|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:45 pm
Tristen and Freth would eventually find themselves making their way back across the town. Tristen had to admit he hadn’t been by this place, but the more that he thought about it, it seemed like this was the only store in the entire town, oddly enough. This store didn’t have a whole lot going for it other than the usual grocery affair. The people here really didn’t need that much; instead good with what they had. In truth, Peachy’s was best known for the various frozen treats they had, which was fairly interesting. Freshly hand spun Pecha Berry ice cream, the bars styled in the fashion of what they knew of the loyal three, and they apparently made a killing during festival time. There was something quaint about a store like this. If there was any issue about this place…apparently electronic transactions weren’t exactly a thing here. Which then made them realize something…is there no bank in this place? Where did they stash their savings? A sock under their beds? Freth couldn’t help but to sweatdrop at the prospect. She is assuming thievery isn’t an issue here…
Tristen would perk up, double taking a little bit then looked around, then behind him, seeing the girl with the camera, staring in confusion. Freth would wonder only for a second what got Tristen’s attention, then too also noticed the girl. They didn’t exactly ask for that one and she didn’t look like anyone out of any news agency. “Yea, you should have…” Freth said, crossing her arms under her wings. “I’m Freth…”
“Tristen.” The Manetric hybrid spoke up. Tristen then noticed something odd. “Is…that a Growlithe?” Tristen couldn’t stare in a confusion for a second, seeing the dense, seemingly rocky textured tufts of fur on the Growlithe that covered its eyes. Freth looked down and went wide-eyed, staring in shock. “Is he a regional variant? Are there those here too?” Tristen asked.
”Freth…” Eris would speak up in the reaches of Freth’s mind.
“Yea, I know.” she replied back to her. She knelt down to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating anything, but once she knew for certain, she shook her head. “He’s Hisuan.” Freth then said in the physical space.
“Wait, wha?” Tristen spoke up, staring in confusion. “Like your Sneasel?”
“Yea…” Freth said. In trying to research up her Sneasel to bring to Sub’s attention, she remembers seeing how Growlithe had a variant to its own those centuries ago as well. Truthfully, considering that Freth got the Sneasel in Kalos, she thought there had been some sort of time, perhaps maybe Ultra Space shenanigans that transpired that stranded the Sneasel in this era. But now, seeing this Growlithe started to bring all manner of questions forth. “How’d you come across this guy here, if you don’t mind me asking?”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2025 8:34 pm
Crystal arrived at Loyalty Plaza, tilting her head and reading the sign that explained the legend of the Loyal Three. She’d then walk up to look at the shrine itself, small, but quaint. She liked it, and it was quite apparent the locals took great care of it. Once she inspected it up close, she’d take a seat underneath one of the nearby trees and bring out a small notebook and pencil. Furious scribbles would begin to show up as the hybrid began to write in the journal, even attempting to sketch out the shrine. It wasn’t the greatest by any stretch, but it was enough for Crystal.
She’d pause when the old woman came by with the dessert, watching with interest as she went through her own ritual. She respected it of course, but those treats… they smelled sweet. She’d patiently wait for the elderly lady to finish before standing and walking up to her, closing the notebook for a moment. “Uh, hello there ma’am! If I might be so bold to ask, what kind of offering did you leave? Those smelled absolutely scrumptious, and I wouldn’t mind seeing if I could acquire some back in town… That is, if it’s not a food made specifically for them and only them.” She was hoping that they weren’t specifically an offering food. She was honest when she said they smelled delicious, and her supply of malasadas was somewhere between extremely low and nonexistent. So, something else to sate the sweet tooth might not be a bad thing.
—--
Aile looked at the sign when they got there, frowning. “Volcanic gases, eh? …Probably can sense them with tremor sense at least. Still, sounds like some of the Pokémon here might be fairly powerful. You game for this, Aden?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 1:48 am
When Monique got to Mossui, she wasted next to no time in falling asleep, the only concession to typical norms of slumber being to cast off her travel clothes and flop them on her bag. Her conversation with Darts was the only thing on her mind as it raced off to sleep with alacrity. She'd done a lot of Ultra Space travel and normally remembered it well, and she even remembered when Kia and Hālena joined her team, but... Why was the rest of Hisui seeming so distant to her, so foggy? Was this just one of those things that happened to Fallers: poor memory? She did recall Burnet saying something about that about the time she was rescuing her sisters.
~~~
I found myself back in Orre, the roar of the rowdy fans of the Under Colosseum descending on me. They had come to see their champion, and for whatever reason, they were wildly excited, louder than they were when I won the first time.
"Ladies and gentlemen... let us say thank you to she who made Orre rain, Missy Queen Boo!"
I was confused as to what that meant, but suddenly, the platform under the Colosseum floor rose as if a massive elevator. It rose up, up, beyond Pyrite Colosseum and into the sky above Orre. Yet this Orre was far from a desert. It looked lush, tropical, like a massive mainland version of Alola, verdant as far as the eye could see. I wondered how I could have done such a thing, and then I caught a glimpse of a certain purple floating shell. Tapu Fini. Of course. Just as she moved toward me... the dream stopped as I flipped over on my back.
~~~
Monique was last to awaken, finally getting up some time after the others. The hot water was already gone, which only made sense given the large traveling party in such a small town. It reminded her of days when the hot water didn't work in New Po—heck, there were days when it barely worked in Flower City! Luckily, it just so happened her companion Pokémon had a large fiery bone she carried with her at all times—perfect for heating up water for a shower. So all Monique really needed to do was fetch a bunch of water, warm it up, and voilà, just like old times!
...That turned out to be much easier said than done, mostly because finding a receptacle to hold all that water for Kalama to heat up was difficult and took the better part of 20 minutes. In the end, all Monique got hot water for was her hair with a side of mild disappointment. She needed her energy to explore this place, not to try and get ready. That's what Illusions were for, after all.
After tossing on her underwear a tank top and a plain knee-length skirt, Monique gathered her things and headed out. For the first time, she got to see Mossui, all 14 or 15 buildings of it. The town gave her quiet, Sevii Islands–like vibes, just temperate as opposed to tropical. It was like someone had taken the town of Three Island and plopped it deep within Sinnoh or something.
She'd already picked the one local landmark she was most interested in seeing, the one that truly seemed distinctive, the Crystal Pool, but her mind was starting to drift elsewhere. Oops, I need to eat. Having missed Sub's big bushel of apples, her stomach started to churn. She made her way over by Peachy's, hoping they'd have something agreeable that would be fuel for the day...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 4:26 am
Cera wanted to inquire more as she listened to Darts' attempts at an answer, questioning what it'd be like if she tried to actually read his mind. The idea still left a bad taste in her mouth, though, and the ripple she picked up on gave the hint that it wasn't the easiest thing to recall; her minimal knowledge on the Ultra Wormholes and time travel compared the two best known for them meant she had no idea what sort of effects it'd have on someone else. Confidential or not, let alone chances at recollection, the stress was plain. Words completely escaping her, she'd give a nod as she found her way back to the bus. Maybe the advice about Monique's perspective would be good to ask the Zoroark hybrid about. The rest of the bus ride had been as quiet from her as the start of it, up to the point where she dozed off watching the countryside. She'd be awoken when the bus finally pulled into Mossui Town's station, with the Mr. Mime responsible (and his Natu friend) giving a knowing look that she wasn't fooling either of them with her transformation. --- For Aden, things were a little different. Curiosity appeased as much as it could be in a short time, he'd see Aile giving a silent prayer, mentally perk and realize he should perhaps consider the same, and proceed to follow suit. "By the sacred flame, right?" He asked aloud, more talking to himself in the moment. He wasn't sure what compelled him to speak up, the words just kinda... came out. But he couldn't hide that he was thankful to still be alive after the encounter with the Ziton. Though Sub tried to pass off his presence as chasing a Murkrow when he noticed him, he was quick to give him space- with a very slight, knowing glance that he tried to hide. A sign that it was one memory that hadn't left him. Aside from the occasional chat with Aile to pass time (and a desire to mentally smack Reno upside the head for a certain pun), the rest of the bus ride hadn't had a lot go on. He'd otherwise look up some potential sights of Kitakami, in hopes of learning about some points of interest. He'd soon find an article on his SNAG about its so-called Six Wonders, becoming more curious as he read. He'd get out to stretch when the bus made its second rest stop, getting one of the heated drinks from a vending machine before returning. Dozing a bit some time later, he'd end up awakening when the bus stopped. Him and Cera both would end up in the streetcar leading to the Community Center, both finding their own rooms. Being so late, the others they'd bunk with respectively didn't get much of a thought, wanting to just find an empty bed to sleep. --- [Next morning] Cera would end up rising decently early, still keeping herself transformed for the sake of the others in the room as she slipped on out and to the lobby where she'd take an apple from the bushel once it was offered. "Er, thanks. Think I've had better sleep in some trees, though..." She remarked with a yawn, taking a bite of the apple afterwards. Pretty pleasant, she had to wonder if this was where Kanto or Johto were getting theirs from. "Think I shoulda looked at a brochure." "...oh. I thought I heard something in the middle of the night. Hey." Amaranth would be the next to come out, having already arrived and getting her answer on the familiar voices she was hearing now. And what stirred her from sleep briefly last night. "I'm guessing you all came in pretty late... good to see you all, though- ooh, apple." She'd be quick to get an apple herself after waving. "Anyways, everything been alright back home? Classes have been getting pretty involved and all, so it's been pretty busy at the academy." Almost as soon as she finished her comment, Cera had raced over to hug the woman. "Ammy! Kinda fine, bus ride was really long, I missed you and it's been kinda quiet at HQ. You still owe me that movie." " After I'm done with classes." A pout from the transformed Mew aside, she'd take a bite of her own apple and sigh. "Though would've been nice if this was completely a vacation. The ones sent from the academy got here a day earlier and they want to see what we get from it. A mini treasure hunt, I think one called it. Except with papers. And typing. Anyways, I'm gonna go get myself ready and do some more exploring before the festival." She'd go back to the room she was assigned to to finish the apple, leaving Cera to look around in mild embarrassment. "Er. Yeah, should probably explore too..." As she started back to get ready herself, Aden would finally come out, too late to get an apple as Sub had already went to put the bushel up. "Yeah, okay, we've found a bed less comfortable than the medlab's," he remarked, less than thrilled about the arrangements and groaning. "Look, I'm gonna go on ahead, couple of places sounded interesting when I read about them. See you all tonight?" He seemed pretty curt as he headed out already, a message sent to Aile's SNAG shortly after. SNAG "Hey, wanna come along to the Crystal Pool? Maybe... talk about all that stuff back in Paldea?" --- [Infernal Pass] "Unless somehow the Ziton is also that ogre or whatever, I'm game," Aden answered. "Been keeping my heavier hitters around. Though..." "When the hell did I catch a Poliwrath?"He'd shake his head and give an affirming nod. "Besides, if it's anything like the article describes, I'd imagine the crystals there would be neat to see." --- [Kitakami Hall] Cera's excursion found her over at Kitakami Hall, watching everything being put together and the children running around. She felt like she was here awfully early, probably where the festival would be happening later. The Ogre Oustin' thing had her attention a little, curious about the story behind it. She was inclined to ask, until seeing one of the stands being set up. A lot of plushes had already adorned the top of it, followed by a few nearly as big as the Pokemon they were of. Or at least big enough to sit on the floor. A Lapras one especially caught her eye, thinking it'd be cute to show to her real one. She was all too quick to sign up for it, finally remembering her question as she did. "So um. What's this Ogre Oustin' thing anyway?" --- [Loyalty Plaza] Amaranth, with her focus being at least a little forced by the academy, found herself over at the park. She hadn't had the best chance to see it yesterday, and it had her eye besides as her increasingly voracious appetite to learn about old cultures and ruins (and artifacts) continued to grow. She was quiet, though, deciding to take in the sight for now and learn what she could that way as she swiped a finger around to type on her SNAG.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 6:20 am
Darksol88 [Infernal Pass] "Unless somehow the Ziton is also that ogre or whatever, I'm game," Aden answered. "Been keeping my heavier hitters around. Though..." "When the hell did I catch a Poliwrath?"He'd shake his head and give an affirming nod. "Besides, if it's anything like the article describes, I'd imagine the crystals there would be neat to see." Aile gave a small chuckle. "Tati's always here, and honestly, Sarlaac's been a mainstay since... Since Orre, honestly. She's been a surprisingly stalwart little Pokémon. Well, not so little anymore, but still. Dega's actually repidly becoming one of those as well... I think I still have that Paldean Wooper on the team though. That, the Nincada, and AyTee. Enough big hitters to hopefully not have to worry." Hopefully. Hopefully things wouldn't shake out like Asado. Shaking her head, she'd bring herself back to the topic at hand. "The crystals might be neat though, yeah." She'd start walking up with Aden, keeping herself on his left side, once again trying to keep her left arm as far away from him as possible. Her eyes began to fall down on the ground, figurative Copperajah following them in the form of the subject of Paldea. Taking a deep breath, she'd finally ask Aden, "So. What do you want to ask, Aden?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 6:31 pm
"Freth. Tristen. It's nice to meet you both!" Perrin said, properly greeting the hybrids now, her Growlithe, Bud, happily barking in response. Perrin would intend to respond to Tristen's comment about her Growlithe and whether or not it was a local variant only for Freth to interject and point out what it actually was, surprising Perrin. "Oh? You know about Bud's variety? That's unusual, most people have no clue about the ancient breed of Growlithe. Yes, Bud here is a Hisuian Growlithe, with Hisuian being the old name of the SInnoh region. Another small fact most people are unaware of." Perrin declared her knowledge with pride, unaware that one of the people she was talking to actually visited the ancient land of Hisui once upon a time.
"Bud here is part of the current generation of Growlithe that has been bred in my family since Husui times. That is my family has kept the ancient breed alive into modern times, even though they no longer exist in the wilds of Sinnoh these days." She explained further as she knelt down and patted Bud on the head, the dog responding with a happy bark.
"Any who, what about you guys? Where are you from? Clearly you're not locals, in fact I think I've only seen one other hybrid when I came into town the other day. Ever since that bus rolled into town I've seen several more. Friends of yours I assume?" She asked them, then deciding to address the obvious. "I'm not from here, by the way, I only blew into town to take some pictures of the local festival. I'm a photographer by trade."
As the trio spoke in front of Peachy's another hybrid would walk up to the general store, however to the naked eye she looked like any other human thanks to her illusion abilities. As Monique approached the counter the man behind it would greet her happily with a smile. "Good morning, miss! Welcome to Peachy's! I don't think I've seen such a pretty little thing as yourself around here before, I reckon' yer in town for the festival, right? A beautiful woman like you will catch all kinds of stares this evening! What can I do you for? Might I interest you in some of our delicious local made Pecha Berry ice cream?" The man said to Monique, immediately going about flattering her and attempting to sell her stuff.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 7:17 pm
"To manage to maintain a species of Growlithe that's been extinct otherwise...that's...honesty a little bit of insanity. I'm left to wonder how that had been possible, because eventually Growlithe ended up losing their rock typing from the societal changes, let alone the urban expanses. Sort of in a similar vein to how Voltorb losing their grass typing to to be the angry metal orbs they are now. I am left to wonder if your family started to notice such a thing as the generations went on by." Freth said. Freth stood straight back up, but not before giving the Growlithe a few pets around the ears. Might as well be friendly to the Pokemon all the same. Once Tristen gave a few pets to the hound himself, he stood back up to look at the photographer, ready to answer her question. "We're all out of Jhoto, but she came in on the bus that started in...Cerulean City?" Tristen asked Freth to make sure he remembered right from the conversations he had so far today. "They didn't show up until early this morning when I was still asleep. I've been here since yesterday afternoon waiting on her. I came in from Paldea for a school assignment." Tristen said. "And me and the others that came with me are here on a very minor vacation, namely to see the festival that we heard about. We'll be leaving out at some point tomorrow." Freth said. Out the corner of her eye, she noticed Monique walking on by, which something Freth just now realized. "Why does Monique seem to walk around more with her human illusion up more than just simply conserving energy and go about as normal? We all know that she's a hybrid.""We do. Kitakami doesn't. Perhaps maybe ashamed? Self concious?" Eris suggested. It apparently wasn't lost on her either. "Maybe. Freth said to Eris. "So, photographer by trade?" she then starts talking to Perrin again. "So someone hired you to take pictures of the festival, then? Try to get more people to come all the way out here to attend maybe?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 7:23 pm
From her monitoring position, Leslie would feel absolute glee immediately followed by crushing disappointment as she saw her booby trap slowly draw close to its target before being set back into the bushel. How dare reality come so close to rewarding her efforts and then completely destroy the possibility. Sighing as she shouldered her hammer, the Tinkatuff hybrid would set off to see about this whole festival. She had heard mention of something called Ogre Oustin'. Maybe that would give her something to do?
----
[Kitakami Hall]
It didn't take too long for Leslie to find the stand that was for signup. Normally, that would've been from the balloons and the plushes adorning the stand to draw the eye. However, for her, what caught her attention was what she knew to be Cera. And she was signing up for the Ogre Oustin'. Sidling up alongside her, Leslie would sign her own name right alongside Cera's. "I dunno, but the name caught my interest. I'm hoping that whatever it is is cool with the hammer." Leslie said, meeting Cera's eyes and giving a nod to the transformed Mew.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 4:13 am
Tsuki the Lunar Wind "A Crystal Pool?" He'd ask, interested in something that he missed in between sleepily going over the guide on their drive here. "I'd wanna check that out too honestly, when's the Festival Start? If it's later tonight we probably got time to check both out before then." Considering they had only two days in Kitakami, Tsuki did want to get as much exploring in as he could. Then he'd just have to write a detailed enough paper for his social studies teacher to be satisfied and he'd have part of that class' credit handled. Regardless though, whenever Clare was ready to head out, Tsuki headed out of the community center to check out where they wanted to go. "It makes sense to ask locals if he's from here." Clare agreed. "Let's go, then! I'm pretty sure the festival doesn't start until around sunset tonight. "They asserted, pulling out their own pampohlet to check the time. "Uhm... yeah. We have pretty much all day to explore beforehand." They assured Tsuki before walking outside. It only took a moment of looking around before they spotted the apple orchards in the hills to the West of town. "Pretty sure we won't need much of a map to find them." They laughed. "This place is much smaller than I realized." They stated as they walked toward the orchard, seeing the many wild Pokemon that were milling about outside of town, more and more Applin showing up as they drew closer to the orchard. By the time the two arrived, they were beginning to spot Applin's evolutions mixing in with the Apple Core Pokemon. An occasional Flapple wound through the branches, an Appletun wandered about here and there and every once in a while, a Dipplin hopped by, leaving sticky circles on the ground where their apples made contact with the soil. "Oh, wow... I've never seen so many in one place." To be fair, they had never seen more than two Applin at once, so that wasn't a very impressive claim. They ripped their eyes away from the many wyrms in the orchard to look around properly and see the local hard at work tending the trees and harvesting what was ready.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 12:48 pm
"Sounds like Nidoking and Ampharos. And Umbreon, though sometimes she doesn't think she's as much of a help in battles as she really is. Still..." Aden gave a sigh as he started walking. Even if he was the one to initiate it, he wasn't looking forward to the conversation and the wounds it'd surely reopen for both of them. "Guess the best two questions to start with are the ones on my mind when you went after me. I know the Ziton was making you see something else, and it all came too quick to get anything out of you before... well." He went silent for a second, taking a deep breath. The wounds, by now, had healed about as much as they were going to. With a pressuring presence still holding true, he had a feeling the scars would stick for once. "So, what was it making you see back there? And for that matter, who's Malva? You were calling me by that name too, and I don't recognize it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 5:34 pm
Aile took a deep breath and pursed her lips, waiting for a moment before answering. “Former Flare members,” she finally replied quietly. “After the… yeah, others showed up, but at first it was just you as Malva. No one else was even there. Then, it turned the other Snagems into other Flare members. Blizz was Lysandre, Reno was Xerosic, and Sol was Chalmers. Malva’s butler, for reference. And it wasn’t just seeing. If you all were trying to talk to me, I heard nothing of it.” Her eyes would remain on the ground for the most part, occasionally looking forward to make sure she wasn’t walking off of a cliff, but she couldn’t find it in her to meet Aden’s eyes at all. “It was a lot of… Internal thoughts getting vocalized, so to speak. The best way I could say it. “As for who Malva is, I’m surprised you haven’t at least heard of the name. She’s the Fire type Elite Four member of Kalos, and hosted most of the Holocaster News Reports. I dare say that she’s probably the second most famous of the League Circuit upper echelons, only behind Diantha, a literal movie star. Yes, an Elite Four member was a part of Flare. She was still insufferable. Capable as hell in her role as propagandist, but insufferable when the cameras were off. She might have had more roles within Flare, but I wasn’t privy to them. We ran in different circles, between our roles in Flare and also being differing levels of nobility.” Aile would let that hang in the air for a while before finally asking a question of her own. “That thing… Did it actually get to you? I mean, clearly not like our galactic furball, but…”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 5:39 pm
SubonicXP "Hey! Hey you! In the mask!" A voice called out to Darts, the fact that it was he the voice was calling out to not immediately apparent, that was until they pointed out the 'mask' he was wearing. While it was not a mask Darts certainly was used to it being mistaken as one. "What are you doing here? The festival isn't until this evening. You trying to scare people during the day or something? There are kids around here." The older man scolded Darts as he approached him, the man taking off his straw hat and letting it hang from his neck by its string. "What are you suppose to be anyways? ...what kind of entertainment did they bring in this year? Geez..." He muttered to himself as he looked Darts While Darts was being confronted the Snagem leader would come walking outside the community center, immediately spotting Darts and the man scolding him. Sub would choose to hang back and keep quiet, to wait and see how Darts would react to this person. The hybrid could take care of himself. He pauses as a voice accosts him, whirling back to face the man in the straw hat as his routine cuts short, regaining his balance with a slight lean of his leg muscles before coming to a stop in front of the old-timer, the bottom of his jacket fluttering a little awkwardly as he rights himself. Darts looks the man up and down, thinking for a second before responding. Somewhat of a first for the gambler. "....Mask?" He asks, hesitating again slightly. Oh. His face, he realizes, as his hands reflexively go up and explore the surface of his golden crest, the helmet-shaped covering still slightly unfamiliar compared to his head, even after all this time. "O-oh, right, yes, I'm.... practicing." Practicing for what? Oh, right, the festival. Sub had mentioned something about it back in HQ, when Darts hadn't been listening and actively trying to avoid Crystal and Cera. "I'm just trying to get a full rehersal in for tonight's entertainment...." He begs off, holding both of his hands up palm-forward. "No offense meant, mister...?" The pause elongates as he leaves the question open, asking the older man's name.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 6:02 pm
"That's right! That's exactly why the family member that is currently responsible for their breeding, one of my uncles, raises them in Celestic Town! He has found that they were close enough to the volcanic influence of Mt. Coronet, coupled with the occasional visit into the mountain, to maintain their genetic diversity. Don't get me wrong, it has become more and more difficult to maintain the line as we do sometimes get regular Growlithe in a litter. It's doubtful it will last so it's possible Bud here could be one of the last of his kind." Perrin explained, her dog nuzzling up to Freth. "Johto, huh? I visited Goldenrod City once to participate in a photographer's convention in the underground. Met a real cool photographer named Cameron there, apparently he's fairly well known in Johto and Kanto. Ever heard of him?" She asked them both. "The town hired me to take some pictures of the festival, yeah. And for exactly the reason you think, tourism purposes. From what I heard Kitakami has fallen on some hard times lately. No one wants to live here anymore, raise a family here anymore. And the kids that are born here typically end up leaving town for the bigger cities. So with an aging population, low birth rate, and immigration things haven't been looking good for the region. They hope to salvage the place by leaning more heavily on tourism, make it a big destination to visit. And that's where I come in!" She said with a chuckle. "Thank you for signing up, ladies!" The nice middle aged woman said to Cera and Leslie as they signed up for Ogre Oustin', taking from them their clipboards once they were finished. "Wait, you signed up without even knowing what you're getting into? We have a couple of brave girls on our hands." She giggled. "Any who, Ogre Oustin' is essentially a symbolic recreation of the Loyal Three's battle against the dreaded ogre of the mountain, I'm sure you've heard of that vile creature. But basically what you do in Ogre Oustin is you ride on the back of one of your Pokemon and race around to destroy as ogre balloons as you can and collect the berries they hold. You then take those berries and stash them away back at the starting line in their color coded basket. You are then given points based on how many berries are in the baskets after time is up. The catch is not just the time limit and moving balloons but the wild Pokemon will try to eat the berries you accumulated so you have to worry about that too. Now you can work as a pair but you both must be on the back of the same Pokemon and cannot get off the Pokemon's back for the entire round. Make sense?" She asked them both. "Oh! And which Pokemon will you two be riding? And are you working together or separate?" "Shuzi! Mister Shuzi!" The man spat back at Darts, suddenly becoming very defensive after Darts' response. "Why you actin' so funny? Are you practicing to be tonight's entertainment or not? Can't you give straight answers like a normal person? At least that's how we are around here! Outsiders, pah!" Mister Shuzi asked, grilling Darts slightly, for whatever reason taking issue with Darts' relatively uncommitted answers. "Heeey! Lord!" Sub shouted, waving at and walking up to Darts, deciding to finally intervene, though for whatever reason not calling him by his real name. "There you are! I was looking for you. I wanted to go over tonight's routine again- oh! I'm sorry, how rude of me, I didn't know you were talking to this nice gentleman. My name is Delicious, pleased to meet you!" He said, extending his hand to mister Shizu who leerily took Sub's hand and shook it. "Delicious? That's a funny name, weird even! That a stage name or something? That really your name, boy?" He asked, again taking issue with small things. "Oh no no, it's just the name my husband likes to call me. Isn't that right, my Lord?" Sub asked Darts as he threw his arm across his shoulder and began to hang on the hybrid. Immediately mister Shuzi recoiled at this display after piecing everything together. The old country bumpkin would stutter a bit about needing to go and before they knew it the old guy ran off, wanting to get as far away from 'Delicious' and 'Lord'. Sub would happily wave them off and shout goodbye. "Well that was fun." Sub said to Darts once the guy was gone. "Did I go too far? I hope I did."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 6:56 pm
Quote: As the trio spoke in front of Peachy's another hybrid would walk up to the general store, however to the naked eye she looked like any other human thanks to her illusion abilities. As Monique approached the counter the man behind it would greet her happily with a smile. "Good morning, miss! Welcome to Peachy's! I don't think I've seen such a pretty little thing as yourself around here before, I reckon' yer in town for the festival, right? A beautiful woman like you will catch all kinds of stares this evening! What can I do you for? Might I interest you in some of our delicious local made Pecha Berry ice cream?" The man said to Monique, immediately going about flattering her and attempting to sell her stuff. "Morning," Monique smiled, the man's overbearing compliments both nice to hear and falling on deaf ears. Her illusion blunted the impact of this, but she turned up her nose a bit. It didn't help that his breakfast suggestions seemed to be led by ice cream. The products seemed artisan, with a few that looked like standard Poké Mart-type goods. "Do you happen to have anything savory? The ice cream I'm sure is delicious, but I don't exactly want ice cream in the morning. Unless that's a Kitakami thing." She heard Freth talking to a woman, a quadruped Pokémon excitedly running around at her feet, but didn't hear exactly what was being said. Growlithe, Hisuian. Fire/Rock. They patrol their territory in pairs. The igneous rock components in the fur of this species are the result of volcanic activity in its habitat. The automatic Pokédex recognition perked up, and Monique lifted her eyebrows at the word "Hisuian". After last night's discussion, her interest was piqued. "Excuse me?" She turned around and looked at the woman. "...Where is that Pokémon from?" she asked, hoping to naturally coax some information out of her. For someone that wasn't a Snagem to have a Hisuian Pokémon, they had to be the real deal of some sort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 7:00 pm
Rachel wandered around for a while, not really going anywhere in particular. She liked it this way; there was no hurry to be anywhere right away. She could see a few wild Pokemon milling about, some of them interacting with each other and a few interacting with humans. She didn't approach any of them, not wanting to intrude. As she walked around, she spotted what looked like an orchard of some kind, and decided this would be a good place to visit.
A sign informed her she was in the Apple Hills, which made sense, considering all the apple trees she could see. Hmm, this was likely where Sub had gotten the apples from. Curious, she walked into the trees, noticing a few locals already working on harvesting and pruning the trees. A noise from beside her had her looking at Rainer, who was looking at the apples with hungry eyes. Giving a chuckle, she approached one of the locals, who was happy to give her a few apples in exchange for a hand with the harvesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
