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[whymustifeel]

[Hello, network. You're about to get a grand total of 17 back to back image uploads.

The first several shots are exceedingly blurry, but the intrepid cameraman appears to have improved his technique over time. The focus of every single image?

A very flat, gray pancake with green splotches and what looks like a Pokeball squished in the middle. Kind of weird, but- wait, it's got eyes. And spikes. And teeth.]

I GOT A LIVING BEAR TRAP FOR CHRISTMAS

THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER

I CAN FINALLY USE BEAR TRAPS IN MY SCHEMATICS AGAIN!!!

[This is quite possibly the most excited anyone has ever been for a Stunfisk. Which is less of a dig at Stunfisk and more of a comment on how god damn ecstatic Fred is right now.]

Comments

[whymustifeel]

But what if I don't want to read a book or drink coffee? I just wanna be part of the action!

Also, what was that about mobile suits?

[captainash]

I bet you're not the only who does, even among the locals, but the cops don't take kindly to that particular justification, somehow.

Your world doesn't have them? They're space-adapted humanoid machines meant to be piloted by humans. Mostly used for military purposes, but a guy I knew was a pro racer in his youth, and the engineering clubs back in high school would have yearly fighting tournaments. It's a fun hobby.

[whymustifeel]

Well, cops don't like a lot of things that're good.

What!! No, we don't have those back home! I'd love to pilot something like that- I haven't really looked into designing machines like that, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard...

[captainash]

It's such a shame that 'good' and 'legal' don't always overlap. Especially if you favor the first aspect.

With the proper equipment and pieces, even high schoolers can do it. Haven't yet found what I'd need around here, though. Still, there's been a healthy tradition of engineers trying to surpass this world's limits, over the years.

[whymustifeel]

I know, right? I can't count the number of times I've been arrested for just trying to do what's right. Or what's fun.

What kind of stuff would you need?

[captainash]

Arrested? Got sent to the brig myself for plenty of reasons, but arrested by civilian forces is new. Do the cops know you by name, at that point?

For a simplified high school-level mobile suit, having the raw materials, a good computer or two to repurpose and industrial tools for cutting and welding would go a long way, though that would involved designing and cutting each piece by hand. For a real suit? It starts with millions spent just on R&D, and it only gets worse from there on.

[whymustifeel]

Ha. My dad's only friend in town was the sheriff. Even if it wasn't a small town, and the rest of the cops didn't recognize us on sight, Sheriff Stone would have made sure they kept an eye on me.

- Actually, I'm not sure if "friend" is the right word for whatever was going on between them.

[Mayor Jones never actually considered anyone a friend, for one. But for another, as oblivious as Fred can be, he's pretty sure Mayor Jones took the sheriff on at least a couple dates. Not to mention the two of them dancing together while under Aphrodite's spell... But we don't have time to unpack all that.]

I can probably get a hold of most of the tools, unless some of them are illegal in this dimension for being "too dangerous". Money is definitely an issue, though.

[captainash]

Ouch, that sucks. Knowing you're under extra scrutiny because of your parents, even before it turns out that you have a very loose relationship with the law. Hope it didn't make things too tense at home, or between the two of them both at and after work.

[Ash gets complicated, ambiguous relationships, really! As long as they involve love triangles, hesitant murder attempts, unconditional trust between enemies and emotional pre-death speeches involving a lot of touching.

...Whether or not he gets what Fred meant by that, however, is a mystery.]

Yeah, it's when you need to pay for everything yourself that you start missing having a club budget. Even if you had to fight to get anything approved because the school didn't want to spend too much money on a four-people group.

[whymustifeel]

I don't think it made anything tense between them- if anything, they bonded over it. Dad didn't approve of our mystery solving and traps, so he was fine with the sheriff doing whatever.

[Really, Fred isn't entirely sure what he meant by that comment, either, and not just because scrutinizing his father's potential love life feels weird. It's just that everything about his dad is kind of a sore and uncomfortable subject at this point.]

At least my dad paid for all my materials back home... I miss having that kind of budget, but I'm sure I'll earn enough over time to take on more ambitious projects!

[captainash]

Sound like the sort of people who have very clear and limited expectations of what youths are supposed to do with their lives. Too bad they're tag-teaming to crush your interests.

[Ash is so very glad he's reached a point where he can make his father uncomfortable right back as needed. And that's after repairing that particular relationship.]

If you need extra funds, try to train a Meowth with the move Pay Day or a few Pokémon with the Pickup ability. That gives either free instant money, or tons of odds and ends to sell for quick cash.