[h3][color=LightSlateGray]Ardanata “Dana” Stamos[/color][/h3][hr][i]Canada || Toronto, Ontario || January 13th[/i] [color=LightSlateGray]“I am a Po-kee-mon tray-ner,”[/color] Dana enunciated, brows furrowed as she stared intently at the “U-two” video playing on the screen of the laptop she’d been given. Her efforts at studying had yielded a slow trudge forwards, which she was grudgingly forced to accept. The only upside was that all she had right now was time; confined to her room, she had an excuse to pour daylight into the slow process of memorizing words and phrases. She’d chosen to focus on English, of course; the number of people who spoke French didn’t even begin to touch the massive population of English-speakers, and Dana had little mind to learn something she deemed less than productive. And, though it’d been years since she’d done any actual studying, she pushed onwards, since progress was progress, though slower than was desirable. [color=LightSlateGray]“Po-kemon trainer,”[/color] Dana repeated, pausing the video. [color=LightSlateGray]“Hello, I am a Pokemon trainer.”[/color] [hr][hr][i]Canada || Toronto, Ontario || January 26th[/i] [color=LightSlateGray]“Small espresso and plain bagel,”[/color] Dana said to the cashier, tacking on a [color=LightSlateGray]“please”[/color] after a brief pause. Though her Pokemon might have been confined to her hotel room, her person was not, and neither was her Duskull, who slunk through the walls, invisible except for a faint pair of red eyes showing every now and then to let Dana know he was still there. “Not from around here, eh?” the cashier asked, entering her order. “How long have you been here?” [color=LightSlateGray]“One month,”[/color] Dana said after a moment’s thought. “Well, hope you like it here,” the cashier said, handing Dana her order. “Have a good day.” [color=LightSlateGray]“Thank you,”[/color] Dana said, walking out the shop. Her English was coming along fine, and though she was sure she was still reading some of the phonetics incorrectly—dragging out or cutting short sounds here and there—she was moving at a pace that she could be satisfied with. [i]Another month or so and I should be able to hold actual conversation,[/i] Dana thought, pace brisk. [hr][hr][i]Canada || Toronto, Ontario || February 11th[/i] “Disturbed” only just began to cover how Dana felt when she finally tried her hand at one of Earth’s Pokemon games. It was as if she’d lived in some sort of story but come to life. Her mind had moved to reject the notion of her possibly being a fictional character—her life and memories vivid in her whirling mind—yet here was the proof, lying in front of her in the form of a curious handheld device, bland text and soothing colors over pixelated recreations of Pokemon species she’d given no second thought to. [i]Does it have no concept of dodging?[/i] she wondered in annoyance as her in-game starter—a Rowlet—was knocked out by a wild Ledyba. The level system in the game was a crude simplification of actual Pokemon battles, and Dana didn’t appreciate the fact that she was forced to stay on the routes, prevented by the game’s mechanics from venturing into the trees. [i]How can anyone stand playing this?[/i] she thought, snapping the device closed and setting it down with an irritated sigh. [color=LightSlateGray]“Duskull,”[/color] she said, trying out her Pokemon’s name in English. [color=LightSlateGray]“Is the Professor in?”[/color] The Duskull blinked twice at his trainer. [color=LightSlateGray]“Let me know when he gets back,”[/color] Dana said curtly, turning to face the window again. That her hotel room had a good view of the city was the only reason why Dana wasn’t inclined to go and find her own quarters; from her window, she was able to remind herself daily of her newfound alienness. [i]They live neither Pokemon nor trainers, getting by purely with what their technology can grind out,[/i] she thought, her eyes skirting down smooth skyscrapers and across bustling streets before she finally averted them, turning back to her laptop. [hr][hr][i]Canada || Toronto, Ontario || February 22nd[/i] [color=LightSlateGray]“I’ll get a Caffe Americano, medium, and a whole wheat bagel to go, please,”[/color] Dana said, reciting her practiced order to the cashier, who noted it down diligently. “Will that be all?” he asked. [color=LightSlateGray]“Yes,”[/color] Dana said, pulling out the cash that she'd been given upon request. News had come of a March briefing to be hosted by Professor Elm, where the main language would be English rather than their native language. In response, Dana had sped up her schedule, pushing back her research into Earth’s many societies—through pictures, mainly, but falling back on a dictionary devised by the professors when necessary—to focus on mastering the language first. Her accent was still heavy, and but she would be comprehensive when by the date of the briefing. “Here you are,” the cashier said, handing Dana her order. “Have a good day.” [color=LightSlateGray]“You too,”[/color] Dana said, exiting the shop, the faint red glow on the wall disappearing into the ground after her. [hr][hr][i]Canada || Toronto, Ontario || March 1st[/i] “So, any questions?” Professor Elm asked the meeting drew to a close. The room shifted uncomfortably before someone spoke up. Dana, though, had tuned out. In fact she’d frozen completely; a possibility had just occurred to her, and she didn’t like it one bit. [color=LightSlateGray]“Have all the trainers been transported to Earth?”[/color] she asked once the professor had answered the last question. “Well, there’s no way to say for certain,” Elm said, adjusting his glasses, “but I would expect so, yes.” Dana stayed silent through the rest of the meeting, her mind running through distant memories of long-past times and faraway places. [hr][hr][i]Canada || Algonquin Provincial Park || March 14th[/i] Having been forced to spend two months grinding away at a language—sitting around and doing nothing had never been an option—she was now somewhere close to fluent. She, therefore, had managed some semblance of productiveness, however dull and slow, but the same couldn’t be said for her Pokemon; though she’d done what she could in her hotel room—teaching them the necessary amount of English and having them practice creative exercises daily—she knew that being cooped up had done little for their actual battling prowess. [color=LightSlateGray]“Ivysaur, Razor leaf. Clefable, Disarming voice,”[/color] Dana said, her Pokemon jumping into action immediately after she’d delivered her commands. Her Duskull drifted beside her, silently observant. The morning air around was cool and crisp, reminding Dana that the last time she’d been here, she’d been unable to communicate and completely unaware of what had happened. Now, though, she knew exactly where she was and what she had to do. [i]In another day or two they should be near battle-ready,[/i] Dana thought, watching as the Clefable, knocked back by the Ivysaur’s Razor Leaf, picked itself up to fire forth a Disarming Voice. [i]It should have been able to dodge that. They’re evenly matched in speed.[/i] [color=LightSlateGray]“Again!”[/color] she called. Again, the Ivysaur threw a Razor Leaf at the Clefable. [hr][hr][i]Canada || Toronto, Ontario || March 19th[/i] Dana slammed down her laptop screen, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her Duskull floated over, hovering silently at her side. [color=LightSlateGray]“Nothing,”[/color] she said, shaking her head and sighing.. [color=LightSlateGray]“It’s nothing.”[/color] Shouldn’t she be happy that her searches had returned nothing? Such meant that she had one less thing to worry about, one less problem to deal with. [hr][hr][i]Canada || Toronto, Ontario || March 25th[/i] [color=LightSlateGray]“Sentret, Furret,”[/color] Dana read. The sheer number of Pokemon names she was set to memorize made her head spin, but she pushed on. [color=LightSlateGray]“Tyrogue, Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchamp.”[/color] [hr][hr][i]Canada || Algonquin Provincial Park || April 13th[/i] [color=LightSlateGray]“Again,”[/color] Dana said, sending her Combusken and Scizor back into the woods. They were to catch a deer and bring it back alive, which they’d successfully done a few times already after some initial ugly results. Her Duskull drifted out of the ground before her, blinking twice. [color=LightSlateGray]“Tell me when he returns,”[/color] Dana said, dismissing the Duskull, who sank back into the ground. She’d known about her tail for a while. Sometimes there were two, but there was usually just one person shadowing her. Part of the reason why she’d chosen to be so careless with her Combusken and Scizor was to test whether or not her hidden follower had a mind to expose themselves. So far, the answer had been no; they’d instead helpfully cleaned up after her, disappearing mutilated deer from the forest grounds after she’d gone. Of course, she made sure that she found an isolated area for her Pokemon to practice, lest some civilian get involved, but all the same, she didn’t like the fact that no one had thought to inform her of her shadow. [i]They should know I’m watching them,[/i] Dana thought, watching as her Combusken returned with a knocked-out deer raised above his head, her Scizor following close behind. [i]Not assuming so would be very careless of them.[/i] [hr][hr][i]Russia || Near Norilsk Airport || May 4th[/i] At the announcement that the to-be trainers had arrived, Dana rose from her seat, turning to head upstairs to her quarters. Greeting the newcomers sounded like a dreadful waste of time, seeing as they’d be training together for the next few weeks, during when there would doubtlessly be time for socialization. And, if they failed to acquaint themselves with each other then, it probably just wasn’t meant to be. [i]For the sake of going home,[/i] Dana thought as she walked away. [h1] [/h1][hr][hr][hr][h3][color=Khaki]Camden Montero[/color][/h3][hr][hr][i]May 4th || Russia || Near Norilsk Airport[/i] At the announcement of their arrival, Camden shook off what queasiness was left and got off the bus, taking in the barren, snowy landscape. Having lived in Seattle all his life, he’d grown accustomed to mild weather and a chance of sparse snowfall during the winter. However, it seemed Russia would be freezing temperatures and chilly snowstorms all year round, seeing as the snow looked fresh despite it being May already. Their drill sergeant, Sergeant Sokolov, promptly left after establishing himself, leaving the group to their own devices. Thankfully, another group arrived shortly—a group of trainers, judging by their Pokeballs. Camden’s eyes grew wide as he scanned them over, trying to guess at which ones had experience with Pokemon contests.