Test Drive Meme - March & April

[indigo_league]

➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
➞ Tag other people's starters and thread out shenanigans!
➞ Invite your friends! Try out new characters! Come play with us!
➞ Have fun!

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CHECK OUT ALL THE LOCATIONS WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN:

JOHTO | KANTO | SEVII ISLANDS

Feel free to make various prompts in multiple locations!

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Comments

[duelingexpert]

[Recognizing the gesture, Tristan leans in himself not sure who it is exactly that they are trying to cut out of the conversation because as Joey pointed out before.. they were in the middle of a forest without an audience.]

That's right- I haven't seen a single Duel Monster since I got here. Not unless these are some unreleased designs or something..

[Given Tristan's vast wealth of knowledge regarding the famous card game... he wouldn't have been surprised if these were all just new additions he was unaware of. If someone like Joey was saying they weren't... then that led more credence to the idea that these creatures were something else entirely.]

Even Duke Devlin used Duel Monsters for his Dungeon Dice Monsters, and he wasn't associated with either one of them. Seems like a bold move to make such a knock off... have we entirely ruled out ancient vindictive spirit though? This could still be some kind of shadow game, couldn't it?

[While they're hypothesizing, he's going to throw in his two cents too]

Von Schroeder? Really?... That's your main suspect? [He responded with an incredulous tone] He literally just tried to take down Kaiba like a few weeks ago.. you think he's had time to program this entire system in such a short time? [Ah.. those time discrepancies again. Tristan straightened his posture, no longer as keen on hearing the rest of the theory. He was being too dismissive of it now, but maybe he would come around to the same way of thinking soon.]

No you can't, but how would Von Schroeder know anything about Hermos, huh? Do you ever think about these things in conjunction with each other? That guy was all about Norse mythology, not Greek... Atlantean.. whatever. [Not that he wants to burst his friend's bubble but Joey is sounding delusional to him. He decides better of naysaying anymore until he's actually met Hermos though. It should be pretty easy to tell if it's the same guy or not.] So where were you when he was doing all the work, hiding out behind a rock?

[The sound is a great indicator that both of the boys hadn't eaten a meal in a while...]

How do you forget to eat? It's like you've become an entirely different person while being here. [Not really. Overall, Joey was definitely Joey. A Joey that forgets to eat is so bizarre to him though] Uh, yeah sure... uh... you didn't happen to see where he went, did you? [Tristan pivots around, looking this way and that for Chimchar, but doesn't immediately spot him. The monkey Pokémon did get tired of sitting still, and had since scaled a nearby tree and was leaning over from one of it's branches reaching for the flap on Joey's backpack.] I could definitely go for some good food, and I'm sure Chimchar could too.

Sorry for the delay. Had a busy past couple of days.

[infernofireblast]

[Tsk tsk. Figures that Tristan wouldn't consider the feelings of the monsters given his inexperience at dueling. Sure Chimchar might be just a collection of pixels in a video game, but that doesn't mean they gotta go out there and just outright tell him that. Joey's spent too much time with his team to crush their spirit like that though so, obvious as his attempts at discretion might be, he's still going to take a sidebar if it comes to discussing game worlds.

Speaking of game worlds though, did Tristan just say it'd been a matter of weeks ago? Joey makes a very confused face at his bud's revelation, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow in thought.]

Hang on a sec' Tristan. You just said da Grand Championships were a couple'a weeks ago? Dat thing was like... a year n' change! Didja hit ya head comin' in here? Da heck kinda chemicals you been breathin' in at dat factory?

[Joey widens his eyes and shakes his head in emphasis of his disbelief.]

Ya think I sound like a different person? I've been eatin' campin' food for da past six months, but what's gotten into you? It's like you've forgotten everything since graduation man! Maybe gettin' snatched inta dis world did a numbah on ya. You good man?

[Joey quickly reaches into his pack and produces a thermos.]

Maybe ya' just dehydrated. Dat could be it! Have a drink'a water n' get yaself squared man. We can grab ya monkey and get ya some real foo-

[Suddenly noticing that the Chimchar seems to have vanished into thin air, Joey begins looking around.]

Wait. Where'd ya monkey go?

No worries at all. It's been a busy week here too

[duelingexpert]

[That was definitely an angle that Tristan hadn't considered. Guess it was just fortunate that.. monkey see, monkey do. Through mirroring his friend it was likely that no Pokémon had been sent into an existential crisis. Even if the concern had been voiced, Tristan likely would have remained as blunt as ever if the way he spoke to Thunder Kid during that Capsule Monsters fiasco was any indication of his level of tact.

The expression wasn't lost on him, but was said also didn't make much sense to him.]

Joey, I know that we had to cross a few time zones here and there but that's no excuse for losing all concept of reality. What, do you think by acting like it was over a year ago you can smooth over the fact that you totally crashed and burned in the tournament?

[The incredulous tones in Tristan's voice were impossible to miss. He flipped one hand to the side as he continued to remain on the defensive]

I can't forget something that hasn't even happened yet, nimrod. [Ugh, just the thought of living on nothing but camping food for that long was a sobering thought.] You think I'm the one that has a problem? You're the one talking nonsense. I know you have some vivid dreams but you've never bought into them like this.

[That loosening of his pack provides just the opportunity a certain monkey was waiting for. As the two boys continue to confound one another Chimchar slips into Joey's pack.

This conversation goes of for such a duration that it starts to have Tristan questioning himself and his last memories. Placing a hand aside his face he gives his mug a rub as if it could clear his head.]

I definitely don't remember graduating. That would have.. kinda been a big deal. Maybe I could use some of that water.

[He starts to reach for the thermos but stops when the attention turns back to the missing mon]

I don't know.. maybe he went back inside his pokéball? [Can they do that on their own? Tristan had no idea. Visibly searching around the area, proves useless so he starts calling out for the little guy.] Great, it's just my first day and I've already lost my only Pokémon!

[infernofireblast]

[Graduation hadn't happened yet? Oh... oh no. This Tristan must be another one of those memory recreated NPCs like he'd seen in Duel Links. It'd been more than a little jarring seeing a recreation of others from how they'd appeared around the time of the Battle City Tournament in Kaiba's game world, but encountering the digitally-reconstructed version of himself had been surreal in the extreme. With a Marik pulled from right around there running around too Joey doesn't really have any other conclusion to come to but to assume that this place is running on a similar program to how Duel Links had been doing it. After all, there was no way they were the real deals if they came from the past was there?]

Oh... Tristan...

[Joey makes a sad face.]

You're tellin' me you graduation ain't happened for ya yet? If dat's da case, and you say dat da Grand Championship was only a bit ago... I don't know how ta say dis without you kickin' my butt, but I think you might be a digital version'a you man.

[Joey readies for his friend to either give him a weird look or a punch in the face, as that's probably exactly what he'd be handing-out in the same situation.]

See... you n' me already graduated man. You went off ta work with ya dad and I stahted tryin' ta be a pro-duelist for real. All dat stuff with da Kaiba Corp. Grand Championship was a couple'a years ago man.

[The serious turn causes him to forget he was about to dig in the pack, let alone the missing monkey, but he sits hovered over the flap's opening despite the interruption.]

[duelingexpert]

What's with that look?

[The somber expression caught the brunette offguard and he dropped some of his earlier attitude. Then Joey just has to go and throw in that bizarre hypothesis.]

......... And this is why we leave the thinking to someone else.

[It sounded a bit harsh but was delivered so calmly.]

I just had you in a chokehold like five minutes ago. Didn't that feel real enough for you?

[Surprisingly, neither form of retribution followed.]

Okay, that explains part of why you think I couldn't be real but not why you concocted such a crazy idea in the first place. Why would I be digital?! Seriously, who is going to program me into a video game?

[A future factory worker doesn't exactly sound like an exciting npc to him. They both forget about the pokemon for now, and that suits chimchar just fine as he uses the light from his tail to help him search through this bag for delicious looking things.]