reveiller | video. | action for cherrygrove.

Five-hundred-and-one million, six-hundred-twenty-two thousand, seven-hundred-thirty-one...

[When the video feed flickers on, you get a nice view of the starry night sky stretching endlessly above. His voice filters through whimsically like something distant and far away.]

There's Andromeda to the north, Libra... Vulpecula, and maybe Orion's to the left, hidden away in the corner. [a chuckle, slightly regretful] Mm, I'm just kidding. I don't recognize any of the constellations here. And even if I did, I'll willing to bet that their names are probably somewhat different than the way I remember them.

Teddiursa Minor, maybe, or The Great Victreebel.

[He laughs, airy.] The stars here are still pretty, albeit nameless.

[The video screen dips downwards and inwards, illuminating a brown-haired boy, lightly smiling. There's an egg cradled in his lap. And wherever he's sitting, it's high above the ground, for the treeline is right there behind him, their tips caressing the sky.]

You know, it's a little strange that it takes a week-long coma and a very vivid dream to realize how nameless everything is here. [A pause, pensive. And almost to himself--] And it was a very, very vivid dream. I don't think I realized how vivid it was, until it came true.

[Breeze in the background, and he looks up, distracted. When he turns back, he's smiling again, wider than before, which probably means he's just that much more melancholy.]

Has anyone here had any happy dreams since coming here?

[action]

[For any late-night Cherrygrovers, he's sitting on a lamppost near the town square -- egg in his lap and Flygon sitting next to him -- murmuring to himself idyllically. His words, drifting along the wind-]

'...Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.'

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I didn't realize zombies were such a serious business.

[amiable. he raises his egg up a little, shifting it towards the general direction of the light] Reminds me a little bit of a chikorita's neck.

Dude, zombies are always serious business.

[ He examines the egg critically. ] I could see it, yeah. You think it's a Chikorita?

In what universe?

[Hm.] Could be. Maybe we should all get one -- tennis tournaments would never be the same again.

Every universe, dude.

[ He snorts. ] My Ditto can play tennis better than his Chikorita, just so you know. ... They are pretty cool when they evolve, though. Like longnecks.

And how many universes have you been to?

[Blinking! Amusement.] You know, getting Sugar to turn into a tennis racket is probably unfair. But you're right -- Gen looks very handsome, doesn't he?

A few. [ Nonchalant. ]

I can't tell if you're tryin' to trick me into callin' my vice-captain 'handsome' or what. But I lost, anyway, even though I cheated.

You're right -- Harry Potter Land has to count for something.

But you know me, I'd do no such thing. [nonchalant] You know, now that I thin about it, I left a lot of my stuff back in Goldenrod.

Already vandalized it. [ He's perfectly grave, which is your first hint that this is a lie. ] I was gonna surprise you when you got back here.

[He gets that feeling. A little. Not entirely sure, but--] And you spoiled the surprise already? How could you.

Hey, you brought it up. You ruined the surprise for yourself. [ He sounds dismissive and a touch snippy, as if he might actually be upset that Fuji would do something like that. ]

And your only crime was honesty, isn't that right? [And he laughs.] Well, I am sorry for spoiling the surprise. Should I send something as a consolation prize?

Honesty's the only crime I ever commit. [ He still sounds dismissive, airy, but the bite has gone out of his voice. That's okay; there was never really any there to begin with. ]

Send me a surprise.

That's the Niou I know. Virtuous to a fault. [Ah, that's better.] Didn't you know? The only gifts worth giving are the unexpected ones.

[And he already knows what he's sending over. :|a Expect a Flygon dropping off a pokeball early tomorrow morning. Larissa the Skitty will love you. <3]

[ Niou seems pleased at the prospect, now, though he's fussing with the egg in his arms, so as not to appear too attentive. ]

I'll be waiting~ ♫

[Truth to be told, he doesn't know Niou well enough to pick up all his nuances. He just leans back and laughs, a little, trying to dispel the unease.]

In the meantime, why don't we have Niou share his egg with the class? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Skitty stats are here <3 ... and he'll be wanting her back eventually. :|a]

[ He holds up the egg with a thoughtful look. ] It's pretty heavy, actually. Looks like it oughta be a Poison-type, though.

No clue what it actually is.

Hm. Could be. Are you hoping it'll be anything in particular?

Poison wouldn't suck. Ghost or Dark, either. Seems like a lotta Ghost and Dark types are really fuckin' weird.

That's a compliment, coming from you. Thinking of creating your very own Niou's Believe it or Not, Pokemon edition?

Got a good head start on it, don't I? [ He beckons offscreen, and Gidget comes floating over in the form of a fan. Niou sticks his finger into the blades, wringing a screeching noise from the Pokémon. ]

[Ah, what a fun little thing.]

Hm, maybe I should say 'no', just to be contrary.

Has Gidget ever tried taking over a ball machine?

Don't think so, but he once took over the Pokémon healing machine at Goldenrod's Pokécenter. [ He grins. ] Kept making the little sound backward, just to fuck with the nurses.

[chuckle. oh niou. he doesn't know who's more precious, you or your pokemon] And no love was lost, really. I don't think I've ever liked that four-tone song.

Do you ever run out of fun ideas for this sort of thing?

I actually work better with a partner. [ Niou finally surrenders Gidget and lets the poor thing zoom away, making very impressive zooming noises. ] Makes the ideas come easier.