DECEMBER LOG PT1

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DECEMBER LOG PT1

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→ OH THANK GOD

(click to expand - the boba shop survived!!)

Sandstorms quietly continue to blow across Melona's desert, tinged black with ash carried over from the west where the volcano still intermittently sputters and spits, its hiccups and coughs darkening the sky to the west. Occasionally, a clap of thunder can be heard even as far as Melona's dome, and a shadow can be seen within the ash clouds looming above the mountains. Whispered rumors travel throughout the region, carrying warnings that "The storm is alive," remembering the destruction wrought upon Toran and the volcanic eruption two months ago that had devastated Hami, the town to the northwest. For two months, the heat and the ash had choked the skies over the mountains of Hami, but eventually, the lava stops flowing. Eventually, the skies begin to clear. Eventually, the people of Melona become curious enough— concerned enough— aware enough that their life inside their bubble that blinded them to the plights of the world at large— to start sending small groups out to Hami to see what aid, if any, they might require. The gym leader himself wanted to head the expedition, worried about his friend and fellow gym leader in the neighboring town, but he got yelled at enough for leaving his post during the last month that he reluctantly agrees to remain at the gym. Because, apparently, challenging gyms is very very important to some people, never mind the world being in a crisis and the safety of both people and Pokemon being at stake.

Instead, the desert guides are the ones who lead the way to Hami, knowing the desert and the mountains and are able to carve the most direct path towards the town. Self-sufficient as the townspeople of Melona tend to be, they do not ask for volunteers to join them, but they do not turn down help either, whether from bleeding hearts who want to do everything they can to assist people in need, or those who just want to get to the next town for their badges and ribbons. Like the trek from Mango to Melona, travel to Hami also takes several days of camping, of riding upon Numel through the sand, of climbing mountains and scaling unstable cliffs because there is no well-worn path from the ground to the peak. And nestled in the middle of the mountains, where Hami is supposed to be...

Ash and cinders. A field of rubble. Skeletons of buildings jutting up out of the ground where they are half collapsed and half buried in the ground, flames licking what little wood and scraps of cloth remain and hungering to devoid the new souls that have stepped within their domain. Aside from the rescue team from Melona, there is not another soul in sight, no sound of everyday chatter in the distance nor husks of bodies left charred on the ground. In this town laid to ruin, a single building has been left relatively untouched by the flow of lava that had run through its streets and washed away all its people. The sign hanging above the front door, blackened at the edges, reads: "Hami Boba." Inside, a single worker in uniform can be seen slumped over the counter, who is startled so badly when the door opens that she falls off her stool and blanches as if she'd seen a ghost— which is exactly what she thought, because who else would be here in Hami after everything that had happened? The volcano had erupted two months ago, she explains, all of the sudden without warning and most of the townspeople were forced to leave. Others stayed behind, those with rock and ground Pokemon who weren't bothered by the heat, or those with water and ice Pokemon who were willing to tough it out to battle the lava and the flames in an effort to save their town. This war against nature lasted over a month, and nobody ever came to their aid... But eventually, it became clear that their greatest threat came from the sky, from the ash that fell upon the land like a woolen blanket and smothered all the air, driving the last of the resistance fighters out.

In the end, the only person left in the entire town was her. The boba shop was constructed with the nearby volcano in mind, and there is no lack of things to eat inside the shop when there was only herself to ration for, but the funny thing is... even though she was stuck indoors and was horrifyingly lonely, she could feel a cool breeze pass through the shop every once in a while, and the air remained fresh. It felt as if there were something watching over her, she explains shyly, and there must have been, because she held onto that hope all this time and her patience finally paid off. Her first customers in two months!! Would they like some boba? The store's specialty is Shuckle berry juice boba! The stamps are a little dried out, but you get a cute red Slugma stamp for visiting this shop.

→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA

(click to expand - it's free to live out here)

So, there's that. There is no town, not really. No gym, no contest hall. But the Melona guides aren't satisfied with leaving it at that, so they stock up on all the Shuckle berry juice boba they can carry and continue their search for the town's residents. They offer up Abras to teleport anybody who doesn't want to continue back to Melona, and then split into small groups to spread out across the mountainside, winding around smoldering lava lakes and trudging through paths knee high in ash. Here and there, all across the mountain range, small campsites can be seen. Up on a ledge on the cliffside, a group of people can be seen foraging berries alongside some wild Mankey. Out in the open in a valley, another group of people are seen roasting meat and nuts over several wild Torkoals' backs. At the base of one of the mountains, another group of people and Machop are hard at work breaking large boulders into smaller pieces to build shelter. Rather than having relocated to a single area, the people of Hami seem to have scattered to live in the mountains, welcome enough to the Melona guides and those who accompany them but denying that they need any help or expressing any real desire to reform a central town. There is no need, after all. Everything they need to live on is provided by the land and the wild Pokemon who share not only their habitat, but where to find food and water, and keep them warm and safe through the night. The volcano still grumbles from time to time, the seas around them continue to churn with relentless whirlpools, and sandstorms rage in the east towards Melona. But right now, they're just trying to live day by day.

While there is no main town any longer, the people do come together from time to time in the valley to share resources and spread news, and once a week, they sit together under the stars and hold Pokemon Contests on a stage that is nothing more than a large, wide slab of rock. The gym leader, Tsubomi, specializes in both fire and fighting type Pokemon and honors battles wherever she is challenged. Because of the lack of a gym building, she might need to be tracked down, though she is easier to find than Konoha, often making set rounds from group to group, checking up on the townspeople spread across the mountains. Central to all the campsites are natural hot springs, and both people and wild Pokemon come here to submerge themselves in the steaming waters and rejuvenate after a long, hard day. When the first of the rescue team arrives at the hot springs, two familiar faces are seen: a girl with pink hair and a boy with blue hair. Nanami opens her eyes blearily and pats Minato on the face. He looks up at the group and goes, "Hey. What's up?"

→ AW NUTS...

(click to expand - you really should have done something about that volcano)

A couple nights into the month, a shooting star is spotted streaming across the sky and disappearing into the waters to the southwest.

The ground shakes.

In the dead of night, the sky is lit up with a spew of fire that bursts out of the volcano hundreds of meters in the air, black smoke billowing up into the air in thick clouds, the mountains hacking up ash and molten rock. Screams can be heard throughout the mountain range as lava rushes down the slopes, people trying to grab what little they have left for a second time— though many already have nothing left but their lives. Wild Pokemon flee from the mountains in herds, heading for the desert to face the sandstorms rather than being consumed by flame.

The ground shakes. It cracks.

Desert becomes beach as the sand spills into the water, the cusp between mountain and desert becoming a chasm driven deep into the water as the Hami mountains break away and start sinking into the sea.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ For the sake of timelines, the Melona guides first head for Hami on December 3, the volcano erupts on December 5, and Hami subsequently becomes its own island on December 6. Destruction and evacuation can be played out however you want, but the boba shop remains standing in the end. The building is in impeccable condition. Not even the ash sticks to it.
⬥ Please make note of the new investigation form in the toplevel below, involving investigation style.
⬥ The second event log will go up on December 15.

Comments

:>

[299z]

Challenge accepted.

[The Pokeball he throws at the ground reveals... Hana-chan! She bobbles her head menacingly and bares her teeth at the Lycanroc.

Apparently not. Plurk coin says Joss wins.]

does this boy has a single expression that doesn't make him look like a psycho

[bythefurry]

[This Pokémon...]

Creme rolls...

[But before Joss can further comment on the fact he's seen her before, Hachiko howls and makes his first move: a blindingly fast Quick Attack, boosted by his Tough Claws ability. Maybe Hana-chan was distracted by the mention of tasty, tasty pastries, because she eventually falls to the Lycanroc's assault... but so do Yoichi's other Pokémon, because it seems he just isn't allowed to win. Corphish and/or Mudbray at least probably got some good hits on him, type advantage and all, but even if Hachiko falls Joss has two other Pokémon to fall back on. Rest in pieces, Yoichi's dreams of victory.

When it becomes evident Yoichi is out of Pokémon, Joss bows his head gracefully.]

Well fought.

a select few...

[299z]

[Creme rolls! Hana-chan stops her intimidation tactic to weep over Toki at the memory of the Rattata incident. In her emotional state, she's no match for the Lycanroc. Taken down swiftly, she lies on her back, staring up at the ashy sky, perhaps waiting for a boba sign to fall and reunite her with her former trainer. The Spinda's defeat, as the highest level Pokemon, heralds the streak of losses, and through them all, Hana-chan wails in a dramatic fashion; a play she's taken from Toki. By the end, the Carkol is falling apart and cracked, coal bits breaking off and the fire flickering out. The Corphish twitches pathetically, coughing up pink-tinged water. Even the Mudbray fails, brought to her knees in a pile of her own mud. Getting kicked in the face was definitely not worth her acquisition. They're all losers, which only sparks more fire inside Yoichi. When he does win, one day, it will be glorious.

Joss's respectful and unemotional response to his own victory is grating. "Well fought"? The guy doesn't even seem to care that he won. Where is the triumphant light in his eyes and the reveling in domination? Where is the belittling and looking down on his opponent? Pokemon battles continue to be disappointing. Yoichi pokes Hana-chan with his crutch as she continues to make dramatic 'dying' noises. She's faking, and she's annoying.]

What do you want for winning? I don't have much.

yoichi please go to therapy.........

[bythefurry]

[What a scene... It always seems like this kid's Pokémon always end up pushing themselves to the brink of injury, though it's true the Spinda seems more overdramatic than anything else.

Joss does feel bad for the other ones, though, and shakes his head. He doesn't need anything, and wouldn't deprive an injured teen of his meager resources.]

Do you have any restoratives? I've berries I can spare.

[Unfortunately, Hachiko does not agree with this. The Lycanroc trots over to Yoichi, completely ignoring Hana-chan's """dying""" noises, and barks. Fork over the cash, Yoichi. He's got medical bills to pay.]

one day...

[299z]

[Joss's offer is offensive, though Yoichi does not have any potions or heals or that sort of thing. He would usually take the Pokemon to the Center, but there isn't one here. They'll just have to eat berries and recover in their balls.]

I have enough berries.

[Then the Lycanroc approaches, demanding payment of some sort. Yes. This is what should be done after a battle. He's a good wolf. Hana-chan wails more as the Lycanroc gets closer. Yoichi produces a mere two pokedollars. Yeah, that's all he has. Sorry, Mango City hospital.]

i believe in you, yoichi... which i almost typoed as "toichi", can't believe toki still lives

[bythefurry]

[Hachiko emits a gruff "boof," but accepts the offering. It's better than nothing, especially since Joss doesn't care about getting his share.

Joss, who is watching the exchange unfold, a little dumbfounded. He was going to chastise the dog a little, but it seems Yoichi is the type who absolutely needs to give out money anyway, much like a lot of the random npcs townspeople he's battled.]

Hmm.

[His attention then turns to the still-bawling Hana-chan. He feels pity looking at her... but it'd be a lie to say it's not partially the kind of pity that involves slowly shaking your head at an embarrassing display.]

Pardon me. This Pokémon. Did it not travel with another young man?

he lives on in toichi and toly...

[299z]

[Hana-chan stops her wailing at the mention of Toki. She sits up abruptly and bobbles her head. It means nothing, she's just dizzy from sitting up so fast. Yoichi collects the others in Pokeballs.]

Yeah, that weird kid.

[Hana-chan scowls and makes a angry "hmmm!" noise at the description, so Yoichi amends his statement. He does feel slightly contrite for almost laughing when he'd found out how the boy perished, so he allows Hana-chan this insubordinate display of animosity.]

I mean Toki. He... died.

[And there it goes. Hana-chan weeps into her stubby little paws.]

[bythefurry]

... Oh.

[Now he feels bad for thinking Hana-chan was embarrassing, even if the previous bout of weeping was very clearly fake. This one, though... he isn't so sure.]

Sorry.

[It's more directed at Hana-chan than Yoichi, who he assumes didn't really know or care for Toki considering the "weird kid" comment.]

[299z]

[Hana-chan gets to her feet with much effort and wobbles over to cling to Joss's leg. Toki liked him, she thinks, even if he didn't like the jumping.]

She's popular, huh?

[Hana-chan seems to know almost everyone. Toki probably never left her in her ball.]

[bythefurry]

[Joss hums noncommittally as he crouches to awkwardly pet Hana-chan's head. He only really met the pair twice, so he doesn't really know how many people are acquainted with the Spinda.

(Both times, he remembers, involved a lot of screaming on Toki's part; he isn't sure he knows anyone that'd be popular with, but it doesn't mean the kid deserved to die.)]

What happened?

[299z]

[Hana-chan appreciates the pets. Like Toki, anyone she meets is her friend unless they do horrible things like kidnapping. Even then, they can be forgiven.]

Accident.

[He hesitates a little before going into specifics, because there's no way to phrase it where it doesn't sound like a cartoon mishap.]

The boba shop sign fell on him. I don't think Hana saw it.

[bythefurry]

[... What a way to die. Joss hardly knew the kid, and he knows accidents happen and that not all deaths are meaningful affairs... but still.

Death at such a young age always feels unfair, no matter what.]

I see.

[He gives Hana-chan one last pet before getting back up.]

Thank you for telling me.

[299z]

Yeah.

[Hana-chan sniffles once more and wipes her eyes, and then wobbles away, back to her new and inferior trainer. Toki wouldn't want her to be sad forever, and she will get strong and win badges and ribbons in his honour.

As the battle is over, Yoichi has no other business with Joss at present. Revenge will be plotted.]

I've got things to do.

[With a 'friendly' wave, he's off; Hana-chan plodding after. The Spinda looks over her shoulder at Joss and bobbles her head in some sort of pattern. What does it mean?]

[bythefurry]

[Joss bids Yoichi goodbye with a nod... but tilts his head interrogatively when he sees Hana-chan's strange head-bobbing. He knows she just Does That, the little creature never particularly steady on her feet, but didn't it feel different this time?

He's probably just imagining things...]