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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2025 8:51 pm
Oh. That was absolutely not at all what she was expecting a Lapras to do. Apparently their endangered status might not be due to poachers alone after all if this was the gut instinct response to a trio of voracious landslides barreling towards them. It also cut a lot of Leslie's timeframe to arrive and aid Cera in this whole disaster by a large amount. Looking to her Onix, she would reach a hand up to knock against her head as she said, "Grunt, Rock Throw. Aim for the legs of the one on the left." Feeling her Onix's tail wrap around her body, she would take a deep breath before Grunt whipped his tail around and shot the most hard-headed rock he could towards the Snorlax: Leslie. Yelling as she was sent flying through the air by her Pokemon, she would keep her eyes locked onto her charging target and raise her hammer behind her. As she streaked towards the Snorlax and kept an eye on its charge, she would swing at the leg it was standing on as she drew within distance. The sudden and heavy impact would immediately sweep the Normal type's leg out from under it and have its charge come to a screeching halt as it now fell to the ground.
Leslie would let out a cackle of victory as the charging Snorlax was removed from its charge and disappeared from in front of her. An attitude that lasted until she looked up and saw the entirety of that Snorlax eclipsing the sky as it fell onto her.
With the other valiant charge that was occurring, Cera's Larpas would slam directly into the other Snorlax that had been on the flanks. Thanks to the incredible momentum that all of the ice it had laid out allowed it to achieve, the Lapras would manage to hit with enough force to stymie the Snorlax's charge and sending it bouncing back. It would also the Lapras and Cera bouncing away with more much force and height though. As much as the increased speed let them adjust physics to their side, they had just slammed into something with some bounce to it and double their weight.
But it would result in a small chain reaction, as the slammed Snorlax would bounce backwards towards his final companion. The third Snorlax would bounce upwards as well, slowly coming into position for its landing.
Finally pulling her upper body out from underneath the Snorlax that she had assaulted, Leslie would let out a few heaving breathes before asking, "Is that the worst you can do?" To which the universe would respond with the airborne Snorlax landing on top of the small dogpile. Leslie's eyes would bulge open as the increased weight and impact came down onto her, arms flailing around like a deflating balloon as she attempted to somehow escape. The sole Snorlax still upright would attempt to resume its approach to the berry bins, leaving Cera with the choice of whether to assist Leslie or make sure that the last Snorlax was deterred first.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2025 6:02 am
[Festival Night] [Loyal Three Tribute]
As Amaranth looked up from her bow, she'd find the crowd had flocked around her and Gale. Her Pidgeot gave some nervous chirps, finding herself more overwhelmed than her trainer and trying to get herself a bit closer. The feeling was certainly mutual, though, nerves coming back as the flowers showered them and the ground and offers of mochi and a feast wre offered- nay, requested. "Thanks, I just did what came to mind, though... the mochi would be great, thanks... a feast?" She would've been content to just go back to the community center and decompress a bit, but it would feel a little rude to just come and go. Maybe it'd be a good way to learn more about the Loyal Three beyond what a few signs and a tribute offered.
With so many, though, she couldn't hope to appease all of them... asking them might not be in the cards, and even if she could get herself to manage the attention, she could tell her Pidgeot was getting more anxious by the moment and wanted some quiet. "I'm sorry, we really should go, but thank you!" Whether she wanted it or not, a lot of the offered mochi would be given to her one way or another. But she'd be thankful for it, and she was sure Gale would enjoy it too. After recalling her and getting somewhere less busy, anyway. She'd turn to leave, hoping she'd let the crowd down gently enough to let the five minutes of fame finish counting down. 5, 4, 3...
Wait, someone else had emerged from the crowd, with a suit that screamed like a neon sign that the man wearing it definitely wasn't from Kitakami. His appearance alone was enough to stop her briefly, long enough for him to catch up and shake her hand as if she'd just landed a job against all odds. Her stunned expression in the moment would break once the questions started. "That's my name, yeah, and..."
Something struck her when Pokemon Contests had been brought up. She'd seen a few on TV, usually with Cera, but the term and idea sounded familiar beyond that, for a reason she couldn't put a finger on. If anything, she found it weird that she wanted to say she was quite familiar with them, but to actually do so felt like a lie. She would give a nod, though. "Not in person, but I've seen a few of them. I haven't been in any myself either, so I can't say I know a lot about doing them... Also, er, Lisia?"
[Ogre Oustin']
"Lapras, stop yourself, there's no way we'll do much more than bounce off that-"
A scream and cry from Cera and Lapras respectively came as they went on a collision course with one of the Snorlax, bouncing off them like they'd crashed into a rubber wall and sent into the air for it. The Mew panicked before she managed to get herself floating and stop her flight, but she couldn't hope to slow down Lapras fast enough before she crashed into one of the bins, sending berries scattering across the field and ice. More panic came as she threw herself to Lapras's side, looking to her as she started to cry over the perceived failure. Despite it, there'd be a sigh of relief. "You're fine, good... look, don't cry, I'm not mad, just..."
THUD
The ground shook alongside a thud that felt like the world was going to fall all around them, causing the two to look towards Leslie. Or rather, her arms flailing from underneath the Snorlax that just decided to crush her under their weight, with the one still unscathed rushing for the bins. Thoughts of the plush she'd sought were falling through her fingers now, sighing as she resigned herself to going for Leslie. The berries and the prizes weren't worth someone becoming a pancake. A light aura of Psychic energy surrounded her as she started trying to slowly heft the Snorlax off Leslie enough to let her free, grunting as the effort quickly proved straining thanks to Snorlax's weight. "No... that is.... now get off her!" She shouted out, leaving Lapras to now panic and fire an Ice Beam in some effort to avoid the remaining Snorlax's approach.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2025 6:37 pm
Blizzard120 As he continued to listen intently, he would walk around a little to get a view of the ogre like mask then looked over towards the old man once more. Then the name. ‘Ogerpon.’ He doesn't recall if Freth said too much about that name just before leaving. He doesn't think so. Crystal and Darts were already gone to the headquarters after their fight. He didn't see Sub either, probably to go deal with the aftermath of aforementioned fight. Tristen had to shake his head when asked about the Ogre clan. “I can’t say a whole lot. I’m assuming they are Ogerpon sympathizers. If I also had to guess, they’re probably the ones that can outright confirm seeing Ogerpon, because they actively look for it.” Tristen said, headtilting a little bit. Once again, those pieces started to fall down, Occam’s razor putting in its work in Tristen’s mind. “I’m guessing you might have a hand in that.” "That is correct, the masks originally belonged to Ogerpon." He said, sitting back down with a sigh and rubbing one hand with the other. Old age and a life of woodwork hadn't been kind to his hands. "But yes, the Ogre Clan are a group of Ogerpon sympathizers as you put it, adol- young men..." He chuckled softly, almost melding his two 'personalities' in that moment. Guess he was still in festival mode. "The clan was created by my great great great grandfather who sympathized with Ogerpon. The story goes he was a young boy during the days when Ogerpon and the people of Mossui Town got along in harmony. In fact, Ogerpon wasn't alone during those days, it had a friend, a human. By modern terms you could say they were Ogerpon's trainer." The old man began to explain his family's lore. "According to the story told to me Ogerpon and its human friend were said to come from a foreign land to Kitakami. The people of this region were not very welcoming however, disturbed by their strange appearance. The pair moved up to and lived in the mountains away from the village there after. A local mask maker however took pity on the pair, my four times great grandfather, and made them a set of masks so that they may cover their faces and join in on the festivities of the yearly mask festival. During this period my three times great grandfather developed a keen interest in Ogerpon and the man and began to follow them around in secret, as what nosy young boys are prone to do." He said with a chuckle. "One night tragedy struck however and Ogerpon's friend suffered some sort of gruesome fate. The family tale does not say what happened exactly, just that my three times great grandfather, while spying and hoping to catch a glimpse of Ogerpon like usual, saw the man run back into their cave frantically and never come out again. The next thing he saw was Ogerpon return and soon after fly out of the cave in a blind rage and with a thirst for violence. It was after this point where the family story and the official story merge in that Ogerpon launched an attack on the Loyal Three in the middle of the village. After a fierce fight Ogerpon slew the Loyal Three and fled from the village, retreating back to the mountains, heavily wounded but having survived. Most thought it died of its wounds that day but Ogerpon survived." He continued the story. "My three times great grandfather would continue to watch Ogerpon from afar and note it would almost never leave its cave, not like it used to, only coming out when it absolutely had to for small amounts of food and water. My grandfather took mercy on it and began to leave it sustenance but never did Ogerpon allow him to get no closer than several feet away from the cave entrance. As the years went on my grandfather devised a way to make sure Ogerpon was taken care of, even if it didn't want to be, and created the Ogre Clan, individuals devoted to leaving Ogerpon offerings, some times disguised as offerings to the Loyal Three." He said letting out a sigh as he tried to stretch his fingers. "Ogerpon wouldn't abandon the village all together though. For whatever reason, perhaps as a way to keep the memory of its friend alive, it would continue to visit the festival every year, disguised by its mask, blending in with all the ogre masks my family make to help it move about in secrecy." The old man said with a smile. "And that, dear boy, is the story the people of Kitakami do not want to hear about the so called dreaded ogre of Oni Mountain. I to this day wonder what happened in that cave that night and how three of Ogrepon's masks ended up in the Temple of Loyalty up in Kitakami Hall. Those are the masks the Ogre Clan has tried to re-obtain for Ogerpon, all these years they had been guarded closely, it was only last night on the two hundred year anniversary that they were finally taken out to be shown off. Though if what you say is true they are now back where they belong. That makes me happy." Hideko smiled. [Note: Added more 'greats' to provide more distance in time after doing some maths.]
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2025 7:27 pm
It wasn't just the masks that made Ogerpon lash out, it was this human. He had fled back to Ogerpon, only to eventually die there and lash out. It didn't take a lot to maybe figure out what happened. This person was greviously injured; probably by those who would now call them the Loyal Three. Ogerpon's rage was fueled by perhaps the last words of this individual, to tell of his assailants and a last good bye. This morning got heavily somber, suddenly. Tristen was told at one point history was written by the victors, but really? This more sounded like history is written by those who perceive it. They only can give their accounts and things would get lost to time undoubtedly. And when accounts don't gel with the mass perceived view, then there's resistance. Loyal Three made heroes and Ogerpon made an eternal villain. A realization occurred to the Manetric hybrid, just then. He'd need to call Freth later to check on something. Tristen would proceed to write down the various notes, making note of the Ogre Clan, the links to history, where facts, both the perceived and the known intertwine. This was going to be probably an extremely long report. "Mr. Hideko, this has...not going to lie, its been a lot. Its honestly...sad, though. To be alone all that time with everyone assuming you're dead and mocked for being such a monster when that probably wasn't even the case. And for your grandfathers to have to end up holding that secret because no one would believe him otherwise...its crazy." Tristen said. "Never mind that even if everything did get exposed, just how much it would up end for a town like this. Is...this really okay? Is it okay just to leave things as they are?" Tristen then asked the man when he got done writing his last sentence in his notebook.
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2025 6:29 pm
Blizzard120 Tristen would proceed to write down the various notes, making note of the Ogre Clan, the links to history, where facts, both the perceived and the known intertwine. This was going to be probably an extremely long report. "Mr. Hideko, this has...not going to lie, its been a lot. Its honestly...sad, though. To be alone all that time with everyone assuming you're dead and mocked for being such a monster when that probably wasn't even the case. And for your grandfathers to have to end up holding that secret because no one would believe him otherwise...its crazy." Tristen said. "Never mind that even if everything did get exposed, just how much it would up end for a town like this. Is...this really okay? Is it okay just to leave things as they are?" Tristen then asked the man when he got done writing his last sentence in his notebook. "Many in my family thought the same, in fact every one of my fathers before me had the same thoughts as you." Hideko said as he turned to a picture of his father on his desk along many other pictures, picking it up, looking at it, and then setting it back down again. "The town is set in their ways, people need their figures of hope, especially in a place with so little to inspire hope like Kitakami. The Loyal Three inspire hope in people, have for over two hundred years and have helped the people of Kitakami create a culture all their own. How do you think they would act if you told them their culture was all built on a lie? That their offerings, their prayers, their very hope, was all for nothing? They would get angry, wouldn't they? Lash out even. Maybe even treat you just as they treated Ogerpon before and chase you off into the mountains. The mountains where the Ogre Clan makes their home, for example." Hideko explained to Tristen. "Is it better this way? I do not know. But I do know that the people of Kitakami do not wish to hear the truth, that is simply the fact of the matter. Besides, what proof does anyone have to show them otherwise? Everyone, save Ogerpon, is gone from that time, including the Loyal Three that may or may not have been the actual perpetrators. What is a lie is now fact simply because enough people believe it. It's a harsh world, ado-...young man." He said solemnly. Silence would fall for a few moments before Hideko spoke again, hearing his wife close the refrigerator door, she would be here soon. "Do you have anymore questions?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2025 4:24 pm
“I…think…that is it.” Tristen said to the old man, taking one more look at his notes, noting to himself that he needed to give Freth a call when he makes it back into Paldea. A harsh world, is right. Moral ambiguity abounds. Truthfully, even with all considered, this still didn’t feel right at all. Tristen felt like he needed to go out of the way and upend everything still, but to what end? He was told not everything was black and white and boy did it show. Tristen didn’t really have substantial proof. Just the word of mouth of a descendant of those who bore witness to it first-hand. Even if he had Ogerpon itself to actually plead its case to those nowadays, it was the word of the alleged aggressor to those who have fallen in battle against it. It would have taken nothing short of everyone going back in time and see everything play out and it’s probably not something that any thing capable of doing that would probably agree to do. And even if it was, just what would have meant for the village as a whole? What would upending their whole tradition accomplish in the long term? The way this old man describe it, they’d probably fall apart over the whole idea; their festival, built upon a lie. This report was honestly going to be lengthy…
“Mr. Hideko, thank you for talking to me about this. I came in here trying to make sure that I had all my bases covered in learning the history of the festival and the ogre for my school report, but now I feel a little like I need to try to do something about this.” His fingers drummed rapidly down the back of his notebook as his mind started to go through the various events as everything started to piece together the events in his head. New elements to possibly look at, if it was possible. But nothing that he was going to be able to accomplish before his flight back to Paldea, sadly. “Even if it is too late now, that the people here in the region don’t want to come off open to the idea, I still feel like I need to bring some justice to the situation somehow. Maybe justice is the wrong word. Closure, maybe?” Tristen said.
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2025 5:40 pm
Hideko smiled at Tristen's resolve, the energy and motivation only found in youth. Reminded him a lot of his grandchildren, particularly his granddaughter. "Closure. That's a good word." He said with a nod. "Well young man, if you can find closure to the tale of Ogerpon and Kitakami then please, be all means. I hope you succeed where many others have failed." Hideko said, looking around his work bench, his eyes immediately focusing on something. "Here, take this." He would reach for the item, a strange looking wooden Pokeball. "It's a kind of Pokeball my grandfather taught me how to make and his father before him, a Jet Ball. It's made from White Apricorns and a rare mineral that is sometimes found in the Timeless Woods. Not many people remember how to make these anymore. When you throw that Pokeball at a target it will move faster than any Pokeball you've ever seen, so save it for something that is trying to get away from you. Also don't try to curve it or anything, it only moves in a straight line."
Once Hideko was done his wife would show back up with a tray of lemonade, setting the tray down on his work bench and immediately going about handing one drink to her husband and then the other glass to Tristen. "Sorry for taking so long. Here you go! Hope my husband didn't take your ear off too much." She said with a chuckle.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2025 3:08 pm
Tristen stared in confusion as he looked at the Pokeball, strange in design it was. Wasn’t familiar with it in any capacity. An apricorn Pokeball? That’s interesting, though he never heard of a Jet Ball, before. He’s heard of just about any other weird variety of ball made from it. He was left to wonder if the Pokeball maker in Azalea town knew anything of it. Tristen would take the ball with a affirming nod. “Thank you, Mr. Hideko.” Tristen said. “I’ll be sure to make good use of it. And I hope I do bring closure to this Ogre tale…I don’t know if a report for class is going to cut it, but I’ll figure something out.” He said.
Tristen would then perk up as the wife shows up with the lemonade tray, handing Tristen a drink. One sip and Tristen immediately would realize that the taste of this was like night and day compared to the bottled drinks back at school. This lemonade had a bit of bite to it. The difference with freshly squeezed and mass produced made all apparent. It was good. “Thank you.” Tristen said to her. “But no, he didn’t. In fact, he gave me plenty to go on for school later. And thank you both for letting me come in to talk, it’s been a big help.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2025 3:58 pm
"Of course dear! We always enjoy a visit from the youngin's! Especially when our grandchildren are at school. Thank you for stopping by." The nice old lady said to Tristen, thanking him. Hideko would concur with his wife before taking a big gulp of his lemonade and then proceeding to compliment her on the beverage.
-----
[Some time later...]
The old couple would do as the elderly are prone to do and would talk Tristen's ear off for well over an hour, showing him pictures of their grandchildren, tell them stories of them and this Blueberry Academy they attended, and of course told them a little bit about their childhood here in Kitakami. A lot of chasing Bug Pokemon as kids.
Eventually Yukito would declare it was time for their mid morning nap and would show Tristen to the door while her husband settled down. While standing in the doorway she thanked Tristen again. "If you're ever in the region again please feel free to stop by! Oh and if you ever see my grandchildren please tell them to call home more often! The two academies do trips with one another so there is always a chance you meet each other. Take care, dear!" And with that she waved Tristen off, shutting the door only once he was out of sight.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2025 4:28 pm
Tristen would listen on to more personal topics of the old couple; it was the least he could do for the two of them for getting information out of them pertaining to the festival and the ogre. Though something did catch his attention. Two grandkids off to this Blueberry Academy in Unova. He never heard of the place and he hadn’t heard anyone actually mention the place in Snagem either. Was it newer? Probably not. Especially if Uva-Naranja and Blueberry had collaborations with each other every now and then. But the odds Tristen was going to be on something like that? Well…there was possibly a non-zero chance. After all, he ended up on a trip like this after all.
Now out of the couples home, Tristen would check his SNAG once more. There was still a little time before the trip back to Paldea. As Tristen walked back, taking a skim over of his notes again, it started to occur to the kid that even a boring little town in a out of the way region had its own mysteries that probably needed to be solved. It was interesting, if nothing else. Disheartening too, once some of the veils start getting pulled back. To think that a Pokémon was a scapegoat and subjected to mockery for generations and no one in the current era knows, living on the premise that this loyal three were the true heroes and are celebrated for it. It was a sad state of affairs, with all considered. It left the Manetric hybrid wondering just what he could do, if there was anything. To bring that closure. There was a lot to think about on his trip back to Paldea…
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2025 7:15 pm
Darksol88 Something struck her when Pokemon Contests had been brought up. She'd seen a few on TV, usually with Cera, but the term and idea sounded familiar beyond that, for a reason she couldn't put a finger on. If anything, she found it weird that she wanted to say she was quite familiar with them, but to actually do so felt like a lie. She would give a nod, though. "Not in person, but I've seen a few of them. I haven't been in any myself either, so I can't say I know a lot about doing them... Also, er, Lisia?" "Really? You don't know about the world renowned Pokemon Coordinator Lisia!? I'm surprised! Then again I guess Kitakami is pretty far out of the way..." The man said, muttering the last part to himself as he looked around. Did he figure Amaranth was a Kitakami native. "Doesn't matter. I think you got what it takes to hit the big times as a Pokemon Coordinator. Here, my card." Raoul Contesta said as he pulled a card out of his suit jacket pocket and handed it to Amaranth. The card would have his name, Raoul Contesta, and his work title; Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee. Beneath that a phone number and email. Chief of the Pokemon Activities Committee, huh? Sounds like an important person. "Swing by one of the contest halls in Hoenn or Sinnoh some time and show them that card, tell 'em Mr. Contesta sent you and they will get you all set up! I hope to see you on the stage soon! Take care, Miss Amaranth!" Raoul said, shacking Amaranth's hand one more time before disappearing into the crowd. Well, that was something.
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:31 am
The undisturbed Snorlax would manage to the oncoming Ice Beam, the attack leaving a trail along the ground that almost reached to where Leslie was struggling before it dissipated. The efforts to dislodge Leslie from the Snorlax dogpile that she had inadvertently placed herself in would go slightly better, Cera's efforts to lift the large Pokemon off managing to reduce the weight on her enough for her own strength to work. Unfortunately, having been pancaked underneath the thing with only her arms sticking out meant she had no idea what exactly the plan was and how to time things out. So when the weight suddenly lessened, Leslie would be physically dragging herself out from underneath her entrapment with all her might and now sending herself shooting out like a champagne cork straight onto the newly created ice runway that Cera's Lapras had so kindly provided.
Taking a moment to adjust to all the light and motion she was now experiencing, Leslie would soon identify the final Snorlax that she was mostly pointed towards on her barely controlled skid. Looking to Cera and her Lapras that were also nearby her ice slide, an idea began to form. Sure, a few berries might end up lost in the process but it would hopefully be worth the risk. Reaching out and securing her grip onto one of the Lapras' fins, Leslie would swing herself around to grab her other hand onto the Pokemon's shell. Digging in her heels and letting the momentum transfer into the Lapras. Grunting with exertion as she began to lift during the spin, Leslie would shout, "Time for free flying lessons!" And then she threw the Lapras and her rider towards the Snorlax, who was just beginning to dig into the nearest berry bin with abandon.
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