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

... It isn't confirmed—just a theory.

[ Well, that will keep Fai awake, he supposes. It's something to consider on how to approach everything that happens here. ]

There are people here that I recognize from the world I was dragged to before this one, but they don't seem to remember anything. However, there are others that remember, too.

[ It certainly will keep him awake, and he's thinking about if he needs to start approaching the way he lives here differently. ]

Really? [ He raises his eyebrows. ] Do you think those that don't remember may be alternate versions of the people you knew before?

[ Since Fai is used to seeing different versions of people all the time, it's the first conclusion he jumps to. ]

Like from an alternate universe or world...

[ Unless Fai really means clones and doppelgangers existing. Joonghyuk doesn't believe that's a universal mechanic across worlds, at least from what he has experienced. ]

If they were, how would you prove that without seeing them side by side?

[ Well, there sure are clones where he's from but he's not going to go into that complicated mess.

He hums thoughtfully. ]

I suppose sometimes you just know... I've seen plenty of alternate versions of people, and there's usually subtle differences even though they're essentially the same person.

... Then you would see people you know, but also don't know.

[ Joonghyuk is pretty familiar with that phenomenon, though he also ties it with loneliness. Left to be the only one that remembers while his companions meet him for the very "first" time. ]

I can't tell you if they're different.

[ That's what it comes down to. ]

That's right!

[ Fai has gotten used to seeing the same, but different, people. He's lucky he hasn't come across himself or his twin yet, otherwise he might start to feel differently about the phenomenon. ]

It can be hard to tell. [ He lets out a sigh. ] Although, if I'm wrong about this, I wonder why some don't remember the previous world you were in. Maybe there's some sort of criteria... or it's just simply by chance.

Fate is cruel.

[ And, to be honest, Joonghyuk would like to just stab it. Well, now he's more wound up than before thinking about it. ]

We need to relax.

[ He'd have to agree with that—fate is cruel, and it doesn't care about anyone's feelings.

But Fai laughs. ]

You're right, we do! That's why we're both here, isn't it? Maybe we should focus on how nice the water feels instead.

I was coming here thinking it would help with meditation. [ Which is yes, for relaxing. Or at least to clear his mind, but... ] A secluded place might have been better.

[ He sinks a bit more into the water, closing his eyes now. ]

The hot water is nice on the muscles.

[ He closes his eyes too. ]

Mm, it's not that secluded here is it?

[ There's a lot of people here, actually. It was hard for Fai to even find his little corner. ]

But it is nice on the muscles. I feel like some of the tension I had is melting away.

Are your thoughts clear as well?

[ Since that's the most important part. ]

[ Fai opens his eyes, smiling over at Joonghyuk. ]

They're not, but I'm used to that. Just my body relaxing is enough.

Have you tried meditation?

[ Weird enough, he thinks Fai would fit meditating? Just by looks, though the laidback facade is just a facade. ]

I haven't.

[ His mind is such a jumbled mess most of the time, he never even thought to give it a try. ]

Do you meditate?

... It was part of my training regime when I was still learning from my Teacher.

[ Though it was difficult at first. Quite frankly, he didn’t think it would be possible for him who has so much on his mind all the time. ]

It better dulled the memories and thoughts.

It does?

[ Because Fai sure could use some of that. His gaze flickers down to the water. ]

If it's not too much trouble... could you show me how?

... It doesn't make you forget. It merely puts it on hold.

[ He clarifies in case Fai gets the wrong idea. Deception is only used to gain an advantage, but he would get none here.

Then his conscience might prick him. ]

Are you still interested?

Just putting things on hold for a little while is more than enough for me.

[ He smiles a little. Sometimes memories are just that bad. ]

So, yes. I'm still interested.

[ It seems that they're peas in a pod with memories they would like to put on hold. Joonghyuk doesn't pry or ask, instead choosing to instruct as asked. ]

Imagine a water source that only gives one droplet at a time. Focus on the speed of the waterdrop, then try to slow it down.

DECEMBER LOG PT1

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ OH THANK GOD

→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA

→ AW NUTS...

→ MOD NOTES

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