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

[ If the children wanted to rob him, then they had to be prepared to get robbed themselves. That's how the cookie crumbles in the Pokemon world where you can take the Elite Four's bank at the age of ten.

The statement gets his attention, now ignoring the bundle of kids trying to beat him up. ]

You almost sound confident.

[ Have a rather piercing gaze, Itaru. The Eevee however wags her giant tail as she looks up at him with her knife in mouth. ]

[ well, can't argue with that. he returns joonghyuk's look with a smile of his own, completely undeterred. ]

I'm just saying that you should pick on people your own size. I can take you on, if you want.

[ his rowlet peeks from his bag, still fiddling with his smartphone. don't underestimate the little guy though, he's aiming for his trainer's high score. ]

[ Joonghyuk blinks once, twice, and scans Itaru real quick. ]

You're almost two inches shorter.

[ But that isn't a no. The kids seem to be cheering, too? Go fluffy man (that is what they'll call Itaru)! Beat that sooty guy up—via Pokemon, not actually beat him up. ]

Winning against me won't change anything.

[ The kids would still be angry. At least Minji is in a good mood? She's bouncing around with her knife, fortunately not stabbing anyone yet. ]

[ uwah, these kids sure are cute for being so bloodthirsty to see two adults about to duke it out. itaru's going to smile and wave at his little cheerleading squad before he turns to look at joonghyuk once more. ]

It probably won't, but my Rowlet will appreciate the EXP either way.

[ rowlet then flutters out out of itaru's bag and lands on the ground before him in position. the sight of eevee with a knife is a little daunting but! let's see here. ]

Okay, buddy. Try using Growl first. [ maybe that'll make her drop the knife? ]

... This isn't a videogame.

[ Even though the culture makes it feel like one. However, Joonghyuk would know it isn't a game since he killed someone earlier and he can still feel the warmth of their blood on his hands.

Joonghyuk, as procedure of Pokemon battles, waits for Rowlet to use growl first. However, Eevee doesn't quite wait. Instead, she goes in and whacks the dull hilt of her fine blade into the round friend. ]

[ he's really saying that while they're in a pokemon world. though maybe itaru shouldn't think that this place would function like the games themselves, because eevee just did a-- ]

What the hell kind of Pokemon move is that...?

[ he can't help but mutter under his breath. is that legal? there are items that help induce more damage to other pokemon in battle, but a knife is just taking it too far.

well, if that guy's going to play dirty then it's on. ]

Keep your distance! Stay in the air and use Leafage!

[ rowlet complies and launches back into their air, and unleashes a flurry of leaves with a swing of his wings. he may be aiming for the knife in hopes of disarming her. ]

It isn't a move.

[ Joonghyuk, this whole time, hasn't done anything at all yet? And despite that, he's being accused??? Of cheating?? Just because his Eevee's comfort item is a knife? He isn't in complete control of her... She just wanted to greet round friend.

Eevee isn't fast enough to dodge the leaf storm that hits her. Instead, she stands her ground and grits her teeth into her knife to keep it from flying away. ]

Sand attack.

[ Despite her show earlier, she does listen to Joonghyuk and turns to show her hind, kicking up dirt and debris straight at Rowlet. Into the eyes!! ]

[ they can do a meet-and-greet after this battle, once eevee puts that knife down. because it's totally cheating? just because Normal-types have normie moves it doesn't mean they can't pull off neat tricks, like that sand attack just now.

at least joonghyuk seems to know the names of some moves. it levels the playing ground a bit, armed eevee aside. ]

You okay? Try Leafage again.

[ and rowlet whips up another leafy barrage, only for its to miss eevee by a couple inches. crap, his accuracy...! ]

Edited 2020-09-04 12:55 (UTC)

[ The kids did well in teaching Joonghyuk what Eevee should know at this level! He had good teachers even if they have turned on him for surpassing them.

Even though Eevee takes the leaves that do fly her way, her tail flicks back and forth, ready for the next command. Joonghyuk is cool about this all, merely standing behind with his arms crossed. ]

Tackle.

[ She lowers herself for the pounce, then launches toward Rowlet with a full body hit. Fortunately for the other team, the growl lessened the force. ]

[ that is fortunate. at the very least, eevee doesn't seem to be using the sharp end of her knife so maybe this is going to be a fair fight after all.

rowlet takes the hit, and itaru's thankful that the tackle didn't do much damage than usual. still, rowlet has to shake his round head a bit to get rid of the dizziness and the sand from his eyes. ]

Go back up! Try Tackling her from the back.

[ it worked during his battle with sagi earlier, so maybe it's going to work this time? at any rate, rowlet will keep an eye out for a blind spot and divebomb her. ]

[ ... Where does Rowlet's head begin and end? Joonghyuk strokes his chin as he watches the round owl take flight again after taking a tackle to the chest(?), stomach(?). The order given by Itaru is very specific and Joonghyuk has to at least commend him for it. ]

Covet.

[ Are you ready for the sparkles? Even if Eevee has a knife, she's cute. She's fluffy. And hearts start to form around her as she chases after the Rowlet, then tries to paw at her opponent.

She's begging. And in the world of Pokemon, it does damage for some reason. ]

[ apparently it involves stealing the held item of an opponent pokemon. but rowlet doesn't have anything on him? nothing but a very round fluffy head and body.

but his spherical qualities don't really make a difference as he's knocked back onto the ground, making a >_< face as it makes contact with the earth. itaru purses his lips, trying to figure this out - the two pokemon seem to be evenly matched, but: ]

Wouldn't it be too much to ask to make her ditch the knife before she delivers the final blow?

[ now that he'd allow them opposing team to win, but. come on. ]

[ Eevee just wants a little gift, Rowlet? Please give her something? When the owl falls, her act ends and she's back to waiting for commands. Joonghyuk also assesses the battle and sees that this can tip to either side. Despite that, he doesn't seem worried. ]

It's her comfort item. [ Who is he to take away something that is equivalent to a child's first teddy bear? ] They're still cheering for you.

[ The kids have a hard time realizing that Itaru doesn't mean to forfeit and try to encourage him to keep going. You know those cheesy lines from the movies? The kids are spilling all of it out—"believe in yourself!" ]

[ rowlet has nothing to give but love! and a wingful of sharp feathers. okay but - on one hand, he totally gets that. his very own smartphone can be considered his comfort item, in fact. he wouldn't know how to survive life without it. not to mention that there are other pokemon in various media carrying their iconic items around them...

itaru looks up at yjh's words, the children's cheers ringing in his ears. not that he's not feeling confident before, but it's given him a bit of a push tbh. ]

So this is... the power of friendship, huh.

[ not really

but he'll dramatically throw out his hand for his last command. ]

Then let's finish this. Give her one last Leafage, Rowlet!

[ rowlet quickly recovers onto his feet with a hoot! and with another swing of his wing, delivers what's going to be his final blow. because hey, STAB always works. ]

[ Joonghyuk finds it somewhat amusing that the kids are so into it, even if he finds this a waste of time. However, as he thinks this through, it's good experience for his Eevee.

Minji braces herself with ears perked up on high alert, eyes narrowing at the leaves aimed towards her. ]

Try to dodge as many leaves as you can, then tackle it.

[ And she does her best. With swift movements, she dodges a couple of leaves, not all of them, then tries to charge in for another tackle. Unfortunately, she's taken too much damage from the beginning and topples over. The winner has been named.

Joonghyuk doesn't look disappointed, almost like he predicted the outcome. In a couple of steps, he picks up his Eevee and becomes obscured by the bundle of kids racing to and crowding around Itaru. You're so cool, onii-chan. Uwah. ]

[ well, what do you know - STAB prevails in the end. but if anything, itaru's just relieved that he and rowlet came out of the battle without getting stabbed by an armed eevee for real. he smiles and waves at the kids gathered around him, laughing as they shower him with a lot of praise. "let's battle again sometime, nii-chan!" "i wanna be like you when i grow up!", stuff like that...

ah. to be young, hip, and free.

once the kids have run off to do their own pokemon battles with one another, itaru walks over to yjh, his rowlet perching on top of his head. how is eevee, chirp chirp? ]

Not gonna lie, that battle had me on the edge of my seat. [ he extends a hand. ] GG.

[ To think kids want to grow up to be a twink like Itaru is beyond him—-I’m kidding. Joonghyuk isn’t paying much attention to the praise the children shower the winner. Instead, he has his Eevee scooped in one arm (blade pointing out) and making sure she’s comfortable.

When Itaru approaches, his gaze shifts to him, but he only offers silence as Eevee buries her face into his chest. Overall, she’s okay! How can she not be when she’s being carried? Look at her bushy tail wiggle.

Joonghyuk, in comparison, visibly grimaces when he hears the ending phrase. An audible... GG. ]

“Good game” is the same amount of syllables.

[ why wouldn't anyone want to kin itaru, huh. please don't make me type that sentence again hei i beg you.

itaru will ignore joonghyuk's internal cringing and presses on. ]

Oh, so you do get what I'm saying. Guess you're not above that kind of lingo yourself.

[ he grins like haha gottem ]

Seriously, though. Where'd she get that knife, anyway?

Edited 2020-09-11 07:16 (UTC)

I don’t see why I would be.

[ Nothing wrong with gaming, just saying lingo out loud like that... A little cringe. At this point, Joonghyuk is going to brace himself for a possible “lol” or “pog.”

Minji peeks at Itaru when she hears the word “knife.” She sees you’re interested in her fine blade. ]

She was trying to fish with it when I found her.

[ Basically, he has no clue. ]

[ he will inevitably say lol out loud. pog, though, is much too powerful to unleash in a tag so everyone is spared from hearing it outside of brackets for now.

but he is pretty intrigued with her fine blade, yes. and so is rowlet, head tilting a complete 90 degrees in sheer curiosity. ]

Well, that's kind of a relief? [ he guesses??? ] And here I thought you just made her hold it for an advantage in battle. Poor Rowlet thought he's gonna get skinned alive the entire time, haha.

[ hey! rowlet's going to noogie his fluffy hair for that! he was so not scared! ] Ow, ow, I'm kidding-!

[ I would barf if I had to read pog outside of brackets. He gives Itaru an incredulous look. Yes, he likes swords (not that anyone knows yet), but to give a random critter a knife...?

Do regular people just do that? ]

... How would it be an advantage in battle? Wielding a blade with your mouth requires more training while using what you have at the moment is more efficient.

[ Of course, he says this methodically, like he thought about this before. ]

She still needs more time before she can skin anything. Stabbing is completely different.

[ Minji, the future skinner, paws at Rowlet from where she is. It doesn't seem like she has any intention on skinning anyone... She just likes the knife. ]

[ itaru returns yjh's incredulous look with a blank one. he's been through a Lot in his various worldhops to the point that handing an animal a knife wouldn't faze him at all at this point, but... hm. ]

You sure know a lot. Speaking from experience?

[ has joonghyuk done something like that before? wow. meanwhile rowlet will nuzzle her back with his beak! carefully though, wouldn't want to get stabbed on accident. ]

Still, there'll come a time where she wouldn't be able to hold that... comfort item of hers... so you may as well try to acclimate her without it.

... If you can't defend yourself, then you might as well be dead.

[ Which should be telling enough what kind of background he's from, but Minji is too much of a bundle of fluff to add to his dark bad boy visage.

It's all right. Minji doesn't try to stab Rowlet. Instead, she merely rubs her beans against his cheeks like she's giving him a massage. Joonghyuk looks down at her, happy with her knife. ]

I'll make her a harness.

[ So that she doesn't have to hold it in her mouth. It'll just be an accessory instead. ]

[ oh jeez, dial back on the edge there. he'd say that he didn't ask, but... he did ask... still, the sight of eevee being a cute little shit in joonghyuk's arms is pretty funny and itaru's doing all he can not to laugh. ]

Ehh. Now that's a fashion statement in the making. Might as well make her a little bag while you're at it.

[ you know, in case she needs a place to put in items she's going to covet. rowlet trills happily at the cheek massage, though! eevee toebeans... ]

Oh yeah, name's Chigasaki Itaru. Almost forgot.

[ Ask and you shall receive maybe like... 40% of the time. ]

If she ends up collecting more, I'll consider it. A scabbard for now will do.

[ He shifts her a bit so she's comfortable again since she fussed and tossed trying to rub Rowlet's face with her paws. ]

Yoo Joonghyuk. [ Oh, the kids are cheering again. Chi-ga-sa-ki I-ta-ru!!! ] You seem to know more about this world than the rest.

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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