[20]Video/Action for Vermilion City - "How Many Illiterates Are There Here?"

[lieutenantantichrist]

[After getting a faceful of bees, sharks, and the ugliest snowflakes in creation in Celadon, Blake has moved on. He could take furious monsters from the sky, but if he had to deal with one more yuppie moron asking about his favorite boutique, he was going to clock somebody. Vermilion just has survival weirdos and muscleheads. He can live with those.

Anyway, the feed comes up on him in a library, because it was the only way to shut his lobster up.

He's sitting on a plush chair, looking sullen. Behind him, there's a table covered with books, topped by a Clauncher perusing them avidly. There's also a pile on the chair to one side of Blake. To the other side, there's his Snubbull, absorbed in some naval historical fiction.]

You know what they tell you about these little animals? They tell you what to feed them. They tell you about all the ways to fight with them.

They don't tell you that sometimes your lobster will tug on your pantleg and make whimpery noises until you take it to a damn library.

[Said lobster scuttles down from the table and clacks over, with a book on his back that he steadies with his claw. He climbs up on the chair besides Blake and deposits it on top of the pile. He looks at the untouched stack. He looks at Blake's empty hands. The stare in his eye is quiet disappointment.]

What?

[The Clauncher says nothing.

Blake sighs.] All right, all right. I'll take a look.

[He picks up a book from the pile, one that looks short, and opens it.] "Maman died today." Christ, that's cheerful. Who wants to read that kind of depressing shit?

[He tosses it aside and tries another.] "A green and yellow Chatot, which hung in a cage outside the door..." Nope, don't care about anybody's bird.

[He grabs another and opens it in the middle.] "I have heard the mermaids singing..." Yeah, sure you have buddy, I don't give a shit.

[One more, and he jabs a finger at a line at random.] "A drowsy numbness pains my sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, or emptied some dull opiate" - the hell is this? Who wants to read about some moody junkie? They gotta have something where they talk like goddamn normal people.

[The Clauncher's antennae twitch and he perks up, getting an idea. He scuttles off and returns with a slim volume, which he sets on Blake's knee and opens to a certain page. He points at a line with his claw.

Blake picks it up for a closer look, then breaks into a smile.] Hey, that's not bad. [He looks to the screen.] Listen to this.

[He clears his throat and holds the book up dramatically. He recites,] "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

[He sets it down and gestures at the screen.] Still, I got a question.

[He spreads his hands.] What good has a book ever done anybody?

Comments

[lieutenantantichrist]

You're a real dedicated guy. Most kids I've heard of, they'd jump at the chance to drop the books and bum around doing whatever they want for a while. God knows I would've.

[His eyes widen.] Holy shit, kid! You serious?

[He gestures] Well, hurry up and show me!

[ardent]

[O-OH

OKAY RIGHT

LET HIM GET THE CASE, LET HIM GET THE CASE

LOOK AT THEM, THERE ARE SIXTEEN OF THEM AND THEY'RE REALLY SHINY]

I spent the summer in Kanto and got those eight when I was there - one of my best friends went with me! I already had the first set, so I thought I'd challenge for the second as well!

[lieutenantantichrist]

[Blake lets out a low whistle at the sparkly array.] Gaddamn. Not bad, son. You weren't screwing around.

[Blake feels a weird surge of pride.] Your bats and turtles and shit must be the toughest little bastards around.

[ardent]

I've trained them hard since I got here! I have a lot that aren't seen as quite as good by a lot of people, but with enough hard work and dedication just about anything can be accomplished, as far as this world is concerned!

This place rewards the principles I've always adhered to; it's made getting the badges worthwhile, I think!

[lieutenantantichrist]

[Blake straightens up and nods along sharply.] Screw anybody who tries to tell you what animal's better. Use whatever the hell you want and kick their ass.

[That thought strikes him.] You know, you got a point. All that old crap they used to feed kids about hard work paying off, around here, it's got some truth to it. You don't get a tougher firepony by having connections or a rich daddy.

[ardent]

Exactly! No one has much advantage over anyone when they start out here - everything you get is earned, because this world seems built around the merits of training both your Pokémon and yourself to get the optimal result! Things change because of effort, not because of anything that was gifted to you!

[lieutenantantichrist]

I never really thought about that. Hell, forget the lava-spewing camels,

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<i<that</i>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

I never really thought about that. Hell, forget the lava-spewing camels, <i<that</i> might be what really makes this place different.

You must be used to that, huh? Working your ass off, I mean.

[ardent]

[...Ah.]

Y-yes, of course! It's always been very important to me; it's how I spent my time back home.

[lieutenantantichrist]

You know, I always kind of wondered...what for? Were you aiming to be President or something? I mean, you must've had something in mind, if you were busting your ass like that.

I mean, when I was your age, I wouldn't even do my homework if my ma didn't threaten to sell me to the Gypsies.

[ardent]

That's exactly it, yes! I planned on going into politics, with the eventual goal of becoming Prime Minister of Japan - outside of just wanting to encourage reform, it was a personal goal as well, since there was someone I had to surpass.

[lieutenantantichrist]

Damn, kid, you got ambition. [Blake's not usually a big fan of politics, but this kid seems like the kind who could actually do something worthwhile.]

You wanted to show up the current guy?

[ardent]

...No, our current Prime Minister is...fine. It's a former one.

[lieutenantantichrist]

What, like...shit. Whatever the Japanese version of Bill Clinton is. Him?

[ardent]

...Something like that.

He caused a major political scandal during his time in office, and it came back to work against him in several ways. It bankrupted his family and tore his business under, things like that.

[lieutenantantichrist]

Damn. That must've been something. [Scandals that actually have repercussions, that's something else.]

What'd he do, kill somebody?

[ardent]

No, nothing like that! He just made several decisions through his own weakness and ignorance that impacted people very negatively; I was very young when it happened, I don't recall it very well.

[lieutenantantichrist]

[Blake's eyebrow quirks.]

I thought that was just called "being a politician."

[ardent]

Not...to this extent, no.

[lieutenantantichrist]

Ah, I get it. [Blake crosses his arms and nods sagely.] Not Japanese Clinton. Japanese Nixon.

[ardent]

...Yes?

[how...do...American politics...

Clinton was at least recent, everyone before Bush the First kind of runs together]

Either way, I absolutely have to surpass him, for several reasons. He's why my goals are the way they are.

[lieutenantantichrist]

Don't worry, kid, I can't see you being much of a Tricky Dick.

[He gives it a little more thought, and continues less flippantly.]

This guy, he made a real impression on you, huh. Pissed you off enough you figured somebody's gotta go out there and do a better job?

[ardent]

[...]

...It was my grandfather, actually. The person I'm talking about.

[lieutenantantichrist]

Your gr...holy shit, kid. You're in a damn political dynasty.

If he was that kinda guy, I'm surprised you even wanna be in the same state as politics.

[ardent]

Why wouldn't I? It's to help my family and to prove a point - his downfall was caused by his lack of understanding of the world. He was one that was handed almost everything early on; he was a genius, a prodigy, and so everything came to him too easily! He didn't have to work for anything he had, and as such he didn't know how to handle hardship or opposition until a time came where he had to and so he lost everything in the process.

I'm not a genius in any way - I'm as average as anyone can be in terms of ability - but I intended to gain my position through hard work instead; I wanted to prove that ordinary ability can surpass genius through extraordinary effort!

[lieutenantantichrist]

I've known that kind of guy. Born with a silver spoon in their mouth, always had things go their way. Never had to do so much as pay a parking ticket. All their life when they say jump people say how high, so they don't know how to deal with somebody saying no.

Sounds like it serves him right.

[A few faces of those kinds of guys he's run into flash sourly through his mind...but Ishimaru's speech pulls his attention away, and despite himself, his lips twitch.] Kid, you're a teenager who just got real loud and passionate about working hard to make a difference through politics. That's a few good miles from average.

[It reminds him of the young fresh-faced cops who come in, thinking they can change the world, until the job and reality work together to grind the sparkle out of their eyes. Except this kid, he's dealt with the kind of ugly that would make a 10-year veteran pack it in. And he can still say that.

Knowing that kids like this still exist, it almost makes you look at the future with a little more hope.]

Hey. Kid.

Hold onto that, all right? Don't give up on that, wherever you end up.