SEPTEMBER INTRO LOG

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→ 09/01 The Arrival

「 Welcome to the world of POKEMON 」

"It will come to be. And in exchange..."
You wake up with a start. Thunder rolls across the sky, steamrolling the voices and the fog out of your head and replacing them with mottled grey on white— greyer in some spots than others, and if you're one of the unlucky ones, the greyest leaks cold water right down on your face. Drip... drip... drip... the intervals in between getting shorter and shorter until

SPLOOSH!!

The entire ceiling caves in and water and soggy drywall collapses onto your head, and those of several dozen others sharing this very open, very wet room. Rain pours down from overhead through the large hole in the middle of the ceiling, but the perimeter of the room is a little drier: about a dozen cots line the walls, not enough for the number of people here and so most must pick themselves off the ground. Other than a few curtained dividers now scattered across the flooding floor, the room is otherwise bare. White, grey, and very wet.

"Uh..." The only dry people in the room stand in the doorway: a girl who pulls her hood further over her head to keep the water off her face as she steps in to help the person nearest her up, and a boy who hangs back behind her, hesitant, staring at his feet a little guiltily until he looks up and catches somebody's eye, and he too steps forward to help people onto their feet. They introduce themselves as Chiaki Nanami and Minato Arisato, explain that they've arrived here a while ago in the exact same way as everybody here, and show off the purple and grey bands around their right and left ankles respectively, as if that is proof enough. Your unconscious bodies may or may not have been investigated while you were unconscious, but every person here will find some sort of band tattooed around a part of their body, some with a single pattern and some with two, some matching somebody else's and some unique to their own.

For those who want to hang back and ask questions, Nanami and Minato stick around and do their best to answer them, otherwise, you're free to go out in the rain and get soaked and wonder why this is your life.

→ 09/01 The Surroundings

"Ichi help me think of headings. I am so bad at writing headings" - Card

It's actually not that bad, all things considering. Sure, it's raining all day nonstop, but the rain varies between pouring and sprinkling and is weirdly lukewarm, like a shower that doesn't have enough water pressure and can't get hot enough. Strange creatures called Pokemon roam about the town of Toran, many hiding from the rain and liable to attack when people unexpectedly stumble upon them trying to find shelter themselves, especially the arm-hungry bears who just want to nap under trees, but others are friendly and eager to help people sweep water out of buildings and patch up roofs.

Whether you woke up with one or stumbled across them later, you have your own strange creature too. Be friends. If you don't know anything about Pokemon, there are plenty of elementary schoolers eager to laugh at your ignorance and teach you everything you need to know about catching and training Pokemon, little four-year-old escorts around Toran to show you where to find them in the lake at the center of the island, the surrounding ocean, the patches of grass throughout the town. The ground is perpetually marshy, thick mud and tall grass slowing foot traffic and the spiderwebs of pavement connecting the other structures around town are covered with half squashed, wiggling worms(egments) that are almost unavoidable to step on unless it's during a lighter drizzle when the bird Pokemon are free to swoop down to pick the roads clean. Want to get some experience in Pokemon battling? These literal children will gladly pulverize you to the point of blacking out and take your money or whatever fun little trinkets you have in your pockets.

The building everybody arrived in turns out to be a hospital, with an adjacent building being a hospital for Pokemon- a Pokemon Center- which offers free shelter for travellers but is currently overflowing with people who are stranded on this island, even with so many visitors forced to resort to long term lodging in the town's small inn. Both the hospital and Pokemon Center stand right along the lakeside, water overflowing and nearly lapping against the front steps, which is home to an abnormally large 30-foot long Gyarados. It thrashes about in the middle of the lake and has been scaring all the other wild water Pokemon to the outskirts of the lake, blasting the nearby buildings and berry trees with torrents of water, and lashing out at anybody who tries to approach. Several fishing boats that have gotten too close have been smashed, but a few are left tied to the docks around the lake for braver trainers to use.

Large canopies have been set up over the berry gardens dotting the rest of the lakeside to keep the rain (and the occasional Gyarados hydro pump) from washing off the berries. The trees are tended to by gardeners with their grass Pokemon, and at times Minato with his Yamask covering his face, one black arm wrapped around his neck and the other lazily waving an arm to part the cloud of several hundred Combee buzzing protectively around the boy, trying to keep unfamiliar people away from the beehives as Minato makes his rounds checking up on each of the hives and picking up the fruit that has fallen or has ripened enough on the branches, offering berries to any person or Pokemon who's hungry.

Most of the buildings around town are doing well enough, despite the unending gloomy weather and too many people. The Daycare Center is particularly packed with Pokemon whose trainers are stuck outside of the island and unable to pick them up, and volunteers to help feed and care for the Pokemon are needed more than ever, especially the younger Pokemon who are fussy and upset at being away from their trainers for so long. Even the older Pokemon are a bit worried, and some of the daycare workers whisper about rumors of a pack of wild Drifloon seen around town whenever the rain calms down to a drizzle and luring little kids into the thick fog and getting them lost. There are also whispers about the hospital, hushed words about how it's haunted by the spirits of the deceased and that when a group of Murkrows gather around a patient's window, it's to mark that person with misfortune and death. Several posters of missing children are hung up around the Daycare Center, with the promise of a reward for any information or return of the children, and flyers begging for help to calm the residents at the hospital of their worries about the Murkrows or ghostly sightings.

The Game Corner arcade never knows silence with the constant flashing and chiming of the slot machines and roulette wheels, but don't be fooled with the frequent payouts seen at the machines Nanami and her Mimikyu sit at, because the odds are actually pretty low and the tokens can only be traded in for berries, common items, and Pokemon accessories. There are no windows in the Game Corner, and it is very easy to lose track of time inside— one elderly gentleman in a tophat can be seen at the same slot machine in the corner at all hours of the day, never eating or sleeping or doing anything else but mechanically pulling the lever, unresponsive to the rest of the world around him. He's going to hit the jackpot, he knows it. Just one more pull. One more pull...

The newest building in Toran is the boba shop, freshly painted in bright yellows and blues just before the storm hit and the colors remain bold against the grey sky. The "Grand Opening" sign still hangs above the front door despite opening over a month before, inviting customers inside to try their specialty: milk tea with Combee honey boba balls. Boba is half off for first-time customers, and you also get your stamp card stamped with a lavender Bulbasaur face, unique to Toran's shop. There are eight stamps total to be collected- fill up your stamp card for a special prize! But strangely enough, scattered throughout the town, people of various different ages slump against walls and on the ground, barely responsive and with empty cups of boba around them. They're ignored by the townspeople and despite the unnerving sight of these semi-vegetative citizens, lines to the shop are just as long as ever.

The shop is also currently hiring, for those who would like to fill up their days while there's nowhere to go and make a little $$$. How about it? Join Team Boba today! (:

→ 09/02 The First Meeting

"Hahahahaha" - Ichi

After giving people some time to get settled, later in the evening of the second day, Nanami, Minato, and their Pokemon go around finding people with those mysterious bands marking them as isekai'd strangers to the island, and herd them towards the boba shop to Talk. About why they're all here, about that dream, about where to go from here...

As the group waits for the last of them to arrive, with a round of boba provided courtesy of Nanami and her small Game Corner fortune, chatter around the boba shop paints the same story: a storm has been raging for over a month now, with thunder and lightning, hurricane winds, and whirlpools making travel to and from the island too hazardous, trapping visitors on the island way past their expected length of stay. There are talks of strong Pokemon trainers having headed out into the storm to try and get help from other towns, most of them quickly forced to turn back, and others— whether they were lost at sea or managed to break through— never heard from since. Storms are never this bad here, the people say, they never last this long and they don't ever seem to be... sentient... getting a lot worse earlier yesterday when so many new people were found collapsed around the island and were brought to the hospital, intermittently throughout the past month whenever a trainer tries to leave the island, and the largest reaction from the storm over a month ago when a girl with pink hair and a boy with blue hair were found in the lake and dragged half-dead to the hospital.

The island has been isolated for well over a month now with nobody having any idea what's going on outside, but the arrival of so many people at once can't be a coincidence- it must signify the time for change. When something to this scale happens, people tend to look to the gods, the Legendary Pokemon, but if they're really the cause... it'll take effort from everybody in order to break through the storm to catch the attention of the Legendaries and reach the rest of the world.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ Welcome to Pokespe! All characters wake up at the hospital by the lakeside and can explore the rest of the island. Players are free to play out Pokemon battles or wild Pokemon encounters, but please let a mod know when catching a new Pokemon so we can approve or decline the capture.
⬥ On the second day, Nanami and Minato will be available to answer questions about what they've found out in the month before everybody else arrived. They will each have an NPC toplevel for those who wish to speak with them, and characters present at the meeting are free to learn about the information shared without needing to thread with an NPC.
⬥To proceed to the next area for next month's log, characters must find a way to travel across the stormy ocean filled with whirlpools and choppy waves. Make sure to mention your efforts on the permanent AC page at the end of the month!
⬥ There are several other oddities and problems around town that characters may choose to help with or investigate, which may or may not help with escaping the island or have ties to the plot as a whole. To investigate one of these areas, please comment to the questions toplevel with a link to your thread so the mods can direct you appropriately.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You know him.

[ Laurent Heath. Kai knows Laurent doesn't like him, and anything that was associated with the newbie has brought nothing but trouble. While Dokja is the one holding back a sigh, Kai doesn't, and lets out a big one, scratching the side of his head. ]

Wouldn't that be your first thought if his foot is halfway in death's door already?

[ He brings out a crumpled up bundle of paper, now nothing much more than a ball made of multiple paper. Some parts are stained with red. The ball gets flicked over at Dokja. It's the "shitty story" he mentioned earlier.

Maybe it's a provocation, maybe it isn't. Either way, his posture nor expression changes despite being outnumbered with the possibility of having information leaked to strangers. ]

So, yeah. Revenge.

He's our friend after all. [ Dokja drops his hands to slip them into his pockets, moving to a more casual stance and not because of the squint his partner gives him. He'll do it again you can't stop him, Joonghyuk. For now, he watches Kai.

Death's door.. Was that their plan then? Just to kill Laurent back in their world? Was the dimensional jail not enough? Eyes lower, not quite the narrow, but certainly losing the pleasantries from the look in his eye. ]

We're here to protect him. [ He catches the ball, almost squinting as he carefully unravels and finds a familiar set of writing. Familiar string of words that though originally written by Laurent, he knows Joonghyuk had made copies for them. Were the Fables allowed their voice, they would definitely feel aggressive towards the man's words in insulting such a tale. ]

[ Fortunately, Joonghyuk doesn't need his fables to show hostility towards the other man. He doesn't dare take a peek at the crumpled papers Dokja unravels, instead keeping his gaze pinned on Kai.

Laurent didn't quite tell them much about home... ]

It wouldn't be unless you had some hand in that.

[ Unless you're just that type of guy to stir doubt. ]

[ Natu senses the hostility and looks over at them both while narrowing her eyes, using Leer at all of them. Kai tested several things regarding pokemon, and they're a lot sturdier than he thought, for things that resemble squishy animals. He doesn't stop Natu from using Leer at them.

Even though Joonghyuk didn't look at the paper with the red stains, which should have been the biggest "hint", Kai thinks all of it pretty much points towards him based on their conversation, implications, context... all that. ]

Do you still need me to spell it out for you? For friends who wanted to protect him, you sure failed already.

[ Natu perches on Kai's shoulder as he finally stands from the ground with his hands in his pants pockets. ]

What a flimsy relationship you three share.

[ The Leer gets his attention briefly, Dokja raising a brow at the sensation but his own Eevee already responds in kind with Growl. His fur puffs up, tail held high. Despite the Eevee's earlier hesitation he seems ready to defend them if needed.

Dokja's gaze finally sharpens at the words and he sighs out. They weren't going to get anything out of this, as much as he was hoping for other information. However, he was getting to the point where he was getting tired of hearing this man ramble. ]

I think we've heard enough. [ He briefly glances to Joonghyuk, as though silently asking him what their next course of action is now. Should they just get this over with? ]

[ Joonghyuk only combats it with his own dark glower, sensing this man will not be at all useful. His own Eevee's eyes round, a little unsure of what to do in this situation. Pokemon conflict is normal, but conflict between humans?

For only a second, he considers what would be the best way to kill him. Painful? Tortuous. Does he really want to hear his voice anymore? In a second, he grabs Kai by the neck and breaks it.

Easy.

Minji digs he teeth deeper into her knife when she hears the noise, but doesn't do anything aside from look at the body. ]

[ Just like that, Kai's body collapses as like a puppet cut from its strings. He didn't resist--there was no tension in his muscles when Joonghyuk grabbed him by the neck. He just stood there, goading them on, and finally meets his end.

Natu, who was standing on Kai's shoulder, stares wide eyed at her trainer's corpse and then at Joonghyuk. She looks back at the corpse, and then hops off.

Hop, hop, hop.

It starts following Joonghyuk around with the same shell-shocked look on her face. And if either Eevee tries to interfere by attacking her, she'll use Stored Power, but it seems she'll be harmless unless attacked. ]

[ Siwoo jumps at the sound, especially as Natu hops on off and starts following Joonghyuk. It isn't attacking so he doesn't instigate any attacks himself. If anything, he's just as shocked too. Does this mean trouble is over?

Dokja coolly watches from where he stands, unable to help notice that he.. didn't even try to defend himself. Even if it happened pretty fast, one would try and struggle or even utter a word. Yet, nothing. He takes one glance at the Natu before he comes closer to check the belongings.

A dagger, a pen.. the sight of blood makes him still. ..Was he dead? Were they too late? He straightens after, holding up the dagger and meeting with Joonghyuk's gaze. ] Let's get this quickly dealt with before anyone finds us.

[ He flicks the dagger up and down, eyeing it as he mumbles now. ] ..Can't dump it in the waters. Too many people visit the lakes. Burn it? ..Could feed the body to a pack of wild Pokemon.

[ Minji approaches the Natu with ears perked up, merely sniffing the Natu before accepting this new friend. As long as it doesn't attack, it is okay! At first, Joonghyuk was going to take Minji's knife and start working on the body, but...

The dagger? Looks better. Without warning, he snatches it out of Dokja's hand. ]

I saw some bears outside.

[ Fortunately his gloves are black, so wet or dry blood would barely show on them. The mushy ground should easily absorb the blood quickly, too, but he still carefully starts sawing. Odd enough, he makes quick work cutting through the joints. ]

[ Dokja quite easily lets the man take it from him, he'll have more strength than him that's for sure. Siwoo joins in with his friend and lightly presses a paw on Natu. Friend now? Friend. Welcome, new friend!

He watches the group of Pokemon. ] Seems docile enough, guess we'll take it with us.

[ Then he looks back, watching the quick notions of the blade that cuts straight through bone almost as if it's butter. Fortunate Dokja is use to so much death by now that he barely bats an eye. He does perk at the comment as realization dawns on him. ] Right, the group of Ursaring.

[ Good thing his memory is good to remember small details. He nods, seeming satisfied with this plan. No one will be willing to approach said Pokemon so it's a good course of action. ~~until the ursaring apparently try to follow them for more food afterwards :um:~~ ]

... This world has a strange way of naming animals.

[ But Joonghyuk isn't going to question it more. Different cultures and all. Despite how he's working some cutlery skills on a human corpse, Minji is welcome Natu with some sniffs and paws.

It still takes some time, considering Joonghyuk is cutting a full grown man into small enough pieces to easily throw to Pokemon. Once that's finished he wipes the dagger clean on the shirt that he had preemptively taken off of Kai before the butchery started.

The pieces are bundled in the shirt much like knapsack! We're ready to go. ]

Let's go.

[ Time to feed some bears. ]

The last one had some standing on two legs and talking.

[ Which Dokja muses, eyes crinkling with mirth at his comment. From a strange world line to the next it's just better to go with the flow then question too much?

As the pieces have been gathered and set away, one Eevee is sniffing at the odor of blood sticking to the ground and proceeds to turn around and uses Sand Attack to just.. bury the stains. Cause it smells bad. Cover it up, gross. Ew. Joonghyuk you nasty.

Dokja eventually reaches down to pluck up said Eevee, Siwoo being held in his arms with minor wiggling as Dokja takes a moment wiping paws clean. You have dirt sticking to them, child. Don't get them on his white coat?? Once brushed off of any dirt and chunks of grass stuck between paws does the Eevee hop up to hold his place on Dokja's shoulders. Sighing, he shakes his head. ] Alright.

[ Minji watches as the other Eevee bury the stains, wondering if this is a game? It proceeds to do the same. She continues to cover it up despite Siwoo disappearing to hang onto Dokja.

Joonghyuk looks at Dokja with the fluffy fox around his shoulders, squinting... It's a weird sight, but not too unfamiliar. If the Eevee were female, maybe he would have thought it fit Yoosung. A passing thought after a murder. Taking the Natu's pokeball, he makes the little green bird return—no need for it to see this carnage.

He leads them through the darkness, making sure to avoid the well lit areas, and finally they meet some of the bears that are hanging about. They're still awake at this time. One at a time, he tosses pieces of flesh and the bears approach with curiosity... Then start feasting. ]

Laurent will need to wait a little longer.

[ Siwoo wags his tail from his perch, watching Minji continue the work. A good comrade in arms. You learn well. They will have to teach their trainers to learn from them. After all, they can't always clean up after their yucky mess. Dokja moves on as soon as Joonghyuk does, steps quiet and keeping mostly from view as they make their way. Wouldn't want anyone to spot them, much less run into anyone, don't need anyone questioning what they were doing.

Once the bear Pokemon are aware of their apparent meal does Dokja watch almost curiously. Despite their appearance, they are still wild animals. He's heard of wild Pokemon attacking even people so this works well in covering up what happened.

He grows quiet as his thoughts drift, glancing over to Joonghyuk after. ]

..Assuming he's still okay. [ He thinks of the items found on Kai's person. ] But, if he's true to his word he won't give up that easily.

[ Yet, the reader is worried. ]

[ Joonghyuk doesn't think of the Pokemon too difficult from animals, so he isn't surprised to see them feast. If anything, he's surprised by how friendly many of the Pokemon are to humans.

He keeps tossing them, making sure that each Ursaring gets a piece. ]

Do you know if concepts bleed? I couldn't have checked.

[ Because... You know... Laurent wasn't a Concept when he was in Vella. He was turned back to a regular human. The implication here that he could have stabbed him, but he didn't. Okay. ]

[ (Oprah voice) You get a piece, and you get a piece as well- look at them go. So happy with a free meal. Siwoo drapes across with slow swishes of his tail, curiously looking at the both of them. Will they get food next?

Dokja seems to lightly tap his nose. Don't give him a hungry look. He refuses to feed anything of Kai to you, Siwoo. You deserve a delicious meal, not garbage. ]

I assume so. At least, Laurent didn't make it seem like they're too different from humans. Not to mention it would be strange for him to try and entice a reaction out of us with someone else's blood. [ Assuming he was trying to entice a reaction in the first place. ]

[ And they keep feeding and feeding until they have no more body parts left. The Ursaring eat it all well and leave no leftovers whatsoever. ]

We're human. The sight of blood is usually enough to make most squeamish.

[ And it's time for them to leave, maybe for Joonghyuk to wash his clothes somewhere while it's still dark. Minji wrinkles her nose as she looks up at both of them. While she isn't hungry, she does wonder what happened between the three of them.

Joonghyuk only gives her a look and she assumes it's something she doesn't need to understand. Without another word, he starts heading back to their camping site.

And.

The bears are following. ]

I guess so.

[ Right, things like this.. isn't exactly normal. With how use he's gotten to their world line, it has him numb to events like this. How he barely bat an eye when Joonghyuk reached out and snapped the man's neck. A soft yawn sounds next to his ear, glancing at Siwoo who continues to lounge on the reader's shoulders with a sleepy look now.

Looking to Minji, he sees a reflected curiosity and merely smiles over to her. It's alright, nothing for you two Eevees to worry about? Dokja tilts his head to indicate for her to follow them, going after Joonghyuk starts to walk. He would offer to carry Minji as well but he's already gotten lectured to not to spoil them both too much.

Too late with Siwoo. He's spoiled him plenty by now. The walk back is mostly pleasant except he.. knows they're being followed. After a minute of it does he finally open his mouth. ]

..Joonghyuk-ah. [ He doesn't need to say. Just a glance back at the bears is enough to get looks that seem to say "More food?" ]

[ Why you treat Siwoo like a baby? You see Minji is an independent Eevee, but you... You have made Siwoo a child. Joonghyuk continues on, heading towards the lake to catch some water to wash, then to drain it into the soil or something. ]

We don't have any food left.

[ The Ursarings look pretty sad about his announcement, but they don't stop following. They make longing noises—more human flesh!! Fortunately, they aren't too loud. ]

... They're not leaving.

[ Siwoo is but baby. As soon as they reach the lake does he crouch down, letting Siwoo hop onto the grass who does a little stretch before looking to the group they've seem to have attracted. ]

At least not of that kind. [ He muses, he does have some berries but... They don't stock up on dead bodies. ]

..They aren't going to try and eat us, right? [ Just. A little worried. At least they seem pacified. ]

[ When Siwoo is let down, Minji is quick to pounce on him!! What fun is it to be carried up there when you can be down here and play with her?! ]

I don't think so. They seem rather friendly.

[ Because, well, they fed them. The bears are a little demanding? And decide to sit by the lake with them as Joonghyuk takes some stray bucket and uses it to wash his gloves and hands. ]

[ Siwoo squeaks in surprise! Falling over as a weight pounces on him, but he's happy to wrestle with her and play. Here comes a fluffy bury as he collapses onto her. ]

Well, long as we aren't their next meal it's fine. [ He does look amused as they sit by the lake. Taking a moment to wash his own hands, though there's no blood on him or anything.. his mind keeps reflecting back to the blood that was shown to them.

He starts to search his bag, pulling out some berries that he places in a nearby bear's paw. Here. But no more, he doesn't have a lot? So share with others. ] That's it, alright?

So I guess our next objective is just to keep going. We had it easy with Tom Nook, since he did help us work to finding a way back home before. [ And so far, nobody seems to even know anything here. Even the two that have been here for sometime now. ]

[ At least the Eevees are wholesome while these two are basically ruminating after a murder. Once he has clean his gloves, he dumps the bloodied water into the soil to soak. The smell and color is diluted, so no one should be able to pick it up except for possibly Pokemon.

The Ursaring seems happy to get a berry! But then they start talking amongst themselves. Why do you get the berry?? And so forth, they all wrestle for it in the background. ]

... That world really was too convenient.

[ Tom Nook was doing his best despite the chaos at the beginning. Joonghyuk wrings the water out of his gloves before stowing it into an inside pocket. ]

The locals here don't seem to know anything, so our only choice is to check the rest of the world if possible.

[ Looking up, even if it's dark, it's easy to tell there are some dark clouds ready to rain. ]

[ Wholesome Eevees just romping about while these two hide evidence of murder. Dokja just watches the Ursaring move onto wrestling and decides yeah he's no longer involved with this. He's going to move on and hope these Pokemon do too. ]

A lot of it was handed to us.

[ Anything they asked, was more or less given to them. Dark eyes watch his companion as he finishes his tasks before he leans just a bit against his side with an observing gaze. ]

That could take some time. We could be here much longer than just two months. [ He grows quiet after saying that, letting the thought sit. ]

[ Quickly, Joonghyuk tries to disperse those worries. While he doesn't lean back, knowing well he might topple Dokja over, he makes sure to stay steady for him. ]

Our allies will do fine without us for a bit... And we'll get out of this alive.

[ Once all the water is wrung out of his gloves, he has to leave it to try, but he wants to head back to their camping site. Peeking over, he checks the Ursaring. Still wrestling. ]

We should leave before their attention turns back to us.

Edited 2020-09-11 22:36 (UTC)

SEPTEMBER INTRO LOG

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ 09/01 The Arrival

→ 09/01 The Surroundings

→ 09/02 The First Meeting

→ MOD NOTES

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