146th moon [video]

[paladinlost]

[Background of the video: Celadon City's department store, TM section. An ever-popular location as the holidays approach, though it appears somewhat less busy than usual, due to the subject of the video being in the way.

Subject of the video: a Clefable, a Tinkaton and a Quaquaval, gathered before the rows of TMs, apparently in the middle of a lively in-depth move comparison. The Clefable plays the role of teacher, with the Tinkaton and the Quaquaval embodying her fascinated students.

Taker of the video: probably one Cecil Harvey, considering that the Pokémon are his and he starts speaking after a few moments.]


The children have somehow learned and internalized the concepts of long-term planning, delayed gratification, holiday spirit as a tool for manipulation and collective bargaining. They had a manifesto with a list of demands they voted for.


[Is he proud? Is he alarmed? Who knows! Certainly not him!]

Comments

[voice]

[loopsiedaisy]

[Oh, Loop recognizes this person's voice! And... one of those Pokemon!]

[They don't respond with video - honestly, seeing the little preview box of themself weirds them out a little - but they have finally figured out voice too:]

So... what was the final vote?

[video forever]

[paladinlost]

[Ah, a familiar voice! Cecil doesn't need the video to recognize Loop, so responding to an audio-only feed is fine with him.

Still, it's a shame they now have to witness the sheer ridiculousness of his team, when there's more than two of them around at once.]

A minimum threshold of HM, TM or tutor moves for current and future members of the team, currently established at ten, with a possible increase later. Any Pokémon that cannot learn the minimum number of moves must receive sufficient compensation, as established by the Pokémon in question.

[As if he hasn't already been spoiling his Ditto rotten! It's almost insulting, really.]

In addition, I must purchase at least one copy of every TM available in stores that teaches a move no member of my team knows, as long as one of them can potentially learn it, with the single exception of Frustration. Luckily, they've voted against a motion to demand the capture of new Pokémon to cover any TM moves none of them can learn.

...And those are only the demands related to our current outing, mind you.

[loopsiedaisy]

[O-oh.]

They sound like they're more into battling than basically all the trainers I've run into so far.

[...they lower their voice a little bit.]

How scandalized would they be if they knew none of mine have seen a TM yet...?

[paladinlost]

Say no such thing in their presence! They'll ambush you in the night and drag you to the nearest shop against your will!

[Honestly, considering the sheer panic in his voice, it's surprising he managed to keep his hissing soft enough to avoid attracting the trio's attention.]

They enjoy battle, certainly, especially at the gym... But they also feel extremely strongly about the strength of their offspring, and the moves they'll pass on to the children in question. Thus, the TMs, chosen with care and compatibility in mind.

[loopsiedaisy]

[They didn't realize this was such a big deal???]

Even if they do I don't think I can afford a TM!!

[They are going to get knifed in their sleep by a disappointed Clefable]

[And. Oh. Offspring. They haven't thought about Pokemon and offspring since their conversation way back when with Beetlejuice about eggs, and now they are realizing, do they have to worry about:]

Um. Is there an age, or - or level? - that Pokemon start wanting to have children??

[Is Orrery going to suddenly lay a bunch of eggs?? Somehow?? What are they supposed to do.]

[paladinlost]

That'll hardly stop them; my Persian would simply throw money at you until you have the necessary funds, and I mean the throwing at part very literally.

[It would almost be a nice gesture! Except for, you know, the abduction and the threats and the coins hurled at full speed and the pressure in general.]

There is no universal age or level, no. Certain Pokémon never bother, while others are ready for parenthood the moment they hatch. It's mostly a matter of compatibility with a potential partner, or the influence of the Pokémon surrounding them. And then there are the species that simply... cannot breed at all, somehow, whether or not they feel the urge in the first place.

[loopsiedaisy]

[Loop repeats 'the moment they hatch??' back to themself, even more alarmed. It's probably just barely audible over the Gear.]

I. Guess I should just keep an eye on mine.

[One Fear. Loop is suddenly significantly more concerned about the little "Breeder" label they faintly remember on that id card they were given. Maybe it was a bad idea to shove that into a corner of their bag... and avoid thinking about it for months...]

[Anyway!]

I'm almost scared to ask what yours are going to want on other outings...

[paladinlost]

That's always a wise idea. Vigilance and a strong awareness of your team's various relationships may be your only defense against, well...

[One hand shows up in front of the camera long enough to vaguely mime a veritable mountain of eggs, though it may be difficult to recognize without firsthand knowledge of Cecil's... yearly eggy problem.]

And obviously, they want everything in the world short of the moon. Unless I can combine some of their requests, I'll have to double my weekly food budget.

[loopsiedaisy]

[Loop doesn't recognize the egg mountain, but they do grasp that Cecil's miming a lot of something, and manage to get to more or less the correct conclusion.]

What do you even do with that many baby Pokemon?

[Video]

[phdepression]

[As per usual, Jotaro is out and about again. His video doesn't capture anything besides the fact he's in a cave and whatever is happening in Cecil's video is infinitely more entertaining than his own.]

Good grief. Sounds like an expensive venture. How long is the list of demands?

[Video]

[paladinlost]

[Cecil would joyfully trade this shopping trip for the most boring of visits to the most boring of caves. Hell, he'd take the Ice Cave with no backpack again, if he could.]

They've agreed on twenty-seven separate demands, helpfully separated in themed categories. Do note, however, that the purchase of a minimal number of TMs per Pokémon and the purchase of every compatible move no member of the team currently knows only count for two of the items on the list.

[phdepression]

[Ohh, Jotaro wishes he was at the Ice Cave. It's one of the few places he hasn't thoroughly explored yet!]

...They're organised, if nothing else. I wish some of the PhD students I had showed that much initiative. [Jotaro, please.]

... So are you going to break it to them that all of their demands are not going to be met now or later?

[paladinlost]

I've already informed them that fifteen of their demands, while popular and good for morale, are not feasible in our current circumstances. They should be discussing potential amendments before the end of the year.

[A beat, punctuated by delighted gasps over some prized TM.]

Or they might decide that outnumbering me one hundred and twenty-three to one means they hold all the power in these negotiations, and go on strike in an attempt to force my hand. If you want to encourage such... initiative among your students, I'd suggest starting with a smaller group.

[phdepression]

That's fair. If they can understand bargaining, they can start to understand economics. [They'll have learn, at least for Cecil's sake.

At the gasp, Jotaro can't help but smirk.]

... And if they try a strike, remind them who pays for their food and their home. I dunno about your team but several members of mine tend to be easily bribed by food.

But noted. If I want my team taking initiative, I'll start with just Star first...

[Hearing his name, Jotaro's Palafin pokes his head into frame, curious to see what's going on. Jotaro pets Star Platinum's head but then pushes him away gently, not wanting Star to get any ideas.]

[paladinlost]

Some of their demands related to food are in the 'not feasible' category, in fact. The extra expense would be something of an issue, but even if I happily purchased everything they requested for every meal, I'd need a whole castle's kitchens and staff to be able to prepare it.

[He's had a whole castle's kitchens and staff at his disposal before, he knows exactly what that entails. And how large the pantry must be to match. Can't fit that in a regular Celadon City home.]

A dangerous idea, that. I taught Rosie how to write and help me manage the house, when I first arrived, and now she organizes votes and writes down manifestos. The additional authority granted by age and experience can easily empower a starter Pokémon.

[phdepression]

... Perhaps then food preparation should be the next thing you need to teach them. [Jotaro, please.]

Something for me to keep in mind. How troublesome. ... Still, it's fascinating how much autonomy a Pokemon has and can exhibit when given the proper training. Really makes you think...

[Star has floated back on screen on Jotaro's end. Sighing, Jotaro lets him rest on his shoulders so he can also watch Cecil's Pokemon.]

[paladinlost]

...For the majority of the team, food preparation has been a banned subject since the chicken incident.

[Cecil's unrestrained shudder at the memory makes the whole Pokégear shake.]

The species involved plays a role in it. A Magikarp wouldn't have the ability to write even if you tried to teach it, lacking hands as it does. Yet I have no reason not to believe that it could read a grocery list and communicate any item to add to another Pokémon with the necessary limbs. Terrestrial species with dexterous fingers, particularly Psychic-types with telepathy, have an advantage over others when it comes to autonomy within human society.

video;

[outofsynth]

That... doesn't seem very in the spirit.

[And he's slightly nervous that both his Noivern and his blue striped Zangoose have overheard this. It's too late to cover their ears now, but Min still looks like he's strongly considering it.]

video;

[paladinlost]

It is, technically, in the spirit of my attempts to improve their education and of their own desire to bear particularly strong children. In the spirit of the seasonal goodwill, however...

[For about one second his Clefable raises her head to stare at the Gear's general direction, looking very insulted. Hey, the older team members like her agreed to give up on their chance for a Christmas TM, just to help the little ones catch up! How is that not in the spirit??]

video; oops, I was so sure I'd replied to this...

[outofsynth]

[Min-Gi doesn't expect the Clefable to look so offended, and in the absence of any ability to understand Pokémon or having got to know her he isn't sure why. Only that he has. It's only for a moment, but he knows she's not impressed.]

Yeah. Like, there's nothing wrong with lists. But a manifesto seems a bit much.

[He's not sure why he's trying to justify himself to the Pokémon who seems responsible for this, but here we are.]

video;

[paladinlost]

It's hardly their first. I've managed to acquire a few very... militant Pokémon, somehow, though they've never been so organized about it before.

[And now Cecil's the target of Rosie's glare, because how dare he compare their carefully crafted team effort to Blizzaga's ramblings about evil cookies and Big Sugar.

Having more than enough experience to understand exactly what she's thinking, he's unaffected. He knows very well she's the one who wrote down all those ramblings in Blizzaga's stead, after all.]

video;

[outofsynth]

I guess it's good they're learning?

[Min does not sound convinced. This probably isn't helped by the chattering of his own two visible Pokémon in the background. Neither Echoes nor Jean are among what he'd consider his most intelligent Pokémon, but they each possess a brand of cunning that makes him nervous all the same.

They probably could replicate something similar if they put their minds to it.]

video;

[paladinlost]

There's plenty of skills they could be learning instead. Appreciating what they already have, for example.

[Organizing is a very useful skill! It encourages teamwork and cooperation!! It involves both planning and communication!!! It ensures good work conditions and fair compensation for their efforts!!!!

Is Rosie shouting that on purpose so Echoes and Jean (or, well, any Pokémon that might be out there, since she's too far to see) can overhear? Perhaps.]

video;

[outofsynth]

Yeah. Some Pokémon are better at that than others...

[As demonstrated by both Echoes and Jean who, unbeknownst to Min, are definitely taking an interest in Rosie's rallying. Jean seems rapt, while Echoes is bouncing excitedly in agreement. Though "compensation" seems his biggest takeaway from this.]

video;

[paladinlost]

Rosie was far better at it when she was young, but having so many younger siblings under her influence has taught her ambition.

[She's a young lady with goals! With dreams! With an approved plan for greater snack variety! Any other team can aim for that, with sufficient members and strategic know-how. All it takes is determination!]