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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.

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Whoever is the guardian over this land sure sounds like they love boba above all else.

[ Like... even over their own people who live here. ]

I can't think of a pokemon skill that would just make a building invincible either. Maybe themselves, but not something else. I can go with you... maybe I'll smell something else apart from all this--

[ He sneezes. ]

... ash.

[Well, Hien and Marno seem to agree that the shop is fishy... Sagi still can't decide right away. A little movement under his makeshift scarf-mask suggests he's pursing his lips.

The first voice that comes out of him after that is again that quieter, softer voice:] It's worth a look.

...Yeah, you're not wrong. Let's ask her.

[That settles it, then. He'll go ahead and hold the boba shop door open for Hien.] Alright, Hien, after you.

[ Hien walks into the shop, shaking all the ash and such off him... or at least as much as he can.

He hops inside like a dog that just arrived at a dog park. Excitement!!!

But wait. ]

I think she'll faint if she sees me talk.

[Sagi looks confused.] You can't just... not talk?

[He recognises no irony in suggesting that, nor does he really see a problem. He's already asked his ghost friend to stay quiet too.]

[ Oh.

For some reason, Hien expected to do some talking. He just nods at Sagi, slightly wagging his tail. Go forth, young one... ]

[Sagi contemplates picking Hien up for just a fraction of a second too long, but decides against it. He just tugs the cloth down from his face for the time being and closes the shop door behind them. Despite scuffs and shoeprints on the floor suggesting that people sheltered here not long ago, the place is deserted.

The lone remaining shop employee seemed to be dozing off a moment ago, but when Sagi steps forward, her eyes fly open and she stands bolt upright, staring at him; she has no reason to pay attention to the weird tiny Furfrou accompanying him. Is - is it over? Is he here to buy something?]

Sorry, not right now... But help is on the way from the other towns. Things will be fine soon. [This is his confident, ex-diplomat voice. The fact that it isn't far off his normal voice would possibly give away a lot about his diplomatic career if he'd ever talked about it to Hien.] In the meantime, I'm looking into something about the last eruption - would it be okay to take a quick look around the back room? We won't touch anything you need.

[Now she's staring at him even more, because what could a boba shop possibly have to do with the volcano? But sure, she waves to the door. The boss can't complain. Go wild.]

Thanks so much. It shouldn't take long.

[And they're in. They're in... an extremely normal shop back room, as far as Sagi can tell. No giant promachinated air purifier, no mysterious magic circles, just battered mostly-empty boxes of vacuum-packed boba ingredients.

He lowers his voice when he's sure the boba shop employee didn't change her mind and follow them in.] Hien, what do you think?

[Hien is smart. Maybe he can see or smell something Sagi is missing here.]

[ With a quick sniff around the back room, Hien smells... not so fresh ingredients, which is completely understandable, considering their situation right now. Hell, he honestly didn't even expect ingredients to last at all, so this is better than what he thought. He quietly pads over to the smaller spaces and tries to look in there... nothing. He pokes his head out after a moment and toddles back to Sagi. ]

Nothing out of the ordinary other than ingredients that aren't as fresh as they should for the drink's price. But that's expected.

[While Hien goes sniffing around, Sagi peeks in some of the boxes, tries the faucet of the nearby sink - and pretty rapidly runs out of things to poke at. There's nothing here. Hien's similar inability to find any obvious clues comes as no surprise, and he just nods.]

Yeah. Though now I'm glad I didn't try one. I think we're done here, so -

[He stops. A light breeze is blowing from somewhere, ruffling his dusty hair and lightly singed feather hairclip. For the briefest of instants, the air smells as clean as a forest in the sky.]

...Do you feel that?

I don't feel anything, but I smell fresh air...

[ Hien looks around. He didn't think there were windows in here??? ]

Is the vent being weird?

I don't think it's coming from a vent. It feels like... the front of the shop?

[At least, that's how it felt on his face when he first noticed it. On the other hand, when he peeks back through the door they entered through, there's no sign of anyone except the tired, lonely employee.

He starts to unfasten the armour on his forearms, intending to take a glove off and lick his finger to check - but before he can remove even one vambrace, it's over. The air is still as a grave once more. Cool and distinctly smoke-free, but still.]

Shoot, it stopped. I didn't see anything out front... Should we wait around for it to happen again?

Yeah. It should probably come around soon if its purpose is to keep the air fresh inside this building.

[ He slightly tilts his head. ]

Do you want to go wait near the front?

[Sagi casts one more look around the back room. It's true that he could ransack it more if so inclined, but the breeze is the only thing that has stuck out as overtly weird since they walked in.]

Yeah, sure. I'll order something. You'll have to stay quiet again, though.

[He can think of it as repaying the nice employee for letting them barge in, rather than the wonderful opportunity to taste some overpriced expired flavour sachets, or... whatever those are. He doesn't have to drink it.

...Though, if he's asking Hien to clam up for her sake, he probably shouldn't freak her out by using magnus in front of her, either. He'll just go ahead and extract the messenger bag he left his stamp card in, with a flash and a whistle, then sling it over his shoulder.]

If we're done here, let's go.

[Unfortunately, all of his good intentions are not enough to stop the boba shop employee goggling at him some more when he steps back out. She heard... voices? A shrill Pokemon cry?? Not to mention, she's eyeing his bag with some trepidation. He didn't seem to have one when he walked in... Nevertheless, this is way above her pay grade, so she looks relieved to put it out of her mind when Sagi thanks her for her time and orders a berry juice tea like a more normal person.

He takes it to the table closest to the front, where he thinks the breeze came from. He puts it on the table. He takes the cup lid off. He stares at it. The lady keeps unsubtly glancing over at him while she cleans the counter again. The air remains still, for now.]

... Drink it.

[Without a scarf covering his face, it's extremely obvious that Sagi's mouth just moved. The shop employee relaxes; seems like this guy just has an invisible ghost Pokemon possessing him, which explains all the sounds she overheard. Sagi, however, sits bolt upright.] Shh! Why??

Drink it!

[Wherever Hien the chihuahua decided to wait, Sagi is going to try and catch its eye with a silent but suddenly weary expression. He's being bullied by a god again, help.]

[ Looks like Sagi is having trouble... Hien hops around to get another straw that's in a wrapper and then jumps onto a chair and then onto Sagi's table. He tears out the straw from the wrapper, sticks it inside the cup and drinks it.

Yeah. All this was for the longcon of Sagi teaching this puppy new tricks. Look away, shop worker. Nothing interesting to see here. ]

[Nothing for her to see here except doggy footprints on the table, yes. Oh well, she's a retail worker, she's seen much worse.

If Marno is disappointed by this outcome, he's refraining from saying so. In turn, Sagi looks grateful, though he remains silent too. It does leave him without anything to do while they wait. He reaches over as if to pet Hien while he drinks, but stops before actually touching him, unsure what the petting etiquette is with someone who isn't really a dog.

Presently, the wind picks up again.]

[ When Sagi pretends to pet Hien, he just kinda... nudges his hand with his head. It's okay to pet him. He doesn't mind.

But then he feels the wind and tries to direct Sagi's attention to it by blowing air out of his own mouth. ]

[Sagi barely needs prompting - the breeze is that noticeable. Cautiously, he gets up from the table.]

From behind the door...?

[The next step seems obvious to him. He walks over to the door and opens it.]

- ack!

[Only to get a faceful of denser, smokier air for his trouble and hastily shut it again. Whoops. He forgot about the state of things outside for a moment.

The light, cool breeze returns only when the door is closed again, but not for long. Pretty soon, the air goes still a second time.]

Well... I didn't see anything behind the door. [He's a little disappointed, but he can't think of anything else to investigate here without bothering the poor shop worker further.] Let's leave her in peace.

[He tugs the cloth back over his nose and looks back at Hien. He supposes he can take the dog boba with them if Hien shows any sign of particularly wanting it, ancient ingredients and all. Otherwise, he's out of here.]

[ Hien followed right after Sagi and after getting denser air flown to his face, he sneezes. Again. And again. And again-- ugh!!!

Let him die on this floor. He flopped on his side. ]

[Oh no... sensitive fluffpup noses have their downsides too, apparently.

He kneels down and moves to scoop the dog up in his arms, though he'll just leave Hien lying there if he resists. After that, he turns to leave -]

The drink, too.

...Fine. It's less for her to clean up.

[Once he retrieves the cup, he really is going back outside. Sorry about your nose, Hien. His jacket would be baggy enough to shield a chihuahua's face in, but it's just as sooty and ash-covered as everywhere else.]

[ Hien does not resist and does one more puppy sneeze before attempting to hide his nose with his two front paws. ]

... Maybe I should turn back. I feel like my soul is going to escape.

Oh, okay.

[An escaped soul would be bad, Sagi concurs. They're outside now, so it's hard to decide where to set Hien down. Everywhere is just ash. He settles for the spot where he's currently standing, though he hangs onto the dog boba cup for now, then takes a few steps back to give Hien space for... whatever he's about to do. Voluntary shapeshifting as a concept still grosses him out a little.]

[ When Sagi blinks, the image of the dog is immediately replaced by Hien... or something who kinda looks like him. He has a mix of orange, brown, and black hair due to his hair growing out, pushing out his dyed hair that had partially faded. There's no mask, no cloak... he looks like the average uni student guy dressed in modern clothes. No wounds or anything either.

Hien looks down at himself and then at his fringes. Orange... ]

... Close enough.

[ No voice distortion. ]

[Suffice to say, this was not the figure Sagi expected to be looking at. If he didn't know better, this could be any random trainer off the street of somewhere slightly less flattened by volcanic activity. He blinks.]

Whoa.

[In theory he can stomach seeing it a little better than something less obviously human, at least. It's too early to tell if that bears out. He hasn't seen this power of Hien's in action before.]

Can you just look and sound like anything you want?

[That seems almost unfair.]

Oh, no. I have limited choices, but it uses up energy the longer I keep it up.

[ Which is his reasoning for not wanting to hide his distorted voice or his appearance ALL the time. It's a hassle...

There are some gear turning noises in the background belatedly, which stops abruptly after two seconds. ]

But this is fine for now.

I'm not surprised some crazy powerful magic like that would be tiring.

[But he says that off-handedly; Hien's answer was more than good enough for his curiosity. Back to work, then. Still holding Hien's dog boba, he turns away to look up at the clouded, smoky sky.]

OK, the boba shop was a bust. Do we look around here some more, or try further up?

[This time, it takes a good few moments for the quieter voice to reply. Sagi waits patiently.]

Let's check the mountains.

[Hearing that, Sagi nods and finally stops craning his neck to stare into space.]

What are you going to do now, Hien? There might not be much point continuing to look for survivors here. The town was already in ruins.

That's true.

[ Hm. Hien looks into the distance, which... honestly isn't really far. Visibility is really cut by the ashes and such. ]

I'll check out the other side of the mountains, that way we can cover more ground. Is that good with you?

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scension - 2020-12-07 09:21 (UTC) - Expand

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