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]

"Mind watching to make sure I don't bump into anything? I can carry it, but I might not see a wall."

[the_very_best]

"Sure, can do."

Bella performs this task.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen manages not to drop the portal.
"Is your mom here?"

[the_very_best]

"She's doing the after school program for the kids she teaches."

[intricate_engineer]

"Are we going to wait for her?"

[the_very_best]

"...What for?"

[intricate_engineer]

"So you could see her? Say hi?"

[the_very_best]

"I mean, we can hang around, but I see her pretty much whenever I like."

[intricate_engineer]

"That's nice," Glen says, a little wistfully.
"Are we off to the lake then?"

[the_very_best]

"Unless there's something else you want to do. Train your 'mon or something."

[intricate_engineer]

"Could I train them there?"

[the_very_best]

"...Sure, why not? I mean, some people like a little more space but yours won't be doing anything really fancy..."

[intricate_engineer]

"I don't want to make you wait and I'm not really sure where else I'd go."

[the_very_best]

"Mine need to train too," Bella points out.

[intricate_engineer]

"Okay! If you really don't mind."

[the_very_best]

"Not at all. Mine should probably not mix it up directly with yours, no offense but yours would get squashed."

[intricate_engineer]

"I can watch you for a bit and see how you do things. Where do you normally go?"

[the_very_best]

"Guild halls but they won't let you in. There's a sparring field a couple blocks that way though, might not be occupied."

[intricate_engineer]

"Sure, that works. What are guilds?"

[the_very_best]

"They're trainer organizations that collect dues and offer benefits," Bella says, tossing Fireflower and hopping on for the two-block walk. "What benefits for how much dues depends on the guild."

[intricate_engineer]

"Are you in any?" Glen asks, walking next to her.

[the_very_best]

"Yeah, that's why there's a guild hall that would let me in and not you. I'm an ace trainer."

[intricate_engineer]

"I guess I could've figured that out."

[the_very_best]

"It's one of the most useful guilds to be in but you have to be gearing up to make a credible challenge to the Elite Four and most people can't pull that off."

[intricate_engineer]

"They're the best trainers?"