[video]

[whatagoodgirl]

[Look everyone, Nakama's back to normal! And she's beaming into the video feed, something that anyone who's talked to her lately might not expect. Unlike the last time this happened, there are no tears, there's no shock - she's just genuinely gleeful.]

It's just like last time!

[After that, she holds up a large picture to the screen for everyone to see: fifteen children standing in a semicircle on the beach, with one very familiar girl tucked in near the middle-left. Those who have been here a long time may even recognise the boy on the far left, but that's another matter.]

This showed up in my room out of nowhere, right beside my picture of my mom. It's all of my friends from home, from the Nature School. I remember when this picture was taken... we'd barely even met, and everyone was so nervous...

[Then she realizes what she's said - just like last time - and her face falls.]

No one's being hurt out there, are they?

Comments

video;

[satisfiedyet]

Those are your classmates?

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh, not from the school in my hometown... it was an extra-curricular summer school. Fifteen of us were picked from all over the country to do it.

video;

[satisfiedyet]

Was it something for the best of the best? Or just a lucky draw.

[Video]

[spaghettiokay]

No one but the scenery...

[Pause.]

Nice picture. Must've done something right, eh?

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

[She blushes a little.] Definitely not the best of the best. I think the first fifteen kids who signed up were taken.

[Video]

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh... you mean those plants? Yeah, I noticed the animals were eating it all.

I guess so. [A shy smile, but it's fleeting.] It's just that... last time we were given gifts like this, the people who did something wrong were badly hurt. I wanted to make sure that wasn't happening again.

[spaghettiokay]

[Snort.]

Trust me, I remember.

[And he rolls his eyes, but...thinking about it still makes his stomach churn...

[Definitely can't blame her for being worried...]

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh, I'm sorry - I've never met you before, so I didn't know if you were there. I forget how many of us there are sometimes.

video;

[satisfiedyet]

Something tells me you're playing down some kind of achievement.

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

W-What? No, not at all! I worked really hard in school, but I was still never at the top.

[spaghettiokay]

Don't worry about it.

[Pause.]

But we have met before. Just the other day.

You were upset, crying, not drunk...Ring any bells?

video;

[satisfiedyet]

It's okay! You can tell President anything!

video;

[integrous]

... Wow, that's a cute picture!

[ don't mind Asahi, she's leaning closer to the screen to peer at it.. ]

You mean you really just suddenly got it? Nobody even gave it to you?

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

B-But there really isn't anything! I was just an average student!

[whatagoodgirl]

Oh - oh gosh, yeah, that is your voice. I didn't recognise it.

Thank you. For - being so honest, and trying so hard to help.

video;

[whatagoodgirl]

I was worried that I'd start to lose their faces after awhile. Now I never will. [She smiles warmly.]

Yeah, it was just in my room, like the picture of my mom months ago. But... are you sure everyone's okay? No one's made any posts about being injured or anything?

( VIDEO )

[accesses]

The Nature school?

That's certainly quite the picture.

( VIDEO )

[whatagoodgirl]

It was a sort of extra-curricular summer class. Fifteen kids from all over Japan went out to the coast and learned all about nature. It was cut off early, but I still really... cherish the friends I made there.

[That's the gentle version of what happened.]

[Audio]

[burntviolet]

I'm really happy for you, Nakama-san.

[ After all the sadness, seeing Nakama like this brings some smile on Hanako's face too. Ah, though that last line... ]

I wasn't hurt- and as far as I know, nobody else was... I received a gift, too.

video

[ironclad]

I'm glad you got something you wanted, Nakama. It's...lovely. [ Indeed it was. Jasmine's newly-reunited Magnemite, floating by her shoulder, seems to agree, emitting a few cheerful buzzes. ]

I don't think anyone's been hurt; I can confirm the clinic's back to normal. And, erm...this happened before? [ She knows that some travellers have items from home, so clearly it has, but she's not totally sure on the details. ]

[Action] - because I can wanna fight about it

[burningcreator]

[Shou had the day off, so he'd slept in a bit later than usual. Therefore, it would be into the afternoon by the time he was up and cooking breakfast, tipping the pan to distribute a pile of scrambled eggs onto two plates when he noticed that message.]

[He gave a little grin, grabbing a couple forks and heading for the table... Where Karu was dancing around.]

Hey darlin', git down. I made breakfast.

[Audio]
Oi, Nakama. I made eggs, y' wan' some?

action;

[hushedpenance]

[But Shou, he's cleaning the hanging lights. Let him dance around and do it.]

Why? The work is almost done! [He tilts his head and leans over, dangerously close to tipping.]

Nakama is addressing the network, I think.

[Audio]

[whatagoodgirl]

You have to come over sometime, and I can show you in person and tell you about each one. I didn't know all of them very well, but we all talked or worked together at least once. I'm so happy... I'd almost forgotten what some of them looked like.

[She sighs in relief at the news that no one appears to be getting stabbed yet, then blinks in surprise.] You did? What did you get?

1/2

[whatagoodgirl]

I was just starting to lose some of their faces. I thought maybe I'd forget them completely... but now I never have to. [She looks almost tearful in her joy. Her pilots - !

But then...]

Is that another Pokemon? [She leans into the feed, eyes wide and curious.]

2/2

[whatagoodgirl]

[At news of the clinic, though, she looks more like her usual serious self.]

Please, Jasmine... if big groups of people start coming in with anything, anything at all, let the network know right away. This did happen before, and the flipside of the gifts was horrible.