Dream 003 [ACCIDENTAL VIDEO/ACTION IN ROUTE 31]

[tarotcards]

[The video feed started to a very strange angle of Souji, grabbing him from a low 45 degree angle. It would only take you a few seconds or a few minutes to find out that this is an accidental recording and from the inside of Souji's duffle bag, just happening to be recording him from open gap he forgot to zip up.

He's is shown to be traveling alone right now for what seems to be Route 31, just walking past trees after trees. Where were his friends, Teddie, Yosuke, and Nanako right now? Somewhere behind him. He had volunteered to head on ahead and take a short look around. This situation they were in was not a good one and there was more than just a gut feeling. There were signs just about everywhere.

The strange weather was the first one. He experienced his fair share of unnatural weather back home and he has been feeling uneasy about the same temperature and clouds that precessed for almost two weeks now. He had only hoped that it might go away after a while, but then the music changed. That was the second that  came, replacing that chippy happy he listened to every day while he was here. And now, everything didn't look the same anymore.

He reached into his breast pocket of his dress shirt and pulled out a familiar pair of glasses, the very same ones he wore in back in Inaba. He still kept it after all this time, even for the months after they placed the lid on the murder investigations. He just couldn't bare to throw it away for it served as a reminder of what they had all gone through. It always did give him almost a sense of safety, so he slipped on his glasses. It neither improved or decreased his sight, so he kept them on and looked around.

Everything was now pixelized, something straight out of a horribly created program. It wasn't surprising, they were in a video game, right? But was everything just this disfigured mess of  graphics, as if the whole programming around him went terribly wrong. It was almost like that Void Quest place all over again and that wasn't pleasant at all, but this place was much worse than Void Quest. This place just reeked of --]

RING RING

[Jesus! That just made him jump out of his skin! What the hell was that sound? Wait...That was his Pokegear, right?

He reached down into his duffle bag and pulled out the Pokegear. The video feed was still recording as he took no notice, or if he did, he didn't stop it. He opened the new message and immediately a familiar voice rang through, loud enough for those watching this feed to hear;]

"Hey there! It's J-J-Jo-eeeeeeeeeeeee-y-y. Did yo-oooooooooo-- yooooooou k-kkkknow?  My Ratatta is the top percenta-- My Ratatta is the top precenta-ta-ta-ta--....My Ratatta is the the top percentage of Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraarraaaaa--"

[He hangs up on the kid. Dammit, not even the people here are normal. It's was the whole place was breaking down or something and it really isn't making him feel any better about the whole thing. Just when was this all going to end?

He tossed the Pokegear back into his duffle bag, and once again it recorded the owner of it at a strange angle. He really doesn't seem to know it was on, probably from how much he was starting to worry about this situation. But he gotta stay calm like always. Always take one step at a time, and the first step here was that he should probably head back to the others now. He was gone out here for a while now, possibly fifteen minutes or more? He shouldn't keep them waiting any longer.

He turned around and began to head back into the direction he came from. They should be around here, right? But why couldn't he see anyone? Don't say they ran off somewhere while he was gone. Since his Pokemon wouldn't even come out of their balls, the last thing he needed was to be alone while everything wasn't going their ways. He pushed up his glasses and looked around.]

Nanako...! Teddie...! Yosuke...! 

[If they were close, they should be able to hear him. If not, just where on Earth did they run off to? It would be bad if they were all split up, especially Nanako.

A sudden gust of wind blew in from behind him, he turned around and--]

NIIII--RRRD---!!   NIIII-RRRRD---!!   NIII-RRRD---!!!   NIIII-RRRRD--!!

[Holy shit!! What the hell is that?! And what is it screaming?!

Souji took a few steps back from that- that thing as it floats in front of him, staring at him with those hollow sockets where flesh might have been before. Just what on Earth was this thing? It's huge, almost as big as the Shadows he once had to battle, maybe even bigger! And it keeps on repeating that cry over and over again. It screams it into his ears, its choppy cries mixing in with the loud music and starting to give him a cold chill down his spine. Dammit, that thing is just looming over him! How the hell is he supposed to battle that if none of his Pokemon came out of their Pokeballs?

The creature suddenly flies backward and starts charging at him, with a large cry.]

Shit--! 

[The bag fell off his shoulder as he brought up his arms to shield himself and attempted to dodge it. The feed finally shuts down and the last thing you could hear from it is that cry of "NIII-RRRD NII-RRRRRRD" over and over...]


(( OOC: Souji does manage to get away from the Missingno, sooner or later. Group members/people in Route 31 can intervene~ \o\  And would you believe me if I said that I actually typed out this whole entry putting that Nidoran cry along with the reverse!Lavender music on loop until I finished this at 2 in the morning?  I think I've gone mad myself. Tags will be done in the morning after I get some shut eye and AWAY FROM THIS MUSIC. And yes, I know I typed this like prose but in action style. ffffff I am horrible at this ))

Comments

[Video]

[fortunatewings.livejournal.com]

Senpai!!

[Naoto yells at the screen. First the unsettling changes and then this?! alaskfj too much like home]

[audio]

[tarotcards]

[No video reply is sent from Souji's Pokegear as it laid in his bag, the bag he dropped in order to protect himself. No such reply or any signal is forwarded to even hint or suggest that he still might be kicking. 

But finally, a response is sent-- an audio file --a short clip. Since the nearly forty minutes when his first feed went up, Souji makes some contact. Not in video for now, fumbling on the Pokegear and just going with whatever he could go with for now.

His breathing comes out ragged, suggesting that he was running around and dodging that large glitch this whole time. It makes a horrible thick sound through the mic that resembles thumping noises as he tries to catch his breath.]

Naoto, you okay on your side?!

[audio]

[fortunatewings.livejournal.com]

I'm-- in the town. I saw things when I tried to leave and retreated back.

My Pokémon won't leave their balls.

[She sounds worried, and half panicked, but takes a breath.]

Do you need assistance? You must be fairly close now...

[audio]

[tarotcards]

[Souji doesn't reply immediately back once Naoto had sent hers. In fact, once again is there silence from his side of the Pokegear. Only five minutes pass by this time instead of the previous forty, and another audio reply is sent from him.]

No, I'm fine. Stay indoors. Don't leave.

[He greatly stresses on that part. What if there were more of these glitch-like creatures flying around? The least he needed was any more of his friends in danger. He already didn't know if Yosuke, Teddie, or Nanako was safe.]

There's nothing like this in town, right?

[audio]

[fortunatewings.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen anything, but that doesn't mean there won't be incursions in the future.

[She really really wants to help but Souji is leader so she'll stay put]

[video] oh my god so epic

[restardom.livejournal.com]

[ Rise has been increasingly nervous, thought she's done her best to keep it hidden from her travelmates. The only thing that's kept her from doing the same thing with her glasses is that it... really would call attention to her not feeling at all well about this. But it IS like Void Quest, only scarier, and even more wrong, and she can't even summon her Persona to figure out why it's wrong.

So she listens intently to the network, not hitching a ride on her Onix at the moment, because Crystal only comes out to battle now, and she's all weird too. She's aware of Souji's movements, flinching at just how... off Joey sounds. There's something horribly wrong here, and just as Rise opens her mouth - as he doesn't seem aware that he's recording this - THAT NOISE. And what--

what--!?

No. No no no no NO. Whatever he's facing, he's in trouble and she's not there and she can't do anything-- she can't watch this-- why isn't she there?? ]

Sen--

[ sorry, group buddies. Rise is in a definite panic, calling Souji's name over and over, even when the feed shuts down. ]

Senpai!! Senpai!! SENPAI, say something!!! Can you hear me?! Please, just--!

[ She can't do anything. Again, she's forced to wait and watch as her leader's attacked. And she hates it. ]

Please...

[audio] al;lkas thank you~ ♥

[tarotcards]

[The Pokegear beeps and rings with new messages, but none are picked up nor answered. The device lies in his bag, forgotten as he dropped it in an attempt to protect himself from that thing, and now it rests on the dirt ground of where his feed ended.

Ten minutes pass, fifteen, twenty, thirty, as longer the time passes, the more it seems as the video response will sit in the inbox of Souji Seta's gear, untouched, unread. No sign, no hint as to suggesting if he was still conscious or alive since his video feed ended. But finally, a small short reply is made, a small audio file is sent out from Souji's device.

Having retrieved his bag and ducking behind a tree, he sends out a message back to Rise. He wipes his brow with his sleeve of sweat and dirt, and his breathing is tough and ragged. For that whole forty minutes of waiting for a reply, he has been running and dodging that glitch. He thinks he lost the bloody thing, but God knows if he really did.

He fumbles around on his Pokegear and presses the send button.There is a horrible sound of when one breaths too hard into the microphone that follows in the message.]

Rise, where are you right now? Are you safe?!

[audio]

[restardom.livejournal.com]

[ It's probably a good thing this is audio, because forty minutes of not hearing a reply is worse than torture and has reduced his favorite scanner into a teary mess. During the last fight, Souji hadn't actually been gone for longer than five minutes, if even that. Forty-- well, her cries for him had become increasingly strained and softer until it had been more pleas than anything.

And this time, this isn't a nightmare. No one can wake her up from this. What's happening is real, and she can't help her closest friends at this time because she's not there.

So when Rise responds - immediately - it's with a very thick, tear-choked voice. That breathing sounds hideous and she winces a bit, but she doesn't move back from the 'gear an inch. It's his voice. HE'S ALIVE. ]

I-- I'm on Route 32, I'm f-fine-- [ except the group probably thinks she's crazy for having a very epic panic attack, and Rise's voice breaks. She's trying very hard not to weep out of sheer relief. ]

O-oh god, I'm so sorry-- Senpai, what was-- what happened?! W-where are you?? Are you-- everyone-- are the others okay?!

[audio]

[tarotcards]

[Souji listens to the audio reply from Rise and immediately horrible. Goddammit, he wasn't suppose to be making her cry. He hated himself for not realizing that his gear was on and recording that whole accidental video feed now, probably causing others to worry about him. Dammit, nothing was going his way today.

His breathing calms as he manages to catch his breath just a bit more. His head is still pounding from the blood rush of all that running and not knowing if he really did lose that thing.]

I'm on Route 31. Was only supposed to look up ahead. Don't know where the others are right now. I think everyone got split up.

[His sentences are choppy, just like always when he was trying to think everything through and stay calm. He tries to keep his voice under control, just like when he was leader. Just like when he was leader, so don't freak. Stay calm. Think rationally. But with Nanako out there, his voice carries the same slight amount of panic and fear that he held in that one rescue mission back in November.

Another rustling sound is made, this time from him placing a hand of his eyes, pushing down his glasses just slightly on the bridge of his nose.]

Don't lose sight of your group. Stay with them. I don't know if this is the only place that Pokemon is roaming around.

Don't leave them.

[audio]

[restardom.livejournal.com]

[ Everyone got split up.

Split up.

It's not as though the group hasn't been separated before in dangerous situations, but Nanako. She'd been alone before, and what had resulted in November-- none of them wanted her to go through anything like that ever again. She's only seven, and she might be a strong little girl, but she's still a little girl. But Rise's not stressing this, because she's detecting Souji's panic immediately. He's just as worried, no-- probably more than the rest of them. And she...

Rise takes a deep breath, forcing herself to shove her panic down. She needs to be calm. She's terrified, and she wants to run to her friends' aid right now more than anything, but Souji was their leader for a reason. And, even though that had ended, he was still a source of authority that Rise trusted with her life. ]

... I won't. [ it's still weak, still trembles at the edges, but she firms it up in a few seconds with all the nerve she can muster. ] Don't worry about me, okay? Focus on finding the others and staying safe-- I'll keep an eye on the network to see if I can pick up on anything.

[ because right now, that's the only thing she can do for him-- for any of them. Crying isn't going to help. ]

[video] FFFT WHY ARE YOU SO AWESOME

[bakaitoukid]

[holy-- he had been dealing with these strange... glitch creatures for a while himself, but he hadn't run into anything that bad.

And that noise, coupled with the background music and the eerie, pixelated surroundings?

Yeah. Johto sure wasn't happy anymore]

Oi--! You okay?

[audio] LISTENING TO THAT MUSIC/SOUND EFFECT FOR HOURS TENDS TO MAKE YOU INSANE

[tarotcards]

[RING RING

The sound echos throughout the forest, and mixes into with the deafening music and cries. The Pokegear sits in the abandoned duffle bag, the front light flashing on and off in the darkness of it. "You got one message! You got one message!" It appears and disappears with the light, but the video response that was sent sits lonely in its inbox. No replies are forwarded from Souji's device, not after ten minutes, twenty, thirty.

But by forty long minutes, a single reply is sent-- audio. Not video, hands were trying to send out a reply as quick as possible. Who knew when that thing might show up again?

There is a horrible muffling sound as hands run past the microphone, obviously from the owner trying to hold the thing without dropping it. Deep pants follow, suggesting that he just might have been trying to run away from that glitch. It makes a deafening sound and almost makes it hard to hear his hushed voice, trying to keep it as low as possible.]

Yeah, I'm good for now...

[There is a rustling sound that follows as he looks around the corner of his tree. Where did that thing vanish to? Something that huge doesn't just get up and disappear. Bloody hell. Hopefully this meant he lost the goddamn thing.]

You see anything like this before?

[video] THE GOOD KIND OF INSANITY

[bakaitoukid]

[thankfully, despite the glitch, Kaito's gear seems to be working okay. For now]

Not outside of a video game. [he winces] 'S creepy actually being a part of it.

[audio] THERE IS NO SUCH THING

[tarotcards]

[Creepy was an understatement. Try about insane, unbelievable, impossible, terrifying. No, all of those are understatements. There was no word in the human language to describe the kind of intense panic and fear that was coursing through him, even if he tried his best to calm himself down.

But his cousin was somewhere out there, possibly even facing the same thing he just escaped from. There was a slight waver in his voice, thinking about it. The same panic and fear he carried months ago when something very similar had happened, but this time, he had nothing to call forth to assure him that it'll be alright.]

You getting anything like this over on your side?

[Video]. Best event post ever.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Heather sees the video. And all of the hairs on the back of her neck go on end. That's... not like the other Pokemon. ... If anything? It's more like the monsters SHE'S used to than anything she's ever seen here. ... And that's bad.]

[... But she can't do anything. Because it's happening on a fucking screen, god fucking dammit....]</sub>

[text] Aw shucks, thanks~ ♥

[tarotcards]

[There is no immediate reply from Souji's side of the network. Not a single audio or video to even hint that he might still be running and alive. Only a longing silence of no replies.

The clock ticks as the minutes pass since this accidental feed has been spread over the network. It starts with ten minutes passing, fifteen, twenty, slowly yet surly making it forty long and deadly minutes before there is a reply sent to Heather, but not audio-- a text message.]

AL;3SLDmcsi

;sd093HE9wcSDHEY))3-

..as-u-sckl;

[Nothing but just a jamble pile of randomly selected keys are sent, following no pattern or order. The only part the stands out was "HEY" in between of it all. It was clear that this message was sent either accidentally once again or that he had attempted to reply, but only to be forced to run once again in the midst of his typing.

A few minutes pass when another text message is sent, this time, just a bit more clearly;]

;;9psdckl;OKZ

4wwwwwwwwdyou alrrrightr on youir wside?

[text] <333333

[foolishwren]

_{[A text! She leaps on it-- ... then frowns when it's a keyboardsmash. ... She really hopes that doesn't mean he's dead and the thing is chewing on his 'Gear-- OH NO THERE WE GO.]}

yeah but dude wtf just happened

_{[Urgent situations called for acronyms and no punctuation.]}

[text] why is it that when I look at that, it reminds me off "running away" clouds in cartoons?

[tarotcards]

[He gets a steady hand on his Pokegear now, managing to find himself hiding behind a tree, no longer trying to text while running around. He sends a reply almost immediately, ignoring all punctuation as well that he would normally keep in his text messages. This is not time to be worrying about placing commas or if all of the "I"s are capitalize. Screw that right now!]

you tell me

that thing just came out of nowhere

you know what that was?

[action] YOSUKE TO THE RESCUE-- or not

[usedtact.livejournal.com]

[ unfortunately, bro, the team was split up. yosuke's worried about everyone, but it's mostly nanako who crosses his mind as he runs almost blindly through route 31. that's when he sees the missingno; shocked, he hesitates-- which is probably fortunate, since it's in this hesitation that he spots souji. despite the HUGE FUCKING SKELETON THING looming closer, he rushes toward his friend. ]

Partner--! We've gotta get out of here!

[action] why are you so made of fail, Yosuke?

[tarotcards]

[Souji just manages to dodge that charge from that thing, fumbling to the side, nearly tripping over his own two feet. Dammit, that thing was huge and he couldn't even summon any of his Personae to stop it. If he had the chance to summon even just one, he could at least defend himself and not dodge things.

The glitch keeps on flying, even after it missed its target. Pushing up his glasses, he turns towards Yosuke who somehow managed to find him. Where the hell was Nanako and Teddie?! Don't tell him that they got separated in all this!]

Yosuke, where's the other tw--

[The creature cries once again.]

"NIII-RRRD!! NII--RRRRRRD!!"

[Dammit--! That thing was starting to turn and head straight for them again.]

Hurry up and go! I'll follow behind!

[action] h-he means well

[usedtact.livejournal.com]

[ oh shit that thing means business-- yosuke is almost rooted to the spot when it begins charging again, but mostly in his determination to not abandon souji, even after he urges him to run. ]

I can't-- I'm not going without you! The team was already split up once!

[action] gotta do well too if you wanna save your partner

[tarotcards]

[He braces himself into a defense stance. Dammit, this situation wasn't looking good at all. He was torn between either running off with Yosuke to find the rest of the group or standing his ground to face this thing. Dammit!]

I'll come along! Find Teddie and Nanako first! I'll keep this thing busy for now!

[voice]

[angerpoint.livejournal.com]

[Kanji has taken it upon himself to chase down and maul these things, although they do run. So he's too busy for a video or text response right now.]

Fuck-- SENPAI! Are you alright?! Your pokemon will come out if you're under attack, use them! Where are you?! My girls are strong enough to scare these things off, I'll come help you guys!

[audio] oh Kanji, mauling things now again?

[tarotcards]

[The lone message sits in Souji's inbox, and its ringing is not acknowledged. The Pokegear sits alone in that forgotten duffle bag, sitting on the pixelized floor that was once remembered as actual grass and dirt.

"You got one message! You got one message!"

And the screen kept showing that over and over and over again. Even after ten minutes, it kept blinking, kept on ringing. Twenty, still no reply from Souji's side. Thirty, not even a hint that he may still be alive. Forty, one is sent.

It's only a short audio message, nothing more, following what Kanji had just sent. No video, no text, just plain out sound. It starts off with a heavy amount of panting, making horrible muffling sounds that almost make it difficult to hear Souji's hushed-- but urgent --voice.]

Kanji, where are you right now? I'm fine here. Take care of Naoto over there, I'll figure something out!

[He received a message from Naoto as well, just a few replies before Kanji's. Apparently she says that she too was split apart from him, and that was not good. They all needed to stick together. Kanji with Naoto and everyone else in Violet, Souji with his own cousin, bear, and partner.]

[audio] Yup. And, OH LORD, hiatus makes posts so late.

[angerpoint.livejournal.com]

[Kanji has been... frankly, freaking out. Everything's going to hell, and he's not sure what to do. Poor boy's not exactly good without direction, and Souji. isn't. picking. up. his. phone. When his pokegear finally rings, he hastily grabs it, trusting Marilyn to fight the battle that's going on by herself.]

Oh, thank god, you're alive! Just outside've town, these things are freakin' everywhere! I can't find anyone!