_{[Before anything else, Heather's voice: a little husky and hoarse-sounding, but otherwise high-spirited.]}

Hey.

Hey guys.

Watch this.

<sub>[Is she aware of the strange outbreaks and Team Rocket threats all over the news? Yes. Yes, she is. Should she be spending her time being concerned about this? Probably.]

[But she has much better things to do with her time.]

[Like film Wren the Murkrow skittering across the top of the coffee table in their Ecruteak Inn room with a tiny plastic battleaxe toy in her beak, where she proceeds to bull over a GeoDude (tm) superhero action figure with a viciousness appropriate for the battlefield. Which is what is being broadcast, of course.]

[What follows is a series of cuts showing her triumph over various other toys (pretty obviously grabbed from a discount bin in some shop somewhere), including Armaldo Schwarzenegger and Darmanitanman ("The Meditation Sensation!") and even a figurine of Barnaby the Shiny Charizard.]

[In several of the shots, Heather's other Pokemon are visible-- Arty the Furret looking on in contempt and Cheryl the Eevee watching in utter fascination over the edge of the table. At one point, the fuzzy baby Joltik she'd hatched a few months back skitters onto the scene, eager to help, but is promptly chased off the table again by the axe-wielding Murkrow, who apparently is a Lone Warrior who needs no assistance.]

[The whole time, Heather is humming ominous theme-music and jiggling the camera in that classic 'found footage' way.]

[Eventually she turns the camera on herself to address the surely-enthralled audience solemnly. Her face is oddly flushed, strangely... although perhaps not, given the summer heat.]</sub>

This has been a Public Services Announcement: my bird is an unstoppable killing machine. Nowhere is safe.

Keep your children in at ni-- oh noooo.

<sub>[As though on cue, the vaguely football-shaped black bird had come wriggling onto the screen again, clambering up Heather's arm to determinedly butt the side of her face with the toy axe. >:(!!!!]

[There's some 'fighting' and then the camera goes blank.]


[END FEED]</sub>



[ACTION]

<sub>[With Wren successfully wrestled off into doing something else, Heather shuts the 'Gear and sets it aside, slumping back in her chair with a sigh. Even in shorts and the skimpiest top she owns, it's miserably hot. Enough to sort of make her head pound. She doesn't get it. She remembers the fading summer heat last September being pretty well-managed by all the whirring fans in the Inn...]

[Twisting around, she drapes herself over the back of the chair, poking her tongue out discontently.]</sub>


Guys.

Guuuuuys.

Aren't you just dying in here? This heat is gross.

<sub>[The TV's on over in the corner. They're talking about the outbreak-- about all the people coming down with mysterious fevers.]

[But that's somewhere else. It can't touch any of them. .... Right?]</sub>

<sub>[Oh, man. Oh man, oh man, oh man.]

[It had taken an entire year.]

[For a couple months past 365 days, Heather's life had been blessedly free of something she'd always known was possible but had never seriously considered would happen. Lulled into a false sense of security by her general good luck regarding which people from her own world showed up here, she supposed.]

[All decent folks. No cultists. No creepers.]



[... Until now.]

[It takes her a bit to decide exactly what she's going to do about it. She can't just sit there, after all. She has to tell some people. ... Not everybody. That would be stupid, and attract unwanted attention. Not to mention, he'd probably just find it funny. No, she'll just... tell a few.]

[Some people who already knew a little about... that place. She'd already GOTTEN a message from L, which meant that she wasn't the only person paying attention. But she's not so sure about the rest of her friends. So without any further ado...]</sub>


Hey

If you've got a free moment, I gotta talk to you. It's important.



<sub>[... There. That'll do for starters...]

[Shutting the 'Gear, she sets it down on the bed for the moment. Now to take care of the OTHER thing.]</sub>

Hey, Dad? Henry?

 _{[Johto had gotten a brief taste of summer, but it looked like they were subject to belated April showers for awhile longer...]}

[Normally Heather wouldn't mind so much-- being cooped up did make her a little stir-crazy, but it just meant the sun's next appearance would be all the more satisfying-- but she'd kind of wanted to, y'know, keep showing her dad the NEW WORLD they were currently inhabiting. Oh well. Stuck in the hotel for the time being, it looks like.]

[Besides, she's... got another matter to think about right now.] 

Bet you'd get along with Butch...

_{[She pats the enormous pink hide of the drowsy Slowbro lying on the carpeted floor next to her absent-mindedly, watching the rain trickle down the window. On one of the plush seats scattered in various locations around the lobby, Godzilla sprawls, looking a little sulky-- sulkier than usual, even. But then, it's nothing new for him to be a little petulant.]}

[As for Heather, she looks sort of thoughtful, and a little melancholy, when she addresses the network. The rain today is ... somehow appropriate.]

Hey, so...

I don't know if anyone else here really... uh, knew him, but... James S-- .... Sunderland disappeared sometime pretty recently. He left a bunch of his Pokemon behind... um... I guess if anyone knew him and uh... wants to take care of one of 'em...

_{[She gives Pinky-- ugh, Pinky, what a lame name... she won't change it, out of respect for James, but maybe she'll call him something a little less... doofy. Pink, maybe. Like Pink Floyd!-- another pat on the head. The big Pokemon rumbles sleepily.]}

[Meanwhile, Godzilla glares over from behind Heather in a generally surly manner. He's been getting shunted aside in favor of all these new Pokemon lately and he doesn't like it. AND he's hungry AND his head is kinda hurting AND he's bored and wants attention. >8( He lets out a huff, which goes unnoticed by Heather, who continues talking.]

Anyway, he and his wife are both gone now. He didn't... talk a whole lot, so I guess it's probably safe to say not many people knew hi-- cut it out, Zilla, I'm doin' something.

_{[The Totodile, which had been pawing slightly at the hem of her vest, withdraws with a surly expression. HMPH.]}

But yeah.

James's gone.

Otherwise... uh, how about this weather, huh?

_{[Godzilla lets out a squeaky snarl, covering his ear-holes with a wince. UGH. Everything is making him so MAD right now. Especially the fact that he's being blown off! His trainer is so MEAN!]}

[So mean.]


[It happens very quickly. There's a flash of ivory teeth as the strong-jawed crocodile Pokemon suddenly surges out of his seat and clamps his jaws down with an awful snap around Heather's bare elbow.]

[The girl's face goes from casual to shocked in the space of a split second before the 'Gear goes flying.]

YEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHH---!






_{[ooc: Action replies can either be in the Goldenrod hotel lobby or in the Pokemon Center ten or fifteen minutes after the broadcast!]}

<sub>[... What? Heather? In the Pokemon Center? Again? SURELY YOU JEST. She didn't get her ass kicked by a crazy robber again or anything, did she?]

[For anyone around the Goldenrod Pokemon Center, it looks like Heather's waiting around in the lobby, off in one of the pink, cushiony seats in the corner, trying to look as unobtrusive as possible. Her Totodile is wallowing around beside her on another seat, teething on one of those Pokemon fashion magazines they always seem to have in bulk. And by 'teething', I mostly just mean eating.]

[Heather doesn't look too interested in keeping him out of trouble, though.]

[This would probably have to do with the fact that both of her hands are heavily bandaged and laid in her lap with painstaking gingerness. She's had much worse, but... still hurt. And she was tired. And despite all outward appearances, the knowledge she'd gained on Sunday night wasn't hurting her any less.]

[But yes... ever the mother hen, Phoenix finally bullied her into going in to get those pulverized hands looked at. Not like she wasn't gonna anyway, but... well. She couldn't exactly go back to work without getting them checked out, could she? So she's waiting on an opening-- the Center's pretty busy what with the stocking of emergency snowstorm supplies and all-- not to mention countless natives rushing to get checkups for their Pokemon before the weather turned wicked.]</sub>



[Video]

<sub>[What do you do when you've been sort of scarce for the past few days, and you're stuck with nothing to do? ... GO ON THE NETWORK, of course!]

[The feed fizzles on, showing off a tired, tiiiired Heather. Her eyes look even puffier than normal-- they're red-rimmed. Almost looks like she's been crying, but THAT'S JUST SILLY. She's obviously just really, really tired, am I right, folks?]

[Still, she offers her usual crooked grin to the camera, and it looks no less genuine than normal.]</sub>

'Sup, Johto.

So uh... considering I work in the department store here, I've pretty much got access to all kinds of stuff that isn't sold much in other stores. So, in the spirit of the season... what do you guys want for Christmas? _{[She's addressing her friends, of course-- anyone else who tries to get anything out of her might well succeed... though it might not be what they want.]} No guarantees or anything, but I oughta get my shopping out of the way before the place fills up with crazy shoppers and blows sky-high.

Also, uh... weather's lookin' pretty bad, so... all you dudes who were planning on traveling, either hurry up or stay put.

I'm pretty sure none of us want this to wind up being Flood 2: The Freezing or some crap.

So none of you go and get dumb ideas about getting lost in the wilderness in this, okay? _{[SHE'S LOOKIN' AT YOU, TRAVELING PARTIES. Literally-- she lifts a bandaged hand and does that 'I see what you did there' motion, pointing to her eyes and then to the camera-- ... and then she remembers that whoops, her hands are bandaged like a wolverine attacked them and maybe it's not the best idea to flash them in front of the screen in front of a bunch of people who she just KNOWS will freak-- o-okay she'll just put it back down and carry on like there's nothing out of the ordinary. SO SHE DOES.]}

Also, anyone with Totodiles out there, I need tips.

'Zilla's started gnawing the bedstand in my room and I need him to stop-- but I don't think using a spraybottle on him is gonna work, 'cause... yeeeeaaah.

Advice?

_{[Backdated to earlier on Friday morning, close to noon.]}



[Text to Otacon and Liquid.]

I'm running ahead a bit

Gotta meet somebody.

I don't think there's far left to go though so if I don't see you before we get there I'll catch up with you in the city ok?

peace out



[Text to Kaito]
Hey, how far've you gotten??

I can see POLLUTION over the treetops which means I've gotta be getting close-- hope I didn't pass you yet.




_{[That overcast gray sky overhead is somehow oppressive, even on the video feed. Yet, Heather looks cheerful. Maybe she doesn't notice it-- it IS rather... tame on the surface in comparison to the ghastly fog that had come rolling in on silent feet before the hallucinations had set in about a month ago... Not to mention this weird overcast state is more or less the norm a lot of the time where Heather comes from. Or maybe it's just that she's happy to be on the road again-- it's the first time she's made a transmission of her own since leaving Azalea. Not to mention now that Minnie's safe, the trip has a bit less urgency to it.]}

Man, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm sure glad that frosty air is gone...


Anyway, uh-- guys, I had a question.

What kinds of Pokemon are around here? Hal caught one of those... teleporting bald fox things, but I haven't seen much of anything else. _{Except for the bugs in my sleeping bag at night... [THANKS SNAKE YOU REALLY HELPED HER SLEEP SOUNDLY.]}


It's kinda been awhile since I've caught anything, and while I am gonna be getting the rest of my guys back soon, Cooj is getting uh... sorta tired.

_{[... Not that it, you know, showed. He was still romping merrily in and out of the frame as Heather walked. But it was true enough, now that she was going ahead by herself and the Growlithe had to do all the battling on his own, the traveling without aid of Pokemon Center was making him a little less enthusiastic about chasing things off.]}

I don't even think I have any Pokeballs, but ... any recommendations?

I'm open to anything.





.... Except those things.

_{[The turns the camera around to point at a small gaggle of mostly-concealed Jigglypuff in the grass that have seemingly been following her.]}

There is a reason I have not tried to catch you, Weird Round Pink Things.


Go away.


_{[End feed.]}










[Text to Minnie-- PRIVATE.]
Hey Minnie

How you doing?

Are you somewhere safe now?

<sub>[ooc: Forward-dated to the wee hours of the morning, around 3:00 or 4:00.]


[So she'd been having some problems with fire lately, and it had been rattling her nerves. That was normal, right? This was normal.]

[When the camera turned on, there was the usual firelight that indicated that Heather was, once again, sleeping out in some sheltered area of the woods on account of A) Being totally broke, and B) having a increasingly-strained relationship with those Center nurses. But this time, the fire's a fair distance away, leaving most of Heather's features in shadow.]

[Normally she was okay with fire in most situations. She could light matches without freaking out, and while campfires weren't exactly her favorite thing in the world, they were kind of necessary for, y'know, camping, and they didn't make her want to run screaming for the hills or anything. But tonight... tonight, for some reason, that fire sent vicious little shivers down her spine and she'd realized that she did not want to sit near it.]

[Even through the shadows, the glaze of sweat on her skin was visible, as was the fact that she was unusually pale. In her lap is Arty, who seems to be a little confused at being used as a squeeze-toy, but is holding abnormally still for once, whiskers twitching and black eyes glistening in the fire's light. She can tell there's something wrong.]</sub>


H-hey, um...

... That was a pretty crazy storm earlier, huh?

I can't be the only one still awake.


.... James? Uh-- ... man, what am I saying, you're probably not even awake. _{[Forced, awwwwkward laugh. Of course he wouldn't be awake, and anyway, he was going back to get his wife, he didn't have to hear about her fucked-up dreams. In fact, why would she even want to tell him? They were just dreams! So what if they were about...]}

.....

_{[Nightmares like that had to be normal after everything she'd been doing, right...?]}


.... SOME weather we've been having lately, huh, guys?