ratherbelocky | .004 Δ [Video]

Goooood evening, residents of Johto. It's a lovely, drizzly January day, and I've got a question you folks might be able to answer for me. Consider it an informal poll.

[York looks comfortable and cozy as he lounges around his house, still wearing his ugly Christmas sweater.]

Now, I understand that this place just isn't equipped to support a Grifball League, but there's got to be more to life than just hockey and baseball. Are there Pokémon Olympics or something I should tune into? And, hey, what kind of sports did you guys have back in your worlds? Were they fun? Would you recreate 'em here if you could?

[He rubs his chin for a moment, then adds:]

If anyone around Goldenrod's interested in forming some kind of low-key community sports team--y'know, something for people, not Pokémon--let me know. I might be able to help us get something set up before baseball season starts.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

ratherbelocky

Well, I like to think I was the best at that, too, but nah. My job was infiltration. I was the only locksmith on our squad.

From:

wing_attack

Oh, okay. Yeah, we'd usually morph cockroach or flea for something like that.

From:

ratherbelocky

[He laughs.]

That mighta made it easier sometimes, yeah! I had to do things the old-fashioned way until I got Delta.

From:

wing_attack

Delta?

From:

ratherbelocky

My AI partner. They were all named after Greek letters, same way we were all named after U.S. states.

From:

wing_attack

Oh. Huh. I... guess I never thought AI would get to that point, but different worlds and all...

[Maybe the Andalites have some.]

From:

ratherbelocky

I am from pretty far in the future, you know. Five hundred years make a difference.

From:

wing_attack

That. That's a very good point.

From:

ratherbelocky

Anyway, D could be a real pain in the neck, but we ended up working our differences out. He was a big help after my eye got hurt.

From:

wing_attack

Yeah, I can imagine. Losing depth perception seems like it could be deadly for a soldier.

From:

ratherbelocky

Y'know, that's bad enough on its own, but really the worst is losing your peripheral vision? I'da had a way easier time after that if I could've spotted hostile movement off my left like I used to.

From:

wing_attack

That's a good point. ... Makes me really glad that morphing heals, otherwise we'd all have been dead a bunch of times over.

From:

ratherbelocky

[York's quiet a moment.]

Your team...was it all kids your age?

[The leader was someone Tobias met at school...]

From:

wing_attack

Yeah. I don't actually know how old Ax is in terms of years on his planet, but it's about the same as us, yeah.

The... Auxiliary ones were a bunch of different ages. Mostly our age still, though. Some a little younger. ... We told them what they were getting into, but they...

[Well.]

From:

ratherbelocky

...Look. I know I said there's no such thing as 'young to be fighting,' but...

It's different when it's only kids fighting, you know?

From:

wing_attack

... I know. It sucks, but... we only got the military involved recently. It only ended up as open war in the past few months at home. We couldn't be sure they'd be on our side, and... we wanted to minimize casualties. The Yeerks were a lot more advanced technologically.

From:

ratherbelocky

That's how it was for us, too. Being outgunned, I mean. Covenant tech was, and still is, something we don't really understand. But we had every human planet and colony backing us.

Shit, man. No wonder you don't want to go back. I wouldn't, either.

From:

wing_attack

The war's over, though. It's not like there's anything left for me.

From:

ratherbelocky

Whole point of winning a war's so you have something to come back to. Or it should be.

From:

wing_attack

... My mom is alive but she doesn't remember me. Rachel's dead. I don't really have a lot tying me to anything. I'd probably just fly away from everything and... live the rest of my life as a hawk.

From:

ratherbelocky

Cripes, kid. That's...

...

And the rest of your team?

From:

wing_attack

... They'll manage. They're all hit pretty hard, but they have family that can help. ... Aside from Jake, but he's got Marco to lean on. I... the others and I were friends, but it's not... the same.

It's easy for me to just slip back into being a hawk. Let instinct take over again. It's easier than being human, a lot of the time.

[And hawks can't cry.]

From:

ratherbelocky

Speaking as...someone who was in a similar boat.

[York's been serious up to this point, but reluctance drags at his words, now, too. He doesn't like talking about his last couple years after he crashed the Mother of Invention, but. Maybe the kid needs this.]

Cutting yourself off from people, surviving on instinct alone--maybe it's easier, man, but I don't know that it's better. You sorta...lose perspective. I'm not saying this to be preachy, I just--I don't want a kid like you making the same mistakes I did. That we did. My team.

[After a moment, he adds:]

No matter what happens to you or where you come from, or what else you happen to be...There's always gonna be something that makes you human.

From:

wing_attack

I know there will be. But... being a hawk is simpler. You don't have to worry about anything other than your territory and hunting. You don't have to think about who's going to be mad or who's going to be upset. You just... fly and hunt and sleep.

... I don't want... to think about how... things hurt.

[There's a ruffling of feathers, and Regal pushes at him with his beak. Tobias puts his arm around his birdfriend's neck. Hey there.]