video | june 18th

[pokexplorer]

[The video feed opens up to the image of a man with a weird coat and an even weirder hairstyle. It'd be weird enough without the translucence provided by his Iris Moonblessing, honestly. He is located somewhere in one of Greatmoon Groves' parks from the looks of things in the background, and he seems very excited to speak with the network.]

Greetings! I've yet to make a post to the network, so I would like to introduce myself first and foremost. I am Colress, a scientist working for the Lunar Scientia and a fellow Moonblessed!

I am addressing the network today with an inquiry! But before I get to that, I would like to make just a few more introductions. This will be related to my inquiry.

[Colress then pans the camera to five creatures whom he introduces as Klinklang, Beheeyem, Magneton, Rotom and Porygon-Z. Klinklang and Rotom seem particularly interested in crowding around the communication band to get their time to shine, while Beheeyem and Magneton hang out as far off-screen as possible. Porygon-Z looks like it has no idea what's going on, honestly.

Colress manages to settle them all down before returning his attention to the feed.]

These are my Pokemon! I have been here for about two months, and have taken notice to the fact that everyone I've spoken to has had no idea what Pokemon are. Allow me to provide a brief description: Pokemon are creatures in my world with unique abilities and affinities to various elements. There are hundreds of species, and they have had a long-standing symbiotic relationship with humans. Pokemon are a cornerstone of my world's culture and my primary subject of study, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that I seem to be the only one with knowledge of them here!

However, I have met several individuals with similar companions. This brings me to my inquiry: Are there others present in Lunatia that arrived with pets or companions similar to Pokemon? I would love to compare and contrast our experiences, and learn more about the creatures of your worlds!

[As Colress goes on, the upside-down head of Porygon-Z can be seen peering in from the top left corner of the feed.]

Of course, I am also happy to elaborate on the subject of Pokemon as well, if anyone found interest in my description.

Thank you for your time!

Comments

[pokexplorer]

Oh! [He takes that in stride and is quick to provide a short explanation.] It is a machine that washes laundry as opposed to washing it by hand. And yes, exactly right! Rotom is a special sort of spirit, as it only possesses machines.

As for Beheeyem and Porygon-Z...

[He motions for them to come on over. Porygon-Z is much more compliant, but at the same time it doesn't really seem to know what's even going on so it's going with the flow. Beheeyem gives off a standoffish aura, just staring into the camera.]

Beheeyem here is a Psychic-type Pokemon with similarly mysterious origins like Klinklang and Magneton. His species simply appeared one day in the region of the world that I come from. He is capable of levitating objects and people, as well as conversing with spirits. Porygon-Z is a Pokemon that was created on a computer! Its body is actually comprised of data, allowing it to travel into and out of computers at will. I typically keep it out and about, though.

[wildsorcery]

They have very complicated names. Do they mean anything specific?

[ Computer, data... more things he doesn't understand, but it all sounds amazing and he kind of wants to pet one to see if they feel just as weird as they look. ]

Where did you find all of these creatures? Are they just... around in your world?

text > action

[abidethewalls]

I will be on the lookout for it, I don’t believe it should be too hard to find if it is a landmark. I look forward to our meeting.

[And true to his word, Zavala manages to find his way to what he hopes is the correct fountain in the park the next day. His Ghost, Athena, hovers over his armored shoulder as a signal to whomever he’s supposed to be meeting.]

[pokexplorer]

These are the names of their species. Truthfully, I haven't thought to give them nicknames...but it is something that many trainers do.

[He's not the most creative with naming things.]

But yes, they were originally wild Pokemon! A big part of having Pokemon companions is the manner in which they become your companion. The majority of Pokemon owned by trainers are captured in the wild with a Poke Ball. [He holds up a red and white ball to help Connie visualize it.] But some are hatched from eggs, traded, or given. Klinklang was actually given to me as a child- and like myself, it was much smaller back then. It is my oldest companion and partner.

[pokexplorer]

[Colress is easy to pick out even among the colorful Prismals as he approaches the fountain. Klinklang is floating above him, making another easy identity marker.

When he spots the familiar Ghost, his expression brightens and he picks up his pace over to Zavala and Athena, waving as he approaches. Right away, Klinklang floats on over to inspect Athena. It makes a whirring noise at the fellow mechanical being- a greeting of sorts.]

Greetings! I hope I haven't been keeping you waiting for too long, ah... [He snaps his fingers. Shoot.] Forgive me, but I don't believe I caught your name!

[bloodisthicker]

Oh, I’m sure. It’s not really an enviable position at all, but it would really serve her well to seek guidance from those of us with more real world experience to help her navigate this difficult situation.

[pokexplorer]

I do agree with that...and I would imagine that you and the other council members would be in a comparable position as representatives of your nations. It is strange that she would break away from you when you probably told her as much.

[But, well, he can't exactly ask her to get her side of the story.]

[wildsorcery]

Oh. That's...

[ Odd. What if he was just calling his ferret 'Ferret' all the time? ]

...a mouthful?

[ Good save??? ]

So you tame wild animals will a ball? Do they chase it?

[bloodisthicker]

Well, teenagers do have a tendency to be rebellious. Hopefully she’ll come around to things sooner rather than later so we can deal with this crisis properly.

[pokexplorer]

[Excellent save. Colress laughs, at least.]

For the unfamiliar, I could imagine so! As for Poke Balls, the ball actually opens up, converts the Pokemon into energy, and contains it within. That is the taming method. I suppose they could be used as a toy to be chased, but there are much better options out there...

[Like yarn balls. Way cuter.]

[pokexplorer]

Ah, I suppose that's true...

[He honestly sounds like he's just taking Tarrlok's word for it. Teens are beyond his experience.]

I will hope for a successful solution as well, before the situation escalates any further. I am well aware of how harrowing it can get...

[bloodisthicker]

Hopefully my absence isn’t actually causing any problems. I would like to hope I can just go back to when I left and resume things, but I really have no idea how this kind of thing works... we will have international aid if it gets bad enough, though. I’m sure of that at least.

[pokexplorer]

It is difficult to say. We don't yet have a way of telling whether or not time is passing in our worlds as we are here, and if it is, at what rate. While the calendar system of Lunatia is similar to my own, space has a way of distorting time.

But with luck, we will be able to return at the same time that we left. After all, some people have arrived from different periods of time entirely, if the case of your acquaintance.

[The situation is definitely not as pressing for Colress, but he would like to have not missed out on all that time to work on his research...]

But it is good to know that you will have support, at the very least. I would try to focus on that knowledge, should the true scenario of time passage turn out to be less than desirable.

[wildsorcery]

That is amazing!

[ Maybe a little cruel, too, but animals have to be tamed somehow, right? ]

Your world sounds so different than mine. It's lovely.

[bloodisthicker]

That’s what’s making me think everything might actually turn out fine... but then again, even if people returned to the same point in time, wouldn’t we suddenly know about the existence of other worlds because they went there and came back?

...

The more I think about it, the more questions I have...

[pokexplorer]

You raise a good point! However, many parallel dimensions exist, and it could be that our particular dimensions have not had someone return with knowledge of other worlds.

[...]

Ah, well, I suppose my own could be discounted. It is not widespread knowledge, do have knowledge of other worlds. Or at the very least, other dimensions.

[This...is probably just making it sound more complicated than before, honestly.]

[pokexplorer]

[Connie's wonder over the subject practically has Colress beaming. He's charmed, truly.]

That is one of my favorite things about being here in Lunatia- learning of other worlds and how vastly different they can be. Likewise, I find the concept of your familiar to be very exciting!

[He'd love to try to create a Pokemon that way...or an artificial one like Porygon-Z at the very least. But magic is still something he only has a basic grasp on for the time being.]

You know, you are most welcome to see my Pokemon in person if you were so inclined. I am happy to introduce them to anyone interested. Perhaps I could meet your ferret as well?

[bloodisthicker]

...

So... basically just try very hard to hope for the absolute best case scenario, then. Got it.

*but we do have (wow self, nice missing words)

[pokexplorer]

Pre...cisely.

[That comes out a little awkwardly, as he's pretty sure he managed to make this confusing.]

My apologies, I got rather carried away, didn't I? I have knowledge of this subject, so...it came naturally, and I did not consider how complicated it may seem to an outsider.

[bloodisthicker]

No, it’s fine. This is why I’m in politics rather than science, after all. I do find it pretty interesting, but at the end of the day I’m more equipped to handle dealing with people than theoretical science.

[wildsorcery]

Oh, I... that would be nice?

[ He has to remember that people do not look down on him in this place. It was safer to meet people than back home. ]

I would love to meet your friends.

so sorry for the delay!

[abidethewalls]

[If it was strange to see Pokemon over the network, it's even more bizarre now that Zavala is faced with one of them in the flesh. He supposes that he shouldn't be so surprised, not with what he's seen and faced back in his home, but there's still a moment where he just stares at the floating gears that suddenly have made their (its?) way over. Athena, bless her, is entirely unphased and instead chooses to answer with a chuckle and whirl of her fins before she swirls around the new arrival with interest.]

Ah, I apologize. [Of course, how could he have forgotten? His manners are slipping. With a bit of a sheepish grin, he extends a hand.] Zavala, I don't believe I had the foresight to be polite enough to inquire about your name as well.

[pokexplorer]

[Colress eases into a smile.]

And that is a wonderful skill to have in its own right! I do well enough with talking to people, but handling them in a political sense is far beyond me. I suppose you could say that we have both bases covered, when it comes to how this world operates.

[pokexplorer]

[Colress is viewing Connie in quite the opposite manner. He's pretty dang fascinated! And so he practically beams when he accepts the offer.]

Wonderful! I am free today if you would like to come on over now, otherwise I am free most evenings.

all good! and likewise- I'm working on getting all caught up /wheeze

[pokexplorer]

[Athena's response gets a follow-up excited response from Klinklang. It joins her in her circular movement.]

No need to apologize! I was the one who neglected to ask. [But rather than worrying too much about it, what better way to make up for it than just getting things sorted? With a smile, he takes Zavala's hand for a good shake.] It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zavala. My name is Colress. And I see Klinklang has already taken quite the interest in Athena!

[Of course, Colress has too. What marvelous design! The photo really didn't do her justice, especially since he can see her movements in person now.]