Victory Road Inbox

[notvaljean]

Hi, this is Jean... [loud crackling in the background, the sound of sighing] ... and Blitz. We're busy right now and can't answer, so leave a message and we'll get back to you.

Comments

[schachmeister]

[oh crap, Blitz wants to create his own army.]

[notvaljean]

He probably does! No wild Pokemon will be safe!

[Jean = totally okay with this plan.]

[schachmeister]

I don't think it's the wild pokemon we should be concerned about!

[Like. Be concerned about them. How long until Blitz turns them into monkey slaves? It is not a question of if Blitz will overthrow the human domination, only when.]

[notvaljean]

Oh gods, don't freak out!

[Jean slings a companionable arm around Armin's shoulders, something that seems intimately familiar and yet very foreign at the same time. If Armin were a little taller and broader, it would feel like second nature.]

I'm sure he'll treat us well during his Poke uprising. We're the ones who give him treats, after all.

[Or Jean does, at least. Armin should maybe start with the goodies, if he wants a good spot in the upcoming Rise of the Electrode.]

[schachmeister]

[Jean slinging an arm around his shoulders has Armin stiffening in surprise for a moment, before he relaxing. This is a bit strange. They've never really been close enough for Jean to do this, but things really did change after Trost, didn't they?]

... sometimes I open the door for him.

[But, to be honest, it is not like a closed door would really ever stop Blitz. Armin just doesn't want to end up paying for the property damage when he decides to just roll through it.]

[notvaljean]

[A lot changed after Trost. Jean has only ever done this to one other person before.]

See? [Jean gives Armin a friendly punch on the chest.] You'll be allowed to live once his army takes over.

[Jean knows damn well that Armin only opens doors for Blitz to prevent property damage, but hey, it still counts!]

[schachmeister]

[Ow, his ribs.]

That's good. [a beat] Probably.

[notvaljean]

[And it's that reaction to his punch that makes Jean realize what he's doing, and he quickly takes his arm back, letting Armin go. He's... not too sturdy, is he?]

Would you rather be destroyed in the first wave? Blitz can organize that too, if you want.

[schachmeister]

[He is not. And Jean is obviously used to rough-housing with someone much taller and strong.

But honestly, Armin hadn't really mind Jean's arm there.]

If it is all the same, I'd rather not die before seeing the ocean.

[Armin, you might be taking this too seriously!]

[notvaljean]

[Oh gods, this ocean stuff again? For once, though, Jean is willing to indulge Armin in it a bit.]

So we should go to the one here pretty soon then. So you can say you've seen one.

[schachmeister]

[Jean should consider himself lucky. He's only had to listen to Armin comment on it on occasion since they arrived here. Back home, Armin had been careful to keep his interest in the ocean quiet among the other trainees. It is still forbidden to possess knowledge of the outside world, after all, and while Armin hadn't owned his grandfather's book since the fall of Wall Maria, he'd rather not test the military. Heretic he might be, he'd rather not get hanged for it.]

I look forward to it.