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

I guess the only thing I can really do is talk it out. For all I know, it could just be a dream. It's just...

[Sigh. Maybe if he puts it this way, she'll understand.]

It's about Slacker. That dream brought back a ton of bad memories, and now I guess... well, I just wonder if he hurts more than I ever expected. Wouldn't it make sense for Pokémon to bury their feelings the way that people do? To just... bear with it and put up a good front.

[She gives it some thought, tilting her head. Do they bottle up their emotions to get through the days? Maybe, but...]

I don't think so. They've always seemed more open about the way they feel than we do. They've got less reasons to hide it, I guess. [Less care for what others think. She shrugs.] But it sounds like you should be asking him this, not talking it out with us.

...Right. Sorry.

[He shakes his head, heaving a heavy sigh.]

I'm not thinking straight. I know I should just talk to him, but it's just... intimidating, I guess. Like, what if that dream actually meant something?

[Flare whaps him on the back and grunts.]

What? I'm being honest, aren't I?

[There's a low growl before Flare shoots Light an apologetic look. Then, after he nudges Riku with his elbow--]

Okay, fine! There's something else I forgot to mention: I've only got Flare with me right now.

[You heard that right, Light. In an attempt to push himself to be more independent in fights... he's left all the Pokémon behind that could keep him out of trouble, barring one exasperated dragon.]

[Did she hear that--oh, Etro. She rubs her face with one hand, feeling a headache starting to come on.]

If it actually meant something, then there's nothing you can without talking to Slacker. [and what a name that is. She lowers her hand, sighing at the camera. Really, Riku? She knows you're smarter than this.] If it didn't mean anything, you're getting worked up over nothing. Either way, you can't do anything about it now. You may as well calm down and think about it logically.

[Flare nods at Lightning's words, shooting Riku a firm look. Listen to the lady; she knows what she's talking about.

And, sure enough, Light's words deflate Riku like a balloon. With a heavy sigh, he slumps over, holding up his head with one hand while the other rests on his knee.]

There you go again, being all sensible.

[Heh.]

Sorry for dumping this on you. This isn't even a serious problem, like Team Rocket. Just stupid feelings clouding my head.

[She shakes her head. Sensible? Maybe, but it's more experience talking than anything. She's had her own dreams to face, and her nightmares. But sometimes dreams really are just dreams.]

It's fine. It's better to talk about this stuff than sit on it for too long.

[More sensible Lightning? Maybe. Experience talks, and it colors her words even now.]

You should head back. Pick up Slacker and tell him about this. [a short pause, then a shrug.] Maybe he's already forgiven you, or he's forgotten and moved on. You won't know until you ask.

I'll have to swing by in the morning. By now, he's probably passed out, and I doubt an apology would make up for ripping him out of his sleep.

[Because, really, who does like abrupt wake up calls?]

Still, thanks for putting up with this. Guess I really do need to cool down, at least until I know if there's a problem or not.

It would probably give you an problem with him, actually. One that may be harder to solve than the one you think you have.

[Because nobody likes abrupt wake ups for things that could have waited until morning.]

The next time you get worried, take a few deep breaths. Calm your mind and try to think things through. Not everything's as bad as it seems, Riku.

...Right. Of course. I guess it's just easy to forget that sometimes. Couple that with the fact that I'm dead tired, and I'd think I've at least got an excuse for it.

Doesn't mean I shouldn't slow down, though. Feels like this would be so much easier if I had Sora's dorky attitude.

[Seriously, it's like he's immune to sadness and fear altogether.]

[A nod; dead tired is a very good excuse, really. For a lot of things, this mess included.]

Maybe. He does seem like the kind of guy who doesn't let things bother him. [A soft, almost wistful smile.] Couldn't hurt to take a page or two from his book at this point.

[She knows the type, that's for sure.]

Maybe, but I can't just become Sora 2.0. If I did, I'd lose all my dignity.

[He snickers.]

After all, Sora's more than just upbeat. He's the sappiest guy I know.

[A snort, and her smile turns into a smirk.] I know what you mean. More than one of him running around would be a problem, too. [The idea of Sora meeting Snow someday almost makes her laugh...or maybe that's the tiredness. Could be both. She continues after clearing her throat.]

But acting just a little like him couldn't hurt. His ability to just keep going no matter what happens, or something.

54 - video/backdated to the 9th;

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