fuelthefire | Victory Road IC Contact

Little Skull Hat beamed from Walter's arms, giving a loud, happy greeting and waving his bone to Krieg. Relived that they had been received well, Walter approached. He noticed Krieg's Pokemon and, while he had seen them all on video, it still was a surprise how tall both Krieg and his Blaziken were. He couldn't help holding Assumption a little tighter.

He would comment on Krieg's lack of shirt but it seemed impolite. What if he couldn't afford one? Walter had been in a very poor situation before so it was where his mind went to first. So he stuck to a safer topic. "I didn't realise how big Murder Chicken was."

Krieg can absolutely afford a shirt if he wants; heck, he can afford multiple shirts. It's just that it's been...well, a long time (he's pretty sure) since he's worn one, and he's not the most enthusiastic about the idea of starting again. Even though it's cold outside, he stays warm enough as long as he's near his pokemon buddies. Especially since Torch Dragon in particular sticks close by at all times.

"Mnahahaha! Yeah! He used to sit in my hand!"

Krieg holds up one of his big hands, palm up, to demonstrate.

"About the same size as Skull Hat."

If Walter is surprised by how tall MC is, Krieg is also surprised by how little Assumption is. The little guy had looked bigger, somehow, on video.

Walter looked between Murder Chicken and Assumption. He did not want Assumption to grow to that size. At least he shouldn't be that big - Walter had done a lot of research on his starters when he first obtained them and, according to what he had read, Assumption should only be about half his size as a Marowak.

"Assumption won't ever grow to be that big." The Cubone in question was looking up at Murder Chicken with awe-struck eyes. They used to be as small as him?? He smiled and waved, still wagging his tail. Walter also looked at Torch Dragon, noticing the flame on his tail.

"Who is this?"

"Little monsters still pack a punch!"

It's something that had surprised Krieg at first, until he'd grown used to it. Now he really likes the tough tiny ones, even though he doesn't have any particular desire or need to train one. Ever since Murder Chicken grew up all the way, he's discovered that he prefers the monsters that are big enough to wrestle.

"Torch Dragon!"

The Charmeleon in question ducks all the way behind Krieg's legs to hide, grabbing at his pants with claws that are more suited to slashing than anything else and pressing his face against the back of Krieg's thigh. Krieg is very used to this behavior by now, though he twists to look briefly over his shoulder at his little buddy before turning back to Walter and Assumption.

"It's very shy."

Walter smiled gently at Torch Dragon. He was beginning to see a pattern in how Krieg named his pokemon. He gently sent Assumption down, who eagerly waved to Torch Dragon and trotted over a little.
"Hello!"

"I'm not very forward either." Walter knew he wasn't very bold when it came to others. He still had trouble approaching people as evidenced by his shyness in just coming up to Krieg, even when it was obvious it was his- his acquaintance. And when he was very young, he'd always huddled behind things when approached by a stranger, to put a barricade between himself and them. So he wasn't about to impose on little Torch Dragon, even if Assumption was clearly trying to befriend him.

Instead he raised his gaze to Murder Chicken. "What kind of Pokemon are they now? They look very imposing."

Torch Dragon's shyness is honestly incredibly puzzling to Krieg. Being a highly extroverted individual himself, he has no basis for understanding the little guy's bashfulness around other people. With that said, though, it doesn't particularly bother him, either. It's just how Torch Dragon is. He doesn't have to understand it to like him, and anyway, Torch Dragon's never seemed to feel shy around Krieg.

The Charmeleon peeks his face around his trainer's leg when addressed by Assumption, though. It's hard to be bashful around another pokemon that's smaller than you are. He blinks his one visible eye as he regards the Cubone and ducks his head a little. "Hello."

"It's a Murder Chicken." Krieg's memory is better for some things than for others, and pokemon species names are really not something that stick with him very well, especially considering that they change each time a pokemon evolved. Their nicknames stay the same, though, so he has an easier time with them. He knows that's not what Walter's asking, though, and even as he answers he looks over to the pokemon in question. MC turns his head to meet his trainer's eye, blinks, and turns to regard Walter.

"Blaziken!"

Krieg laughs, a low rumble of amusement deep in his chest. "Yeah! That!"

Walter remembered a very similar scenario; asking what Murder Chicken was and being told they were a Murder Chicken, only for Murder Chicken to glance at their trainer, then turn to him and announce themselves. He smiled at them.
"It's hard to believe they were so small. Do you have any other Pokemon?" Walter always kept at least one out of their pokeball with him at all times (normally Assumption or Darkness), so seeing Krieg with his Pokemon didn't surprise him.

Assumption grinned at Torch Dragon. He was so shiny, like Wolf! "I like your colour! It's like gold. And your tail is all warm!" The flame from his tail made him seem even more shiny. How pretty!

"No others! Just these!" Krieg doesn't like pokeballs, or the implications of pokeballs. The technology is fascinating, but it also reminds him strongly of something manufactured by Hyperion. Slick and convenient, but ultimately sinister. If Krieg feels claustrophobic in the too-small inn where he and the other Pandorans have been living, he hates to think what being confined to a ball the size of his palm might feel like. He can't fathom forcing his monster buddies to tolerate something he himself would refuse to.

At Assumption's compliments, though, Torch Dragon ducks his head back behind Krieg's legs. If pokemon could blush, the yellow Charmeleon would be blushing. He's not completely devoid of manners, though, and manages to acknowledge the Cubone's compliments with a quiet, "Thank you...!"

"I bet the Skull Hat has lots of friends." Assumption's overtures of friendship toward Torch Dragon have not gone unnoticed by Krieg. He's wanted to pat the little guy anyway, ever since he first saw him over the video feed, so now he's crouching down to hold out a hand and initiate the long-awaited pats.

"He does." If there was one thing Walter was happy for, it was that Assumption didn't suffer the loneliness he had. Assumption just seemed to attract people by being his sweet self. Such as getting pats from Krieg, which caused him to wag his tail cheerfully.

While Walter didn't understand the technology of pokeballs well, it didn't completely match anything in his world. The Box system frightened him; he knew Pokemon had some awareness within their pokeballs and could burst free if they chose to, but within the box seemed immensely creepy and inescapable. Like the prison cell.

"I have a few others, but Assumption and Darkness were with me from the start." He retrieved a pokeball and opened it; in a flash of light a Honchkrow appeared with a deep cry, fluttering to Walter's shoulder. Walter automatically reached up to comb his finger through the bird's white chest feathers.

Darkness looked over the figure in front of him. He recognised Krieg from various conversations and nodded to him and his Pokemon respectfully.

Krieg has a very short attention span for most things, but his focus on pokemon - any pokemon, his or his friends' or even some of the wild ones he sees - can be astonishing. It's why Murder Chicken - and now Torch Dragon - have grown up so quickly. They fascinate him, and so they can easily command his entire attention. The Cubone's appearance appeals to Krieg's very Pandoran aesthetic - the skull and the bone and the little spikes. The little guy's personality appeals to the part of Krieg that desperately wants to learn how to be a human being. Maybe not a civilized human being, because he is Pandoran, but...somewhere in that neighborhood. Maybe not the shirt-wearing kind, but definitely, one day, the kind that doesn't have to cover his face with a mask because he doesn't trust himself not to lose control and chew off someone's fingers.

So it actually takes him a moment to register the flash of an opening pokeball and the call of the released monster. There's a short delay before he looks up from Assumption, though his hand continues to pat. His eye widens at the sight of the big bird on Walter's shoulder, and he laughs approvingly.

"It's a good murder bird!"

Because...well, Honchkrow. What else could it be but a murder bird?

In a way, it was very similar for Walter. His pokemon's requirements to love were simple compared to humans, and they loved so amply in return. For someone who had never known what it was like to be cared for, it was overwhelming - but it was also what he needed, even if he didn't know it himself. He didn't know how to return their affections but slowly, he was learning.

Assumption in particular. His starter, a fellow orphan who longed for their mother, held a special place in Walter's heart. He wanted Assumption to be happy. The same was true for Darkness, his other starter. Between them the bird on his shoulder, Walter was beginning to learn and change whether he was aware of it or not.

Darkness snickered at being called a good murder bird. Oh, if only they knew about his personal 'murder' with his darling...!
"Yes!" He cawed smugly.

He blinks in surprise at the Honchkrow's response, and shifts his gaze back over to Walter.

"It talks?"

That's definitely not something he's seen - or, well, heard before. Not that he's an expert on Pokemon calls, but since he's been here he's gotten the impression that, although the monsters appear to speak their own private language and seem to understand one another just fine, the only vocalizations they make are their names. The talking bird is a whole new experience entirely.

Walter nodded, petting Darkness's chest. "He can use simple phrases and words." Having had him from the start as a Murkrow, Walter was very comfortable with Darkness's ability to talk. It helped him understand that Pokemon could understand human speech very well, as Darkness would often chip in to his conversations or outright reply to him. As best he could with his limited vocabulary. "He caws like a normal Honchkrow as well. But he appreciates compliments."

Meanwhile, Assumption was gently trying to approach Torch Dragon. He stood on the other side of Krieg's leg, talking softly to him. "Don't worry about Darkness or my trainer. Darkness is a friend, and my trainer is very very quiet because he's shy. Can we be friends too?"

"Mnahahaha! Everyone likes compliments." Or at least, it seems that way to Krieg. Murder Chicken and Torch Dragon both seem to, anyway, even though the little Charmeleon has a tendency to hide his face when someone praises him. He finally finishes patting Assumption and stands up again, curious to get a closer look at Darkness. He doesn't actually lean in the way he normally would once he's standing - he's getting better at remembering the things Janey constantly reminds him about bare minimum politeness, but he also has a great deal of instinctual respect for Darkness' large, sharp-looking beak. "Where'd you get it?"

Torch Dragon is not immune to gentle voices and encouraging words - as Assumption continues his overtures of friendship, TD peeks out from behind Krieg's leg to listen, blinks when the little Cubone is finished, and only hesitates briefly before nodding. Okay...! I'd like that.

Darkness preened at the attention, puffing out his chest proudly. "Yes." Yes he did like compliments. Keep it up. Walter just continued to comb his fingers through Darkness's feathers, rather than verbally praise him.
"He was given to me." By Team Rocket, but he's not supposed to reveal that. "He was a Murkrow back then, but I gave him a stone that caused him to evolve. He's a very good Pokemon." Walter murmured the last part but Darkness heard him anyway. The bird crowed, preening Walter's collar in lieu of his hair.

Meanwhile, Assumption beamed. A new friend! He cheered but didn't try to surge forward and grab Torch Dragon, hopping on the spot to celebrate instead. "Yay! We can hang out all the time too, because our trainer's are friends!"

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