Nothing happened during the night.
Not even his cross alerted him of anything.
He isn't sure if that's a good thing or not.
The figure still watches him from the trees.
But no matter how grim, the sun still rises.
The title of the stream updated.
Day 5.
…
A va moat.
Joshua decided to spend the first hour of his day, making a va moat.
Two blocks wide around the perimeter, only one block deep. The longest part was just going to and from the va pool in the mine.
And JUST because of the fear of one of the mares falling in (would Gabriel count as a ‘filly'?) He built a one block tall cobblestone wall around the moat, fit with more fence on top of it.
Is he paranoid? Maybe.
Jophiel is currently training. She took the advice from one of the psychic type gym leaders and… adapted it in a typical White Horse fashion.
What she's supposed to do is spread her psychic energy around her, passively getting info of the things around her. This would improve her control, capacity, and her overall experience in handling the energy.
And she is doing that…
While dodging a swinging log she has tied to the tree.
Blindfolded.
…she certainly has a style.
“Not sure why she's doing that… her powers grow from use either way, I think”
Joshua snorts, but is otherwise proud at the effort she's putting into it.
He cups his hands to his mouth, a chuckle escaping his lips.
“WOOOOO! LOOKIN GOOD LOVE! FUCK IT UP!!!”
Jophiel's ears perk up, she doesn't stop her training, but he can see her snout melting into a tender smile.
He wishes he could tell what she's feeling through the link, but judging from the fact that she's now struggling to focus on her training, it must be a lot.
Before heading out, Joshua checks his food storage. He has a chest set nearby his farm, which he puts all of the wheat when he or either of the girls harvest it.
Crops seem to grow at an accelerated rate, like the game, but that's only when HE pnts them. Luckily he doesn't need to “break” the crops to harvest them, so as long as nobody tramples them it should be fine.
[WHEAT (×64)]
[WHEAT (×64)]
[WHEAT (×12)]
Oh that's just messy…
A quick turn to a crafting table, he converts that into bread.
[BREAD (×46)]
[WHEAT (×2)]
[APPLE (×18)]
[RAW BEEF (×24)]
[RAW MUTTON (×13)]
Lookin good. Thank God food doesn't spoil when stored in pces like a chest or his inventory.
…what's next?
He checks the time.
6AM. Did he really get up at 5AM to make that moat?
“What's my goal for today… hm…”
[The school?]
[Morning Joshua!]
[Probably the school]
[Doesn't he need amethyst? Go to the mines!]
[What in Arceus’ name does he need amethyst for???]
[His Pokenav doesn't support coordinates I think. Has to build a new one to find Ace]
[Ace coords]
[If you actually check the coords using the League’s map site it just leads to somewhere in the middle of the ocean near Kanto lol]
[We are officially 5 days in and still no sign of Pokemon aside from Joey…]
[The school please!!!]
School it is then.
Joshua transfers some food into his inventory, along with adjusting the other things he needs.
He feels much more refreshed than st night, physically at least.
He looks at the rising sun, feeling it's admittedly mildly warm rays touch his face. Joshua wonders if this is just a weird “season” this area is in, or if everywhere was just slightly gray and chilly all the time.
Taking a deep breath, his hand goes up and draws a cross along his chest in fluid motions, he whispers a prayer quickly to himself.
“Dear Heavenly Father, as I begin this new day, I thank you for your unending love and grace. Guide my steps, bless my thoughts, and fill my heart with your peace. Help me to choose kindness, compassion, and wisdom in all that I do. May I be a light to others and reflect your glory throughout this day. Amen”
Even though it's not necessary, he closes his eyes and brings his neckce to his lips and he finishes the praher. Neither he or his mom are Catholic so the exact symbolism is lost to him, but the gesture of “aligning your words with God” does sit well with him.
After all, he's noticed that he really only prayed or said gospel when he's about to be mauled. Which, if his mom were to find out, would probably maul him too.
You need God on your worst, and best days, he learned.
That's why he's trying to bring back an old, OLD habit back whenever he used to go to church with his mom, praying every morning and night.
“Feels like I'm five again”
Exhaling, he feels the tangible affects of the prayer, a concept that is STILL baffling to him.
His mind feels lighter, not healed, but… focused. Like instead of the prayer fixing his problems, it opens up a path, ideas illuminated, and gives him the opportunity to follow it.
The lingering soreness of his muscles faded, repced by an undercurrent but constant vitality. A pulsing energy that pushes away the tiredness, not completely, but perfectly enough.
Looking at his hands, he chuckles as a stray thought goes through him.
“Saint Michael would probably lose his shit if he was here”
Saint Michael, Archangel, Sword Of God, the inspiration for fucking DOOM GUY. The image of him frothing at the mouth and having to be held back by the other angels to stop him from curb-stomping demons is REALLY funny.
Joshua adds “fming sword” to his list.
[IonoZone: You prayin to Arceus bud? ( ???) ]
Hm?
[I never heard of Arceus being called the “Heavenly Father” before]
[Wanted to ask but… it's rude, y'know?]
[Guys we shouldn't be talking about this]
[What is “Amen”?]
[I think I heard some tribes use it, hold on lemme look it up]
Why are they acting so…
Oh.
OHHHHHH.
“Guys, I'm not praying to Arceus”
[Then who are you praying to? The three birds?]
Joshua shakes his head. He never bothered to bring this up earlier, but there's no reason to try and hide it.
“No. Where I'm from, Pokemon don't exist”
[Oh! You are from one of the isoted isnds then! They don't have a lot of Pokemon, right?]
[StevenStoneOffical: Correct. Some independent territory isnds near the Alon region ck any Pokemon presence]
[That's neat!]
Okay, he has to spell it out for them.
“Steven. You're not getting it. Where I'm from, in my WORLD, Pokemon aren't a thing. In GENERAL”
The chat goes dead silent.
Full stop, the chat isn't even scrolling anymore.
[VIEWERS: 22,034]
…
Around the Pokemon world, people and pokemon alike all stare wide eyed at the screen.
Joshua's words shocked them to their core, its as if the internet, at least the streamer side of it, has vanished all at once.
Steven sits in his office, coffee in hand, stuck mid-sip. His assistants all freeze at the words that just came out of his speakers.
Iono paused her battle with a trainer looking for her gym badge, and is now frozen solid looking at her Rotom phone she's been pying idly in her headphones.
The trainer is pissed, but she couldn't hear him.
While the ones still asleep will have no idea what kind of mess they will wake up to.
For the first time since the very beginning of the stream, the chat is silent.
That is until a brave man, bearing the account name of “RockruffyRoad” finally appears in the logs, alone in a sea of old messages.
[RockruffyRoad: A world… without Pokemon? That doesn't…]
[RockruffyRoad: What?]
The dam breaks.
And the stream explodes.
[WHAT???]
[HUH?!?!?!?!]
[????????????????]
[NWUFBEUDBWIBFIR]
[NO POKEMON?!]
[HUUUUUHHHHH?]
[ANOTHER WORLD?!!?!?@]
Thousands of messages, all at once, even Pokemon who learned how to type have joined. The chat is moving so fast nobody can even read anything anymore but nobody cares.
Joshua is from… another world?
A world without Pokemon?
How? That's impossible!
That sounds… miserable!
And so, at the fervent request of tens of thousands of chatters, Joshua cancels his trip to the school and begins an impromptu Q&A.
(A/N: What kind of questions do you think will be fun for chat to ask? And if Joshua were to find another Pokemon… which one do you want it to be? )
