notvaljean | Victory Road Inbox

[Jean has learned that tipping generously after bringing Blitz places means they're allowed to come back to said places, so he does.]

[Blitz grumbles a little but dutifully follows Armin, trailing the other balls. As to the question of whether they're assholes or not, Jean doesn't think so. The Pokemon--even Blitz!--are being well-behaved, they bought things for the Pokemon, and they're going to keep them in a little huddle while they have their coffee and Pokepuffs. And if Armin thinks Jean is going to leave Blitz unattended in the middle of a town, he's got another thing coming.]

[Jean carries the tray back to the table and sets it down, immediately distributing Pokepuffs to the hungry troops.]

Don't worry, I got one for everybody, you don't have to share. Thanks for waiting, Circinus, like a good Voltorb...

[Circinus lets out a soft, almost humming crackle. Yes, yes, he knows he's the Good Son. Someone has to be.

Though, the sight of the pokepuffs has Atticus up in even higher spirits than normal, trumpeting cheerfully.]

Ah, Atty, no. We're inside. You can't do that here.

[Blitz is unimpressed by this good behavior. He is a rogue and rapscallion and proud of it!]

[Armin's reprimand probably doesn't work as well as he'd hoped, since Jean cracks up at the sound of Atty's trumpeting and immediately rewards it with a Pokepuff.]

Here you go, here you go. No need for yelling, I've got you.

Jean, you are just going to encourage him.

[Don't ruin the children. Don't teach them bad habits. Be a better dad.]

Like I was going to make him starve while all the other ones are eating?

[Sorry, Armin, he's clearly the Good Cop in this relationship. But now that all the Pokemon are eating and quiet, Jean can drink his own coffee in peace.]

I didn't ask you to starve him. I just don't think he'll lose his bad habits if he keeps being rewarded for them.

[please stick to his parenting plans, ok. He probably has a schedule drawn up somewhere.]

[A schedule complete with graphs and charts and estimated growth milestones, if Jean had to guess.]

Okay, okay, I'll make him wait next time.

[He won't. This is why all of Jean's Pokemon are so poorly behaved.]

He's a cute little guy, isn't he?

He is. He gets a lot of attention from girls on the street whenever I take him out.

[You think a puppy is good for getting attention? Guess again. Small baby elephants is where it is at.]

Honestly, it gets a little embarrassing.

Remember how much attention Polo and Magellan used to get when they were kittens?

[They still get a lot of attention now, just for very, very different reasons. Speaking of...]

Remind me to buy Polo a sketchbook and some pencils when we're in the bookstore.

[Armin blink rapidly in surprise.]

For Polo?

He keeps watching me when I'm drawing, and then he wants to do it too. Here, I'll show you.

[Jean fishes his sketchbook out of his bag and starts flipping through it. If Armin is watching, he'll see images of various Pokemon, some landscapes, a young lady who looks an awful lot like Angel, some bizarre sketches of Bertolt's more outlandish sleeping poses, and a few painstaking drawings in the back of someone with short, dark hair who's wearing maneuver gear. Please don't ask about those. Jean finds what he's looking for and hands the book to Armin.]

See?

[The drawings are... not terrible, really. They're mostly careful doodles of other Pokemon, including several who are definitely Magellan and some very angry looking balls who are probably Blitz. The ball with the hearts coming out of its head is probably Fat Ice Dog.]

[Armin wouldn't dare ask. He notices, but... that sort of thing is private, isn't it? He wouldn't even dare to flip through Jean's sketch book beyond the page he has selected for him.]

Huh. These are surprisingly good. I mean, for a pokemon. Especially one like Polo.

[Like. Polo is a big beefy wrestler who loves to get into fights. The idea that he also has a sensitive artist side is surprising. And can he even hold a pencil in those big meaty paws of his? Apparently he can, but if you had asked Armin before this, he would've said it was impossible.]

I know. I wouldn't have expected him to be this good at it.

[Jean makes a gesture with his hand.]

You can turn the page if you want. Everything in the back are drawings he did.

[More drawings of other Pokemon from their little group, including a very large, very blue one that can only be Amber.]

I think if he's going to want to do this, I should encourage him, right? And that means getting him his own book, and his own pencils to work with.

[Is there a creeping note of pride in Jean's voice? Yes, yes there is. He's very pleased with his weird wrestler artist fire cat, and even more so that Polo has discovered this new talent from watching Jean himself draw.]

[Well, now that he has been given permission, Armin turns the page to also study the doodles on the back. The one of Amber makes him smile.]

I think so. It would be good for them to have various ways of enjoying themselves and not just battling. They are... I mean, they are not exactly like people, but they do seem a lot more intelligent than the animals back home.

[Like, he wouldn't encourage a regular horse to take up an art course, but if a pokemon seems to like it, it can only be worthwhile to encourage that.]

Circinus likes books. [The voltorb at his feet perks up with a soft buzz.] I'm not sure if he can actually read or learn how to, but he seems very interested in them.

That's what I think too. Polo can draw, Blitz can plot world domination, and Burrito can... be furniture.

[Pleased crackling from under the table. Yes, good, recognize the inevitability of an era of Electrode rule!]

If Polo can teach himself to draw by watching me, you could probably teach Circinus to read.

I want to try. It's just...

[He pauses for a moment, thinking over the right way to phrase this.]

Circinus is still so young. I don't want to discourage him by trying to teach him before he is ready. That sort of thing... it would be pretty frustrating, wouldn't it?

He's only a few months younger than Polo.

[Armin, you're overthinking things again.]

Why don't you pick up some really basic children's books today and start with those? You don't have to use one of your nerd books to teach him.

[Nerd books being the textbooks Armin seems to enjoy reading for fun.]

You know we do read some of the same books, right? If they are my nerd books, then they are your nerd books too.

[The pokemon redwall series that has send them on this quest for the next volume for example.]

But I might do that. I just... if he really can read, I want him to enjoy it.

[Because reading is pretty important to Armin, okay.]

I was talking about those brick-sized textbooks you drag around, but sure.

[Pokemon Redwall is not nerdy, thank you very much! It's high quality literature!]

[Jean gets where Armin is coming from, though, and his voice is soft when he continues.]

Then you should start him off with something he can conceivably handle, and get him better stuff as he improves. I'm going to buy Polo some nice, fat markers that will be easy for him to hold, and if he likes those, I'll get him some pencils when his motor control improves.

[Please just accept that you too are a nerd, Jean.

Circinus bumps gently into Jean's leg with a soft, excited buzz. Yes! You tell him! Convince him, ~~dad~~. Circinus needs him some books.]

Well, maybe...

[Never! Jean will never be a nerd!]

[Jean reaches down to pat Circinus when he bumps his leg.]

Blitz is going to eat your Pokepuff if you weren't done with it, buddy.

[Too late, Blitz is already rolling towards Circinus' mostly eaten puff.]

Why don't you let him look at some books in the store, see if any catch his eye? Even if he never learns how to read them, he might like to look at some with pictures in them.

[Circinus doesn't really care about that! He'll gladly give up a half eaten poke-puff if he can convince Jean to convince Armin to get him some books already. He is a voltorb on a mission.]

You are probably right. I'm probably just overthinking this.

[That is a big yes.]

[Even if Armin doesn't go for it, Jean isn't above slipping a bright picture book into his own purchases and then leaving it out where Circinus can find it. Oh look, how did that happen, what a strange occurrence!]

You definitely are.

[Again with the overthinking!]

What's the worst that could happen?

[Beware that attitude, Jean, when Polo starts bringing you weirdly realistic drawings of Bertolt's Machoke.]

[When Polo does, Jean can just deal with that one all on his own.]

Probably nothing at all.

[Armin could think up a few nightmare scenarios, but even he can recognise that the likelihood of those happening is very low. He lets out a puff of breath, before reaching for his coffee.]

Fine, I'll get him some books while we are in the bookstore.

[Judging by the sounds of the loud victorious buzzing from underneath the table, Circinus is all for this.]

[The victory buzzing is soon joined by more victorious buzzing; Blitz is happy that he got an extra bit of Pokepuff, and has joined Circinus! Then Donner, not wanting to be left out, joins in, and Jean starts laughing.]

Oh gods, we need to get out of here before Fat Ice Dog starts barking or Atty starts trumpeting.

[What's that? You said you needed some barking? Fat Ice Dog is happy to oblige!]

Fido, nooooo...

[Jean, laughing and petting your Pokemon while telling him no isn't really going to enforce that this is behavior you don't want.]

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