video;

[guilmon]

[A very confused Charmeleon looks into the pearl, anxiously fidgeting. It seems he's outside, near one of the voting booths, but has yet to take a spot in line.]

Maaaa... They want us to vote, but how do we know who to vote for? Some of the Pokémon are really nice, or they seem super smart, but we can only pick one.

But Guilmon doesn't know who to pick. Ribombee probably wants me to pick Lurantis, but some people say Lurantis is mean sometimes. And Malamar's super smart and said a lot of important things, but Oricorio wants to help the ghosts...

[He pauses, grunting.]

But I think he only likes ghosts, so that might not be fun for anyone else...

[...]

I bet Takato would know what to do.

Comments

[wovensecrets]

[ This is just something like a softly amused, mental nudge. He's thinking too hard, but it's good that he's thinking? She's not sure how to factor it yet. ]

Guilmon, you're really getting worked up about all of this...

[guilmon]

Because it seems really important!

[The nudge is... nice? Maybe? But there's a swirly sorta feeling as all the different candidates whirl through his thoughts.]

[wovensecrets]

You're going to make yourself dizzy and hurt yourself if you keep that up. It's not really that important.

[ Guilmon don't hurt yourself with confusion... as it is, she can't help but perceive that emotion very clearly. Ugh. ]

[guilmon]

But everyone's acting like it's important... And leaders are probably good for new towns.

[He thinks? Probably? But a lot of Digimon just do what they want... Then again, there's the Holy Beasts...

Images of them flicker through his thoughts. They were enemies, but they weren't evil? And it was mostly Zhuqiaomon who caused problems.]

audio

[friendlyflower]

Let me break it down for you.

The Grumpig brothers don't care. Pass.

Malamar will just brainwash everyone. Pass.

Lurantis is mean, just like you said. Pass.

Oricorio only cares about ghosts. Pass.

That leaves Umbreon, who's the strongest anyway. [A shame HE can't be mayor, himself.]

[guilmon]

Mmm... But Umbreon doesn't seem like he wants to do it. Is he really the right one?

[friendlyflower]

That's why it should be him. [He takes on a tone like he's explaining something to a younger sibling.] You see, people and Pokemon who really want power are most likely to abuse it. Umbreon clearly isn't just doing this for his own image like Lurantis is, but because he cares about Death Blood Murder Skull Town. Besides, Umbreon is super strong. It would be good to have a leader like him in case anything else bad happens there.

[guilmon]

Oh.

[Hmm... Is Lurantis doing it for her own image? It hadn't crossed Guilmon's mind before.]

Why do you think she's only doing it to look good?

[dripdrive]

Is Lurantis mean or are they firm with their beliefs? Like... if you see someone stealing, wouldn't you get angry too?

Don't think about what Ribombee wants you to pick. Pick who you think is the best or will do what you think is good for the town. That's how voting works.

... Don't vote Malamar though. He's a bastard.

[guilmon]

Really? Malamar seemed nice to me...

[Is there something he's missing? Did Malamar lie? Or does Anasui just not like him very much?

Much confusion...]

[dripdrive]

They're good at seeming like a lot of things. I share a guild with Malamar. He's like Polteageist... like... they're fine but they're confident in their own abilities... Too confident.

[Like... Guilmon's not wrong. Anasui doesn't like him! However, it's not baseless like his usual hatred...]

Malamar values his own opinion way too much and he'll use those dumb lights on his body to trick you into thinking you agree with him. He's... bad at taking 'no' for an answer.

[guilmon]

Oh. That doesn't sound good.

[Okay, so maybe not Malamar... That could be bad if he tries to act like he's the only one who's right.]

I don't think leaders should mess with people's heads...

A million years late, but

[ba_boom]

[It took Impmon a while to figure out how to use this pearl thing- what, you just think at it?- But he figures it out eventually.]

Don't overthink it, pineapple-head. Not like it matters anyway. It's all just one big popularity contest.

[...Yeah, Impmon's grasp of politics really isn't much more sophisticated than Guilmon's, but he's certainly not gonna admit that.]

[guilmon]

I guess so, but the winner gets to be the mayor, and mayors seem important.

[But Digimon don't really have mayors so much as they have Tamers. And gods. The Holy Beasts are like super mayors, maybe?

His thoughts derail with imagery of the four Holy Beasts making political speeches about bread consumption.]

[ba_boom]

Important? Running that place? Puh-lease.

[He even does a big theatrical wave of one begloved claw to emphasize the dismissal.]

There's barely anything there, all this Mayor person has to do is make sure nobody slacks off or causes trouble! Any of 'em will be able do that just fine, right? Right.

[Impmon, political analyst extraordinaire.]

[guilmon]

Mmmm... But people are saying Malamar brainwashes people.

[And that doesn't sound good, Impmon! Look at that pouty lil face.]

[paperceptive]

Do not vote for Malamar.

[ That's her main and immediate contribution! ]

[guilmon]

[Guilmon fidgets, uneasy. A wave of confusion cuts through his thoughts.]

Is he really that bad? A lot of his ideas make sense...

[paperceptive]

He controls peoples' minds. I'm surprised he's allowing us to vote at all.

[ It is, she imagines, probably just a matter of scale and appearances. ]

ignore me if this is unwelcome

[ourtomorrow]

He controls their minds?!

[ THIS IS NEWS TO THE NEW GUY

Ever see a Lokix do a double-take? ]

[guilmon]

Wah! That's really bad...

[Grrr... Messing with people's heads isn't good.]

So why's he allowed to get votes if he could cheat? That kind of power's really dangerous.

not really here but;

[wolfcut]

[ He doesn't know who the hell Odile is, but the mental handshake could not be any more clear. Fuck that guy. ]

[ourtomorrow]

[ Ken plans on abstaining from voting, feeling he doesn't know....Death Blood Murder Skull....Town well enough to make an informed decision. He also thinks the Pokemon who live there full-time should have the final say.

But Guilmon's been here longer, and if he has an invested interest in the future of this place, it's good of him to want to participate. Ken's a poor substitute for Takato - one can never replace a partner - but he knows how incomplete he feels without Wormmon, and how much he appreciates those who have given him advice. Maybe he can assist Guilmon, too. ]

It is quite the decision....

[ He thinks about it, then hits on a strategy. A vote is a way to indicate what matters to you - your own, irreplaceable, individual opinion - so: ]

What if you made a list of the things you think the town needs the most, then compared it to the candidates' priorities?

[guilmon]

That could work, maybe.

[A list, a list... He'd have to find a way to write it down, and he's not that good at writing, but it's something, at least. At least some of the confusion in his thoughts dies down.]

But maybe not Malamar. He sounds like trouble, and that smart bird and Flowey said that Umbreon might be good...

[But that's just their thoughts. He should think about what he wants, too.]

[ourtomorrow]

[ Ken is willing to wait to hear how Guilmon's thoughts go, let him gather his thoughts.

...Guilmon....does have thoughts, right....? ]