[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/EQXq1Ty.png[/img]

[color=FF8C00][i]Raz[/i]
RANK 4
38/40 EXP[/color]

[b]Upper Nyakuza Metro[/b][/center]
Grinding along the electric rails really helped ease Raz's mind about all that went down the day before. Twisting and turning along with the cat-like trains gave him something to focus on. Plus, the higher the tracks led, the more of the enormous metro Raz could see. It stretched on for miles, not just where the tracks went but way further up than you'd noticed at ground level. This place might've been a section of the world all on its own. Hopefully there wasn't a Guardian around, though. Raz has had enough of fighting on trains for a while.

Sight seeing wasn't going to help with collecting pons, though Raz's method was also turning out pretty unfruitful. The problem wasn't a lack of pons - the tracks were littered with the things - it was actually getting to them! The layout of the individual rails overlapped, double-backed, and sometimes went clear straight up, making it tricky to hop onto the one that'd get him where he wanted. If that wasn't enough there were the trains themselves, too. Raz would have to jump lines to avoid becoming a kitty pancake, and every so often some enterprising shady cats would be leaning out the windows and swiping pons for themselves.

Needless to say that it wasn't very productive. But it [i]was[/i] pretty fun.

At least until Raz got flung off the tracks. While racing towards a lone pon, a train overtook him on the neighboring rail, and one of those pon snatchers whacked him clear into the air with a butterfly net. Raz soared for a distance, the momentum of his sliding making him sail like a skipping stone, landing on a metal platform jutting off the side of a building. The impact made him lose his grip on the only two pons he was able to snag, rolling along the floor until they came to a stop against the legs of a fold-up table, manned by a particularly [url=https://i.imgur.com/RoGI9LR.png]slimy alligator[/url], in more ways than one.

"Whoa!" The alligator yelped. "Good thing nobody else was around for that. You came in so hot I'd've had to tell them, [i]'hit the deck!'[/i], which I think wouldn't be a very tasteful phrase considerin' your current circumstances."

Raz picked himself up and dusted himself off. [color=FF8C00]"Thanks. I guess? Hey, those are mine!"[/color] Raz rushed to collect his pons, but the alligator didn't seem to want them.

"You got me all wrong, pal! I don't take people's belongin's that way. That's what pickpockets and pigeons are for. Nah, I only steal in the 'technically legal' way. And by that I mean I run a perfectly legitimate games business that does nothin' funny! No humor to be had here! Not even a chuckle. Heheheehh." To prove his clean-handedness, the gator picked up one of the pons closest to him and handed it back to Raz. "Name's Slick Mickey, by the by."

[color=FF8C00]"I can, uh, see why,"[/color] Raz muttered, holding the pon Mickey gave him between two fingers, a very clear slime patch dripping off one side.

"Guess y'got a good head on yer shoulders then! Well, anyone can see that, cuz it's big, and bigger's always better. At least that's what my dermatologist said when I went to get that weird thing on my inner thigh checked. 'Course, that was after he screamed in abject terror, but he assured me it was due to a spooky ghost he saw out the window and I see no reason to think otherwise." Mickey placed a hand down on his table with a wet thunk. "Say, I happen to, ahhh, [i]entertain[/i] people with big and/or good heads. You lookin' to buy a Metro pass, right? If you put your pons up for a bet, you can quintuple your grabs! Two to ten in just one unrigged diversion."

Raz thought this one over. The math did seem in his favor there, but he'd had enough experience on the road to run into scam artists before. Eventually he said, [color=FF8C00]"I guueeeeess I can do that, sure. But [i]I[/i] get to pick the game."[/color]

Mickey visibly gulped. "Uh-hah, well, see, that ain't really how it works..."

[color=FF8C00]"Well, if you say so. Guess I'll just take my two, WHOLE pons with me to someplace else..."[/color] Raz made like he was going to march off. He didn't even get a single step in before Mickey practically threw himself across the table.

"Ah, no no! I-it's fine, heh. What sorta gamesgator turns down a game? A bad one! Or one that's fed up with the career choice, which is perfectly valid." Mickey produced a stack of cards and set them down. "So, kid, what's it gonna be?"

[color=FF8C00]"How about... you pick a card and I have to say which it is."[/color]

"Really? Y'wanna go with [i]that?[/i]" Mickey could barely hide his joy, shaking in his gatorskin boots (which were his feet. He didn't have shoes.) "S-sure, sure! Let me just..." In a frantic jolt, Mickey rifled through the deck of cards, turned his back to Raz, did a bit of futzing about, and turned back, a single card in his hand with the back towards Raz. "Alrighty then! What do you say this card is?"

Before Raz could begin to guess, Mickey tossed the card into his gullet and swallowed it down! [color=FF8C00]"Hey! That's cheating!"[/color] Mickey merely shrugged and did his worst at playing innocent. Not that it really mattered. Raz wasn't fixing to play fair himself. He'd felt a familiar tingle in his brain ever since yesterday, and now it was feeling a lot closer to home...

[center][hider=Power Get!][b]Mind Reading:[/b]
Raz is able to peek into the minds of those around him and read their thoughts in the moment. It's actually much weaker than it was in his home universe; Raz has to actively concentrate in order to pick up snippets of thoughts in someone, and his telepathy is much flimsier too, with even a moderate amount of effort needed on the target's part to keep their thoughts hidden. But if he catches someone off-guard, and they don't have a good natural mental defense, their mind is ripe for the reading.[/hider][/center]

Raz squinted and brought two fingers beside his temple. Since Mickey only just met him, he'd have no idea this kid was psychic at all, so this should be a piece of cake. The brainwaves cleared, a fog in Raz's head clearing just enough to catch what was going through Mickey's head.

[color=FF8C00]"The card was... a Queen of Hearts... that you scribbled over with a blue pen and turned into the King of Clubs."[/color]

Mickey's jaw dropped so low it almost flipped his table. "That's, what, wow! I can't even be mad, that was exactly on the money! Y'got some real intuition on ya! Normally I'd be weaslin' my way out, as you do, but I'm too impressed and frankly a tiny bit scared to really scam ya here." Mickey scooped two handfuls of pons from his pockets and laid them out on the table. "There y'go, kid, eight pons with your name and my skin secretions on 'em. Don't go spendin' it all in one place! Haha, see, it's funny because you will."

Raz looked a little less than pleased as he rolled the pons into his pack. [color=FF8C00]"Gee, uh, thanks for that. Good luck with the card stuff, Mickey."[/color]

"Oh, no, you cleaned me out. Only had eight to my name. Gotta fall back on my second source of income: letting people pay me to get away from 'em." As Mickey folded up his table to move on, he gestured towards the train rails. "If y'wanna know where to get a pass, just follow the lines. Eventually they loop back 'round to the stations for 'em, where you can buy one."

[color=FF8C00]"Oh, thanks!"[/color] Raz waved Mickey off as he turned back to the rails. The closest one way a bright purple, so Raz figured that'd be the one he'd go on. Why not, right? And then he was off, back to his grinding.
[center][b]- - -[/b]
[color=FF8C00]Word Count: 1,263
EXP Gain: +3
[i]Rank Up![/i][/color][/center][hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/KkjPESV.png[/img]
[color=F92a2a][i]Wonder Red[/i]
Level 1 (XP: 6/10)[/color]

[b]Lower Nyakuza Metro[/b][/center]
Much, much farther below, Wonder Red was somehow having worse luck in his search. The alleys looked promising, but it seems most everyone else had thought the same thing; the nooks and crannies down here were picked clean. It made sense that not a lot of passerby would be adventurous enough to collect the ones above. Wonder Red picked up every trashcan, smashed every crate, opened every payphone's coin flap, and there was not a single pon to be found. As adverse as he was to return emptyhanded, Wonder Red needed to retrace his steps back to where they first split off and look for a different way to gather pons.

On his way through the alley again, Wonder Red heard something strange. Some sort of laughter and a bell-like jingling, that echoed off the walls, giving it a very eerie quality. His searching earlier must have masked the sound. Seeing as they were off exploring for pons anyways, Wonder Red decided to investigate. It took a bit, trying to determine the source of the sounds since the alleys were so numerous that it felt like it came from every direction, but a few right turn and several wrong turns later, Wonder Red found himself at a metal door cracked open.

Stepping inside, Wonder Red saw what looked like a big soundstage. In the center was a handcrafted [url=https://i.imgur.com/gVc3JPd.jpg]set[/url] made out of fabric, cardboard, glue, tape, and other sorts of DIY odds-n-ends. All over the place where small, bouncy [url=https://i.imgur.com/sG3NfGP.png]dolls[/url], or what looked like them, also made out of various materials in an array of colors, decked out in costumes ranging from paper animal masks and PJs to sci-fi visors and jet boots. And they were just [i]everywhere[/i]. Some were hopping around their personal play area, climbing walls, jumping between precarious platforms, slapping decals wherever they fancied. Others were at the fringes of the stage, trying on different pieces of costumes or collaborating on building colorful new set pieces. A few were even rooting around a huge machine, tugging at its internals as it sparked and jittered.

For a moment Wonder Red thought this was some strange underground militia of doll people, but just watching them for a bit revealed that they were only having fun. Playing, dressing up, crafting for the heck of it all. It brought a smile to Red's face - even with Galeem's influence, it seemed some worlds were able to retain their innocence and joy.

Just as he was turning back out the door, one of the little sack persons up on a high, wobbly 'icicle' stumbled. The whole thing swayed back and forth, and the doll atop it lost its balance, tumbling right off. Wonder Red, seeing it out of the corner of his high, leapt into action. [color=F92a2a]"Look out!"[/color] He sprung forward, closing the distance from the door to the stage, and landed under the falling doll, managing to catch it in both arms. [color=F92a2a]"Are you okay?"[/color] He asked as he set the doll on its feet.

It gave two thumbs up and a big, open-mouth smile. There was also a smattering of soft applause from the ones that were looking their way. Wonder Red nodded. [color=F92a2a]"That's good. You should try securing your structures more, so this doesn't happen agai--"[/color] Above, the rickety tower finally gave way, collapsing into several pieces and falling towards them. Wonder Red was once more quick to act, jumping straight up to meet the falling debris in midair. [color=F92a2a]"Hah! Whah! Pawh!"[/color] He delivered swift punches to each piece of the structure, sending them flying away from the person he just saved, or any of the others loitering in the danger zone.

When he landed, the assortment of sack people erupted into an even greater applause, cheering on Red's heroics. There was even a few shrill whistles. Red blushed and rubbed the back of his head. [color=F92a2a]"Oh, really, it's all part of the job. No need to clap or anything."[/color] The sack person he had saved waved to get his attention and pointed behind him. At the other tall platforms were more sack people, looking at him expectantly, and toppling the towers again! Wonder Red was back at it, smacking away all the chunks of the set as they came, to the continuing enjoyment of the crowd. After a brief while, when there was little more on the stage for Red to punch, he was pretty tuckered out.

[color=F92a2a]"Alright,"[/color] he huffed between breaths, [color=F92a2a]"I think I've done quite enough here. Really, you shouldn't be playing around so dangerously like that."[/color] The playful dolls didn't seem to take in his advice as most of them were already right back to work, gathering the scattered materials and setting up a new set to play on. One of the group wearing a little hardhat and vest approached him, a big bubble in his arms, and offered it up. Inside, 10 whole pons floated around. [color=F92a2a]"This is for me?"[/color] After the sack person nodded, Red took the bubble. Was it payment for entertaining them? Did they expect him to punch [i]this[/i] now?

Whatever the reason, Wonder Red saw it fit to take his leave, before they roped him into anything more. [color=F92a2a]"Thank you for this,"[/color] he said as he side-stepped to the door, [color=F92a2a]"please try to remain safe from now on!"[/color] Of course, none of them paid him much mind anymore, their attentions diverted to something even newer.

Wonder Red hurried out the door, the large pon-filled bubble under one arm, and started to finally head back to the station proper. At least he was helping in some way, despite everything.[hr][center][color=F92a2a]Word Count: 955
EXP Gain: +2[/color][/center]