Dream 003 [ACCIDENTAL VIDEO/ACTION IN ROUTE 31]

[usedeverything]

[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

Comments

[Video]

[fortunatewings]

Senpai!!

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

[audio]

[usedeverything]

[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]

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]

[usedeverything]

[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?

[video] oh my god so epic

[restardom]

[ 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,

[audio] al;lkas thank you~ ♥

[usedeverything]

[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

[audio]

[restardom]

[ 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

[audio]

[usedeverything]

[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

[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

[usedeverything]

[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

[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

[usedeverything]

[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]

[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....]

[text] Aw shucks, thanks~ ♥

[usedeverything]

[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?

[usedeverything]

[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]

[ 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?

[usedeverything]

[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]

[ 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

[usedeverything]

[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!