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It started out like any other day. Wake up late, large breakfast, oppress the peasants, and then this happened. This thing appeared out of nowhere—literally nowhere; he can sense its mind and that mind did not exist until it was existing right on top of him—and then it swallows him. All the Lord Ruler sees is what looks like a gigantic mirror reflecting a reptilian mouth, and he's suddenly on the wrong side of it. Starts trying to destroy the creature, of course, but nothing he does meets any resistance.
Wherever he is, it doesn't look like the inside of any snake he's ever been swallowed by.
unprophesied_of_ages
The ball makes him sleepy and not very cognizant of time passing or his body (failing to do its customary amount of) existing, but he is not literally unconscious.
unprophesied_of_ages
Consciousness is good, it implies access to superpowers.
Except when it doesn't, apparently. Either it's because not having a body means he's not in contact with metals to tap or burn, or the ball is just that good at blocking things.
He continues to fail to figure out what's going on. Time probably continues to pass.
Except when it doesn't, apparently. Either it's because not having a body means he's not in contact with metals to tap or burn, or the ball is just that good at blocking things.
He continues to fail to figure out what's going on. Time probably continues to pass.
Eventually the sensation of having been injured disappears.
And then he is let out! He is in a wooden building being peered at by a bunch of teenagers.
And then he is let out! He is in a wooden building being peered at by a bunch of teenagers.
unprophesied_of_ages
Their age doesn't really register, but they're people and not weird animals.
"Where am I?" he asks. "What was that ball?"
"Where am I?" he asks. "What was that ball?"
unprophesied_of_ages
This is going to be a problem. "Does anyone speak Selay? Terris? High Imperial?"
He sees his captor. This does not bode well for the man's life expectancy.
But he knows he doesn't know what this world is like, maybe there was a good reason for the ball, and he can always kill him later.
He sees his captor. This does not bode well for the man's life expectancy.
But he knows he doesn't know what this world is like, maybe there was a good reason for the ball, and he can always kill him later.
the_very_best
They peer at him. They don't seem to speak those languages. One of the teenage girls says something and then walks away.
unprophesied_of_ages
He turns toward one of the people, and gestures questioningly toward a red and white ball on her belt.
An explanation would be a pretty high priority, if only there were a reliable way of asking for one.
An explanation would be a pretty high priority, if only there were a reliable way of asking for one.
the_very_best
The girl giggles.
The teenager who walked away comes back with yet another teenager whose hair floats in a nongravitic manner around his head. This person peers at their visitor too, with a look of great concentration.
My friends here think you may be intelligent but not speak our language.
The teenager who walked away comes back with yet another teenager whose hair floats in a nongravitic manner around his head. This person peers at their visitor too, with a look of great concentration.
My friends here think you may be intelligent but not speak our language.
the_very_best
I'm psychic. I can't keep this up for very long, though. Your trainer thinks you might be psychic, too; can you do this yourself?
unprophesied_of_ages
No, I can't.
I have an idea, though; whenever you do this can you speak the same words out loud? It might help with the language problem.
I have an idea, though; whenever you do this can you speak the same words out loud? It might help with the language problem.
the_very_best
"He wants me to talk aloud while I communicate with him psychically," says/psychics the psychic. "To learn the language. And he seems smarter than most Pokémon by a long shot, but I don't think he's psychic."
"The Murkrow were tearing him apart," objects the guy who threw the ball at him. (The psychic translates.)
The girl who went and got the psychic is translated as saying, "He looks like a human. Murkrow could tear a human apart too."
"I caught him."
"That, I have no explanation for."
"The Murkrow were tearing him apart," objects the guy who threw the ball at him. (The psychic translates.)
The girl who went and got the psychic is translated as saying, "He looks like a human. Murkrow could tear a human apart too."
"I caught him."
"That, I have no explanation for."
unprophesied_of_ages
At every sentence, the Lord Ruler stores it and its translation in a small coppermind. He periodically burns the copper, stores the result in another speck, and burns that. The meaning in both languages gets fixed in his consciousness, and Compounding even allows the magic to make some inferences. He learns large swaths of the language's grammar almost instantly, but his vocabulary is going to stay limited to words related to something he's heard before.
He says mentally, I'm human. I am the— My name is Rashek. I'm from another planet, and your birds here are insane.
He says mentally, I'm human. I am the— My name is Rashek. I'm from another planet, and your birds here are insane.
the_very_best
"He says he's from space and he's a Rashek. Also he says he's human."
"I haven't heard him say 'Rashek' even once," objects the guy who caught him.
"Points against your 'he's just a Pokémon' theory," says the girl.
"I haven't heard him say 'Rashek' even once," objects the guy who caught him.
"Points against your 'he's just a Pokémon' theory," says the girl.
unprophesied_of_ages
What's a Pokémon, and why are they more likely to say their own names than humans are?
the_very_best
The psychic translates this. The talkative girl puts in, "Pokémon are non-human creatures, like the Murkrow that attacked you. They're almost all named after the sounds they make."
the_very_best
Several teenagers giggle like he has been very funny.
The psychic looks tired. If you're a human why did you go in the Pokéball and how did you survive the Murkrow attack?
The psychic looks tired. If you're a human why did you go in the Pokéball and how did you survive the Murkrow attack?
unprophesied_of_ages
"I don't know why only Pokemon usually go in the Pokeball, let alone why I'm an exception.
I survived the Murkrow attack because, while I may be human, I didn't say I'm an ordinary human."
He manages to get through saying it verbally.
I survived the Murkrow attack because, while I may be human, I didn't say I'm an ordinary human."
He manages to get through saying it verbally.
the_very_best
"You caught a legendary space alien!" giggles somebody with blue hair. It includes her eyebrows, eyelashes, and all other places where hair grows, so seems likely to be naturally blue.
"What's so special about you, then?" asks the boy who caught him.
"What's so special about you, then?" asks the boy who caught him.
unprophesied_of_ages
"I'm not sure I should say. I don't know what this planet is like, so being the only one who knows might matter."
A little bit of curiosity suppression should be the exact opposite of a helpful demonstration. He glances at the talkative girl; she was unaffected. Odd.
A little bit of curiosity suppression should be the exact opposite of a helpful demonstration. He glances at the talkative girl; she was unaffected. Odd.
the_very_best
"Naw, come on, tell me," says the boy who caught him, "before Joe gets too tired to translate and I have to put you away."
unprophesied_of_ages
"...put me away?"
The Lord Ruler wears shirts with metal buttons. When he turns to face his captor, there is a detachable piece of metal between his center of mass and the boy. He can, literally, kill him with a thought. If necessary.
The Lord Ruler wears shirts with metal buttons. When he turns to face his captor, there is a detachable piece of metal between his center of mass and the boy. He can, literally, kill him with a thought. If necessary.
the_very_best
"I guess I should feed you first, probably, what do you eat?"
"Dude," says the talkative girl, "he says he's a human and even if he wasn't a human he can talk. Intelligibly."
"He goes in a Pokéball and I caught him, Bella, you go on about your Linoone being near smart enough to talk -"
"Yeah, but he doesn't actually and also Zag volunteered to be mine, which is not what you're looking at here -"
"Dude," says the talkative girl, "he says he's a human and even if he wasn't a human he can talk. Intelligibly."
"He goes in a Pokéball and I caught him, Bella, you go on about your Linoone being near smart enough to talk -"
"Yeah, but he doesn't actually and also Zag volunteered to be mine, which is not what you're looking at here -"