SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER TEST DRIVE MEME

[indigo_events]

➞ 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 | KANTO | SEVII ISLANDS

Feel free to make various prompts in multiple locations!

✭ ✭ ✭


OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
NAVIGATION | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS

Comments

Grant Abaroa | OC

[woofdad]

A - Lavender Town

It’s alright, buddy - I’m not going to hurt you.

[At first glance, it might look like this tall, broad man crouched down on the sidewalk - as far to one side as he can get, with his Swinub perfectly happy to lie on her side next to him - is talking to a shrub, or at least a very shrublike grass-type. But, no. In this instance, he’s more concerned with the Phantump peeking out from behind it.

He places a treat on the ground in front of the little Pokemon, then takes a couple shuffling steps back to give it space. The Phantump drifts forward in turn, eyeing him with what could be trepidation or just straightforward curiosity. Grant watches it with his good eye.

And then, decisively, the Phantump scoops up the snack with its stubby little hands and returns to the bushes with a playful little spin. Grant sits down with a quiet sigh as it all but disappears among the leaves again, and there he stays. He watches patiently, one hand braced on his cheek under his eyepatch, the other gently scritching his Swinub, while he waits for the Phantump to re-emerge.]

Hope I didn’t scare it.

B - Cherrygrove City, beach

[Oh no there are so many. So many gigantic crabs, which Grant is giving a wide berth as he makes his way along the beach. He’s coming to realize that he should really try just, not to be alarmed by any animals he comes across here? But, listen.

Crabs should not be this big.

He jolts a little as one scuttles past, giving it a wary look.] Are… all the crabs here like this?

[shiro2hero]

Do you want the good news, or the bad news?

[Says the dorito-shaped individual standing beside his banana dinosaur, who has settled herself into the sand, spreading big leaves out happily in the sun. He stands out pretty well - in his gaudy Hawaiian Alolan shirt, but the expression on his face is encouraging.]

It's not really that bad, though, I promise.

[woofdad]

Hm... let's say good news first. Might soften the bad.

[Grant gives an encouraging smile before looking up at the whole-ass dinosaur - partly because that's a whole-ass dinosaur, partly to keep himself from staring... maybe slightly too long at this friendly stranger's chest. Or biceps, metal or muscle. Dear god.]

[shiro2hero]

Some of them are smaller. When they first hatch, usually.

[Yeah, Grant, that's the good news. And hey, fortunately, any staring Shiro notices, he attributes to the whole ass dinosaur, and not anything about himself.]

[woofdad]

Oh.

So, does the bad news have to do with the "when they first hatch" part?

[Are there EVEN BIGGER CRABS???]

[shiro2hero]

Just... a little.

[Well at least he looks apologetic.]

They get bigger. A lot bigger.

[woofdad]

So, then-- [Boy he might regret asking this.] Are you telling me these are... small-sized crabs here?

[...Despite his apparent horror, though, there's definitely some baffled amusement creeping into his expression. Of course this place would have only gigantic crabs.]

A

[demonpuppy]

I think it likes you!

[Chip has been keeping behind Grant, having been previously stopped by their dad from charging right into the bushes to find the new Pal. Lazzo watches curiously from atop their head, his tongue flicking out occasionally.]

I mean, it woulda left if it was scared, right?

[woofdad]

Yeah? Why's that?

[He takes a break from his nervous bush-watching to glance over at Chip, a smile pulling at his mouth. They've clearly had a pretty great time here, surrounded by these strange animals. He really can't blame them, either.]

Maybe. Some animals freeze up and stay put when they're scared, though.

[demonpuppy]

They're not animals, they're Pals!

[GOSH, GRANT.]

They're not gonna be scared of a person, they like humans!

[woofdad]

Oh, so - they're not just a kind of animal, they're completely different?

[Boy he is struggling to keep that smile from getting too amused. They're so cute this is ridiculous.]

[demonpuppy]

Duh!! They're way smarter and faster and cooler! And they've got powers, animals don't have powers!

[woofdad]

Oooh, right, of course. The, uh... psionics, is that the right word?

A

[nastyboy]

...You feel a connection to it?

[Dimitri is not wearing his plate armor today, because apparently there are things like "cleanliness" and "hygiene" to care about and so he's been robbed, which might explain how he can just... fucking appear almost out of nowhere from behind Grant with very little noise. It's possible Grant heard him anyway, of course... but, without his plate, Dimitri is incredibly quiet as an individual.]

[He's holding a Tepig in his arms, and looking down towards the Swinub in particular despite referring to the Phantump... so, y'know, that might be a little confusing.]

[But mostly he's distracted because... boar... friends????]

[woofdad]

[Honestly, he doesn't quite realize how involved he had gotten in this Phantump-watching until this man just materializes. His Swinub snorts and rolls over onto her weird little feet to stare up at Dimitri and his Tepig.

Grant chuckles weakly and glances back at the Pokemon in the bush.] I... guess you could say that. I'm curious about it, at least.

[nastyboy]

[It's okay if her little feet are weird. Dimitri doesn't seem to mind, at least, staring down at her as well before he slowly sinks down into a crouch.]

I wonder... what draws us to the different creatures here. Or what draws some of them to us....

[He nods to Grant's Swinub.]

Was this the one that awoke with you?

[woofdad]

[Grant is kind of wondering whether he should be worried about this guy... he can't exactly put his finger on it, whether it's something about the way he talks or how he carries himself.

Or just the bags under his eyes. That might be it.]

Who knows. Maybe they remind us of... something from home, whether we know it or not? But I couldn't say, on their end.

[He sets his hand on the little pig's back to pet her again, and nods.] Yeah. And yours?

[nastyboy]

[What do you mean, he totally has a very normal amount of sleep that isn't plagued by constant trauma-based nightmares-]

[Dimitri nods, listening, before he quietly offers a hand to Grant's little pig.]

...Yes. A - friend used to call me a boar, often.

[It pings his heart a little, sometimes, to think of that. To think of how right Felix had been, and how Dimitri almost wishes more people had listened to him.]

[woofdad]

[The Swinub snuffles and leans forward, determined to get a sniff of this potential new friend without getting out of range of those Good Pettins.]

Really? Alright if I ask why? [He of all people knows: Could be a harmless nickname, could be a sensitive topic. The fact that Dimitri mentioned it might make the latter a little less likely, but it's still not impossible by any means.]

2

[cyclonely]

Uh, hm... [says John, stopping completely in his tracks to ponder this. He's really only confident about the original 150.]

There is definitely a hermit crab one that I see around the beach in Goldenrod...

[He trails off again, still thinking. Preacher, the Quagsire with John, mutters quietly to himself, a broad, doofy smile on his face as he begins to 'secretly' sidle over towards Grant. His feet gently go paf on the sand as he purposefully looks out at the water instead of at the man he's slowly approaching.]

I am pretty sure this is the only one that looks like a normal crab, though.

[He feels like that is probably generally weird for the environment? Like the...segments that he learned about over a decade ago in school. The levels that animals go into. That thing. There should probably be a higher variety of crabs but instead there are like. Two? Four if you count the evolutions. How does the Pokemon world even work?! He thinks it's highly probable that Jade might get kind of irritated about the world's biological structure. Or maybe it's fine because it's a game and she is already a magical furry.

Anyway, he's totally missed the real question, about the size, thanks to dealing with weirdly huge animals for years now.]

[woofdad]

[The way John trails off is not doing much for Grant's Crab Concerns. It's... also not as much of a distraction as that Quagsire might be hoping, and Grant watches him shuffle over out of the corner of his eye, too curious about what he's trying to accomplish to give away that he absolutely sees what's happening.

--Okay, actually, that's a little bit of a distraction.] The others look less normal?

[cyclonely]

Maybe...I don't know them from memory exactly. I was mostly talking about how this is a standard crab! Like if you asked someone what a crab was they would say, "This pokemon, only way less huge!"

[John digs his Gear out of his pocket and starts going through Probably Just Still Bulbapedia before showing Grant a picture of Dwebble. In the meantime, Preacher continues his slow approach, making his way to just behind Grant.]

See? It is definitely a crab but I wouldn't call it a normal crab.

[He goes back to scrolling and comes up with a picture of Crabrawler. Preacher is just standing there. Waiting.]

I think crabs can be blue but this one turns into some sort of abominable snowman spider when it evolves, which is pretty weird.

[Preacher finally strikes! With one moist hand, he leans forward and taps Grant slimily on the opposite wrist to the side he's standing on.]

[woofdad]

[Grant leans over to see the picture on the screen, nodding slightly.] Ah, right... I think I get what you mean. About the, uh... hermit crab one, less the-- what do you mean abominable snowman spider?

[Just as he is inevitably walking right into another conversation about how damn weird these animals are, having been effectively distracted from the Quagsire sneaking up on him, Grant feels a light, damp little bap on his wrist and twists around to see where it's coming from.] Wh-- oh! [He turns the other way to see the big weird salamander's doofy face, and lets out a quiet snort of laughter.] Hey, there.

[cyclonely]

[Preacher kinda makes a soft breathy noise like quaaahaha as he laughs and t-poses, and John looks up from his crab research to see Grant on the receiving end of one of Preacher's very few pranks that he rotates through. And...awww, it looks like it actually worked! John isn't sure whether Grant pretended to make it work or not, but the outcome is the same and he feels pretty warm towards Grant as a result.]

Sorry.

[It's a quick mumble as he puts his Gear back in his pocket and turns to face Preacher as well.]

Nice prank, buddy! Way to go! Your gambit is through the roof!

[Stepping forward, John grabs Preacher under his armpits and hoists him triumphantly into the air as Preacher excitedly yells "quaaaaaaaaaaaa! Then he sets him back down, straightens up, and turns back to Grant.]

Uh...right, yeah, I think it's called Crabominable.

[woofdad]

[Honestly, it kind of did work. Crab research was very distracting. But... he probably would have reacted much the same, either way. Calling the little guy out just would have been a dick move!

He shrugs, still smiling, as John lifts Preacher up.] It's no problem. Finding ways to keep himself entertained, huh?

...Crabominable. Interesting. [There is no hiding the amusement in his voice. These animals sure are named like That, huh.]