islandshore | 54 - video/backdated to the 9th;

Nightmare;

[It happens late at night, while Riku's locked into deep slumber. Rather than peaceful dreams about exploring other worlds, he finds himself dropped in the middle of Route 29, knee-deep in tall grass. But something's off. Brow furrowing, he turns around, half expecting to spot blocks of distorted pixels.

Instead, he sees himself, three years younger with a Pidgey perched on his shoulder while a tiny Nidoran whimpers and cries. His past self points a finger at the tall grass and glares.]

Can it, Slacker! If you're gonna be my Pokémon, then fight. Otherwise, you're just a waste of space. Isn't that right, Highwind?

Screeeeeech!

[The Pidgey ruffles up his feather and dives at Slacker, scratching at his eyes. The Nidoran, too petrified to move, takes the hit and tumbles back into the grass. The past Riku merely rolls his eyes as he watches, while Riku cringes and dashes towards his dream self.]

Shut up!

[He passes straight through him, and his surroundings ripple, melting. Riku plummets into blackness. As soon as he hits the ground, a chill washes down him from head to toe. Low moans and growls echo before the ground rumbles. A Nidorino rushes at him, growing larger, swelling to a mountainous size. Riku's heart stops. He hears his own voice echo in the black space.]

Slacker, that's enough! STOP!

[The Nidorino persists, drawing closer and closer until his surroundings flash red. Once again Riku plummets, this time through further darkness.

No image accompanies him: only growls, whines, and voiceless whispers.]

You replaced me...

[There's a brief flash of his Charizard, Flare. Said image melts just like everything else.]

You abandoned me... You forget I exist!

No! It's not--

[His words are drowned out by one more growl. A giant Nidoking appears, giving a bellowing roar. Purple spikes shoot up at its feet. Rows upon rows of Toxic Spikes. Riku's falling accelerates. He draws closer, closer, and closer until--]

No!

[He wakes up on the floor, sweat racing down his skin. Heart pounding, threatening to burst from his chest. The sound of heavy footsteps draws his attention across the room. Flare, having seen the whole thing, plops down right next to him, giving a low grunt.

Riku can't meet his eyes.]

...Don't worry about it, Flare. I'll deal.

Video;

[It's late at night when Riku addresses the network. His hair's kind of a mess, and he looks like he hasn't slept at all. Still, he forces a faint smirk on his face and runs a hand over his head, trying to look a bit more presentable.]

So, about that fighting tournament... Anyone think we should have those more often? It's kind of a bummer I didn't get to fight most of you guys. Can't really get stronger unless I--

[He stops, sighing. His words came out halfhearted, anyway. Even a complete stranger could probably tell something's amiss. For the next few seconds, he stands there in silence, glancing off screen. A Charizard briefly passes by in the background, folding his arms and snorting. He gives a look that screams, "Stop being dumb". He and Riku exchange stares, complete with utterings of, "It's nothing". However, once Flare spreads out his wings and gives a low growl, Riku reluctantly turns back to the camera.]

...Never mind. That's not really what I wanted to talk about anyway.

[Granted, he didn't want to talk about this either, but with a persistent dragon peering over his shoulder, he's kind of been boxed into a corner. Sigh...]

I guess what I want to know is how you're supposed to deal with regret. I'm not good at talking about this sort of thing, but... let's say you get a reminder of some stupid mistake you made a while back. What are you supposed to do about that? Especially if it happened so long ago that it really shouldn't matter in the first place...

[It's dumb. He knows it's dumb and he shouldn't put so much stock into a nightmare, but given how little time he's spent with Slacker, who knows?

Either way, he'll just have to hang tight. Now that he's made his case, Riku clicks the video feed off.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hah. Riku only wishes he could hide it. Under normal circumstances, he might've been able to, but when you wake up with a scream next to a giant, flaming dragon, it ain't easy shoving those feelings aside.

Riku does eye Ryner curiously for a moment-- it's hard not to notice the webs, but he'll refrain from asking about them for now. Instead, he'll focus on the question at hand.]

Well, we're talking months of shoving someone around, telling them they're not good enough. I was awful back then, and the worst part is, I didn't even realize it.

[He brings a hand over his chest, brow furrowing.]

Maybe that regret never went away. Hard to say. I mean, I tried not to think too hard on it for a while, but now it's like those screw-ups have come back to haunt me. I know that sounds cheesy, but...

[He shakes his head. This is kind of embarrassing to talk about.]

You ever feel that way?

Ahh, can't say I really know that exactly, but...

[He sighs and closes his eyes.]

I've done a lot of stuff I regret, so I can kind of relate, I guess. But if you realize it now and've been working to change, that's something, right? You can't change the past, but you can make the future better. You can make things right.

[Unlike himself. "You can’t grasp anything with those blood-stained monster’s hands of yours. You can’t reach anywhere." Lucile's words have never really stopped haunting him, nearly three years in Johto or not.]

Right... Just gotta push forward and learn from those mistakes, huh?

[He folds his arms, sitting down on the edge of his bed.]

I think the hardest part is that person I mentioned's actually a Pokémon. My starter, actually, and I haven't really... well, done much of anything with him for a while. He gets cared for, but he's not exactly my star player. Heck, I've only got one Pokémon with me right now.

[And given his nightmare, it's hard to shake his fear. What if Slacker really does resent him and just doesn't show it? What's he supposed to think about that?]

I know that probably sounds stupid. I know there are bigger things to regret, and my problems are pretty tame compared to what some people deal with.

It's not that stupid. You wouldn't think it was stupid if you regretted hurting a friend, right? It's the same thing.

But, well, maybe you should ask him what he thinks? If it's that you're worried he holds it against you, or something.

Yeah, you've got a point there. I'd just have to get him sent back to me, since he's still in Celadon right now.

[Plus, it's late. Would the nurses really want him messing with the PC system at this hour?]

Thanks, though. What you said makes perfect sense, and, honestly? I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner.

[He laughs sheepishly, placing a hand on his neck. Then again, sometimes it's tough to get a read on Pokémon, given the obvious language barriers.]

No problem. Sometimes you just need an outside perspective, I guess.

I'm guessing you spend a lot of time in Celadon, right? [since that implies he's not in the PC, which implies that there's someone trustworthy taking care of him]

No kidding. Sometimes you get so caught up in your worries that you just don't think things through.

[Granted, he's sure that Sora would say the same thing. He's always been highly sentimental and always knows just what to say.]

Anyway, I don't just spend time there. I've got a business down there-- a training center, so that's where I tend to leave the team while I'm away.

[It just so happens that he's left everyone there except Flare and taken temporary leave to resolve some personal issues.

In hindsight, maybe he's taken it too far. Trying to find his own strength is one thing, but is it really fair to push his partners away?]

Ahh, really?

[He's seen flyers for it, here and there. Not something he's ever been interested in though, being generally uninterested in battling outside of what makes Rose happy, but he knows of it.]

Must be hard work, running something like that. Maybe you should take some of them on a vacation some time. Do something nice for both them and yourself.

Hah. Sora's been trying to get me to lighten up for a while. Maybe I should take his advice.

[He chuckles dryly, waving one of his hands.]

It's not a bad idea. Truth is, I've been pushing myself way too hard. Pretty sure Flare's tired of spitting flames just to test my endurance, anyway.

[Yes, he went there. It's stupid, reckless, and chances are, Flare's gone easy on him. He's just as big of a proponent for Riku getting his act together as anyone else, really.]

So, where do you think would make a good vacation spot?

Hmm... Well, that depends what you like, I guess. Olivine's beach is pretty nice, especially if you can find a quiet spot to yourself. But if you're not really a fan of the water, Ecruteak is also peaceful, and there's plenty around to do even if you don't want to sit back and enjoy the day.

Hey, I'm from an island. Why would I hate water when I grew up surrounded by it?

[Then again, he did get sick of his home for a while. Still, swimming's pretty awesome.]

Just wish it was still summer. Soon it'll be too cold to really enjoy the beaches.

Yeah, it is nicer there when it's warmer, isn't it.

I mean, I wouldn't really know all that well, since there isn't a whole ton of beach where I'm from. Hell, Olivine's was the first that I ever really got to relax on... Must have been nice growing up on an island, though.

Nice in hindsight, sure. Thing is, I sure didn't see it that way when I first popped up here.

[There's some awkward laughter, and Riku glances to the side. Yeah, he's still not too proud of his past actions and viewpoint.]

Guessing you've done some growing up?

I'd be kind of worried if I hadn't grown a little bit. Three years is a long time, especially when you're a teenager. Don't most people make their biggest mistakes at that age?

Yeah, that's definitely true.

54 - video/backdated to the 9th;

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