There was someone outside his house st night.
Whoever it was, Jophiel couldn't recognize their psychic signature.
They just looked around the pce, before walking off… past the walls of Jubilife, and further than Jophiel's range could reach.
Somebody is keeping track of him.
…
“You leave it the fuck alone is what you do”
He was woken up by Laventon today, knocking at his door until Joshua begrudgingly pulled his unrested body from the bed.
Joshua didn't sleep st night, his mind kept flickering back to the thin- the PERSON outside his house.
Though it was unexpected to him, it certainly wasn't hard to admit that he… doesn't like being watched, not at all.
Having something just beyond his “walls”, without a weapon in his hand, makes the part of his brain buzz in paranoia.
Jophiel, the absolute angel she may be, couldn't completely calm him down, leaving him getting at best four measly hours of sleep.
And here he thought the sleepless nights would be left behind in the Nightmare World.
He doesn't know if the desire to skin Volo is coming from him or his mare, but it might be both.
“J-Joshua! You can't just-”
“No. Let him expin. I want to hear it”
Team Leader Kamado interrupts the Professor, making the roundish man bite his lip in nervousness.
Ah. Right.
Laventon woke him up and brought him to Captain Cyllene and Team Leader Kamado. Apparently they want to know information on how to deal with ‘Horrible Beasts’.
Laventon had to transte that to ‘Alpha Pokemon’.
Seems like they saw how he handled the Goodra and thought it was some special trick.
They didn't like his answer.
He leans forward in the chair he's in, on the other side of the wood furnished desk is Kamado, with Cyllene standing at his side. Laventon is standing beside Joshua, obviously anxious at the tension.
Judging by Cyllene’s narrowed eyes and Kamado's slight scowl, Joshua can see why.
“Well?” Kamado urges on.
Joshua's tired eyes lift up. His tired and frustrated mind struggling to string together words that doesn't make him seem like an asshole.
“Team Leader Kamado, do you have children?”
He blinks.
“I have a son, why does it matter?”
“Okay, now imagine that your son gets approached by someone from another team, and he joins, what would you do?”
His slight scowl, which Joshua is starting to think is a permanent fixture, softens a bit as he thinks.
“He is a grown man, I've raised him strong. While I'm sure the Gaxy Team is the best for him, what he does is not my concern”
Joshua nods, he turns to Cyllene.
“How about you?”
“Mr. Abrams, how is this relevant to Alpha Pokemon at all?” She says.
She's… less abrasive, than st time. Maybe she learned from st time, or his dispy of power earlier is making her walk more carefully around him, but her tone is more annoyed than suspicious.
“It is relevant, do you?”
She stares at him, sharing with a quick gnce with the Team Leader, she turns back.
“I have a daughter… and I have simir feelings as Team Leader Kamado. What she chooses is ultimately her own decision”
Figures, they're both ancestors of characters in another game, if they didn't have kids it would surprise him.
“Great, she's an adult, right?”
Her eyes IMMEDIATELY turned bzing hot. Snapping to him with a sharp scowl as her hand reaches to her pokeball.
“Joshua Abrams I hope you aren't suggesting what I think you are suggesting”
He raises a hand.
“No. I'm not. But it IS relevant, it's getting stupid how much I have to say that”
She calms down, but they're both obviously annoyed at how he seems to be dragging on.
“Pretty sure Joey would kill her if I tried anyways…” He murmurs to himself and sighs.
(“I would not!”) The mare in question denies.
‘Love, I could FEEL you thinking about braining that one vilge chick who was looking at me’
(“S-She was doing so with unsavory eyes”)
‘You do the same thing!’
(“It would be an easier endeavor to ask a fish not to swim, than it is to ask me not to appreciate the form of my Beloved!”)
She said that with such conviction that it stuns him for a moment.
One part of him is embarrassed, the other is… fttered? He could always tell what she was doing, but to hear it straight up?
To be openly desired… man, is this what being a girl feels like? This kinda rocks.
‘...how did Ace get in the link?’
(“That is not funny”)
It's kinda funny.
He smirks on the outside.
“Joshua?” Laventon is the one who brings his focus back.
“Right. Sorry about that. Didn't sleep much st night…”
He clears his throat.
“Anyways, now imagine that your children got approached when they were… y'know, kids?”
““Unacceptable””
Both responses came at the same time.
Yeah, thought so.
“Exactly, you wouldn't mind as much if they were older and could make decisions for themselves. That's where that kid fucked-”
He clears his throat.
“-sorry, MESSED up”
At their stares, he continues, realizing he never got to the point.
“Pokemon are fundamentally different from humans, but that doesn't mean they're stupid. An Alpha isn't going to come over to attack without reason. Leave them alone, and leave their young alone, and generally they'll leave YOU alone”
“So that kid…” Cyllene seems to understand where he's going.
“All the kid had to do was either catch a Sligoo, or an older Goomy. I guarantee that Goodra would not care, they'd probably care more about the kid trespassing if anything”
Kamado stares at him for a moment, his fists clench slightly. Eyes narrowing as he looks at him.
“So you are saying to leave those violent beasts… alone? After all they have done?”
Joshua raises an eyebrow.
“I-I think he was saying that we should be more careful around them…?” Laventon stammers out, coming to his defense.
“Careful?!”
*SLAM*
Kamado stands up and sms on his desk, face quickly turning red.
“Those monsters have taken so many of our own! And this outsider has the gall to say to just… leave them alone?! Really?!”
Oh, he's an outsider again, is he? His eyebrows furrow.
“I asked for a way how to DEAL WITH THEM YOU FOOL! Not to PLAY NICE with them! I could have asked a five year old for better advice! Leave them alone? How about they leave US ALONE?!”
He's absolutely fuming. Joshua understands that people of this period have very little understanding towards Pokemon, and the general responses towards them are ‘fear’ and ‘anger’.
And apparently Kamado’s hometown was destroyed by Pokemon…
But this is kinda pissing him off.
“Who do you think you are?!”
Cyllene opens her mouth to say something, but Joshua cuts her off.
“Someone who saved your fucking vilge, that's who”
It goes quiet, the reminder of that making everyone freeze for a moment.
Joshua's tired body stands up, a bit taller than the old man.
“Kamado” Joshua starts.
The Team Leader is about to snap at his casual address, but he doesn't get time to.
“What do you think would have happened, if I wasn't there to save your sorry ass?”
Laventon's eyes go wide, jaw dropping as he stares at the armored man.
Captain Cyllene is simir, jaw in pce but equally wide eyed.
Kamado stares at him angrily.
“Goodra would have torn through the Gaxy Team, through the guardsmen, and through the fucking vilge itself to get back Goomy. That's an eight foot tall STRONGER variant of an already ABSURDLY strong Pokemon. Even if, IF, you managed to wear it down, how many people do you think would have died before you could do that?”
Joshua snarls for a moment, but breathes to stop himself from going too far.
“I'm not part of Gaxy Team, Kamado”
He leans forward, staring into the Leader’s eyes.
“So I'm going to keep it straight. Don't you fucking DARE talk to me like that. I don't HAVE to talk to you” He spits out.
“I've said this to Cyllene, and I'll say it to you. You want to talk? Talk like an adult. You asked me, remember that, ASKED me, to help you out in understanding Pokemon. And I was happy to share what I know…”
He leans back.
“And what do you do? Call me a moron and disrespect me in front of my face. Cyllene did it, but at least she was SOMEWHAT reasonable about it!”
Joshua is fuming. He can tell that Laventon is trying to calm him down, but with the link he's controlling himself just fine.
Cyllene blinks at the attention, a bit embarrassed at being reminded of her conduct.
He focuses back on Kamado, who seems to be angry, but not as hysterical as he was earlier. He's just staring at Joshua with a frown on his face.
“I know Pokemon, Kamado. I know more about them than this entire room combined. So I'm not just talking out of my ass”
Joshua hates bragging like that, but it's to cement himself as someone who isn't just winging it.
“You want to know something? Ask. TALK. Don't throw a tantrum because I DARED answer a question YOU ASKED with the SAME KNOWLEDGE used to save your vilge!”
He takes a deep breath, lowering his voice, having to mentally reel back his anger.
“If you can't accept that from an ‘outsider’, remember that same outsider was the one who saved your vilge, and is undoubtedly one of the strongest trainers on this side of fucking Hisui”
He caps it off.
“I know what I'm talking about”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“Team Le-”
Cyllene is interrupted.
“Get out”
Kamado says firmly.
Joshua isn't going to compin.
He turns around and walks out, Laventon quickly following.
Strangely, maybe it was because of the mess with Cyllene, he's not as mad as he thought he would be.
Maybe it's because Kamado is a hypocritical old fuck in the game? He does exile you for no real reason, even after the whole ‘if you work for Jubilife you're family’ speech.
Joshua sighs, rubbing his face.
So embarrassing… he can't believe he acted like that. Even if he thought he was right, he could've conveyed it better.
The yelling and cursing is unbecoming for someone of his faith. Exhaustion really hit him hard.
“Lord, give me patience”
Laventon puts a hand on his shoulder as he walks out.
“That was um… are you okay?”
“I'm fine, just… not really sure what they were expecting”
“Team Leader Kamado can be a bit stubborn at times…”
Joshua chuckles.
“Yeah”
“But I admit I find myself curious, how much about Pokemon DO you know?” Laventon's curious voice comes out. It's the one he does when he's about to go on a ‘Pokerant??’.
“I don't know the specifics, but I do know a lot” Joshua admits.
“Oh? What do you know ab-”
“Oh hey!”
A young-ish voice calls out, drawing their attention.
“You're the guy who quelled Lord Kleavor, aren't you?”
Stylized short red hair and red eyes. A woman in a blue coat with a bag wrapped across her chest walks up to him.
Joshua looks at her for a moment, failing to remember who she is until he sees her hair.
“Yeah, that's me”
“Thought so, I've been looking for you. You've got quite the reputation, you know? You quelled one of Almighty Sinnoh's chosen ones! Some people are actually kinda scared of you for doing something so bold!”
She seems excitable, more upbeat compared to Warden Lian.
Holding her hand out, Joshua grasps it.
“I'm Arezu by the way! I'm a Warden for the Diamond Cn. My special skill is giving haircuts, real nice to meet you!”
He smiles.
“Joshua Abrams. I'm… just a guy, I guess. My special skill is…”
Not dying.
“...Pokemon analysis?”
“Neato! That's- Oh snip!” She snaps up.
“I've got to meet with Mr. Kamado, I'll see you around, Joshua!”
Aaaand she's run off.
Joshua blinks.
Laventon chuckles beside him.
What a morning.
…
Joshua has forgotten that, technically, Ursaluna comes BEFORE Lilligant. But he's a Ride Pokemon, so he doesn't have any special gimmick.
He's just a bigass bear.
The fact that doesn't even phase him speaks volumes.
So after talking with Laventon for a bit, he decides to set off to the Crimson Mirends.
Strangely, Akari waits for him at the gates.
…is it bad that he was expecting her to stop going along with him?
Oh, right, he forgot to turn on the stream.
[ON]
“So, uh… where are we going?”
“Soceon Ruins so I can beat up a bear”
“What?”
[StevenStoneOffical: What]
…
Crimson Mirends (not quite)
“Um… Joshua?” Akari sheepishly calls out.
“Yeah?”
“Are you sure you should be doing… that?”
Joshua looks up, the Buneary he's been petting looks up as well.
“Doing what?”
“Isn't that… dangerous?”
Joshua looks at Buneary.
They shrug.
Akari just walks off, throwing her arms up.
“Fun fact about Buneary, actually. I'm not sure if it's reflected, but Buneary is a professional hater”
[What does that mean?]
Buneary raises an eyebrow at that too.
“Whenever you catch a Pokemon, they have a base level of ‘Love’ they feel for their trainer. It was a mechanic in the game that did a number of things, but in this case, Buneary needed a certain threshold of love to evolve”
[StevenStoneOffical: Bond dependent evolution is real?]
“Yeah” He chuckles. “But here's the thing, all Pokemon have a base level of love (or friendship) when they get caught, in numbers I think it was… fifty-ish? That means they're neutral, going above fifty means they like you, going below means they don't, got that?”
[Okay…]
Joshua chuckles harder.
“With the exception of the legendaries, there's no Pokemon that has a base friendship rate of zero… except Buneary”
[what]
He's full on ughing now.
“For some UNGODLY reason, this tiny little bunny apparently has the same HATRED towards trainers as actual primordial beings! For no reason! They're the ONLY Pokemon to have that!”
Joshua pats the Buneary on the head.
“I bet your AM's favorite Pokemon”
Buneary leans into his hand, very confused.
