“Of course we can. I will send Lucario over after lunch to help with that,” she replied to the random townsperson with a smile. It had been quite a while, hadn’t it? Maybe she should learn their names after all. Megan had not bothered initially. They had just come here to help defend the town. One big, decisive battle, an act of heroism, as the big guy had said. Even had beaten back the nasties for the time being.
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Yet, no big portal in the sky sucking them back to reality, no victory fanfares blew announcing that it was over. No nothing, really. Every day, she woke up thinking that today would be the day that they finally escaped this rotten place.
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Well, maybe that was a bit rude towards this place. The time-displaced peasants certainly were trying to make it livable, even trying to produce some food for them despite the toxic conditions. Hence, she would always meet them with a smile, even though it faltered swiftly once she turned her back on them. These people, this place, it just did not fully feel….real. But the time spent here did.
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Megan sighed, turning towards the Pokemon Center. None of hers needed the aid, but, well, when she entered and was greeted that way, the detour was already well worth it. Just one word, but a smile much genuine than hey own. “Hey there nurse Joy,” she reciprocated, not being able to help herself from making that pun.

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“You better,” she simply stated, already having made up her mind in that regard. It wasn’t a bad title, after all. Megan, personally, did not give a toss about some people supposedly being crowned by the peasants. That was even more fake than everything else. Plus, them being given out for essentially doing the least to actually prepare for the attack just because people were charismatic irked her on some level.
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Ah, well, whatever. “Anyway, no, my Pokemon are fine,” she replied, not even realizing she skipped the other part of the question. “I just kind of didn’t really know what else to do, so I figured I’d check up on you. Well, not really, things are probably fine here, I already guessed that much. Should be more honest.” Yet, she was still going to skip that part. “I kind of just came to hang out until the noon heat is over and I go back out there to help with some stuff they are building.”

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She nodded in response. “Yeah, pretty hot out there. Seems like despite how the world kind of just becomes a toxic wasteland outside the city, seasons are still a thing. We got here end of June, so we are nearing the warmest time of year, I think.” Honestly, she did not know. But none of them did. That was kind of the problem. This was Galar, yes, but a version of it unbeknownst to man. None of this made any sense.
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Megan sighed. She just wanted this to be over. “Something to drink would be nice. And we are working on some extra housing. Some of the damaged buildings are beyond repair and too close to the frontlines anyway. Some of us are squatting there right now, but we figured if it can get hotter, there could also be winter. Best to take care of that now that there is a lull…” Megan did not want to address the constant fighting directly. It was too taxing to participate, she did not want it to pollute this chat, either.

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“Well, technically you are squatting here too,” she replied with a brief laugh. They all were, after all. None of the actual owners of these buildings were present here – if any even existed in the first place. Even the peasants outside were not the people that actually inhabited this place. They likely felt even more displaced than they did, everything being of a much more modern make than they could possibly be used to.
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If they were even real, that was. “Besides, this is the Pokemon Center. Can’t exactly live in a place like this, that’s not what it is made for.” Or maybe she was just beholden to notions that were no longer currency. Then, she blinked, realizing something. Well, two things. One made her briefly blush, but she decided to put it up for now. Instead, she focused on the other with a raised brow. “Are you telling me you have actually been living inside this place so far?”

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“Oh,” she replied, nodding, then decided to take a sip from her bottle. A good minute of awkward silence would certainly follow as she looked down on it, just sitting there unsure as to what to say. Honestly, this all felt weird to her on multiple levels, so it was difficult to find words. Everyone else just seemed so much…better at adapting to this, so much more willing to accept this as a long-term situation and everything. Did they not wake up every morning hoping that the day’s assault would be the last?
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Megan sighed, gripping the bottle more tightly. “That’s pretty…impressive…” she started before falling quiet again, fishing for words. It wasn’t that she resented Jo for dealing with this better or anything like that. It was just that everything felt so wrong. And Megan could not even truly comprehend what was wrong with herself.

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That….that was so simple and direct, it kind of hit different at all. Plus the seriousness in the other’s voice could not simply be ignored, either. Megan did want to. Just make some kind of joke, brush it all off, change the topic. Just as she usually did when someone asked her questions like this. But most of them were much more superficial in their nature.
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Megan briefly sighed again, still looking down. “How do I feel about this…?” That sounded less like an annoyed reaction and more as if she herself was wondering. “Honestly, I don’t know. Aside from being…angry? Scared? I don’t know. But it has already been a month. What if we end up stranded here for a year? Ten years? Twenty? Doesn’t that prospect frighten you? I already lost so many years not doing what I really wanted to do, am I going to have to waste away in here the rest of it?”

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So she was not the only one feeling this way? That honestly came as a bit of a surprise. Everyone else just always seemed to have their stuff together so well, to be able to deal with this at least decently. Heck, she could have sworn that Jo had all but adjusted to this place and life there already. But then again, she herself was putting on that kind of front herself, wasn’t she? Could it truly be as surprising that others were doing the same?
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Still, it took her a moment to actually comprehend that. But she did not doubt that. Jo was an honest sort. Well, she had secretly been a Rocket for a long time, but as far as Megan knew, the worst there had been lies by omission, if that. When Johanna said something like that, it could be taken by the word. It was as simple as that. “I see. Guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover after all. Seemed like you had it all figured out…” she replied, trailing off a little. Though somehow the words did seem to cheer her up. “Oh, and believe me. You are about the only one here that keeps me sane still.” Then again, Jo was kind of the reason why she had gotten into all of this in this first place. But that had been Meg’s call, so she would never complain.

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