in_praetego | .006 | video | Plus points for effort?

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.006 | video | Plus points for effort?

[ This one has Yukio settled under a tree today. His attention is focused on a brand new badge which he holds up to the sunlight -- his second so far. It took a while to get but here it was and it seemed to be worth it. In the background, his houndoom's taking a nap in the sun with his Happiny curled up next to him. ]

Everyone's more or less started going after badges at least once during their stay here, right? I'm just a little curious as to why. Personal reasons? Motivation?

[ He'll just take a while to polish off that badge before settling back down against the tree trunk. Pardon him. Someone's feeling a bit philosophical today. ]

Also, I'd like to know if there's any place to get somewhere to put these badges. If anyone's making them, I'd like to go about ordering one.

[ Argh, these little blips he makes on the network. So hard to end them so... have a hasty little awkward smile. ]

Right, uh... thanks for your time.

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I get the badges for the challenge and the neat prizes, especially the HMs for travelling around. There was that theory where if you collect them all, you might get sent home. But I didn't really believe it.

[Because there are people who's been here longer than him. So someone surely must've gotten all the badges before him.]

Yeah. I guess it's a good way to see the world, too. Maybe we might find a way to get home on our travels.

[ But have a small smile back. ]

I'm glad you woke up from that sudden sleep, by the way.

Definitely. At very least, being able to fly between cities cuts down on the travel time.

[He blinks for a moment, before he smiles back.]

Oh, thanks! I take it you probably heard it from my Pokemon?

I'm kind of looking forward to that. We don't have the right HM though but we're well on our way.

[ There's a sheepish little smile there though. ]

Your Porygon-Z was on the network asking about it, actually. I told him to get in touch with me if you weren't feeling well. Looks like you're fine though.

Flying's great! You really can't feel flying around in the air and feeling the breeze on a nice day.

[Unless someone have a height phobia or get motion sickness easily.]

Fortran did, huh? I'm happy that he still cares even with his attitude. [His smile seems a bit more fond.] And yeah, I'm doing fine. It's like waking up from a deep sleep, just with new memories.

It'll cut down travel time, too. That's one thing I'm looking forward to.

[ And there's some evident relief. ]

At any rate, I'm glad you're okay. But I'm a little curious... were they memories or was it just an elaborate dream?

They're more like memories than dreams. Since it all feels too real and specific to be a dream.

[Not even his own speculative imagination can think up everything.]

I was told... we seem to exist in both this world and ours.

[ a pause. ]

So... maybe that might be what's going on in your world right now.

That's possible. Sort of like...our souls are travelling between worlds? Or connected enough, since I'm older here than back home.

[He's just throwing out ideas.]

I guess that's one way of putting it.

[ Ruffling his own hair a moment. ]

It's a little surreal to think about though.

It really is. It gets weirder if you're in this world for a long time. Long enough to grow older by a few years.

[Thus his brief mental confusions over his own age.]

I've already had a birthday here along with my brother but it probably won't sink in until I've had several...

[ A beat. ]

But... Rin was telling me about things that hadn't happened yet. It was... pretty surreal.

It's more obvious if you grow old enough to be an legal adult.

[A pause.]

...So he's from your future?

That'll be a while... but I guess it depends on what legal in this society means.

[ There's a small pause and a nod. ]

...yeah. So technically, he's much older than I am. Last thing I remember was preparing for school the day before the very first day. He was telling me things about what happened the next day and well into our summer break.

I assume it's eighteen, since that's when you can actually work full time hours.

[Before that, he was doing some part-time work.]

That must be weird... The closest I have is my friends experiencing things happening differently from me. What kind of things did Rin tell you?

Given how there are people who have been here for more than a year, I'm starting to think I might actually reach eighteen without going home.

[ And that'll be in a couple of years. But he's a little silent though. ]

It was pretty weird. [ No. Not weird. Weird is finding out your twin is older than you are now. It was downright disturbing... almost terrifying. ] He told me about what happened the day after... about how... how our father died the very next day. Everything was practically different after that.

[ There's no use sugarcoating it after all. Best way for one to come to grips with the situation. ]

Maybe you might get lucky and return home before your eighteenth birthday. [Or he can get stuck here for a few years.] But it's good to make some long term plans, you'd never really know if you're stuck here or be the next person to leave.

[That said... Atsuro's quiet for a moment.]

Oh...sorry.

There's nothing anyone could have done.

[ And it's just the truth, plain and simple. He'll figure out the details eventually. ]

I'd like to be able to get home before Rin and I turn eighteen though. Even if I might be existing alongside him back home, there's no telling what he's been up to without my knowing.

[ He's already starting to look better. ]

Someone's got to keep him out of trouble.

[If he's looking better, Atsuro would feel better about it as well.]

I'm sure he's glad to have a responsible brother like you around. But on the other hand, it's Rin we're talking about. He would get into even more trouble, even if you're around to bail him out.

You don't even know the half of it.

[ All the times his brother came home all bruised and scratched up and all the times Yukio's had to pull out he first aid kit... ]

Dad would have had a heck of a time dealing with him alone.

I can only imagine! Did he ever apologise for all of the trouble?

[Atsuro himself is a good kid, and rarely get into trouble. Ignoring the time he was bullied for a while, of course.]

Not... really. I've kind of had to apologize for him sometimes.

[ Ah geez Atsuro, now you've gotten him all homesick. ]

Rin's always been kind of hot headed. He and dad fight a lot. The other priests and I learned to just leave them to sort it out.

[Oops.]

Other priests?

[Hang on, did he hear about that from Rin before...]

Oh, uh... I'm guessing Rin never told you. We were raised in a church by the priest who took us in.

[ And a small smile. ]

It's been choir practice and living with a few other priests our whole childhood.

He didn't, and I guess the topic never comes up before.

[Too busy talking about Pokemon.]

What's that like? My folks aren't really that religious.

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