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[pidge_out]

 


Hey, it's Pidge. Can't answer right now-- Rover quit it! --so leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can.
Rover, what did I say--?!?!

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[pidge_out]

[She tilts her head to one side, folding her hands behind her.]

Right. People becoming friends and stuff.

[Right, Shiro? Friends!]

[shiro2hero]

I... mean.

I mean more than friends.

[Oh boy. Now there's a Marowak peering up onto the porch too. Clearly, everyone wants to hear this information.

[pidge_out]

Uh-huh.

[She tilts her head the other way this time. Keeping her face just as blank and innocent.

Honestly Pidge is kind of excited to see how many of Shiro's Pokémon will come wandering up to see what's going on.]

[shiro2hero]

...



Good talk, Pidge!

[Oh my god, Shiro.]

[Literally every pokemon gathered at the porch looks like they want to simultaneously strangle him. Including Haunter the Gengar. Who is standing in the doorway, blocking its trainer's path.]

[pidge_out]

[It is so hard to resist the urge to smack her own forehead.]

...Shiro, is that really all you called me out here to tell me.

[Because SHE SURE AS FUCK KNOWS IT ISN'T.]

[shiro2hero]

... If I say "yes", you're going to shoot me down, aren't you.

[His pokemon nod.]

[Several times.]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge is just going to position herself in a way that he won't be able to move past her, cross her arms, and stare at him until he speaks again.]

[shiro2hero]

...

Sometimes, the people you knew on a tiny spaceship were the person you wanted to be closer to all along?

[Haunter looks sidelong at Pidge, shaking its whole... self. It's so ashamed of its trainer right now.]

[pidge_out]

[She's raising an eyebrow at him again.]

Shiro, I have no idea what that's supposed to mean.

[shiro2hero]

... really?

I thought that one was clearer.

[This just makes Blue and Red step up their hand motion game.]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge will never not be amused by the way Shiro's Pokémon have chosen to communicate with her.]

It was grammatically incorrect, so it was just confusing.

[Does pointing that out make it too obvious that Pidge is getting into trolling territory? She hopes not.]

[shiro2hero]

How was it confusing?

[It was perfectly clear to him!]

[Haunter sighs. Kuro sighs. The ghost actually vanishes for a minute.]

[pidge_out]

[She will not join the chorus of sighing Pokémon. Though she shares their exact feelings.

Maybe she should kick this up a notch.]

Well... I guess you were already pretty close to my dad.

[shiro2hero]

Yes... but your dad. Isn't here.

[Something else has attracted the attention of the pokemon. The big ones anyway. Most of them, except for Blue, duck off the porch and around the side of the house.]

[Over where Haunter can be heard yammering away -- "Gen! Gen gen!"]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge's eyes dart momentarily toward the commotion amongst Shiro's Pokémon, but then settle right back on Shiro. She's naturally curious, but this... awkward talk seems to be very important to Shiro.]

Oh right. So then you mean Matt.

Were you guys not friends before?

[shiro2hero]

[Don't worry Pidge, Blue is sitting here making the same hand motions over and over again. Hoping his trainer will notice and do something about it.]

[He does not.]

No, I mean. We knew each other. But we didn't... know each other.

[Blue sort of melts.]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge is starting to like Blue.]

... "Know each other"..?

[She echoes his own words back at him the way a confused little kid might. Please, do continue to attempt to explain the birds and the bees, Shiro.]

[shiro2hero]

Yes. Do you... you get what I'm trying to say, right?

[Don't look at him with that face. Don't make him do this. Pidge you're smarter than this.]

[Blue makes strangling motions.]

[pidge_out]

[She's going to let her head tilt a little more to the side and work those big puppy eyes the best way she knows how. Matt's nearly immune to them, but they still work on her dad after all these years, so Pidge is banking that they'll work on Shiro.]

[shiro2hero]

[Where is the Voltorb hoard when you need someone to kill you?]

That's... really not an answer, Pidge.

[pidge_out]

[Pidge just gives him a little shrug, then.]

You're being... pretty vague, Shiro.

[shiro2hero]

[Because this isn't an emergency and he's genuinely worried she's going to have a bad reaction.]

[He takes a deep breath.]

I know. But it's something -- it's important and it's delicate...

[Which is exactly when Shiro's pokemon come back. Carrying handmade signs. Most of which are still dripping fingerpaints.]

[There are five of them. Kuro, Green, Yellow, Red and Haunter. Each of their signs has one word. Except the last one. It has an exclamation point. Put together, behind Shiro's back, the signs read, boldly:]


HE'S DATING YOUR BROTHER !

[pidge_out]

[Shiro's Pokémon are too cute. The signs are all perfect. Which is why Pidge is fighting down that smile again for the sake of continuing to troll her friend and team leader. She still can't even believe that he's having a hard time with this.]

If it's important, just tell me what it is. You know you can tell me anything, right?

[shiro2hero]

[She's smarter than this. She's... got to be able to figure this out. Right? She can put these pieces together.]

I know that. If it were anything else... then it wouldn't be an issue.

[Blue glances to where the others are... and then promptly power slides under the signs to gesture at them.]

I'm -- involved with someone. Here.

[pidge_out]

[Oh Shiro. Why can't you be as direct as literally all of your Pokémon.]

Oh. That's good.

[She's dying here. Shiro can probably hear the unspoken And..?]