video / text

[thatwasours]

{ VIDEO }

 

[a man in his late thirties comes onto the feed. his bag is open next to him with the contents ruffled through, and there's an open Pokéball on the ground. the lower left sleeve of his trenchcoat is also leaking blood from what looks like puncture marks (a bite wound?) and is slightly singed, but he doesn't appear to be paying it much mind.]

 

I read the handbook, but there's one thing I'm not getting. These creatures-- Pokémon --are they pets, or are they weapons? The information here contradicts itself. It says here that friendship is an important part of raising the things, but as far as I'm aware, you don't usually make nice with animals you're teaching to cockfight.

 

And what kind of anarchistic society is this that the person with the strongest Pokemon wins every possible interpersonal conflict? All right, so it's not that different from most third-world countries, or your average political standoff, but seeing that kind of thing on an individual, culturally-encouraged level is a little disturbing. [he lets out a snort of disapproval.] Might makes right, I guess.
 
 

 

 

{ TEXT, LOCKED TO SELF AT 30% }

 

LOVE DETERRENCE

 

[the clumsy, highly experimental nature of the lock makes it fairly obvious that this is someone trying to work out how to filter and hack.]

Comments

[thatwasours]

It's all right. You've still helped a lot-- I've got a better picture of what's going on here, now.

[okay, well, not a good one, but as good of one as he's going to get until he does some digging of his own, probably.]

[but he smiles a little at the fact that Naoya's from Japan.]

Really. What part? I grew up in Yokosuka, not far from the base.

[crouching_sin]

Good. And ah... I was living Aoyama, though I was working in Shinagawa. I'm a programmer by trade.

[thatwasours]

I didn't know programming had become an actual career outside the military and PFs. Sure, computers are becoming affordable for civilian businesses, but...

What do you program? Something to automate industrial work?

[read: I haven't been in a first world country for at least five years and it's still 1984 in my world]

[crouching_sin]

... It's 2009 in my world. Computers are quite common - in fact...

[He tilts over and grabs his COMP off of his desk, holding it up to show Kaz.]

This has a computer chip inside of it. It's what I programmed for. Normally, they're used for games and email - electronic mail - but my program was... different. It's called the Demon Summoning App - 'app' being short for 'application', which is another word for a program.

[thatwasours]

I'm guessing that thing isn't worth anywhere near what it would cost R&D to make it back home. I had something a little bit like it made for field operations but that was... three million, easy.

[he smiles a little and shakes his head. it's nice to see military-created things not being used as tools for war.]

Games and personal communication. Really. So what makes your app different?

[because there's no way the Demon Summoning App is exactly what it says on the tin, right?]

[crouching_sin]

No, not even remotely. About fifteen thousand yen, last I checked. Which would be... something between a hundred fifty and two hundred dollars.

[He smirks a little bit. So it wasn't obvious?]

It uses raw emotional energy and a digital drawing tool to create summoning circles and bring forth demons to make contracts with. This is something I was commissioned to make, mind. Demons were going to be breaking through anyway, and the group wanted their members to at least have a fighting chance of surviving. And what better to fight demons than with demons? ... A bit like a Pokemon battle, but much more deadly.

1/2

[thatwasours]

Demons.

[several seconds of disbelieving silence]

2/2

[thatwasours]

Guess I don't have a whole lot of stones to throw, with everything that's happening here.

So training creatures to kill isn't new to you, I'm assuming?

[crouching_sin]

It's not, but Pokemon seem less interested in killing, generally, than demons.

There's also the fact that Pokemon is a video game in my world.

[thatwasours]

That explains a lot.

[Pokemon. Pocket... monsters...]

It's a children's game, isn't it?

[crouching_sin]

It is. Marketed all over.

[thatwasours]

All right. That's...

[he doesn't say what, exactly, that is, and just takes a deep breath. wow, this place is a trip.]

So. You mentioned demons. How does the app work, exactly? Are demons purely physical beings, or are they something else?

[crouching_sin]

No, they're partially made up of a material called Magnetite, which is... partly dark matter and partly pure magic. But they're physical enough that they can definitely kill you.

[thatwasours]

And the app does what? Render dark matter able to interact with ordinary matter?

That's an impressive feat for a device the size of your palm.

[crouching_sin]

Something like that. Demons are a bit strange - many of them would be able to interact with humans even if you weren't using the app. But it does also help put a human's physical capabilities on the level of a somewhat weak demon to start with, so you at least stand a chance.

[thatwasours]

All right, different question-- how is 2009 Japan dealing with an onslaught of demons?

I'm assuming a state of emergency's been declared.

[crouching_sin]

They're all localized in the Yamanote Circle - which is a part of Tokyo that's surrounded by a railway line. There was a barrier put up by the military, who were told to do so by the government which has had warnings from angels. Which yes, exist in my world, though most people didn't know that they or demons were real until very recently.

The Lockdown is over now, though the resolution is... less than ideal. The whole thing was part of the War of Bel, the war for the title of King of Demons, and the sole human that could win did win... but chose to turn his power over to God. Now, if humanity so much as makes one wrong move, God will take their free will away.

[thatwasours]

I'm impressed they mobilized so quickly instead of ignoring it.

God, huh? [a deep breath] Sounds like he opted for 'just' instead of 'merciful'.

[crouching_sin]

For once.

... Yes. Though 'just' isn't even really correct. He's a tyrant and a bully, and sooner rather than later He'll decide he doesn't like something humans have done.

[thatwasours]

Sounds like about the kind of God I would've expected, if one exists.

Were people disappointed?

[crouching_sin]

I'm not sure. I didn't really have much of a chance to poll the populace before I came here.