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[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. ]

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.]

[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.

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]

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.]

[guilmon]

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

[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...]

[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.]

[wovensecrets]

The other leaders became "leaders" without us before. Besides, if they're going to just be coordinating from the others anyway, it won't make that much of a difference who gets "chosen", but...

[ Grumble, sigh. She gets the feeling that leaving it at that might be more confusing for him, so she considers another option. ]

... But, if it really means that much to you, you should find out about them from themselves instead of what the others are saying, anyway. Still, as long as they aren't going to do anything that harms you or what you care about, it shouldn't be a big deal.

[paperceptive]

Do not vote for Malamar.

[ That's her main and immediate contribution! ]

[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]

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

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

[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?

[friendlyflower]

[The question surprises him. He carefully tries to quash any confusion, or anything that would reveal he's mostly just making up rumors about Lurantis.

Instead... maybe he can teach something to Guilmon.]

... Most people do things to make themselves look good. A lot of the other guild members probably only help out so people will like them. Not to mention the free food and lodging. Lots of people want to seem like 'good people' even if they're selfish deep down.

[He doesn't say all. He's learned more than that. But... there's a lot of Floweys out there, so to speak.]

Don't trust so easily. You'll get yourself hurt.

[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]

Mm... But how do we know Lurantis is like that? I don't think it's wrong to want people to like you, either.

[Maybe Flowey has a point... He sounds smart here, but it's still hard to wrap his head around.]

[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...

[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. ]

[friendlyflower]

[... he desperately tries not to let it show that he really has very little basis for this. Originally, he just didn't want Ribombee to have more power than he already does, and Lurantis seemed like one of his lackeys.

There is one little thing he's heard. He's an observant little Sunkern, and since he's small, lots of people say things to each other without knowing he's there listening.]

I heard she's pretty Contrary. That means she says one thing and means another. Digs her heels in just for the sake of arguing. [... It's rapidly dawning on him that this describes him as well. No wonder he hates her.]

[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?

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]

Yeah... Guilmon should probably try to talk to them.

[He pauses again, thinking of the other replies.]

But sometimes people lie. Maybe that Malamar person's one of them?

[guilmon]

Oh. That's not good...

[Sounds like a grumpy person. Grumpy doesn't mean bad, or they can't change. Ruki got better. So did Impmon, but still...]

So does that mean all the good ideas she had aren't really what she wants?