victory_road | [Track 1]: Route 29 || video

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[Track 1]: Route 29 || video

--Oh, hey, it records!

[There's a pale, black-haired young woman on the network today, inspecting her new 'Gear. She has a little Noibat chilling in her mass of hair like an adorable bat-shaped barrette. She studies the Pokegear seriously for a moment or two before noticing something else:]

Oh snap, and it broadcasts! Sweet!

Hey! Barkeep guy! You were right, that Mom lady was really weird! She gave me a lot of snacks, though, so that's cool.

But, uh, I kind of. Already ate them all? Look, I got carried away, okay? Does anyone know if there's anything else to eat on, what is it, Route 29? Besides the berries, I mean. My girl here - [she gestures to her new Noibat pal] - really digs them buuuuuut I still think they seem kinda suspect. For me to eat, that is. Thanks, peeps!

[Marceline: Out!]

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Eh, kindness can be cool, you've just gotta be careful who you accept it from.

[From friends? Definitely okay. From strangers? ....It depends on the stranger.]

This place still seems super chill. I think I'll wait to see what this broadcast turns up.

I'm from somewhere where you oughta be a little bit more discernin' when encountering goodwill.

But uh... some of the folk here remind me of some people way back when. [The ones trying to get by in villages.] I don't think they mean any harm.

The people that didn't intend to be here find some sorta positive streak goin' for 'em.

Yeah, that's the kind of vibe I've been getting from this place. It seems really...wholesome.

Oh, yeah, how long have you been here, anyway?

About a month. But I figured this place was alright when no three-eyed bug monsters tried to kill me within the first three days into it.

Wow, for some reason I thought you'd been here a lot longer. But yeah, a complete lack of murderous three-eyed bug monsters is always a good sign! We're probably not going to die today, at least.

I'm good at rollin' with it. I been a lot of places and been around for a long time and if you don't figure 'em out quick, who knows what'll happen to ya.

That said, I couldn't tell you fuck all about gettin' badges. Heard how the gyms worked and felt sorta disappointed in the whole thing. Maybe once I get a better eye on the televised specials...

I hear you, bro.

...How do the gyms work? You've got me curious, now.

Fight 'em to get badges. You got somebody that represents a type in each town. You bring in your squad and take on theirs. You can do it low-stakes or prime, and eventually if you get all their badges apparently you can go play it in the big leagues. Sounds great, right?

Nah, I'm more the type o' guy that thinks you should make fights you can come back to. Time and time and time again. Rotating cast of competitors. Rules you can switch up, that kinda thing.

[He obviously spends way too much time thinking about game set-ups.]

...Not even gonna lie, this sounds a lot like a video game I played once.

[So pretty great, actually!]

I like your idea, too. Are you thinking about setting something like that up?

I dunno. I been thinkin' about it. Gotta work out expenses, venues, got a lot of practice with structures already.

Makin' some sorta armor is high on my list. [It would be hard to make armor that adjusted to Poketype but maybe if he could figure out how the balls worked? Still looking into that.]

Wow, there ain't been video games on Earth for uh.... Jesus... I sorta remember 'em. Hell. It's been a while. That's all that matters. All the games I know nowadays are the sort you actually play in arenas.

Jeez, really? Sounds like that super generous alien playboy with all the tech presents wasn't so super great after all. I mean. Forgetting all the bad biz that followed it.

It got a lot harder to find consoles and games after the Mushroom War where I'm from, but they weren't like, obliterated.

I wonder if there are any good ones here...?

Oh! But! Definitely keep me in the loop on your arena thing! I will totally come check it out!

Yeah, well, it stopped being so generous after a while. [At least in a way they had much choice in. But he's not bitter.]

Might still be some around, though. I sorta went on a real long sabbatical.

Mushroom war?

Yeaaaaah, the Mushroom War. Real Armageddon, End-of-the-World stuff. It happened when I was seven. Only a few human people survived, and a whole bunch of non-human people came back.

[She pauses, thinks about that, and amends it a bit.]

Not like, ex-human people. I mean, there was kind of a zombie apocalypse for a while but it sort of died out on its own. Also there were the vampires I told you about. But the new people really were new.

...A lot of them food-based, now that I think about it...

Startin' to make me hungry, hearin' this name trend. [Starting to. As if he's not always deeply hungry. It's not as bad as it was, but it's still there, just gnawing at him.]

But I feel ya, sister, we were about the same. Our "Golden Age" turned into a giant crapfest. Not a lotta humans survived, either.

Though the ones that came back? Woo. Not zombies or vampires. But they were doozies.

How's it goin' now?

There wasn't really a golden age before the end of the world. At least, not that I remember. I think the war had been building up for a while.

Things're good now, though. Different, because like, no humans. But good.

You've gotta tell me about your undead legions now, though, you can't just drop it like that and not explain!

Funny how less of 'em makes the world better.

Well, here is the exception I reckon. Because all the fightin' is done through proxies.

They were called 'Risen', 'Lightbearers', and sometimes 'Guardians'. A few of 'em? 'Warlords'. 'Iron Lords'. Titles an' shit. But these little mechanical AI things called ghosts were sent out searchin' for dead people to play defense for the Traveler. They pick a corpse, decide they like it, bring it back to life as a full breathin' person. One that'll never age, never die for good, and heal from most serious wounds.

[Though his ghost, when times were tough, figured letting him die slowly and resetting him would be the best. It let a scorpion kill him once. Damned thing.]

These people got special abilities too. Punches that can burn you from the inside. Electricity out the hand. The ability to just think up a grenade if you try hard enough. And sometimes? An attack so strong they can tear down a house or protection tough enough to deflect a missile barrage.

Now, ghosts weren't so picky. They grabbed the good and the bad. Not everybody who can heal and throw bombs that can kill a crowd just wanted to go after the bad guy invaders.

Oh, man, that sounds like some serious bunk. Why'd they pick dead people? Was it too much hassle to ask living people for permission first? I'd feel like chucking mind bombs everywhere too if I thought I was finally gonna have a nice peaceful death and some jerk robot showed up and was like "Nope!"

On the plus side, most of 'em don't remember whether their death was peaceful or not. The whole thing's a messed up do-over.

Anyway, less mushroom named things. Lots more Roman Army and Medieval Round Table crap named things. But that same sort of "oh look the endtimes happened" atmosphere.

It's been about a thousand years since the Mushroom War. How long ago did your endtimes happen? I hope your stuff calms down soon, jeez.

[He thinks on it. He was one of the early people to rez, way back when the Dark Ages were relatively new. So he's been alive for most of that time.]

You know... about a thousand years. A little over.

Seems like a thousand is a good round number to screw things up, am I right?

Edited 2019-06-11 02:26 (UTC)

[Oof. Oof. That blows.]

...Y'know, before I met you, I would've said a thousand is a good round number to settle things down.

I guess at least you're getting a break from it here?

Yeah, pretty torn on it actually. On one hand, I'm gonna miss crunchin' into a bunch of three-eyed punks to teach 'em a lesson. On the other hand? Fresh air. All the food you can eat. [Those voices not being in his head.] No magic space police military to deal with? I'll consider this a vacation.

Heh, yeah, the food's pretty great, huh? That's definitely worth a lot!

[She says this as she is steadily becoming more and more filled with regret. Hitting her poor inexperienced stomach with all of those snacks all at once was a major mistake, and she'll be paying for it in a bit but...

Worth it.]

I've already got peeps recommending restaurants and local specialties. This is gonna be such a good vacation!

My recommendation is anything but the berries. If it's meant for human consumption, then it's probably good as Golden Age here.

Speakin' of which, lemme know how that food hunt goes.

I will absolutely let you know how the food hunt goes. This adventure is gonna be sick!

[Metaphorically - in the future - as well as physically, in the present. She may not have to eat a single berry to experience all the joys they provide humans if how she's starting to feel now is any indication.]

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[Track 1]: Route 29 || video

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