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test drive

October-November Test Drive!

TEST DRIVE MEME

➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
➞ Tag other people's starters and thread out shenanigans!
➞ Invite your friends! Try out new characters! Come play with us!
➞ Have fun!

NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN YOUR TEST-DRIVE JOURNEY?
CHECK OUT ALL THE LOCATIONS WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN:

JOHTO | and | KANTO

ALSO, AS PROMPTS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, and in the spirit of Halloween: August's GHOST TRICK event!

O-Bon festival: The streets are lined with NPC-run stalls for food, games, and the assorted tchotchkes of every summer festival you’ve ever seen in your animes! There’s Goldeen Scoop, heaping cones of Swirlix Candy, Test Your STRENGTH (there are two different machines for people and Pokémon; HM04 not required); basically, if you can think of it, it’s there. There will also be a yukata rental stall if you want to go full hog on the cultural side of things. Ecruteak boasts a small stage where the Kimono Girls give a short performance once every two hours; the festivities in Lavender Town are a little quieter, but they also have Haunter-shaped ice cream treats. When you lick them, they Lick you!

On the last evening of the festival in either location, there will be a large bonfire and traditional bon-odori dance in which everyone is welcome to participate. In Lavender Town only, they also set paper lamps afloat in the water past the cliffs.

Who you gonna call?: Remember “The Ghost of Maiden’s Peak”? Well, some of the local Gastly, Duskull, and Yamask seem to have gotten it into their heads that this kind of tomfoolery is somehow good medicine. If your trainer had someone in their life, someone now dead, that they have unresolved business with, these ghosties may take it upon themselves to play a little dress-up and follow your trainer around in the guise of said dead person until the issue is resolved. It’s their way of saying thank you for all the spiritual appeasement of the festival.

These ghosts won’t speak; Pokémon don’t talk, after all. So yes, your trainer is going to be followed around by some silent echo of their past who will not leave them alone.

Or, of course, write your own!

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A. O-Bon

[It's probably not surprising to find Reiner from the Test of STRENGTH. Actually, he's there with his Machoke, competing which of them is the better one. So far they've had tied so they just keep going. Reiner doesn't want to lose in strength to his Pokémon..!

After a crushing defeat, Reiner treats himself to some food and walks around looking for something else to do. Machoke has been placed into his ball.]

B. Who you gonna call?
HEAVY SPOILERS for chapter 74+, please read with caution

[Reiner is no stranger to being haunted. Many nights he's suffered from the phantoms of his past, needing to watch certain scenes over and over again.

Still, it's different when you're being followed by an actual ghost - even if it's a Pokémon pretending to be a human ghost. It's enough to get Reiner's mind all mixed up, swaying from side to side with his emotions and feelings.]

You're a warrior. You don't feel.

You're a soldier. You were supposed to save him.

He deserved to die.

Why did I let him die.

Because you made him die.

[All his thoughts are a jumbled mess and eventually he stops and turns around to look at the damn ghost of one Marco Bodt.]

Will you stop following me around?!

[ Mikasa is watching their STRENGTH battle. Hmm. She should get physically strong pokemon like that too to help with her physical training, that she has absolutely no reason to stop even though they are in a completely different world...

But not right now. Maybe she'll test that thing with the winner of this ... battle or test, whatever they want to call it. ]

[Sad but true, Machoke is way stronger than Reiner. Maybe if he was still a Machop, Reiner would have stood a chance.]

I'll admit your victory this time.

[Machoke looks very confident. Next time he's likely a Machamp so Reiner has no chance of beating him.]

[ Mikasa is as calm and cool as ever when she steps closer. Is it really that strong? ]

Quitting so soon?

[ A new challenger appears?!? ]

[Reiner looks over his shoulder at Mikasa, shrugging.]

For now. It's not like I can hog the machines forever.

[Machoke looks rather smug.]

Want to try wiping that stupid grin off its face?

_{[It's a face that's far too familiar for Bertolt's liking. His own ghosts have been shifting, constantly changing, most with indistinguishable faces, but they've all got one thing in common - the same questioning, pleading look that practically scream why.

At least it's easy to scare his own ghosts off, even if it's only for a few minutes by siccing Marcel on them. His Growlithe isn't big just yet, but he still packs a punch behind the blasts of fire he can produce.

It's hard to ignore the one following Reiner though, and after worrying at his bottom lip for a few moments, Bertolt reaches for his friend's elbow with concern on his face.]}

Reiner... I don't think he's going to answer.

[Reiner is very clearly stressed. It's not even clear if he's a warrior or a soldier. Which is bad since the others still didn't know about their real identities so this might cause some trouble. Not that Reiner is in any state to care.]

I don't want an answer, I just want him to go away. I get why he's haunting me, but I can't... there's just nothing I can do to him.

_{[Bertolt hums, his brows knit together as he tries to gently steer him away from the ghost. Bertolt's own eyes never leave it, silently trying to think of a solution. He could try sending his pokemon at it, but it's too much like Marco.

He never wanted it to go like that.]}

I don't think I could scare him off, either. I don't know if I can, he's...

_{[It's hard.]}

[Reiner is steadily keeping his gaze in front of him, just to avoid looking at the ghost too much. There are too many emotions running through his mind with just the appearance. Combined with the expression he had...

Without a word, he takes a pokeball from his belt, looking at it with a contemplative look in his eyes.]

I could and should. It's not like I have any sympathy to spare for the likes of him.

[Yet he's not throwing the ball. It's difficult, dealing with Marco and what they did. What he mostly did.]

He deserved to die just like all the others.

We did what we had to.

_{[Bertolt offers his arm a squeeze, his hand slowly slipping from his elbow to settle over the ball in Reiner's palm, his own fingers curling around it. They always did things together, right? If it's going to be this, he doesn't want it to be any different.

He may be a coward and weak-willed, but that doesn't mean he enjoys seeing his best friend in turmoil. How many times has he stood by and let Reiner handle everything himself? Too many to count for his liking. He should've done something when they had 'confronted' Marco, honestly. Maybe that would've helped.]}

...Right? We couldn't let him go. He would've told someone.

[The touch is calming. It feels good to know Bert is right there with him. That's how it had always been. They'd always been together. Even if Annie had held her distance, they hadn't.

Reiner was grateful for that.]

That's right. There wasn't any other option.

[Well, the only solution to the situation would have been not to say things that Reiner did while anyone could hear. A mistake he was careful not to repeat.]

We have nothing to regret.

_{[Maybe one day she'd close that distance, but he knows it's not easy. He knows he keeps a distance between himself and the rest of their comrades too, only letting a select few close and even fewer behind the walls he puts up around himself.

One of which died years ago.]}

Nothing at all.

_{[Bertolt hesitates, biting his lip as he shifts his attention over to Marco-- or, well, not-Marco. It's not really him and he knows it, but it's still...]}

...All we can do is make it painless in the future. When we go back.

_{[If they go back. The selfish side of him would rather stay in this world where it's safe. There was no real risk here. But, of course, the other side of him wants to return home. It's what they wanted all those years, wasn't it?]}

It's okay, Reiner.

[Jean approaches Reiner from the side, his head turned so that he doesn't have to see the Marco ghost. He knows by now that it's a Pokemon, that it's not really Marco, but that doesn't mean that he wants to see it. Not when it looks so much like his best friend.]

[That's probably for the best. This version of Marco is wearing a different expression than the one plucked from Jean's memories.]

I saw him, too.

[Jean's voice is an effective way to snap Reiner out of his thoughts. That's right. He didn't know anything about this. No one did, except Bert, and this was not the time or the place for them to find out.

Reiner nodded slowly and looked at Jean, not quite meeting his eyes.]

Sorry. It's just still hard to accept.

I know.

[Reiner had been on Marco's team during the Battle for Trost; he would have been right there beside him for most of that terrible day. He might feel the same way Jean does, like he could have saved him, like if he'd been in the right place, at the right time, then...]

[Jean shakes his head. It doesn't do any good to dwell on it.]

If you talk to him, he'll go away.

[Which is frankly the shittiest solution ever, but it's the one they've got.]

[Yeah, Armin will admit it, he's jealous. Even though he is losing to his Machoke, Reiner's form is still impressive. Reiner had gotten his money's worth when it came to puberty. Armin's, on the other hand, had over-promised and under-delivered; his growth spurt had been no more than an inch and a half and muscles? Forget it. Despite doing the same training as the others for three years straight, Armin hadn't become very physically capable.

Sometimes life wasn't fair.]

You nearly beat him in that round. Ever since he evolved, his strength has just gotten even more impressive.

[Machoke clealy knows what Armin is talking about and looks even more smug at the victory.]

Yeah, he's unstoppable if he continues growing like this. I heard he can even evolve one more time, so the only chance I've got to beat him is now.

[He's not ready to give up just yet.]

He's supposed to grow two more arms when he evolves.

[Of course Armin looks into all their new pokemon, their capabilities and evolutionary possibilities. How could he not?]

Even if it's you, that's not really a fair fight.

[A pokemon like that could probably even arm-wrestle Mikasa into submission. Maybe.]

... yeah, using four arms sounds unfair in all ways. Not that it would matter in a test of strength like this one. That much at least.

[But he'll likely be even bigger and stronger then. Just look at those muscles. He'll be a beast.]

Ah, you know what. Let's go grab something to eat, Armin. There's still time for us to compete while we're here.

[Reiner and his pokemon will be able to flex at each other and speak in the language of burly men everywhere.]

All right.

[Armin is fine with this. It's not like he is any good at any of these games anyway.]

Oh, there is something I know you should try.

[ Takaki's used to being surrounded by STRONK guys, given the meatheads enlisted in Tekkadan, but the Pokemon aspect is new and catches his interest. He doesn't say much, just standing with his little Pidgey in his arms, gawking a little. He can't help the little smile quirked onto his mouth. Reiner's trying so hard. He doesn't know who to root for! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

October-November Test Drive!

TEST DRIVE MEME

Reiner Braun | Attack on Titan

A~AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

is this the real life, no one's getting hurt

are you so sure about that if she throws him to the other side of the world

well that

Braun-busters!

still laughing at braun-busters ngl

tbh it was either wall-busters or that and I had to be terrible people

A+ decision

and here is a shoddy internet hotel tag!

<3!

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who you gonna call? probably a psychiatrist, that'd be a good start

that would be the best idea

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O-bon

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