beforethedarkness | 10th Tomoe || Video, Action at Route 47, 4th Wall Event

[There was a Crobat flying around a boy frantically and a Luxio nuzzling at him to try and wake him when the pokégear broadcasts to the network. Once it's on, a Blaziken appears on screen and points him out, clearly distressed at the state of his trainer. It's not hard to see why, as Sasuke starts getting up and spares the gear a look. He's covered in burns and his clothes are slightly tattered, but that likely isn't the most jarring thing about him.]

[It doesn't take long for Sasuke to wobble over, his hand gripping tightly at his left shoulder the whole time while he does. He cuts the feed once he makes it to the camera.]

[ACTION!]

[He's breathing hard as he's just trying to keep going, stubbornly pushing his pokémon away from him at every turn. Those pokémon just continued to try and help him, or at least carry him, back to a town. Any town. They didn't know what to do when their trainer was like this, clearly in a lot of pain and weak. Why did he keep pushing them away?

He stops, nearly falling when someone appears in his path. Who, though?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"... You're supposed to fight them against other pokémon. It will obey your orders in battle. For them, it's supposed to be like training matches and never gets any worse than that."

His shoulders slumped a little at that, and the Blaziken crooned at that and tried to see what was wrong now. His trainer was injured, but what else?

"Training matches." He gives the pokémon another appraising glance. As if it understood exactly what they were talking about, it raises both fists in what actually wasn't a half-bad attempt at a fighting stance. "So we are like sensei for them? Interesting. And what is the result of these matches? Money? Pride?"

His eyes drift back to Sasuke when his bird-thing makes a sound, and he studies the slump of his shoulders. "What is it?"

"You can get money from them, as well as items to help them learn new techniques from certain trainers."

Sorry Neji, it looked like he was going to ignore that second question for the moment.

He nods and stares at the other, not about to let that question go so easily. If he was going to be traveling with the other, even temporarily, he didn't want to deal with him passing out on the side of the road. Though it didn't seem to be the case. Again, he measures Sasuke's face with his eyes, picking out little details.

"So what is it about these training matches that upsets you?"

"They're not supposed to get serious."

That was all Sasuke would willingly say to Neji on the matter as he tried to continue pushing forward, even with Hiruzen insistently supporting his trainer.

"And is it that one of yours did, or that you wish for them to be so?" His eyebrows lift in the only expression of curiosity he'll allow his tightly-controlled features. "You might as well make it easier on yourself and simply say it; I will discern the truth behind what ails you with these eyes soon enough."

Neji would likely have to be more persistent, because Sasuke was really intent on not answering further. He continued to press on silently, only looking ahead as the cave got slowly but steadily closer.

Neji just continues, shaking his head as he watches the other. He would discern the truth, soon enough. For now, he divided his attention between the other male and the... poké-thing that hadn't stopped following him, crooning as if it were the most contented thing in the world now that Neji'd stopped trying to shove it away.

"Do I name it?"

"Only if you want to. Not everyone does," Sasuke paused, then glanced up to the bird-like creature that was still helping him before his eyes went back to Neji, "His name is Hiruzen."

"Hiruzen?" Neji gives it a long look, trying to measure if it were worthy of such a name. A heavy name for an animal. "Interesting choice of name, but I suppose, if what you say is true, I will learn if it is deserving of it."

"He is. I hope that he'll make the Sandaime's legacy an even more proud one with his own strength someday."

"Perhaps." Neji gives it another appraising gaze and shoves his hands back into his pockets. "Should we return home, I am certain Sandaime would be interested in hearing of whatever accomplishments this animal has done in his name."

"Unless you can bring back the dead, he won't be able to hear anything about this place," It was a soft murmur as Sasuke slumped even further, for even after having been in the world of Pokémon for so long, the memory was still fresh in his mind.

"Dead?" Neji's head jerks back as if he'd been struck, then stares at the other, stopping entirely. His voice is uncharacteristically tight as he feeds Chakra to the Byakugan, reading his every facial tic and slight movement. "What are you talking about?"

He stopped, frowning at Neji critically. If he wasn't so exhausted, his Sharingan would be up, but then and there he started to watch the elder like a hawk, "You were at his funeral. You know he died protecting the village from Orochimaru during the invasion."

It's not only his face; Neji's Byakugan reads his entire body, watching the set of his shoulder, the shift in his weight, the subtle tensing of muscles. "I do not believe I would forget such a thing," he answers finally, managing to force his voice into something approaching normal, even as his mind whirled with what that could possibly mean, "As invasion and the death of the Sandaime."

"It happened during my match against Gaara in the preliminaries, and you would know that."

Sasuke was starting to get suspicious as well, just staring at Neji while he tried to figure out what was going on. Or rather, just who he was talking to.

10th Tomoe || Video, Action at Route 47, 4th Wall Event

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