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[Vash has spent all day marvelling the route of so much water and all the greenery in the area, even if it's dusted with this weird soft white stuff, so much so he was able to enjoy the "dream" without the Troubles in his world crossing his mind. But the longer the day went on, and the more he investigated the guides in his bag, the more it dawned on him this might not be a weird dream. He released his Oddish from her Pokéball at some point, so he's been carrying her around. The white stuff on the ground is cold, he doesn't want her little feet freezing.]

[Now, close to nighttime, he's got his feet in the water, Oddish sitting in his lap, and he's fiddling with the PokéGear. The water may be pretty cold, but he's accepting it. He's arguably overdressed for the heat of the desert, but he's plenty cozy for the snow.]

[Deciding he should try to reach out for help, he starts recording a video post.]

Hellooo out there! This Pokémon is cute and all, but I kind of need to get home. Anyone know how?

Oh, and--[He gathers up some snow in his mechanical hand to show the camera.]--what's all this stuff? Crazy enough there's all this water just sitting out here, but this stuff's falling from the sky.

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_{[Hoo boy, a newbie. Well, it's been a while and JW has become considerably nicer since the last time he welcomed anybody to the wide wonderful world of Pokemon.]

[So he decides to lay it down lightly.]}

Hey, fresh meat. Welcome. You won't be going home by choice, it'll just happen when and if it happens. I know folks who've been here a decade.

Also, be nice to the monsters and they'll be nice to you. Usually. Can't say much for the purple rats, but if you're sleepin' outside, watch your stuff.

[Vash nearly drops his PokéGear.]

A...a decade?!

[Time-wise, a drop in the bucket for him. I-Have-Shit-To-Do-wise? Horrible, hate that.]

I don't have time for a decade! I--purple rats? [Distracted.] Do they steal things?

They do! Food especially! They're the worst Pokemon. If you know somebody that trains 'em, don't trust them.

_{[JW is just spreading his grudge at this point.]}

[Vash chuckles sheepishly.]

I'm sure they're not all bad, can't judge a book you know?

I read the book, and it sucks!

[Another nervous laugh, oh man.]

Man, you really have it out for the little guys, huh?

You bet your ass I do! In fact, I got so fed up with the lil' assholes stealing my stuff and ruining my gear that I got this guy!

_{[JW hoists a Yungoos into the frame. The Pokemon's gaze is vacant. This is the face of a killer. In fact, that's his name. Killer.]}

Haven't had a problem since!

[It's always interesting how newcomers react. It's always different.]

Hi there! Sorry to say, you can't voluntarily get home. Sooner or later you'll probably go, and you'll end up right back at the point when you left. Meanwhile, you can care for the cute little ... or big ... animals you find.

[Some of his Pokemon pop up and chirp. There are many that look like a fox-rabbit cross.]

... Are you from a desert? The stuff falling down is snow. It's frozen water.

[This is, of course, bad news for Vash here. He puts his mechanical hand over his face and kind of just sits there for a moment before dropping it.]

If I'll go back to where--or when?--I was, are things on pause back home? [That would be mildly comforting.]

And yeah, how'd you guess? [He chuckles.] Nothing but sand where I'm from. This snow stuff is real new to me.

It seems like it. Some people have gone home and come back again, and that's what they say about it.

[Radley smiles a bit.]

Well, you look like you're dressed pretty good for our current weather, at least. The snow should be tapering off soon.

[Vash sighs with relief. He has no reason not to trust someone who knows a lot more than him.]

It's not all bad then. That's good to hear.

[He glances at his big ol' jacket on him and smiles.]

Yeah! It gets cold at night in the desert, too, gotta stay warm.

Yeah, it's been comforting for me knowing people aren't worrying back home.

It sure does. I live in a desert-y area back home too.

[Good to know his "save the world" efforts are being put on hold. Whew!]

No kidding, what a relief.

[He hums for a moment in thought.]

So are you from a different planet or something? One with snow and not totally covered in sand?

I'm from Earth. Yeah, we have lots of different kinds of weather and terrain there.

Earth...wow, didn't think I'd been meeting someone new from there any time soon. So it's still habitable for you? That's good.

Yeah, it is.... It's not for you?

[Well, that's terrifying. Hopefully he's from another dimension.]

[Oof. There's a lot to unpack here. The guy seems harmless enough, and genuinely confused, so Mando is going to take the easiest question first.]

The white stuff is snow. It's water that freezes up in the clouds and then falls back to the ground. Don't stay out in it too long or you'll freeze.

[The concept of water inside of clouds is new to him, so he's just nodding along. Sounds weird, but okay. At least this guy seems like a good dude.]

[Vash smiles sheepishly.] Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. If this is all water, I can't make a fire easily, huh?

Edited 2023-04-11 20:19 (UTC)

It's possible, but difficult. Takes a lot of work.

[Ask him how he knows! Or don't, unless you want a long screed about ice planets and how difficult they are.]

You're probably not far from a Pokecenter. They'll let you warm up in there.

Sounds like you've done it yourself, I'll take your word. I bet sand's easier than this snow stuff.

[He makes a gesture of looking over his shoulder at the town and comes back with a little smile.]

Thanks, I'll be on the look-out for one. They've got heating and cooling in them, yeah?

[Likely not many of those back where he's from.]

Yeah, sand is easier.

[Sand. Every Star Wars's nightmare.]

Yes. Heating, cooling, and you can pick up supplies for your buddy there.

[Mando gestures at the Pokemon Vash is holding.]

Looks like you got a Grass type. Strong against water.

Great! We'll be making a stop there, then.

[His Oddish makes a delighted little chirp and her leaves sway as she wiggles.]

[It takes him a second to put together why type advantage would be important here.] Thanks for the info, but I'd rather not fight anything at all, y'know?

That's fine. Some people never battle their Pokemon.

[Mando has only recently gotten himself around to the idea. Why make the Pokemon fight when he could just punch something himself, you know?]

Are you a Breeder instead of a Trainer? Breeders don't battle.

[Oh he is so relieved Mando didn't fight him on this "no fighting" thing. Can't say for pretty much everyone back home.]

Yeah, actually. That's what my ID card in the PokéGear said, and I have this Breeder's Guide, too.

[And, well, he has been wondering about something re: this whole Breeder thing, and this guy seems knowledgeable.]

Hey, so if I'm not fighting and all of that, do I need to travel all the time?

[In all fairness, if they were in Mando's home world, he'd be gathering the troops to go fight. Pacifism comes a lot easier in Pokemon World.]

That makes sense. There's no expectation for you to battle then.

[So congrats! Peaceful life!]

And no. Even if you were doing gyms, you could stay in one spot and travel to them. A lot of people here pick a place and make it their base of operations.

Ahaha... if only there were an answer to that!

[ Yuzu laughs... but then sighs. ]

There isn't, though... sorry.

[Vash also sighs.]

That's alright...thanks, though. Really appreciate all the help I've been getting, here.

Edited 2023-04-12 15:07 (UTC)

Unfortunately, nobody will be able to tell you how to get home. It's not something we can control.

[he quickly goes on though, before Vash can even get a word in, because he doesn't want this poor newcomer to think it is all bad.]

But you don't have to worry about your world. Time doesn't progress in it while you are here. When you go back, after however long that might be, you'll return to the last moment you remember. Nobody will have notice you disappear. It's like it will have never happened.

I know this might not be what you want to hear but, truly, this world is quite nice to live in. Of course, I do not know what sort of world you hail from, but for many of us, this place is much kinder than where we came from.

[Vash appreciates all the info! He nods along, very interested in what this guy has to say.]

[He can't help but latch onto the end.] Kinder, huh? Yeah, that's true so far.

[He's even missing his gun, which he decides isn't worth mentioning; as an object it's important, but as a weapon? He can do without, thanks Pokémon.]

[Vash looks like he's about to say something else, but it's taking a bit for him to get it out; he feels a little guilty about it.]

So...it's possible for your friends to come here, too?

[If this world is so kind, there are those in his life he'd like to experience it with.]

It's possible, yes. Several people from my home world have been in this place as well, though they've all returned to our own world now.

It's... difficult to predict if and when your friends might show up. There've been people here for years and years without someone from their homes showing up, and equally, there've been people who only are here for a short period and find themselves surrounded by familiar faces.

But even if your friends do not show up, there are plenty of friends to be made here as well. And that's including the pokemon.

I wish I knew how to get home, but I don't think there's any way to do it that we're able to cause anyway.

Oh but-! You don't have to worry, time's not gonna move. It's... some kinda magic I guess? But I can definitely verify that nothing happens while you're here with Pokemon.

Whew, that's a relief. I didn't exactly leave at a good time.

So how did you verify that?

Well- I'm not sure how it happened, but I wound up back at home for a short time, before returning here. I found out it really is true, that nothing passes by while we're here.

So... Whatever is waiting for you, will keep doing so. ...For better or worse.

Be glad that you have arrived when you have - they tell me this is a last late snowfall before the weather fully turns toward the warm, but we've had months of late where the entire region was frozen over.

[The humanization effect of this world has smoothed out the odder edges of Vierna's appearance, but young woman in the video message is still striking in her coloration - dark brown skin, stark white hair, bright red eyes.]

Frozen? Like in cryosleep? [That's the best he's going to understand that sort of thing, desert planet and all. Imagining a whole landscape like that is wild to him.]

That's snow - have you never seen it before? It's another form of precipitation that water takes when the air in the atmosphere is cold enough.

[Not that G'raha is judging - a world without snow is perfectly possible, and this guy sounds friendly enough. No harm in helping out!]

Of course, it's another matter entirely when everything below all that cold air is also cold enough to allow the snow to fall as it is, and accumulate, rather than melt. It's not a common occurrence in springtime, so you can rest assured it shan't last long.

[tbh I don't even know if it rains where he's from or has proper seasons, so this whole idea of things falling from the sky and then they can change depending on the temperature? Crazy, what's going on here?]

Never in my life! So springtime is supposed to be warmer than when it's cold enough to snow, right? [He pauses, trying to wrack his brain for if he was taught about anything like this when he was a kid.] And does it...get cold in different parts of the year?

That's right. And it does - in the winter, it can be bitterly cold, and this part of the world seems to be temperate enough that snowfall during that time isn't unusual. But I think once this surprise clears up, we're likely not to see more snow for...[Hold on, he has to count in his head.] Maybe seven months, at the earliest? Unless something strange is really and truly going on, which...happens more than one might expect.

Afraid you're here now, my guy.

[Wait that sounded sucky.]

Sorry, been a local for a few years and we're all here just doing the best we got. It's not bad here, I promise. Everyone back home is fine.

[ZUKE KNEW THIS MADE LITTLE SENSE TO NEWBIES...GOD.]

[Ulaz hadn't really been paying attention, but soon he was when Irkut - his Espurr - came "running" over with his device, wanting him to say hi to the new person. So Ulaz took the device, probably not before Vash got a brief glimpse of the Espurr who had been carrying the device]

Greetings. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be the option to return home as I have not heard of anyone who has done so when they wish.

The weather phenomenon is called snow. It is similar to rain, but the weather is cold enough that it has frozen.

[Oh boy. Riku feels called out by that other comment mentioning people being here for a decade.

So here he is, with a crooked, almost tense smile, as he runs a hand through his hair.]

Speaking as one of the guys who's been here for... sheesh, almost thirteen years now? We're kinda a minority. You probably won't stick around for this long.

But I'd still give up on an urgent giveaway. Time's on pause while you're here, and the more you think about what's going on back there, the tougher it'll be to focus on what's going on here.

[...]

Guessing you're not used to snow, though.

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