victory_road | [Action for New Bark Town+Route 29/Video]

[Action]

[Why two places? Because Antoine's been running back and forth between the two, screaming his head off for a good half-hour now. He's not having a good day. When you finally locate the source of the hysterics, a young man is up in a tree, clinging to a branch, while down below, a confused Honedge is floating around and waiting for his new master to come down.]

WHY DOES ZIS KIND OF THING ALWAYS BE HAPPENING TO ME?! Did I wrack up bad karma een another life?! I DEMAND TO BE WOKEN UP FROM ZIS NIGHTMARE ZIS EESTANT!

[A pitying howl, he clings harder to his branch.]

I cannot find my wedding ring either... Can zis day get any worse?

[Video]

[This face appears on screen! ... Looking thoroughly, THOROUGHLY exhausted.]

... Assuming zis ees not a bad dream, or one of Doctor's Eggman's nefarious albeit confusing plans... Zis ees Antoine D'Coolette from ze main branch of ze Freedom Fighters, calling all branches and teams! Report een at once and identify your location! I am needing updates as soon as possible... along with a hug.

[Hey, there's Honedge, peering over his shoulder!]

Once I am with ze Princess, at least, we shall formulate a plan to - GAAAAAH!

[Honedge's mere appearance seems to scare the heck out of him, as he drops the communicator.]

I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING ZAT! EEF YOU ARE GOING TO POSSESS MY FATHER'S SWORD, YOU WILL DO SO WITH DIGNITY!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Eef my idea ees correct, zen zey are here, but scattered across ze land! And so eet will be a noble journey to reunite ze team!

Ah... N-No, everyone starts in the same town, zura...

A-And I never heard about any freedom fighters before, so I don't know if they got here before you did, zura...

[Hmmmms this over.]

Perhaps zat means zey will be arriving shortly, zen!

Then you should wait by that lady's house, they'll fly out any second, zura!

I am just hoping I will recognize zem. You see, I am not an overlander. I am a coyote!

MOOOOOOONNNGEEE!!

That's great, I'm a dog, zura!!

So you were unwillingly transformed as well? So eet ees like zis for everyone...

But we will get back our normal bodies! ... Mostly because I cannot stand zis. I need my EVERYTHING back.

Aha, yeah, all the nonhumans get changed when they get here, it's pretty terrible, zura.

[And yet he just...casually waves it off.]

But I'm used to it thanks to, um...reasons, zura. A-Ah, anyway, I dunno if anyone's figured out a way to change people back yet, but sometimes it just sorta happens, zura!

Not to be worrying. Once my companions have arrived, zey can explain ze science behind eet all. I am more of a man of action!

[He pumps a fist to prove his point and oh hey its honedge again - ]

EEK! ... Stop sneaking up on me! Stay within my line of sight!

Yeah, science is hard—

[...there's that screaming again.]

Um, it's okay, that's just your Pokemon, zura.

Eet ees NOT okay! Zis... thing... eet WAS my sword, and now eet's alive, and eet's creepy and spooky and unless eet ees ze spirit of my father, I am going to have nightmares for weeks!

[That's what he's convinced has happened.]

Edited 2016-06-20 21:16 (UTC)

[To be honest, where he's from, that sounds like a perfectly reasonable thing for a father to do. ...So Komasan can understand the misunderstanding.]

Hmn...no, I've definitely seen that one before, it's a Pokemon, zura. A ghosty...swordy Pokemon, but still a Pokemon, zura.

I don't care you call eet, eet ees unnatural!

[Hondege thankfully doesn't seem too upset about this. But Antoine is convinced of this 'spiritual possession' no matter what.]

And until I get my sword back, I must be finding a replacement. I can only hope zees... new hands of mine can handle a blade.

[Komasan would have agreed, made a comment about the extra fingers, and don't even get him started on feet. ...But he's kind of stuck on that first comment.]

...I don't understand, why isn't it natural, zura?

BECAUSE GHOSTS AREN'T NATURAL! DEAD THINGS SHOULD STAY DEAD!

[pause.]

... N-Not zat I am scared of zem or anything.

[...oh.]

I-I-Is that h-how you really feel, z-zura?

[TEARS? WHAT TEARS?]

... All right, I may be a teensy. Tiny. Little bit afraid of zem.

[That's the big issue, yes?]

[Clearly that's the issue.]

B-But...I-I don't...I don't understand... zura... [Sniffle.] We just...wanna make friends...j-just like everyone else, z-zura!!

[he

catches a certain word]

... "We"?

I just don't get it, zura... I-I thought you said you were a coyote...I thought you meant you were a coyote youkai, z-zura...

[Because normal coyotes don't...talk. Or use swords. ...Unless cartoons have been real all this time?!]