

[When Violet looks that sad after learning just how long he's been here, Louie immediately regrets breaking the news to her like that. Because in his mind, it's more than just likely that her reaction is due to only just realizing how long she might be here- It's the only logical reason. And he can't blame her, he remembers finding it upsetting too. He wishes he'd been more considerate, instead of forgetting to consider what it's like in her shoes.

...But then she's offering to be his therapist.]

Violet, that's nice of you - weird, but nice - but it hasn't been like that. The amount of times I've felt like my life was in danger over the past three years? It hasn't even been a third as often as it was in the average month back home.

Don't get me wrong, I've missed everyone - and having feathers, especially in the winter - but even all the time I spent walking and camping here hasn't been that bad. I appreciate the offer, I've just been... You know, pretty happy.

[ She can be concerned about both things, Louie, it's not difficult!

But it's difficult to tell if he's telling the truth or masking his real feelings. Or maybe it's a combination of the two? It's too early to tell, given it's only been a few minutes since they 'reunited'. ]

Very well. I won't harp on the matter if it makes you uncomfortable. But the offer will always remain available during my time here, no matter what.

Do you wish to change the subject matter as to delay any matters of awkwardness?

[ master of socialization, this one. ]

I think it's a little late for that by now, but yes. Please. Do you have any other questions?

...About things here, not about me needing psychology help.

Edited 2024-05-10 00:23 (UTC)

I'll allow simple curiosity to take over for this round. I'm not certain why this particular demon was assigned to me, so what was your first one upon your arrival?

[Violet's question brightens up Louie's mood immediately, even though it reminds him that she's got an Espurr. If you'd told him when he first got here that he'd end up so attached to his pokemon, he would have been skeptical, but it happened all the same. Plus, both of his starting pokemon were cats. He's happy to tell Violet about them.]

Well, I kind of have two. For a while, I wasn't here anymore-- Sometimes people end up back where they're from, and most of the time it stays that way... But sometimes it doesn't. So when I wound up home and then back here, I had a new starter.

[Louie gets out a pokeball, and presses the button on it to send a Perrseker. The pokemon opens its mouth wide, sharply pointed teeth on full display... In a yawn.]

This is Penningar! You know, because he looks like a viking. And he's great, he likes sleep even more than I do. And he doesn't like walking around a lot, either. He still tries to get piggy-back rides from me, but he's way too big and heavy for that since he evolved. He's gotten better at battling, but he's still super lazy.

And then Shilling was the first pokemon I ever got. I was able to get him back again, too, he's just not with me right now. He's like a cat, too, but more like a wild cat than Penn. He's more of a fighter, too. Way more of one. It can get intense, but it's come in handy once or twice. And he's pretty smart, too.

[ There's a smirk of amusement on her face. Given how his "perfect dream" was just being a cat, his affinity with them is not exactly surprising. ]

It almost sounds as if you found the "Pokemon" version of yourself within Penningar. Perhaps in time, I'll find my own likeness within Loki.

How many of these creatures have you collected? Taking care of one sounds like a gigantic task in of itself, but from what I've gathered, it's encouraged to amass a great number of these demons. Admittedly, I've never taken care of a pet before, so this will be new territory in many ways. I can't help but be quite nervous and excited at the same time.

I'm more curious to see if he ever ends up changing my mind about Espurr, but I'm not holding my breath. Although you did pick a pretty cool name, I've gotta admit. I'd ask if you know about the time I went to Valhalla, but Webby was there too. I'm guessing she was excited to share the story.

[As for her question, Louie's going to need to double-check his Gear's Pokedex feature... He had some Pokemon from Huey until he returned, which shifts the count around.]

I've got thirty-six of them. And I think you know me well enough, at least, to know that means they can't be as much looking after and stuff as normal pets. Don't get me wrong! You've got to take care of them, and Pokemon can cause their own kinds of special headaches. Still, they can be pretty independent, and that helps.

There is very little Webbigail declines to share with me. It's thanks to her that I know your exact sleeping patterns.

[ ... hard to tell if that's a Vi joke or Webby being Webby. Both are plausible. ]

Thirty-six. I admit, hearing that number from you while you also claim the struggle is not as intense as one would think, is more reassuring than you could possibly know. This has increased my excitement and confidence in these matters by leaps and bounds.

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First Report [video]

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