[Mushverse, I suppose? Open to all!]

[morphitudinous]

Billy's arrival in Tokyo wasn't exactly the easiest of transitions. He'd studied some rudimentary Japanese phrases the moment he'd reached a computer and coaxed it to the Internet, but he was obviously going to need more than that if he was to survive here.

Fighting the local beasts as a Ranger was one thing. Morph, make some gestures and grunt sounds, and disappear. No one ever had to know he was a foreigner. Getting by in everyday life was an entirely different matter.

Through weeks of struggling (and some pointed haggling with some perhaps-illegal tech), he eventually assembled enough parts to make two prototype translation device, tuned to produce audio translations between English and Japanese. The first one was a modification/extension of his own wrist communicator, a new dome appearing over the surface of it. The second, with red bands instead of his blue, was very similar but lacked the now-defunct teleportation code.

With some help from machine translation, he posted a sign in front of a bench at the local park in English and Japanese:

Please assist a young researcher with a new device. You will be compensated for your time.

Now, all he had to do was sit here, look friendly, and wait. Billy hoped the monsters here weren't as fond of parks as the putties at home had been.

Comments

[hotshotlightning]

Walking home through the park was something of a detour but it was a nice day and for once Katsumi didn't have any emergencies going on, he could take his time.

He almost walked right past the blond man sitting on the bench, then he stopped and reversed course, tilting his head at the sign.

"Your Japanese is wrong," he said, pointing at the kanji in question. "Unless you're soliciting, in which case carry on."

[morphitudinous]

Billy hastily turned on his device. He caught 'wrong' without its help, but the second part was somewhat translated. That clarified the first part.

"I know. I am sorry about the mistakes," he fed the machine. "I was suddenly sent here without warning and I am trying to live."

[hotshotlightning]

I nod and hold out a hand. "You got a pen?" I can at least fix that so he's not giving people the wrong idea. "What kind of research are you doing anyway?"

[morphitudinous]

I offer it to him---a nice fat pen, with the name 'Angel Grove Youth Center and Juice Bar' printed on it, along with a rather tropical-looking smoothie logo. Ernie's business had finally been expanding.

"I am testing an automated translation device," I say, pausing for the prototype to do its job. I really hope it's giving the correct message. "I still plan to study the language normally, but I was not given time to prepare for...this."

I gesture to my haphazardly stuffed backpack, a clear sign that I hadn't planned my arrival very well. Or at all.

[hotshotlightning]

I nod at that, turning the pen over in my hands and trying to work out what it says. It's English, I think, but the font's not helping pick out the letters. It's a good idea though, I missed having automatic translators when I got here. Not that it would have done me much good at first, I guess, but it would have helped later. Earth is so behind in these things.

I crouch down by the board and scribble out the misleading kanji, replacing it with one with more professional connotations. "Sudden move, huh?" I can relate to that. "Although I guess you're settling in by now."

[morphitudinous]

"Yes. It happened two weeks ago. I was at home, and then I was here." I scratch at the back of my neck, trying to find a way to make that sound less unbelievable than it is.

"I suspect dimension-shifting magic---do you believe in that sort of thing being possible?"

[hotshotlightning]

I give him a dubious look. I know there are sentai teams that have used magic but, much as I will never admit this to Jou, I'd take science over magic.

"Some kind of teleportation?" I ask instead, skirting the edges of the question. I miss having that.

[morphitudinous]

I cast a glance at my communicator. If only it had been the familiar teleportation.

"It's likely, yes. It's not the sensation I'm used to, though. More of a complete shift in the world around me."

I realize belatedly that I've said too much. Time to draw up a story.

[hotshotlightning]

Oh, that's interesting. He sounds like he's familiar with teleportation which is... unusual. I didn't think there was any teleportation technology on this planet at all.

My eyes narrow thoughtfully. I wonder if I should get Jou and the others in on this, they'd be fascinated.

[morphitudinous]

"Ah...well, that's just what I thought. You can ignore me, I'm only rambling."

I am not the smoothest liar.

[hotshotlightning]

"Uh huh. Do I look that stupid to you?"

He lies as badly as Gamu does, there's no way I'm falling for that.

[morphitudinous]

"No, you don't," I'm forced to concede. "So what's on your mind?"

[hotshotlightning]

I bite my bottom lip thoughtfully. I might be able to help without giving myself away. "I might know someone who could help," I tell him, tapping a finger against my chin. I know they have their own projects but I don't think they'd mind. "My parents are scientists."

Wouldn't hurt to give them another nudge on working on teleportation, either.

[morphitudinous]

"I can help them, if it's all right to meet them. I have some experience with quirky experiments."

Understatement of the century, but I can't exactly be choosy in a desperate situation.