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're welcome.

[That feels odd to say, and it gives him a creepy feeling like he's in a bizarro world where people are nice and don't scream at each other as default conversation.]

Pay attention next time, you almost stepped on him.

[Jiro retrieves the Slowpoke, who has a fish attached to his tail and hasn't yet noticed. It's been there for five minutes. Jiro plucks it off and there is no reaction.]

[ With the game now paused, Nanami can put it down to properly look at what she nearly stepped on. Immediately, her attention is on the Pokemon and her handheld is forgotten. ]

Oh, a Slowpoke!

[ People think poorly of this Pokemon, but Nanami likes them. They're great in the games. ]

Is he yours?

[Jiro laughs; is that what it's called? It's definitely an appropriate name.]

A Slowpoke, huh? Little fucker doesn't even get a cool name.

[Jiro picks him up, and he proceeds to just flop bonelessly and drool.]

Yeah, he just... started trying to eat my shoe and I kept him.

[That's a valid reason. Jiro shoves the fish in his pocket.]

He's good for free food at least.

[ Nanami decides to put away her handheld for now, holding it upwards by her shoulder. A dark shadowy arm reaches out of her bag and grabs onto it before slithering back away. Spooky... ]

Mm, he's also really strong. If you evolve him, he can be a really useful addition to your team.

[He raises an eyebrow at the shadow arm, but things have already surpassed that weirdness here.]

Evolve him?

[The Slowpoke shifts a millimeter.]

He's fine as he is.

[ Aw... that's sweet. Nanami actually smiles at that because while Jiro is tall and looks a little rough on the edges, he's a big softie underneath. He's like Hinata-kun, who also seems all spiky and mean but is one of the kindest people that she knows. ]

That's good. You should always love your Pokemon. They'll be your best friend forever if you do.

[He snorts, because that seems to be what's happening already. The creature doesn't like to let go of him unless it's fishing.]

Most animals are like that, if you don't try to control them.

[He eyes Nanami's backpack, where the shadow arm had appeared.]

Is that what the shadow thing was, your... Pokemon?

[ Animals... Nanami doesn't know much about them. She knows some basics from the video games she's played, but she gets intimidated. It seems a little easier to deal with Pokemon, considering that she knows all about them. ]

Mmhm. I'll introduce him.

[ She turns around so the bag is facing Jiro. There's a bit of rustling before the fake head of the Mimikyu appears! Then there's a little more movement before the actual head (the "body") pops out. He's holding a handheld, similar to Nanami's, in one claw and with the other, he waves. ]

This is Kyu-chan.

[Jiro just stares at it for a minute, presuming the fake head to be the real one, and it looks very... off. He waves awkwardly back at the thing, which he classifies as a rabbit.]

His eyes are weird.

[There's no depth in them.]

[ Mimikyu pouts similarly to how Nanami does, but it can't be seen when his entire face is underneath the costume. You can only tell by looking at his eyes, which are filled with :T!! ]

Really? I think they're cute.

[ She's referring to his actual eyes, which you also can't really see since he made tiny slits to look through. On the other side, there's only darkness but it's still cute. Nanami thinks Mimikyu in general is very adorable. ]

They look drawn on. He kinda looks like a scarecrow rabbit.

[Jiro waves his hand in front of Kyu-chan, trying to see any reaction in the fake eyes.]

[ Kyu-chan leans back in order to properly see Jiro's hand but once he does, he does a small wave in return, though his is more of a greeting. Hello! ]

Oh, that's because they are.

[ The Mimikyu lifts himself out of the bag and gently moves to keep on Nanami's shoulder. He's thoughtful enough to draw the backpack closed so no rain goes into it. He even makes a cute knot with the string. ]

It's his costume. His real eyes are down here.

[ She points down at the body where the tiny slits are. ]

Eh?

[He can see it now, and it's so weird. The real eyes aren't any less disturbing, because they're hidden in the slits, but there's at least a bit more life to them. Jiro thinks he understands why Kyu-chan's hiding; he doesn't have the confidence to be himself. He glances quickly at Nanmi and to make sure no one else is around, because he's going to say nice things to the Mimikyu.]

Made it yourself, did you? You're a talented little guy.

[ Nice things!! This is so sweet, what the heck, Kyu-chan is so happy. He can't jump around that much on Nanami's shoulder like this but he still bounces up and down. He doesn't get compliments very often so he's overjoyed. He made the costume himself! It was hard work but he did it! ]

[ He's so happy that he actually leaps from Nanami's bag to land on Jiro's shoulder and to nuzzle him. Friend!! Friend!! ]

Mm, you're really good with Pokemon. You're going to make a lot of friends here.

[ Nanami turns back around to properly face Jiro again. She is glad to see that her Mimikyu is that happy. It warms her heart. ]

[Oh no, it's cute. Jiro reaches up to pet the Mimikyu, but it's weird because there's nothing to pet but cloth.]

I have a gift.

[He's, of course, not immodest. Slowji stares at Kyu-chan, his expression unreadable.]

There's a lot of different ones, aren't there? The Pokemon? Are there cats?

[He has a soft spot for cats.]

[ Kyu-chan pays no attention to Slowji, just enjoying Jiro's pets even though it's definitely through cloth. It's still nice. ]

Mmhm, there's almost 900 different types of Pokemon, so there are a lot of cats. You can catch a few on this island, if you want.

[ She can teach him how to catch Pokemon and all that. ]

900!? Holy shit!

[That was unexpected. It shouldn't have been, because they seem to be this world's animals and there are 900 species of insects alone on earth probably. Jiro's not sure about catching any, trapping them in those little red and white balls. But he does want to see them, it's an impasse. He could always let them go after, but he'd still feel guilty about catching them in the first place.]

Where are the good spots?

[He'll just observe them first.]

Mm, there are a few around the berry gardens, I think. They don't like getting wet.

[ They also scurry away if someone gets close. ]

In the games, you could just go out into the grass and find them randomly. It was a lot easier.

[He plucks Kyu-chan off his shoulder to give back to Nanami. He has a mission now.]

I'm gonna see what I can find by the gardens then.

[But something gives him pause.]

In the games?

[Something clicks; watching kids play little handheld things like Nanami's out in the schoolyard years ago, while Jiro himself had just hung around the edges of the woods and shared his lunch with crows. That's why it sounded so familiar. Pokemon.]

What the fuck? Like video games?

[He points to her handheld. This just got weirder.]

[ Nanami takes Kyu-chan back into her arms, holding him tightly while he still bounces his body back and forth. She nods. ]

Mmhm, like video games. Pokemon was a really popular series.

[ She taps on Mimikyu and he stops moving around long enough for him to reach all the way into her backpack. In one claw, he holds the original Gameboy, loaded with a cartridge of the first version of Pokemon Red; the one that was released along with the Green version. ]

This is the first game. You can play it if you want.

[The Gameboy is something Jiro's never seen; it looks very retro. He takes it from Kyu-chan and examines it. The screen is so tiny, but at least there's only a couple buttons. The on/off switch is labeled, so that helps. As the game loads, he squints at the graphics. He recognizes the Pikachu, but always called it "that yellow rabbit".]

People spend hours playing this shit?

[The pixel blob, which he presumes is a person, is standing in a garden or a field; walking back and forth when he plays with the + button.]

[ With Jiro playing with the Gameboy, Nanami moves right by him so she can peer at the screen. She's only 5'2" compared to his 6'9" height though so she'd have to stand on her toes and lean against his arm in order to ensure that she doesn't fall over while trying to even take a peek to see what he's doing. ]

Video games can be a way of life for some people. If they're having fun, there's shouldn't be anything wrong with that; don't you think?

[ If Jiro were to look at the trainer info card or the save data, he will see that the logged time on the game is 999:59, meaning that Nanami has maxed out the timer and has played the game for approximately 42 consecutive days...

Nah, they can do what they want. I just don't get it.

[He lowers the game so Nanami can see it better. It will take him hours to find that data, and he's lucky if he can maneuver this little guy around a bush.]

Why can't he walk through the grass?

[ Nanami will watch patiently and help guide him if he really has a lot of trouble with it. She has the patience to teach someone like Jiro how to play. ]

That's because that's not grass. That is.

[ She points a finger to the tiny screen to the small weeds near the bush. It's harder to tell what is what in an old black-and-white game with a tiny screen. ]

You can't walk into bushes. Just like in real life.

This is annoying!

[He's done already, tossing the Gameboy into the lake.]

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ 09/01 The Arrival

→ 09/01 The Surroundings

→ 09/02 The First Meeting

→ MOD NOTES

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