Video

[chosennobody]

[The video starts with the young blond's face, and he looks rather... perturbed.]

Someone who claims to be my mother told me I needed to use this thing to talk to other people and I kinda forgot about it until now, but... I just needed to share this.

[The view shifts to a magikarp flopping around on the dry ground.]

I get that things are different here, but unless I'm wrong this is a fish, and the nearest water is like... [A short pause to look around.] a little ways that way. How did this thing even get here? It's not very good at whatever it's trying to do...

[Roxas nudges the fish with his foot, causing it to flop a little harder for a moment. In the corner of the picture the edges of a mimikyu's disguise can be seen as it lurks.]

What should I do? Throw it back or let it do whatever it was doing before?

Comments

[Text] 1/3

[bleedingunversed]

[Vanitas had come a long way since arriving in this strange place. He'd grown beyond his original select set of emotions and had developed others, had learn not to resort right to anger and, in general, while still a shit head could be a decent person when he wanted to be.

But then this person showed their face on the network.

He was in the National Park letting his Pokemon break from their traveling when he thought to check his 'gear, scrolling through his feed only to pause--freeze really--on one post in particular. His blood ran cold as he stared at it, several emotions hitting him all at once.

Pushing away from the tree he'd been sitting against and disturbing Flood who had been lounging in his lap, he managed to start typing despite the trembling in his hands.]

what the hell do you think you're doing here you

[Text] 2/3

[bleedingunversed]

ARE YOU

WHERE

[Text] 3/3

[bleedingunversed]

WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU VENTUS

[chosennobody]

I think you have the wrong person

[Video]

[bleedingunversed]

[Against his better judgment Vanitas flicks the video on, seething with anger as he glares at his 'gear with Flood the Phantump hovering over his shoulder looking rather confused and curious.]

No I don't have the wrong goddamn person I know exactly who you are, Ventus! I'm going to find you and I'm going to kick your ass!

[Video]

[chosennobody]

[Cue at least a continuous minute of confused staring into the screen as Roxas tries to figure out who, exactly...]

Uh... You... Look like Sora, but your voice is wrong, and your....... colors....

[Yeah that was an intelligible sentence.]

[borschtkot]

It turns out decent! Catch it! Just bop it with your Pokeball. Free Magikarp!

[chosennobody]

Turns out decent? Oh... is this that evolution thing people were talking about?

[Someone sorta didn't pay attention...]

[borschtkot]

Yeah, exactly that. They're kind of crap as the fish but they turn into this big water snake with huge fangs! Look up, um.. what was it called..

[He snaps his fingers as it comes to him]

Gyarados! Worth it if you can get it there.

[chosennobody]

If you say so...

[He peers back down at the fish.]

That still doesn't explain why it's so far from the water.

[borschtkot]

They're literally the stupidest. It probably saw a Caterpie and thought sure lets go after it.

[Video]

[thenightsky]

[Somebody asking for Magikarp information?

WELP. GOOD THING NOCTIS IS HERE.]

It's probably there because it wants to be. They do that sometimes. It'll find it's way back to water when it's ready.

[Noctis is clearly sitting near the water as he replies to the video and a large, blue sea serpent is taking up pretty much the entire space behind him as it peers at Roxas with one large eye.]

[Video]

[chosennobody]

But... Don't fish swim?

[It sounds like a stupid and obvious question, but this guy was acting like this was normal and it wasn't like this fish had legs or was particularly good at whatever it was trying to do.]

What is that?

[Video]

[thenightsky]

Yeah but Magikarp are...really special.

[Understatement.

The thing behind him shifts with a low rumble and Noctis grins, holding his 'gear up so Roxas can get a better view.]

This is a Gyarados. It's what Magikarp turn into when they evolve.

[The Gyarados in question, Leviathan, let's out a pleased roar now, spraying the screen with droplets of water. It's still hard to get a good view of him because of how big he is but it's clear that it's a large fish-like serpent creature.]

[Video]

[chosennobody]

Wait... This stupid thing turns into that??

[It was a rather large leap, from a stupid orange fish to a blue dragon-like thing. This place really was weird.]

How?

[Video]

[thenightsky]

Hey they aren't stupid!

[Don't you insult his favorite Pokemon!]

No idea, that's just how it is. It's worth it to train them, I promise. I've got five Gyarados of my own and a few other Magikarp that are working towards evolving.

Video

[puzzlemonkey]

[Game Corner. The gear is propped on the machine and its facing the person playing, a Scraggy next to him.]

Did you catch it?

[chosennobody]

Yeah, someone told me how. Now I have a useless fish...

[The background is intriguing to Roxas, so he looks past Fushimi for a moment to soak in the machines. For a moment he wonders if this is another simulation like Twilight Town had been in the end. Not that it makes any difference.]

Where are you? [Forget basic questions like "who", just where.]

[puzzlemonkey]

It could be worse.

[ He shrugs, little animations reflecting off his glasses. It seemed he was doing well, as the game chimes and more tickets flow out, where the Scraggy was organizing them into a bag. ]

Game Corner in Goldenrod. There's another in Celadon apparently that I need to check out, but to be honest the games are a little weak.

[ The patterns were easy enough to suss out, and outside of that he could have Jungle or Data help. ]

They have Pokemon as prizes. Dratini is decent. Eevee is adaptable to what you need and then Porygon, but most people don't know how to utilize it best.

[chosennobody]

To be honest... I don't know what any of those are.

[Better than trying to bluff his way through life. People seemed generally agreeable to informing him, so he'd take advantage of that generosity.]

[puzzlemonkey]

[ Fushimi clicked his tongue, even rolling his eyes a little. Of course, this kid was new wasn't he? He couldn't expect everyone to actually read the information provided in the gear they were given. ]

Misaki...

[ The Scraggy looks up, then to the screen. He proceeds to dig into his .. pants..? and produces a notepad and a pen to start drawing. ]

The first one, Dratini. A dragon type. Basically, a water snake.

[ Up comes the first drawing, held over Misaki's head. It was a crudely drawn Dratini. ]

The next is Eevee. A normal type, looks like a fox. It can evolve into eight different types.

[ Oh, that was not a good Eevee but good effort, Misaki. ]

And the last one is Porygon.. it's made out of computer programming data and--

[ He pauses, looking down at Misaki who was scribbling then erasing then scribbling again. The Scraggy turns the notepad around, looking at it from different angles before just grabbing a Pokeball out of the bag and popping out Data to present to the screen. ]

[islandshore]

[This video starts with a fairly familiar face, though he's much older than Roxas would remember. Well into his twenties now. But that silver hair is impossible to miss.

He watches the feed for a few moments, contemplating what to do. It's... weird, really. Sora is gone. Ventus is gone. Xion is gone, and now Roxas is back?]

...Well, I see Vanitas gave you a "warm welcome."

Here's a quick tip: Don't take what he says too seriously. He's full of hot air.

[chosennobody]

[There's a moment of stunned silence as Roxas registers exactly who he's looking at. Of course he has many of Sora's memories, and since Sora would recognize Riku anywhere no matter his age or even form at times, of course the nobody does as well. That smooth voice is unmistakable as well.]

Yeah... I see that.

[His expression melts from stunned to perplexed as he finds his voice once more.]

Um... what happened to you?

[islandshore]

Eight years. That's what happened.

[And it's there that he rubs his neck, letting out a tiny sigh.]

It's one of those time paradoxes, I guess. Technically speaking, I've been here since I was fifteen and never even stepped off the island. But I've sorta picked up on things from the future through word of mouth. Stuff like Heartless, Nobodies, that sorta thing.

[chosennobody]

Well that's.... Convenient.

[His astonished gaze turned into a disgruntled frown.]

Do you have anything productive to say about anything other than Vanitas?

[No offense to you, Riku, it's just the other you that he holds a grudge against. Even if he's trying hard to set it aside for Sora's sake. Which...]

Who else is here from our world? Worlds... Whatever.