8th roar [ video + action for Goldenrod ]

[adamant]

[ The feed clicks on to nothing but Leon's voice, calm and even. If you know him, however, you might realize that he's a touch worried. ]

I heard Lockon was sent home, but has anyone seen Carly? One of her pokemon was transfer---

[ Another voice breaks in, high-pitched and excited and decidedly belonging to a certain ninja. ]

--Leon! Your egg! Gimme that!

[ There's a scuffling noise as Yuffie swipes the gear straight from Leon's hands; no, he gets no say in the matter. She immediately turns on video, and you get a good shot at the inside of Leon's room at the inn. It looks like what you would expect Leon's room to look like: spartan, meticulously kept, nothing of any personal significance on mantelpieces or the wall. Aerith is sitting in a small chair by the bed, Maria on her lap, watching the proceedings with some trepidation. What should attract attention, however, is the pack of dogs crowding the space: Romeo, the big Arcanine, with Mosey the Houndoom sitting sedately beside him. At their feet are Al the Poochyena and the yet-unnamed Riolu. Even Skarmory is there, with Lucky Duck on her back; all six pokemon have their eyes on Leon as he moves towards his backpack, which is now glowing.

Or not quite.

He pulls out the Growlithe egg; it's flickering, which is not something Yuffie's ever seen an egg do, because her voice is a bit cautious when she speaks. ]

Er, Leon? Is it supposed to be doing that?

[ Leon's expression is grim, but he gently sets the egg on the ground and takes a seat. After a few moments, Romeo and Mosey exchange glances, before they move in on the egg. Leon has a moment of apprehension, but neither canine makes an aggressive move. Together, they blow a gust of hot air at the flickering form; that stabilizes it, and its glow becomes more pronounced.

It seems interminable before the egg finally gives a few, meager shakes. The light recedes, leaving nothing but a very, very small Growlithe behind.

A very, very small Growlithe which is very, very immobile.

Yuffie's hand around the pokegear goes shock-still, even as Aerith brings her hands up to her mouth. Skarmory makes a keening noise; the dogs are silent, but their eyes are on the puppy. Leon seems to make a decision, because he surges forward, his voice low and even. ]

Aerith--give me my scarf. Now.

[ Aerith, snapped out of her shock, reaches around for the requested item, wasting no time in throwing it to Leon. He uses it to pick up the tiny thing on the floor, before sitting back down in a single, heavy motion. He settles the small bundle on his knee, bending over it. Then, with the single-minded concentration Leon has been known to give to things that matter, he starts to rub.

He knows, in a corner of his mind, that he should be rushing this small creature to the pokemon center. Isn't that what he told Kairi to do? But he remembers Ari's face when she looked at him, long and measuring. Kisa's gently worried stare, and the promise he made her. If the heat from Romeo and Mosey caused the egg to hatch, then it stands to reason that if he can warm the little one up enough it should wake, right? But he can't make the puppy cross the divide; all he can do is build a bridge and hope she meets him halfway. He can give her a chance.

Isn't that what he'd told Kisa? That they would work together.

Yuffie's hand is shaking a little; anyone's who's been keeping track might be a bit put off. But the camera never leaves Leon's hands, gently but firmly trying to reinvigorate the baby Growlithe. The dogs and Skarmory are all looking at Leon, now--even the distant, quiet Riolu seems worried.

There's no sound other than the soft patter of wind against the windows and collective, tense breathing. Yuffie can distantly be heard whispering, a slow and steady chant of 'come on, come on, come on...'

And then there's a sneeze. The tiniest, dimmest little sneeze you ever heard. Out of the scarf emerges a nose, which Romeo and the others immediately rush to meet.

Relief floods the room. Leon smiles, shy, warm and tired. Aerith laughs, and Yuffie gives a cheerful whoop. ]

She got lucky.

Way to go, Leon! I'm totally showing this to everyone!

[ And with that, Yuffie turns off the feed. ]

[ ooc. gold is Yuffie, pink is Aerith, both used with permission! ]

Comments

video; 1/3

[usedjunes.livejournal.com]

[Though she had gone through her own egg hatching procedure, seeing it on camera is something different. Nanako finds herself glued to the camera, watching with bated breath.]

video;

[usedjunes.livejournal.com]

[The sight of the tiny Growlithe makes her pause, and though she's still young she knows that there's something wrong. She finds herself cheering on the Growlithe with Yuffie, crossing her fingers and hoping it'll turn out okay.]

[usedjunes.livejournal.com]

[And then, the most relieved smile when it sneezes. ;w; Nanako grins happily]

Yay! It's okay! That was so cool, Leon!

[video] 1/2

[biteisbigger.livejournal.com]

[ Kisa's in the inn's lobby, and has been glued to the camera from the start, though she's not the only one. Ari's also hogging the screen, though she knows enough to not block her trainer's view. They're both just as emotionally invested in this egg, after all. And neither of them budges, even though Kisa's breath hitches audibly at the sight of a still Growlithe puppy and Ari moans low in her throat. She really should have been more careful on the Ice Path, even though she'd layered the egg and slept with it sandwiched between her, Ari, and the Raticate father, if this is the end result--

But they don't move. And they don't look away, except for a brief pause when Kisa closes her eyes tightly and mouths something, a silent please-- ]

[video]

[biteisbigger.livejournal.com]

[ ... and it sneezes.

Ari lets out a joyful howl that startles a few nearby people, but Kisa's relief is much quieter. She simply opens her eyes, and they're large and watering and of course she's crying, but she honestly had no idea what ELSE to do. ]

... Th... thank you.

[action]

[usedninjathief.livejournal.com]

[Yuffie puts the Pokégear down after making sure the video got sent with a relieved laugh. She's still a bit shaken, but it's over for now.]

Whew-ey man! I think I almost had a heart attack.

[Slight lip biting.] It's gonna be okay, right?

[action]

[adamant]

[ Leon is busy feeding the new puppy some kibbles, trying to stop her from choking as she desperately tries to take in more and more. ]

Well, if her appetite's any indication... [ He smirks slowly. ] She's just like you.

video; tactful as ever

[usedfacade.livejournal.com]

It looks like it needed to cook for a little longer...

video; gj, suzuki

[adamant]

[ Leon's expression is less than amused. Still, he's too happy that the puppy came out fine to really complain. ]

She's a week late. It was about time, if you ask me.

[video]

[pluckycharm.livejournal.com]

[ Kairi's still supposed to be taking it easy, so she can't come running, but she does heave a sigh of relief. There's also a Nidoran asleep in her lap. ]

That was a close one.

[video]

[adamant]

[ Leon gives Kairi a secretive smile, eyes going from the weak little Growlithe in his lap to the Nidoran asleep in hers. Guess all his lecturing was hot air, huh? ]

We worked together.

[video]

[usedgatlinggun.livejournal.com]

[ Quistis is out in the snow; it's dark, but she and Ciel, faintly visible in the background with a slightly irritated expression, are still traveling. She isn't paying any mind to where she's going, though she seems to be doing just fine, watching the screen intently as the egg hatches. It's nothing she hasn't seen before, but it's still novel enough to amaze.

When the glow dissipates, however, her entire expression falls, brows knitting and mouth opening over a soft cry of dismay. Until Leon moves, she's only dismayed, but when she sees him pick up the pup, tears spring to her eyes. She waits, unconsciously holding her breath, until the tension breaks and the puppy stirs.

Exhaling, she wipes her eyes — Hyne, was she really crying? — and laughs a bit in sheer relief. ]

What a lucky pup, with a mother like you. [ Her next laugh is a little teasing. ] Good job, Leon, and congratulations.

[video]

[adamant]

[ At her calling him a 'mother', he gives her a half-amused, half-exasperated scoff. Get out, Quistis. ]

It wasn't all me. She's made of tough stuff.

[Video]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning had watched the entire thing, not saying a word. Even Sen had been quiet. But as soon as the tiny Growlithe sneezes, Sen lets out a cheerful bark and Lightning smiles warmly. "Lucky" is right, but she's in good hands now. Leon'll take care of her.]

Seems she's a stubborn one, besides being lucky.

[Video]

[adamant]

Yeah. It's probably what saved her.

[ Brb feeding the puppy, who is apparently trying to make up for all the weight she's lacking in a single meal. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM. ]

[video]

[paladinlost]

Thank goodness... [Someone was having a heart attack over here.] You should still bring her to the Pokémon Center, just in case. Nurse Joy might know how to help her during the first few days.

[video]

[adamant]

I will, as soon as she's done eating.

[ Which she is doing, all but stuffing her face with delicious kibble noms. Well, she seems to have bounced back pretty okay. ]

[action]

[radiantxsmile.livejournal.com]

[Aerith was just as relieved when the baby Growlithe responded to Leon's rubbing. She did promised to protect and take good care of the egg even if it was going to be Leon's present. She was really worried until the end.]

Good job, Leon! I always knew the egg was going to be in perfect hands.

[She couldn't help notice one of Leon's rare smiles. It really did make him look...gentler than usual. Quickly she turned her attention back to the small puppy.]

What a relief. I was almost scared that.... [She couldn't even finish the sentence.] I'm just...really happy it turned out so well in the end. I really wanted to give you the egg ever since it was given to me.

[action]

[adamant]

[ He levers a proud look Aerith's way, but his smile is still a little bashful. ]

I'm...glad you thought so. [ Because, even though Leon won't admit it, it's the strength from his friends that helps get him through things. ]

Could you pass me the bag of kibble? [ He motions to the small bag of pokemon food on the bedside table. ]

[ video ] 1/4

[angelicdelights.livejournal.com]

[ When she first turns it on and catches the scene, she's only really thinking about the poor egg; it doesn't occur to her that the voice, the face of the man are familiar. She's rooting for the baby the whole way, and there's an audible sigh of relief from her end after it sneezes. ]

I'm so glad it's o—

[ video ]

[angelicdelights.livejournal.com]

[ And then she sees his face, and—she'd recognize that scar anywhere. On top of the relief from the baby's safe hatching, she can't help but feel excited to have found someone else. ]

Squall!

[video]

[newhero.livejournal.com]

[as heartwarming and as dopily Sora's smiling as he watches the feed, there is still one very pressing question...]

[Leon. that smile. were there teeth?]

Congrats, Leon.

[video]

[adamant]

[ Thheeeerrrrrrre


might


have been. ]

Thanks, Sora.

[ He's lifting the puppy closer to the screen for Sora's inspection. The Circle of Life is playing in the background. ]

Her name's Lucky.

[video]

[freshbreeze.livejournal.com]

[He was watching with SO MUCH SUSPENSE-]

Is it gonna be okay now?

[video]

[adamant]

She's scrappy. She'll be fine.

[ He holds the puppy up to the screen. She's busy nomming on some kibbles, so when she barks, she spews kibbly bits everywhere. HI, PERSON. ]

[video] THIS IS LATE

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

A new team has been born--!!

[video] WHAT NO I STILL LOVE YOU

[adamant]

A new...team?

[swordsofchange.livejournal.com]

[He couldn't help himself but watch the entire thing through... He was nervous deep inside, even if his face showed determination. And after everything was okay, he sighed a little in quiet relief.]

... You've done well.

[video]

[adamant]

We both did.