soulcomet | victory_road IC contact/open post

_{[It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day to be neighbors...]

[The sun's shining, the Pidgeys are chirping, and... the feral child is rattling trash cans in an alley with a stick, disturbing the sleeping Trubbishes and cackling like a little hyena.]

[In other words, all is going as it should be.]

[... OR IS IT?]}

[nothing is going right today. she had to buy breakfast twice, because after she had left the shop she bought it from, her to-go tray just. upturned onto the ground. and Madoka was too embarrassed to go back inside, so she got breakfast somewhere else.]

[and then Lilly escaped again — with the breakfast wrap Madoka had just bought.]

[Wrath, please don't mind the Eevee that just zoomed by, squeaking in triumph.]

Lilly, come back! That's — [that's her second breakfast.]

_{[He looks up from his very engrossing task as the Eevee zooms past. Beside him, a trash can lid lifts, wobbling lightly atop the head of a Dratini.]

[They both watch the little breakfast marauder skitter away.]

[And then, practically without even thinking about it... Wrath just kind of takes off after Lilly.]

[SHE'S RUNNING AND THEREFORE HE MUST CHASE.]}

[chasing Lilly probably looks a lot like this — and so there was probably no way Madoka was ever going to catch her. ganbatte, Wrath!]

[the wayward Eevee, upon realizing that a stranger is now a part of the pursuit, completely panics, and starts trying to zig-zag down alleyways in an attempt to lose him. unfortunately, she's going to lose Madoka in the process, too.]

_{[FORTUNATELY, Wrath is well-versed in the art of being chased, and therefore a pretty solid chaser, too.]

[He knows all the tricks.]

[So bit by bit, HE DOES GAIN GROUND, despite the zig-zagging... and eventually reaches an alley that he knows goes around in a loop... and immediately darts in the opposite direction to whatever Lilly took.]}

[Lilly had no idea that she had torn headfirst into a trap, so when she sees Wrath suddenly coming right at her, she jumps about a mile — in fact, she probably set an Eevee jumping world record right there.]

[... and then she just sort of falls over, already defeated (but maybe still eating the breakfast wrap while she's lying there defeated).]

[Wrath has won!]

Edited 2017-07-27 16:56 (UTC)

_{[HE WINS! WRATH LOVES WINNING!]

[He wastes absolutely no time in snatching the shellshocked little Eevee up-- and while he certainly lets her have whatever she's already bitten off, he also attempts to pull the wrap out of her mouth.]

[Probably to give back to Madoka, right?]

[Wrong.]

[If he gets any of it, he immediately takes a bite of it himself.]

[The spoils of victory.]}

[Madoka catches up ... eventually. she rounds the corner and skids to a stop, immediately relieved that someone's finally caught Lilly.]

Oh, thank goodness, you found her! I —

[... ... is he eating her breakfast wrap.]

_{[Yes.]

[For a moment they just stare at each other.]

[Then Wrath swallows what was already in his mouth.]

[For a second it seems like he's going to say something.]

[But instead he just takes another healthy bite of the breakfast wrap.]}

Um ... Are you sure you're okay eating that? [aside from the fact that Lilly already had a go at the breakfast wrap, it's probably been on the ground, too?]

I can buy you breakfast, if you'd like!

_{[Wrath frequently digs around in the dumpsters behind restaurants. He doesn't even need to-- he has both a base cafeteria and a fridge to raid, completely accessible.]

[He just does it.]}

... Oh.

No thank you.

_{[Is his response to being offered a new breakfast. Because nah, this is perfectly fine. It's very tasty!]

[He takes another bite.]

[Still holding her Eevee.]

[And then comes the inevitable question.]}

Aren't you supposed to be in a Pokemon Center?

[... well, as long as he's happy eating it, and he doesn't get sick later, she's. okay with it??? but. Madoka steps a bit closer, holding her hands out to take Lilly, and then is promptly blindsided by his question.]

— What? I mean ... I don't think Lilly's hurt, so I shouldn't need to take her there, right?

_{[The Mysterious Youth (tm) tips his head to the side.]

[He'd honestly been planning on hanging onto the Eevee-- FINDERS KEEPERS.]

[But...]}

You have pink hair.

_{[He says this as though it speaks for itself.]}

[Wrath, please give Lilly back.]

[and also please explain yourself.]

— Well, I mean ... I do, but what does that have to do with Lilly?

_{[HE'S CONSIDERING IT BECAUSE HE IS TERRIFIED OF THOSE PINK-HAIRED NURSES AND DOESN'T WANT TO GET ON THE BAD SIDE OF ONE.]

[But first he's curious to find out whether or not she actually is one of the creepy identical ladies.]}

The pink-haired ladies live in Pokemon Centers.

They don't go out.

[carefully ... attempting ... to take Lilly ...]

[... wait.]

Oh! You think I'm one of those nurses? No, I'm — [WAIT. now Wrath has her worrying about something else.]

They have to leave sometimes, right? What if there's an emergency?

_{[He lets her. On the off chance that she is one of Them... he knows better than to push his luck.]}

I don't know.

That's just where they live.

They're scary.

[... aw, Wrath. now that Lilly is safe in her arms again, Madoka offers what she hopes is a reassuring smile.]

I could see how nurses can be scary ... But you know they just want to help you, right?

No.

They want to make my hair pink.

_{[This is something that he Decided the first time he walked into a Pokemon Center, and has never let go of.]

[He doesn't even dislike the color pink! HE JUST DOESN'T WANT TO BE... ONE OF THEM.]}

Why would they want to make your hair pink? Your hair's already a nice color.

_{[... Well then!]

[Wrath preens, just a little. He likes praise-- didn't exactly get it often back in his own world.]

[But no... he's pretty sure they do in fact want to assimilate him into the collective.]}

They want everybody's hair to be pink.

They all look just the same.

[... Wrath, they're medical personnel, not the Borg. but Madoka smiles, seemingly in understanding — she has a little brother, who has his own set of, uh. odd fears and misunderstandings.]

Have you actually heard them say that's what they want to do, though?

Edited (look I'm out of date on my Star Trek canon spellings) 2017-09-05 01:51 (UTC)

_{[YOU DON'T KNOW THAT, MADOKA. THEY MIGHT BE THE BORG. THE JOY BORG. THE JORG.]

[He gives Madoka a look as if she just asked him whether or not someone trying to trick you into eating a hot pepper would tell you ahead of time whether it was hot.]}

Of course not.

They're smarter than that.

[oh my god the jorg..]

That seems ... a bit far-fetched, though, doesn't it?

Tell you what — let's make a deal. Let them help you if you need it, okay? And if they do actually dye your hair pink, I'll dye it back to the right color myself ... and I'll buy you whatever you want as an apology, okay?

_{[Wrath considers this... carefully.]

[It doesn't pay to take chances with pink hair.]

[But he nods, after a time. He's gotten by mostly on just staying away from the Centers and stealing obtaining Potions and other first-aid items when he can get them. But in the event of a REAL emergency... he knows he has to brave the Jorg.]

[And hey... he loves it when people buy him things!]}

Okay.

That sounds fair.

I'm glad! [maybe if Wrath actually spends some time around a Nurse Joy, one of them can win his trust and convince him not to eat breakfast wraps off the ground.]

Oh — if we're going to be friends, it would help if we knew each other's names right?

Mine's Madoka.

_{[That's pushing it. Wrath eats lots of things off the ground.]}

I'm Wrath!

_{[He offers this name proudly, like a badge.]}

Hey Madoka! [ Ash was smiling and chilling out nearby a Pokemon Centre, kneeling by a bush with his Umbreon, Macavity by him. He nods to her and Macavity gives her a sunny smile. ]

Dunno if you remember me? You asked about what Eevees evolve into, and I showed you Macavity here! [ He patted Macavity on the head, who wagged his tail ] Anyway, some shit went down and I've just gotten back on my feet, but I remembered what I said I'd do for you. And I think I found a good Pokemon! Hey, wanna come out and say hi?

[ He adjusted the camera to show what was in front of the bush beside him; a female Nidoran, twitching her rabbit-like ears. She hopped forward boldly, looking up at Ash. ]

So, I found this little girl a few days ago. And I've actually faced her a few times! She likes training against my team and she's pretty tough. She can kick damn hard! But she's also pretty damn cute, isn't she, like a rabbit? I think her species name is 'Nidoran'.

[when Madoka is able to sit down and get in touch with Ash, she is. absolutely. delighted.]

You really caught her for me? She's so cute!

Oh, not yet! I wanted to make sure you'd like her first. And - hey so, this is Madoka! She's the girl I mentioned to ya. [ He sets the gear down so the Nidoran can get a good look at the screen. She takes in Madoka, nose twitching. ] What dya think? Would you wanna join her and her Eevee?

[ The Nidoran's clearly thinking. Then nods with a squeak. She just wants a trainer! Ash took out a pokeball and tapped it on her head. The ball shook three times before the middle button flashed red. He picked up the ball and his Gear, smiling. ]

I'll send her to you real soon! I figured you'd want to name her too and all that. [ Macavity called out in agreement. The Nidoran is Madoka's pokemon, after all! ] Oh, how's your Eevee by the way?

[... oh. she suddenly falls silent, at a loss.]

[what could she even say? Ash had warned her about this — that she needed to get stronger, to protect both herself and her pokémon. and Madoka had been trying ... unfortunately, it wasn't enough.]

Um... [that's. all she manages.]

....Has something happened? [ His face falls and Macavity gives a concerned chirp. ]

[she just. dissolves into tears, whoops. give her a minute, Ash.]

[ Macavity's ears fell and he nudged the screen with his nose. Ash let her cry for a moment before speaking ]

Madoka, it's okay- Breathe deeply, yeah?

It isn't okay, though — you ... you told me how important it is to be able to defend myself — and everyone on my team.

And I couldn't even do that.

Madoka, easy now, okay?

I did say that but sometimes, it just ain't possible. People have been here longer than us, and they've got stronger Pokemon than us too. Last time someone tried to steal my Pokemon, I just got extremely lucky that I didn't lose anyone.

[ Macavity nuzzled the screen, giving soft, comforting trills to try and help Madoka calm. ]

Do you know who took your Eevee?

Um ... it was this boy with spiky black hair. He said his name was Sora.

[because Vanitas is a filthy liar and a filthy thief.]

Black hair, Sora. [ But Ash had given fake names to cops before. So he wouldn't be surprised if it was bullshit or if they had dyed their hair. But he could remember it, just in case they were that stupid. ]

Right, when you get to a Pokemon Centre, I'll have sent this little girl over to you. She's fiesty. Just don't go running after that guy for Lily right away, yeah?

I won't. I ... This city's big; I don't even know where I would begin looking.

[all she can hope is that Lilly will forgive her, when she finally finds her again. for being too weak. what if Lilly doesn't even want to return, when that day comes? Madoka wouldn't blame her.]

... Thank you, by the way. For helping me.

Hey Madoka, it's Ash!

After hearing the news and the trouble everywhere, I just wanted to check in with you. You been alright? How's the little Nidoran I sent to ya? You're being safe with everything, right?

I'm gonna be heading to the Seafoam Islands to pitch in there.

Hello, Ash!

We're both doing fine — I promise I'm doing my best to stay out of trouble. [she. feels like she needs to qualify that.]

I really want to help out, too, but ... I'm not sure if I should.

I understand. Right now, you just need to train up, yeah?

But, my dad always told me that there's little things people can do too. So like, if you were to go to Mt. mortar, they'll need people to help care for the Pokemon people are rescuing, or to make sure the people doing the rescuing are getting food and water and all that too. And like, the people at Bell Tower are helping too by looking this stuff up, which will be a real help; if they find out something really important, they can send word to the rest of us. Might even save our lives.

But don't worry. You keep safe and keep on training, yeah? An Tintreach is coming with me. She demanded to.

I promise that I'll get strong enough to help all of you.

I just

I wouldn't feel right leaving here without Lilly

You do what's right for you, okay? There's already a whole bunch of us going. We'll take care of this.

Be safe Madoka

Promise me you will too, all right?

I'll be thinking about you.

I'll be as safe as I can be, while trying to make sure this doesn't get worse :)

I trust you.

Let me know when you get back!

victory_road IC contact/open post

ACTION, July 21 (if you want to do the Eevee thing again, it IS "Baton Pass Friday"!)

YES PLEASE Wrath save both an Eevee and a faux Nurse Joy

he is here 4 u madoka

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6th August / Call!

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17th August (after the EV announcement) / text

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Wrap up here? c:

yes!