ohmyarceus | January - February Test drive

I have made you wait for me, I am sorry. I am so sorry.

[He has a hard time understanding it himself, but he's proven to himself that he isn't an endoskeleton with a shell on anymore.]

I am a human now. I thought I was done with a charging cycle, but I woke up as a human, in a strange home.

[He shakes his head to try and dismiss the strange sensation of 'feeling' different.]

I am close to where I woke up. I will come find you.

You are so very brave, Superstar.

[He doesn't feel very brave, honestly...just being outside is way easier than being inside the Pizzaplex had ever been. And if he just has to wait for Freddy now? Well...that much he can do.]

I really don't understand what you're saying, or...how you could be human. But...I guess I need to just see for myself.

This is gonna sound weird, but...look for a little bear, okay? Then you'll find me.

[Because Gregory has the idea to send Teddiursa out onto the route to wait for Freddy. If Freddy IS human as he claims, Gregory may not recognize him...so.]

I do not understand how I am human either, and it is very strange to be more than just having connection issues to systems. But I have seen no sign of a need for charging, so I should be able to stay beside you even better now.

[Freddy is setting out, quickly enough that the little round, pink creature with him has to hurry to catch up, and giving complaints of 'jiggly!' as it follows.]

A small bear, I will keep a watch for one. The creature I was given is a pink round thing, with a bit of hair on top.

[He really was not far from where Gregory was, and already he was heading down the path. He had stayed taller than the average man, standing over 6 feet tall and fit in a way that reflected his shell frame. His eyes were purple, and around them were the blue markings he'd had as a bear, as was the strip of facial hair on his chin. His hair was a sandy blond, cut short on the sides but left extra long on top, giving him a rough but not unfriendly look. Following behind him, huffing and puffing, was a Jigglypuff, looking frustrated.]

Gregory? Are you here?

[Well, the fact that Freddy cuts an appearance unlike any other adult Gregory has seen does help somewhat as he hears his voice coming from the route. It's his Teddiursa who sees him first though, running up on all fours before stopping short of where Freddy is standing. He leans up on his haunches, lifting his paws up in the air to get Freddy's attention.]

Uuur- Ursa-!

[He might notice then the large oak tree just behind where the little bear had come from, and peeking out from around that is a head of brown, tousled hair.]

...Freddy?

[Freddy smiles softly at the sight of the small bear, kneeling down to be closer to it.]

Hello little friend.

[The sound of Gregory's voice calling his name is enough to distract him from the sight of the tiny bear. He turns to look directly where that voice had come from, purple eyes taking a moment to find the hair poking out from behind the tree.]

Gregory, it is me. I am here. I will keep you safe.

[He might not have a hatch for Gregory to hide in any more, but he offers the next best thing he has, his arms open in the offer to wrap the child in his protection.]

[Gregory will be honest, he's still a little hesitant...not that he doubts this is Freddy- like, who else could look like that, and talk like that- but just because it's...so strange. It doesn't seem possible, right? Sure, they've advanced far enough in technology that animatronics and things have reached a level of sentience never before imagined in machines. But it's still...

He decides to just not think about that right now, instead hurrying out from his hiding place so he can make his way over to Freddy. His shoes crunch through the snow burdening down the tall grass as he stumbles carefully through it, just barely tall enough to wrap his arms around Freddy's much softer waist. If Gregory wasn't almost certain this was Freddy, he wouldn't be daring to get this close.]

This...is really weird.

[There was something indescribable about feeling Gregory hug him. He wrapped his arms around the child and held him quite close.]

It is weird... I never even thought about what it would be like to be human.

But I am glad I can be here with you. I did not want to be separated from you.

[He felt just how cold Gregory was, and worry started to form.]

I feel you are cold, this environment is not good for your health. We should find somewhere warmer to be.

Y-yeah, it's about as cold as it could be right now...

[It's so cold, in fact, that Gregory is loath to let Freddy go...in this form at least, he's not a cold, hard metal casing around an endoskeleton.]

But we can't go back to that town! That lady isn't gonna let us back in.

[Though, he's not sure he really wants to go back to that house. Something about that whole situation just felt too...weird. He didn't like it.]

Maybe...there's another town somewhere? There's gotta be, right?

[Freddy isn't fond of the idea of letting Gregory go either. Not only is it cold, but he had been fighting the worry that he'd let his friend down, that he'd failed to protect him.]

It seems unlikely that it was the only town. Perhaps we should see if we have a map... at least here there are unlikely to be mapbots to startle you with their offers.

[Rather than letting Gregory go, he swings the bag he'd been given around to where he could set it down and dig into it.]

Will you help me look for one?

A map...

[Gregory's brow furrows as he thinks, because seeing Freddy dig into his bag reminds him of something, but what...

It occurs to him the moment Freddy inevitably pulls out his own PokeGear.]

Oh! That thing-!

[Gregory's own bag had gotten left by the tree, but he'll point out what he's talking about on Freddy's Gear instead.]

I'm pretty sure I saw a map on this! Like how the map came up on my watch, remember?

[Freddy examines the Gear once he has it in hand, seeing some things that seem somewhat similar to the FazWatch.]

I do remember.

[He glanced over at Gregory's wrist, smiling slightly to see the watch there still, even if it didn't work so far away from the Pizzaplex. Focusing back on the PokeGear he used one long, claw like nail to poke at the buttons until the map popped up on the screen.]

There... you were right Gregory, there is one here. It looks like if we follow this path we can find another town, and there might even be many other towns.

[He offered the sight of the map to Gregory, so the boy could see the possibilities.]

One of these may be the safe place you need.

Woah...this place is pretty big...

[Bigger than the Pizzaplex even, but that's to be expected. This isn't a map of a facility, but instead a map of an entire region. These lines indicate roads, not hallways, and each point is a new location. A new town potentially full of strangers. That part doesn't exactly thrill Gregory, but he's at least more comfortable going somewhere knowing that he's with Freddy.

At this point, Freddy is the only "person" in the whole world that he cares about.]

Then we should probably go here.

[He points to the next town from Newbark, Cherrygrove.]

At least we won't have to worry about you running out of battery now, right?

It is quite large. We will have to work hard not to be separated, I don't know that I could reach you quickly here.

[He was still determined to keep Gregory safe, and was certain that he would search for the boy endlessly if they got separated.]

That sounds like a good place to go.

Yes, it is very nice not to have to recharge so frequently... I may need your help to learn how to take care of myself as a human though. I do not know anything that did not apply to the Pizzaplex.

[Heh. So it's his turn to take care of Freddy now, huh? Funny how things have changed.

Gregory reaches over to take Freddy's hand so he can walk without a child just clinging to his front. It's not as fast or efficient as Gregory riding inside of his chest cavity, but Gregory has proved ten times over that if there's one thing he's good at, it's getting around quickly on his own.]

As long as we don't go, like...more than a day without eating something, we'll be okay. It just might be harder to get food here than it was at the Pizzaplex...

[Because uh, well. The Pizzaplex was huge and had a lot of leftover food almost all the time...it was almost too easy for one lost child to pilfer what he needed to get by.]

I unfortunately don't have any Pizza Passes, or know where any are. We may need to search for some.

[He didn't particularly want to put Gregory through the kind of things that Chica ate when she got away with it. He would do what was needed to keep him from that.

Freddy looked down at the small hand held in his own, memories of seeing families in the crowds during shows coming back to him. Adults holding the hands of children... it made him think...]

Gregory... are we... family? [It was hard not to try and keep a hold on Gregory's hand, suddenly worried that it would be pulled away now that he'd asked that.]

[That...sure is not a question that Gregory was prepared to be asked. And while he doesn't pull away (he wouldn't dream of doing so, especially not now), Freddy now has the capacity of the sense of touch and pressure, able to feel the way his grip tightens on his much larger hand.

He doesn't stop walking, but he does answer as they make their way.]

...yeah. We've only got each other now.

[...]

Having a family...would be cool, for once.

[Acting on impulse he gently rubs the backs of the fingers holding onto his hand with his thumb. It felt so right to have the youngster holding onto him.]

I have never had an actual family before. I am glad I can be your family, and that you are my family.

[Humans were supposed to have family, he knew that much, so Gregory's words worry him, but he's seen the boy get defensive and even angry before, and doesn't want to risk that with questions he might not want to be asked. Besides, they were family now, Gregory was no longer without a family.]

[Gregory doesn't miss the soft gesture, able to feel Freddy's hand moving against his own. Those words- I'm glad that you are my family- are all that Gregory has ever wanted to hear from...hell, ANYONE, but there wasn't really any possibility of him ever getting that. The only small comfort in his life that he'd had was the Pizzaplex, as dangerous as it had turned out in the end. It provided him with shelter, food...and a brief respite from the world. He could enjoy himself there, and pretend just for a few hours that he was the same as all of the other kids with their families there.

He falls silent again, this time for an amount of time that might start to seem worrying.]

I'm not...a good kid, though. [He states, suddenly.] I break rules. I steal things. I go places I'm not supposed to.

[It's hard for Freddy to wait, and give Gregory time, part of him worried by the silence from his now family member. He didn't think that Gregory was going to suddenly have a change of heart about being family, or at least he really hoped not. Still, he wants Gregory to be honest and open with him, and he thinks giving the other time is the best way to do that.

What he gets for his patience is worrying, not because of what Gregory said, but rather that he feels it's so important, and a mark against him.]

Gregory... listen to me. [This felt important enough to stop for a moment, Freddy kneeling down to be more level with Gregory.] You are a kid, if you haven't had someone to do important things for you... you had to figure out how to do them for yourself. I know you don't do things just because you can, I trust that anything you have done, it's to take care of yourself.

All I ask is... you work on trusting me to take care of you too... okay?

[Gregory goes quiet, standing still and at attention as Freddy moves to crouch in front of him so they can talk more directly. Freddy has the right of it, even if things feel much more complicated to Gregory. He's spent his life having to figure things out on his own, which isn't something most children are expected to have to do. He's not been afforded a real childhood, not when he's responsible for keeping himself alive much less entertained. Having Freddy to help...is outside of the norm.

His eyes dart across Freddy's now-human face- too human, too soft, too lifelike- before he closes the gap between them to put his arms around Freddy's neck. This time, he doesn't let go.]

You're the only one I do trust, Freddy.

[He didn't want Gregory to let go, in fact, he shifted to hold the boy to his torso, so that when he stood back up, he could carry him. It wasn't as effortless to carry the child as it had been as an animatronic, but he was plenty strong enough to carry Gregory for a long while if needed. Right now he stayed where he was though, just holding him close, pressing his cheek into the boy's slightly messy brown hair.]

You are so important to me Gregory, you saved me... I would have stayed there, stayed trapped in myself, without you. I... needed someone to need my help, and want my help, to break free.

Thank you Gregory, my Superstar.

[If Gregory had any doubts about Freddy before, even the slightest inkling...they're all banished now as Freddy lifts him up into his arms as he stands, and while he's not traveling IN him anymore, it...feels right. For the first time, it feels right.

Gregory knows without a doubt that he'd do anything to keep Freddy safe, just like how Freddy would do the same for Gregory in return.]

I dunno about all of that, but...I'm glad I could help you, anyways. I always felt like there was something weird going on with that place, and whatever's going on there isn't your fault.

[It's not really the fault of the other animatronics either, but...they don't seem to be capable of seeing the same reason that Freddy can.]

[After a few moments of standing there Freddy started walking again, not heavily burdened by the child in his arms. This would likely keep Gregory warmer than walking on his own too.]

Thank you. I hope... anyone else who shows up here will listen that I am your family now. I... I think if you could know my friends like I do... without him or her getting in the way.

[He was sure that Gregory would like Chica, and most people thought Roxy was super cool, Monty would probably become protective of Gregory too. He was certain that Bonnie... he was scared to hope to see him again, but Bonnie and Gregory would probably become very good friends.]

Anyone else...I guess they'd be like you now if they come here too, wouldn't they?

[All human. Less capable of hurting him without their teeth and claws, but probably no less upset for how he hurt them. Even beyond Gregory defending himself, they all have very good reasons for not being too happy with the child right about now.]

...but I bet that means they could show up too. You know.

I can only guess that, since I became human, they would as well.

[He took a slightly hissing breath, a deep growl that was not unfitting for the bear he had been modeled after.]

I will not let them hurt you. I will keep you safe from them.

[There was something dark and rough about his voice, the growl joining the words to intensify them.]

January - February Test drive

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