[index error] fourth wall

[digitalorunknown]

[The form-restoring effect didn't hit Dorumon until he got involved in a computer-related mishap at the Violet City Pokemon Center. His Pokemon vanish into the PC, and he...

...is sent careening across Kan-Joh's cyberspace. When he's not being dumped in front of PC stations in Pokemon Centers, he's being bodily ejected from the communications network via people's Pokegears. Be careful turning yours on today - a three-foot beastdragon may come flying out haphazardly.]

Comments

[rarestcandy]

[Getting to her feet, Vanellope brushes herself off, frowning and eying up this strange purple thing. She hadn't heard of any pokemon things that could talk...]

I'm fine. You shouldn't go flying at people, though.

[Grumble grumble, gotta pick up the 'gear and make sure it isn't broken. A dragon-fox flying out of it wasn't exactly a good sign.]

[digitalorunknown]

I didn't do it on purpose. [hgggk standing back up. Shaking off.] Something really weird is going on today...

[...he still keeps giving her concerned glances, though. That kind of visual effect is never a good sign.]

[rarestcandy]

Wow, good observation, genius.

[Satisfied that it's not her 'gear that's borked, Vanellope goes back to watching the weird thing. She's not liking the look of those glances.]

How come you jumped out of the pokegear if you didn't do it on purpose?

[digitalorunknown]

[He flicks his ears at the sarcasm. Grumble. Rude.]

I don't know!...the network is really confusing, and it keeps sucking me back in. [It makes him feel all itchy, too. He shakes himself off again.] Uh, who are you?

[rarestcandy]

[Yeah, okay, that wasn't at all unusual. Back to her pocket the 'gear goes, though.]

Vanellope. You're some kinda weird pokemon, right?

[digitalorunknown]

No, I'm a trainer. You are too, right?

[rarestcandy]

...No offense, but you don't really look like a trainer.

[digitalorunknown]

Everyone gets turned into a human when they come here! [Duh.]

...I don't know how I turned back.

[rarestcandy]

[Wow. So they could screw characters up on that level, huh?]

My guess? [There's another brief glitch.] They turned all our coding back to how it was. Or started to, at least.

[Ralph still didn't remember her. =c]

[digitalorunknown]

Well, yeah. [...are you sure you're okay?] But why all of a sudden?

[....]

Doesn't that hurt?

[rarestcandy]

Dunno. Maybe the game's coming out and they wanted to weed out some bugs only they screwed up more.

[She raises an eyebrow at him.]

...Do I act like it hurts? Just feels kinda weird. Bubbly.

[digitalorunknown]

I was just a little worried. [game...?] You think that's what's going on?...What kind of administrator makes mistakes like that?

[rarestcandy]

Well, don't worry, it's not contagious, I don't think.

[She had made Taffyta glitch, but that was because of direct contact. And she was pretty sure it wouldn't happen again on its own.]

You kiddin'? Everybody makes mistakes. Doi. It's a part of life.

[digitalorunknown]

But this is the kind of mistake that can hurt a lot of people! [...g-give him a second to simmer down. Careless admins are a prickly topic.] Whether it's a mistake or not doesn't matter if something bad happens because you weren't careful.

[rarestcandy]

[That gets Vanellope to frown a little.]

Just 'cuz something's broken, it doesn't mean it's bad.

Besides, they have time to fix it. My buddy Ralph says there are no players, so it's not like we're gunna get unplugged or anything.

[digitalorunknown]

Players? -H-hey, I know that! [His tail fluffs up.] But, but...

[Dorumon waffles with his words for a moment, fur bristling. He doesn't know how to express the deep, aching worry inside him that the sight of these malfunctions brings on - except that he'd thought he'd be able to trust whatever ran this world, and now it's like being back at the prelude to the Digital Hazard again, but the slightly glitched human in front of him doesn't seem to get it.

He shuffles from foot to foot, then backs up a pace and turns around abruptly, feeling uncomfortable.]

How can you not be worried about it at all?