✩ FIRST DISCOVERY | VIDEO | BACKDATED TO 2/9

[adai]

[The video feed opens on a boy sitting on a bench. It looks like the sun is setting already, so either someone got a late start today or this boy only just learned how to use the 'Gear. The boy isn't really all that remarkable, outside of a very serious expression. The background appears to be New Bark Town, so get ready for some of those New Trainer Questions.]

Hello. I was told I should talk to this device to get some answers about this place.

[He rests his hands on his knees and leans forward, still staring the device down.]

Why are there houses on the surface?

[...Well apparently we're just going to get straight to the point today.]

It should be dangerous for anyone to live up here.

[He's silent for a long time, still staring at the device like it's going to magically give him some answers. A beep comes from the 'Gear which seems to startle him a little.]

I also want to know about the creature that came out of this. [Rossiu holds up a Pokéball.] It was pink and blue and immediately went into this strange device. It won't come out.

[That doesn't seem to bother him all that much, actually. His very serious expression hasn't shifted at all. After another few seconds of silence, Rossiu glances upward at the snow still falling.]

Finally, what is this? I've never seen anything like this before. It's much colder than it is back home.

[At least he's dressed a bit better for the snow than most of his friends...]

Thank you for your time. I would appreciate any information you can offer.

[He figures that if the rest of Team Gurren are here they'll get in contact with him. With that, Rossiu gets up from the bench and leaves and the 'Gear turns off.]

Comments

[video]

[preybeforemeals]

[...Okay, then. Either this child is from a race of sentient mole-people or this is so made of "what" that he doesn't know where to start, but you know what, it's snowing out and he's spending entirely too long in the house again, and this is the most interesting thing he's seen in quite some time and that's probably saying something.

Either way, his words are calm when he responds, and he seems more interested than anything.]

Maybe this is a little ignorant of me, but why should it be dangerous for us to be on the surface, amore?

[adai]

[Oh, hello! Once Rossiu gets this thing focused properly, it seems he's found his way back to the bench. He's still sitting far too straight and his expression is far too serious, but that might have something to do with the topic of discussion.]

Because of the beastmen.

[He says, like this should make perfect sense.]

[preybeforemeals]

I see...

[HE DOESN'T SEE, WE ARE TWO SENTENCES IN AND HE SERIOUSLY DOESN'T SEE.]

I assume those are quite the threat, where you're from?

[adai]

Yes, of course. They control the gunmen and keep humans from coming to the surface. There aren't any of them here?

[Surely you guys would have heard about them otherwise!

...Or more likely, you'd all be dead.]

[preybeforemeals]

...Clearly not.

[What in the world.]

So do you all just live underground, then?

[adai]

Of course. Any human who goes to the surface is killed.

[...]

Well, except the humans who take a gunman and pilot it. There's actually a lot of us now, and we have Dai-Gurren. It's a very large gunman capable of supporting life. It's like a giant, walking village.

[With cannons.]

[preybeforemeals]

[...Honey, what the hell does he even do with this knowledge.]

Well, as long as it all worked out in the end, I suppose.

[#NailedIt]

But no, there's nothing at all like that here, and I think you'll find that most of us have never experienced anything at all like that - if anything, we tend to build upwards. You'll see when you get to Goldenrod City - there are multi-story buildings and towers and things like that there, and most places don't even have any sort of underground sections. Maybe basements here and there, but that's it.

[adai]

Well, I wouldn't say it's really worked out...

[But he'll move on!]

Really? I never imagined building upward. I'm not even sure how these houses are standing.

[He glances over his shoulder toward the houses in New Bark Town. They're only two stories at best, but to a kid who's lived underground his whole life, this is pretty weird.]

[preybeforemeals]

...If those are perplexing you, you're going to be absolutely fascinated by the larger cities.

[...Actually.]

Ah, and I suppose this is why you've never seen snow before, either, isn't it?

[adai]

Yes, that's right. I haven't lived on the surface for too long, and the environment there is very different. There isn't very much grass or water or... anything, really.

[It's certainly something else.]

[preybeforemeals]

Was there something that caused that? Some kind of incident, maybe?

[adai]

I don't know. Humans have lived underground for a very long time. I know it's been over a hundred years, but I can't tell you exactly how long it's been. We didn't learn things like history in my village. We were taught religion instead, though it was...

[...how does he word this...?]

...it was used as a tool to keep the village as peaceful as possible, so it wasn't real.

[And for the first time, Rossiu's expression actually changes! He looks... mildly annoyed. At least it's different from the Very Serious Look he's had the whole conversation?]

[preybeforemeals]

[..................

why is everyone he talks to so fucked up.]

How old are you, exactly?

[adai]

[Sorry, man, can't help you there!]

Fourteen. Why?

[preybeforemeals]

Well, you seem to have yourself put together better than most adults I know, for one thing.

It's a bit admirable, amore.

[adai]

There's no point in getting stuck thinking about what happened. We have to defeat the Spiral King so we can take back the surface for everyone.

[Rossiu glances off to the side for a moment. That's what Kamina wanted, after all.]

Oh, what does "amore" mean?