punchandkiss | Fifth Viking Assault [Video]

[The video clicks on to reveal a spot of street and a pair of boots, and after a few seconds it's turned over to show an...upside down Astrid. She frowns at it, and then quickly rights it again. She looks happier than she did last time, if a bit dirtier.]

I'm at Violet now. Had to get a new magic window gear thing because somebody decided to step on it. [She tosses a glare off-screen and there's an apologetic whimper from nearby.]

I had a question though. Evolving. Evolutions. [She says the word carefully because it's a completely new one for her, and then she turns her camera to show a Pidgeotto and a Luxio standing nearby. The Luxio is batting a rock around with his paws and the Pidgeotto is preening, and both seem to be pointedly ignoring the camera.]

These two...evolved...while I was coming here, right? Which was pretty cool, if...kind of weird. I didn't think they'd get so much bigger!

Anyway, so I was looking up the rest of mine to see when they'd do it too, right? And I realized something.

[She turns the camera some more, to where her Sentret, Fuzzball, is currently sitting on the ground watching a Clefairy run in circles around what appears to be a long, blue snake-like Dratini...who is clearly not interested in whatever the Clefairy is selling. But Astrid focuses the camera on Fuzzball, who hops up on her tail and waves at the screen, hamming it up.]

She was supposed to evolve. Ages ago. But she didn't. What gives?

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Some of them don't want to. My Joltik doesn't want to so why fucking force it?

I'm not going to force her...

[Astrid frowns.]

They can just decide not to? But doesn't that mean she's weaker?

That's debatable. Evolving makes them stronger, but not evolving doesn't mean they're weaker.

Alex has maxed out his levels. I never evolved him and he can still cause a shit ton of damage. He's one of the best beasts I have. It's all about working with what you got.

...Holy fuck I have become a goddamn nerd.

Well someone said they evolve into...death ferrets. I think she's a bit too vain to turn into something like that.

[So at least it made sense. She does smile faintly.]

...That was pretty nerdy, yeah.

Death ferrets? Seriously?

[ he doesn't believe it. ]

That's how he described it!

I guess they're pretty big, but death isn't how I would describe them.

Well...what then?

A pain in the ass.

That's...not really a physical description.

It's really quite dependent on the Pokemon, or so I've read.

[[Crossing her arms, Page examines Astrid's Pokemon with a curious eye. None of hers have undergone evolution, yet, so the subject is one she's quite interested in. She usually wouldn't go out of her way to engage a stranger, but....well, perhaps this girl has some worthwhile information about the subject, since she's obviously had some experience with it.]]

If they don't want to evolve, you can't force it. You have to let them decide for themselves if it's what they want.

...I don't quite understand it all myself, but I believe that's the basic gist of it.

[Astrid whirls around, immediately in a defensive stance at the unexpected voice. Once she sees the woman doesn't appear to be threatening, she relaxes though, somewhat. And is silent as the other talks. Finally she shrugs.]

That's what Karkat was saying. I think she's just to vain to want to turn into something long and skinny like her evolution.

[Fuzzball seems to know she's being talked about, and bounds over to the newcomer, standing on her tail and almost posing happily, giving a wave of her tiny hand. Astrid just rolls her eyes.]

Who're you?

That could be part of the issue, yes.

[[Page visibly hesitates when asked for her name; being a wanted criminal (not that she would consider herself one!) in her home world has made her very wary. But she reminds herself once again that....well, she's not home any more.]]

....my name is Page. I'm....new.

[[If that wasn't obvious.]]

Yours? You've obviously been here a little while.

[[....and that's a cute Pokemon there, isn't it. Page returns the wave, forcing a smile to her face. Not because Fuzzball is displeasing her; more because she's....well, not that used to doing it.]]

Oh. Augh...

They look like a weasel, only bigger and with stripes.

Some Pokémon don't want to evolve. It's a pain sometimes, since evolved Pokémon are way stronger, but I've learned that you can't always brute force it.

[He sighs.]

I mean, you could try talking it over with her, but generally if a Pokémon doesn't want to evolve, it's tough work convincing them otherwise.

And they aren't vicious?

[Well, that didn't tell her much, but Astrid couldn't really argue about it either way, could she? She probably wouldn't have understood if the other told her more, since everyone was from a different world.]

I'm Astrid.

[She offered kind of a hand-lifted wave. And then she shrugged/]

I don't know. A month and a half? It...you kind of pick things up pretty quick, I think.

[Astrid shrugs.]

I'm not going to force her if she doesn't want to. I mean, something like that...it must be kind of scary, you know? Turning into something completely different.

I've found you don't have much of a choice if you actually want to get anywhere.

[[Astrid receives a nod at the declaration of her name, before Page turns her gaze back to the Pokemon surrounding the other girl.]]

...what actually happens when they evolve? I've read up a bit on the subject, but the book didn't really go into a physical description of the change.

It's...kind of hard to describe. There was this bright light, and I couldn't really see them because of it while it was happening, right? And then...

[She shakes her head.]

When it faded, they were...different. Bigger.

So the light masks the transformation? I suppose that's a bit of a blessing.

[[Because really, it doesn't sound all that pleasant to witness, much less undergo.

....hopefully it's...painless....]]

I can understand why some of them would hesitate, then, what with it being irreversible. You wouldn't want to regret your decision.

[[The thought of being stuck in a body she loathes makes Page shudder. Who knew Pokemon were so unwittingly morbid?]]

Or it happens hidden inside the light. [She shrugs.] I have no idea, honestly.

But yeah, I...I mean, it would probably be terrifying, if you didn't know what was coming, right? You'd have to spend your whole life as something...else.

They must have some sort of sense about it, if they can consciously choose to delay the process. Now that I've thought about it, I can't say I'm surprised that there are those who want to hold off.

[[She pauses, thinking.]]

At what point, I wonder, do they start putting their trainer's desires above their own? I'd presume there are those out there who would demand their transformation to a stronger form.

[[Hmm. A small smile.]]

Perhaps patience is the best route to take with your Pokemon. Loving them as they are, and all that.

[Astrid snaps her fingers at Fuzzball twists around and bounds back to her, leaping on her hand and running up to sit on her shoulder.]

I don't know. I wouldn't want them to have to spend their whole lives being something they don't want to be. [She shrugs again.] If people were going to do that, force them...that's pretty terrible.

I mostly just...let them train. They seem to enjoy that. [She did, anyway. And they didn't complain. Well, except for her Pidgeotto, but that one was a bit lazy.]

I've been trying to train my Pokemon, but it's.....let me explain.

[[And she gets out two Pokeballs, releasing a Kangaskhan and a small, obviously young Eevee.]]

The bigger one is fairly simple to work with, but I'm....struggling somewhat with this small one. Not through any fault of his own, it's just....a little unfair to pit them against one another if there are no other pokemon around.

[[That and the fact that her Kangaskhan shoves the poor thing in her pouch half the time instead of trying to fight it, but details....]]

Do yours get along?

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Fifth Viking Assault [Video]

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[action] Sure.

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