7th Grail: [Video/Action for Goldenrod]

[dressofheaven]

Hydra, let go.

[A shiny, newborn Deino gives a plaintive whine, but Ilya ignores him and pulls her hair out of his reach, offering a long stick instead. He begins to bite into it with gusto.]

You know, people keep talking about how troublesome it is that Deinos love to bite things, but I think there's another problem, and I'm not so sure they're the only ones that have it. Deinos are blind, right? And so is their first evolution, Zweilous. But when they evolve into Hydreigon they can suddenly see. Doesn't that seem like it might cause problems? What would it be like to be blind all your life, then suddenly be able to see? They say Hydreigon is vicious, but maybe it's just scared.

[There's a snapping sound, and Ilya glances over at her dragon, who has bitten straight through that stick and is now trying to find something new. She sighs and offers him another one.]

I don't know what can be done about it, though. You can't really help them try to see before that. I suppose you could try blindfolding the Hydreigon, but I don't think that would work very well.

[The second stick snaps, and a sudden gust of wind blows her hair across Hydra's nose. He snaps it up immediately.]

Ack! ... Although, I guess I do understand the first problem, too. Hydra, let go. I said, let go-

[And with a muffled chomping sound, most of the rest of her hair suddenly vanishes into the maw of the Garchomp that just snuck up behind her. Ilya scowls.]

Not you too, Typhon! Why do you dragons think my hair tastes so good?

Comments

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[memoryborn]

[ And the parallels continue. Ahem. Xion tilts her head as she watches Illya deal with her dragons, while Tiamat the Hydreigon and Bahamut the Garchomp look over her shoulders. Tiamat snaps her hand-jaws while Bahamut roars at the Pokemon, though they seem to be amused more than trying to tell them off. ]

I was curious about that the first time I got Tiamat, but considering it's their way of feeling out things, I just let her bite things until she got familiar with them. When she got her eyesight, she didn't seem to have any problems.

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[dressofheaven]

[It's really pretty astonishing. Erm. Ilya tugs a bit on the hair Hydra has, but she can't get it out. She grimaces.]

Wait, so you're saying he's biting my hair so he can familiarize himself with me? I guess that sort of makes sense, but it doesn't explain Typhon there.

[She twists her head around to glare at her larger dragon, only to pull a bit too hard and yank her own hair. She yelps a bit, and immediately Typhon releases her and pulls back, looking abashed. Ilya sighs in relief.]

At least she knows better than to hurt me... How did you deal with Tiamat, then? I can't imagine it's okay to just let them bite you.

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[memoryborn]

[ And I just noticed they both also have 7' Garchomps, too. Looking at this is making Xion silently grateful she has short hair MORE CONTRAST. ]

I would hold her around a lot. She figured out biting my hand was attached to my arm when I held her close. Sometimes, she would even rub against me to--

[ As if on cue, Tiamat rubs her main head against Xion's cheek, which causes the girl to laugh a bit and pet her for the gesture. ]

--to figure out what my body is like without biting, since I didn't want her biting a lot. [ ... After a certain accident with Whitney happened, so. ]

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[ex_cashcow493]

Please do not allow them to stain your hair with their drool.

[ She just sounds as though she's taking it a bit more personal than she should. ] Now that you have brought that up, I never knew... Perhaps it is cruel to evolve them to that final stage?

[ Saber's around in the Breeding Centre, she's just keeping herself busy while the two "puppies" play among themselves. ]

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[dressofheaven]

You think I want to let them? It's not my fault they seem to think it's delicious.

[She sighs, looking her hair over. She's gotten it out of the maws of the two ravenous dragons by now, but the damage has been done.] I need a shower...

Mmm? I'm not sure "cruel" is the right word. It just seems like something to should be careful about. Do you have a Hydreigon, Saber?

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[ex_cashcow493]

No, I just mean... [ Awkwardly trailing off quietly. ]

Er, I own two Deino currently. They are troublesome Pokemon, but fond in their own manner.

[VIDEO]

[diamondo]

Huh, that's a good point. I hadn't thought about it like that.

[Admittedly he hasn't known for very long that these Pokémon are blind, and he didn't know the second stage was blind at all, but it's certainly something to think about!]

The more I hear about this evolution, the less I want Tory to evolve. But I guess if it's just scared, that would explain why it lashes out so much. I wonder if there's any way to help them through it? I don't think blindfolding would work all that well...

[...]

Oh, and uh, are you alright? That looked pretty painful.

[VIDEO]

[dressofheaven]

That's what I've been trying to figure out. Xion's seems to have come through it okay, so I guess there's hope, but you have to be really careful and make sure they've "seen" a lot through touch by the time they evolve, it sounds like.

[She sighs at that question, pulling a lock of her hair into the video.] It didn't hurt, really, except when Typhon tugged a bit. But now my hair's a complete mess.

[VIDEO]

[diamondo]

I'll be sure to keep that in mind, thanks! It's good to hear there's some hope for 'em, at least!

[As far as her hair goes? Well, he can sympathize. He can't leave his down without at least three of his Pokémon atempting to mess with it.]

At least it didn't hurt any? I know how that goes though; my Murkrow won't leave my hair alone! He keeps trying to make a nest outta it.

[AND YOU WONDER WHY, MONDO...]

[onelevelnicer]

If you think it is such a problem, then just don't allow it to evolve, I guess.

[dressofheaven]

That's taking the easy way out. Besides, who would keep a child from growing up just because they're afraid of what it might become?

[Her family, that's who.]

[video]

[enjoymyatelier]

[...he could comment on that spectacle, but he won't because he is totally magnanimous.

FEEL GRATEFUL, EINZBERN, THAT HE IS INTERESTED IN KEEPING THINGS CIVIL partially because he wonders if he can get any information out of her on what goes on in his future BUT STILL

...but that other thing is an interesting concept. Hmmm...]

That's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure if it would be correct. In my experience, Pokemon adapt fairly well to evolution, even if it takes them in a very different direction from how they started out. Admittedly, in my Pokemon's cases, it mostly had to do with gaining and losing limbs, but they didn't seem particularly bothered by their anatomical shifts.

[video]

[dressofheaven]

[Oh how very gracious of you, Lord Archibald. She'll be sure to treasure this moment of kindness forever and always.]

That's fine for most Pokemon, but when an entire species gains a reputation for being brutal and vicious, you have to think that there's a reason. Look at Gyarados. Would anyone deny that a likely explanation for its behavior is vengeance for how it suffered as a Magikarp?

[video]

[enjoymyatelier]

I'd say it's arguable, considering that a Pokemon's temperament depends on both its circumstances and its personality. For example, not all Magikarp are going to be vengeful upon evolving, because there do seem to be ways to train weak Pokemon without having them suffer much. Given how much emphasis is placed on bonding with your Pokemon even by the natives, one would think that trained Gyarados would have a better reputation, as they'd likely be trained through one of these methods.

However, a Gyarados trained by a kinder, gentler hand may be as brutal as one that did have a hard life-not out of anger, but as part of a transition from being an extremely weak Pokemon to being a fairly powerful one. As an example, a dim but fairly good-natured Gyarados may simply live up to the species' reputation because it isn't used to its newfound strength.

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[ealaigh]

[There's silence as he stared at the scene, not because of the... utter silliness those playful biting seems to exude, but rather at the girl's appearance. For some reason, she reminded him of someone he had met a few times already during the War.

Surely, this is just a coincidence, right? In any case, considering he had opened this connection, he might as well respond to it.]

I suppose it could be a sign of affection for them, to be honest.

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[dressofheaven]

[A coincidence, hmm? Maybe you'd like to ask your honor-brosis about that one, eh Lancer?]

I think there's something to that, but I wish they'd find a better way to show it. Do you know how gross dragon slobber is?

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[ealaigh]

I'm afraid that's an unknown for me right now, but I'm pretty sure it's not a pleasant substance to be covered in.

[he will ask her when the time is right, yep.]

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[islandshore]

Fear, huh? I guess it's possible. After all, Pokémon are animals, and I'm pretty sure most wild animals will attack if they feel threatened.

[He pauses, bringing a hand to his chin. Maybe that's why... Hm.]

But I'm in the same boat as Xion. My Hydreigon turned out to be the most timid thing in existence instead of a vicious killing machine.

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[dressofheaven]

That's odd... but I guess it's a bit much to expect them all to turn out the same. Does it have something to do with how you raised it?

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[cakelover]

Perhaps hair is an essential dragon food...?

[ He's not being serious. ]

Ah, but I had something to tell you, actually! Not related to dragon-food hair.

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[dressofheaven]

Then I'll buy them some at the Department Store. Mine is off limits!

[Also not serious. Aside from that last part.]

Hmmm? What is it, Honey?

[video]

[artofthestress]

Dragons can have the most excessive of appetites.

[ She tilts her head, considering. ] You may just be giving me an idea for a new hat, dear.

[video]

[dressofheaven]

It's not how much they eat that worries me, it's what they're trying to eat. [Well, what they were trying to eat, given that she's gotten her hair out of their iron grips by now.]

... If you say it's a dragon hat, I may get upset.

[video]

[digitalorunknown]

[It's like everyone and their mother is having bitey dragon problems these days.]

When Pokemon evolve, don't they have instincts to get used to it? [He sounds a little hesitant, like he thinks that's how it works but knows he doesn't know that for certain.] It seems like, for them, their bodies are supposed to change like that sooner or later...

[video]

[dressofheaven]

Well, maybe, but that would mean Hydreigon's instinct is to be a rampaging monster, and I don't really like the thought of that.

[She'd prefer a controlled monster.]