callbacks | 4 ∅ [Video]

[The video starts on an unsure-looking Kirlia. He starts to edge away, but Dave--apparently behind the camera--speaks.]

Naw, go ahead, dude. C'mon. Don't be shy.

[The Kirlia sighs, extremely put upon, and then ballet-toes back into place. There's a Dawn Stone on the floor nearby; the Kirlia bends primly at the waist to pick it up, and:

Presto.

Wart the Gallade examines his arm-blades for a moment, then shoots Dave a look as if to say, "If we're quite done now." Dave chuckles quietly.]

Yeah, yeah, thanks for humoring me, bro. The moment has been secured for posterity. Duty discharged. [The relief on the Gallade's face is palpable before Dave turns the camera towards his own movie star mug. Hello, Johto.]

So, hey. I get that baby's first evolution is probably ancient headwear for most of you, but he's the first guy I got all the way to his final form. That's worth some kind of jokey home video.

[Yeah, because he's obviously being ironic about this. He's not Proud Dadding all over his starter, no sirree.]

Anyway, I've been hearing about a bunch of different evolutionary paths our Poképals can take, and, I dunno. I'm curious, I guess. If you ever made a choice like that, what made you pick one way or the other?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... Probably. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages, if I didn't have a trainer. I admit he knows how to work around such things, even if he seems an idiot sometimes.

So he's a strategy guy? When it comes to battling, anyway, I guess.

Yes. His tactics may sometimes be unorthodox, but he saves most of those for opponents who he claims deserve no honor. More of the time he studies type matchups and pushes us to train what we're best at so as to cover each other.

Uh, what do you mean by unorthodox? Like the sly, cheaty kind of unorthodox, or the cool, making creative use of your environment unorthodox? Because one of those is more awesome than the other.

[The Pokemon visibly hesitates for a minute.]

Both. Usually the latter. Sometimes the former, but not very often.

As long as he's selective, I guess.

[Bro, you're not supposed to admit it.]

You're cool with that? Fighting like that.

[Hey he's not the one who calls the shots.]

It is a creative use of abilities. It took some training to deal with short-range teleports, and for the Onix in our party to learn where to position herself for explosions.

Explosions?

She knows the move Explosion. Sometimes it can be useful to get out of somewhere, or to blast away rocks in a cave.

Oh, okay. That makes sense.

[Dave lets it go. Dave does not know what Explosion does to the Pokémon using it.]

He doesn't sound that bad, dude.

He thinks he's worse than he is, really.

Isn't that how it always is. Sorry you gotta put up with it, though. You seem like a reasonable guy.

Thank you. I appreciate it.