OCTOBER EVENT PT1

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→ EVACUATION STUFF

(click to expand- aka getting people out of here)

The water level keeps rising, the storm refusing to abate even after two months of non-stop rain and circulating whispers of an even greater danger: an erupting volcano, threats of subsequent tsunamis, and Toran right there in the blast zone. There has already been one casualty. Jiro, after going missing for a week and a half, was found washed up on the beach. Probably drowned, they say in regards to his cause of death and never investigated further, not realizing that the band of tattooed fire around his neck has disappeared. While there is a very real possibility the island will become inhabitable very quickly and very soon, many townspeople are worried about leaving, with the storm swelling in response to anybody leaving the island in the past and if evacuation tips the situation over the edge... well... at this point, though, there's little other choice. Homes and other buildings get boarded up over the days counting down to the end of the month, berry trees get chopped down to construct as many boats as possible, all the Pokemon in the Daycare get returned to their balls and loaded into crates. The Pokemon Center becomes a shelter for those unable or unwilling to leave while the rest head out, the first of the boats pushing off the north shore at dawn.

With boats carrying six people each, families towards the center of the group and trainers with strong water Pokemon flanking them on all sides for protection, the evacuees steer northeast, veering out of the projected path of the volcanic activity in the northwest, with towering waves, jagged reefs, and whirlpools every several dozen feet dictating travel. Even with their own Mudkip, trainers who try to leave on their own will find it too difficult to cross the sea, with too many whirlpools for one little Mudkip to handle on their own and the storm forcing them to turn back around. It takes a group effort to carve a safe path away from the island, especially when thunder starts to rumble overhead, storm clouds so thick the sky becomes black as night.

The roar is almost deafening, encompassing and full of rage. Boats lurch to the side, caught in whirlpools that threaten to suck them under until the Mudkips in the group are able to reverse the whirlpool and calm the water, other water Pokemon pressing up against the boats to keep them upright as ten-foot waves crash down over people's heads, torrential rain unrelenting and there is no escape from the lightning that flashes across the sky. Trainers with electric Pokemon use them as lightning rods to redirect the lightning away from the others, and other Trainers direct their Pokemon as best they can to block the lightning as the ships cross the sea. Nanami's Marshtomp leads the group, clearing the path and searching desperately for any sign of land on the other side, while Minato's Yamask zips from boat to boat, using Protect to shield them from the lightning, but there is no end in sight.

In that moment, the sky turns white. There is light, there is silence, and the rain snuffs out all at once. Those who think to turn around might see Minato on his feet at the very rear of the group, two shimmering figures fading away into the sunlight behind him just as he topples backwards into the water. For everybody else, their attention is drawn by the deafening screeching that pierces the air, black clouds parting to reveal blue sky and a shining sun for the first time in two months. With the parting of the clouds and the subsequent silence, they hear a muffled boom out in the far distance, a spew of fire, and a plume of black smoke. There's your volcano, and here is the swell of the ocean that pitches the boats forward, driving them east.

→ FOR THOSE WHO ARE STAYING

(click to expand - have fun drowning)

The flash of white is noticeable even from the island, the first warning before the clouds part of their heads and the rain comes to a stop. Without the veil of rain constantly blurring their vision, the people who remain can clearly see the tsunami heading their way, waves upon waves dipping and rearing their heads as they slam into the coast and out across the island. A foot- two, ten- the water level rises too quickly for anybody to run, even the lake rising and spilling out as those in multi-story buildings try to make it to the highest floor possible. Drifloons float out and try to grab onto stragglers and drag them to safety, but they're too light and weak and all they can do is inflate themselves as much as they can and be buoys for those stranded to cling to for dear life. From the lake, the Gyarados takes advantage of the overflow and urges its Magikarp towards the north side of the island along with it— and stops in surprise when it spots Akira. Why did this human not ditch the first chance he got? This is not his home, there is nothing important for him to protect here...

The Gyarados turns to stare out at sea. And with its eyes glowing red, the wind starts to pick up, a Hurricane building and whipping the air all around the Gyarados as it faces the tsunami and roars, parting the waves to either side of the island before they can reach the shore. Two little Magikarps splash next to the Gyarados in encouragement, and for the next hour, Gyarados weathers the tsunami until the sea calms down, and the world is quiet and still once more. It looks back at Akira, at the friends who stayed behind with him, and approaches him for the first time. If he wishes, the Gyarados will allow him on its back and it will carry him and company across the sea to join his friends in the northeast; if he does not, the Gyarados and its family slips into the water and disappears.

Either way, maybe we'll meet again someday.

→ FOR THOSE WHO ARE LEAVING

(click to expand - have fun camping)

Eventually, the boats bump against the soft sand of a sunny shore. It's warm, the air strangely dry, but welcome compared to the constantly rainy Toran. Not far from the coast is a grove of wild berry trees, overgrown with fruit that a herd of Girafarig and Stantler surround, pausing in their grazing as they watch the soggy mess of evacuees drag themselves onto shore, a little Yamask flitting around from person to person trying to find her blue-haired boy. A small group of water type trainers offer to take the boats back to Toran and make a second evacuation now that they know the path and the storm has quelled- for the time being, anyways, and ask around to borrow or trade for the Mudkips who are able to temporarily reverse the whirlpools. Everybody else is encouraged to find the closest town, and call for shelter and for help.

The forest before them is thick with trees, so dense that the sun everybody's sorely missed is barely visible past the canopy, forcing the group to stay packed together as they search for a path through the forest. Nothing stops the brave or the foolish from peeling off from the group and trying to find their own way, but the children are quick to warn anybody who will listen that following flickering lights in the forest is a bad idea. There is constant rustling in the forest, swift movement out of the corner of your eyes, the feeling that somebody is watching you. It is very dark, very crowded, and like the sea, it is vast and endless. For several nights, the group is forced to camp, taking turns keeping watch and heading out at the first sign of sunlight, but here and there they come across trainers in the woods, surprised to see so many people at once but always willing to spare what little food they have and to point them towards the closest route to town.

Five days after leaving Toran, the evacuees stumble out of the forest and stand before Mango city. While the forest borders half the city, the other sides are wide open plains, fields and pastures as far as the eye can see, all full of grazing Pokemon and flocks of flying types circling the skies. Continuing north, one would find themselves facing the sea; to the east, the forest and eventually the sea once more; and to the west past the endless plains, a severe sandstorm rages that makes further progress impossible.

The city itself is much larger than Toran, with steel and concrete buildings that feel almost out of place amongst all the wilderness surrounding it on all sides. But the people are welcoming, the Pokemon Center accommodating both Pokemon and trainers with plenty of space to rest after a harrowing journey. Many families offer their own homes for refugees to stay in, while others pool together money and volunteers to head to Toran for relief measures in the aftermath, and local children take any stranger's hand to show them around the city.

The pride and joy of the city is............. the boba shop!!!! The specialty flavor for this shop is Miltank milk tea, a classic. Make sure to stop by the shop and get your card stamped with the green Butterfree, unique to this city's shop. The city also features its own contest hall and Pokemon Gym, with its gym leader specializing in Steel Pokemon; a museum filled with skeletons and fossils of ancient Pokemon; an art gallery featuring both prominent and local artists, with a special event every Wednesday where artists offer to draw portraits of visitor's Pokemon; and a bug catching contest hosted every Sunday that awards trainers for catching the largest or heaviest bug Pokemon within a two-hour window. Everybody arrived just in time to see the Vivillon migration, where all twenty different types can be seen fluttering across the sky, meeting together over this city for several weeks before scattering all across the globe before winter. Two towers pierce the sky right in the middle of the city: one a cemetery and one a radio tower, positioned right next to each other and the buildings almost seem to be humming the closer you approach their doors. There are also multiple barbeque restaurants in the city, grilling up Miltank and Bouffalant and Tauros, you're welcome, Cliff. Still, the boba shop is where several of Toran's children still insist on going, latching onto Joonghyuk and Sagi who promised them a three-tiered cake with sprinkles and a magic show and a party!!! We escaped the island. A town might be wiped out because we veered away from the volcano, and Toran is half-drowned and will take several weeks to drain and return to normal, but never mind that. Party.

It's warm, it's dry, there is always a faint static in the air and there has been no phone or radio signal for the past two months. Enjoy your respite.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ Congrats on surviving September! October will be a no-plot month, so please take the chance to be good to your characters and build up that cr, but there will still be opportunities for investigation!
⬥ Minato will be presumed missing until after Ori's murdergame is over, and cannot be found at sea. The Gyarados and the Magikarp also cannot be found, but may return at a later date. Toran will dry out and return to normal towards the middle of the month, but characters can freely travel between Toran and Mango by catching a ride with one of the sailors whenever they like.
⬥ For those who wish to trade their Mudkips with one of the sailors, please comment to the questions toplevel for your rng options. Traded Pokemon tend to grow stronger quickly, but they might not always listen to their new trainer! Traded Pokemon are allowed to gain 15 levels per month rather than the usual 10.
⬥ Please comment to the appropriate toplevel on the Pokemon info page for challenging the gym or participating in the contest hall.
⬥ Please comment to the bug-catching contest toplevel by October 10 if your character would participate. We will rng three winners, one for each Sunday of the month, and reply with your prize. Characters may choose to either keep or release their bug Pokemon at the end of the contest.
⬥ As a reminder, the Halloween event log will be posted on October 15!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sure, but which one?

[She's not cursing up a storm at him today, so Sagi is in a good mood too. Rather than make a fuss about her running into him, he points up at some of the stragglers at the edge of the butterfly cloud.] I like that one. Looks like someone I know.

[Is he pointing at the modern-pattern Vivillon that's red like his hoodie, or the monsoon-pattern blue-and-white one next to it, or the pink one just below those? The monsoon one is what he intends, but there are so many flapping Vivillons up there that it's probably hard to tell. They're all pretty, anyway.]

[ Yeah, Efi really can't tell which one he's pointing at, but she's super curious as to who that looks like. ]

I like the light blue and the pink one! But who does it look like, Mister Sagi? Is it one of your friends?

Yeah! A really good friend. [Efi does not need to learn what a girlfriend is just yet, he's decided.] She has wings just like theirs.

[Pink is a good choice too. He squints upward, shielding his eyes with one hand. With the other, he reaches down to open his bag. He doubts he could jump high enough to physically grab one, but if it's just a question of getting in throwing range...]

Do you want to throw the ball, Efi, or should I?

[Just grab a five-year-old under your arm and yeet both of you into the stratosphere at once. Seems like a fine plan to him.]

[ Sagi is a good kid, because Efi kinda knows what a girlfriend is. Or, at least, she's seen a situation where there was a yandere girlfriend fiancee thing. It was wild. She nods to Sagi's question though. ]

I'll throw it!

[ Yeet her into the sky now or forever hold your peace. ]

Okay, here.

[After handing her an empty Pokeball from his bag, he steps behind her to try and hook both his arms under hers, in a kind of awkward hug. Let's at least hold the five-year-old securely enough to not drop her after yeeting her into the sky. He spreads his wings while he's at it, his feathers quietly glittering into near-solid teal and white colour.]

Count me down and I'll jump. Can you do that?

[ Efi looks at the spreading wings and looks so amazed. ]

Your wings are so pretty, Mister Sagi! But okay!

[ She steels herself, mentally preparing herself for liftoff. ]

3... 2... 1... Go!

Hup...!

[Yeet!

Well, he doesn't throw her. He just jumps, holding her as tight as he dares - sorry if the armour he's still inexplicably wearing over his hoodie sleeves makes this a little uncomfortable. But it's a jump that keeps going up, and up, and up. A brisk wind rushes past the other way, ruffling his feather plumes and tail.

When they're as high as he's willing to go, Sagi musters the energy to hang in the air for just a second. They're a ways below the circling Vivillons, whose wings are all unfairly separate from their willpower, but one of the stragglers might be within Pokeball range if Efi tosses it in time. A second is all she's getting before he has to descend, curving his wings to keep their fall slow and steady.

At last, he touches down on the ground with no worse than a gentle bump, lets go of Efi, and... immediately crumples, doubling over and breathing heavily. Don't mind him. He'll be fine in a bit.]

[ Efi gets a chance to throw a pokeball at one of them--a pretty tundra design. The pokeball falls to the ground, wiggling here and there. But before I confirm the results via location page, Efi and Sagi are lowered and the moment, he lets go of Efi, she turns around and cheerily says-- ]

I got it in the ball, Mister Sagi--

[ Then Sagi just crumples like a puppet whose strings have been cut and Efi is internally shrieking. She's absolutely startled and runs overto him, kneeling down and she looks Absolutely Concerned. ]

Mister Sagi! Mister Sagi!! What's wrong? Are you okay?!Ah, um... doctor! Is there a doctor?!

N-No doctor! It's fine! I'm okay...! [That may qualify as a tiny lie. It still isn't all that far from the truth, which comes next.] I'll be okay. Need a minute. S'all. I swear.

[Just a bit out of breath. Well, a lot out of breath. His wings flop uselessly on the ground alongside the rest of him. The hang time might have done it, or maybe having to carry the extra weight...]

Did it - did it work?

[He didn't hear the creature break out. When his heart stops pounding a mile a minute and he feels up to lifting his head again, he'll even be able to check. In the meantime, he sure hopes he didn't physically perish for nothing!]

[ A lie blob forms, repeating Sagi's lie back to him. However, Efi is more concerned about Sagi than the harmless lie blob, so she continues to stay by his side instead. However, her Deino pops up and bites onto the thing and drags it away. He knows he can't hurt the blob, but he sure can move it. ]

Yeah! It worked! It's in the ball now...

[Whew, okay. With a tiny bit more huffing and puffing, he thinks he can get up now. Well, sit up, after a fashion. Provided he props himself up with one arm. At least he looks alive again, and even manages to smile.]

Nice...! Congrats. Make sure to look after it!

[And that's that - or it would be, if he didn't happen to see Deino pull something away from the corner of his still mildly bleary eye. He turns his head, curious.]

Huh. What's that you've got there, buddy?

[A Pokemon he hasn't seen before? When did it sneak up on them? Had he been about to land on top of it? Close call.]

I'll take good care of it!

[ Yeah it's totally a pokemon. But Efi isn't the kind of person to lie, so she just straight up says: ]

That's your lie, Mister Sagi.

[ Deino looks awkward because he got busted. Sagi can probably hear its distorted "I'M oKaY!" coming from it. ]

...Hmm.

[Sagi leans over a little to squint at the small dark blob. He can, in fact, buy the concept of a white lie getting trapped in a physical form without asking Efi about it twice; the only weird part of that is that it isn't card-shaped, but then, shockingly few things in this world seem to be. What bothers him more is the voice. Does he sound like that? He wants the record to show he does not sound even half as squeaky as that.]

Efi... Did you do that?

[He's not mad, just disappointed. In the sound of its voice. Squeakity squeak.

Also, can he poke it? He thinks he can stay sitting up just fine with only one arm to lean on, so he's going to poke it.]

[ Sagi can absolutely poke the lie blob as Deino drags it closer to Sagi. It looks very comical and harmless, only making tiny screaming noises when poked. ]

If people lie around me, it turns into that!

[ She points at the blob. ]

And I eat it.

[He looks back up with a start.] You eat it?

[Okay, no, this is the part that doesn't make sense to him. It cries when he pokes it, it's squirming on the pavement where Deino is dragging it along... That can't be hygienic at all!]

Is it... not alive, then? [Despite appearances.] I feel bad for it...

Yeah! It's not alive because it's a lie.

[ A lie taken form in the shape of a cute little blob that looks like it's going to cry. ]

I eat lies... I can eat regular food too, but lies are the only things that makes me feel full.

[ So the baby will starve without lies. ]

[It looks alive... and sad...

But in the end, Sagi isn't too torn up about taking Efi's word for it. She's a good kid. This thing is just a blob. He lightly pushes it toward her instead, though it isn't really going anywhere while still in Deino's jaws.]

You'd better take it, then. Strange little motley crew this is, huh?

[ She's not sure what "motley" means, but she's been getting better at using context clues! So she thinks Sagi is referring to their little group of foreigners that all ended up in that weird building where they all first met. ]

Okay!

[ Efi walks over to the blob and... nom. It lets out a quiet scream as she bites into it, but it just looks like it stretches out like putty, so there's no actual tearing as she eats it. There's a small little popping noise and the lie blob is gone. ]

I think everyone is nice! It's fun to play with everyone.

[Goodbye, little blob. May you find peace in the same unknown place Sagi's belongings went to months ago after getting eaten by Pac-Man.

He relaxes somewhat once it's gone.]

That's good. Travelling is a lot easier when you're having fun.

[Okay, can he hop back to his feet in a single flutter instead of just getting up... Yeah, he made it! Sweet. Alright, he's done showing off for Efi for today.]

And see? All better now. I got tired from using my wings, but that's normal.

[ Efi gets that, because when she tries flying, it takes a lot out of her--not just flight, but just manifesting the wings in the first place. She nods in understanding. ]

Thanks for helping me a lot, Mister Sagi. That was really cool how we suddenly flew into the air!

No problem! It was fun!

[The part where the little blob showed up was a bit weirder than it was fun, but it wasn't him being weird, which makes a change lately. Besides, what are the chances of it coming up again? His mom didn't raise a liar.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OCTOBER EVENT PT1

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ EVACUATION STUFF

→ FOR THOSE WHO ARE STAYING

→ FOR THOSE WHO ARE LEAVING

→ MOD NOTES

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