2nd gear | video + action to goldenrod city

[paishodown]

[It's around midday, and Asami's 'Gear is propped up to record her sitting at a small table in the park. Her Riolu sits quietly beside her. The worn table is inlaid with a chess board, and the seat across from her is empty for now.]

Where I'm from, we have a game called Pai Sho.

[She speaks while she reaches into her bag to pull out a newly purchased chess set- mainly, the directions.]

It's a game of careful thinking and ruthless strategy. There doesn't seem to be a real equivalent here, but someone did point me toward this. Chess.

[Asami begins taking out the pieces and laying them out on the board.]

Anyone know anything about it?

[She'll be here for a while, reading over the rules and trying to teach Teruko how to play with her.]

Comments

[paishodown]

Wow, that's...

That's pretty intense, when you put it that way. It's like a battle, but all the variables are completely under your control.

[friendyousohard]

All of them except your opponent's moves, but an experienced player can usually predict those too. It really is a very streamlined, simplified version of war. Not... that I personally have much experience with all-out war, but the theory is sound, at least.

[paishodown]

So I guess practice makes perfect, then. I'll have to shape up so I can challenge someone who isn't 'half bad.'

[She says that with a bit of a crooked smile.]

[friendyousohard]

I'd be more than happy to accept a challenge, in Chess or any other sort of game of wit, really.

[She's not sure whether Asami's smile is because she's assuming Twilight's assessment of herself is inaccurate, or whether she's just amused by something else.]

It'd be a nice change of pace from Pokemon battles, though I think it might be unheard of to say such a thing in this world.

[paishodown]

[There's very little that's challenging in Asami's body language. She takes a more 'friendly competition' approach when it comes to games.]

I hear you on that. As exciting as they are, it's never a bad thing to mix things up.

[Even if it means slowing the pace a little.]

[friendyousohard]

[That's certainly a relief for Twilight. A couple of her friends are a bit more... intense.]

Variety is always nice. Of course it's possible to combine the two. My Alakazam is excellent at learning those sorts of games.

[paishodown]

Those are Psychic types, right?

[Someone's been doing her reading.]

I read they have pretty powerful brains, even for Pokémon.

[Who in general aren't pushovers themselves. Certainly smarter than animals.]

[friendyousohard]

Precisely! Starswirl is actually my second brain in the team, due to his excellent ability to develop tactics on the fly, and to relay them to his teammates. I use him to form a cohesive group battle system, though six-versus-six matches aren't officially sanctioned.

[There are, however, those who don't care about that detail...]

[paishodown]

That's allowed? Psychically relaying commands in the middle of battle?

[She supposes there's really no way to police it...]

[friendyousohard]

I'm reasonably certain Sabrina, the psychic-type gym leader in Saffron, does it... then again, she has psychic abilities of her own.

Somehow.

[paishodown]

Saffron... That's in the Kanto region, right?

...

Hang on, you're saying that a person here has psychic abilities?

[friendyousohard]

Correct on both counts, and no I don't know how that's possible. Certainly none of us who have abilities that the humans here would call supernatural have been allowed to keep them.

[She's just going to try to keep her bitterness out of her voice.]

[paishodown]

That's what's weird. I don't have any... particular abilities, so I didn't have anything taken away when I got here, but I know there are a bunch of people who lost something when they got here.

That says something about whatever's taking us here, I think. I don't know what, but...

[friendyousohard]

I think the idea is to keep the focus on the Pokemon, which is why weapons don't tend to work either. There's a certain logic to that, but still, it's aggravating at best.