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

[punchandkiss]

...strange happenings?

[paladinlost]

Weeks of stale air, all the music being replaced by a single tune, all the locals repeating a single sentence over and over again, the world itself being made of squares and a handful of colors, the Pokémon no one could identify...

[Funtimes.]

[punchandkiss]

...Okay, that's pretty weird. It hasn't happened since?

[paladinlost]

[He shakes his head.]

Only the once. At midnight on the first of November, everything was suddenly normal again.

[punchandkiss]

...Isn't that soon?

[And now she's a little paranoid.]

[paladinlost]

...Yes, it is. But last year we only believed ourselves to truly be our costumes, so we might be fine this time.

[punchandkiss]

Oh well that's...what?

[paladinlost]

There's a holiday at the end of October that involves costumes and candy. Certain people decided to participate and found themselves acting like Pokémon or other people.

[punchandkiss]

And has that happened more than once?

[paladinlost]

Only once! ...As far as we know. None of us were here three Octobers ago.

[punchandkiss]

So it could happen again.

[paladinlost]

It easily could. That's why you should always be wary when people start speaking of holidays.

[punchandkiss]

Back home holidays are a good thing. We have feasts and parties and...

I guess it's different here.

[paladinlost]

Oh, they do know how to celebrate properly. For our first Christmas, there was a migration of tree-like Pokémon and the officers organized a tree-decorating contest. The results were quite lovely.

[punchandkiss]

I didn't even know there were tree pokemon...but that sounds pretty cool.

[She grins.]

Thanks for Fly, though. I'm going to go see if I can get Meatball here to let me take a ride.

[paladinlost]

I doubt she'll say no, but good luck with that. Be careful in the skies, some flyers care little about other people.

[punchandkiss]

[She almost laughs.]

You mean like mid-air collisions?

[paladinlost]

Collisions, items accidentally dropped from great heights... I've not yet heard of anyone attempting Pokémon battles in the air, thankfully.