Searching Far and Wide

[intricate_engineer]

Glen was creating a prototype for a new gate design. It was meant to be affordable and provide quick transport between individual homes. She tests several objects and a rat and everything seems to be working.

She steps through. Instead of finding herself in the room next door, she finds herself standing on a sidewalk in an empty city. The buildings are tall and perfect, colorless with doorways far too tall for any human. The roads have no straight lines and twist in on themselves. There is no life or sound.
Glen tries to stay calm. She begins to walk along the road, randomly opening doors and exploring buildings that are as silent as the rest of the world.

She opens a door that she hopes will lead onto a roof and is instead met with warmth, and soft noise, and color.

Comments

[intricate_engineer]

"Let's get this tucked away somewhere safe."

[the_very_best]

Bella finds them a storage unit that is not too far away to roll the trolley. It is not astronomical.

[intricate_engineer]

"Can I try to use a Pokémon?"

[the_very_best]

"You'll need to have one first. We could try a place with rentals?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Good idea. How does it work?"

[the_very_best]

"Depends on the place but you pay them some money and they rent you a 'mon and you can keep it long enough to go for a walk out of town or practice battling against your own or somebody else's or whatever. The rentals are tame enough that they shouldn't rampage if you can't connect up right."

[intricate_engineer]

"Do I need to do anything to try to connect?"

[the_very_best]

"I don't think so?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Okay, let's hope this works."
When they get there, Glen looks at the list of available Pokémon.
"I don't know what any of this means."

[the_very_best]

"Well, do you want me to just pick you something or do you want to describe what you had in mind so I can steer you?"

[intricate_engineer]

"I don't know enough about how Pokémon work to describe something."

[the_very_best]

"Well, do you want a big one or a little one, do you want a furry one or a feathery one or something else..."

[intricate_engineer]

"Are there any Pokémon on the list that are clearly more intelligent or self-aware than the others?"

[the_very_best]

"That's mostly not a species variance thing. My smartest is a Linoone but Linoone in general are not unusually smart, my dumbest is a Sawsbuck but Sawsbuck in general are not unusually dumb, etcetera."

[intricate_engineer]

"Are there any Pokémon here who have hands?"

[the_very_best]

"Sure, a few kinds, any other criteria to narrow it down? Type maybe?"

[intricate_engineer]

"A smaller Pokémon? One that won't be as dangerous if I fail to control it?"

[the_very_best]

"Size is not a reliable indicator of that in 'mon. Mmm, how's this?" She calls up a picture of a Machop.

[intricate_engineer]

"Looks good to me."

[the_very_best]

So they rent her a Machop.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen throws the pokéball onto the ground.

[the_very_best]

And out comes her Pokémon.

It's actually not hard to feel if you're accustomed to detecting subtle psychic sensations: she is its and it is hers, at least for now.

"Well?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Hello," Glen says softly.

[the_very_best]

"Maaaaachop," says the Machop.

"Did it work or should I continue to be poised to have it tackled by one of mine if it decides to turn on you because you're foreign," Bella says.

[intricate_engineer]

"I think it worked?"