*propane nightmares synth in the BG because I don't want to think of a title*

[infiltrationtools]

Who: Akira and YOU
Where: Places around Mango City
When: After October 16, but before the event
What: Various prompts, mostly involving bodyswaps or the return of Raoul! Literally this is just a post-regain pre-Halloween toplevel, that I put on a new entry because the Part 2 log is all spooky and the Part 1 log is fucking huge.

I. EARTH WITHOUT ART…

[On display now, says the poster. Regionally renowned artist Ken Sugimori’s latest exhibit, CHALLENGER!! Celebrating the trials and tribulations of Cassava’s Gym Challenge! Prominently featured on the advertising plastered all over the Mango City Art Museum is Sugimori’s lovingly rendered painting of Gym Leader Mari, standing alone on a mountain peak with her arms spread wide, Skarmory feathers falling all around her.]

[Akira frowns at the poster, and shakes his head. ‘There’s no point,’ he thinks.]

[’Think for a moment,’ someone else thinks. ’How many of the relics in this building were stolen from the desert, I wonder?’]

[‘You’re just bored.’]

[’And so are you.’]

[‘I’d rather just go beat Mari myself.’]

[’Which you haven’t done yet. I would have thought you’d have taken her down by now!’]

[Akira scoffs out loud, well aware of why he hasn’t tried to face Mari yet.]

It’s not happening.

[To any normal observer, he’s having an unusually strong negative reaction to this poster. To anyone with an ability to read minds or see souls, something much stranger is happening — he’s having an internal conversation with another entity, a peculiar and not-quite-human thing named Raoul.]

II. …IS JUST AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[There is literally no reason for anyone to be at the graveyard this late at night. In a world where ghosts are not only a real thing but also a common phenomenon, basic sense tells you to maybe stay away from anywhere the veil between life and death is weakest.]

[Unless you’re looking for Pokémon. Which Akira is. This time though, he’s not alone! A strange… man? is sitting cross-legged on top of a mausoleum, kicking his spiked stiletto heel uncomfortably widely. This man looks like he’s ten feet tall, because he is, and looks like he has mechanical wings and no face, because he does. He’s also smoking a cigar, in a graveyard, like an asshole.]

’I should like to see what these Pokémon of yours can do. The ones you have right now, they’re… how do I put this? They’re young.’

[Akira pops his head up out of the grass.]

There are more Pokémon here than just mine, obviously. You haven’t met Gyarados.

[They go on like this for a while, Akira abruptly shutting up whenever he hears a noise. Maybe that noise is a Pokémon, maybe it's not.]

III. BAD BODY DOUBLE/WILDCARD

[One of Akira’s bonuses this month is to swap bodies with another person for a week! If you’d like that person to be your character for shenanigans, or you want to do something specific with Akira and/or Raoul and/or the Pokémon, let me know on Plurk at skysplitter or via Discord!]

Comments

[weenwoon]

[Hythlo has been spending rather a lot of time in the cemetery tower - between the occasional meetings with Hien, investigating the strange static and disruptions in the aether and his own Pokemon having made friends here, well, he's here more often than not. Besides, it's free shelter.

Tonight, however, was supposed to be just a daily "patrol" of a sorts, Hythlo checking whether or not anything changed in the tower before heading off to sleep. But as he finally exits the tower and steps outside...

There is a disturbance here, stronger than anything he's seen so far, and he can't help but be intrigued. He follows the trails, stepping through the grass softly, but without any fear. Rhel finally forced him to get some "normal" people clothes, and today is a laundry day for the robes, so it's a hoodie-and-badly-coordinated-pants kind of fashion for tonight. He's hunching a little and keeps his hands in the front pockets of the hoodie, so from afar he looks... probably just like a teen who came here on a dare, albeit an 8 foot tall one. But hey, growth spurts, eh?

He stops dead, however, once he rounds a building and... almost walks into Raoul's swinging, extremely spiky heel.]

Oh dear.

[He steps out from the lieu of the mausoleum, hoping that the distance he's picked won't earn him another potential face-stabbing, and backs away, looking up at the roof... and the man (question mark) sitting on it. It's the first time he sees someone taller than himself here, and Raoul's positively unusual appearance doesn't seem to faze him as such--if anything, he's just curious, and at this point he has a track record of making friends with strange-looking people.

Hythlo smiles and calls out to the man (question mark).]

Pray be more careful. That could have been dangerous!

[Of course, him backing away to properly get Raoul in his eyesight might just mean that he trips over the poor Akira.]

[infiltrationtools]

[Rhel, as always, is doing the Twelve's work, and today she blesses us with her benevolence by making Hythlodaeus wear normal people clothes. Raoul, who reveres neither Rhel, the Twelve, or any other god, pays little mind to the stranger's garments. He does stop moving abruptly, and moves his spiked heels away.]

'I'm terribly sorry, sir. I do hope you're not hurt.'

[Raoul's voice is... deeper than Akira's, further in the chest. More prideful. He is apologizing, but the way he says it makes it feel more like a joke that the listener doesn't get.]

[The punchline comes a few seconds later when Hythlo walks straight into Akira's side. If he wasn't already on the ground, the boy would definitely be eating dirt right now. Instead he just freezes up, ready to defend against the other form in the darkness if it becomes hostile. He can't quite see it's Hythlo yet.]

Is that a person?

'It certainly looks like one, Joker.'

[weenwoon]

[Hythlo almost jumps when he walks into Akira - it never occurred to him that a giant 10-foot-tall monster man would be here with someone, not all by himself. But then... a young man's voice?]

'Tis somewhat rude to speak of someone like that when they can hear you.

[infiltrationtools]

Well, I can't s—

[Oh. The snippy response dies half-formed as Akira finally gets a good look at the person who's joined them. It's that guy from the woods!]

...Sorry.

[He clambers to his feet, and offers a hand down to help Hythlo up.]

Are you alright?

[weenwoon]

[The potentially demon-summoning guy from the woods... Wait, summoning devils is the wrong megaten.

Hythlo takes Akira's hand and pulls himself up easily. The tumble was really more out of surprise than anything else.]

'Tis fine, do not worry. I did not expect to see anyone here at this time of night... apart from a couple of people, mayhaps.

II

[scension]

[Someone else was in fact at the cemetery tower this late at night. For a start, Sagi has no basic sense. Secondly, he still can't put a finger on the feeling he keeps getting in that place when nobody is around to shoot him dirty looks for being disrespectful. Thirdly, he couldn't sleep, he's banned from the radio tower, and he had to loiter somewhere.

He found nothing but wild Pokemon, of course. He didn't have any clear idea of what he wanted to find lurking among the graves in the first place. Guardian spirits don't seem to come to this world in the same way after all, and what good would it do him if they did? All he can do now is head back out, cross through these outdoor graves and go turn in for the night.

He's talking to himself in a mild but obvious outdoor voice as he leaves the tower, the way he often does. He knows nobody is listening. It's just a hard habit to shake when he doesn't have to.]

...Let's not come back any more. They're just going to get mad for real.

[He walks out, looks up at the sky just to get his bearings, sees a giant winged figure perched on a nearby building instead, and practically jumps in surprise. His foot hits a stray piece of stone in the grass, dislodged by some Pokemon's antics earlier in the day, so it takes a flap of his own ethereal wings for him to stop himself tripping over.]

Wha--! That wasn't there before.

[To his eyes, it would be a bizarrely normal-looking figure if not for its towering height and lack of face. The fashion checks out - okay, the size of its wings is unusual, but he's seen mechanical winglets that fold out to almost the same proportions, usually marketed to imperial citizens with something to compensate for. But imperial citizens are just humans too, and therefore... have faces. What is this thing, then? Does anyone else see it? Is there any chance it's god-related? What does it mean?

Rather than approach the apparition yet, he starts looking around the graveyard at ground level for signs of movement. Maybe he did stumble on someone or something suspicious in the end...]

[infiltrationtools]

[The giant winged figure is idly ruffling his mechanical wings, almost like they're a living extension of his body. He hears muffled words somewhere in the distance; idly, Raoul turns his head toward the direction of the noise, looking for a source.]

[From a distance, all that can be seen under the hat is glowing red eyes and the burning, smoky tip of a cigar.]

[Akira for his part is moving further and further away from Raoul, crawling through the grass wearing some ratty traveling clothes (it's fine if they get dirty). Still, the grass is not quite tall enough to completely conceal his body, so in some spots there may be a moving form visible. Kinda looks like a Pokémon?]

[scension]

[The thing in the grass may as well be a Pokemon, and Sagi can't see anything else around, so his next careful and cautious method of investigation is to just... walk closer to that building, in plain sight...

Once he does, he finds that it's staring right at him with ominous glowing eyes. How could this have happened?]

Those eyes are something else...

[When he actually addresses the figure instead of talking to himself some more, he has to tilt his head back a little to meet them.]

Um. Hello.

[This is awkward now.]

[infiltrationtools]

'Good evening!'

[The strange creature speaks with a surprisingly chipper quality.]

'I am so glad to hear what you think of my eyes. They are terrifically useful for nighttime walks, are they not?'

[Raoul knows full well that was probably meant to be an insult.]

[scension]

Oh wow, they work that way?

[It wasn't a deliberate insult, as that would require any amount of forethought behind most of the things that Sagi thinks aloud, but it's extra awkward to realise that the apparition heard him.]

...I'm sorry if this is rude, but are you a Pokemon?

[He would understand if it was rude. He still gets this question a little too often. This does not prevent him from asking, because again, forethought.]

I

[yokeye]

[Toki somehow got lost, and ended up outside the art museum. It's horrifying. He's been by this place three times, and neither he nor Hana-chan have been able to successfull break out of the loop of wandering the same streets again and again. This time, he sees a somewhat familiar face, the boy who helped him when he arrived on the beach. If Toki knew his name, he's forgotten it, but he waves as he approaches Akira... who's talking to himself? You know what, that's fine. Toki does that. It's totally normal.]

Hello~! What's not happening?

[The Spinda waves in a giant arc, aiming at nothing in particular. Hello!]

Oh no! Did something happen to Mari-chan!?

[Toki has not been to challenge her, but she is hot and the closest thing to an idol in this place, therefore, he is quite familiar with the lovely Mari-chan.]

[infiltrationtools]

['You'd best be more careful. Someone heard you.']

[Akira very deliberately ignores Raoul as he turns. Oh, shit, that's. Uh. The guy from Tokyo... Riku-something?]

No! Nothing happened.

[He's got to come up with an excuse, and fast.]

I was just... thinking about challenging her, but I don't think I'm strong enough yet.

[yokeye]

Oh.

[Toki will readily accept that excuse.]

You know, you don't have to be strong to challenge her. You can be defeated by a beautiful woman.

[He stares at the poster and sighs.]

Mari-chan probably likes weak men; soft and sensitive. Those she can command as readily as her Pokemon.

[infiltrationtools]

...I'm not interested in her like that.

[But the way Toki is looking at that image, the same can't be said for him.]

Are you?

[yokeye]

I can always appreciate the beauty in the human form~!

[But if Akira isn't interested in Mari-chan... Toki looks up at him coyly.]

Beauty such as one tall, dark, and handsome; reflections of the sun catching the light on his glasses with little sparkles and rainbows, betraying a pure heart inside of a stoic and cool exterior.

ii

[selfconcept]

[ That noise sure isn't a pokemon and Hien steps out from the darker place in the area with a Hatenna in his arms. He looks up at Raoul and Hatenna looks really freaking mad about him sitting on top of a Mausoleum and even smoking. ]

Hey, can you get down from there? That's pretty rude to the ghosts here.

[ You douchebag.

Also, hi Akira. ]

[infiltrationtools]

[Raoul looks down at the human and the Hatenna. It's hard to tell, but his body language almost suggests interest — in the Pokémon, that is.]

[As requested, Raoul beats his wings a few times and stands up, gliding elegantly forward so that he's standing on the ground again. He is still smoking.]

'I am sure they'll understand.'

[Akira's head pops up from the grass again, with a few leaves caught in his curly hair. It doesn't take long before he spots Hien, though he's not sure if Hien has spotted him.]

'Who are you?'

[selfconcept]

Someone who works graveyard shifts.

[ Hatenna is still mad about the cig and the sides of her hat are wiggling to express that... somehow. His speech still sounds garbled with distortion and static as always, but the words are always audible. It seems to somewhat blend in with the very faint static in the cemetery tower.

Hien doesn't look over in Akira's direction, which might suggest he doesn't know he's here... because I totally assumed Akira was out in the open instead like a fool. ]

[infiltrationtools]

'Not you.'

[Raoul gestures to Hatenna, either unaware of Hatenna body language or deliberately ignoring it. Probably unaware, but if he knew it's not like that would stop him.]

'You.'

That's a Pokémon too, Raoul!

[From the grass, Akira pipes up.]

[selfconcept]

[ Oh. Hello for real this time, Akira. Hien gives him a little wave, though he was kinda startled a bit from Akira suddenly saying something. He looks over at Raoul and then down at his Hatenna. ]

What? You like cute things?

[ Damn right Hatenna is cute. ]

ii;

[redigere]

[The noise isn't a Pokemon, but Naminé, her feet dragging and her arms wrapped around herself as she wanders into the area. Her Rookidee is fluttering ahead of her, obviously leading her to...someplace, but he also obviously didn't realize he was leading her right into a graveyard, the way he flutters around and flaps his wings in her face, urging her to turn around. She blinks and yawns.]

Did you lose your way? That's okay, we can turn around and...

[And then she notices that tall, imposing figure resting casually on the mausoleum, and she freezes, eyes going wide as dishes.]

Rikudee...I don't think we can catch that Pokemon...

[Rikudee chirps loudly, settling on top of her head and doing his best intimidating glare. Don't mess with his trainer, weird Pokemon!]

[infiltrationtools]

[Hoh? What's this?]

[Raoul turns to look at the girl approaching him. In the darkness of the night, the only things that can clearly be seen under his hat are glowing red eyes and the tip of a burning cigar. He seems to think this is all very funny.]

'Pokémon? Am I a Pokémon? Joker!'

[Akira slinks out of the shadows too, and even in the dim light, he looks fed up with Raoul's bullshit. But instead of addressing that question they both know the answer to, he instead looks at Naminé and Rookidee Rikudee.]

I am so sorry. Please forgive him.

[redigere]

[In all honesty, her expression looks like she thinks she should be the one asking for forgiveness, glancing one more time at Raoul (who is apparently not a Pokemon? but then what is he?) before offering a wry smile.]

Um...sure. We didn't mean to walk in on your conversation, so we're sorry too. We were looking for Pokemon, but I'm not sure why Rikudee lead me this way.

[Or why it had to be so late at night, but she's pretty sure her Pokemon knows more about catching Pokemon than she does, so she won't argue.]

Did you see any before we came?

[infiltrationtools]

[Akira shakes his head.]

I came here looking for Pokémon, too. I assumed there would be Ghost-types around, but... maybe we're making too much noise.

[Last time, he just walked onto a beach at night and the Pokémon came to him, so he's a little disappointed that it isn't that simple again.]

[redigere]

Oh--! And Rikudee and I probably scared away any others that were in the area, too.

[Aaaa. She looks even more apologetic.]

Would it be alright if we waited here with you? We'll be quiet now, I promise.