Chapter Text
The world is not changed with heavy hearts in the palaces of kings.
It is changed at a bus stop while I was mentally going over my grocery list.
“Don’t be alarmed.”
That was easier said than done. Because there were three alarming things happening to me. The first was that my phone’s screen that should be filled with algorithmically selected tweets showed nothing but an arrow pointing at the new stranger next to me. The second was that there was suddenly a stranger standing next to me, where I had not seen anyone walk towards me, a teenaged woman in a white hooded cape that covered most of her face and made her look like she was headed for a cosplay convention.
Thirdly, and arguably most importantly, the world was frozen in time.
Cars that had been driving past were suddenly stopped. The people inside them were vacantly staring ahead in the middle of aborted movements. A few birds that had been flying past were stilled, their wings spread as if they had been captured in a picture.
The only conclusion was that I was going mad.
“You’re not crazy, Mr. Bosch.” She said. She had a device in her hand, the size of a cell phone, with holographic images reading out information. “This is really happening. And I’m offering you something you’ve always dreamed of.”
“And what’s that?” I had learned to be highly sceptical of strangers making enticing offers. Free lottery tickets always came with a forced subscription and a lifetime addition to their mail list. Free samples came with social interaction and insistent surveys. Just because she seemed powerful enough to grant one of my largest wishes, like turning me into an anthropomorphic lion, did not mean she’d come here out of the goodness of her heart.
A large part of me thought she was going to pitch a pyramid scheme.
“Are you familiar with jumpchains?”
My mind stalled. I had some familiarity. They were adventure stories where someone was taken out of their normal lives and transported into various fictional worlds while accumulating special powers. “You want me to do a jumpchain?”
“Yes. You, Ben Bosch, have been chosen.”
“Bullshit.”
She smirked and indicated the world around her. “You need more proof?”
“It’s still more probable that I’m going crazy.”
She thought about it for a few seconds. Then she pulled a book out of her robe and handed it over. It was a biography with my name on it. “Look through this and see if it convinces you.”
I blinked, before leaving through the book. It was my life story. It started with my birthday, describing things I did not know. That was just weak evidence that could have been fabricated. I did not know more than the date of my birth myself, and that could have easily been looked up by someone online.
The early chapters were not impressive. But then it got to my years in grade school and the bullying I was subjected to. A factual description combined with my own thoughts and feelings about the specific incidents. Names and descriptions of people that I had forgotten about, but knew were correct the moment I read about them. I skipped all those chapters from unease.
Then on to High School and my college years. Starting work. Meeting my husband and how easy it was to love him. How I slowly stopped wanting children and we got our dogs instead. How embarrassed I was to be a gay stereotype for getting a pet to ‘fill the void’, but also how I got past those first objections when I realised my own happiness was more important than appearances.
The more recent it got, the creepier. Every secret laid bare. Every thought recorded, including the invasive ones that I would not share with anyone.
And despite how crazy this was, it did not speak of my own insanity. My memory was not good enough to make something this extensive. This was made by someone else. Which sent a shiver down my spine.
Not even my husband knew me this intimately. Either I played along here, or… or what? If this was an elaborate prank, the people in charge knew enough about me to destroy me. If this was a human with this kind of information, they would be using this for blackmail. Instead, they were talking to me and spinning a tale that spoke to my deepest desires. Offering me an escape from capitalist reality.
My husband sometimes said we are but indentured servants in this society, where you either work yourself to the bone or face social and economic ruin. I had only been working for ten years, but I could already start to feel the exhaustion settle into my bones. There was a reason I liked reading about jumpchains so much, and why I spent so much time writing fanfiction. Much as there was to like about the world, it was much nicer to imagine a world without any of the deep flaws we were also forced to endure.
I had been reading for a few hours. Still, everything around me was frozen. I was as focussed and energetic as I had been in the beginning of the meeting; a strange feat after a full day’s work. Another point against the theory that my mind was losing its edge. If that were the case, I would not be thinking this clearly. I would not be able to stay this consistent, even in the absurdity. With all that was happening, I was forced to admit one clear conclusion.
TThere really was something to this.
And if there was, if I was going to entertain this as reality, there was an important question to ask. “Do I get to bring someone?”
“No. You have no control until the jumpchain rules allow it. Everything is well-documented, of course.” She checked her device again. “Your husband will still be waiting at home for you when you return.”
“I don’t want to leave him.”
“You are free to refuse the offer.”
I grit my teeth. Because being offered to join a jumpchain was like winning the lottery. It wasn’t something anyone would reasonably disagree with. The rewards were potentially infinite, magical and wondrous in nature. The risk was as close to zero as it could be. If I were killed in any of those worlds, I would just be returned at this bus stop having lost nothing but time. But I would still have lost time. “What if I want to see him?”
“You’re free to leave the chain at any point when you’re sated. If it worries you, I suggest you get a memory perk.”
“A memory perk.” I repeated. “So it’s really like I’ve read? I’d visit different fictional universes and choose my powers from a list for each one?”
“It is as you’ve read. And yes, I know what you’ve read. The details might differ, and there are some surprises along the way. But your universe stumbled correctly on the right mechanics of the jumpchain. It is one of the reasons your universe was chosen. It makes explaining all this infinitely easier.”
“And then what?” I asked, trying to wrap my mind around this. Part of me kept thinking about the lasagne I had been planning on making for dinner. Kept thinking about phoning my husband that he would have to order in if I was not going to be home. Except he would not even notice I was gone. “You want me to just leave my family and friends behind, only to return as a completely different person?”
“I’m only here to offer the choice. You’re making a bigger deal of this than I thought you would, considering your vampire plan.”
I almost wondered how she knew about that. Except if she was telling the truth and this was anything like I understood it, she was an all-powerful goddess and knew whatever she wanted.
The vampire plan was our tongue-in-cheek response if my husband or I were ever offered to be turned into a vampire. And it boiled down to immediately saying yes and then turning the other so we could spend eternity together (in damnation if needed; we were atheists anyway).
That was to say, refusing this offer for myself was also refusing everything I could gain for my husband as well. All the items I would be able to take back for us. All the technology and wealth that would make our lives better. He would never have to work another day in his life. Yeah. I could do this.
“So, are the documents we imagined right about the reasons too? Do you offer this just for your own entertainment?”
“In a way.” She said. “The cost for handing out these powers are minimal, but they’re not free. To put it in a way you’ll understand, it is like home make-over shows for families down on their luck. They look inspirational, but the rich people financing these shows could help without turning it into entertainment. They don’t, because they want to get something out of it too. We’re the same. We want to help dystopias, but we do need a little entertainment in return.”
I blinked. “This world is a dystopia?”
“Sweetheart. You had Trump as the president of the US. How more blatant could it be?”
“He didn’t get re-elected. And Biden is leading America well into the mid-term elections.” I protested weakly.
“You would need two terms of Trump before the realisation will hit? Then I have some bad news for 2024 for you.”
“No.” I groaned. “So you’re basically saying when I get back I’ll have to save the world.”
I had meant it jokingly, but her face was serious.
“What’s going to happen?”
“Does anything more need to happen? There’s already war and famine. There are neo-nazis while leftist politicians think polarisation is the greatest issue to face. And that’s not even touching global warming, pollution and the threat of improving AI.”
“Right. But those have been happening for ages without the world ending dramatically. You want me to stop all that?”
“You can do whatever you want when you get back. You can save the world by addressing all these issues. You can build a spaceship and leave everything behind. As much as we’re trying to help, it’s not our place to decide what you’ll do with your universe. The only thing we offer is power. Will you accept it?”
“I want to read all the rules first.”
“No.”
“No?”
“You are stalling. The precise mechanics of the jump will not affect your decision. And you know it will not affect your decision. If you accept the offer, you will be given the precise document for your first jump. You will still be able to back out. But there is no sense showing the document without a decision first. So tell me, Ben. Do you accept?”
“Yes. Of course.” I said, begrudgingly. One did not refuse the lottery prize, just because the terms and conditions were not perfectly to your liking. Or if you could not read all of them first.
“Excellent. There was one more thing you should’ve asked about, but considering it’s more entertaining for us if it’s a surprise, I will simply wish you good luck.” She pressed a button and suddenly there was darkness all around.
~*~
“Oh.” I said, my face turning white.
I hadn’t asked if I would be the only jumper.
Adam blinked. His long dark hair fell over his leather coat. He was wearing the orange shirt with his company logo and the blue overalls, a few tools still sticking out from it. He must have been returning from an appliance repair job when he was given the proposition. “Wait. What are you doing here?”
“You were offered to join the jumpchain too.” I said, trying not to let my emotions show.
“I was!” Adam laughed. “Can you believe it? And here I was thinking I’d have to do this alone.”
A few pages of paper appeared before each of us, floating in the air.
“What’s this?” Adam asked.
“The jump document.” I started skimming through the options, grateful that I had something else to focus on. Our first jump would be Pokémon, as was the traditional start for most jumpchains. Our benefactor had not been kidding when she said it would be familiar to me.
“And what’s a ‘jump document’?”
“Didn’t anyone explain this opportunity to you before you accepted it?”
He looked taken aback. “I was promised powers and an opportunity to jump across fictional universes. I took it. Not everyone is as needlessly suspicious as you.”
I shook my head. “The document contains the list of skill options for the world we’re going to.
“Why can’t we just take them all?”
“Because that’s no fun. To them. We get a budget of points that we need to spend wisely. It is part of the game they play with us. Why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be with your wife and children?”
“Shouldn’t you be with your boyfriend?”
“He’s my husband now.”
“Oh.”
I found the way to cancel the jump. I wasn’t committed to anything until the first import had concluded. And knowing that I’d have to spend all the time with Adam made my skin crawl and the exit button look tempting beyond anything.
“Look, we can just make our choices and get on with things.” I said. I pressed the button to roll for my starting region and got Sinoh. That wasn’t an option for me. I had played the original Pokémon games dozens of times, my favourite being Fire Red. I needed Kanto, even if it cost me some of my points right from the start. I put in the altered selection.
“I’m going to start as a rich dude.” Adam said. “You get so much free stuff like a laptop and starting money. How about you?”
“I’ll decide on my origin after looking at the skills.”
“Why?” Adam scrolled. “Oh, each skill is discounted if you choose the matching background. That’s neat.”
There were four major skills that could be bought in the Pokemon universe, summed up as physical telepathic powers, mental telepathic powers, language skills and perfect memory. Those four skills were the most expensive in the document. Without choosing the corresponding background, I had enough points to buy one. With the right background, the discount would just barely let me get two of them. Or I could spend my points on a bunch of other cheaper skills.
Perfect memory was mandatory. I was planning on jumping for a long time, and the sooner I could preserve the memories of my old life the better. Language skills would be nice to have, since they’d allow me to understand Pokémon in this universe. I’d always liked languages, and had often tried to start learning Japanese, German or French, but I had never been disciplined enough to stick with it.
The other, cheaper skills were all decent options, mostly focussing on physical well-being. Perhaps handy in the long run, but suboptimal for a Pokémon game where the Pokémon would be available to do the figurative ‘heavy lifting’. Actually, considering the proclivity of boulders blocking important roads, they would probably be required to do literal heavy lifting too.
I put a pin on abilities and checked out the starter Pokémon. Unlike the games, every Pokémon that could be caught, and some that couldn’t, were given as options. I took a few moments to busy myself browsing through the different options, sorted by rarity. As nice as some of the more overpowered options were, they were also more expensive. And, truthfully, I already knew what I wanted. It wasn’t a proper Pokémon fantasy-come-true without a Charmander by my side. As much as I’d played, I’d never gotten into the specifics of Pokémon moves and stats. So the idea of paying extra for an advanced or egg move seemed needlessly complicated to me.
But there was something else.
It was possible to get a mental bond with your Pokémon. I needed it. Okay, not needed. But I wanted it. I was going to make room in my build for it. That was non-negotiable. I had always been envious of the characters in the Golden Compass universe that were born with animal representations of their souls as their friends. With this perk, I would be getting my own Daemon. And that was incredibly important because…
“Wow, the rich background doesn’t give any discounts on the skills. And I want the Psionics.” That was the mental telepathy, like an Alakazam. “Better go for the city life.”
“Okay.”
I tried to find my focus again. I also liked the Pokeglot ability, that would let me speak to Pokémon and learn languages more quickly. In the anime, Team Rocket’s Meowth had a special edge by being able to speak to humans and Pokémon alike. Pokémon were smart creatures and were often exasperated by their trainer’s inability to understand them. It would be nice to communicate with them more directly.
I wondered if Pokeglot let me talk to animals once I got back home. My dogs were not the sharpest knives in the shed, but it would be nice to explain to them why they only got treats after I’d finished dinner so they’d stop walking in front of my feet. It probably wouldn’t do and I would probably need a more specific feat if I actually wanted to speak with animals. If it did, it would be a nice bonus.
My husband and I had always wanted to travel. And one of the barriers keeping us back was the language difference. It was probably just an emotional reaction to the perk, but I could imagine going into an Italian restaurant and ordering dinner for us without resorting to English. Without feeling my anxiety levels rise thinking about an Italian shouting at me and making me feel stupid for not picking up on his body language, seeing the exasperation on his face when I didn’t understand something simple that he thought was obvious.
And I knew not all foreigners were like that. I had the same anxieties going into local stores and speaking to people. The language barrier just made it worse for me, and made me imagine worse outcomes. But just because I shouldn’t need the help, didn’t mean I didn’t.
Right. That settled it. I was going to take the language skill and the perfect memory. With no other skills on my wish list, that left me the choice between the ‘Hermit’ background or ‘drop-in’. With drop-in, I would be transported into that world in my own body. But with Hermit, I would be given memories of being born into the Pokémon world. It was immediate familiarity, letting me skip the anxiety of slowly getting accustomed to this foreign world. And it even came with a free skill that would help me survive in the wilderness. Thinking ahead, that would probably be useful in other jumps as well.
I was a bit out of budget, but not terribly. All I needed were two minor flaws to off-set the rest of the points.
“Oof, the items are expensive. I’m going to end up going bankrupt on them if I don’t take the rich background. Yeah, I don’t need Psionics. I’m going to start life as a rich man.”
“Where are you starting?”
“Johto.”
Close to Kanto, but with a little luck it would be years before we’d have to see each other. “I’m starting in Kanto.”
“Lucky roll. I would have changed to Kanto, but I didn’t want to spend the points.”
Right, if I wanted to be able to afford my build, I needed to add two flaws. They would give me the extra budget required to balance out my perks.
Wow, that was harder than I had thought. I had been thinking about D&D flaws, where you could get another feat for a flaw like making yourself near-sighted. This world’s idea of a serious flaw was having a vengeful god after you, or being one of the most wanted people by every law agency in the land.
The minor flaws were doable, but just barely. There were three options, one of which would leave me silenced. Which would not work with my language skills. I didn’t know any sign language, and even if I learned I was never guaranteed to find someone who could understand it, so I would be at the mercy of strangers for a while. And it wasn’t what I wanted. I took Pokéglot because I wanted to be able to speak with Pokémon. I needed my voice for that.
That left the other two. A group of zubat would regularly bother me, and I would be crippled. It wouldn’t be nice to have a prosthetic leg, but it would be better than a lifelong phobia of Pokemon, which was one of the moderate flaws. A prosthetic leg wouldn’t get in the way of Pokémon adventures.
Which made me realise that I did not actually need to go on Pokémon adventures. I could just get a small job and spent 10 years doing nothing.
“You see the objectives?”
I frowned. They were a rare thing in Jumpchains, which was about freedom of choice. “We are required to fulfil all objectives if we want to keep our perks and items after our ten years are up.” So at least some Pokémon adventures. There were three minor requirements, and three big ones. We had to get eight badges and participate in a Pokémon league. I’d only managed to get to that point of the games a few times. And then we also had to visit all 7 regions of the world.
“As long as one of us makes it, we both get the rewards though. We should split up the list.”
I shook my head. “Maybe if we run into problems. If we both keep catching Pokémon and getting badges, we’ll get the goals in the end. In fact, this list looks relatively easy.”
“How do you mean?”
“Even in a more realistic translation from the games, getting eight badges should not take 10 years. Like. Even if everything works against us, I can’t imagine it taking more than 2 years. Best case we’re done in a few months. And then visiting all the regions, that’s like a one month vacation.”
“Why give us a challenge if it’s easy?”
“I think… I think it’s a compromise. We’ll have ten years to spend as we wish. But by giving us this list of goals, we’re being forced to be a Pokémon trainer for at least a while. It makes us more predictable.”
“So this is just for fun? Awesome! Let’s make it a race then. First person to get the achievement list wins.” Adam said. “Can’t wait to show mom and dad when we get back.”
“You mean you’ll actually talk to them when we get back?” I asked.
His face tightened. “I didn’t realise you were so squarely on their side. You know how often I’ve tried to reach out.”
I took a deep breath. This wasn’t going anywhere. “It’s not just them. Everyone we know is going to be impressed. Hell, everyone in the world. We’re going to be completely different when we get back.”
“It’ll be everything we’ve ever dreamed of.”
Yes. Though doing it with him was going to be a nightmare. “I’m ready to import.”
“Is that’s what it’s called? It’s going to take some getting used to it. I’m ready too.”
“See you on the other side.”
I just hoped it would take a long, long while before I’d have to see my brother again.