ohmyarceus | January - February Test drive

Sounds like a glitch.

[Mando isn't going to address the comment about cats, because he doesn't really know cats that well. Being a bounty hunter isn't good for feline companionship.]

Mine has been acting normal.

[Mando's Axew, Mudhorn, waves from behind Mando's shin. Hello, new friend!]

I've heard there are interesting Pokemon around here, though. That could be what you noticed.

Suspicious.

[Okay, yeah, this is something Mando can sink his teeth into!]

They must be covering for something, or someone, else.

[Give him a few moments while he looks up Salandit and Inkay. He'll also glance over Fletchling's information too.]

I think Salandit would suit my needs the best.

If a Fletchling is fully evolved, can it support a human on its back?

[Riz nods with great enthusiasm, glad to finally have found someone who is taking this as serious as he feels everybody should be taking it.]

Right! That was what I was thinking too.

Personally, I think they might be connected to Team Rocket.

Who is Team Rocket?

[Give him the dirt, Riz. This sounds like a crime syndicate.]

Apparently, they are the main criminal organisation in this world-- well, these regions at least. Apparently there are more regions that we aren't allowed to visit, which, again, weird but whatever.

[Not being allowed to go somewhere does make Riz suspicious, but on the other hand, he wants out of this world entirely, not into a different part of it.]

Most of their crimes involve pokemon somehow. I know the rank and file members target trainers with rare and otherwise special pokemon to try and steal them. And I've spoken to at least one person who was kidnapped by them. They tried to press-gang him into working for them, though he managed to escape. Which, for the record, when they heard about this, the Jennies did nothing.

[Riz just looks offended. If you are going to be a fake police force, at least try maybe?]

I'm sure they are involved in plenty of other stuff too. I read old newspaper articles about bombings and, uh, some sort of kidnapping of a beloved sports mascot? Either way, they are bad news.

Its final form is usually a bit smaller than an adult, however, once it learns the move Fly--that is, a specific technique by that name, not flying in general--it's fully capable of carrying someone, yes.

[Mando listens to this explanation with all due respect and intensity, and when Riz is finished speaking, he leans back and drums his fingers on the table. When he answers, he definitely sounds like there's a faint smile happening behind that helmet.]

Good to know. Sounds like they're the group with at least some of the answers we're looking for.

[Which means he's ready to team up and start doing some recon.]

You interested in a partner?

And can still breathe fire.

[Hell, YES.]

Thank you for your advice. You've been helpful.

Edited 2022-02-13 20:06 (UTC)

Yes. Though take care in what you ask it to do while riding it, as it may not be able to effectively both carry you and use another attack at the same time.

*which is possibly just common sense but you never know!*

You're quite welcome.

Uh. In the interests of fairness, I should point out I already have a party back home so this can't be a permanent thing but--

Yeah, I wouldn't mind some back-up.

[Two people can ~~break into more shit~~ do more than one. And while Riz obviously isn't immediately trusting this guy, it'll be nice to have someone who is taking this as serious as he is.]

1. Network video || @ TigerDog

[ Geth was pretty sure he knew what to expect leading up to all of this. He'd just taken a seat at the Scrying Pool to peer again into the past for answers, guidance, anything, and the experience of doing so isn't exactly new to him. He had felt a little more himself than he thought he would (despite being yet again in a human body rather than the familiar feline bulk of a charr), but beyond that everything else had seemed just about right for...well. This obviously isn't Tyria's past and hopefully it's also not its future. But even there he thought he knew what this would be. He's ventured through the stranger parts of the Mists before, after all, and while a brightly-colored semi-Canthan locale with some kind of strange music playing from out of nowhere while unattended children roam around taming magical beasts is definitely far beyond the scope of a very tired soldier's imagination, it's not too far for him to accept that this is something that might manifest in the realms that veil Tyria's reality from all the rest. ]

[ Especially considering that said veil was dragon food until very recently. ]

[ So he settled well enough into the assumption that he should conduct himself as an observer in a Fractal or something of that sort, where he doesn't exactly need to lean into the role he's positioned in, but it will certainly be easier for him if he plays along anyway. Even "Mom"'s strange behavior was fairly spot-on for the blind familiarity of a Mists echo, playing out interactions not originally intended for Geth himself but rather whoever's shoes he is filling here. With a little quick questioning with the obviously-not-lucid locals and some research on this datapad - "PokeGear", rather - he has figured things out pretty well for himself. The person he's supposed to be here is a novice breeder of some kind, so Geth has intuited that his primary objective is, of course, to find some beasts to breed. Lucky for him, apparently he doesn't need to exclusively hunt down these "Growlithes" that his role is apparently already designated to, just some creatures from the appropriate "egg group". ]

[ So he's captured some "Pokemon" with the provided tools and established himself a lean-to with a ramshackle pen included. It's far from ideal, but Gethen hasn't set foot on a Devourer farm for any actual husbandry work since before anyone even called him "Commander". ]

[ Anyway - all of this preamble is to say that he is here and more or less set up to carry out this task, but now he's left with a few questions that lurking on the Network has not answered for him. So he needs to ask them directly. The camera flicks on to show a stern-looking, well-muscled young man with an eyepatch over his right eye, his blonde hair cropped short and practical. A large old burn scar covers much of the right side of his face and stretches down under the collar of the new-looking (but already visibly damaged) leather armor he currently wears (which is itself dyed to match the blue, white, black, and gold of the Crystal Blooms). He's sitting in his makeshift tent, candlelight making his features look even sharper than they are in the gloom. ]

[ He stiffly clears his throat before speaking and briefly considers how to address whoever is watching. ]

Hello. [ The recordings he's seen were all pretty casual, so... ] I'm new to the...Pokemon breeding business, and it occurs to me I don't actually know what to do with the...uh...outcomes. It looks like a lot of people sell them, but I'm not sure which channels I should use for that. And if there's some outfit I should be supplying instead, I haven't found it yet.

2. Goldenrod

[ Fast-forward a few days. Geth has gone to sleep multiple times now and woken back up...still here. He's made successful egg sales, and he's still here. He's beginning to wonder if he's missing something here. It can't be that League challenge, can it? He very specifically arrived with a breeder's kit, and nothing has come along yet to prompt him to undertake it. ]

[ No, he's not going to try that yet, especially since it seems very time-consuming, much too long for scrying, even if it is undeniably scrying gone wrong. So this leaves...this Team Rocket. ]

[ Which means, however unfortunately, that he's going to need some battle-ready companions. So after even more time spent here training up his original Growlithe - who he has now dubbed Carnelian - he's ready to set out with her at his side, both of them on the lookout for anything suspicious that involving themselves in might do anything for quest progression here. ]

[ Which, incidentally, also involves bothering anybody and everybody for information. ]

Excuse me, have you seen anything suspicious happening around lately? I'm investigating Team Rocket.

[ Such is the question he has already asked several dozen times and will undoubtedly ask several dozen more before he gets anywhere. ]

3. Burned Tower

[ After enough time and a fair number of bruises and Pokemon Center visits, Geth has given up on going home the normal way. Which is...fine, actually, according to the people who are here in the same fashion that he is. He'd love to find some way to have a few strong words with this Arceus, but it seems that's about as likely to happen as him - or anyone, really - speaking with Kormir again. ]

[ Which means he's apparently relegated to...what? Rest and relaxation? Having no world-threatening crisis to busy him away from the mountain of traumas he's been accumulating for his entire life? ]

[ Apparently so. And that's what he ends up doing, traveling around at his own pace, breeding Pokemon to sell and building up some finances to hopefully get himself a permanent residence to operate this business he never asked for. He's even reconsidered his original decision on Gym challenges, though he has yet to actually go for one yet. All the Pokemon in his company still feel too soft for his liking. ]

[ ....And having flashbacks. Which is what's happening right now. He's stood out in front of the Burned tower, and in every blackened corner of it all he sees is fire. Not the fire he's learned to wield without fear after so long, nor the flames he had to weather to raise two young dragons to adulthood, but the ravaging blaze of war. ]

[ To any passerby there's not much to identify here, save for the fact he's hyperventilating and definitely not seeing the tower anymore. Carnelian is whining with worry and pawing at his leg, but it seems the Commander is deep, deep in the throes of traumatic memory here. ]

Edited 2022-02-14 00:56 (UTC)

Mmmmmaybe? It's an awful well-timed glitch though if it is one.

[Well-timed enough to make him suspicious.

His Charmander gave a cheerful Chaaaar and Julian smiled, for a moment forgetting that he was worried about ghosts. It seemed like the littler a pokemon was, the cuter it was. That included Axew, too.]

You think so? I know there's Ghost-type Pokemon, but they aren't all really ghosts...right?

Right.

[Said with all the confidence of someone who has no idea but is pretty sure that's how it works.]

[Regardless, now that they agree on something, Mando starts scanning the area for Pokemon. Mudhorn crouches and starts looking around too, being Very Serious about this.]

Between the four of us, we can catch one.

So do I. This would be for while we're here.

[If there's one thing Mando has learned ~~over the course of two and a half seasons~~, it's that having people to watch your back makes you stronger. He also thinks, although he won't say it, that Riz could use some muscle on his side.]

[Or at least someone who can reach the top shelf.]

[Mando extends his hand across the table to shake.]

[So catch two, so he can ride one while having the other one breathe fire everywhere. Duly noted.]

You've been here for awhile, then.

*that is definitely an option! Also blah blah badges and ride pagers and so on, but really he'll probably learn that as he works on getting the right 'mons in the first place*

About a decade now, yes. If you're concerned about what you may be missing in your own world, you needn't worry; the passage of time here has no effect on that of other worlds.

[Mando's hand absolutely dwarfs Riz's one as he reaches over the table to give it an eager shake, but if that bothers him, he doesn't show it.

(it doesn't bother him; Riz's so used to being the smallest one in the room, always surrounded by humans and elves and orcs.)

And it is absolutely correct he needs some muscle on his side. He is but a humble rogue, after all. He's supposed to strike from the shadows while the fighters ~~act as the meat shield~~ keep the enemy distracted.

And as for reaching the top shelf... just wait until Mando sees how fast Riz can scale those.]

Network | Video
[For most people, they wouldn't realize there was much difference as he looked like a normal human except for the fact that he is bald except for a white mohawk. Even those who do know him might not recognize him immediately as he does not have the typical Galra markers that he had before.

But here is Ulaz, clearly not far from setting off. And he doesn't look very amused]

I require some information willing to provide it. What is this place and how did I end up here like this? Suddenly changing species is not one that someone would expect.

[There was a sound from somewhere nearby and Ulaz moved to scoop up the poochyena and hold it so he was in basically the same position as before, but holding the pokemon now, which looks even smaller than normal probably because Ulaz is taller than normal]

I have also been given this small canine. Ironic I think, but I do rather like it.

[It seems to be happy with him as well at least]

Cherrygrove
[Ulaz didn't seem to be too interested in resort side of this town. He was still perfectly willing to camp out with his poochyena, pretty much always be his side. Poochyena is slower than he is when running unfortunately so he had to be careful testing out his new strength and speed levels lest he might lose track of the pokemon. He had grown fond of it rather quickly.

He was currently on the beach with his poochyena as they enjoyed a meal together. That was something they could bond over and if they were going to be together for a while, bonding was good]

Guess you haven't been this far either.

Azalea Town
[Well, this place was more his style. Not that he had ever had a "style" for a place to live, but seemed to be nice enough. Plus there was the treetop adventure park... a shame though that it required a fee when he probably could have made his own zipline if he really wanted to figure it out with the materials on hand.

But the most perplexing thing about this town: all the slowpokes. They were very slow and didn't seem to be the brightest creatures around. He eventually found a spot sitting on the edge of the well, watching them]

Very strange...

Edited 2022-02-15 03:44 (UTC)

They're rather cute, though.

[Romelle had recently arrived back in Azalea to continue her badge challenge. She didn't recognize Ulaz at all, other than the fact that he was somewhat tall for a human and had a unique hairstyle. But, she did recognize a newbie when she saw one, so she had come over to see if he needed any help.

Inside the town line, they didn't have to battle upon sight, either, so it was just her being genuinely helpful.

She settled down to watch the Slowpoke down in the well also. And, while she didn't have her Altean abilities such as superior strength and endurance or shapeshifting or even a link to quintessence, she certainly had maintained her appearance. She looked identical to her normal physical look back home... complete with pointed ears and teal facial markings.]

Are you new here?

[Surprise, Ulaz. There was another Altean besides Allura and Coran.]

[The man shown in the response video isn't visibly Galra either, although there are a couple of tells. Human irises aren't usually bright gold, for one, and the streaks in his hair are actually faint lavender rather than the grey they might be mistaken for at first glance.

Thace for his part is almost bursting with hope. Could it be? It very well could, but the transformation to human does complicate matters. At least there's instant confirmation that this man was also another species.]

Brother...?

[It's soft and hopeful, but quiet enough to be easily brushed aside if it doesn't get the response he's hoping for. A brother Blade (who's been a Blade longer than young Keith has) would be so welcome.]

To answer your questions, you are in another world, or reality if you prefer that term for it. Everyone brought here from their home realities is changed to fit the human norms for the most part. The most prominent theory as to how is that the being locally considered a god brings us here for some purpose known only to them. It takes a while to get used to the change in species, but the Pokemon partners and the peaceful state of this world almost make up for it completely.

[A decade is a long time in a bounty hunter's world; Mando isn't even sure he'll be alive in ten years. To spend ten years in this place is almost incomprehensible.]

[He doesn't answer Sion right away, and when he eventually does, there's a palpable tinge of relief in his voice.]

So for as long as I'm here, time stands still back home. That's good to know.

[He has a big ~~season finale~~ fight waiting for him. He'd hate to miss it.]

*Sion knows that feeling, he has a lot of unfinished business back home, himself*

Indeed. And I can personally attest to that being the case, as I and two others from my world initially arrived here both at different times and from different times. Yet there was never an instance of someone being missing from our world.

So sometimes people get sent back home? And then taken back here?

[Fascinating! But more to the point...]

Multiple people from the same world can show up? Is there a way to trigger having someone brought here?

Those are all possibilities, yes. Unfortunately there is no apparent pattern to it, however, nor any way to know what causes or controls it.

January - February Test drive

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The Commander (Gethen Daybreak) | Guild Wars 2

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Ulaz | Voltron Legendary Defender

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[video]

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