4 ∅ [Video]

[callbacks]

[The video starts on an unsure-looking Kirlia. He starts to edge away, but Dave--apparently behind the camera--speaks.]

Naw, go ahead, dude. C'mon. Don't be shy.

[The Kirlia sighs, extremely put upon, and then ballet-toes back into place. There's a Dawn Stone on the floor nearby; the Kirlia bends primly at the waist to pick it up, and:

Presto.

Wart the Gallade examines his arm-blades for a moment, then shoots Dave a look as if to say, "If we're quite done now." Dave chuckles quietly.]

Yeah, yeah, thanks for humoring me, bro. The moment has been secured for posterity. Duty discharged. [The relief on the Gallade's face is palpable before Dave turns the camera towards his own movie star mug. Hello, Johto.]

So, hey. I get that baby's first evolution is probably ancient headwear for most of you, but he's the first guy I got all the way to his final form. That's worth some kind of jokey home video.

[Yeah, because he's obviously being ironic about this. He's not Proud Dadding all over his starter, no sirree.]

Anyway, I've been hearing about a bunch of different evolutionary paths our Poképals can take, and, I dunno. I'm curious, I guess. If you ever made a choice like that, what made you pick one way or the other?

Comments

[callbacks]

I had a friend who pretty much exclusively communicated through eye contact and gesture, so, like. I dunno, I'm used to it. We always just sort of understood exactly what he was saying even though he never said a word.

[Dave sighs like a lovesick maiden.]

Mannnn, I miss the Mayor. He was like my best friend, pretty much. What a great fuckin' little dude.

[islandshore]

Heh. Did it take a while, or did you guys hit it off right away?

[Whatever the case, Riku definitely understands the sentiment and heaves a tiny sigh of his own.]

I'd say he could show up, but you can never really tell with this place. What was he like, though?

[callbacks]

He was kind of mortally wounded when we first met so I can't say what it was like for him, but it was basically love at first sight on my end. He was always around to shoot the shit in Can Town or listen to your problems. And we had some really goddamn amazing back-and-forths going on about democracy, he was really into political theory.

[islandshore]

Wait, was the town literally made of cans, or is it just a name?

[Because of it's the former... wow. This must've been one weird world.]

Either way, sounds like an interesting guy, but how'd you manage to talk politics when he didn't speak?

[callbacks]

Literally cans. And books for roofs and stuff.

[Riku may be overestimating the scale of this town.]

Look, it's hard to explain without him here. You'd just kind of look at him and let the understanding in. He had some real great ideas, if he were a citizen of America or even of my whole planet I'd've voted him President immediately.

[islandshore]

...so how small was this guy?

[Because if he's serious about this, then it doesn't sound as much like a town as a playset. Then again, maybe the town was populated by mice. Hard to imagine, but he's not about to close his mind to the possibility.]

Either way, those must've been some... intense looks, if you could read that much from him. Heh, unless you're some kinda telepath, anyway.

[callbacks]

Oh god, no, I'm not psychic. You'd want my sister for that. But I don't think she was that kind of psychic.

[Oh my god, Dave, she's not Psychic. Anyway, he holds a hand up about three, four feet off the ground.]

The Mayor's, like, yay big? Something like that.

[islandshore]

So is that thing hereditary, or did she pick that up later?

[These are important questions, okay? He must know how to contextualize these otherworldly shenanigans!

And... wow. That's... really small. Give him a second while he tries to visualize this.]

Huh. So a dwarf? A kid? Something else? Not that I'm judging either way.

[callbacks]

The Mayor's a chess piece guy. From Derse, so he was black, and by black I mean his shell was the color black like actual chess, I'm not here to make racial commentary today.

Anyway, Rose is...I guess the powers are hereditary, in a weird kind of way, but it's not like a gene coded in her mom's slime or anything, we all had weird powers by virtue of being who we are and just didn't discover them until we were older and under pressure so we sort of had to access them to survive.

[islandshore]

Didn't think you were, especially with the chess piece comment, but I hope his shell was tougher than plastic.

[Because being made out of something so meltable would probably suck.]

Is slime to be some kind of euphemism for something, or is your world really that weird? Either way, sounds like something you'd see in a comic book.

[callbacks]

My world really is that weird.

[Full stop.]

I think of it more like a video game than a comic book, though. Since that's what it was. Sort of.

[islandshore]

Heh. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda jealous.

[His world's just so mundane by comparison!]

So, what happened? Did you get sucked into the TV or something?

[There's been sci-fi stories with similar premises, so he wouldn't put it past 'em.]

[callbacks]

Not really. More like, the game started affecting our real world and then whisked us out of danger to a whole new set of planets once we fulfilled certain preliminary conditions.

[islandshore]

[Give him a moment to grasp this. It's... kinda intense, and the way his face crumples up, then pops back into a befuddled stare proves that he's having some trouble processing this.]

Heh. Sounds like whoever designed that game is some kinda wizard. How'd you even manage to afford it?

[callbacks]

I don't think it was that expensive as far as computer games go, but, uh, also I was thirteen at the time and wasn't actually really in charge of our whole monetary situation? My Bro bought copies for both of us.

[islandshore]

Heh, well, you're not alone there. My folks always handled the financial issues back home. One of the perks of being well off, I guess.

Granted, we don't have reality altering video games where I'm from. Kinda wish we did, though.

[callbacks]

No. You don't.

[Oops, well, he said that without really thinking about it, but it's the truth.]

[islandshore]

...I take it it's not all it's cracked up to be, then.

[It'd certainly explain the blunt reaction, anyhow. Was there some kinda catch he hadn't considered?]

[callbacks]

What video games have you played lately. Would you honestly want to live in one.

[Well. Ignoring their, uh, current, obvious circumstances.]

[islandshore]

Yes.

[Said with a perfectly straight face.]

It's more exciting than the world I came from, even if I do wind up seeing other worlds in the future. Plus, isn't this place like a video game?

[callbacks]

...Uh-huh.

[Okay. Okay. Breathe in long, breathe out slow.]

I guess it depends on the kind of game you like. Or maybe I just don't need as much excitement in my life as you do.

[islandshore]

I've always been a sucker for the action/adventure stuff. Before I came here, I was already planning on exploring other worlds, so this place has been a good start...

I just figure there's more interesting stuff out there. A tiny island gets old after a while.

[Sure, he does miss it on some level, but he wouldn't wanna spend his whole life there.]

[callbacks]

Interesting's not always a good thing, you know.

[His tone is withdrawn and neutral, at this point.]

And you might get bored of a game before the game gets bored of playing with you.

[islandshore]

Heh. That personal experience talking?

[He slumps against a wall, running his hand through his hair.]

Either way, I guess I see what you mean. It's... kind of where I'm at here.

[callbacks]

Been here a long time?