Third Viking Assault. [Video]

[punchandkiss]

[Astrid is sitting somewhere in Violet City when she turns her camera on, leaning her back against a wall. Her Axew is seated next to her, holding a pokemon egg between his legs as her Sentret sits on his head, chittering at everyone who walks by.]

[She's apparently added a new member to her team, as there is a rather tiny Shinx sitting in her lap. The little blue pokemon is gnawing on Astrid's thumb, her eyes intent, even as Astrid uses her other hand to rubs her fur between her ears. The teen doesn't even seem to realize she's doing it, her attention on the camera itself. She looks...frustrated.]

Okay, I know this place is pretty big, but how long does it actually take to get to Ecruteak from Violet?

[When you've spent your whole life in one village, distances can be a bit hard to wrap your head around.]

I need to get there. It's kind of an emergancy.

[She hesitates, her eyes narrowing as she studies the gear for a moment.]

Right. Someone told me I can use this to talk to just one person? Instead of...well, everybody. ...Can't figure out how, though. So, if anyone can let me know? I'm trying to reach a kid named Hiccup again.

Comments

text;

[doitrockapella]

That depends on whether you're walking, riding, or flying.

Are you one of Hiccup's friends?

permavideo.

[punchandkiss]

[There's a little pause before each response as she reads the message, and figures out how to switch back to video.]

Uh. Walking? I can't exactly ride on any of these guys.

[She bops the little Shinx lightly on the head and she mock-growls and swipes playfully at Astrid's palm. And then she looks slightly embarrassed.]

...Uh, yeah. Something like that. Do you know him?

permatext!

[doitrockapella]

On foot, Violet to Ecruteak will take you four or five days. It'd be faster with a ride from a Pokemon, naturally, but those can be hard to come by; Johto does seem to like stacking the deck against its trainers that way.

[A fact she knows all too well, considering it drove her crazy back when she was still new and itching to move fast.]

We've been traveling together. Assuming we're thinking of the same Hiccup, that is.

[punchandkiss]

Four or five...[She sighs.] It takes forever to get anywhere here.

[Her head tilts to the side as she studies the words on the screen. Mysterious text messages from someone who claims she is traveling with Hiccup.]

...More than one Dad would name their kid Hiccup?

Who are you?

[doitrockapella]

You never know. Johto is full of plenty of other surprising things. After a while, names tend to be among the least of them.

And speaking of names, mine is Carmen Sandiego. Hiccup and I have known each other for a few months now.

[punchandkiss]

...Maybe. I've only heard of one here, though. Not that tall, kind of a stringbean, great with dragons?

[Sorry, she's suspicious now.]

...Right. I'm Astrid. You're traveling with him?

[doitrockapella]

[Well, the other two could've been give and take, but great with dragons does it in an instant.]

That's the one. It's a pleasure, Astrid.

Is there something wrong with that?

[punchandkiss]

What? No. Of course not. Why would there be?

[She wasn't jealous of some girl traveling around with Hiccup having adventures. That was stupid. She wasn't.]

I just didn't know.

[doitrockapella]

[Well, hmm. In the words of the Bard, the lady doth protest too much, methinks.]

Is he the one you're in a hurry to see?

[punchandkiss]

...Yeah. I mean, you must have seen him. He looks terrible.

[Yes she's worried.]

[doitrockapella]

[Aha. So that's it. Well, that earns Astrid some points in Carmen's book; she'd be in a hurry for the people she cares about, too.]

I did. He had a bad few weeks, but he seems to be pulling through all right.

[punchandkiss]

...Seriously? He still has horns! That's not pulling through.

[doitrockapella]

He's also not freezing everything he touches and living in constant danger of hypothermia anymore. I'll take improvement where I find it.

[punchandkiss]

...I guess. [She hesitates.] Is he really doing better? I couldn't tell the last time I talked to him. He just still had the horns...

[doitrockapella]

He's much better than he was. Whatever it was he had, it seems to be fading.

Though that doesn't mean you shouldn't still hurry to see him.

[punchandkiss]

[She looks a little relieved to read that.]

I'm trying. It took me two weeks just to get here.

[doitrockapella]

[Man, if only she could've delayed having anything to do with Albert for two weeks and beyond. Hindsight, yo.]

Have you been able to get the badge from the Violet Gym yet?

[punchandkiss]

No. [There's another frustration.] The gym is closed. There was a fight or...something, I'm not sure.

[doitrockapella]

There were attacks. The one in Ecruteak is closed, too, and so are several of the others.

That's a good badge to have, though. For some reason, you aren't able to fly without it.

[punchandkiss]

...Fly? [She hadn't thought of that.] I don't think any of these guys can learn fly, anyway.

It would be nice, though. [She misses flying.]

[doitrockapella]

It's a good investment, picking up something with wings. While it won't help you in the meantime, it'll come in very handy someday.

What about the Violet Pokemon Center? Is it still up and running?

[punchandkiss]

I did see some birds on my way here...

Yes, it is. I went by there when I got into town.

[doitrockapella]

Look them over in your Dex before you decide to catch one; many of the birds here grow to sizes big enough to ride, but not all of them do.

And if you're in a hurry to get a move on, I can send you some help.

[duncansdontsing]

Seriously? What kind of dork goes by 'Hiccup'?

[Sorry, did you have a question somewhere in there, Astrid? Because Duncan here's stuck on the part where somebody's actually named "Hiccup" and they haven't bothered to pick a new name.]

[punchandkiss]

What about a 'Pidgey'? I think that was one of the ones I saw.

Help how?