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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

this boba shop...

[ Okay, so. Joonghyuk finds the boba shop extremely suspicious to be basically untouched by the disaster. Air? Too fresh. Exterior? Pristine. Though he hasn't bought anything, he's here. Loitering. Staring. At the only employee of the shop to the point she gets uncomfortable and might ask for others to...

Maybe take care of him for her? Minji, now an Umbreon, stays seated next to him like a good girl. ]

the monthly curses return

[ While Joonghyuk is trying to help here and there with the evacuation before he decides to book it to investigate other things, he has... Been met with misfortune once again. Instead of being his usual age, he has been relinquished of several years leaving him to be...

A teenager.

He's not as tall, not as intimidating or foreboding, lacks the intimidating scars, and then his face has less sharp features. It's still him considering there is an Umbreon with a harness to hold her dagger. Minji has grown! Minji, however, is also constantly staring at the spot behind Joonghyuk... No matter what position she is.

It only isn't her, but also all the locals. They all deny doing it, however. Even if he doesn't catch you staring, he just assumes— ]

What is it?

[ He sounds annoyed, but it doesn't have the oomf. Why are people staring at him as he lends a hand with the supplies?! No, it isn't a ghost. It isn't a ghost. ]

wildcard

[ feel free to throw me whatever! Joonghyuk is staying to help with the evacuation only a little bit before maybe... Investigating the boba shop or the volcano. Can assume he's gathering quite the amount of supplies to go. And also just. Putting them, no matter what length, into his pocket as long as it fits through the pockethole. Hammerspace inventory is great. ]

[There's no one left in the mountains in the aftermath of the second eruption, at least none that show themselves readily. They could be hiding in caves, but most have probably chosen to go to Melona as the last of the habitable places in Hami have been wiped out with the exception of the boba shop once again. Yoichi told no one where he was going, because he hasn't really made any connections that require it. He's been riding his Mudbray through the mountains, though the donkey is somewhat too short for it. Hana-chan walks behind with a backpack. She frequently looks like she's going to fall off the edge of a cliff when they round corners, but has so far survived. They're headed towards the southwest, and are currently stopped by a patch of berries that somehow survived the lava. Hana-chan collects them to keep for her own sustenance, shoving them into the backpack without containers, and every third handful goes into her mouth.]

You'll get berry juice on everything.

[The Spinda looks up at Yoichi as if she's actually considering her actions, but a second later, she's right back to filling the backpack with easily squishable berries.]

[ Can't say the eruption surprised Joonghyuk at all, but he's quite used to disasters of such proportion, if not larger. However, there's something about all of it... The living storm, now the volcano, and this shooting star that seemed to coincidentally streak the sky before the chaos.

He's a bit further ahead, making some educated guesses on the shooting star's landing. An unfamiliar voice catches his attention, so he turns— ]

... Where did you get that Spinda?

[ Joonghyuk recognizes the pattern of her fur. Likewise, Minji, now an Umbreon, also recognizes the Pokemon. The young man that has her, however, is quite a stranger. ]

[The voice startles Hana-chan and she drops some berries, and peers up ahead. She knows this man! He saved her once! She instantly looks dejected, sniffling at the memory. Toki was there. Even with the Thieval, it was a good day. She tilts her head at Minji; different, but Hana-chan remembers sharing creme rolls with her.

Yoichi gives the Spinda a look that's half annoyed and half in concern. It won't be good if she has a tantrum in the mountains. Joonghyuk is unfamiliar, and Yoichi can't tell if he's a local or not yet.]

Melona.

[ Oh, no? Minji trots over to investigate Hana, sniffing her and giving some reassuring licks that it's okay. Things will be okay! If only Joonghyuk was as comforting, because he only looks at Yoichi with a questioning look.

Hm. ]

... You are not her trainer.

[ The implied question is "why do you have her?" ]

[Hana-chan clings to Minji once she gets close enough, such a sad little Spinda.]

I am now.

[He glances at Hana-chan, then back to Joonghyuk. Everyone seems to know the Spinda somehow.]

Toki... had an accident. He's dead.

[Hana-chan wails on cue.]

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ OH THANK GOD

→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA

→ AW NUTS...

→ MOD NOTES

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this boba shop...

the monthly curses return

wildcard

wildcard - featuring hana-chan

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Boba shop

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wildcard, volcano

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monthly curses

Re: monthly curses

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curse

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