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]

"What are Ditto?"

[the_very_best]

"Ditto are an amorphous genderless pink 'mon that can breed with anything but you only get more Ditto if you put two Ditto together. Their combat shtick is transforming into whatever they're fighting, moves and all."

[intricate_engineer]

"Anything? And they can be a parent to any species? That's fascinating. Do you have one?"

[the_very_best]

"Nah."

[intricate_engineer]

"I'd love to get some of their cells under a microscope. I bet I could get a few astrobiologists interested."

[the_very_best]

"Well, if we spot one you can ask for a sample."

[intricate_engineer]

"I will! I'm ready to go when you are."

[the_very_best]

"All right!"

So she lets out her Pidgeot and climbs on and helps Glen figure out how to squeeze on too and away they fly. The bird is big but shouldn't be able to carry two people; and yet she does.

[intricate_engineer]

"We're not going to hurt her?"

[the_very_best]

"No?"

[intricate_engineer]

"But we're so big. How is she carrying us?"

[the_very_best]

"Pokémon are really strong."

[intricate_engineer]

"But physically, it shouldn't be possible. She shouldn't be able to move enough air without larger wings."

[the_very_best]

"...what about airplanes?"

[intricate_engineer]

"They have engines."

[the_very_best]

"And she can flap really hard. I don't really know physics though."

[intricate_engineer]

Glen shrugs.
"I'm not an expert on aerodynamics. It just seems a little unlikely, but then again, so is teleportation."

[the_very_best]

"Which you will probably get to see at least one Abra do today."

[intricate_engineer]

"Looking forward to it! Maybe we can compare methods."

[the_very_best]

"You can teleport?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Not now, but there is a variation on the portal technology that moves you directly without opening a door."

[the_very_best]

"Ooh, cool."

[intricate_engineer]

"There's no reason it couldn't eventually work here, but it'd be tough to set up by myself."

[the_very_best]

"Tough how specifically?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Without an anchor on each end, you need some pretty sophisticated computers."