victory_road | Video: A very unusual Charmander Trainer

The video feed clicks on to the sight of a silver-haired man with fuchsia eye shadow and some ... very unusual clothing, casually painting his manicured nails a dark purple. When he speaks, the voice is aristocratic and haughty.

“Greetings, fellow denizens of this realm! My name is Kuja. I seem to have been brought here as a new cast member for this ongoing production. I can’t say much for the wilderness travel, but the spa at Cherrygrove pleases me.”

He seems to be broadcasting from the Cherrygrove Pokemon Center. He holds up a finished hand, studying his work, and then starts on the other hand.

“I might be inclined to settle here, only I wish to see Ecruteak. Tell me, are there any particular hazards we should be aware of on our journey? And once in Ecruteak, what are your recommendations of the best sites for a patron of the arts?”

“Charmander!” A cheery Charmander suddenly peeks up sideways from the corner of the device.

“Ah yes, this is my traveling companion. Apparently they become dragons when full-grown?” He looks pleased by this. “Are there other dragon Pokemon as well?” He’s quite fond of dragons. He may specialize in them.

Whether he was planning to say more or not, the Charmander accidentally knocks the propped-up PokeGear over. “Charrrr ...” It’s definitely an “Oops” tone.

Kuja sighs. “Don’t fret about it.” He carefully picks it back up again without damaging the wet nail polish. “Perhaps that is enough for our opening act. We shall bow out for now.” And he clicks it off.

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[Well. Well. It has been a very, very long time since Cecil last saw a familiar face, to the point where he's somewhat forgotten how to react. Which is not helped by the fact that he cannot tell from Kuja's words whether he has lived through the various wars between the gods and their champions. Does that make him a potential ally, a potential foe, or simply a neutral presence, a fellow otherworlder stuck in this land for an undetermined period?

Luckily, he can test for that!]

Let it be known, for the record, that while Charmander becomes a creature resembling a dragon, it does not become a Dragon-type, which is what matters in this world as far as Pokémon are concerned. ...That said, if you'd like to see what other dragons this world has to offer, I could always show you my sweet Vaan, my dear Bahamut or my darling Chaos, among others.

[...Hey, no one said the test had to be subtle.]

[Kuja pauses, definitely surprised to get a response from someone he actually knows. He sits for a moment, pondering on that. He remembers encountering Cecil during the period where Kefka had played havoc with his memories. He doesn't know if Cecil ever became aware that's why he was acting as he was back then, or what Terra or Zidane might have told him about their later adventures....]

How ridiculous of them to refuse to label such a creature as a dragon! What is their explanation for that?

[And he has to scoff at that last name. Really?]

Why ever would you name one Chaos? Do any of these animals really deserve to be bestowed with such a moniker?

[Still not making it quite clear which era he's from.]

[Honestly, that little surprised pause says more about Kuja's previous circumstances than his actual words. Still, it's not nearly enough for Cecil to be able to pin things down. He'll have to keep this discussion going for a bit, if he wants to figure it out.]

Its type weaknesses do not match those of Dragon-types, but rather those of a mix between a Fire- and a Flying-type. Thus, not a dragon. Frankly, appearances play a minimal role in these designations; heavens know that, despite being a pure Dragon-type, my dear Bavarois resembles a giant bipedal slug far more closely.

[Kuja's second question demands a moment's thought. He could speak of the tales concerning Roaring Moon's ferocity and power, describe the circumstances in which the species first appeared in these regions, but–]

...I already had a Cosmos and a Materia in my team. I needed to complete the pairs somehow.

[–the truth might actually be more helpful, this time.]

I see.

... A slug?

[He looks honestly scandalized by this. How can a slug be designated as a dragon? All he can picture is a giant dragon-sized slug with limbs, spreading slime everywhere. The horror.]

Who is in charge of determining what types they fall under?

[Oh, he has so much to learn about all of this....

He doesn't look much more impressed by this explanation to the other question.]

Then you also require a Spiritus, do you not?

(The fabulously dressed man’s outfit does catch one young wizard’s attention when he checked out the video post as he has never seen anyone in the British magical community dressed in the same style as Kuja. Harry could tell that the other man takes great pride in having a refined style unlike him who is more of a shirt, jeans and sneakers kind of fellow.

But the main focus isn’t on fashion, that is not his expertise, it is on the Charmander who is with him and he has the urge to tell Kuja what to expect and to be aware of this world’s peculiarities before he can travel for Ecruteak.)

Oh hello there, Sir. You do have a very adorable looking Charmander.

Though I do want to tell you right away that there are plenty of wild Pokémon who call certain areas home and wouldn’t like being disturbed while you’re on the road. They can get a bit defensive to put it lightly.

Why, thank you. I am quite pleased with him.

Yes, we discovered quite a lot of that between New Bark and Cherrygrove. Are there any particular creatures more dangerous than others?

[He already discovered the horrors of Pineco, which exploded and barely missed him when he leaped out of the way just in time. And don't get him started on gigantic elephant beetles as tall as himself.]

Yes they are actually more dangerous Pokémon to watch out for especially if you’re a Trainer who is just starting out. Depending on each characteristic, they can pose a danger to anyone unlucky enough to cross paths with them.

Some are quite aggressive both inside and outside and they can get provoked easily even if you don’t intend to fight them like they have to defend their pride at all costs. While others may not look like they could hold their own, but when grouped together, they can very terrifying to deal with.

(Harry has certainly encountered a couple of Pokémon who are that aggressive, though his Houndoom Sirius oddly enough isn’t even the scariest he has found by far. The Maushold swarm on the other hand proved to be a nightmare to diffuse with how many can show up so it was a miracle that he had his own Maushold to aid in the situation.)

If I had picked one Pokémon that stands out to me as being just as terrifying and dangerous, I will have to say the swarms of Fearows and Spearrows. And no, I am not making it up as a joke, Sir.

I was traveling to Mahogany Town to get the Glacier Badge when I encountered a swarm of them coming out of nowhere and they tried to attack me and my team like they had some unresolved anger issues to let out.

They sound very similar to creatures back home.

A flock of angry birds is by far not a matter of jest. How did you escape?

Video: A very unusual Charmander Trainer

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