THIRD CURSE: video

[cawsforalarm]

...Hey-o, World of Pokémon. Guess who it is!

[It's been a while since anyone's seen this sorry mug on their Pokégear. A young looking boy (no older then seventeen) is beaming widely at the screen, wearing what appears to be a light hoodie; there's a Ninetales leaning her head on his shoulder, staring lazily at the camera. Perhaps it's odd to wear such a thing in summer -- but hey, compared to Plegia, evenings here are freezing cold.]

If you've got no idea who I am, or you just have no talon-t for remembering faces, my name's Henry. You should probably run while you still can. Nya ha ha! [There's a short pause as the Ninetales stirs and blinks grumpily; Henry immediately falls silent, looking down at her. A moment later he's back to his buoyant self.] Anyway, some weird stuff has happened, and I was wondering if any of you veteran dimension-hoppers could help me out here.

Or, well, even if you're not a veteran dimension-hopper, you can help me out here. If anyone's seen a Murkrow, Inkay, or Phantump -- they answer to [he counts off his fingers] Cawdia, Glowgan, and Eleanor -- then please let me know where they are! I mean, they're probably fine back out in the wild where they belong, but still. [His expression takes on a faint shadow of concern.] Especially Cawdia. I don't know how long I've been away, but she's still really young and probably doesn't have anyone looking after her, so...

...Anyway! [Just like that the shadow is gone, and Henry visibly perks up again.] Last time I checked, it was February. Like, middle of winter. And now I wake up and all of a sudden it's June! I only have 3000 Poké! And all my items are gone, my Brightpowder and the cape I stole from Lance and everything! So, like, is that a documented Thing? Did I accidentally re-weave causality and compromise the structural integrity of the temporospatial continuum?

'Cause if I did, hate to break it to you, but I think we're all gonna die. See ya!

[And just like that, the weird message is over.]

Comments

[video]

[captainash]

...Welcome back.

[He's not sure what to make of half that speech and that public admission of theft, so he'll just concentrate on what's obviously the most important parts.]

Yeah, it's a documented thing; people don't get to start repeat visits with an advantage, even if it's only been four months. Where were you back in February? I can keep an eye out for your Pokémon around Vermillion, but if you were in Johto...

[cawsforalarm]

Huh, too bad. [He shrugs, still smiling.] Well, I'm not torn up too much about it, I guess. I don't r-eel-y care about the items or the Poké, just my friends.

I was in Goldenrod! It's not too far from here, though, so that's fine. [He technically woke up in Goldenrod, but you're not supposed to broadcast to the world that you're a Rocket. See, Henry learns!]

[captainash]

It'll still take a few weeks for you to get there, though. Then again, in the last four months they might have moved away from the city; with any luck, they'll have gone east.

[Hopefully not to Blackthorn, though. That'd be nasty.]

[cawsforalarm]

[Yeah, Blackthorn would be nasty. But on the bright side, maybe he could steal Clair's cape instead!]

Ah, it's fine. I'll just ask some of the Pokémon I see on the way. I mean, it's not like Phantumps come passing through every day, right?

[video]

[defyingfrigidity]

[Oh hey, she recognizes this not-so-new person!]

Henry, hello!

[video]

[cawsforalarm]

[!!!!!]

Elsa, hi! [Somehow, his smile widens even further.] How ya been? Hope I didn't ditch ya right before you lost an arm or anything.

I would've wanted to be there for that.

[Did you miss him?]

[defyingfrigidity]

[boy henry does this elsa from the first game she was played at have something to say about that]

Uh...

[It's rather unsettling, but in some weird way... she did kind of miss him.] I've been fine. A lot has happened since the last time I saw you, but even so.

What about you?

[video]

[pinnedbangs]

[WHO WHAT WHY WHEN WHERE]

You messed with time and - broke the dimension?

[video]

[cawsforalarm]

Uh, maybe? I'm asking you!

[video]

[pinnedbangs]

There was a question?

[islandshore]

...You just had to make that pun, didn't you?

[See: one Riku, staring incredulously. Henry. Dude. You're still weird, yet he can't help but laugh. It's been way too long since he saw him around hte network.]

Sounds like you got dropped off back home. Weird that you don't remember it. Maybe you bumped your head on the way back?

[cawsforalarm]

I'm a little claw-ffended that you expected anything less.

[Henry meets that look of judgment with a blithe smile, as usual. (Meanwhile, the Ninetales is shooting Riku an expression that looks uncomfortably akin to "help me".) His cheerful demeanour carries on throughout the reply, even as they move on to more serious topics -- but then again, what else do you expect out of Henry?]

Uhh... maybe. I feel like it would be kind of hard to forget on my own, especially considering I was about to face off with a dark draconic god who had just awoken from a thousand-year slumber. [And one he worshipped, to boot.] Oh, do you think I was so grievously injured in that battle that I somehow lost my memory? Or worse? Ooh, ooh, what if back in that world I'm supposed to be dead???

[islandshore]

...This is the part where I'd come up with a counter-pun, but I'm not that creative.

[Heh. Or maybe he's just above silly puns. Either way, he'll give that Ninetales a sympathetic look. It's cool. He understands.]

Wait, so when you say draconic, do you mean a dragon? As in an actual dragon?

[Because that's awesome. So awesome that the dead bit doesn't hit him initially.]

video;

[diehardreaper]

Henry! Henry, is it really?

[ There's a grin right back at you from what's hopefully a familiar face. ]

It's Ron! D'you remember me? Blimey... I was wondering where you were off too. Been quite a while, hasn't it? Was prolly 'round, oh, I dunno... a few months since I saw you last. 'Fraid I haven't seen any of the pokemon you mentioned though.

video;

[cawsforalarm]

Oooh~?

[Henry leans into the Pokégear, grinning. The Ninetales finally just decides he's moving too much for her taste, and flops her head in his lap instead. Her fur is covering part of the camera.] Wow, look at this! I remember you!

Also, no one has seen me for a few months, so that makes sense.

So what's up with you? Did your one bloodthirsty friend ever show up?

video;

[diehardreaper]

Welcome back, at any rate! Where've you been all this time, though? As for me...

[ A pause to think though. Where to begin... ]

Mister Spears... that's my boss, by the way... said that friend of mine did come 'round but just for a little bit. Didn't really see him.

video

[fourleafcleaver]

The temporwhatever of this place is already way past any hope, as far as I can tell. I guess just not existing for months at a time is just another thing you've gotta get used to happening sometimes.

[god she's so done with this place]

video

[cawsforalarm]

Hmm, I guess that's true. Most people wouldn't think that whatever happened last October was a normal oc-caw-rrence, either...

video

[fourleafcleaver]

I...wasn't here for that. Do I wanna know?

[text]

[unkinder]

[...well this sure is a thing.]

As most have already mentioned, it seems like you've gone home and returned. When that happens your Pokemon either end up with other trainers or go back to the wild, but I wouldn't expect to have all of them returned to you.

This world seems to have people start over if they leave and come back, at least to a certain extent.

[Mentally, he likens it to someone resetting their game after only having saved once when they first began.]

[text]

[cawsforalarm]

[Oh, so this guy's using text for some reason? Sure, Henry can work with that. He just recently learned how to actually, yanno, use the keyboard without looking like a total imbecile.]

ooohhhh
well that's silly.
i mean, theres no reason all of your stuff shouldn't be there when you get back, right?
unless someone mugged me...

[text]

[unkinder]

I find that it's easier to not question the things that this world does to us. There are rarely any straight answers.

[heartdive]

Well I don't feel anything breaking. Don't feel like I'm gonna die either.

[cawsforalarm]

That's why I said I think we're all gonna die.

And if you don't have magic, sometimes it's hard to sense changes like that.

[heartdive]

And here I thought you were just obsessed with death and stuff.