[Nero looks tired, a bit grim, like he's been thinking too much. He's sitting on some crates in Cerulean, either just about to just having finished some heavy lifting. Beside him is Basilisk, still a houndour and still as icy and collected in temperament, his fur wet for reasons yet unexplained.]

Got the Cascade badge. This guy did a number on that Starmie.

[Ah, so that would be why. There's a spot of hesitation in Nero's voice when he glances at the Houndour: with Agnus here, the name, which seemed clever at the time, makes bile rise in his throat.]

Might cross Mt Moon to get to Pewter, haven't decided yet. Apparently it takes a while to get through. [It's strange for him to actively want to be away from Kyrie, so he's naturally hesitating. Flying back to Vermillion and then taking Diglett's Cave would be quicker, but...] Man, after all that trash I could use some time off, though. Dante, Trish--Miyuki said she wanted to head to Cinnabar and see the beach. You guys up for it? If you take the train to Saffron, I could meet you there once I'm done with this crap.

[There's some sound, so Nero flips the gear to show his new baby Deino. She's got her face rammed into her food bowl, little puff of a tail wiggling behind her, not unlike a dog. In fact, Basilisk leaps down to join her, and the little dragon easily dwarfs the pooch.] That's right, the egg hatched. How's yours doing, kid? [When Basilisk butts Deino's head out of the way and attacks her bowl, Nero doesn't intervene. None of his other pokemon are visible when he turns the gear back towards himself, presumably tucked away in their balls.]

Anyway. I got work to do.

[Click.]

She hatched. About time, too.

[ The sound of rustling grass greets the feed, and the sight of a blue, cloudless sky.

Wait, wasn't it raining?

Either way, there's Nero--or not, as the gear is turned very rapidly away from him and towards a small, sleek Charmander sitting at his feet. She looks up at him and bares her teeth, snapping them shut with audible clicks in a display of fierceness that only comes off as cute. Nero chuckles at the display. ]

Feisty. Now c'mon, show me what you got.

[ The camera casually follows the Charmander as she pushes away from her trainer and strides purposefully over to the source of the rustling noise--Buster the Bagon, facing off a group of Rattata. He's a tough little customer, snapping at them when they get too close, but they're giving him a run for his money. He's isn't exactly outnumbered, considering he's almost halfway to his first evolution, but it's a tough fight for a Bagon alone. Between the two of them, though it should be a piece of cake.

Except the Charmander doesn't fight alongside Buster so much as ram him right out of the way.

The Rattata are unsure what to make of the new challenger, who, for all extents and purposes, is a newborn. And then she opens her mouth, and the Flamethrower that emerges chars the area around it to within a five-foot radius. The few Rattata left standing at the edges of the blast area are wise enough to turn back.

Buster looks vaguely bumbfounded, eyes wide. Nero whistles appreciatively as the Charmander returns for a well-earned scratch to her chin. ]

Now that's what I'm talking about! Not bad, Red. The weather was a nice touch.

[ Red croons and nuzzles into Nero's hand. When Buster approaches, apparently looking for his own petting, she swats him in the leg with her tail. Nero makes a hum of amusement and switches off the feed. ]