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[teammother]

[ Makoto looks a little apprehensive when his face first flickers on the screen; it's one thing talking to people on this thing one-on-one, but the idea of addressing a whole bunch of people he doesn't know all at once, even long-distance, is still kind of daunting! even so, despite the nervousness, his smile is friendly. ]

Ah, hi, everyone! I'm sorry to be a bother, but I'd really appreciate it if I could get some quick advice from someone who's been here longer than I have, if that's okay. Has anyone here ever raised a Hoppip before? I caught one while me and Gou-chan were on the way to Cherrygrove city, and I was wondering - how long is it before they learn a move that they can defend themselves with...? We're doing fine so far since Nanami can cover for him, but it'd be nice just to have some peace of mind, you kn-- hah?!

[ as Makoto's been speaking, a helicopter-shaped leaf has been slowly coming into view above his head, followed by a bright pink, very round body. yep, it's taken Makoto this long to notice that the Hoppip in question has been using his head as a climbing frame. ]

Shou--! C'mon, I've told you not to do that already...! [ the rebuke doesn't sound serious, though, and Shou trills happily, peering over the top of Makoto's head to get a better look at the Pokegear. Makoto lets out a short, sheepish sigh of exasperation, rolling his eyes fondly. ]

He must think that my hair's some kind of nest or something, because he's been doing that for a while almost every time I've let him out of the pokeball. Ah, anyway, if anyone has an answer for me, I'll be really grateful!

Comments

[video]

[sincereheart]

[ Something Mimi can answer? Oh happy day! ]

I've got a Hoppip! It took him a while to get an attacking move too, and I got a little worried, but he learned a move called Tackle last level! It does... well, exactly what it sounds like! It doesn't seem to hurt the other Pokémon that much, but it's a start, isn't it?

[ Her Hoppip bobs into view, "hoppip"ing cheerily to see another of his kind. Mimi smiles and pats him affectionately. ]

He's level 9 now, so that means your Hoppip will have to wait till level 8! What level is yours now, mister... [ Um. A sheepish grin. ] What's your name?

[video]

[teammother]

Oh, sorry! I'm Makoto. Makoto Tachibana. [ he smiles, equally as sheepishly. for his part, Shou gets very excited when he spots the other Hoppip, letting out a happy cry and waving his arms. ] Thanks so much for answering...! Shou's only level 3 right now, so we've got a ways to go by the sounds of it.

[video]

[sincereheart]

Tachibana? That's almost the same as my name! [ She smiles happily. ] I'm Mimi Tachikawa! It's nice to meet you, Tachibana-san!

Oh, I'm sure he'll get there soon! It only took a couple routes worth of travel for me to get my Hoppip to his level! That... and a fair amount of battling on those routes. [ Another smile. ]

Can I ask how you came up with the name Shou, Tachibana-san? I've been trying to think of names for my Pokémon, but so far nothing seems to stick! And it's been several weeks... [ She looks a bit anxious at this. ] What if they don't want names anymore?

[video]

[teammother]

Oh, they are pretty close! It's nice to meet you too, Tachikawa-chan.

Well, I hope so...! I'm not sure I have the hang of battling for real yet, but hopefully we'll get there.

Oh, uh-- [ he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. ] Actually, this is probably going to sound silly, but I was watching how easily he gets picked up by the wind and I thought, you can read the kanji for "soar" as Shou, right...? I'm honestly not that great with names myself, so it's easier for me to just pick something obvious that I can remember easily.

[ he shrugs, as if dismissing himself, but his smile softens into something gentler at her obvious anxiousness. ] Ah, but I shouldn't think you have to worry too much, Tachikawa-chan. A lot of Pokemon are pretty smart, right? So even if it's been weeks, you could probably see how they feel about it just by asking them. What kinds of names have you been thinking about?

[video]

[sincereheart]

It's okay! I didn't think I would be good at battling either, but it turned out to be not too different from what I was doing in the world I came from! But that might not apply to you... Are you from the real world?

Oh, that's not silly at all! That's very clever, Tachibana-san! [ She seems honestly impressed. ] I wonder if any kanji names would be a good fit for my Pokémon...

You're right! My Pokémon are pretty smart! [ She addresses her Hoppip, still bobbing nearby. ] Hoppip, would you mind if I gave you a name?

[ "Hoppip hopp!" The Hoppip twirls in a manner that seems to indicate "no". ]

Oh, I'm so glad! [ Mimi smiles. ]

Well, my Maractus reminds me of my friend Palmon, so I was thinking of calling her Palko? Or something like that? And Hoppip, well, he jumps and he's round, so maybe something like Hanemaru? [ A self-conscious grin. ] They're not that creative, I know...

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[saxsongs]

Hmm, I'm not sure if there's a way of finding out moves beforehand unless you've trained a Pokémon... but at least you'll be able to check what your Hoppip learns after every level. The Pokédex is useful for that. You can keep track on all the moves your Pokémon know.

[Not so useful as knowing beforehand, but at least it's something.]

Also don't worry, my Swablu used to do the same with my hair. Some Pokémon seem to enjoy sleeping on their trainer's head's.

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[teammother]

Oh, that is useful...! I guess in the meantime it's just trial and error, huh.

Ah, really? That's kind of cute... Which one's Swablu? I don't think I've heard of it yet.

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[saxsongs]

Ah... Swablus are smaller versions of this Pokémon.

[He moves a little to show his Altaria on the background.] They're small blue birds with cloud-like wings. Very cute and cuddly.

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[teammother]

[ oh my god they sound adorable he has to have one. ]

Wow, what a beautiful Pokemon! How long have you had it?

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[saxsongs]

[Everyone needs a small fluffy bird.]

A little over two years, which is almost the same length I've been in this world, but not quite. I've raised her from an egg.

[red_roses]

Does he like to fight? Lief, my Chikorita likes to...it was hard to keep him from picking fights with strong Pokemon.

[teammother]

Well, not exactly... [ Makoto laughs. ] Mostly, he seems to like goofing off.

[red_roses]

Oh...so....you just want him to be able to defend you and himself.

[teammother]

Ahaha, more or less! I'm thinking about challenging the gyms just to see how far I can get, but it's more important to me that he can defend himself from any wild Pokemon out there first off.

[red_roses]

That can be a good thing. I don't like fighting, though.

[video]

[solas_ion]

Hoppip, lemme think...

[You wanna talk about Pokehats? Because Lancer has a snoozing yellow Swablu perched delicately on his own head.]

I'm not sure when it learns any real moves, but I know it evolves twice. The last form of it is tough as hell, too.

[video]

[teammother]

Ohh, really? Ahaha, it's kind of hard to picture right now... at the moment I get worried he'll blow away whenever there's a strong breeze.

[ oh hey, matchies! ]

--Is it just normal for Pokemon to sit on their trainers' heads like these guys, then? [ he gestures towards the yellow and white (and absolutely adorable) fluffball on Lancer's head. ]

[video]

[solas_ion]

Trust me, I've seen it firsthand. [And been thrown out a window by one.] Give it a little time.

Hm--oh, Avalon. I'm starting to think a lot of the smaller ones just like sitting up somewhere they think is high.

[video]

[teammother]

Well, I'll take your word for it! I'm not really in any hurry - just a little concerned, that's all. But thanks for the advice!

Ohh, I see. [ he chuckles. just like Ran and Ren... ] It's kinda cute. What kind of Pokemon's Avalon?

[video]

[solas_ion]

If you're worried about it, try catching a couple others to play support in a fight, y'know?

[Dumb as he might've looked, Lancer had picked up a hell of a lot about training in the last few years.]

She's called a Swablu--apparently she's a little different, I guess they're usually blue or something.

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[superordinary]

Um, I haven't raised one myself so I don't really know, but I think most Pokémon other than Magikarp learn at least one damaging move before level 10.

[ ...He tried. ]

And it seems like it's not uncommon for Pokémon to sit on their trainers's heads. My Altaria used to do that when he was a Swablu, and it even gets mentioned in Swablu's Pokédex entry.

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[teammother]

Ah, I actually already found someone who could tell me, so you don't need to worry. --Oh, but thank you for the tip anyway, though! Since I'm still new to this I probably need all the help I can get, haha.

Mm, people have been saying that...! Swablu sound so cute that I'm starting to think I might need to catch one myself sometime, if I can.

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[superordinary]

They are really cute - and really soft, too. If I recall correctly, you can find them in the wild around Blackthorn City... it'll probably take a while for you to get there, though, so it'd be easier to get a Swablu egg.

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[teammother]

Blackthorn City? Oh, that was up near the north-eastern part of the map, wasn't it?

--Wait, did you say egg?

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[superordinary]

Yep. [ He nods. ] It's home to the strongest gym leader in the region.

And yeah. All Pokémon come from eggs, actually. Including the ones that look like mammals.