superordinary | 1st rebuttal; video (action for cherrygrove)

[ In all honesty, Naegi wasn't all too concerned about going home. Mainly because, well, what sane person would actually want to go back to that hellhole of a school? As weird as it was to be whisked away to a magical land of Pokémon and constant background music, it was vastly preferred to death and despair. He did have his worries, though; he still had no idea what had happened to his family and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the other students still trapped inside Hope's Peak. Why had he ended up here but not the others?

Celes had talked about adapting, and... well, that seemed like the best course of action for the time being. Adapt to this new world and set out on a journey. The latter was actually easier said than done because he isn't used to a) having to sleep outside and b) having to walk for three days and a half from New Bark to Cherrygrove. His feet were sore and he's gotten himself some bruises from tripping and he felt more out of shape than ever before. Thank god he could rest up in the small town before continuing onward. ]

( action; around noon )

[ Near the outskirts of the town, Naegi can be found battling the local wildlife. Right now he's trying to train his Togepi but it doesn't seem to go too well. ]

Use-- [ The Togepi doesn't let him finish the sentence and immediately starts wagging its arms back and forth to play Metronome roulette. When it stops, everything seems to be okay for a few short seconds before it begins to glow with a bright light followed by an ear-splitting explosion. ]

( video; )

Good afternoon, everyone! I'm Makoto Naegi, a Pokémon Breeder. I just arrived the other day so I don't actually have much to breed yet, and I haven't finished reading the guide... Um, but that's not what I'm posting this for. I'd like some help regarding my Togepi. [ He adjusts the camera, and it pans out to show a Togepi resting comfortably in his lap. Naegi is stroking its head gently as he continues to speak. ]

You see, she knows this move called Metronome. But almost every time she uses the move, she seems to end up hurting herself; one time it turned into Double-Edge and after that, she used a move that made her faint... but nothing else happened. I'm not sure why. [ The move he's referring to would be Healing Wish, but the Sentret he had sent out in Togepi's place had already been at full health. Generation IV moves, how do they work? ]

I healed her up at the Pokémon Center afterward, but then she used Metronome and... um, she exploded and fainted again. So I'd like to hear any advice on what I should do about it. She's young and really seems to enjoy using the move, regardless of the result so I'm not sure what should be done. I don't want her to keep hurting herself, but it's also the only attacking move she has. Is there a way to control what you get at all?

[ That's all he has to say regarding this particular issue so he figures that's a good point to change the topic as there's one more thing he needs to include. ]

... Also, if anyone here is from Hope's Peak Academy, please respond as soon as possible.

[ No, wait. He shouldn't limit himself to only addressing those from the school. When he thought about it, he had some questions that someone from outside of the school might be able to answer. Maybe they knew more about that incident... ]

Um, actually, even if you've only heard of the school before, please respond.

[ The Togepi makes a chirping noise in a high-pitched, cheerful tone and Naegi picks up the PokéGear to cut the feed. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Haven't try raising a Sentret, but Caterpie's worth the effort once it fully evolves into Butterfree. But yeah, increasing your roster's important if you want to breed more than a couple type of Pokemon.

[All the Togepis and their Metronomes.]

It's good for challenging the gyms, too... Also, doesn't Caterpie evolve early? Unless I'm remembering the games wrong, or if it's different now that they're real.

Yeah, they evolve at the same levels as we remember from the games. But since they're real, training them takes longer.

Ah, that's what I thought. It makes sense for it to take longer since it requires more than just pressing a few buttons.

That's right. Going out there, training and making sure they rest up enough, the time all adds up. More so if you juggle in other things, like working for money.

I'm sure it's more fun this way, though. I just have to do my best.

By the way, what's your name?

Yep, it is! It can be a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end.

[It can be a great bonding experience.]

Name's Atsuro Kihara. Makoto, right?

[Don't worry, Naegi. Atsuro's casual like that ~~blame the localisation~~.]

Yeah! I don't mind. [ It's a little weird, having people having use his first name because he's usually just Naegi. Especially strangers, but he'll roll with it. ]

Is Kihara-kun okay with you?

Yeah, it's okay with me.

[Usually people he don't know very well use his surname back home. That or his teachers. Or very polite people like Amane.]

Just whichever's comfortable for you.

Kihara-kun it is, then. [ Gotta stay polite because that's how he rolls etc. ]

Thanks for the advice you've given me.

It's no problem, Makoto. If you have any more questions, I can try my best to answer. Or direct you to someone who might know.

Do you know why we've been brought here? Not that I mind, but it seems kind of... random.

[Yeah. About that.]

Sorry, I don't know anything about that. We have no idea who, what, how and why we're brought here.

Eh? So... nothing at all? That's strange. There has to be some purpose for all of this.

Yeah, nothing. If there's a purpose, it could be anything. But without some kind of hint, we could spend hours speculating on this.

How long has this been going on? Surely someone should've stepped forth by now.

Let's see...I'm hitting my second year here soon. I think I heard others been here for three or four years by now?

Four years...?! T-that's a really long time... [ thank you for stating the obvious, Naegi. ]

[Thank you, Captain Obvious.] Yeah. Sure, time sometimes seem like it flies really fast, but it's still a long time.

It really is... I'm not sure what to think, honestly. [ It's true that he'd rather be here than inside the school... but at the same time, four years in the world of Pokémon... He has some mixed feelings about it, especially when he has his friends and family to worry about. ]

Depends on how you approach it. For me, being in this world is both a break and another opportunity for me to established myself.

[Without Naoya around, Atsuro will never be satisfied with his programming. Until this world bring back his teacher, the goal of surpassing him will be out of his grasp.

Living by himself is nothing new to him, but having his Pokemon around worked as his support system here. People come and go on a monthly basis. But his Pokemon will never leave him, not without discussing with them about it.]

Until we find a way to return home.

I'm not really in a hurry to find a way out.

[ At least not until he knows whether or not he can return to his world but not wind up back inside Hope's Peak. But he needs to ensure the safety of the others, too. He can't just hop back to his family's house while the others are still stuck with that despair bear and its games. ]

But you're right. I think that's a good approach to have.

It's better than spending most of your days worrying about it. You're here now, time keeps on moving here and you still gotta make the most of this.

Beside, even if you're not big on training and raising Pokemon, you still got your life.

[Which he learned to appreciate even more after that horrible lockdown.]

That's exactly how I think, too. No matter what happens, I have to move forward and make the most of this... and it's not every day I get to train actual Pokémon. It's a whole new experience for me.

It will be! Depending on your Pokémon, training can be rather fun. Or will be a lot of work, but have huge payoffs in the end.

[Like all those people with a Magikarp.]

1st rebuttal; video (action for cherrygrove)

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