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sheepfilms
noise dept.
Keni
Sweet Seals For You, Always
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
will byers stan first human second
Monterey Bay Aquarium
NASA
Xuebing Du
oozey mess
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hello vonnie
Product Placement
wallacepolsom
@theartofmadeline
h
styofa doing anything
occasionally subtle
DEAR READER
seen from Malaysia
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@what-a-bother
[ yawn ]
You would think work would slow down around this time of year, but it's the opposite: everyone wants to bulk up their badge cases before the new year rolls around... it's tough.
Surely it's not normal to experience this kind of joint pain at eighteen... [ grumble ]
Red, once again, was disappointed, this time at the way the man introduced himself. He’d been hoping that someone who finally made their way over to Mt. Silver would be more impressive, somehow; Red hadn’t been allowed to pass through even after conquering the Indigo League. But if he was just a schoolteacher…well, he probably wouldn’t provide any interesting battles.
With that now established, Red decided he didn’t much care what the schoolteacher was doing here after all. He’d never been much for schooling. But at least that meant he could get through the conversation without feeling impatient.
"…Sometimes," he began. "Eat vegetables." Usually, his grocery list would include real foods (a lot of canned foods, but that was still more real than chips), but he was in a rush this time. He only expected the chips to last a few days while he got a new list together. And besides, chips were made of potatoes, which are vegetables, which are healthy. Those should be fine to eat just by themselves anyway.
Red was about to say “soup” and maybe “potatoes” to add to his well-rounded list of food, when something else the schoolteacher said stood out in his mind. “…Rugged…?”
Cheren himself had spent some time alone in a cave living on mostly junk food - what he had previously considered to be an almost tortuously long time, in fact. It hadn't killed him, but, well, there was a marked difference between his Victory Road soul-searching and nine (nine!) long years exposed to the viciousness of the elements. Cheren had no way of knowing what 'sometimes' meant, or how far these vegetables extended beyond corn and potato-based snacks.
"Technically, though, you're meant to have fruits and vegetables every day. I mean - don't your Pokémon worry about y-?" He stopped, taken aback by which particular part of his rant Red had decided to latch onto.
Well, if that was what got him to switch onto a conversation...
"Yeah, sure. You know, like, how much longer can you maintain that, uh, husky, cool-headed charm if you end up with malnutrition, right? I mean, it's... it's a joke," he added, hastily, looking around nervously. "My, um, my name is Cheren, by the way. I do think you should buy some vegetables before you go back up, especially if you're planning on spending another decade up there."
Red was again disappointed that his obviously clear “no” had not been understood. But rather than attempt to elaborate, he decided to just take the chips from the man again.
Aside from elaborating being a lot of work (and words), he did need to answer that question first. And he’d been in many conversations with people who’d only belatedly realize who he was— they rarely gave room to talk about other subjects, and Red didn’t want to risk the man starting up the mountain.
"Yes," he said, adjusting the bags in his arms. He hoped this part of the conversation wouldn’t take too long. He still needed to figure out why this person was here, after all.
"Of course it is." Cheren surrendered the chips willingly, still pink in the face. "That really explains a lot."
It was true that despite counting among his closest friends (or having done in the past, at least) one of Unova's prophesied Heroes and its one-time Champion, Cheren couldn't help but be a little starstruck to be having a conversation with the legendary trainer. But beyond that, he found himself more worried than anything at the state he seemed to be in. Nine years was, after all, a very long time to live alone in the hail and snow. It was no wonder he wasn't a shining conversationalist - and just how long had he been living on junk food?
"With all due respect, um..." He glanced up at the Charizard again, then back at the Champion, who was comically dwarfed by the mounds of chips. "I'm no expert, just a schoolteacher, but surely you can't survive on nothing but that in these conditions? I mean - you'll get scurvy. Even if you say you're not out to die of exposure, that's no way to treat your body, rugged Champion or no."
Winter Wonderland
Hyuu’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment at the familiar sight of Cheren, looking extremely fatigued from a hard day’s work. He now realized his initial approach perhaps came across as rude, though in reality it was his protectiveness over his sister that made his words sound a bit hostile.
"Oh, it’s just you, Mr. Cheren," he said quietly. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you like that."
"I thought you were someone else - a stranger or something," he added lamely. "Everything’s fine. My sister’s just enjoying the snow and I’m watching over her."
Taking his hands out of his pocket, Hyuu quickly glanced over his shoulder to check on Hana. She was busily adding details to her snow Lillipup’s face, her face scrunched up in concentration. Unable to conceal a smile at his sister’s adorable antics, he turned back to gaze at Cheren.
His former teacher must have spent the entire day at the school only to be greeted with cold, wet weather. He felt the least he could do was offer him a warm drink and to dry off indoors for a little while.
"Do you want to come inside to dry off and have some hot cocoa?" Hyuu asked, offering Cheren a concerned half-smile. "I know you probably want to get home, so I understand if you would rather pass. Hana would be glad to see you, though."
Cheren laughed, nodding. "I understand. I'd be a little alarmed to see someone staggering around my street this time of night, too." Especially a shaggy beanpole like himself, on reflection. To be honest, he'd hardly realised how late it was when he left the gym.
He followed Hyuu's gaze back to his yard, where the little girl was concentrating hard, and smiled as well to see the look on his face. It was perhaps not especially prudent of him to indulge someone so young at this time of night - she'd be yawning all day! - but to be fair, Cheren had seldom refused his childhood friends' badgering in similar situations. And the girl was quite the talented sculptress.
"That sounds nice," he said, and stifled another yawn. "But I wouldn't want to disturb your parents. Are you sure it'd be okay?" It wasn't as though there was anyone waiting around for him at home, and after so many straight hours alone in the gym, he was a little starved for human interaction.
Wandering Trainers | Open!
"I think you can. I’m sure Skadi here can take on anything you can throw at us, and my badges will speak for themselves."
He reached into his bag and proudly opened it to show the eight shining badges he collected in Kalos. Skadi crouched down as if expecting a battle on the spot.
Cheren's face lit up as Calem brandished his badge case, nerves forgotten; he leaned in to look more closely. A full badge case - now that took him back... he was familiar with Kalos' League, even if he'd never intended to challenge it himself. There was a vicarious thrum of excitement. "All eight! That's great. You must be a very accomplished trainer."
He glanced back up to smile at Calem, then turned his attention to Skadi, kneeling to hold his hand out for her to sniff.
"And you're called Skadi, are you? I'm looking forward to seeing your talent in action."
Red was a little disappointed his undoubtedly clear gestures were misinterpreted, but he decided to address all of the stranger’s statements in turn anyway. “I know… Meals… No… Live here… Thank you.”
He didn’t really feel like he needed help with his groceries, having gotten well used to the climb at this point. But, it occurred to him that this person probably wasn’t.
The man had already complained about the cold, and it only got worse higher up the mountain. He didn’t look all that strong either, really…maybe Red should just bring his bags up by himself after all. “…No,” he added, assuming the man would understand what he was referring to.
"No?" Cheren, who had already started walking, hesitated and glanced back at the mysterious mountaineer. The guy really seemed to have some trouble with words... not that Cheren couldn't relate to that sometimes. He blinked as he processed the scant knowledge he was being granted. Live here? Meals? He frowned.
Then it dawned on him. Of course he knew of the man who trained in solitude atop Mt Silver, emerging only once in all these years for the Pokémon World Tournament, and apparently still undefeated. Cheren felt himself reddening as he slowly realised the gravity of the situation - he'd spoken so flippantly to Champion Red himself...!
"You live here..." In fact, Cheren had glimpsed him in person - from a distance - when he competed there himself... he hadn't remembered him seeming so - vulnerable. And he certainly hadn't pegged him for someone who would try to subside on nothing but sugary drinks and chips. Somewhere deep down in that flood of anxiety and admiration was another twang of concern. "Pardon my presumptuousness, but... would your name happen to be Red?"
"No…no." This person certainly wasn’t the first to ask about that. Introductions were usually established before reaching that line of questioning, but it always came up sooner or later. Red did acknowledge that dressing so lightly was unusual, but he couldn’t come up with a reason why the cold didn’t bother him other than just being generally resistant to the weather.
(Hail did still hurt, though.)
Figuring a one-word answer with no elaboration was enough to wrap up that subject, Red decided to move on and ask his own question. He opened his mouth to speak…only to realize that he didn’t know how to phrase it. He closed his mouth and started making a series of small, vague hand gestures. None of which meant anything, but he was fully confident that this person would understand.
"Well, that's a relief," Cheren said, and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. He was tempted to make further comment on this strange man's health, eyeing the chip packets sceptically - surely processed fried potatoes slathered in salt was the last thing a rugged wintry mountain climber should be putting into his body - but postponed his judgment as the guy started juggling them awkwardly to make incomprehensible little gestures at him.
Cheren jogged forward to take some off him, assuming he was being asked for help.
"You want to be careful, either way. It hails up there, you know. What's all this for? Are you having some extreme hiking party, or something?" Only half-joking, he smiled at the quiet stranger regardless.
"This is too much for one person to carry. I'll give you a hand."
Winter Wonderland
Winter had fallen upon Aspertia City at some point during the night, blanketing the streets in a thin layer of snow. Nestled comfortably into his bed, Hyuu stared up at the ceiling for what felt like hours before his eyelids finally grew heavy and sleep overcame him.
Less than thirty minutes later, he woke abruptly when he felt someone vigorously shaking his arm and shouting excitedly into his ear. There was no mistaking that voice and even though he was absolutely exhausted, he couldn’t possibly be mad.
"Big brother, big brother! Wake up! It’s snowing!” chirped his sister.
Hyuu allowed his younger sister to drag him out of bed and into their mudroom where he helped her scramble into her winter gear. After he finished securely tying the scarf around his sister’s neck, the two of them headed outside to romp around in the freshly fallen snow. While she busied herself building a Lillipup out of snow, Hyuu’s gaze wandered to a figure in the distance.
He couldn’t quite make their face out in the dim lighting the street lights provided, but it wouldn’t be crazy to say it was someone he knew. Telling his sister to stay put in their front yard, he crossed the street and approached them, hands tucked away to keep warm in his pockets.
"Hey, you. What’re you doing?" he asked bluntly.
Cheren yawned as he locked up the gym. It was a ridiculous hour to be finishing up, and he'd gotten in at six in the morning to prepare for a special lesson - all in all, far more hours than was reasonable to work in one day. His head was still spinning, eyes on his feet, as he trudged towards the city's edge, more or less dead to the world around him. The first time his shoe sunk into slush, he jumped.
It was pretty cold, wasn't it? Cheren looked around, registering the recent snowfall. He'd been locked in that air-conditioned building for so many hours that he wouldn't have noticed if an atomic bomb had fallen overnight, but this wasn't much better. Cold, wet weather never put him in a good mood. He rubbed his eyes and groaned as he continued on his way, breath coming in clouds.
He didn't even notice Hyuu's approach until the kid was practically just in front of him, and started.
"Hyuu," Cheren said, and tried to compose himself. "I'm just heading home - is everything all right?"
In the 9 years he’d started coming to Mt. Silver, Red could only remember ever seeing one or two people even just at the base of the mountain. As such, he was surprised to see some guy crouching in the grass on this side of Route 28. It was surprising enough that he didn’t immediately try to sneak around or run past the man before he was noticed.
And, in fact, he did get noticed. “…Yes,” he replied.
Under normal circumstances, he would have started walking away immediately after answering. But with travelers venturing this far so rarely, he couldn’t help but be curious about why this person was there.
So, he stood there and stared quietly.
"You are," said Cheren, staring back, feeling somehow both as though he had been caught trying on his mother's high heels and as if he had caught the stranger in a similarly mortifying situation both at once. Two questions swam to the forefront: 'how many guests have you got up there to need that much soft drink?' and 'how much do you know about the family structure of the Ponyta around these parts?'
He opened his mouth to ask one or the other, but first emitted a violent sneeze.
"Aren't you cold?" he demanded, instead, rubbing his nose. "Not to pry, but you're dressed for summer. I hope you aren't planning to waste away of exposure up there." The junk food question could wait, and no Ponyta herds were going to saunter on by while the two of them were standing around either way.
Wandering Trainers | Open!
Cheren? Ok, the name was definitely familiar. Wait… Now he recognized where he knew this guy from. He grinned and held out a hand for a shake.
"I am a native of Kalos, yes. And you… are a Gym Leader in Unova, correct?" he asked. "I recognize you from the brochures for trainers."
"Oh." Cheren flushed, partly with gratification and partly with nerves, and took the outstretched hand with a shake that was brisk but a little delicate. "The brochure... I forgot. Yeah, that's me."
Ever since that story about the fake glasses started circulating, he'd become a little wary of what people heard about him through the media. But Kalosians probably weren't terribly interested in Unovian celebrity gossip.
"May I ask what brings you to Unova, then? Can I expect a challenge?"
Red, surprising as it may seem to some, was a normal human. He, too, needed to eat to survive. Usually, he would buy absurd quantities of food all at once and bring it up with him to Mount Silver, and then wouldn’t have to leave again for a solid month or two. But he’d gotten careless this time, letting a Pokémon get into his food stash while he wasn’t paying attention. His meals for the month were reduced to nothing but half-eaten leftovers strewn about along the snow.
A few years ago, he probably would’ve just eaten it off the ground, but he’d recently learned that doing that would be “unsanitary”.
Not having had the time to get himself pumped up to venture into the world again, he decided to make just one stop at a convenience store before heading back. He wasn’t in there long before he stepped out again, Charizard helping him carry some 20 or so bags of chips and nearly as many bottles of soda.
…Even after so many years, he still didn’t have a good grasp of “nutrition”.
Believe it or not, crouching in the grassy expanses that flanked Johto's tallest (and incidentally, coldest) mountain had not been the way Cheren had hoped to spend his weekend. Why Bianca had needed data on these specifically of all the world's Ponyta, why she hadn't felt the need to come and observe them herself it was so damn important and why he had allowed himself to be defeated again by those puppydog eyes and arm squeezes and don't you know you're my hero, Cherens were all beyond him. But she did her best, and he couldn't blame her for wanting a break. He would have been working anyway, he supposed.
None of which made this awful cold any less distressing. His flimsy Unovian jacket and boots did little to protect against this penetrating Johto cold. Why couldn't it have been Hoenn? Why couldn't she have needed observational notes on lovely, tropical Sootopolis?
But he was called out of his grievances by approaching hooves. He looked up carefully, pencil poised, watching as the herd trotted on by. The Rapidash at its head whinnied and drew to a stop. Cheren smiled, beginning to relax - and then its ears pricked up and it stiffened again. A neigh rose from the Rapidash, and just like that the herd turned as one to canter away. What now? Cheren thought, groaning, and looked around.
And greeting him was a sight one didn't see every day: a huge, intimidating Charizard carrying more soda than any living being could possibly hope to consume. Leading the Charizard, a skinny, dark-haired guy with a comparably absurd quantity of potato chips. Cheren stared.
What, was he having a movie marathon on top of the most forbidding natural structure in the region? Cheren had been sitting around here for hours without seeing a soul.
"Are you..." Cheren hesitated, then got to his feet. "Are you heading up the mountain?"
Wandering Trainers | Open!
Calem shook his head.
"Not that I’m aware of. My name is Calem Lemaire. How about you?"
But regardless, there was something familiar in that confident young face. Cheren hesitated, giving Calem a last, careful glance, before seeming to dismissing the similarities - these days, it was more likely Cheren just wanted to see traces of certain people.
"Well, my apologies," he said, embarrassment only rising, fiddling automatically with his tie. "I, um, I'm Cheren. I've been in Kalos for business, but with a name like that, I'd guess you're a native?
As Lyra chases him, four puppies in tow, she witnesses a scene that can only be described as pure chaos. Damn, this guy must really have a thing for dogs, she thinks, trying to keep herself from laughing out loud as the mischievous puppy dives straight into an orange cart. She winds up failing to restrain herself, covering her mouth with her free hand to, at least, contain her fit of giggles.
The Lillipup at her feet are seated obediantly, somehow, as they spot Cheren turning around with the rebel of the pack safely on his leash again. Lyra willingly hands the others over, her eruption of laughter finally settling down as he introduces himself.
"Ahahaha—! Wow! That was adorable!” She wipes her eyes and tucks a few stray hairs behind her ear. “Lyra!” she exclaims, holding her hand out for him to shake. “Just tell me why in the world you have a heard of tiny Lillipup! Building an army?!”
[ When the girl laughs, Cheren relaxes visibly, a more genuine smile creeping over his face. He clips naughty Charlie onto his leash and shrugs, running a hand through his hair, helplessly. ]
Well, sort of. I work at a gym, so it’s necessary to keep training new batches of Pokemon at different levels, so each challenger can face a team at a comparable level… but Pokemon just keep growing, so it ends up being a constant cycle… I must have raised dozens of puppies by now.
[ He catches himself rambling to this near-total stranger and flushes suddenly. He clears his throat. ]
But, um, all that is probably far less fun to hear about than to practice. Sorry.
Wandering Trainers | Open!
It was lucky (or possibly unlucky) for Cheren that Calem wasn’t all that gullible. He smiled and shook his head slowly. He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottled water. He then offered it to the other man.
"You know, it’s perfectly fine to just say ‘no’."
He flushed despite himself. He was not usually this easily caught out - or it could just be that Cheren was getting too used to being around mostly children.
He took the water. His frown was one of embarrassment, not annoyance.
"Yes, well. Haven't I met you somewhere before?"
In fact, the trainer reminded him of someone very specific.
Wandering Trainers | Open!
Calem looked to the man, who seemed around the same age as himself. Actually, he seemed familiar. Perhaps they’d simply boarded the ship at the same time, though that really didn’t seem right to him.
"Well, I don’t know about vending machines, but I have some lemonade in my cabin if you’d like to come by," he suggested.
"Ah."
In fact, Cheren wasn't the slightest bit thirsty. Never to be caught in an awkward position without some excuse, he had blurted the less embarrassing option than 'bathroom'.
But, well, no backing out now. It was always the way.
"That, um, sounds very nice of you," he agreed helplessly. "Thanks."
Lyra is seated on a bench, taking a break from her travels. She had just been thinking about how she’s never been to Unova; why not change that? It’s more modern than Johto, and she can’t wait to see what the shopping is like! Her ultimate goal is Castelia, or maybe where the giant ferris wheel is located! Striaton seems like a nice start, though.
A long sigh escapes her and she begins to relax, enjoying Unova’s breezy weather. It’s cold — but not unbearably so. Lyra stretches, thinking that she’s just lazy enough to take a nap right here. A yell and the bark of a Pokemon snaps her out of that, causing her to sit up, alert.
"Awww! Hey little gu— Huh-?!"
Lyra grabs the leashes thrust out to her, staring after the young man. Her eyes fall to the group of Lillipup enthusiastically hopping and yipping around her feet. She can’t even focus on how cute they are! She’s too confused!
"HEY! Wait up!" Lyra yells, tugging the puppies along as she begins to chase the boy in question.
[ Five is definitely too many. Charlie the Lillipup jumps up onto another lady, dirtying her pretty dress, and then dives into a fruit cart, tail wagging. The owner gives a shout of annoyance. Cheren slows down, hopping from foot to foot, to bow shallowly to the lady - ] I'm so sorry, he's just a puppy, I'll pay for drycleaning -! [ - before running to the fruit cart and seizing the Lillipup around the stomach, yanking him out. He still has an entire orange in his mouth, tail wagging innocently. ]
That was very naughty of you, Charlie. [ With his free hand, he pulls the collar over the puppy's head and lets him down to the ground. ] Apologise to that man.
[ The puppy cocks his head and grins again, panting cheerfully. After Cheren pays the fruit vendor for the stolen orange, he turns slightly - and jumps to see Lyra standing behind him. He gives her an apologetic smile and takes the leashes back. ]
I'm really sorry about that. Somewhere in all that training, they can go a bit stir crazy...
[ Can't we all. ]
Can I make it up to you somehow? My name is Cheren.
"Oh wow! Look at all the people here!"
She waved, excited by all the new faces.
"My name is Mei!" She said, introducing herself to one of the many people before her.
"Who’re you?"
Mei, is that you?
It's been a long time. You're looking well!
