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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Correct again. Initially I was tempted to quiz you on Junior Woodchuck rules and regulations, but since the leader of F.O.W.L. was apparently himself a member once upon a time, that wouldn't have eased my concerns. So instead, let us proceed to the final question.

[ dramatic pause. this is very serious. she's not trying to poke fun. this is for all the marbles. ]

... Did you really have to kiss some sort of sea worm in order to escape its clutches?

[ nevermind, she's totally poking fun at him now. ]

[He nods along wisely, agreeing in full. If you asked him, even if that hadn't been the case with FOWL's leadership, if he had to teach a Huey clone how to be him, the first place he'd start would be the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook! It just made sense!

...Ah. Then the third question arrives. He looks down and away uncomfortably, less in a sheepish way and more in a "I'm going to lose my breakfast and I liked what I ate, darnit" kind of way. Meowth, wondering why the treats stopped, paws at him after a moment or two, and he obliges without really looking up.]

Yes. It was an- [A shudder travels almost visibly up his body from toe to head.] -unforgettable experience.

[Deep inhale, recentering, then exhale.]

But it was what needed to be done! We were under peril, and you don't always get to do what you like in cases like that. And sometimes it's what you really... really don't wanna do.

I see. So it wasn't something Dewford made up in an attempt to humiliate you. I must say, I was rather skeptical.

[ In other words, she had no real confirmation and totally weaseled that information out of him on a sheer guess.

Mwahahaha. ]

If it makes you feel any better, I totally and completely believe you are the one and only Hubert Duck.

[ And the cherry on top, a genuine smile out of her! ]

And it is with immense relief that you are who you are, and that I have such a worthwhile companion during this "spontaneous plane shifting".

[Tricked! You'd think life with Louie would lead him to sniffing those out better, but nooooo...]

Glad I've satisfactorily proven myself! And like I said, I'm glad to see you. I know it's... quite the change being here versus what we all know back home.

So I'm here for any questions, or anything else you may need.

I'll admit, I am filled with so many questions it's quite difficult to pinpoint where to begin. However, the most efficient one is probably this -

Does this place have any libraries? I'll need to do a lot of research in order to grasp this situation.

[ And then vanish for a week as she gets absorbed in reading and does absolutely nothing else. It is her dream, after all. ]

I can certainly sympathize.

[He STILL has questions about the whole shebang here.]

There sure is! The academy that's temporarily hosting all of us "otherworlders" has a rather impressive library. Would you like to meet up there for some joint study?

I would like that very much. I'll trust you to bring along any notes you've made during your time here.

[ Pause.

Glance downward.

Glance back up. ]

And I'll trust you to bring the cat as well.

[ Can any young girl resist the allure of adorable kitties? At least this one can't. This world is horrifying and strange, but at least it has cats, so there's a plus. ]

Of course! I don't have everything with me right now, but I'll bring along what I've accumulated so far.

[He glances down himself, then grins back at the video.]

And you got it! [Meowth leans back up into the frame, Extremely Interested now that they're talking about him.] I can show you my whole team if you'd like. I've actually received two partners, due to having originally left this place for quite a while, and they're both on my team. They're not cats, but I'm more than willing to introduce them.

And I'm more than willing to meet them. While this is all very concerning, the animals here are seriously lowering my guard. I expect you to give me an in-depth analysis of each creature you own.

[ Some high expectations of you, Huey! Better not let her down! ]

The Pokemon are certainly the highlight of this world, without a doubt! It's fascinating how different they all are, yet with some unique similarities between them, even going beyond the typical classifications you might find in our world.

You are only able to keep six Pokemon on you at a time and I have quite a few more than that, but I have notes and observations on all of them ripe for the sharing! Plus some Pokemon and habitat notes I've taken while visiting Paldea here as well.

Then consider me your earnest student, Hubert, for I am exceptionally eager to learn all that which you can teach me. My excitement knows no bounds.

[ ... said in her usual dead-pan tone. but she still means it, you can tell! ]

Where do you wish to meet? I admit I'm still getting my bearings on this place so I can't be certain where everything is and where certain locations are listed.

[He has to admit, he's excited too! Not only would he be the font of information but the more he thinks about it, the more he's missed his intellectual chats with Violet. They weren't often in the first place, he either with his brothers or she with her sisters, but that just makes it all more valuable, and a more exciting prospect here, too.]

The entrance area of the academy? It looks like that's where you are now, and I can be there in a couple hours. There's a fast travel element between cities, but the teleportation warps come with a bit of nausea if you take them too fast in succession.

... This world has mastered teleportation.

[ Not said in disbelief. More like awe. Perhaps even jealousy. ]

Take whichever transport is easiest for you. I have nothing but time. In the meanwhile, I'll be extensively studying the guide and "Pokedex" I've been given. I take it if I were to dismantle the latter for further examination, I wouldn't be given another?

[ She's already guessed so, but figures it doesn't hurt to ask. It's a wonder she didn't ask if she could dissect a Pokemon. ]

It has! The teleportations have other limits however, but I can go into those later.

Unfortunately I don't think there is a replacement option for PokeGears, but that might warrant looking into. If nothing else, it's possible a Pokemon could damage them! I wonder...

[He scratches his chin, then tucks that away as well. There's Pokemon knowledge-sharing to focus on!]

I'll meet you in the entrance soon, then!

[Going to do a little adjustment of his party at the same time too, to give Violet a broad introduction.]

I'll see you then, Hubert.

[ Time to gather her resources and make camp. She will loyally wait at the entrance, but she's taken the time to gather as many books as she can and read up while she waits.

By the time Huey gets there, she's atop her own throne of books. She might not even notice him at first, and it might take a couple of tries to get her attention. ]

[Huey dutifully arrives a couple hours later, just as estimated, walking through the front doors and pausing there to look around. Spotting Violet, he's more amused than annoyed at seeing her veritable throne; wouldn't expect anything less!

Coming over, he patiently waits until she seems to have reached a good point in her reading to call her attention, doing so however many times it takes with nary a blink or grouse about it.]

Greetings, Violet! Good to see you in person.

The academy has a track field area that would suit our purposes well for me showing you the Pokemon I've got on hand. At your leisure, of course! I wouldn't want to interrupt any important research of your own you've got going on right now.

[Gotta respect The Book Stack.]

[ It does take a few tries to grab her attention, and she does see him, she jerks, startled - not so much by him, but what he is now. Man, why did the transformations here have to be so hideous? ]

My apologies, Hubert. It is going to take some time to adjust to your new look.

[ She shuffles off her throne and stands - still feels weird doing that without tailfeathers! - and brushes herself down before addressing him again. ]

Let's not waste any time and head for the track. I was not exaggerating when I told you how earnest I was to see what you have collected. My imagination is working overtime to even grasp what you could possibly have.

[ and here comes Espurr, toddling along. don't forget me! ]

I understand. It took me quite a while to get used to it myself. According to Louie there's a few that have gone through drastic transformations, though the majority here seem to come from their own worlds where this is the default appearance.

[As he's talking he's leading her to one of the double doors at the back of the large library space that makes up the academy's entrance. That leads to the track field, an expansive study-and-work area. Specifically he walks with her to one side where there's a small set up of seating by a couple of trees.]

So! Let me introduce my Pokemon to you. We'll start with Snow, the second partner I acquired. [And out of the Pokeball comes a Quaxwell, who almost immediately starts brushing off his feathers and getting all Sorted Out.] His species is Quaxwell, and he is a middle stage Pokemon.

Some, though not all, have "evolutions," which similar to the conventional idea but on a much quicker time table. That's one of the similarities I was discussing earlier- even Pokemon vastly different from each other in every way will share the fact that they can evolve in new forms.

Snow in particular- [Who looks up at his name, posing after a moment.] -is a two stage Pokemon. He started as a much smaller duck species known as Quaxly, and has one more stage to go before he is considered "fully evolved."

Your own Espurr, if I remember correctly, will have a single stage evolution, but not without its own particularities. Espurr is a Pokemon whose final form will depend on what biological gender they are.

[ Whole worlds that look like this? It's stomach-churning to imagine!

But now it's time for true learning! Violet has whipped out a notepad and pencil and already furiously starting jotting down observational notes the second Snow entered the scene. She even gets down on one knee for a better examination, nodding along to Huey's detailed lecture. She might need several notepads at this rate.

Though she will stop when it's time to discuss her own monster. She looks at Loki the Espurr, who just stands at her side doing its usual o_o ]

... I can't be entirely sure what gender it is, nor what signs to look for to indicate which. But seeing as I did name him after a male Norse God, I felt inclined towards the masculine identity for them, perhaps for emotional reasons over logical.

[ She'll give Loki a few scritches before the Ted Talk goes on. ]

According to what I've read here, these creatures evolve in many ways, but the most common way is by battling one another. I must admit, hearing that pet-fighting was such a staple of this world was rather unnerving when I first learned it. But they... enjoy it? As one would play-wrestling?

I have to admit that threw me a bit at first too, but I think that play-wrestling is an apt analogy.

[He spends a moment watching Snow, then goes for another Pokeball and releases his second teammate, a Vaporeon, as he's talking.]

It's its own sport here, somewhere between play-wrestling and the idea of a mage's duel. Contests of strategy and strength, of type match-ups and ideal moves. All Pokemon benefit from the battling system and it's extremely rare for them to get seriously injured in a way that potions and healing hubs known as Pokemon Centers can't fix. And indeed, while levelling up from training is the main way most Pokemon evolve, there are others! Darwin here is the perfect example of that.

[While Huey had been going on the two Pokemon had been conversing. Then Darwin heard his name and strolled over, sitting in front of Huey and receiving a head scruffle between the fins.]

There's a Pokemon known as Eevee who, unlike most, has the potential for many different evolutions of different methods. Three, Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon, which is this one, are "stone evolutions," where exposure to a magically charged stone will induce the evolution. For many Pokemon such as that, they can often cease learning moves naturally. Eevee is unique in that it changes type completely upon evolution, and continues learning new moves!

Many Pokemon also have several unique moves or abilities. Vaporeon can outright melt away into surrounding water and disappear entirely, boosting its defense and evasion.

[ Violet is writing things down so quick and fervently, it's really a wonder the pencil and notebook don't catch fire. Look how far down the pencil is already being whittled due to how much information she's jotting down! She doesn't dare interrupt, lest she miss a single detail, so she waits until Huey's finished before any furth inquiries. ]

My astoundment continues to grow, and it may never stop at this rate. What a wondrous experience. This is one of the few times I've become naturally envious of you, Hubert.

[ Which implies that there was something about him she envied before??? ]

As you may well know, magic is one of my favorite areas of study, due to how expansive and far-reaching it is, going past the possible and making new ground despite most logic and scientific breaches. To think that it will be a part of my day-to-day life here makes me pleased beyond measure.

[He's nodding enthusiastically right along as she speaks. One does not associate with Scrooge McDuck for more than five minutes without coming out the other end with a healthy respect, nay, admiration for magic and its infinite intricacies.]

Well in me you will find a faithful steward into the world of Pokemon! And where my information is lacking, I can certainly hope that we'll be able to ferret it out together. Two investigative souls, back to back in the depths of research! Unraveling the greatest mysteries of the Pokemon world!

Naturally. With our combined mental prowess and determination, all the mysteries of this world shall be unlocked with very little to stand in our way.

[ ... Oh. An idea. One she's very glad to share. ]

... And if there is any way to bring this documented knowledge to our home world, we may earn our own place in the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook. Perhaps they could even create new badges in dedication of this momentous event.

[Hold please, there's enough stars in his eyes to make a whole new set of constellations out of.

Okay, there we go.]

All the more reason to do as much research as possible! There will be no stone left unturned, between the two of us!

Naturally. We shall be an unstoppable force, the likes of which this world has never seen.

[ She smiles, pleased beyond measure to be here with her friends, and it even manages to show in her voice, just a bit.

~~My, Hubert can be quite adorable.~~ ]

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First Report [video]

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