victory_road | Video

Cali is watching from her PokeGear while on Route 32 as her Pokemon are resting, the lingering sounds of the swarming Piloswine and Swinubs can be heard in the background. Oh boy Rui, take a look at the rainbow bright plague doctor looking girl that just popped up on your PokeGear.

"Oh my goodness, sure, I can share a ghost story that my Mama told me back when she was still living on the Lunar Colony if you want?" Cali answered happily on her PokeGear despite the rather concerning background sounds going on.

[Rui is delighted by the wild appearance of the girl on his PokeGear.]

A ghost story would be wonderful, yes~ However...You are safe where you are, aren't you? There are some concerning sounds coming through your end.

"Oh, I'm alright, My Pokemon and I are off on the sideline from the Piloswine and Swinub herd that's going by. They're surprisingly fast though, so that's been rather amusing to watch while waiting till it's good to go again. Though, I have to ask, do you know why there's a herd of them speeding by?" Cali casually spoke before asking as she turned the PokeGear Camera to the high speed Piloswine and Swinubs passing by like highway traffic.

I see. I'm glad you're alright.

[Rui and Mahiru watch the herd go by.]

I'm not familiar with those Pokemon, so I can't say for sure. However, when animals back home move together with such speed, its often times because something has spooked them.

[He shrugs and Mahiru quacks in protest at the motion.]

But again, I'm not an expert in these Pokemon, so I can't be too sure.

"Thank you and I'm not entirely sure either, like I thought these guys were mostly up in cold places like Blackthorn or the race track where the Swinub Scurry was. Anywho, I promised you a ghost story, it'll certainly help pass the time over here till this blows over." Cali returns the PokeGear camera to focus on herself instead of the NASCAR grade Pokemon stampede going on.

Yes please tell me. I'm all ears~

[Nepeta, the Meowscarada, comes in frame to join in listening to the story. Sitting down, she's only barely peeking over the desk.]

"Awesome, okay so back where my Mama came from, the Lunar Colony was famous for their collection of Moon rocks with embedded microscopic dinosaur bone fragments. They're a huge paleontological find due to proving the veracity of that impact from the K-Pg event. Now, during the early days of the colonization process, there were two scientists, Dr. Harrison and Dr. Young. They were huge rivals back on Earth when it came to their dinosaur research thesis and dig sites. No one knows which one made the discovery first, but when they found the dinosaur moon rocks, it turned into an all out war between the two scientists." Cali began the ghost story before giving a little wave to Nepeta during the video chat.

Edited 2025-03-09 23:44 (UTC)

Nepeta waves back. Rui nods along and puts a fist to his chin in thought. That was a very interesting beginning. "A story of rivals, huh? What happens then?"

"From what I understood, it started off in court hearings, the judge going over the dates of the research papers to determine who was first. At first, things were pretty petty from the two scientists such as their printers suddenly missing their ink cartridge." Cali explained, reaching over to pet Sweet Sixteen close by as she continued.

"However, as they often do, it took a turn when Dr. Harrison learned that the court was leaning in favor towards Dr. Young. When the day of the verdict arrived, Dr. Young had went missing and was declared dead after a month of searching. Suspicion was high towards Harrison as the culprit, but there wasn't any proof and the scientist had an alibi. The victory was short lived though.." Cali took a pause to let the suspense sink in for a little bit.

The suspense has Rui and Nepeta leaning forward towards the camera, with Nepeta getting on her knees to keep from bumping the desk. Mahiru, on the other hand...Is asleep...

"Then what happened to Dr. Young? Did Harrison pay someone to do the job for him?"

"Well, that one is a very interesting question, when they did find Dr. Young's body, an autopsy had shown he had been poisoned by moon dust. No one was sure if it had been a hired job or if Harrison had did a fake peace offering to commit the crime." Cali shifted a bit in her spot as she explained the details of the crime before she resumed.

"Harrison though, he didn't get away from it for too long. It started after a week of winning the case by default when the hallucinations started. Harrison started claiming to have seen dinosaurs roaming around his dormitory and laboratory. It went on for twenty three days until Harrison himself went missing, some saying he had a meltdown before running towards the rover port. They say that every twenty third day, you can see Harrison's ghost running away from spectral dinosaurs in the Shoemaker district where as Young's ghost has been said to roam the museum, tapping on the observatory glass windows." Cali concluded the ghost story happily as it's been a while since she shared it with anyone.

Rui listens with his full attention on her. He's silent for a moment, before saying,"A ghost story with two different ghosts...How interesting~ It almost makes me want to live on the moon, to experience those ghost encounters myself~" He already does want to go to the moon. He just wants to go there more now. "I would especially like to see the spectral dinosaurs."

"Thank you for sharing that story with me- ah," He looks down, and realizes now that he's forgotten to take notes on the story, and hopes that he can remember enough of it. "It was interesting enough that I can surely recount it later for my notes.

Cali wouldn't blame Rui either for it, the moon's colony is such a fun place to be on, especially for the lunar dinosaur museum.

"Yep, two ghosts in one story, it was my favorite growing up. I'm just glad to have shared it, it's been a while since I last got the chance to tell it. If you want, I can exchange PokeGear numbers with you?"

"It's a good story. Thank you for sharing it with me~" Rui says, he presses some buttons on his PokeGear in order to send his number over to her. "You should have it now. My name is Rui Kamishiro, if you'd like to save it."

Cali goes to saving the number to her PokeGear to Rui's name with a happy humming sound, "You're welcome, I'm just happy to have shared the story and my name is Calliope Macabre, but everyone calls me Cali for short."

"Nice to meet you, Cali-kun~ Perhaps one day we'll run into eachother~"

"It's wonderful to meet you too Rui, I hope we can meet up in person soon." Cali goes to get ready to start up lunch for her Pokemon and herself, she's humming a merry little tune in a happy fashion.

A story you could write a show about? Oh, man...

[Rui's pretty good at putting on shows, isn't he? It'd be so cool to have a show about the Boss... but it'd be a MAJOR security breach, too.]

Um... Let me think about it!

[Rui puts a hand to his chin to think about how to explain himself well. Mahiru quacks and flaps his wings in protest to the sudden lack of petting.]

It doesn't have to be something completely incredible either.

[The duck pokemon calms down when Rui goes back to petting him.]

A lot of my shows, while fantastical, are rooted in everyday feelings or conflicts. Lately, I've been wanting to explore how people and pokemon interact with each other, and how pokemon interact with other pokemon.

Huh... How do you make a good show based on something like that?

[For what it's worth, Doppio seems genuinely curious.]

I'm glad you asked~

A good show makes its audience care and feel something. Whether that's joy, sorrow, frustration...As audience members, we relate to the characters on stage to experience the story fully.

[He's gesturing as he talks now, and Mahiru abandons his spot on Rui's lap to go somewhere safe.]

Let's say I were to write a show about aliens. Not a human among them. How would the audience, full of humans, be able to relate and care about the characters? You make the story something that any human could relate too. Whether it be a misunderstanding with a peer. Or an authority figure with unreachable demands. Or maybe focus on love, whether a romantic plot or even the love between family members.

By first focusing the story on more common interactions, you have something for the audience to latch onto so that you can expand into more fantastical stories without losing them! So by learning more about what people experience in their day to day, I can add more variety in the types of stories I write.

[He listens with a sort of blank, sort of dazed stare - the kind of look that might make someone wonder if he's following any of what Rui is saying at all. At the end of the explanation, though, he smiles.]

I think I kinda get it. But still... You're really creative, aren't you, Rui? I'd never be able to do the stuff you do just by asking people about their days.

[Rui rubs the back of his head as he accepts the compliment.]

Thank you. I'll admit, it's taken quite a bit of practice to get to the point I'm at now. And I wouldn't have realized some of this without the help from my friends back home. In many ways, we all grew together.

[It's been a year since he's seen the rest of Wonderlands x Showtime, but that doesn't stop his smile from turning sad when he brings them up.]

[And now that "deer in the headlights" look is back. Doppio doesn't know much about Rui, in truth - not that that's a problem. After all, Rui has never pinged him as a threat.

But he's kind of curious, with him looking so wistful and all.]

Did you all do shows and stuff?

[Rui's going to ignore the "deer in the headlights" look in favor of talking about his favorite people with a gentle smile on his face.]

Yes, we were a theater troupe called Wonderlands x Showtime that performed at our local amusement park together~ We performed some marvelous shows together, and grew together over the time we spent together. It was wonderful to work alongside such an interesting cast. I owe them quite a bit.

[It's actually nice talking about them, so he continues.]

Nene is my childhood friend, and while she's rather shy, she's an amazing singer. She actually acted as our vocal coach for our musical productions! Emu-kun is an interesting character. She's so determined and energetic! She was the one who wanted to get a troupe together to save her family's amusement park. And then Tsukasa-kun is the one who found me and convinced me to join. He's our leader, and is a bright star, always trying to reach higher.

[His smile goes from gentle to manic.]

He also makes such fun faces when we play around~ I miss launching him into the sky...Ah, perhaps if he ever appears here, I should take him to the National Park. Since he can't handle the small bugs of our world, I do wonder how he'd handle Bug-Type Pokemon~

[Okay well uh. That last part is a bit concerning, but,]

That sounds nice!

[... Doppio seems sincere, but... perhaps a bit out of his depth? As if he can't quite imagine being close to an entire troupe of friends...]

[Rui hesitates, wondering if he should say anything else.]

You know...For a long time I thought I was going to go through life alone. Nene was the only person my age who would even talk to me without being forced too.

[And even she was forced to at the start.]

It's because of Wonderlands x Showtime that I'm able to try my best here. They may not be here now, but everything they've shown me, will stay with me where ever I go.

Geez, going through life all alone... now that sounds awful. Nobody wants that, but thinking you're gonna be living like that forever... That must be really lonely.

[That, too, sounds sincere. More than that - heartfelt.]

But... aren't you lonely now, since they're not here? I mean, you found a place where you belong, and now...

It was.

[Rui rubs the back of his head as he tries to think of how to respond.]

I am, but not to the same extent. I have been doing my best to put myself out there more frequently. Because if I was able to make three good friends back home, perhaps I can here as well.

I've already made one friend in Shuichi. And I have my Pokemon.

I wish I could be with Wonderlands x Showtimes again, either here or back home, it's true. But...even if I can't...I can keep trying to find a place I belong here.

... Well... It sounds like you're doing great to me, yeah? So keep it up!

Thank you. I will keep doing my best.

[He hasn't done anything reckless yet, so that's a good sign.]

And thank you for letting me ramble on. That wasn't the most fun topic of conversation, I'm sure.

[Blink. Blink.]

Oh, uh... It's fine! I was just kind of curious...

There's nothing wrong with being curious.

But speaking of curiosity, did you have any stories to share?

[OH RIGHT. That's what this was about in the first place, isn't it? He kind of lost the plot there.]

... Um... I guess I didn't manage to think of one, in the end!

[That's okay, Rui did too for a bit. Rui chuckles.]

That's fine. It's been nice to chat with you regardless.

[Jotaro turns on his video to show that he's fishing calmly by the riverbank, while his Dachsbun sleeps lazily next to him. Usually he wouldn't tune in to something like this but... hey... he has quite a bit of time on his hands.]

Interesting. I have a few stories. What are you looking for in particular? Something full of action and adventure? Rooted in mystery?

You have stories of all kinds then? You must live an interesting life~

[Rui takes a moment to think.]

Well, I haven't actually done many shows involving mysteries, so something like that might be interesting if you'd be willing to share.

You could say that. I'd call it more a bizarre life. [Jotaro sighs an old man's sigh. He's only forty but he feels older than that - he's had enough adventures for one lifetime, even before coming to this world.]

It's a murder mystery, if that's okay: It involves a serial killer and has some supernatural elements. I'll try keep it as simple as possible but flag me if you want me to go into more or less details.

Bizarre? Now I'm really curious. However, a murder mystery would be okay.

[And the supernatural elements sound more than okay to Rui. All these different world he gets to hear about fascinate him.]

So it starts in a little town called Morioh, off the coast of Japan. I went there to meet the teenage illegitimate child of my grandfather, Joseph Joestar, to talk about his inheritance. However, once there, I found that Josuke, my uncle, had also inherited the same supernatural power that my grandfather and I inherited: the power to summon a Stand.

[Jotaro sighs and leans back into his chair.] How do I explain Stands... Well... a Stand is the manifestation of your life energy. If you have a Stand, you're able to use supernatural powers... for example, Star Platinum is mine and it has the power to stop time for a few brief moments. There are a few rules to Stands, and even more exceptions, but generally, non-Stand users can't see Stands. Most don't know they exist.

Anyway, when I found Josuke inherited the power, I figured I could use his help so I told him about the other reason I went to Morioh: to catch a Stand-using murderer named Anjuro Katagiri that had escaped prison.

[Jotaro pauses.] Mind you, that's not the serial killer this story was about. There was no mystery to him. We just dealt with him after... unfortunate circumstances. I can tell you more about it, or I can jump to the ghost who actually tipped us Stand-Users off to the serial-killer. I'm rambling, I suppose.

[That was...a lot to take in.]

So stands show up and give you super powers, but are invisible to people who don't have one. What allows people to have a Stand or not? Can someone loose a Stand later in life? What about gain one? Can there be duplicate powers? If so, are some powers more common than others? You say there are rules and exceptions, what about-

[Rui cuts himself off and rubs the back of his head sheepishly.]

That's not the point, sorry. Perhaps we should focus on what's necessary for the story you'd like to tell?

Some people are born with the ability to use Stands. Others can be granted the ability if they're touched by one of six special arrows and not killed by it. [And there are exceptions, like him and his bloodline, but it's not worth bringing up.]

It's fine. I'm happy to answer questions. It'll just take longer to get to the point. We don't know what allows people to have a Stand and while Stands can change they can't lose one. [Special circumstances aside, anyway, but the discs were part of a whole other adventure...]

Essentially, my uncle Josuke... defeated Katagiri. But before he became... unable to talk further, we found out that there were Stand-creating arrows in Morioh so I stuck around to try and find it. There was a whole bunch of nonsense that involved fighting Stand users and rats but eventually we recover the bow and one arrow.

But jumping to the ghost, Sugimoto Reimi. Reimi was one of the victims of the serial killer of our story. She approached two associates of mine and asked them to find her killer, who was still in Morioh. She never got to see his face but she knew he was out there.

Initially, I wasn't going to get involved since that was a matter for the police, but that changed when that serial killer murdered a high school student with his Stand. [Jotaro sighs.] The boy exploded in the hallway of his school. Nothing else in the building. Just him. From the perspective of the police, one moment he was there, the next he was ashes.

Considering non-Stand users can't see Stands and most people don't know Stands exist, we agreed to help find the guy. But there were no clues, save for a single button the boy managed to have his Stand deliver to my uncle.

[It takes Rui a minute to respond, trying to sort out the information he was given.]

So is the ability to see ghosts a power of a Stand as well? Or a separate ability altogether?

[It wasn't the most important part of the story, but it was the one thing he didn't understand at the moment.]

Also, what clues did the button hold?

It was in Remi's case. Who can say, really?

[All the Stand Users COULD see Remi so it is assumed that it was just an inherent ability. And he has seen other spirits (sorta) before. But Remi's the only ghost he could talk to fully and she was in Ghost Alley... It really is a mystery.]

The button was purple and very oddly shaped, so it was distinctive enough to recognise. Given their quality, I figured that the murderer would have taken it to get it repaired somewhere. I spent four days tracking down someone who may have repaired a jacket with similar buttons and went to every tailor in Morioh. However, by chance, I found a shoe store that also specialises in tailoring so I went in to find some leads.

I was lucky. The store owner recognised the button and could even show us the jacket the button came from. However, when he went to check the tag on the jacket to ensure that he was remembering the owner's name right, his right hand was suddenly blown off.

I don't know what the chances were but the murderer was hiding in the back room and had used his Stand Power to kill whoever tried to use his jacket to find his identity. Bastard killed another civilian just so we wouldn't be able to learn who he was.

That led to a fight, of course. Koichi, one of the teen Stand Users I met in Morioh, and me, versus Yoshikage Kira. [Jotaro subconsciously rubs his arms. He got badly messed up in that fight. He definitely still had scars.]

Video | OTA

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I see what you did there lol

If the anime/manga are gonna do it, so am I lmao

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