hopeslastreward | 001 ☆ video

Entry tags:

ic,
route 29

001 ☆ video

This is strange. This is very... strange.

[The feed opens on a teenage boy who honestly doesn't look like the picture of health; his hair is a mess, his skin is pale, and even though he's sitting, his posture has a certain slump that doesn't exactly imply "physical strength". Still, even if Nagito Komaeda's body is frail, his mind is still sharp as a tack. ...Well, usually. Sometimes. Depends on the context? Well, it's sharp right now, and that's all that matters.]

[He's silent for a few moments, apparently in deep thought.]

[The first and most obvious conclusion is that this is another ploy by Monobear. Last night, he'd watched the end of the third trial and went to sleep, troubled somewhat by what had happened... and now, not even twenty-four hours later, Monobear had dropped him in a Pokémon region of all places? Was this the motive? If so, why didn't he wait for someone to commit murder on their own first? Honestly, Komaeda can't think of any possible way Monobear could make despair out of the Pokemon world; even if he tried to corrupt it, it would only affect the people who have a strong emotional attachment to the originals. Komaeda could think of no one who might know them except Nanami and himself -- Nanami didn't seem like the killer type, and Komaeda honestly wasn't attached enough to care one way or the other. He honestly couldn't even recall the name of the bull thing he'd been given as a starter.]

[Speaking of Nanami... where is everyone? Komaeda had already tried looking through the network, which raised even more questions. If, again, it was Monobear who did all this, why would he go to the effort of writing so many different entries? Why were there actual people with varied personalities, and not an army of Monobears?]

[...Actually, the bear hasn't shown his face on anything at all so far. And quite honestly, that alarms Komaeda more than if it had. Had something... happened to them? Komaeda plans to find out. Depending on the reaction of the masses, who may be either Monobear's fabrications or real people, he'll get to the bottom of this mystery, just like all the others. First order of business: figure out what's happened outside.]

Oh, I should probably introduce myself...

Nagito Komaeda. That's my name.

Anyhow... has anyone here heard of Hope's Peak Academy? Please tell me what you know.

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From our class...?

[ Well, she's not sure what their receptions for Komaeda will be. Although Kuzuryuu will probably try to strangle him, so she is...trying to cut that off at the pass. ]

Kuzuryuu-kun, Tanaka-kun, and Pekoyama-san.

Oh, good. At least we're not alone. [Komaeda nods thoughtfully. He is a bit disappointed that Hinata isn't here, but dismisses it as selfishness; how could he ask for another student when they already have several, including two that are supposed to be dead?]

And Pekoyama-san. Does she know?

[He's not asking out of concern for upsetting Pekoyama -- he just wants to be sure he has all the appropriate information, because otherwise, talking to her might be difficult. ...He almost wants to commend her, actually, for her devotion to her job and master.]

...Yes. She's after that. Tanaka-kun is after the third trial but before the fourth. Tsumiki-san is after the second and before the third. Kuzuryuu-kun and I are from further ahead than any of the others, but he has me beat.

[ She's not really expanding on who dies when for very obvious reasons, for now. ]

[Komaeda mentally files this information away for further study. There is one thing that nags at him, though.] Then, are Tanaka-kun and I from the same time, or does he know something I don't?

Um...I think he's a little further ahead. He's explored the fourth island, I think...and if you just got out of the trial, then you haven't done that, right?

[ At least, she is 99.9% sure he has explored the island. He was talking about metal beasts and riding them and shit, that sounds like the amusement park to her...and he was pre-fourth trial for sure. So, that left fourth island exploration as his potential canon point. ]

...It was an amusement park.

No, the fourth island was still locked when I left.

[Well, this has been... a development. It would be a lie to say that Komaeda wasn't at least slightly uncomfortable with the fact that Tanaka, Kuzuryuu, and Nanami all knew things that he didn't. Even if most of it is probably irrelevant information, it's still irrelevant information that Komaeda doesn't have.]

[But he'll have time to worry about that later, probably. For now, he just needs to get something straight.]

So... this is real, then. The Pokémon are real.

[Even just saying that sentence is weird.]

Yeah! All of them are real! Isn't it cool?!

[ Her sleepy, cautious demeanor does lift a little, here. ]

It's a real-life Pokémon journey...though, Johto is like a bran-new edition, I beat it already. I'm doing the other one, now...Komaeda-kun should probably get a job to earn some money, though, because we don't get a lot to start with. Although you can get a portion from battles, inns and food get expensive after a bit.

[Chiaki's enthusiasm brings a small smile to Komaeda's face, too.]

I never got around to playing these games as much as I would have liked...

[...ah. Money.]

Yes, that would be a problem, wouldn't it.

Well... I'll see what I can do, then. I can't imagine why anyone would hire me for anything, but if it's that or starve...

It's pretty easy to get a job...I usually work at the Pokémarts. Ah, since...they weren't hiring to run games at the Gaming Corner in Goldenrod...

[ Since she isn't a Team Rocket member. ]

Tsumiki-san normally works at the Pokécenters. It's sort of fun...I think. Like being an NPC...?

Like being an NPC, huh? Well... alright. If I really do end up doing a worse job than an NPC, then it would be really bad.

[That was probably not at at all what Nanami was getting at, but it seems to have worked regardless.]

Well, anyway... I shouldn't be dragging this conversation down with that.

Nanami-san, you said you beat Johto, right? [He puts down the Gear and begins looking for the map.] So by 'the other one', were you talking about Kanto?

...I think NPCs do pretty good work, but...you'll do fine, I'm sure.

[ Says the NPC. ]

Hm...? Yeah. I haven't gotten any of those badges yet, but I'll work on it soon.

I'm sure you'll gather them all soon.

[He grins, because really, how could she not? Nanami must know this place inside and out by now, so just defeating the Gyms again should hardly be an issue.]

Well, if that's the goal of the game, then I should probably get on it myself... oh! Where is everyone else at? Have they beat it too?

We're all between cities right now...not all of them got the badges for Johto. It was pretty much just Kuzuryuu-kun and I...

[ THEY WILL JUST DISAPPEAR TOMORROW...to make things easier timeline wise. Nanami will notice it then. ]

Hm... alright. So they're all at different stages.

Well, it's unlikely that I'll make it very far [Thanks, frailty that makes it difficult to rough out in the wild for extended periods of time!] but I guess I should try to defeat them myself, anyway. And even if I don't, I'll be over here cheering for the rest of you from the sidelines!

[ n_n ]

[ ...She doesn't even need to stall for time, does she...well, she really doesn't with Kuzuryuu disappearing tomorrow, but still...

It's kind of worrying that he's all on his own. ]

...If someone puts their mind to it, I'm pretty sure...it's possible to succeed. Making it far...your team...will help you to do that.

[That begs a question, Nanami: are you concerned for Komaeda, or are you concerned for everyone else?]

...

[Komaeda considers this.]

I see. With the addition of Pokémon, which don't exist in the real world... humans are capable of more things than they are in the real world.

[That actually makes a lot of sense.]

[ ...Both... ]

...That's true in the real world, as well. When you're...working with others...you can of course accomplish more than you could on your own. Friendship...has that sort of power.

[As you should be.]

True. But surely there are some things Pokémon can do which humans cannot, no matter how many of them have grouped in one place.

Still...I think the things Pokémon and humans can accomplish working together...are the best of all.

[ Just saying... ]

Nanami-san... you really do sound like you come from a Pokémon game.

[Puttin' that out there. Because seriously, that's exactly the thing a video game character would say.]

[ It's what someone in her family would say!!! ]

...Well, I've been here a while...

I've known you have a strong capacity for change ever since we met, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. [Seriously though. Komaeda always noticed that Nanami was one of the students who didn't freak out as much by the new and alarming circumstances.] Of course, it stands to reason that if someone puts you in a Pokémon game, you would learn to act like one.

[ ... ]

I'm pretty sure...I'm acting the same way I always do, though.

Well then maybe you were destined to act like a Pokémon character from the start.

[Komaeda is bullshitting all of this. He has no clue that Nanami is anything other than a normal human girl.]

...Probably.

[ Vague unhelpful confirmation...

She should really be watching his other conversations, but she's sadly not right now. ]

Did Komaeda-kun have any other questions...?

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