Baggage [New Year's Extravaganza/Unpacking Continuation]
Feb 22, 2019 0:55:52 GMT
Post by Dtmahanen on Feb 22, 2019 0:55:52 GMT
And lo, here at the 11th hour, I arrive with an Extravaganza prompt! This was developed from Dramatic Melody's prompt #6, that being a later conversation between Ken and Sal after Plasma's seedier elements came to light. This was a pleasure to write, and I hope you enjoy.
Baggage
“Where are we going?”
“I wanna show you something.”
“What would there be to show me, Sal? I know Driftveil, we live here.”
“Just – just trust me, alright? It’s important.”
“Okay, but you’re weirding me out a little bit.”
“Yeah, right now, but you’ve been acting off for a while.”
“Oh come on, that’s a little-”
“You basically haven’t come out of your room in three months, Ken. We’re worried – I’M worried about you.”
“Well…thanks, I guess, but I still don’t know what the point of this is.”
“You’ll see.”
“When did the old house get renovated?”
“’Bout a month ago, actually. People are living here now.”
“Really? Who?”
“Give me a sec, I’ll introduce you.”
~knock knock~
“Hello, who is – ah, Sal. I was not expecting you. How are you today?”
“Doing alright, but that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to introduce you to someone.”
“Ah, this must be the friend you mentioned. I’m very glad to see that he seems to be doing alright.”
“Wait, you told this old guy who I was? That’s really weird, Sal, what the hell!”
“Ah, forgive my rudeness. I should probably introduce myself. My name is Rood. It is good to formally meet you.”
“Rood…why does that name sound familiar?”
“You might have known me as one of the Seven Sages of Plasma.”
“What the – Sal, are you serious?!”
“Just – just listen to the guy, alright?”
“Come inside, both of you. I think I will be able to clarify some misconceptions that may still be lingering. Is that alright?”
“Do I have much of a choice?”
“I mean, yeah, you do, but I think that you should.”
“…alright, fine. Let’s see what he has to say.”
“There’re a lot of pokémon in here.”
“Yes, there are. Every one of them has been separated from their Trainers because of Plasma’s misdeeds.”
“Wait, I’m sorry, what? I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“I thought so as well, my boy. I thought so as well.”
“Then why do you look so distraught over it? It worked. You liberated these pokémon from Trainers who were horrible to their pokémon. Just like…just…”
“Just like you?”
“…yeah…”
“It was a lie, you know.”
“…what?”
“It was a lie. Our mission. Our goals. All a fabrication by an abusive, sociopathic maniac masquerading as one of our own.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Take a look around you, Ken. Do any of these pokémon seem happier to you, now that they were ‘freed’ from the ‘horrible Trainers’ they had befriended?”
“…not…really. They seem…they seem sad.”
“They are sad. Many of these pokémon were either forcibly taken from their Trainers, like Team Rocket had so infamously done not five years ago, or released by Trainers who were made to feel like monsters. We of Plasma committed horrible misdeeds, told a horrific, unspeakable lie, all so that Ghetsis – the snake that he is – would have no opposition in his efforts in taking over Unova.”
“Are you serious?!”
“You’ve missed a lot while you’ve been in self-imposed exile, dude. That was literally a month after you came back. Pretty much all of Unova knows what Ghetsis tried to do. The Sages were all arrested.”
“Well, then why isn’t Rood in prison? He was in on this! Why the hell aren’t you in jail, huh? Why?!”
“I was for a time. I was released very early because I was the only one who was at all repentant. I have been here ever since, attempting to atone for Plasma’s misdeeds in the only way I feel that I can.”
“I…I don’t know what to say. I feel like…Arceus, what the hell was I thinking? How could I have been so stupid?”
“If you think you were stupid, lots of other people are even worse than you. There are tons of people who’re still absolutely convinced that they’re evil for even thinking about training pokémon. Fact is, Ken, you’re definitely not evil.”
“Arceus dammit, I screwed up so bad. I just…I wanna find Ampere. I gotta apologize to him.”
“Ampere…what kind of pokémon is Ampere?”
“He’s an emolga, why?”
“Wait…oh no, you’re not serious, are you Rood?”
“I was wondering what his name was.”
“No.”
“Ampere, your friend Ken is here to see you!"
“I wanna show you something.”
“What would there be to show me, Sal? I know Driftveil, we live here.”
“Just – just trust me, alright? It’s important.”
“Okay, but you’re weirding me out a little bit.”
“Yeah, right now, but you’ve been acting off for a while.”
“Oh come on, that’s a little-”
“You basically haven’t come out of your room in three months, Ken. We’re worried – I’M worried about you.”
“Well…thanks, I guess, but I still don’t know what the point of this is.”
“You’ll see.”
------------------------
“When did the old house get renovated?”
“’Bout a month ago, actually. People are living here now.”
“Really? Who?”
“Give me a sec, I’ll introduce you.”
~knock knock~
“Hello, who is – ah, Sal. I was not expecting you. How are you today?”
“Doing alright, but that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to introduce you to someone.”
“Ah, this must be the friend you mentioned. I’m very glad to see that he seems to be doing alright.”
“Wait, you told this old guy who I was? That’s really weird, Sal, what the hell!”
“Ah, forgive my rudeness. I should probably introduce myself. My name is Rood. It is good to formally meet you.”
“Rood…why does that name sound familiar?”
“You might have known me as one of the Seven Sages of Plasma.”
“What the – Sal, are you serious?!”
“Just – just listen to the guy, alright?”
“Come inside, both of you. I think I will be able to clarify some misconceptions that may still be lingering. Is that alright?”
“Do I have much of a choice?”
“I mean, yeah, you do, but I think that you should.”
“…alright, fine. Let’s see what he has to say.”
------------------------
“There’re a lot of pokémon in here.”
“Yes, there are. Every one of them has been separated from their Trainers because of Plasma’s misdeeds.”
“Wait, I’m sorry, what? I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“I thought so as well, my boy. I thought so as well.”
“Then why do you look so distraught over it? It worked. You liberated these pokémon from Trainers who were horrible to their pokémon. Just like…just…”
“Just like you?”
“…yeah…”
“It was a lie, you know.”
“…what?”
“It was a lie. Our mission. Our goals. All a fabrication by an abusive, sociopathic maniac masquerading as one of our own.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Take a look around you, Ken. Do any of these pokémon seem happier to you, now that they were ‘freed’ from the ‘horrible Trainers’ they had befriended?”
“…not…really. They seem…they seem sad.”
“They are sad. Many of these pokémon were either forcibly taken from their Trainers, like Team Rocket had so infamously done not five years ago, or released by Trainers who were made to feel like monsters. We of Plasma committed horrible misdeeds, told a horrific, unspeakable lie, all so that Ghetsis – the snake that he is – would have no opposition in his efforts in taking over Unova.”
“Are you serious?!”
“You’ve missed a lot while you’ve been in self-imposed exile, dude. That was literally a month after you came back. Pretty much all of Unova knows what Ghetsis tried to do. The Sages were all arrested.”
“Well, then why isn’t Rood in prison? He was in on this! Why the hell aren’t you in jail, huh? Why?!”
“I was for a time. I was released very early because I was the only one who was at all repentant. I have been here ever since, attempting to atone for Plasma’s misdeeds in the only way I feel that I can.”
“I…I don’t know what to say. I feel like…Arceus, what the hell was I thinking? How could I have been so stupid?”
“If you think you were stupid, lots of other people are even worse than you. There are tons of people who’re still absolutely convinced that they’re evil for even thinking about training pokémon. Fact is, Ken, you’re definitely not evil.”
“Arceus dammit, I screwed up so bad. I just…I wanna find Ampere. I gotta apologize to him.”
“Ampere…what kind of pokémon is Ampere?”
“He’s an emolga, why?”
“Wait…oh no, you’re not serious, are you Rood?”
“I was wondering what his name was.”
“No.”
“Ampere, your friend Ken is here to see you!"
