From: Continue (continue2@mindspring.com) Subject: [PW!]/[PW!F] It's like talking to yourself (was: Define "new") Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-12-14 20:13:22 PST Adrian Tymes wrote: >Oak nodded. "It would seem that time travel is no longer just a theory. I >suspect it'll take years to figure it out to where we can control it, but at >least we can tell when it happens. Fortunately, this club was only shot >forwards a few minutes in time. There's still a time window open, but no >physical matter can go through it. What will go through, though, is light >and sound. The upshot is that you'll have two audiences tonight: the one >that's actually here, and another that will gather in this building, or >whatever's here at the time, five years from now. I'm sure some people >will remember, and attend for the curiosity if nothing else. Even the >time window will likely close sometime tonight, probably about half >past midnight." > >Drake smiled. "So, we're giving a two-for-one show tonight?" > >"That about covers it. Though I don't think you'll be able to book ticket >sales for the second concert until its audience is ready." > >"Not a problem." > >"Oh, by the way, Jason." Oak pulled out a notepad and pen. "I know this >is probably taking advantage of the situation, but could I have your >autograph?" > >"Err...umm..." > >"Mimic have better idea." Changing back into not-Jason, the ditto >continued, "Mimic think saw camera in band equipment. Why not take >picture with Jason and Jason, and have Jason sign that?" A few minutes later Oak had his picture and his autograph. The Professor hadn?t noticed when Mimic had pulled the switch in order to sign the autograph. Oak began to set up equipment outside to take measurements of the phenomena. Drake, Mimic, and the members of Jason?s band grabbed equipment to bring inside and set up. Getting to the door first, Mimic grasped the doorknob, turned it and pushed. The door creaked as if it had swung smoothly but remained in place. Mimic proceeded to walk right through the still-closed door, leaving the others to sweatdrop. "Uh, Mimic," Drake called to the door "Some of us haven?t learned that trick yet." The very Jason-looking head and part of the upper body of Mimic came out of the door. "No trick. Remember, light and sound going through time. Door in this time is open, one in future can only be opened by someone there." "Okay, I get it. That?s only the image of the door in the future, the one here is open." Mimic nodded his acknowledgment and withdrew, Drake then strode into the door. After seeing Drake go through the door rather than just banging into it painfully, the other members of the band followed cautiously. An eerie effect greeted each of the pokemon as they entered the club. It was near-dark because the lights had been turned off and the people evacuated before the time jump. Very little light came in through the windows due to the buildings that imposed themselves between the Sun and this much shorter building. What came from the door seemed almost like a thick, gray fog, the light from the open door mixing with the darkness from the closed one. While everyone looked around, light from one of windows became a fog creature. No one caught sight of it before it disappeared, moving towards the door. Engrossed in the unusual display that they alone were witness to, no one noticed the door knob turn. Light poured in and almost everyone started. Ella and Wolfgang even removed themselves from the floor temporarily. The shadowed figure of a Dragonite came through the fully-open doorway. "`Bout time". Once everyone?s eyes adjusted, the combination of sight and previously heard sound caused recognition to set in. Rivet immediately set to mocking Ella over how startled she had been, but the Jynx was the only one whose attention the Charmeleon was able to draw. The others seemed somewhat confused at seeing Drake standing in the doorway, as well as standing over by Mimic as part of a pair of Jasons. "You?re me five years in the future, then?" The Drake that currently had the form of Jason inquired as he set down the equipment he had been carrying. The Dragonite Drake grinned proudly "I was always sharp, wasn?t I?" Another figure entered and stepped around the Dragonite, appearing to be another Jason "Yes, and egotistical." "If that?s what keeps me from being perfect, I?ll have to accept it." Everyone except the two Drakes sweatdropped. "Mimic still think Drake could use improvement in some areas, but that not important now." The new Jason-figure noted. "You?re right, " the Dragonite agreed, then quickly shook his head as if clearing it. He then looked over at his currently human-looking counterpart. "You?ll find this encounter to be strange. I?m getting this buzzing in my head during everything I say. I remember most of it from before, when I was you, but I?m not trying to repeat it. It?s just what I think I should be saying, even if I?m not trying to say the same thing. You understand what I?m saying, right?" "Yeah, I get it." the one not-Jason said. After a moment?s hesitation he added "So, what?s happened in five years? Did the business get going?" The Dragonite smiled knowingly "Well, actually -" "Drake know we can?t say anything." The new Jason admonished. "I know, I know." The Dragonite?s voice trailed off, then he growled "I really hate this buzzing.." He looked directly into the eyes of the future version of Mimic. "I know you?ve heard this before since you were there, but we?ve checked and found out that some people did pass on information about their present to their past selves. Other than having heard this conversation before, there?s no reason to believe we shouldn?t." The version of Mimic that had been talking to closed his eyes and shook his head "Drake know reason as well as Mimic. Heard it before, could disrupt the timeline." Unexpectedly, the pair that had been conversing turned and looked at the present version of Mimic, causing everyone else to look at him. Mimic sweatdropped. "What did Mimic do?" "We?re waiting for what you?re about to say. Everyone else just looked at you because we did." All the other pokemon nodded. "So, let?s hear the alternate idea." Mimic tilted his head back a bit, remembering the one subject among those he had learned from Oak of which he wasn?t very fond. "Other Mimic and Drake seem to be discussing temporal loop, which is cause and effect in linear timeline. There also exist possibility of non-linear effect. Cause come from divergent timeline that intersect with current timeline before going on. Could also be reverse-flow timeline intersection where effect is actually cause. Mimic also remember idea of psychically- bisected temporal inversion where part of psyche of all beings in the universe placed in other part of timeline and both parts brought back together - "And that?s where I draw the line, " the Dragonite interrupted what he considered to be babbling "It?s all the possibilities before that last one that seemed good." He had resumed directly addressing the future Mimic. "I can?t swallow the last one, but you know that I?m going to bring up the possibility of any of the other ones, particularly that reverse flow one." "And Drake already know what Mimic going to say." The future Mimic folded his arms in front of himself, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth, as if he were going to recite something that he couldn?t possibly forget. "Actually, I don?t know." Mimic stopped and opened one eye, peeking over at Drake with a little confusion. "Drake don?t know? Drake don?t remember Mimic saying about how he checked measurements with Oak? About Mimic finding it look almost like temporal loop?" The Dragonite slapped himself in the forehead and growled. "Well, now I do! I also remember that the other me forgot as well. Just when I thought we might?ve found something different." He sighed. "I still don?t see why we can?t try to give ourselves a little it of advice. Something for guidance, that won?t tell them what?s coming." "Thanks for talking about us in the third person," the not-Jason Drake muttered "We are right here." The Dragonite continued on, either not hearing or ignoring the comment from his past self.. "Y?know, something like, accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative?" A couple of the band members either slapped or shook their head after hearing the last remark. "Drake know why?" the future version of Mimic started. "Change could cause timeline Drake know to be changed, or wiped out." the current version continued. "Or worse." The future version concluded. "Worse?" All eyes shifted to the not-Jason Drake. "What could be worse than having the whole timeline wiped out?" All eyes shifted to the Dragonite. He seemed even less concerned about the attention than his past-self had been only a moment ago. His voice was grave, giving off nothing but deep and ominous tones "You don?t want to know about it until you have to, believe me." The utterance hung heavy in the air for a moment. The Mimic that had been talking to the Dragonite walked over to a chair and reached for it to pull it out. His hand passed through it. "Something else that need to be taken care of before concert tonight." Everyone looked at him, embracing the distraction from the last train of thought. "Need to mark which items belong to past and which to future. While it fun to watch people first time they fall through chair that not there, it quickly get boring when they not have drinks." A smirk appeared on the Dragonite?s face "Yeah, I remember a couple of those. Even after being told to look for the right mark because the other one?s an illusion, some people still ended up flat on their back. There a couple of other important things we need to talk about." By this time, the other pokemon had become like Meowths watching a Ping-Pong match. Their attention darted to whoever was speaking. This time it was the Mimic from the present. "Like what?" "Like how to tell past from future people." the other Mimic chimed in. "First concert didn?t get as much crowd as expected. People not given much advance warning on the show they really going to get. Information get out after concert, along with fact that it happen in future at same time. Now have so many people wanting to come see it, have to pick and choose among reservations for who get in. System was figured out to give special tag to people in future. This let people know who can walk through and who can?t." "The tags will also be unique memorabilia, " the Dragonite noted "something they could keep, or sell on-line for waaaay too much money." "So, people are lining up to buy tickets in the future just because they can be here to see the concert just because it takes place in two times?" Drake asked. "Partially." The Dragonite answered. "I won?t tell you exactly how things turn out so we don?t have any problems, but when we do the performance, it is rather unique." "Wait," not-Jason Mimic had picked up on something that didn?t seem properly explained. "Drake mean Drake and Mimic or -" "Drake mean all of us." The other Mimic finished the thought before adding "It mean a little more practice before show, but get better results." Finally, Miami spoke up <So, are we just going to be chopped liver for this performance?>. He used a drumstick to indicate the rest of Jason?s band members. "Not quite." The future Mimic told them. <TBC?> Jeff Hauser* *Sig Sold Seperately