[Have a shot of Nero's hand, holding the Thunder Badge.]

That was a piece of cake after the hell that voodoo chick in Saffron put me through; finding that damn switch was a worse pain in my ass than breaking into HQ back home, though.

[He turns the camera around. His hair...well, let's just say that the levels of static electricity in the Vermillion gym are quite high, and leave it at that. Dandelion? Got nothin' on this.

Clearly Nero hasn't noticed, because he runs a hand through it, a bit impatient, only making it worse. Behind him, there's a snuffling sound, before a big, lumbering shape--his Druddigon, all teenage-gangliness and overenthusiastic movement--pushes her head affectionately against his side. She reaches up to fix his hair, but he doesn't know it, so he tilts his head away, letting her claw rub like sandpaper over his cheek. His eyes narrow.]

So, uh.

Anyone know how to make a pokemon like you...less?

[Because having a two-hundred-pound fangirl with scales like sandpaper hanging all over you during a gym match when you're trying to teach her how things are done is. Distracting.

Click.]

( private text messages to Dante and Miyuki )