versusseeker | maskormenace

[Red nods - you certainly did tell him, though you probably assumed he wasn't listening (not a bad assumption, but he did catch some of your rambling). He shrugs at Blue's wondering, but he is still wearing that thoughtful expression.]

Check?

[You know, like on a map. Or the internet. We have the technology, Blue.]

[Blue turns to look at Red blankly for a moment, then down to his comm... Grabbing it, he switches it on and types around a bit to do a quick google.]

...Well, nothing for Pallet Town, but I wonder--

[His eyes widen before he shoves the comm over to Red, displaying this page:]

"The Kantō region (関東地方 Kantō-chihō) is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. ..."

Oi, Red! Look at this map... A lot of things are different, but isn't that Mt. Silver? And this long overwater path has to be Cycling Road, which means this city is Fuchsia, and that bay is just like Vermillion's...

[Blue scoots himself closer so they could look over the little map together.]

[Red takes turns glancing between the map and his rival, his eyes brightening with more excitement each time he turns back to face Blue. He's never heard of this "Japan" before, but Blue isn't wrong - that does look at least a little bit like Kanto! And it's called Kanto. So, maybe it really would be the same. And if that's the case, then maybe...]

Pokémon...

[His eyes are focused steady on Blue now. He has to be thinking the same thing, right? ~~It's not like that's all Red thinks about or anything.~~]

[Blue is grinning, eyes down on the map as he studies it, eyes running over the same familiar geography again and again. The Magnet Train line. The towns dotting the base of Mt. Silver. The islands trailing down below Cinnabar, the Sevii Isles. It was all there, even if there were differences, even if the cities looked far more populated and clustered together. Home.]

[He glances up just in time to meet Red's eyes and, suddenly becoming a little self-conscious of his own excitement, pinks.] ...Red...

[Blue wondered if there really could be Pokémon there, despite everyone's insistence that they didn't exist in this world. Even if it was home, it might not really be. But it was worth looking, right?] --What is it? Do you wanna go?

[Red begins nodding right away, but his mind is moving a little faster than he can keep up with. It's easy to get ahead of himself thinking about home, about the possibility of Pokémon-- Maybe he could even see his mom if--

[Suddenly, he stops, his eyes taking on a far-off look that Blue would be more than used to by now. No, he has to remind himself. This world is different. This Kanto is different. She won't be there. Maybe there won't be any Pokémon there either, but...

[He glances back to Blue, something in him more subdued than it had been before, but he still gives one last nod. Yes. He wants to go.]

[He notices the brief look on Red's face and glances away, down to the map again. Well... he was probably just going to be disappointed. It wasn't really like they were going home. But maybe there would be something more familiar about that place than this weird region.]

[And besides that, they'd be traveling together again, so...]

[Blue meets his eyes again, and nods back. His finger drags along the comm's screen and he flicks through some other photos that had popped up- of Tokyo, the sprawling metropolis that reminded him of Saffron and Celadon, of the country that looked so much like home.] I wonder how far it is... We probably can't get there with Pokémon alone if it's over the ocean. [Like Kalos or Unova.]

[Red nods as he listens to Blue, eyes scanning the same pictures as his rival flips through them - just like Saffron or Celadon, he thinks to himself, quite sure that the other man must be thinking the same thing.

[He leans forward a bit then, nudging Blue's knee with his hand as it slips beneath the table and then holding out his wrist. In the shadow, the dim glow of his tattoo can just barely be made out. He points to it.]

They'll help.

[He remembers hearing something about it - reading something about it, maybe. The registered ImPorts could leave the Porter cities and travel with permission from the government. His eyes go back to Blue, expectant, hoping that Blue will understand what he's trying to get across.]

[Blue has his chin in one hand, eyes off a little distant in thought as he thinks about the mechanics of getting themselves there. Well, he didn't know much about this world, but they'd had to take a plane and ship from Kanto to Kalos and Alola, so... Probably, the same would apply here, wouldn't it?]

[He's distracted by a touch against his knee, which doesn't fully register for a moment as Red's hands until he jumps a little and pulls back to look under the table.] Wh-what're-- [He stops when he sees the glow of the nanites under Red's skin. It's uncanny, he thinks- it stopped bugging him after about a week to see it on himself, but he had hardly noticed it on other people yet. Seeing a new mark under skin he'd been so familiar with already was ....strange.]

[It takes him a few moments to grasp at what Red is trying to say, but he tilts his head thoughtfully.] Do they pay for it, though? [He muses. He hadn't really paid attention to the details of... well, how this world operated. He was still learning things each day.] Maybe we'll just have to save up for a little bit. Take a vacation there, huh?

....A vacation home. Heh. Well, let's make it a goal, eh, Red?

[Finally, a small smile appears on Red's lips as he nods, straightening up and removing his arm from under the table to hold it out for Blue instead - let's shake on it.]

[~~Thank Arceus, Blue thinks, he was getting kind of nervous with his hand down there~~ He glances to Red's hand and, grinning (with a bit of pink to his cheeks again), grabs it.]

--Speaking of which, what are you doing for work, anyway? No winnings to earn in battles around here, gotta make the bills meet somehow...

[Red's hand goes a little limp under Blue's grip before he pulls it away, his own cheeks turning pink now at the question and his smile fading. He frowns, in fact, taking the brim of his hat and tilting it down over his eyes while they go to the floor. He scratches somewhat awkwardly at the back of his neck.

[A "Speech Therapist". What a joke that was. Even now, he can't force out the words to say so. It's something he's been trying not to think about, even though he's been to work a couple of times already. Red isn't really used to failing at things so quickly, and it's kind of been getting him down in the dumps.

[That and, though Blue has never been one to poke fun at his mutism, Red is just a little afraid that he might laugh when he tells him...

[He pulls out his communicator, not without a little bit of shame for resorting to text. But his mouth simply won't open. He takes a moment to type it out -] Speech Therapist [- then holds the communicator up for Blue to see, eyes still glued to the floor, hidden under the shadow of his hat.]

[Well, that was quite a reaction. To anyone else such a flustered movement might be minor, but Blue knew that that little tug, the burning of his cheeks meant more than just a little. What could his job be that would possibly get that reaction-- was he doing something that embarrassing? --No, no, get your mind off of that, Blue, get it together--]

[His head tilts as Red pulls out his comm to start typing. Woah. It must be really bad if he has to write it. Still, Blue is patient, if a little worried, finally taking the communicator to read what's been typed out.]

[...........Okay, it was a little amusing, the irony of it if he admitted it, but Blue knew better than to laugh. Not with this. No wonder Red was so embarrassed.]

Who the heck thought that would be a good idea...? [Blue tsks, pushing the comm back away across the table. He frowns, seeing how down Red was about it, and nudges him playfully with his elbow.] Ah, well.... Don't worry about it, we'll find you something else. I'm training therapy animals- it's not that different from training Pokémon to assist the elderly, you know, like they have in hospitals and stuff? And that Rocket brat is working in a shelter. Kind of like the house old man Fuji has in Lavender. Maybe we can find you something in one of those places?

[Don't worry, Red. Blue always got your back.]

[Well, at the mention of animals, Red does perk up a bit-- Okay, or maybe more than just a bit. Blue isn't the first person to suggest that he oughta work with animals. He can talk to them, after all. Maybe he could get a job working with Blue. Training animals couldn't be that much different from training Pokémon, right?

[Say what you will about Blue Oak, but no one can pull Red out of a rut like he can ~~or put him into a rut, but we won't mention that just now~~. Blue always got his back.

[He nudges him back, flashing him a genuine and, for Red, a pretty decently-sized smile. And then he nods.]

[Blue grins back- is he looking a little pink? Probably just the sun- and crunches on his pretzel. Really... He hated to ever see Red down about that, something he hadn't been able to help since they were little. But Blue had never cared- Red had always been a good friend even if they couldn't communicate in words. And even when Blue hadn't deserved it.]

[Blue sits back thoughtfully, shoving the rest of his treat into his mouth.] Mmph. 'ell... [Gulp.] That Aqua loser does some vet stuff, too. Maybe he can hook you up. Anyway, you can come see my work and maybe they'll give you something. I don't know how much they're hiring or whatever, but you're obviously qualified.

[Of course he's not going to admit you're probably more qualified, with the talking to animals thing. But he can't be giving you too much credit now, Red.]

[Red's smile brightens even more at that one - this time, perhaps, with a bit of pride. Not the kind of pride that Blue exhibits, of course, but he's allowed to be proud of himself and his cool new power, isn't he?

[He swivels around in his chair a little bit, attention going back to his sorbet, which-- Has been almost entirely devoured by Pikachu at this point. He frowns a bit at that, bopping the little rat on the nose with his spoon and earning a glare from it. But a split second later and both he and the creature are silently giggling at each other.]

[Well, Blue supposes he should be able to- not without some grumbling to himself, but it would probably come in handy. Finished with his own snack, he watches the street outside for a few moments while Red and Pikachu are fighting over the sorbet, and his attention isn't peeled back until he senses Red snickering next to him.]

...What is it? [Blue asks, expression souring just a bit. Somehow, he had the feeling he was being mocked.]

[Red turns to Blue, expression blank.]

He ate it.

[Pointing to the empty sorbet container.]

It's funny.

[Duh.]

He eats all of your food.

[Blue doesn't see how this is different from any of the other hundreds of times this has happened!]

[SHRUG]

...Anyway, you've been okay, right? No one's said anything to you about that? [Blue frowns. People had commented on it when they were younger, but... by the time he had mended things up with Red again, they were past the point where what people cared about when they met Red was whether he talked a lot or not.]

[Red frowns a bit, shrugs his shoulders. People had mentioned it, sure. But no one had given him too much grief about it so far. Either way it was embarrassing. Back home, his muteness had become more of an admired personality quirk than anything else - that's what you get for being the Champ. But he wasn't the Champ here. Just some weird guy who didn't talk.]

I'm okay.

[Blue frowns a little at how Red deflates, and leans in.] You sure? ...I know people mentioned it, but.

[He stops and looks away again, giving a little puff of a sigh.] Well, let me know if anyone gives you problems.

[Of all the things they all had to deal with, brought to this world unlike their own, that should be the last of it.]

[Red nods, offering Blue another small, grateful smile and then taking an arm and hooking it around the other man's neck in a playful half-headlock, half-hug. He gives a small squeeze, then stands up from his seat with the empty sorbet container in hand and jerks one thumb over his shoulder toward the exit. You ready to go?]

[Blue grimaces at the sudden headlock, but it melts quickly back into a wide grin, playfully shoving Red off and following him up with a stretch of his arms behind his head.]

Well, I guess that's that. Let's head home... Unless you wanted to do something else for your birthday? [He winks, giving Red a clap on the back and pulling him in closer with an arm over the shoulders, miming a drink with his free hand.] Maybe a little "partying"?

[Oh, Arceus, here we go. Now it's time for Red to grimace. Even so, whatever might come of his "partying" with Blue is probably going to be more bearable than enduring the other's pouting for the rest of the night, so, with maybe a bit of a sigh, he shrugs, nods, and begins leading their way out of the shop.]

maskormenace | IC Contact

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