[ti]solo[/ti]Skipping Some Details

Even with reduced pain, Comet felt his head swimming. In real life, his body was not hurt, his ribs were not broken, but he was in a game of the mind and everything felt real and it honestly fucking hurt. Combined with the fact that he was in UNOVR for quite some time, the succeeding events were a bit of a blur:

> thunderous laughter > barrier cracking > broke into pieces > falling, falling, but the floor didn't come, or at least it didn't feel like > standing, white walls, a waiting room? hands cupped, as if waiting for the water of life to fill the space between, but it was a white petal instead, fluttering, gentle. the voice not so, but somehow it soothes, it is relief. it is recognition. a blueprint of life instead bathes the fingers in a golden glow.

✲

Vernon let out a groan after getting the WorldScreen off. His temples throbbed and he had a scowl on his face, but that was more of because of what he was feeling rather than what he had experienced. He blinked a couple of times, letting the memories settle properly, sorting themselves, gears turning.

❝...I hope Kimchi's alright.❞ he muttered, wondering what the hell happened to his avatar body. He was 80% sure he whited out, but he had no clue if that meant that his Pokemon was automatically returned and where he would respawn as a result. As much as he wanted to jump back in to assure that his partner Pokemon that he was alright, he certainly didn't feel like he was up for another session right now, and he also wondered how the Cinderace would react to him being alive and well. Well, he would likely be relieved, but without a scratch? Vernon expected questions about potential immortality, or more about the nature of the game.

❝What exactly happened back there?❞

Now that he was back to being Vernon, the thought sat in front of him and stared amidst pulsing pain. He was so caught up with the virtual reality that it truly felt like it was real. But he looked at his hands (Vernon's hands, not Comet's hands), and these were real, right? What he saw back there, was it..? Was it just a really powerful narrative that adapted well to the responses of the players? But what about Kimchi, who seemed to be prying into the very fabric that separated game from reality? Was he supposed to do that?

He let out another frustrated groan, taking a few steps before collapsing onto the bed in front of him. He wondered what happened to the others, especially Sterling. They were around when they faced Moltres, but he wondered if something happened that made them no longer join the raid. He wasn't sure if he could talk to them about this either. He had a feeling that he was taking this more seriously than what others would expect.

But he couldn't deny that he wanted to go back to UNOVR. Not because the game was fun nor because of some kind of abstract goal, but because he wanted to reassure his partner. Kimchi was a friend now. Maybe even more than that, since he saved his life and all. Vernon grimaced before burying his face onto the blanket.

❝Wait for me, Kimchi. I'll just...sleep this off first...❞