[Video]

[infernofireblast]

[The video feed opens up rather shakily, as the young man holding the camera is moving rather erratically with it while it broadcasts. Despite the unsteady camera, a mess of blonde hair can be made out. Just as suddenly as the feed had begun, though, the shaking stops and the feed steadies.]

Well hey der everyone! Joey Wheeler comin' to you live from Goldenrod City!

[He leans-in and gives a thumbs-up to the camera.]

Ya know, I been usin' dis Pokégear for a while now but I never realized it could do cool stuff like let you talk to people through camera. Shows me for not takin' da time to get familiar with the little doohickey I s'pose, but how cool is dis? Phones were pretty cool back in Domino, don't get me wrong, but dis is on a whole new level!

[Joey sticks his bottom lip out and nods in affirmation of his own statement.]

I know der ain't no way I was the only one whisked away to dis here world though, so who else is out der?

Comments

[infernofireblast]

I'm game to spin some wheels! With this just bein' game currency it's no harm no foul!

[He flashes a mischievous grin and pops a thumbs-up.]

If you're from da future too, den do you also play Duel Monstahs? Be pretty cool if deres' still people to throw down cahds with even in this funky world!

[crystalmaster]

Oh? You think this is a game?

[That could be a problem.

He smiles.]

I sure do! I'm planning to arrange some get-togethers with everyone here from home. There's several that I've met.

[infernofireblast]

I mean sure it is! Der's funny monstahs you can collect, dey've each got levels that I can see, I stahted in exactly the kind of tutorial I'd expect outta sometin' like Dragon Quest, and der's friggin background music playin' everywhere! Heck, I've been collectin' fast travel spots ever since I came in here.

[Joey spreads his arms as if to say "are you kidding me?"]

I've been'ta more virtual worlds, extra-dimensional worlds, and dahk dimensions den you can shake a stick at, so I think I'm sometin' of an expert by this point!

[crystalmaster]

[Radley smirks. Probably best not to mention that there were indeed Pokemon games.]

Oh, I see. Yes, I agree it certainly seems like a game. It has all the earmarks of it. But what will you do if it's real this time?

[infernofireblast]

Eh if it's real 'dis time then that just means ol' Joey won the lottery in that it still works like a game. I've been able to tell when otha trainers wanna battle me, tell when I'm comin' into a new area, and even tell where da' borders of a town are just by listenin' to the music. Just like in Duel Monstahs, we even gotta limit of six monstahs we can carry at a time. Place is like someone really wanted to make a Duel Monstahs game but couldn't.

[Joey strokes his chin.]

Might be like when we went into Alexandah's pyramid though, and it's just anotha' world full of monstahs. That'd be pretty cool and all, but I'd definitely miss the gang if that's the case.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley is impressed.]

You certainly take it all in stride. And you've adapted very well.

[He looks intrigued.]

You went into a pyramid that was another world?

[infernofireblast]

[Joey smiles widely.]

I love video games. Hittin' the arcade with Tristan was my jam back in da day, and we've even gone with Yoog plenty too. Dis place has all the hallmarks of dat sorta thing, so I'm lovin' dis!

[Switching gears, he scratches at the his temple awkwardly.]

Ah. Yeah. Yoog's Gramp's friend found a wacky pyramid in the middle-a nowhere, so he went off to help wit' da dig. When we never heard nothin' from him we went out to find him, but found the pyramid was actually a magic portal into an ancient game world. We had to fight crazy monstahs and solve riddles to help da spirit of Alexandah da Great move through da challenges, and I ended up helpin' my old friend Red-Eyes Black Dragon before we finished. It turned out da modern guy who was Gramps' friend had been possessed by da ring spirit of Alexandah doe', so we ended up having to do dis big fight with him and all his Generals.

[Joey purses his lips as he realizes that, in all likelihood, he sounds insane.]

But yeah. Was a crazy time.

[crystalmaster]

That's great. It's much better to be able to enjoy it.

[He stares at the story.]

... Wow. And that's only one of your other dimensional adventures?

[After everything, he can't say what's nuts anymore. There was some really weird and concerning stuff in Battle City.]

[infernofireblast]

Yeah, but a lotta da' other places we went to were virtual worlds of one kind or another. First we jumped in to Kaiba's vr adventure world right afta' Duelist Kingdom since his big bad corporate goons were trying to trap him der'.

[He rubs his chin, thinking of how to best describe the other escapades.]

Da' next one was also a Kaiba Corp virtual world, but dis' one was made by his wrinkly ol' dad to keep the ghost of his bratty firstborn kickin'. Sounds weird I know, but we ended up havin' to showdown with all the big five guys we beat in the first one, plus the kid Noah's cheatin' self and Gozaburo Kaiba himself. We was runnin' all over, Tristan got trapped in a robot monkey, and a bunch of us got turned ta' stone. It was wild!

[He taps his index finger against his lips as he continues.]

After dat' was Alexanda and his pyramid, but then we went into a world made up of da Pharoah's memories. We saw what his kingdom was like in da' ancient times, saw all da priests that used to use the items, and helped him regain his memories to beat a dahk god. Dat was all kinds-a crazy. I kinda had a mulligan with dat' one though, as some weird guy from sometin' called the Planas came to Domino to try to mess with everyone through more magic. I ended up getting sent away to a world of memories where he tried to erase my mind, but I was able to come out on-top and escape.

[That mouthful complete, Joey sighs.]

Most recently, a buncha science guys from Kaiba's company slapped a big egg on my head and I was brought to the game-a Duel Links! That one was pretty doggone cool, as it gave me the perfect chance to up my skills! [He punches the air.] I got no idea if this is paht of it, but this place is pretty cool too!

[crystalmaster]

... You certainly have had the experiences.

[He's not sure which one sounds the worst, although he personally would have probably disliked Noah's world the most. Losing dignity in a robot monkey or being turned to stone ... yeah.]

Duel Links? What's that? I kind of doubt this world has anything to do with it, since it's about Pokemon and not Duel Monsters.

[infernofireblast]

As much as I hate to give him credit, Kaiba really knocked it outta da' pahk with Duel Links. It's a world with all da' cahds you can imagine, all up for grabs. He's got some kinda digital versions of famous duelists from all pahts of da' game's history and versions of Domino from across decades able to be played in.

[Joey pans his hands wide, as if painting a picture of grandiosity.]

I've been able to really knuckle-down wit' all them special duelists in there, and a boatload of who's-who have come in to the game in-person too. Dis place has a lot in common wit' it, but it's not like Duel Monstahs so it's weird in dat' way. No way to find out without swingin' for da' fences though eh!

[crystalmaster]

[Radley is intrigued.]

How would he know about and connect with Domino in other times? Does he have my time, I wonder?

[The Seto here doesn't seem to have invented this yet, as far as Radley can tell. Or maybe he's from a different timeline.]

[infernofireblast]

Far as I can tell it's just real' good recreations of places and duelists with all them fancy Kaibacorp computers. I'm in da game for example, but it's da me from around Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. They got da Rare Huntah guy Marik's sister Ishizu in der' too, but it's a version a' her from back when she still had da' Millennium Necklace. All the folks from da present are people, but you can step back in time too and that's all kinds-a cool. I've even had duels against myself and, boy, I sure kicked old me's butt!

[crystalmaster]

That doesn't explain how it would also have Dominos from the future. I'll have to check this game out. It sounds fascinating.

[He wonders ... if maybe even Kalin would be there.... Or maybe that's too much to hope.]

[infernofireblast]

Oh I don't know if dey've got stuff from da' future or any stuff like dat'. I just know I can play against past versions ah' myself and others. If I had to guess why Kaiba'd do that I'd guess it was all from his obsession with fightin' da' Pharoah. Dollas ta' donuts his eggheads put all that tech to use and just made the rest of us big-hitters.

[Joey furrows his brow in thought for a moment.]

I don't see why dey wouldn't add the Dominos and duelists of the comin' years in there once we reach that point though. By your time der's probably all kinds-a duelists in der!

[crystalmaster]

Oh, I see. I misunderstood about the Domino from various decades then.

[He ponders.]

An obsession with the Pharaoh?

[Well, he does remember talk of Pharaohs in Battle City....]

I would hope so! Maybe even people I personally know.

[infernofireblast]

I remember them eggheads that put me in here sayin' somethin' about time dilation, which apparently means that practically no time at all passes while I'm in der. I dunno nothin' about all that, but it seemed kinda like that when we were in Kaiba's first virtual world too. Everything went normal-like when we were in Noah's place, but we spent days in the one Kaiba made da first time and only like an hour had gone by when we came out.

[He puts his hand to his forehead.]

The idea makes my head spin, but if it means I make out like a bandit on time den' I'm A-ok with it. Maybe if there's funny time mojo in Duel Links too, then we could play together from where you are in da future!

[crystalmaster]

That's how it's supposed to be here too. When we go home, it's supposed to be exactly when we left.

[He smiles.]

That would be great!

[infernofireblast]

Oh what? Den dis place really is like Duel Links! Hot damn!

[He purses his lips as he ponders something.]

Well Kaiba's here in dis' world too, and he says he had to start as a trainer just like me so I don't think he made dis' one. It's too close to Duel Monstahs to be a coincidence though, so my money's on that German dude Von Shoedinger or whatever his name was. He was plannin' on makin' his own game and had all the same virtual tech Kaiba's got so it's definitely a possibility!

[crystalmaster]

[Radley giggles.]

Shoedinger? I think you mean Schroeder.

Hmm, this is an interesting theory. I never considered it might have been invented by someone from home. There's people here from many different worlds, though.