victory_road | [video/action for Celadon]

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[video/action for Celadon]

[When the feed clicks on, Riku can be spotted on... a roof of some kind? Seems pretty high up. Those who frequent Celadon may even recognize it as the Training Center.

Regardless, he's got a distant look in his eyes. His Charizard, Flare, grunts in the background.

Riku just shrugs.]

I know.

[He should really get to the point.]

So... twenty-five. Sheesh. I was fifteen when I showed up here, and it's got me thinking. People can show up here, and if they stick around, they could end up going through significant chunks of their life away from home.

It's just kinda surreal. Like, Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and I've outgrown everyone I've ever loved. Dunno if I'd call it a raw deal. Just makes it hard to celebrate, you know?

[Just makes him feel jaded, if anything. But he shakes his head. Best not to dwell on it too much.]

Anyway... those Double Battles seem like a fun break from the standard format. Still haven't figured out the right team for the job, but if anyone needs a place to practice strategies, the Training Center in Celadon's always open. I'd say my gym is, too, but I still gotta figure out how I'm gonna run the place. Just... what even makes a new gym stand out these days?

[Maybe he's dragging his feet. ...He definitely is. Something he would've craved as a teen just feels so daunting now.]

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[ Holy damn. ]

Ten years? That's quite the tenure. I wasn't aware someone could be here that long.

[ Which makes him wonder... will he be here that long? It's vastly preferable to what's waiting for him at home--that is, absolutely nothing. ]

Yeah. We're definitely the minority.

[He pauses, fingers drumming on his thigh as he mentally counts...]

Off the top of my head, it's just Cecil, Heather, me, and maybe a few others. We got some other old timers, but we've been around since the start.

Interesting.

[ And he is interested. More than he lets on, though. ]

You must have been witness to countless changes. What would you say is the thing that is most different from when you initially arrived?

Well, for starters, we can access Kanto.

[It's said with a half-smile and a hint of a chuckle.]

Back when we started out, it was just Johto. There weren't warp pads yet, so everyone either had to hoof it, get a Pokemon big enough to carry them, or ride bikes until they got the Fly HM. And just getting that far could take months because there weren't seasoned trainers around to just breed us Pokemon with Fly or scoop us up halfway to Goldenrod.

Ah, I had no idea it was inaccessible at first. How odd; an entire region, completely unreachable.

It certainly sounds like we who have arrived within recent times are very fortunate. I suppose I shouldn't take these things for granted, should I?

Yeah. We just couldn't ride the ferry or the magnet train. Those opened up... a year, two years into my stay here?

[It's been so long, even he's not entirely sure.]

It's funny. Things were so different then. Nobody really knew what they were getting into. Used to even maintain this guide based on what I'd learned until we reached a point where everyone was more or less on the same page and the info spread more easily.

TEN YEARS?

[Surely Steven and the others won't end up stuck here that long...]

It's because you just really like it here, right?

Edited 2020-02-14 04:55 (UTC)

[Riku winces. This'll be tough...

But, why sugarcoat the truth? He takes a deep breath, bracing himself.]

It's not really a choice on my part, but hey. Look on the bright side: I'm in the minority.

[...Which might not be a bright side, depending. Some people like it. Gah, he's never been great at optimism, anyway.]

What are you saying? Some people have a choice and some don't? Some are stuck here and others aren't?

[Is there a real chance for escape? Steven didn't seem to think there was.]

It's never a choice. It's... a chance, I guess. Whether someone stays or not, it's unpredictable. And honestly...

[He averts his eyes to hide a wince.]

I've been blindsided plenty of times. Wish I had a more optimistic answer, but I've seen a lot of people I care about come and go. And half the time, if they come back, they'll forget they were here in the first place.

So wait, people just leave without warning? Is that what you're saying?

[This is not encouraging. Pearl's voice becomes slightly more panicked.]

How do they forget they were here? This place is horrible! Why does it work this way?

[Shoot. That tone says all. Riku hesitates, trying to figure out how to diffuse this situation.

Besides lying.

Lying would only make it worse in the long run.

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.]

I wish I knew. Honestly, nobody's really figured it out. I even tried asking the god of this place, and it was cryptic at best.

[Liked sandwiches, though.]

All I can say is, sometimes when people return they remember. Sometimes they don't. And sometimes they'll show up from different points in the timeline.

Like, my... [More hesitation.]

My best friends. Sometimes they'd be from around my point in the timeline, sometimes they'd be from my future. Usually the latter. No rhyme or reason to it, either.

None of this is helping!

[It's bad enough she's stuck in this human body. She didn't need these details on top of that. She never should have asked. She should have gone on with the vague explanations she'd gotten from her friends.]

Have you ever been sent back? How do I talk to the one in charge?

[Gah. Riku winces. Of course it's not helping.

What's he supposed to do?

Ugh...]

Look, I'm sorry, okay? I know this is all really hard to hear. I'd like to say you could talk to the one in charge, but it's just not that simple.

[Cue one heaping sigh.]

If it helps at all, time back in your world's basically frozen while you're here. So whenever you do get back, you'll be right where you left off.

The younger you are, the longer ten years appear to be... and the more milestones happen while your loved ones are not here to witness them. Yet there's always a chance they'll show up from a point far in your hypothetical future, having outgrown the person you became here. The more you think about it, the messier the situation becomes.

[Cecil's offscreen, mostly. The camera shows his gym's kitchen, with his left side occasionally coming into view as he cooks.]

As for gyms, the locals favor specific types, of course, but predetermined or otherwise restricted teams appear to be particularly popular on our side. Not that it's particularly surprising, considering the size and variety of our team. Still, there must be options beyond this that will not sacrifice your versatility.

Heh. No kidding. If Sora or Kairi were to show up now, it'd just feel so weird...

[Because he's got a decade on 'em now. And he's still behind them in terms of experiences back home. Go figure...]

And yeah, I wouldn't want to settle for just one type. I'm just not sure how to structure it? Especially when a majority of my Pokemon are all level 100.

Even if they came from a very different time, having lived through very different experiences, I've no doubt they'd be happy to see you, weird or not.

[It may only be a small comfort, but he hopes it's a comfort regardless.]

Making your challenge accessible to weaker teams will be a problem, yes. I know Sion and Ryner dealt with that through the use of rental teams, while I make a point of holding back at the beginning of regular matches... Is there a pattern to your team, perhaps? Weather or stat manipulators, particularly speedy or defensive species?

Yeah. And don't get me wrong, I'd love to have them around again. I just wonder if it'd be hard on them.

[It'd definitely be hard on him. He knows for a fact- especially Sora. After all they went through...

He shakes his head. No point dwelling on it.]

Anyway, my team's kinda designed to do anything? I load 'em up with TMs to make 'em versatile, but I like to abuse stuff like Double Team and Toxic. Sometimes status boosts. Sometimes weather. Guess I generally favor powerful Pokemon, too. Not as big on the small and cute types.

It would be a hardship at first, no doubt, if only because they'd have missed so many of your years. But if anything can soften that pain, it would be a strong existing bond.

[Friendship can heal the effects of long absences, timeline fuckery and the "multiple universes' theory. That is one belief he cannot afford to abandon.]

Powerful, tough-looking Pokémon sound harder to sell as a Gym theme than adorable innocent-looking creatures, somehow... Beyond Double Team, does you team know many moves that can influence accuracy? A Toxic-centered team also offers potential, but it'd be easily countered by a single Steel-type.

Yeah, point. I guess... it's just a bit daunting, you know? Sora spent years here before he left. I'd have to accept the fact that if he shows up again, it's probably not gonna be that Sora.

[Which... changes a lot.

Riku looks away for a moment to hide his unease.]

Yeah, plenty of 'em know moves like Sand Attack and Smokescreen. The thing is, my team tends to be built more around balance than one central gimmick. Kinda like Blue's, I guess?

...That would change things quite a bit, would it. Even if he arrived at the same age you last saw him, it's likely that he'll have grown in different ways. But because of the physical resemblance, you'd always see his previous 'self'... The dissonance could be painful.

[This last time he went through a similar situation, he... No, even that would not compare, he thinks.]

In that case, perhaps the 'gimmick' could come from the environment, rather than your team? The type of battlefield, a particular challenge to accomplish... The workers that take care of the Gyms' construction do enjoy challenges, as long as they are paid accordingly.

...Yeah. Well, the Sora who was here the longest spent a few years here. So it'd actually be just as weird seeing him at fourteen or fifteen again.

[Really, he's ruled out any romantic feelings for both his best friends at this point. He's too old. The odds of them appearing at his age range are slip to none, heh.]

Hmm... So you thinking something like a type-based terrain? Huh. Wonder if some kinda rotating battlefield could work.

Not to echo everyone else in the thread, but: ten years, huh? That's a lot of time.

You must've learned some really great tricks if you've been around that long. Care to share any?

[As much as Riku's post is horrifying in its own right... the dude clearly needs something to distract him or cheer him up, not even more people freaking out over the duration of his stay.]

[So Connie's decided to focus on the positives.]

No kidding.

[But at least she's handling it better than that other lady. Hoo boy.]

As for tricks, guess it depends on what you're after. Battle strategies? Team composition? Ways to cut back on travel time?

Battle strategies! I don't really have enough battle-ready Pokémon to worry overmuch about team comp right now. My team's almost ready to take on our first gyms too, so it'll be nice to have a leg up when we battle Brock and Falkner.

Well, you can never go wrong with moves like Toxic and Double Team. Most Pokemon can learn them, and they are a pain to deal with unless you've got the right counters, like Steel types for poison and an ability like Keen Eye for Double Team.

[But that's Riku's own bias for trollish strategies talking right there.]

Generally, I like to teach my team as many moves as possible to cover for as many situations. Type coverage in a moveset can save your skin if you end up in a battle where you're facing a type you didn't see coming. Plus, not everyone's gonna expect a Charizard to come packing Thunder Punch and Solarbeam.

I'll keep that in mind! Do you have any TM recommendations? I have just enough money to buy one or two now, and I want to make sure they count.

Depends on your current team setup, I'd say. What've we got to work with?

[Heh. This... actually brings a bit of a smile to his face. It's faint, but there.

A nice distraction, to be sure.]

Right now? I have a Scizor, a Sharpedo, a Gallade, a Luxray, a Honedge, and a Pangoro as my six main battlers. I... don't really have anyone else, really, I've just started. [She chuckles sheepishly.] I'm aware that I need to diversify, trust me.

Huh. Pretty solid starting team. I'd say your main worry right now's gonna be fire and ground types. Fairies might also be an issue for your Dark types, too...

[So, hmmm. What to do.]

Offensively, I think you can cover most of those weaknesses, but defensively you can't go wrong with moves like Protect and Double Team. A strong ice type move like Ice Beam and Blizzard would give your Sharpedo an edge against dragons. And I always slap on Toxic in case I'm feeling stally.

Holidays can be hard. That's why I don't do my real birthday anymore. Because almost everyone I knew is dead, and the ones who aren't...aren't here and I don't know if I'll ever see them again. ....Sometimes it hurts to think about. So I don't.

[Newt is super jaded. And only nine!]

Running a gym sounds really hard. Do you have to pick a theme for it?

[...Well, that got dark.

Give him a second. That's heavy stuff and he's gotta handle this carefully.

It's heartbreaking to see a kid talk about that so nonchalantly.]

Ha. Wish it was easier for me. I've got this nasty habit of overthinking. I let my mind wander, and there's no stopping me. Never been great at going with the flow.

[He's just not Sora, no matter how hard he tries to make himself think like him.]

And I don't know if I have to, but I feel like there has to be something to set it apart from the other Aurora League gyms.

[If she treats it just like basic facts then it will not be as painful. Or at least that's the current plan.]

I talk to my pokemon if I start thinking of bad things too much. Or I train, or do school work or work or other stuff.

[She 100% works at a level that is not great when this happens. It makes it easier to not think.]

So it should be something you like... What pokemon do you like?

Huh. I guess distractions can at least help on the short term. Hasn't ever done much good for me, though.

[Maybe in short bursts, but in the long term? His mind just wanders back.

He should probably talk to someone more qualified, but that would mean admitting it's a bigger problem.]

And honestly... [He shrugs.]

I tend to use a wide range of Pokemon to cover as many situations as possible. Generally lean towards the more powerful, hard-hitting ones, though. Dragons, steel types. Pokemon that have strength and presence.

Are there rules about what gyms have to be like?

Hmm... Well, most leaders pick a specific type, but then you get exceptions like Blue.

[His fingers drum on his folded arms. Tricky setup here. The frame of reference isn't all that consistent.]

Honestly, my bigger concern's just providing a fair challenge. Most of my team's all hit level 100, so that doesn't give a lot of wiggleroom for newer trainers.

Though Cecil mentioned something about rentals? So I guess that's an option, but I feel like a lot of trainers would rather stick to their own teams.

[Newt seems to give this some thought.]

Maybe you could make it a gym for people who are only higher levels? Kind of like the elite challenge but just one gym of it?

[Clearly Riku is lost in thought right now, but it doesn't sit right with AJ to just let him wallow on his own like that. Even if she was gone for large parts of it, she can't help but feel like she was one of the few who knew what it was like to be connected to this world for such a long time.]

Happy birthday, Sugarcube. Need anything?

It's honestly a bit belated, but I tend to lose track of the time.

[But Riku shrugs, laughing it off- or trying to, anyway. AJ's response is definitely welcome, though.]

And... honestly? I don't know what I need at this point. This kinda aimlessness is something I've been dealing with since Sora left.

It sounds to me like what you need is a friend beside you, and maybe a drink in your hand.

Oh, man. Drinks...

[He's old enough to drink. That's just... man, that's still weird. He's been old enough for years and it's still baffling whenever he thinks about it.]

Heh. Guess it wouldn't hurt. You got any recommendations?

My best recommendation is to fly your sulking butt down to Pewter and spend time with your old pal.

But if that won't do, find something to warm you up, at least.

Ha. I could probably use the warp pads to get down there. Just need to make sure I got enough cash for lodging.

[He looks to Flare, who gives an approving grunt.]

How you holding up, anyway?

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