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

[ That nod is enough for Fai, because he looks at the artist and then back at the two Pokemon. ]

Be good, okay? We'll be waiting right over there!

[ He walks back over to stand next to Hien, putting his hands in his pockets. ]

It seems like they really like each other already.

He likes just about anyone.

[ Except those who attempt to hurt him or try to mess with him in his vulnerable state. Like sleeping. Though unlike before, there's some fondness in his voice when he talks about his Eevee. ]

Especially when you scratch behind his ear, like this.

[ It's time to mess with Fai, because Hien sometimes has impulses to do these sorts of things. So after he says that, he reaches over and attempts to lightly scratch the back of Fai's ear. ]

[ Wow. Usually he's the one messing with other people, so it catches him off guard to actually be the one messed with.

He smiles almost immediately, though. ]

I can see why he likes it when people do that.

Yeah? You want some more?

[ Is it an invitation to be teased? Is that how it is? Hien sounds like he's enjoying himself. ]

Only if you tell where you like to be scratched.

[ But before Hien can answer, he just... brings his hand up to Hien's head and ruffles his hair like he's an Eevee. ]

[ For some reason, he didn't expect Fai to ruffle his hair. There's a silent huff from him as he shakes his head quickly. It doesn't completely save his hair, but it's better than being an absolute mess. ]

... Didn't think you'd be the touchy-feely type.

[ Given how distant he seems. If there's anything Hien learned throughout years and years of interacting with people, all the smilers are distant. ]

What can I say, I'm full of surprises!

[ It is weird, isn't it? He tries to keep his distance and always has his guard up, but doesn't shy away from physical affection if he isn't already initiating it himself. If he were to let himself actually think about it, Fai would probably realize he doesn't actually want to keep himself distant from people. ]

[ Maybe you should actually think about it, Fai! If Hien knew, he would at least understand that--nobody really wants to be alone when they're surrounded by people. He's here to be a listener, but not to offer advice, because he knows his own way of dealing with things doesn't fit everyone else's like a cookie cutter solution.

"Full of surprises", huh? ]

I'm pretty hard to surprise, so maybe you got lucky.

I'll have plenty of time to see if it was a fluke, won't I?

[ Since he has no idea how long they'll all be stuck here...

Fai looks over at the artist, who seems to be making decent progress on the portrait. ]

You arrived not too long ago, right? I think I saw you helping out with the evacuation efforts, but I don't recall seeing you before then.

[ And he would have remembered seeing Hien at the meetings and probably around town, what with that mask and cloak. That's why he remembers seeing Hien during the evacuation at all despite how chaotic everything was. ]

[ Hien snuck a glance at the art progress too. Looking good so far, artist. Hien can only simply doodle, so he thinks the art is coming along great.

He ponders again, since, yeah, his appearance really stands out. He was also the guy who almost drowned while trying to get some kids out of the water and was saved by a baby Spheal who spent an hour trying to keep the guy afloat. What a champ. ]

Yeah, just several days ago. It's been a wild ride.

[ Coming in and almost drowning on the spot, dealing with multiple natural disasters at once, helping relief efforts, kidnapping Toki to Mango City so that he wouldn't hinder Toran's restoration efforts... yeah. It's been an Adventure. Perhaps Fai spotted Hien carrying an unconscious Toki at some point to the hospital at night. Real shady. ]

[ Wow, Fai can't even imagine arriving here in the middle of, well, everything that just happened. ]

You certainly picked a chaotic time to arrive.

[ To say the very least... and now that he thinks about it, he does remember seeing some masked figure carrying a boy to the hospital. ]

Now that I think of it, I believe I saw you carrying someone recently too.

[ Hien is quiet for a moment. It's hard to tell what his expression is behind that mask, but maybe he's thinking? Or maybe he just doesn't want to tell Fai.

... ]

It was a very fun bonding moment.

[ Even through the distortion and static, his flat tone is greatly emphasized. ]

[ The silence and flat tone has Fai thinking that Hien is hiding something, that there actually is something he doesn't want to say. ]

Ah, really? That must have been nice. The times I've been carried haven't been good bonding moments.

[ For that, Hien attempts to sweep off Fai's feet to carry him bridal style in the middle of the museum.

"Just because". ]

[ He doesn't feel an oncoming fight, so Fai lets himself be swept up, one of his hands going to Hien's shoulder so he doesn't feel like he's losing his own sense of balance. ]

Ah!

[ They're definitely being stared at now, and it's a good thing that doesn't bother Fai so he's not distracted from Hien's lack of an answer. ]

You don't want to go into detail about your bonding moment, do you?

Only if you want me to.

[ Would Fai actually want to hear it? Maybe it'll be scandalous and Toki had to be admitted to the hospital because of some raunchy accident.

He seems to be holding Fai up pretty well. Hien doesn't need powers when he's already been physically fit for so long. ]

[ Fai's actually a little surprised at how well Hien is keeping hold of him. He's pretty light, but he knows carrying someone isn't all that easy.

He thinks about it. ]

Hmmm, if you want to tell me.

[ He'll leave the ball in Hien's court with this. Fai knows that not everything needs to be talked about. ]

You should eat some more.

[ Anyway, Hien ponders a bit before looking at Fai again in his hold. He puts him back down on his feet so that the other people can stop staring and make some unfortunate rumors. ]

He'd only get in the way of restoration efforts back in Toran, so I brought him here.

[ That comment gets a frown because Fai can totally survive off of just boba, thank you!!

But when he's back on his own feet, Fai puts a hand on his hip. People are still staring, but at least they can move on now. ]

So you took matters into your own hands?

[ Please do not live off boba!! ]

More or less. He was screaming about things that would have made everyone panic even more.

[ He still doesn't regret knocking him out on various occasions because he thought it had to be done, but he still feels bad about hurting him. Still... ]

We don't need that.

[ Fai nods. He gets it. Well, probably not the knocking out part, but he can just remain blissfully unaware of that for now. ]

Right. Especially while everyone is trying to rebuild. [ He pauses. ] Is he still screaming about things?

[ Maybe he was panicking? It would be good if the guy is calm now. ]

I'm not sure. I don't go see him when he's awake.

[ Because Hien has decided that Toki is hard to deal with, and using Life Dew on him every night is the only thing he's willing to do. ]

Why not? You should probably see if he's at least doing better now.

[ Give him a "Welcome to Mango" gift basket or something.

Wait— ]

...You go see him when he's asleep?

[ Hien frankly decides not to answer and goes over to the artist. Are they done yet...? ]

[ Rude!!

It looks like the artist is doing some finishing touches now. Fai is hot on Hien's tail and he appears at his side. ]

Looks like we still have a little bit of time. Why can't you go see him when he's awake? Did he also scare you with all his screaming?

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ EVACUATION STUFF

→ FOR THOSE WHO ARE STAYING

→ FOR THOSE WHO ARE LEAVING

→ MOD NOTES

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