Seventh Viking Charge [Video]

[punchandkiss]

[Astrid is sitting on a bench outside of one of the big stores in Goldenrod, looking...a bit cross. After a minute of glaring at the camera, she reaches off screen and holds up a blue and yellow guitar.]

Whoever told me you could buy axes in Goldenrod, if this is what you meant...

[Yes, she's cross!]

This is not an axe! It's some kind of music...thing. I don't know. I asked for an axe and the guy sold me this. I don't even know what to do with it! I thought maybe it was a carrying case for an axe, some kind of modern...trick.

But it's not!

[She huffs and sets her guitar back down in her lap, plucking irritably at one of the strings.]

I don't suppose anybody does know what to do with it? I bought it, I have to do something with it.

[Another pause, and then she seems to remember something.]

Oh right, also. There's a thing that teaches pokemon to fly? A disc or square or...I don't know, whatever the word is. Someone said you can use it more than once, does anybody in goldenrod have one I could borrow for a couple minutes?

Comments

[Video]

[beforethedarkness]

It lets us get lazy because they do all the work for us.

But at least they're capable in battle.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

Pokemon battles aren't the same as battles. If someone comes after me with a weapon I don't want to make my bird fight them.

[Video]

[beforethedarkness]

... Why would they use a weapon when they'd have a creature who could breathe fire listening to them obediently much more easily?

[It's not that he can't see Astrid's point, but the fact is that normal weapons just seem to be too difficult to get and, as hard as it might have been to accept, Sasuke would sooner see the people here using Pokémon as their tools than trying to sneak around with contraban.]

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

Because a weapon can't get hurt.

[Video]

[beforethedarkness]

That won't stop those kinds of people from using pokémon as their weapons here.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

No but it'd be easier to get them to stop if I had an axe.

[Video]

[beforethedarkness]

Would you be able to raise it to their pokémon? If they're only tools to them, there's nothing stopping those people from hiding behind the pokémon as shields as well.

At least fighting with your own pokémon, you won't seriously injure theirs.

[punchandkiss]

If I had to. [Maybe. Probably not.]

I guess.

[beforethedarkness]

So why an axe?

[punchandkiss]

It's what I trained with.

[beforethedarkness]

Does everyone use heavier weapons like that where you're from?

[punchandkiss]

Well...swords and axes and stuff, yeah.

But we were fighting dragons.

[beforethedarkness]

I didn't think dragons existed. [He hums, then nods.] That would make the heavier weapons needed, though.

[punchandkiss]

...There aren't any dragons where you come from?

[Dragons were such a massive part of Astrid's life, one way or another. It was hard to imagine.]

[beforethedarkness]

They're mythological creatures there. If they ever really existed, it was a long time ago.

[punchandkiss]

Huh.

That's pretty weird.

[beforethedarkness]

I guess. I'm not sure dragons would even be that special with the other ninja animals in existence.

[punchandkiss]

...Ninja animals?

[beforethedarkness]

[He pauses briefly before explaining.] They're like pokémon but more... Independent. Almost human.

[punchandkiss]

...Okay. And you catch them and train them?

[beforethedarkness]

No. They're responsible for their own training. We make pacts with them in order to be able to summon them at will to help in combat.

[punchandkiss]

Okay.

So what's a 'ninja' anyway?

[beforethedarkness]

...

Covert soldiers. They work in the shadows, doing whatever is asked of them as long as their price is met. They can also manipulate chakra - their energy - to do things normally impossible for human beings.