Be it grass, fruit, or beasts, whatever you eat, you have to live its part.

[The video comes on to show an adult Vespiquen and Combee, along with 54 baby Combee, slowly flying over the surface of the Lake of Rage. Now and then one falters in the air, but quickly recovers and returns to its position in the flight. Fearow and Archeops (who has been thoroughly instructed that she's not allowed to attack any of the baby Combee) are escorting the swarm on the sides, wings spread to glide and only occasionally flapping in slow, graceful arcs. Apollo's following behind on the shoulder of his Golurk, as evidenced by the sound of thrusters in the background. The sun has begun to set, casting a golden red light over the scene and reflecting off of the lake's surface. Several Magikarp poke their heads out of the water briefly to watch the swarm fly overhead, and several Gyrados surface to watch as well, the roar of one off-screen echoing across the lake. Just before the feed ends, a Milotic leaps out of the water, sending droplets flying to catch the light and glitter, forming a faint rainbow in the air for an instant.

Apollo remains silent. He has nothing to add to this scene.]

[The feed comes on to show a forest, mostly clear of snow save for some stubborn drifts that have taken shelter beneath the evergreens. Exactly where this is isn't clear, though the music is that of the Lake of Rage, so that at least gives a general area. Apollo's voice comes from off-camera.]

It's almost spring now. I think that spring is my favorite season. You don't need to shelter from the cold and snow all the time and you can watch all the plants start to bud and the seeds sprout after being buried under the snow. Everything's beginning fresh. The best part about this spring though is that it's warm enough again that I don't have to wear shoes anymore. My feet have been sore wearing boots all the time, even worse than just putting on shoes to go into a store or work at the Pokémon Center. Covering your feet makes sense if you're going out in the snow, but I still don't understand why people keep wanting me to wear shoes to come inside where the floors aren't cold, or why anyone would want shoes to have such thick bottoms. I can't feel the ground when I'm wearing shoes and they seem like they're shaped to make me walk differently. They aren't comfortable.

[He suddenly realizes that he's off on a tangent about one of his pet peeves with this world and forces himself off of the topic. Unfortunately for the viewers, he fails to provide a segue.]

Once it gets warmer and the ground softens, I'm going to try planting some of the berries that I got from the berry orchard in Pallet Town. They're supposed to need to be kept warm all the time in something called a "hothouse". They don't look like they're hard to make. I'll just need to find materials to make them out of. I can probably find something useful in Goldenrod City.

I think I've figured out what kinds of places the berry plants on the routes grow best in, but the people at the berry orchard couldn't tell me much about where the plants that they were growing grow naturally. Has anyone else tried to grow berries?

[Just when you thought that all the Christmas egg hatching posts were over with and everyone could focus on the new arrivals, Apollo's egg starts to hatch, and since he sees other people recording their eggs hatching he figures that some people might be interested. The miracle of birth and all that.



Now here's an egg no one's likely to recognize, though Cecil will recognize the self-warming egg pillow it's sitting on at least. The video shows that the egg is in a cave not too far from a nice fire, with a larger-than-average Fearow, a Furret, and a Growlithe watching intently, a Zangoose leaning against a plastic bin in the background, chewing on a twig and looking only vaguely interested, and what perceptive viewers might recognize as the arms and legs of a very large Golurk sitting mostly off-camera. The pokégear has obviously been propped up on something, since Apollo comes around from behind it and sits down next to the egg, which is shaking and gaining another crack every few seconds.]

I guess today is a day for eggs. Combee and Vespiquen laid some eggs while I had them out of the PC to check on them, and now the egg that appeared a while ago is finally hatching. It's too bad it didn't hatch while I was near a PC, then everyone could have seen it- [A particularly large and loud crack interrupts him and he leans a bit closer to the egg, which glows white and transforms into...

Whatever it is, it sparkles as it makes its debut. It looks around curiously as the assembled Pokémon greet it, Apollo smiling and giving a psychic greeting that doesn't get picked up by the pokégear. It continues to look around quietly for a few more seconds before...]

Arrrrrrrrr!

[With a horrible screech it uses Quick Attack, headbutting Apollo in the forehead and knocking him back, then zooming over to hit Fearow, then Furret and Firaga the Growlithe. Zangoose charges in because this situation obviously needs a woman's no-so-delicate fist, only to be hit by a Wing Attack that makes her stumble and accidentally punch Firaga. Golurk tries to grab the baby, but it's low Speed stat makes that a futile gesture at best. The baby continues to dart between the other Pokémon for a bit longer, getting them to accidentally hit each other several times, before knocking over the pokégear as it darts past and heads for the cave's entrance. Fearow passes by the camera, the look on his face unmistakable as being that of someone who's just developed a crush - if this were animated and not reality, his eyes would be big pink hearts right about now. The feed continues for a while longer, allowing the viewer to fully appreciate the cave's ceiling, before finally shutting off.]

[Responses will be ICly delayed until Apollo can catch his new fossil Pokémon.]

[The video opens on the Lake of Rage, before angling down to show Apollo's face. He's lying on his back in the grass next to the lake. Unlike some of his previous posts, he's not just his usual calm self. He's in a good mood right now, if that contented smile is anything to go by.]

This place really reminds me of home. A lake, a forest, mountains... The giant water snakes who sometimes try to eat me when I go swimming are different, but other than that it's a lot like home. It's nice here. The Pokémon with me like it too.

[The arm holding the gear falls to the ground and the camera films the sky through blades of grass for a while before Apollo sits up and points it back at his face. He's serious now.]

What do I need to know to beat the gym in Goldenrod City? How do I know if the Pokémon with me are strong enough to win?