Third 👻 Story [Video/Action for Violet]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[VIDEO / 3/12]

[At a little desk in a Violet City hotel, Ashley sits in front of a lot of...papers. Many papers, a notebook? Whatever's written on them can't be distinguished from the angle, but oh goodness, it looks like there sure is a lot of it! She looks a lot more put-together than the last time she was on video on the network, that's for sure. Probably helps that there's a Zubat poking up behind her shoulder, like he's holding on with his wings from behind, and it's a surprisingly peaceful image? Really, the girl who'd arrived here in hysterics is completely zen with giving a no-eyed bat a piggyback, something works well in this world.]

Hi. [...you don't have to-] I've, um, more or less... I've started training a lot, for my first gym battle, and it occurred to me that there are some Pokémon here that've got unconventional evolution styles. Since no one's an expert on everything and I'd have no idea where to start looking for one, I wanted to put this out to poll. I don't want to mess up and make it so they can't evolve right, especially since- Arwen, c'mere, don't do that-

[She bends down, dips off-screen (with a skitter from her Zubat) and then pops back up, with an excited little Eevee in her grasp, one who leans forward and sniffs at the camera.] Okay, sure, girl. Since I've heard Eevee have a lot of forms.

[A small Vee! as Ashley pulls the girl away. The view moves from Eevee-nose to one of her notes, one that appears to be a small...not-good doodle of an Eevee, with multiple arrows. ...It honestly looks like one for each type, um. Only one has a doodle at the end, which is mostly just a not-good Eevee with ribbons for its ears: Ashley's rendition of a Sylveon, with a little scribble of + puffs??.] I had a conversation with someone on how to get a Sylveon, but I'm not sure on the specifics- or how many forms Eevee has, or what causes them to evolve into each of them!

[Her finger rubs against the PokéGear's lens for a brief moment, leaving a faint print as she sets it back hastily so it's pointed back at her face. Her Eevee has since grown bored and hopped off, it appears.]

I don't want to...to train her without knowing what strategies to use. At least for evolution. And then I realized I don't know anything about the rest of mine either.

[What a god awful long preamble, Ash, do you ever shut up, God-
Looking several shades of awkward now that she's been talking for...awhile, she clears her throat and shifts her shoulders, meaning her Zubat almost falls off.]

S-so! Besides Eevee's...everything. I made up a list of my Pokémon, and, if any of them have special conditions or something besides simple training to help them evolve to their next form!

[And now the view's back to her notes, but a different set- it is indeed her roster, just a list of names; Litwick, Espurr, Happiny, Stantler, Zubat and so on. Not a very long list of species, thankfully.] I already know about Espurr's unique case, but for the rest I'm clueless, and the handbook didn't mention hardly anything about evolution.

[...this is because she wants to study isn't it, jesus christ ashley really]

Any information or just tips for evolution training would be very appreciated. Thanks for your time!


[ACTION FOR VIOLET / FRONTDATED TO 3/13]

[Training. Holy heck has this girl been training a lot. Towards the start of the day, you'll catch her with her Pokémon (Litwick, Luxio, Espurr, Zubat, Munna, and a very shy Snorunt) out of their balls, either on her way to or at Sprout Tower. ...Which is a fun place to be. Isn't it. All those freaking ghosts, and-

Naw, she's calm, she's cool. Feel free to run into her during this point, where she's likely training her Luxio or her shaking Snorunt, or maybe her Zubat.

...There is one point in the day, however.

Toward the end, when most of her Pokémon are all in their balls, save for her Zubat who's piggybacking on her shoulders.

Where this horrible shriek just echoes throughout the Tower, and holy crap she sure can run, can't she, down from the second floor and out the damn door, what the heck is she even running from-

Whatever it is, she's very distressed! Naturally. Because she wouldn't be Ashley if she wasn't.]

Comments

[quadrangle]

Exactly. It's fucking ridiculous. At least in Sgrub, we had our own hives to sleep in. These "hotels" are all bullshit.

[And who the fuck even moved around that much, do actual adults do it? Karkat doesn't think so, but then since this world is full of humans, any knowledge he has on the subject is probably wrong anyway.]

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather deal with this than the shit we had before, but it's still goddamn annoying.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Feh, you got a big ol' same from me. No way would I take the- all the things on that mountain over PokéWorld, but it's so-so-so frustrating! Hotels are a human thing, but like- it's like we're constantly in transit, you know?

[...She frowns and reaches up to rub the back of her head- Bram assumes it's for a pet and nuzzles into the hand. Oops.]

Not like I want to...set down roots here, but...some free lodging would be nice.

[quadrangle]

I think there are houses available for rent, but they're for a month at a time. Fuck, we almost have been here for a month, but I think we're going to be moving again eventually? It's a pain in the ass.

[And he actually wouldn't mind settling in, probably, but there's no way he could fucking afford it on his own. Maybe if their whole group decided to stay, it could work, but also ha ha no, he is not staying in the same hive as some of these people. Ugh, that fucking swear jar.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

There's the other problem. [She sighs.] We're expected to travel around, right? Collect all these badges and do all this amazing stuff- like everyone's just supposed to take to travel. And, I mean, the badges apparently get us discounts and all these cool things, so why wouldn't we- it's pushing people into it, all this adventure.

[Just, crosses her arms.]

I hate video games that railroad.

[quadrangle]

[... He's trying very, very hard not to think about doomed timelines right now. It's not working so well.]

Yeah, that shit's always annoying.

[Now can they have a new subject?]

You said you wanted a Sylveon?

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Oh, well, if he's gonna change it himself-]

Yeah. I...saw one and just...love the idea of them. And Arwen's all for it.

[quadrangle]

[He's still not an expert on Pokémon by any means, but he's pretty sure Sylveon is the fairy type...? A fairy type named Arwen, what the hell, Ashley.]

You're a fucking nerd.

[This is obviously 100% what he'd been thinking, there's no chance he's being misleading at all.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[What an unexpected comment. Ashley flushes and gawks for a second.]

I- s-so?

[quadrangle]

[... THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS HE COULD SAY.]

Nothing. You just—

[—reminded me of someone. Several someones. Many someones. Fuck.]

You and your fucking fairy elves. Whatever, fine, make her a Sylveon.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[She doesn't...quite understand what's wrong. Or know if she should be offended? She isn't, in any case. Okay. Just clears her throat.]

I mean... Have you seen them? They're just s- oof! [Arwen's jumped on her lap; she knows she's being talked about.] Hey there, girl.

[quadrangle]

[—okay, he's smiling a little. Wait what no, no he's not. Hahaha, why would he ever smile, shut up.]

Where do you catch those?

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[She rolls her eyes and fights back a smile. See, no one is immune to these things.]

Well, according to my Pokédex... [A little looking and- ...huh.] It...looks like you can't catch them. I...know a lot of people breed them, but I didn't realize that you could only get them from breeders.

[quadrangle]

[The fuck.]

Not even Eevees? That's fucking stupid.

[Unless he'd misunderstood? Please say he'd misunderstood, because what.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Sadly shakes her head.]

This says they can't be found in the wild for some bizarre reason.

[quadrangle]

[??????]

Then where did anyone get them in the first place?!

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Nooo idea, uh- maybe... Hey, maybe they were the Pokémon people got at the start or...or sudden bursts of flying things, from earlier in the month? [The Gligar. She's talking about the Gligar swarms.]

[quadrangle]

... This game is so fucking broken.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Preach.