6 ∅ [Video]

[callbacks]

[There's a bright little bird...lizard thing minding its own business on a branch, cleaning its feathers and looking around with puzzled curiosity. The owner of the PokéGear sets it standing in the fork of the tree and then starts to creep up the branch with hands and knees, trying to keep his breath quiet. He's a kid, small, small enough for the branch to hold his weight, but it dips and the Archen notices him. As one, they freeze, and then both leap at once, the Archen away and the boy towards it, in a crush of squawking and leaves and confusion.

The PokéGear falls, too, thudding to the grass amid the cries of Pokémon, and it's hard to tell what's happened for a minute until a Gallade comes to pick it up. He's balancing a four-year-old blond boy on his hip while a Togetic hovers in dismay, everyone dusty from the fall, but the kid squirms in the Gallade's hold and beams without smiling from behind his very familiar shades. Proud and apparently unhurt, Dave holds up a PokéBall towards the 'Gear.]

I caughted it.

[Wart the Gallade turns the camera to his own desperate, exasperated, bewildered face.]

Help me.

((Kiddo Dave replies will come from knightoftimeout!))

Comments

[knightoftimeout]

[A pause, then a nod.]

You're Tucker. I'm not a baby.

[That last bit's to Wart. Dave starts playing with the Pokéball again, muttering and offended.]

I remmber shit.

[dosomethingslacker]

[There is so much relief just in the way his shoulders slouch.]

Oh thank fuck. Okay, that handles a lot of problems straight off, awesome.

...... What now?

[knightoftimeout]

Hmmm. [Dave thinks about this, then orders Wart imperiously:] Put me down.

[Wart's more than happy to do so, though both he and Valentine continue to hover like Dave could explode at any moment. Dave just brushes himself off with one hand and bounces a couple times to make sure his legs aren't broken. He's a little scuffed up, but he doesn't seem to notice the minor scrapes.

Instead, he holds up the Pokéball.]

I caughted a funny bird. Wanna see.

[dosomethingslacker]

[Must be that weirdass pokemon that was in the tree. He smiles a little because even if Dave's mentally not aged down, it's still cute as hell to hear 'caughted'.]

Yeah, I wanna see it. Must be badass if you caught it.

[knightoftimeout]

[:>!

The encouragement is all Dave needs, and he pushes the button on the Pokéball to let his new Archen out. The poor frazzled thing shakes itself out, looks at Dave with all the affronted confusion in the world, and squawks noisily. Dave squats in front of it, chin in his hands. He's in love.]

Its face is sooooo weeeeird.

[The Archen looks at Tucker like 'bro wtf am i supposed to do with this?' Wart drags a hand down his face.]