usedlaserbeam | 005 | Goldenrod City

Entry tags:

005 | Goldenrod City | Video / Action;

[What's one of the biggest perks of having a regular job? Why, the disposable income, of course. And today it seems Yagyuu has seen fit to put it to use, as he is currently walking through the streets of Goldenrod City, pausing to look in store windows and evidently doing a fair amount of window shopping while he's at it. He's got what's probably a shopping list in his hand, as well; at least, it's a piece of paper he's carrying with him and referencing every so often, and occasionally making marks on with a pencil.

After a few minutes of candid camera, though, he glances down and retrieves his Gear, moving to activate it—and looking only mildly surprised when he discovers it's already on.]

Well, that saves me a certain amount of effort, at least. [He lightly clears his throat.] Provided it's not too much trouble, if any long-term residents of Goldenrod City would be willing to offer their expertise in a certain matter, I'd greatly appreciate any recommendations toward reputable stores with a wide availability of home decorations and furnishings. Preferably not of the Pokemon-themed variety, if at all possible. I've found a few promising establishments of my own, but in a city this large, there's always the potential to overlook available options, so I'd be grateful for any assistance.

[And with a polite, almost friendly smile, he nods in affirmation and then switches the feed off.]

~
Delivered to Midori Komaki: one plush Eevee toy, with attached note:

As I recall, Eevees are the cutest Pokemon ever, Komaki-san; please accept this one as a small token of gratitude for assisting Kirihara-kun in his time of need.

Delivered to Minnie Mouse: one hair clip, with attached note:

I greatly enjoyed your story, Minnie-san; please accept this small gift in return for an exceedingly pleasant conversation.

Delivered to Rise Kujikawa: one roll of pink grip tape, with attached note:

For next time.

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[ and she suppresses a wince. It's still not the happiest thing to think about. ]

Right... so I've got to keep it up.

[Oh, so that struck a chord. And an unintentional one, for once--but still, perhaps, worth poking. Gently. At length.]

It's only natural to want to hold on to things like that. Especially while displaced like this.

[ "doing something is better than doing nothing except thinking about it"... is what she doesn't say. Really, Rise doesn't even look the slightest bit pensive now; she's still going at the pace she set, almost gaily. ]

And, you know, I don't want my manager on my case when I do go back.

You know, if it's true you return to the exact moment you left, it may be that you'll suffer no loss of skills whatsoever. It's entirely possible that neither you nor anyone else will ever know the difference.

So you'd lose all the time you got here, too...

It's a theory, at least.

It makes sense... even if you forget, there's no way you wouldn't notice if something was different about you.

Or that others wouldn't notice the change. I arrived several months after most of my teammates and yet I couldn't tell you they'd been gone even a minute. Which means they either all have remarkable poker faces-- [And yet one of them is Akaya; not likely] --or the theory holds up.

But then there's something else that's pretty weird, too.

Is there? And that is?

When people come back. Most of 'em don't remember, but sometimes, they do and they're back to the way they were when they left... so if that theory holds, and they actually go back to that exact minute when they leave, they just... get that lost time back when they show up again? Plus the time they got from being back home. And why is it that only some of them remember?

That's not so difficult to unravel. Bringing us here would require some sort of mechanism, wouldn't it? Then perhaps it's as simple as stripping us of the memories we created here upon our departure, and re-encoding them into us in the event that we arrive again. Or a fortunate few of us, as the case may be.

Ugh... and it's not even as random as dragging a bunch of people, either. Not to mention how it's happening, or what's doing it.

There's no telling, is there? It'd be dangerous if there were, though. The more we know about the circumstances of our arrival, the likelier it is that someone will find a way to manipulate them. Hence why it's more prudent to ensure that we never find out, practically speaking.

[ oh, Yagyuu, if only you knew just how HARD you're striking a chord. Rise doesn't flinch, or even hesitate, but she's certainly not acting like her perky self. ]

So basically... it's better if we don't try to figure it out? Just in case the wrong person does the same?

[He's quiet a minute, surveying the city, thinking of the list in his pocket and the house down the way and the creatures under his command. And then, finally:]

On the contrary, I think someone is going to a great deal of trouble to try to keep us from those thoughts. If we go home to the minute we left, then none of this really means anything--but we're still urged to believe it does. Training Pokemon, winning gym challenges...they're small, meaningless goals that only keep us from focusing our attention on the greater ones: discovering who did this and how, and finding a way to return home again.

[He shrugs slightly.]

It's a neat arrangement, and a classic misdirection. Whoever is responsible for bringing us here, they've certainly put thought into this.

[ rather cheerily. ]

And yet we've been having these thoughts. I didn't believe that rumor about getting the badges meaning that you got to go home, but I know it was something a lot of people wanted to have hope in.

Which, I think, only proves the point. Could it really be so easy? Or is collecting the badges just an arbitrary incentive to play along with the game?

People buy into stuff like that really easily... I guess that's something that never changes. They want to believe it's that easy.

And thus the system persists.

[A pause; then, his gentleman's smile.]

Ah, but this is a rather solemn topic of conversation for a simple shopping excursion, isn't it?

This isn't simple, Yagyuu-kun! [ and she's back to being cheerful, waving a finger at him. ] This is an important decision!

My choice of a desk and bookshelf is an important decision, Kujikawa-san? Then I shudder to think of the magnitude of some of the others.

The couch is life-or-death.

Oh? Do you think we intend to fight over it?

Nope! I think you need to make sure the color doesn't clash and that the cushions are actually nice and padded and that it's worth fighting over. ♥

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