1. [text]

[yousayyes]

[As Winston's second day at sea starts, he feels the distinct creeping anxiety of his mind preoccupying itself with worry over what could be happening back home in his absence.]

[Normally, he'd try reading to pass the time and keep his mind busy from those thoughts- but Mom only packed him two books, and he's already read through both of them cover-to-cover multiple times by now. ...he started to realize somewhere in the middle of his fifth re-read of the trainer's guide that he wasn't actually working to absorb the information. By that point, he was just glancing down at the turning pages to feel some amount of productivity as he's stuck waiting for the cruise ship to reach Kanto.]

[Setting the books back in his bag, Winston opens his Pokégear, thumbing through its features until he reaches a text posting option. ...it can't hurt to put something out there, right?]

Hi.

Current events outside of my control have left me temporarily unemployed, seeing as I'm now stuck in a different dimension from my former workplace.

I know- we've ALL been there before... /endsarcasm

While I'm sure my coworkers will be understanding of the situation and leave my spot open until I return... I don't see that reunion happening anytime soon. So in the meantime: if anyone could point me towards a job listing in the Kanto area, I would appreciate it a lot.

Many thanks.

- Winston Zeddemore

Comments

[outofhershadow]

don't feel bad, that's just like
how things WORK here
everyone does it

plus the same kid you beat up will just go get his monsters healed up for free and go and beat someone else up for THEIR money
it's one big cycle

[yousayyes]

Well when you put it THAT way it

still doesn't make me feel any better.

Actually it's a little worse. An endless cycle of kids beating up on other kids because there's no consequences- that makes it sound like the world's just a big middleschool playground.

[outofhershadow]

i mean, that's pretty much what it is
the whole world's economy runs on these monsters and fighting them and working with them
that's why you have places like gyms where anyone, even kids, can win badges to show they're the toughest around

it's pretty rad

[yousayyes]

[...I mean, he makes his money fighting undead monsters back home, so he personally doesn't have room to judge the concept of a world whose economy runs on monster battles? He's still pretty sure it's a bad idea for kids to be involved in it.]

...I guess I should look on the bright side and be grateful that there ARE at least a few safety nets and rules in place to keep things under control, so it's not just a total... free-for-all no-holds-barred endless slugfest here.

But if it's anything like what I remember middleschool being like, I doubt it's that rad for the weaker trainers who keep getting their head handed to them by the tough guys.

[outofhershadow]

can't say i can relate, i never went to middle school

but the people here can always, y'know, surrender if they think they're outgunned in a match
(unless it's an official gym thing, then you gotta do it)
so if they see a monster that's pretty tough and they try and fight it with a little rat, then that's on them

[yousayyes]

Admittedly, yeah, that's a real irresponsible move for a trainer to pull. ...but I wouldn't be expecting a lot of responsibility from a bunch of inexperienced kids being told to fight for money.

...how old are /you/, anyway?

[Funny thing about unconscious assumptions: you don't realize you're making them until somebody says something that doesn't gel with your current understanding of things. ...in hindsight, he should've considered the possibility this is a kid he's talking to given what he's been acknowledging this whole time.]

[...that, or someone who managed to skip the entirety of middleschool. Or is more familiar with the term "junior high". But it's still worth asking.]

[outofhershadow]

well yeah
but the adults do it too
i've fought some pretty big adult dudes who still try and fight when they send their rock monsters against my water dragon
it's like the locals here don't study their own rules

fifteen

[Her age is a pretty weird thing but look that's the easiest answer. Because she technically is fifteen! But she also always looked like this soooooo......]

[yousayyes]

[With her age in mind, he quickly realizes he shouldn't judge her outlook on Child Fights nearly as harshly as when he assumed this was another adult he's talking to. ...Winston can sympathize with the perspective of being young and having something to prove, at least.]

In that case, yeah, they should Definitely know better. Heck, I've barely been here two days and just giving a cursory glance at the trainer's guide can tell you who's winning with that matchup.

...if by "locals" you mean "people native to this dimension", then I take it that means you're ALSO not from around here? (Man, you'd think this was some sorta multiverse convention center with how many out-of-universe visitors it's apparently been getting.)