islandshore | 67

[It's late at night when Riku turns on the feed. Judging by the starlight surrounding him he's outdoors. Lights from the surrounding cityscape shimmer from afar. The camera hovers behind him as he rests along the edge of a roof.

It hovers closer, and he finally turns around, gaze distant despite the camera's close proximity.]

You ever stop to wonder about our place in this world?

[Why, yes, it's one of those messages.]

I mean, think about it. We're dragged from our homes, dropped here and expected to play by their rules. And sure, some of us are successful. We've had businesses sprout up from nothing, helped fight off giant monsters, been invited to proms...

Still, we're outsiders, and sooner or later, we might disappear, and all the work we do here gets left behind.

[He looks up, sighing softly.]

It just got me thinking... What do the locals think about us? Do we count as citizens, even though we aren't part of the world? And how much do they really know about us in the first place?

[Heh.]

But maybe I'm over thinking it. I mean, this is a world that somehow manages to sustain itself even without an obvious education, limited career paths, and a surprising amount of pacifism in the face of crime. Community service as catchall punishment's kinda light, after all...

[Leaning back, Riku shrugs.]

I don't know. What are your guys' thoughts? I've got time to kill.

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You're starting to sound like a philosopher.

[Which may come with an existential crisis there, Riku.]

Maybe an armchair philosopher, but I doubt I've got the credentials to be the real deal.

[It's said with a light tone and a forced chuckle. He knows this is probably worrisome, but some habits are tough to break.]

You can cross is off your bucket list if you've got on then.

[You're making her dread being here for a long time like you, you know.]

Heh. Wonder what the next goal should be. Cheesy poet? Door to door salesman? Attorney at law?

[He's not being particularly serious about this, though it's amusing to imagine.]

I think you'd be a better attorney than an attorney I know.

[This is more of a joke than anything. Phoenix was a damn good lawyer.]

Pfft. You say that now, but I've never even studied law.

[Well, not in great depth. Sure, it's an obvious joke, but he figures it's worth pointing out.]

Neither have I, but you'd be better at it than the leagues of Jenny's here if you apply yourself.

Heh. Actually, now that you mention it, I'm not even sure if they have courts here... Sure haven't heard of any trials, anyway; just people getting shoved into community service or jail.

That's a lot better than back at home. Let's just leave it at that.

[Still...]

Have you tried doing the Elite challenge? Might give you some thrills.

Heh. I actually did all the Elite challenges in Kanto. Did a couple in Johto, too, but by that point, I wasn't sure what I had to gain from it, you know?

Got all the badges, so other than the challenge, there's no real progression. What I really want is to take on the Elite Four...

Good luck with that. I don't think any of us are ever going to be able to do that.

[No matter how badly she wants to wipe the floor with them.]

Man, you really think so? I mean, there must be some reason they're held up...

[But they still exist, and sooner or later, even the locals are gonna get impatient, right?]

I was talking about this with someone else, and apparently they might just be holed up for a pretty selfish reason: they don't want to be beaten by people from other worlds.

...You know, that'd explain a lot.

[He wheezes out a bitter laugh.]

Maybe they're scared it'll ruin their reputation. Or I guess there could be complications if one of us became champ and disappeared the next day.

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