Riku

[The feed opens with ominous music. The camera's shaking. The town's dark. Everything appears rigid. Sharp. Off camera, a voice can be heard, slightly distorted.]

N-no way. Not again!

[The camera pans, ever so slowly, to show the following...]



[Seven feet of stiff pixels. It's not alone, either. Off to the side, viewers are treated to...]



[And as the camera continues to pan, more and more monsters seem to have met the same fate.]



[They flicker. Briefly, they move and look like normal Pokémon, only to stiffen up again. The music drones on and one. And on...

The camera pulls away. Riku looks to the screen, trying to keep his expression blank, but his lips twitch, trying to form a frown.]

This happened before. It's just like the first Halloween I spent here. The lanscape's blocky. My Pokémon are barely moving. Bet you anything there's a MISSINGNO. just waiting to pop up.

[The camera shakes a bit. The hallway, dark and pixelated as it is, seems to scroll behind him. Off to the side, images of more blocky creatures emerge, some in better states than others.



He passes through a doorway. The scenery abruptly shifts to Celadon City, not that you'd recognize it with everything reduced to pixels. Outside, Riku slumps against the wall of the Training Center, its graphics slightly garbled and vaguely resembling a Gym Sprite. File not found...?

When Riku speaks again, the audio shifts up and down in pitch. Static distorts the feed, though Riku doesn't take notice at first.]

D̮̦͕̳̳̳̖̬ͅo̺e͉̘s̢̟̱͙̬̩̼͢ͅ ̜̩̻̖̘͟a͕̰̙̫̦̟̻͇̕n̛̮̞̖̲͈͖͇͚̼ỳ̀͏̠͇̜̘ơ̮͙͉̬͕͔͍͜ṉ̴̝̦͚̕e̴͕ ̢̹͓͚̗r̞̩̜̳̹̥̝ḛ̷̘̫̫̰̱m̨̩̭̝͔͉e̜̙̭͖͓͙̜̩̝͟͞m̛̫̦̮̲͈͓̲͘b̺͓͔̺̀͞͠ȩ̬̳̬̬̤r̵͓̺ ̶̵͕̰̝̩͓̰̦͜t͈̟̬̬̬̟̘͍h̵͕̤̰̳͔͍́͘e̝̭͚͈̪͉̲ ̪̺͙̤͕͖͡f̩̟̱̤͘ͅì͔͖̼͙̀͘r̫̞̪̥̙s̮̪̰̗̼̙̦̯t̶̛̝̝͎̠ ̘̹͉̙̬̲̥͠͡t͕̺͟͞i̵͏͕͚̬̬̟ͅm͚͓̠̪͕̘͖͘͘é̥̳͕̫̦̻̜̱ ̷̟͖̩̼̱̻͇́ṯ̗̪̖͚̞͓͠h̛̬͔̘̲̙͈̪͘i͟͞҉͈̜s͏͉̞͉̬͉̫̰ ̘̼̯͉͓͎͝ẖ̙͙̥̲͕̺̖̮͘à̭p͏̤̞̟̣̮̯̜̰̀p͍̥̱̦̥̱̤ͅe̥͎͎̫͙͔̹͠͡ͅn̢͔̤̪̹̣͈͖̝ḛ̳̼̙̻̥̲͘ḑ͕̤̰?̸̹̠̟͕̠͟ The music kept going, playing this same stupid song for days. Everything was so l̘̗̗̲̟̱̪͚͔̰̻͇̟̤̫̋̑̆ͦ͝͡į̧̭̖̭͉̥̰͛͌̎ͯͪ̍̊͆ͥ̄f̴̺̹͉̖̤̦̲̺̩̯̓̆̐̉̾͗̂ͫ͌̈́ͯ̑ͪ́͟e͆̔̋̄ͮ̒ͫͭ̚͏̧̩̙̫̗̜̗̘̦͇̻̪̪̮̘̼͘͝͝ͅl̴̛̯͈͚̘͇̱̣̲̝̘͓̣̬͂̐̄ͧ̓̍̀ͮ͊ͣ̃ͅe̴̛͙̣̘͍̪̹̖̘̣̺̞̣̱̮̻̖̙̾ͫ̀́̉ͭͧ̃͆͋́̍̾͐͂ͪ̒ͨ̔̀͢͡s̨̛̔ͪ̒̋ͫ̾͋̚͟͞͏̹̖̱͔̠͈̤̹͇̙̭̩͍̪̗ͅͅsͨͩ̉̈̋̃ͣ͌̓̎ͭ҉͓̫̱̭̣̟̬̗̕.̀̄͑̍̂ͪ̉́ͣ̑ͤ͋̉̌̋̚͠͏̨͍͕̮̹.̵̷̡͉͍͇͔̖͙͍̜̞͓͔ͫͮͣ̏͛͂͋͂ͧͦ̽̃̈͌͘͟.̷͙͉̘͇̤̜̱͙̰̣̩̂ͥ̈̀͟

It's probably the same across the board, but just in case, is there anyone who isn't surrounded by pixels? I'm gonna do some recon, see how the locals are taking it, but if anyone's confused, I can try to--

[The screen ripples, then fills with a flash of static as this sound starts to play, if only for a moment.

Soon after, the following message appears.]

An error has occurred. To continue:

Press ENTER to return to POKéCONNECT or

Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart your device. If you do this, you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications.

Error : 0E : 016F : BFF9B3D4

Press any key to continue_

[Following the broadcast, he can be found wandering from Celadon across the various cities. He's a man on a mission, determined to sort out what's going on and find someone, anyone who isn't completely clueless about the situation.]

[The feed clicks on with some radical footage of two teenage boys cruising on waves. Some may recognize them as Sora and Riku, both of whom have forgone their usual attire for swim trunks. Now, at first everything seems fine and dandy, until a particularly gigantic wave sneaks up on them, smothering them and dunking them below the water's surface. A blastoise decked out in shades zips by, trying to contain her laughter. The feed ends momentarily.

Cue another feed with both boys performing noticeably better. Riku looks to the camera and flashes a smug grin. They perform a few more tricks before returning to the shore and addressing the network properly.]

[ the first to formally pop his head in direct veiw of the camera is Sora, shaking out the sea water from his hair. ]

So glad that the snow melted. I mean, I love snow and all, but having it ruin our beach plans wouldn't have been cool.

[In the background, a fairly disgruntled Weavile wanders by, slurping some sort of smoothie. He stops just long enough to address the feed with a fake, stuffy accent.]

Tsk. Frankly, I would have preferred an entire week of snow. This summer heat is simply too much.

[Suddenly Riku regrets bringing an ice type to town. Heaving a sigh, slips into view just a few seconds later, rolling his eyes at his Pokémon.]

Well, at least it's gone now. At any rate, if anyone's hanging around Olivine, Sora and I are setting up camp out here by the shore. If you don't mind some rough waves, feel free to drop by. We're planning on whipping up some barbeque in a bit.

[Those in the area are free to drop by Olivine's beach, where the two KH dorks will be hanging ten, among other things.]

[The feed clicks on inside a bedroom of some kind. There's a shiny Charmander wriggling around in the background, trying to hide under a pillow. Pay her no mind for now. Riku, in the mean time, faces the camera with a slightly deadpan look.]

Okay, since the data version of me came back, I figured it's time to do a little PSA. Basically, if you see two guys who look like younger versions of me, don't freak out. They aren't me. They're just based on me. One of them goes by Evan, and the other's got a black coat and took up the name Rin, I guess.

Also, since this is a newbie wave, I went ahead and updated my Training Guide, including a new section on Pokémon care. It also covers the basic questions most newbies toss around and some Pokémon recs. Like Toxicroak. I'm seriously surprised at how scarce they are.

[He shrugs.]

And don't forget to check out the Pokémon Rental Service if you need a quick trip to the next town. Newbies get a reduced price, since you guys are short on funds as it is.

[Okay, advertising's done. Now he can toss something up for the old crowd...]

And to wrap things up, I've got two questions for you. First, how do you decide to nickname your Pokémon? Or if you don't... why the heck don't you? I never got the point in referring to them by species when they're all individuals.

As for the other question... Do you think it's necessary to be friends with all your Pokémon? Even if said Pokémon is vicious, bloodthirsty, and only cares about fighting?

[And with that, he'll click off the feed. Well, after throwing up two private messages and slapping on the following attachments...]

ATTACHMENTS:

Training for Dummies.txt.

( PGC FILTER )

( Filtered to Ven )

[High on the rooftop of Goldenrod's Radio Tower is where Riku makes his first appearance. Smoke and fire continue to burn at the city. He's... not entirely sure what he's doing there or why there are a bunch of weird turtle-things having a ball.

What does matter is that he's gotten himself a snazzy looking Keyblade and there's a whole swarm of Neoshadows down below.

So, what does Riku do? He takes a dive straight off of the building, grinning like mad, and drives his new Keyblade into the horde. His Charizard swoops down to join him, followed by the rest of his main team: Draco the Dragonite, Ace the Lucario, Zen the Blastoise, Blade the Scizor, and even Quake the Garchomp.

But just as soon as they get into the swing of things, they're warped elsewhere. They'll be showing up all across Johto and Kanto, fighting off stupid Heartless until they eventually recede.

But just when it seems like the fun's at its end, Riku and his team arrive in the center of Celadon...

Amidst 1000 more Heartless. At that point, Riku promptly slaps his palm over his face.]

Seriously? This is getting a little ridiculous...

Video;

[Later on, when the coast is clear, Riku finds himself with a new problem. It's at that point that he addresses the network, though people are welcome to see him with his new companion as well.]

Okay, does anyone know where this bat even came from? I already checked, and it's not a Pokémon. Could've fooled me, though.

[Seriously, this bat is just... nuzzling his face. What even?]

[ooc: Also, the icons are a lie. This Riku is seventeen due to a few years in Route, but it's not a major detail or anything. Just thought I'd note that juust in case!]

[The feed opens with Riku standing at the foot of the Training Center with a pile of pumpkins in the background. A Skarmory and Pidgeot fly overhead, carrying what appears to be a great big ribbon that reads "GRAND OPENING". His trusty Charizard, Flare, leans against the frame of the door while his Nidoking, Slacker, paces back and forth with... a rose in his mouth.

Grinning, Riku glances at the other Pokémon before addressing the feed. At first he doesn't even notice the music playing behind him.]

All right. I think I've held back long enough. Now that we're back from our Cinnabar trip, the Training Center's going to be opening up shop. And as part of the celebration, Kairi and I are planning on throwing a Halloween party for anyone in Kanto. After all, everything seems to happen in Johto these days, and that's a pretty huge drag for those of us who--

[Before Riku can even finish, flames spew into his face. Flare's eyes widen. The birds drop the banner, and Slacker panics, splashing Riku with a great big tidal wave. The camera rattles to the ground revealing one bruised Charmeleon, sopping with her face contorted into one nasty snarl.

There's an audible gasp offscreen.]

No way! You... you're a fire type! How did you--

[Rrrraaargh! The Charmeleon rakes her claws and lunges forward. The camera lifts up off of the ground, probably via one of Riku's ghosts, given the eerie static cackling. Gritting his teeth, Riku dashes for the fire lizard with his wooden Keyblade in hand, attempting to nail her in the gut, but she leaps over his head, kicks him in the back and lands just a few feet from Flare, spewing flames at his belly.]

( More beneath the cut! Features flying Charmeleons... or Charmeleons riding on angry birds. )

[As the Charmeleon madness continues, passers by are free to spectate at this crazy lizard and her attempts to reach the roof. And spew fire at everything that agitates her. Needless to say, she is going to keep at it for a good while.

While Riku watches, he'll slap up a text message via the network.]

Ugh. Sorry about that interruption. I'm still sorting it out, but... Seriously, is anyone game for a party in Celadon? We've got a few ideas already, like a battle tournament and some kind of dance. Hopefully by the time Halloween rolls around, this little pest problem won't be an issue, anyway.

[Just... ugh. Please let this issue get resolved as soon as possible. Darn fire lizards.]

[The feed begins with a shot of Goldenrod and some... posters. There are posters all over the place, by the looks of it, all advertising a "Celadon Training Center," opening soon. Riku turns the camera on himself and smirks. It's worth noting that he still has sharp teeth and little stubs of horns from the Outbreak. Rockets may also recognize him as the 'silver haired boy' on Cobra's list.]

So, Gyms are nice and all, but they'll only get you so far. And battling Pokémon in the wild is slow, tedious, and unpredictable. Relying on the trainers along the routes will make you want to tear your hair out after a while, especially since they never get any stronger in the first place.

No, if you're serious about training, there haven't been any solid options... until now.

[He gestures to one of the posters.]

Good news is, I'm opening up a Training Center in Celadon. It's been in the works for a few months now, but I plan to open the doors within the next week or two. But before I do, I'm gonna need some help. Can't run a business on my own, after all. So, what do I need?

Mainly staff who are willing to help with publicity, Pokémon handling, customer service, money management, and battles. But not only that... I'm going to need suggestions on what kind of features to add to make sure people keep coming back. Right now, I've got some training areas set up, a pretty huge selection of level 100's who can work your Pokémon into shape, and a rental service for trainers on the go. If you want more details, I'll be attaching a link at the end of this feed along with a link to my Training for Dummies guide.

[He leans back against a building, placing a hand on his hip.]

Anyway, for you guys living in Goldenrod, what's your favorite thing to do here? Haven't been in town for a while, but I'll be going back and forth between here and Celadon. Might as well make the most of it.

[The feed ends with a click, and the following attachments appear]

ATTACHEMENTS:

Training Center Information
Training for Dummies.txt

[As soon as he's done with his message, Riku can be found throughout the town with his team, currently consisting of a very large Charizard, a Lucario, a Scizor, a Dragonite, a Blastoise, and an Axew. They all seem to be setting up more posters advertising Riku's business. Feel free to hassle him if you'd like!]

... I'm tired of this.

[The feed starts up with a kind of exhausted looking Riku leaning over the edge of his bed in the Inn. In the background, an angry looking Dragonair proceeds to let out a series of scratchy roars while whipping a Deino in the face. Riku cringes, looks over his shoulder and groans.]

Slash, do something about them.

[There's some ice flying into the two dragons, and Riku turns his attention back on the screen.]

I think I've been here for so long that Johto's just plain dull. I'm tired of hanging around here; there are still gyms to beat back in Kanto. Sora, Ven... you think we can get moving soon? I'd hate to fall behind.

[There's a long pause before he says anything else. That stinking Dragonair lets out another roar and attempts to wrap himself around Riku's Weavile. At that point, Riku reaches for one of his Pokéballs.]

So, it's been about two years since I got here. Who else is left from that first batch? And how do you guys feel about being here for so long?

[And one last thing, which he'll switch to text for.]

And for you newcomers, don't forget to check out this training guide. It explains most of the basics around here.

[With that, he'll be hanging around the inn, wandering through town, and doing some training along the routes with his ridiculous dragons. Feel free to encounter him in person if that tickles your fancy.]

[It's been a stressful week for Riku. Between his unruly Gible causing trouble for his older Pokémon and Sora falling into a deep sleep, there's really been no end to the madness. He also got yet another new Pokémon egg. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it means he's had to train another monster from square one, rather than focusing his efforts on his stronger team members.

And given that he can't exactly leave town yet, Riku's opted to hang out around the Inn with his Nidoking by his side. The two are propped up against the front of the building, and the camera shakes a little as it records the duo.

Riku rolls his eyes.]

Knock it off, Phantom. You don't need to record this.

[The feed turns upside down for a split second, and Riku groans. The things he puts up with.]

Well, better this than those pranks of yours, especially at this hour.

[Oh, but pranks are so much fun! And he's got quite a few ideas of how to paint the town red... Of course, that'll have to wait. And why?

Because, up above, there's a horrifying shriek, as a Pokémon dives down from the sky.]


Gyaaaaaaarr!

[Riku steps back, eyes wide, while Slacker screams. Why? Well, as shown by the lovely footage Phantom's displaying here, the Aerodactyl's got a limp pidgey in her mouth.

Riku quickly rushes up to the baby Pokémon, trying to knock the bird from her mouth. Slacker joins the Fray, charging head-first towards the 'dactyl. However, she's a flying type, and she manages to dodge both of them. The two crash into one another and land on their rumps. Meanwhile, the Aerodactyl swallows the Pidgey whole. At this point, Phantom's got an extreme closeup.

The feed ends with the Aerodactyl spitting out the feathery remains, followed by Phantom's shrill laughter.]

[Today, Riku's decided to head out towards the Daycare to check up on the Charmander and Totodile eggs he's been planning to sell. Joining him is his new Riolu, who curiously looks around at all the snow while Flare, his Charmeleon, stomps around, occasionally looking up at the sky and swishing his tail.]

Oh, c'mon. We can train in a bit. I just want to fetch the eggs real--

Rrrah!

[The Riolu chimes in with some barking, looking at some nearby grass. Training!]

Don't even think about it. You're not at the right level to battle on your own. Now, c'mon.

[He continues towards the Daycare with his Riolu at his side, but Flare doesn't seem to care. Instead, he wanders off into some grass and starts spewing flames. Eventually, an angry Drowzee appears, hitting the Charmeleon with some psychic attacks. However, there's a huge level gap between the two, and Flare is barely phased by the attack. Instead, he retaliates with a slash attack and roars. Before long, he's defeated the Drowzee and starts to glow.

His roars get louder and deeper as he increases in size, eventually sounding something like this. After that, the glow fades, revealing a newly evolved Charizard, and a big one at that.]

Heh, so that's why you were in a hurry.

[A little bit later, the video feed starts up again, this time inside the Daycare.]

A while back, I mentioned breeding some Charmander eggs. Well, I've got them now. If anyone's interested, I'll be selling them for about 10,000. I've also got a few Totodile eggs to go around. Just let me know if you want one, and I can send Highwind over with the eggs--

[There's a grunt in the background.]

Or I guess Flare could handle it.

[Oh dear. What have we here? The feed starts with a very nice close up of a Haunter, who sticks out his tongue and floats back. Behind him are Riku's Nidoking, Pidgeot, and Feraligatr. Given the soft whirring going on in the background, it's likely that his Rotom's out too, just out of sight.

Phantom stops just a few feet in front of them, quietly making some quick gestures and then pointing at the other Pokémon.]

Grrrrgh...

Rgh?

[Jaws and Slacker look at one another, then to Phantom, while Highwind huffs and ruffles his feathers. Phantom clenches one hand into a fist and slams it into the other.

A few seconds later, Slacker and Jaws reluctantly puff out their chests, put their shoulders back, and roar, and Phantom looms behind them with his mouth open wide. The only one who doesn't pose for the video is Highwind, who screeches and flies off camera.

The Feraligatr and Nidoking continue to strike ridiculous poses in the mean time, flexing and grunting. It gets to the point where Phantom cracks up, pushing the two of them forward, onto their chests.

Aaaand right about then Riku shows up, snatching his Gear from his Rotom and rolling his eyes.]

I look away for five minutes, and this happens?

[Silly Pokémon. He groans, running his free hand through his hair.]

Anyway, we're heading back to Violet now. Should be back in a few days. When I get there, I'm thinking of putting my Ivysaur up for trade again. She's level 32 and rotting in the PC. I might be willing to trade her for a Charmander or a Sneasel.

[ooc: Purple = Slacker. Blue = Jaws. And as a side note, it's hilarious how Nidokings are only 4'6''.]

I need to know the quickest way to Goldenrod.

[So says Riku, who appears a bit tense as the feed starts up. In the background, there's the sound of chatter from a Croconaw and Nidoking, but Riku remains focused on his gear.]

There's something me and Sora need to take care of, so the sooner we get there, the better.

[After that, the feed ends. It's short, sweet, and to the point; he's not in the mood for much idle chatter.]