Another day

[gold_drum]

A - Route 1

It's an ordinary day like any other, and if you pass by Professor Banyan's lab, you'll see Gold practicing kendama tricks out in the yard, too absorbed to notice you. He's not very good, but not disastrously bad either. Say hi to him?

B - Professor Banyan's house, backdated to the day after the summer festival

This morning, almost as soon as he wakes up, Gold sets out to look for Professor Banyan, hoping he's turned back to normal by now.

"Professor?" he calls out as he wanders around the house.

C - backdated to the day after the summer festival, closed to golddream

Once that's done, Gold's retreating to his room and calling Kam's number on his Pokegear.

"Hey Kam, I met another me," is how he greets him.

Comments

[gold_drum]

"It's because of all that drama that I'm asking. I mean, if you got a stalking habit I might as well make something useful of it." Gold shrugs.

"So you didn't follow him around? Just me? Ugh, alright then," Gold says with an annoyed sigh. "He gave me his phone number, but due to some, I dunno, Ultern bullshit, he's got the same phone number as another kid so I can only contact the other kid with that number. I need to talk to him, so I figured I'd ask you."

Gold figures he doesn't need to mention Kam to Attila, so he just keeps the details of why he needs to talk to that kid out of the conversation.

[buson]

"Don't make me sound weird, it's not personal!" Buson said, making a face. "... and I don't want my 'stalking habits' used by you or anybody else, thanks. Those days are over! I just know he wasn't the kid from my world. Totally different accent."

Who does this kid think he is, Giovanni?

Buson listens to Gold's story and frowns.

"... y'sure he wasn't givin' you a burner or redirectin' you on purpose?"

[gold_drum]

"I dunno man, you made it weird when you stalked me," Gold says with a shrug, but he's not especially bothered anymore. "Well, if you don't do that sorta thing anymore, I guess I gotta figure out something else. Man, why'd you have to start being all law-abiding right when I needed you to not be..." The last sentence is muttered more quietly, with clear annoyance.

Just Giovanni's future son-in-law!

"Yeah, nah, I thought so at first, but the guy whose number he shares, he's from the same world." Whelp, seems like he's mentioning Kam after all. "It's, uh... it's complicated, and I don't really get it myself, but... The other guy told me what's up, and I trust him, so yeah, I think it was his real phone number. Anyway, can't you just look into that kid this once?"

[1/2; oops, now that Buson owes Chris a favour, this is going to get difficult...]

[buson]

"No can do, kid," Buson said, although the phrasing was as casual as ever, he was glaring and his voice dropped low.

He shifted, adjusting his belt.

"... I'm not rattin' this kid out. Dunno what your problem is with him, but you're gonna have to settle it man-to-man, like Pokemon trainers. Go challenge him. Ask around online, whatever it is you kids do."

[2/2]

[buson]

Buson raised a brow at the mention of the other guy.

"Really? What'd he tell you."

It's hypocritical to ask when he's keeping his own lips sealed about Chris, but... if this other guy is that Gold's brother, then he shouldn't bring him up to Ken, after all.

He owes the boy, after all.

[gold_drum]

...Okay, Gold is sensing an absolute. Attila's not going to do what he asked, no matter what. He'll relent.

"Jeez, fine," Gold says in a huff, but leans back on his bike. "It's not like I've got a problem with him... I just wanna help his friend and him talk their problems out."

At the question 'what'd he tell you' Gold just... goes quiet for a moment, making a face as he thinks. Finally, he releases a frustrated sigh, running his hand over his face.

"I... don't even get it myself. Whatever those two got going on is... so complicated. Like, time travel complicated? All I get is that they used to be friends, but something got between them, and they got separated. And I dunno really what that something is, but I wanna help them meet each other."

...He doesn't want to say too much about Kam, since a lot of what he told him was told in secrecy, but he's now being more genuine about his feelings. He gets the feeling Attila cares about that kid, after all.

[buson]

Now that Gold seems to have accepted his stance, Buson relaxes and the menacing aura is gone.

When he hears Gold's reasons, he's even smiling wryly, relaxing and leaning himself, on that pole from earlier.

"Like how I tried to help you and your brother—not brother— meet, right? The path to Hell is paved with good intentions, or so they say..."

[gold_drum]

Gold purses his lips, frowning and crossing his arms, as he mulls this over in his mind.

"...Yeah, you got a point," he admits. It wasn't great to find Ken waiting for him that time. But it did turn out well, in the end...

Maybe he's sticking his nose too deep into business he doesn't have any business delving into. But on the other hand... he did promise Kam he'd help. Maybe he'll just continue as planned while being prepared for it to go badly.

"Alright, good talk, seeya," Gold says, turning his bike around in preparation to drive off.