001. [Video/Action for Cherrygrove City]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Heather didn't make any video posts during the long, long slog from the rocky slopes of Route 46 to the pleasant, nostalgic beaches of Cherrygrove.]

[That reason is because she and everybody else on the hike look like absolute shit.]

[Even after a VERY LONG shower (thank god for Pokemon Centers that virtually never run out of hot water), there's still grime on her skin. SHE CAN FEEL IT. But oh well, she's gotta make a video anyway. So here network, please accept for your consideration one (1) exhausted, disheveled Heather Mason in what is very obviously a generic T-shirt on loan from the Center itself.]

[Behind her is what everyone will no doubt recognize as a Center lobby-- a place she hasn't had to crash in in years.]</sub>

Well, that sucked.

Hey, everybody.

This is Heather, checkin' in along with Henry-- _{[She shifts the 'Gear to the right so that it will show a man lying facedown and completely still across multiple lobby chairs, still streaked in mud and being tentatively nosed at by a very small Phanpy.]}-- and Envy-- _{[She starts to shift the 'Gear to the left but is cut off with an indignant bark of "DON'T FILM ME."]}

--well, point is, we're alive.

Uh, Lust? We're gonna stay here-- or in the hotel if we can scrounge the money-- for the night, and then fly home in the morning.

And Tobias? I did wind up gettin' a couple of Blake's Pokemon-- uh, a Kingler and a Gallade. Didn't check their names, but they're there. So, I'll be takin' care of those unless he comes back, I guess.

_{[She lifts a hand to cover up a barely-stifled yawn-- there's still dirt under her nails.]}

So yeah I'm gonna go sleep forever now. Peace.

Comments

[Video]

[foolishwren]

_{[A groan.]}

That is a looong story, that involves bats, baby elephants, and blisters in places I don't wanna name.

_{[She drags a hand down her face, sucking in a deep, tired breath-- but then cracks one eye open to give Ochako a curious look. Then one corner of her mouth quirks up in a crooked smile.]}

Heh, you're new, huh?

Yeah, I have Pokemon that I can fly on. You probably will too if you stick around long enough.

[usedgravity]

Oh, geez - I'd heard the routes between towns were pretty messed up. I guess it's true.

[But hey, glad to see she can crack a smile. Ochako smiles brightly back]

Yeah, just got here! Well, a couple days ago anyway. But wow, I didn't know people could fly on pokemon... like, on a really big bird or something?

[foolishwren]

_{[It's kind of refreshing to see a newbie who isn't absolutely losing their shit. Not that waking up in an entirely different world doesn't kind of justify it, but you know, still. Nice breath of fresh air.]}

Yep.

Or a dragon.

Or a giant ghost robot with rocket feet.

This place is kind of weird, as I'm sure you've gathered.

I confess, I've mostly just got birds myself.

[usedgravity]

[She got that out of her system already. And, well, hey - as far as strange worlds to wake up in, one where everyone is friendly and eager to help you isn't too bad.

Enjoy the calmness while it lasted]

That's more than a little weird!

Like... dragons, real life dragons?!

[She ain't even touching that robot part]

[foolishwren]

Heh, you heard me.

Fire-breathin' and all.

_{[Of course, her only Dragon-type is a tiny fuzzy thing with no eyes and a nub tail, otherwise she'd be showing it off.]}

My friend over here who won't let me film him flies around on his Aerodactyl all the time.

[usedgravity]

Whoa... when they said monsters, I didn't think it'd really be like... magic and dragons! Is that really safe?

[She has no idea her own will be a dragon type later...]

That'd be a pretty cool way to take a video though, from up in the sky.

[foolishwren]

Safe? Hell, no, but since when has life ever been safe? _{[Ochako is talking to a survival horror protagonist. Safety is a fairytale.]} Anyway, the locals have been doing it presumably since the dawn of time, so I mean, when you got the entire society built around it, it's as safe as it's ever gonna be, probably.

But yeah, I'm sure you can find all kinds of cool flying videos on the network if you look around.

Only reason we didn't fly home the second we got dumped in the middle of nowhere is that we didn't have any of our fliers with us.

[usedgravity]

Uh... [Well, she'd really hope most of the time life is safe, but then again, with the villain attacks lately, what could they say? Deku had been threatened in an open mall after all.] I guess if it's been going on that long, it can't be too dangerous.

I'll have to take a look!

Oh, where were they? Did you find them again? [Guess who doesn't know about the PC... or anything really]

[foolishwren]

Yeah, yeah, we did-- if no one's explained stuff to you yet, you can only have a maximum of six of these guys with you at one time, unless you like... are chilling on private property where nobody cares.

So for the ones who aren't with you, they go into... ehhh, storage is a bad word for it... it's more like... an e-kennel.

Anyway, you can't access those in the middle of the woods, y'know? So if you wind up stranded without anything that can fly, you just gotta... hoof it till you reach civilization.

[usedgravity]

An... e-kennel? So... do you have to use a computer or something to get them again?

[Yeah... New Bark Town doesn't have a pokecenter...]

Huh, so you only travel with six and can only switch them out that way?

[foolishwren]

Yep and yep.

Having more than that with you can get a little unmanageable anyway, especially if you've got a lot of big ones.

Imagine trying to feed six really enthusiastic dogs at once, with some of them the size of horses. Then try to imagine more than six.

[usedgravity]

Wow, that sounds... really busy! Are you speaking from experience at all?

[foolishwren]

You bet I am.

Six years of it.

_{[She doesn't bother trying to hide the note of pride in her voice as she says it-- the amount of time she's been here is something she's proud of, after all.]}

[usedgravity]

Wh- six years?! You mean, here!?

[That is like, 40% of her life!]

[foolishwren]

Yep.

Pretty cool, huh?

<sub>[Normally she'd be... quicker to reassure anyone asking that plenty of people-- MOST people, in fact-- do not stay that long. She knows that not everybody is in her situation, where the world they'd be returning to has literally nothing left for them.]

[But this kid seems more curious than wigged out.]</sub>

[usedgravity]

[No, she's kinda wigged out]

That, uh - don't you miss going home at all?

[foolishwren]

_{[Oh. Then whoops.]}

Me?

Heck, no. My home's here.

_{[Apparently realizing she made a faux pas here, she trails off, rubbing the back of her neck a little awkwardly.]}

... Er... most people don't stay as long as me.

[usedgravity]

I, oh. Well, if that's what you're fine with!

[Ochako feels pretty awkward about it too but the idea someone might be here for years is... even if people say time pauses while you're gone, that's something else.]

[foolishwren]

Yeah. I'm more than fine with it. Nothin' left for me back where I came from that hasn't come here, in some form or another.

But you probably don't have to worry. Most people don't stay longer than a year. Even less, probably, most of the time.

_{[A year can still seem like a long time in theory, but boy do they fly by here in Pokemon land.]}

[usedgravity]

Huh, I guess that must help then... I mean, this place is pretty nice! [She could certainly think of worse situations to be trapped in]

I'm glad, I mean - I think I'd miss my family, my friends, school and all the teachers, and I can't imagine all of them showing up... well, and I think I'd kind of miss just being me? It's still really weird not having my Quirk...

[foolishwren]

Well, all of them don't usually show up, but I wouldn't be surprised if you wound up seeing at least one or two familiar faces while you're here.

_{[The rest, though, she can't speak to. She has no freakin' idea what a 'Quirk'.]}

[usedgravity]

That might be nice! But yeah, I think I want to look for a way home, or ope I'm not here quite as long as you.

[Don't worry, no one she's talked to has either]

[foolishwren]

Like I said, most people aren't.

Sucks for the people who WANNA stay, but... I guess it's good news for everybody else.

[usedgravity]

Hmm, well, if we can figure out why people appear and disappear, maybe we can control it? Then the people who want to stay can and the ones who want to go home can!

[foolishwren]

--I wouldn't waste your time, kiddo.

Like I said, I've been here six years. People have already tried to find that out and come up with nothing.

Just enjoy what time you've got and you'll go home whenever you wind up going home.