babel_hacker | DAY 53

So my fourth (yep, 4th) anniversary of being here is coming up this weekend. Normally, I’d get all sappy and nostalgic about how long I’ve been here, as well as thinking about everything that’s just normal here compared to back home. And maybe ask for suggestions for what to do to celebrate yet another year in this world.

But I picked up one of those shiny feathers lying around earlier and I rather ask about that first.

So any ideas? Speculations? It’s the first time I see feathers like this around, so I doubt it’s a normal thing that happens. When I picked it up, I don’t feel anything different so it seems harmless.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened. On the other hand, it’d be kinda nice if just an odd case of sudden shiny feathers and nothing terrible will pop up to torment us. I think the only thing against that is it’s still April and Halloween’s far away. On the other hand, maybe the Forces That Be might switched things around because following traditions is getting boring and think things need to get mixed up!

[Atsuro, no.]

Still… It kind of say something that after a while, I try to pinpoint any patterns in these sorts of things. Like sure, it might make some things easier. But on the other hand, somehow, this place always find a way to really surprise you when you don’t expect it. Like when you think you get into a routine and starting to think everything’s normal? Surprise!

Or maybe the surprise this time is just these feathers. Who knows?

...This is rather rambly. The thought of my fourth anniversary is coming up still get to me. [That and the dull aching homesickness.] So I guess I want to vent out my feelings into any topic.

But I’m still open to anniversary ideas. I’m in Goldenrod right now, if that helps with thinking up suggestions!

...Do you think it’s a bad idea to use these feathers as a quill pen?

[Atsuro.]

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Oh, yeah, Team Rocket. They're still around, although they seem to be pretty quiet at the moment.

[Atsuro didn't forget about them. Their quiet activities means the Corps have nothing to go on...yet.]

And that's pretty lucky for you! I imagine it'd be extra confusing if you show up during Valentine's, from what I remember the last few Valentines can be.

Haha, I can imagine! I think they'll really appreciate that, too.

Sometimes when we least expect it, too. It kind of pays to have a decently leveled team, just in case.

Hopefully it isn't anything too dangerous this time.

I didn't think there were any bird Pokemon as big as that.

That's right. I've only been here for a little more than a month. Which. Seems like a long time to me, but for someone who's been here for years, that's probably nothing. Oh yeah? That's cool! I like building machines, myself, although, I tend to do so for scientific purposes.

Well, that is good to know. They must be really well trained and strong if you've been around so long.

Definitely! Most of my Pokemon are all really strong and well trained, and I'm working on raising my newer Pokemon right now.

And that's right. A month is barely any time here, depending on how busy it is and if you're on the road or in the cities. And ooh, what kind of machines?

That's what I thought. On the other hand, it could be a Pokemon we haven't discover yet.

Definitely agreed on having a good team. Even if I don't use them on my main team, I try to keep all of my Pokemon at a decently high level just in case.

Hopefully. At least it's not Halloween.

They would!

And since I'm curious, what kind of stuff do you like to do with your Pokemon?

That's great! So then I imagine you've won a lot of badges?

Yeah, it took me that long just to get to Goldenrod, and I'm still not quite sure what I'm doing here, exactly. Beyond exploring of course. Well, scientific equipment, mostly. Some of my own design! Mostly out of necessity. The town that I was living in has a lot of....oddities. So I needed a way to accurately measure dangerous situations. Thus, the danger meter! I'm quite proud of it, really. It's a highly scientific device that measures how dangerous a given situation is! It's come in handy numerous times!

That's right! All the badges from both Kanto and Johto!

[Which was difficult at first, and then get slightly easier as his team grew stronger.]

That's probably the most difficult part to decide! Since you don't know how long you'll be here for, you'll gotta fill in the time somehow. And that means deciding on what kind of path you'll follow here. Which might as well be picking out what kind of career you'll have here.

...A danger meter? That kind of thing exist?!

Same here. I still haven't trained all of the ones I got from that swarm.

I heard the Halloween before last year's was worse. Was it really that bad?

All kinds of stuff! When we're not training I'll take them out for walks, or to play fetch, or for flights depending on what kind of Pokemon they are.

That's true...

Oh. Do you think it's a pokemon like the ones that those strange people were using when random trainers were going through portals?

...Going through portals?

[You lost him somewhere.]

The Halloween before the last?

[Let's see, last year's were those crystals and...]

The creepy castle! Yeah, it's pretty scary and terrible, especially since everyone who ended up there didn't have any of their Pokemon at first. That really highlights how much we depends on them.

Almost the same as me! Just add in watching certain TV shows and taking them out for shopping for others to that list.

It was sometime last year. Portals suddenly opened, and the person I was traveling with disappeared through one. It closed before I could go after him.

Apparently there was a big battle.

Wow, congratulations! You must be really good at battling!

....Yeah. I'm still not sure about that. My pokemon seems to want to battle, but I'm not sure how to feel about it. It seems a little....inhumane?

Yeah! It does now! It's a highly useful instrument, especially in a place where danger fluctuates so rapidly.

[ Last year... he was here for last year. The one before that happened just as he arrived so he really had no idea. ]

You'd think we would be used to not having them around but it just goes to show how much we've gotten used to them. I was around for the castle though. I didn't even know they could do that.

I'd like to say I am, but there's still a lot of things I'm still learning!

Well, think about it this way. Pokemon likes to battle because they want to, are competitive like being a sportsman or they want to prove themselves to others. And out in the wild, battling is like a natural part of survival.

And wow! Most I know are things that can read temperatures and pressures, not instruments that can read danger itself. Something like that just seems very...broad to measure, you know?

I don't think I experienced that. Did your friend mention something about a giant llama?

You'd think so, but on the other hand, that's like a sign of how well we adapted and fit into this place. Which, in a way, was how people learn to live and survive.

[Almost like how he once thought the Lockdown was starting to feel normal.]

That castle does show there's still a lot we still don't know, though.

Yes. That's him. He's still upset over it. I think it's his atheism thing that has him so upset...

Right, I definitely missed that. I know someone who was there for it. The most weirdest thing about it might be the giant llama Pokemon god than knowing a god exist.

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