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[firstnothing]

[Audio only. The voice is a rather pleasant baritone.]

Good evening, denizens of this new world, human and pokemon alike. I am Xemnas. Perhaps there will be a few of you who recognize such a name.

[His pleasant tone never wavers; there's almost no emotional inflection at all.] This is a world I know little of. I have studied the information I have been able to find, and this little foal has been very dutiful in attempting to aid me in that search. [At this, there is a small, cheerful-sounding "Blitz!" in the background.]

If one could supply further information, or where to find it, I would be ... grateful. But tell me, countless unknown strangers, is it truly so that the humans of this world avoid combat in favor of asking their pokemon to do it for them? My small friend here seems incapable of fighting anything much tougher than a tumbleweed- [A protesting whinny this time.] -and yet I am to rely on it for my defense against all this strange world might strike with?

[It's thoughtfully said, as if this 'Xemnas' has no investment in the question or possible answers.]

[OOC: yeah I stole the sample post off my app. ;_; guilty.]

Comments

[Voice]

[hollower]

[...Oh. Oh, wow does this man remind her of the dark, surly, master swordsman she lived with prior to coming here. Something in the way he holds himself, and how he speaks is so similar to Mihawk that Perona's mouth hangs open for a moment. In fact, Perona has to shake her head a bit to focus on what he said before. Damn, she's starting to kind of miss that old man. ...A little.]

I-- [Ahem, focus.] I had thought the same thing about my, eh...pokemon. They look weak and small, but these creatures are quite strong in their own regard. I've only come here some two weeks ago, and already my cute Bearsy has grown stronger through battle. Don't underestimate their strength - they're quite determined to please us, so they try rather hard to succeed as well. And if you've come to the same place I had been in when I first arrived, the wild beasts around shouldn't be too much stronger than yours. And these animals do gain strength and skill through battle.

You may be surprised by yours' potential if you commit to raising it properly.

[Voice]

[firstnothing]

I have noticed an almost doglike eagerness to please, it's true. There is nothing I have asked of this small foal that has not been promptly attempted.

[Attempted. Which suggests he's asked some things that a blitzle simply can't do. Nonetheless, his pleasant if somewhat detached tone never wavers.]

Perhaps I will have to test her strength against the local wildlife soon, then. A stronger ally is always useful. Although I have the information given to presumably everyone upon arrival, I must ask; as a new arrival yourself, is there anything you would advise, or advise against, by way of attempting to train a pokemon properly?

[Voice]

[hollower]

Mm, I'm still very new to this myself, but here is something I've learned from speaking with someone else. These creatures' powers are sorted by...type, if I recall correctly. [Perona closes her eyes, knitting her brows together as she tries to think back to what she was told. Ugh, if only she had a notebook to write it all down.] And that some types are stronger and weaker to other types, such as my newest creature - a bird - being strong against insects.

But something I myself have found out through battle is that the powers and, eh...moves, I think they're referred to, also have typing allocations. Miha--eh, m-my bird, I mean, knows a move that can create a small blast of wind. That move supposedly falls under the advantageous one towards insects, while his, mm...tackle? I believe that one's a normal-typed move.

These creatures can also have dual typings as well, or so I've heard.

audio; 1/2

[memoryborn]

[ When she hears the voice, she tries to play it off as just her dreaming or zoning out the night away. When it continues, she's pretty sure her 'heart' skips a beat.

She would never mistake that voice, and when he says the name-- her jaw tightens. Alarm bells ring out--

Until she remembers he's just as powerless as the rest of them. He was no longer her boss, even if she keeps the coat out of necessity and the fact that there's still fond memories attached to it. Just like most people from her world when they arrive, he must also have a heart... if he even cared to notice, anyway.

So, yeah. Have a few minutes of weird silence on one end, Xemnas. She's trying to decide whether or not to form a response. ]

audio;

[memoryborn]

[ And then-- ]

Yes, it's true. Whatever weapons or powers we had before coming here, they're gone. We're just as... normal as the rest of the people around us.

[audiooo]

[firstnothing]

[Somewhere else, it's the little blitzle that notices the white-noise of an open but unused line before Xemnas does, and picks up the pokegear in her mouth for a moment before dropping it to see what might happen.

The clatter might be a bit weird. When nothing changes, it's pawed at briefly with a hoof, but the noise of investigation draws Xemnas away from whatever he was doing. Didn't he have that thing in a pack just a moment ago? A quiet 'Stop that' keeps the blitzle from going for the item again with reaching muzzle.

And then there's a voice. One he doesn't recognize past a vague familiarity. Young, by his guess. Teens somewhere. Surely another stranger in a strange world.]

There is something to be said for normalcy. For being defenseless, less so. To rely on something unfamiliar for something so basic can be a trial. Have you lost much, in the transition from where you were to where you are?

[There's no inflection, really. Surely like everyone else he's gained a heart in arriving here but it doesn't seem to have changed ... anything.]

[islandshore]

The locals have a strange way of running things.

[Xemnas may recognize this voice-- it's distinctly Riku, but the way he speaks carries a sharper tone than he would as of KH2 or even 3D. He's still got his confident exterior from his island days, and the name Xemnas sounds wholly unfamiliar to him.]

You're expected to use Pokémon to defend yourself. Weapons are completely illegal, so most people just let their partners duke it out. And it does come with perks. Train a Pokémon enough, and they'll become stronger, even evolve. That said... you don't have to rely on them alone. There are loopholes if you'd rather carry your own weight.

[More sounds]

[firstnothing]

[It takes a minute or two for Xemnas to respond; he certainly knows who Riku is, but the troublesome boy isn't responding as if he knew Xemnas. That's ... interesting. Very interesting.]

I prefer to not rely completely on others for my own wellbeing. Trust poorly placed can lead to disaster. What form of loopholes do you speak of? What enforces such foolish seeming laws?

[Evolution he's heard of. Read a little about. It brought about more power, and that would be useful, but until then..

In the background, there's a clatter of impatient hoof-dancing and a snort.]

My small companion seems displeased at the idea.

[islandshore]

Well, for starters, nothing's stopping you from using your body. Fists, feet, stuff like that's all fair game. Otherwise... well, the cops don't bat an eye at blunt objects. A rod, a staff, even something ridiculous like a frying pan is totally fair game.

[Oh, he hears that snorting, and he chuckles at the sound.]

Displeased at what, though? You not playing by the rules or it having to fight?

[Video]

[alonelyworld]

I try not to fight if possible, but sometimes it can't be helped.

[Like some of the more aggressive wild pokémon, or taking on a gym for the badge.]

They get stronger the more they battle, though. What else do you want to know?

[Audio]

[firstnothing]

.. Everything. [A pause.] But such a desire is likely to be unfulfilled.

[Audio]

[alonelyworld]

Well, I don't know everything, but I've been here for almost eight months now, so I do know a few things about this world.

audiooo~

[gunkonmyboot]

More like giving us substitute rodents in exchange for turning us human and stuff. [He sounded a bit arrogant there. Even though he has grown custom to this world, having his cyborg ability taken away still bites his toes.] If you look at it in a challenging way, it can be fun.

Just train it and get badges. Eventually they'll be able to fly you where ever you want to go.

Audio

[firstnothing]

It seems a poor trade, to lose everything one once had for a pet to do the fighting for you. What is this matter of 'badges'? Why would one be needed to fly?

Audio

[gunkonmyboot]

Unless you want to walk. Each badge helps you allow your Pokémon to learn a new move that provides transportation and stuff.

[Should he warn the guy of newb trainers on the way? Naw.]

[audio]

[falseshore]

The Pokémon fight because they're the ones with the powers. You're welcome to try fighting them yourself, and let us know how that turns out for you.

[Snarky replica is snarky.]

[audio]

[firstnothing]

One does not need powers to hit something else with a weapon, child. You should know this.

[Video]

[dressofheaven]

Haaaa... you know, everyone always asks that question. But isn't the answer kind of obvious?

[Ilya looks mildly annoyed, as though she's really getting sick of this one. Then again, if it's as common a question as she's suggesting, that would kind of make sense.]

They want to fight, and they're very good at it. Even, sometimes especially, the ones who don't look like they would be. Why wouldn't we let them do so? Talents should be used.

[Audio]

[firstnothing]

I do not care if the pokemon themselves wish to fight. Their desire for combat was never of interest or relevance.

[No video, and his voice remains as steady and pleasant as before. That the girl didn't understand his questions is no surprise, she looks young.]

I had questioned not the desire of the pokemon to fight, but the illegality of simply picking up a knife and retaliating; of the forced reliance on the pokemon and only the pokemon for both offense and defense of one's person. If one possesses a bodyguard, this does not preclude self-defense techniques being learned personally. Scorning personal ability thus would be foolish at best.

That it seems only sharp weapons or projectiles are illegal, and everything else merely frowned upon, I wonder further at the arbitrary silliness of such laws.

[voice]

[lieutenantantichrist]

[Now this guy's a piece of work. All his smarter-than-you fancy words are getting on Blake's nerves already.]

[There's a rattle as he shakes the phone.] Did this thing get stuck on NPR?

I never heard of you, and believe me, a name that stupid I'd remember.

[voice]

[firstnothing]

No. I imagine one such as you would not have.

[He sounds unphased.]

1/2; gonna do better this time

[heartdive]

[ it's a voice Sora isn't likely to forget ever. he'd know that near ethereal tone anywhere.

...and Riku's helping the guy too. p e r f e c t. ]

[heartdive]

[ right before his birthday too. 8| ]

Are you even capable of trusting your new partner?

[ he has his doubts. ]

[enjoymyatelier]

That's the basic gist of it, yes. They get exponentially stronger the more you have them battle, of course, and meeting certain conditions allows them to permanently transform into stronger forms... but honestly, it would be preferable to have them alongside other kinds of abilities. I'll admit, I'm not sure if conventional weaponry could even do much against them-even the weaker ones seem oddly resilient.

[firstnothing]

One could only attempt to find out by using such weaponry on them, but it would be likely extremely inadvisable. While the pokemon may be willing, as they seem willing to agree to nearly anything, the backlash from everything not a pokemon..