[Video]/[Action]

[grapeeater]

[There's an unfamiliar face peering into the Pokegear. One would be forgiven for thinking that it's a newcomer, except...]

Ah. Well... this is a problem...

[He brushes his hair back, looking a bit... troubled.]

I woke up this morning like this. Somehow I've aged ten years in one night. Is anyone else having a problem like this?

[Later, he can be found wandering around Goldenrod, with a Lucario, shiny Greninja, and shiny Pawniard trailing after him. The two shinys look pretty calm, but the Lucario looks slightly distressed at his trainer's predicament.]

Comments

[action]

[dancermai]

[Nearby, in one of the grassed areas right by a large tree there was a very young girl. She was dressed in a kimono and held a large fan in one hand. She was practicing a very traditional like dance and was quite focussed...for all of ten minutes before an aipom almost her height jumped on her.]

Jam!

[The girl laughed. She didn't know how she knew that this purple monkey was safe nor how she knew its name but she had fun playing with him. And Jam was obviously very much attached to her. As was a cherubi that was anxiously pacing nearby as if it were trying to decide what to do. Not far from them, there was a hoppip carefully guarding two eggs while an espurr was trying to cuddle the both of them.]

[grapeeater]

[... Well. He recognizes that name, if not the voice, and he heads over to the team. ... He nods seriously to Ryugen, because he's not about to make something named after him mad.]

Mai? Is that you?

[He sits down, his team spreading out to make a loose perimeter to make sure she doesn't go too far.]

[dancermai]

[There was another moment of laughter as Mai and Jam tumbled around on the ground before she realizes that somebody had mentioned her name. Very quickly, Mai stands up and brushes down her kimono. She bows a little just as she has been taught when meeting people at the shrine.]

My name is Mai. How do you know my name...?

[She takes a few cautious steps towards the stranger as the cherubi charges ahead of her and stands protectively in front of her. Normal Mai has given him many talks before about letting her take care of herself but this is a tiny Mai. Must protect. Jam goes over to sit with the others now, poking the eggs to see if they'll hatch.]

[grapeeater]

I... ah...

['I'm your friend from the future, but I don't know if we're friends and I look too old anyway' isn't going to cut it.]

I'm from Zawame, too. I've seen you around.

[dancermai]

Oh! You know my parents then. My daddy is the priest of the shrine.

[She was very proud of that.]

When I'm bigger, I'm going to be the priestess that dances for the festivals.

[There's a childlike smile now as she goes right up to him and sits. She stares up at him with almost a look of awe.]

I don't know where I am but daddy said to always stay where I am and he'll come find me. Do you know where I am?

[grapeeater]

[A shrine? But there wasn't any shrine in -]

[He swallows hard, recalling an idle comment once tossed to him by Ryouma. 'This tree used to be part of a shrine. Did you know that?']

[... There was no way there could have been multiple shrines in a city Zawame's size. It just wasn't big enough. So Mai's family had... oh no. He offers a gentle smile, shaking his head.]

We're a long way from Zawame right now. I'm not sure how we got here, but... I can keep you safe until we find a way home.

[Hopefully that... doesn't sound creepy.]

[dancermai]

[Those weren't the words she wanted to hear. Far away from home? Her little face frowned slightly, trying to figure out exactly what was going on but completely not being able to understand at all. She sniffed a few times. So her parents weren't here. She wasn't even just a little bit lost.]

You'll take me home...?

[For some reason this person felt safe. Like there was an inkling deep down inside that told her she should know him. She leaned forward now and places a small hand on his knee.]

I'll be in trouble if I don't go home for dinner.

[grapeeater]

[Oh great. Wrong thing to say...]

I'll explain when we get back, all right? It's not your fault, so he can't be mad.

[He digs into his bag and pulls out a tissue, offering it to her.]

[dancermai]

[She sniffs again and takes the tissue. This big brother was going to make everything okay. She knew it. The Gods wouldn't turn their backs on her and her family. They were there to protect the city and in turn, they'll keep protecting her too. She believed that with all of her heart.

Ryugen now moves, carefully watching Micchy up and down. He's making the little Mai cry. Despite being very low levelled, he'll take on all these pokemon if he had to. He was about to charge and tackle one of the surrounding pokemon to make an escape route when Jam hurries over and picks him up off the ground by the little cherry, dangling him in the air with a laugh.]

Okay...

[She now shuffles a little closer to him and leans up against his knee. Meanwhile, the eggs were now moved into the little circle with them by the espurr and the hoppip. While Jam and Ryugen were still battling it out and arguing as to what they should do about this intruding man.]

You won't leave me alone until I get home...?

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

Jiminy Christmas. Is that what's going on? Man, I sure hope this one'll only take a day or so.

[York looks and sounds unchanged, at least, if slightly harried.]

[Video]

[grapeeater]

Yeah. ... I look a lot like my brother right now, actually. It's weird. Am I really going to look like this when I'm twenty-six?

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

Don't know what to tell you, man. I don't look anything like my brothers. I have better hair.

[Video]

[grapeeater]

I think we have close to the same haircut. His hair used to be shorter a few years ago. I've been wanting to grow my hair a bit longer, but I can't get used to how itchy it feels at the back...

[Anyway.]

This... should probably fix itself in a few days, shouldn't it?

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

[Sigh.]

God, I really need it to. It's a mess over here. People are going backwards 'well as forwards.

[Video]

[grapeeater]

That... sounds rough. I'd offer to help, but I'm not all that good with kids.

[Video]

[ratherbelocky]

[York chuckles without humor.]

I wish kids were the problem. [He sighs again and slides his hands down his face.] Man, this is nuts. Let me tell you, they do not go over the protocol for this in Basic.

[Video]

[grapeeater]

Wait, so did they go backwards... without physically going backwards?

action; mai, micchy, yachi

[donoteateither]

[It's been a whole day and a half like this, and Yachi still isn't used to being so tall, even without the heels she kicked off after the first two tumbles and are now carrying in her hands. Her Pokemon refused to leave their balls, never having met strangers without Yachi (their Yachi, not this older women who looks uncannily like her own mother) to introduce them. Except a new Pokemon, a confident looking Anorith scurrying by her feet as she walks through the streets of Goldenrod, trying not to let the fear and apprehension show on her face.

She has to find somebody she knows, but even if she found someone, how would they recognize who she is? But she supposes she'll cross that hurdle when it comes, so she swallows her nerves and stops anyone she comes across. Hey Micchy, that's you.]

Excuse me. I'm looking for a young woman named Mai. Do you know her?

[grapeeater]

[He looks over and - oh. That question makes him smile.]

Yes, actually.

[He turns a bit so she can see the little girl clinging to his leg.]

Right here.

[dancermai]

[The young girl peers out. A lot of people seem to know her name. She seems rather curious and the aipom tries to scramble up her tiny body to get to his usual perch. Which isn't quite stable when it's so small. When Mai feels the weight of Jam, there's a little cry so Jam instead tries to climb up on Micchy's shoulder instead to get a closer look at the woman.

There was a little pout now as Jam almost hurt her with the climb and she clings a little more to Micchy's leg, her fingers digging into the fabric.]

Do you know my parents at the shrine too?

[donoteateither]

No, not exactly...

[She did say "young woman," but she didn't mean that young. Yachi almost excuses herself to leave, but Eli's ball wiggles on her belt, wanting to be let out for the first time since he saw that Yachi's changed.

She steps back a pace to let the Totodile out, but before she can scoop him up in her arms just in case little Mai is scared of bitey little creatures, he leaps up in front of Micchy, barely reaching waist level but intent on saying hi to the Pokemon on his shoulder.]

Eli, please-- Oh! [These two may be strangers, but that Pokemon is familiar, and one Eli recognizes.] Are you Jam? Mai, is this your Pokemon?

[grapeeater]

It seems like a lot of people have changed. I'm not this old, usually. So is it that hard to believe that Mai's this young?

[He pats Mai on the shoulder, trying to calm her.]

If you know Mai and Jam... are you Yachi?

[Jam please get off of his shoulder, this is weird.]

[dancermai]

[With a loud POM! Jam pounces off Micchy's shoulder and tackles the Totodile with full recognition. It has been a long time since they've been able to play together.

Mai sniffs a little and then moves out between the two adults now.]

Jam is my friend.

[She keeps a hand clinging to the fabric of Micchy's pants as she watches the two pokemon excitedly catching up. A part of her wants to also join in and in that moment she lets go and tries to physically pounce onto the two pokemon herself.]

[donoteateither]

[She nods at Micchy, surprised that he guessed who she is.]

That's right, I'm Yachi. I was fifteen yesterday, but... Well, I don't think I've met you before though?

[The Pokemon on his shoulder is undeniably Jam, but Yachi still struggles to believe that is Mai, even with a grown up body herself... Letting their Pokemon play!fight it out, Yachi crouches down in front of Mai so they're at a more comfortable level, and unclips a second Pokeball from her belt. She can still make good of one of her promises: she lets her Swablu out; Mai wanted to feel Poppy's wings, didn't she?]

Oh, and this is Poppy, Mai. She wanted to meet you too.

[grapeeater]

I'm -

[No, Mai wouldn't have called him 'Mitsuzane'.]

I'm Micchy. I'm usually around seventeen, but... well. Right now, not so much. I know Mai from home.

[He has no idea how much Mai has told Yachi, but... he's prepared for the worst if Mai's told her about why she was upset.]