ohmyarceus | TEST DRIVE - NOVEMBER & DECEMBER

[ooc note and content warning: Ilonka's canon, and Ilonka herself, deals with terminal illness. Specifically cancer. Please be aware this may come up in tags!]

[Network/Video - New Bark Town]

[When she woke, she felt... healthier than she ever had. At first she thought the tea she made for herself the night before maybe had some kind of effect on her, but as she stirs awake, she realizes she's no longer in her room at Brightcliffe.

... She's in a house.

Not her house.

Not her stuff.

As the weirdness and panic sets in, she keeps herself calm on the outside. She rustles through items she thinks were left out her for, including one Pokegear. It turns on after some fiddling, and her face appears on the screen.]

... What is this thing? A small computer? I just - ah!

[Something small and pink disappears behind her bed, she picks up an empty Pokeball and instinctively throws it at the small creature. Not to catch it, but because it's small, weird, and pink and she doesn't know what it is.]

I am not in the mood for this!

[Random Route]

[Once she gets her situation explained to her, she... doesn't quite believe this isn't some kind of heavily medicated dream. But she's walking through a forest, and the creatures here are well, pretty amazing. She's not sure about the whole catching and battling thing, but being able to be out here and enjoying nature? She'll take it.

She looks down at the Happiny trailing behind her.]

This is a really nice place, huh? ... Sorry I threw at Pokeball at you earlier.

[The Happiny just bounces happily in response. No hard feelings. As Ilonka keeps walking, she sees someone up ahead.]

Oh uh, hey!

Edited 2022-11-03 03:29 (UTC)

Azalea Town!

[Well, she just almost drank her pokémon by accident, having been looking at the outside through a window in the diner instead of her table.]

I'm sorry Ocha! I really am! It won't happen again!

[Except this isn't the first time that's happened. Oops.

The Sinistea is huffing and puffing and making a lot of noise with her cup. Sonico is trying really hard to get her to settle down, but the pokémon is really, really mad!]

Goldenrod City!

[Well, this place is cool! It looks closer to what Tokyo looks like than any other she's been on! There's got to be a good clothing store somewhere here. Right? So she goes to the nearest person.]

Ah! Excuse me, do you know your way around this city?

Network/Text

Hello everyone! My name is Sonico and I'm really excited to be here! ٩(＾◡＾)۶
I have a cute little teacup companion, her name is Ocha and she's super cute! (≧▽≦)

That is all for now!

Sonico, out! ｡^‿^｡

[A small young boy--pale and delicate and round-faced, no more than 4'10" at most--is in the road. He's dressed in white lace with flowing sleeves, white tights, and thick-heeled blue pumps, of all things. Most of that round face is covered by a pair of black sunglasses, Stevie Wonder style. He's facing something in a bush. Or at least, he's facing in the direction of a bush.

In the bush, not quite where he's looking, is a bird. A Pokemon, obviously: Chatot.]

No.

[He definitely has a child's voice, and he wields it with the bluntness of a brick. There's a heavy EuRussian accent to it, also, which is weird. Considering. I mean, we're all speaking our native languages here, right?

Chatot lobs the syllable back at him, matching him in timbre and severity.]

No.

[The boy's face doesn't betray much, but he's not finding this funny.]

No. Stop it.

No. Stop it.

I saying stop. You doing what I say!

[No prize for guessing the bird's retort.]

Edited 2022-11-04 17:02 (UTC)

1. New Bark Town

Throughout his life, Leichter has ended up in some very bizarre situations. Waking up with a strange woman claiming to be his mother and treating him like a ten-year-old truly must be one of the strangest ... although even that is not the strangest.

It's no small feat to shove such a tall and broad man out the door, but she manages to do it. He stumbles, catching himself on a nearby tree. All of his protests and demands for answers were to no avail. Now he is angry, confused, and wondering where on earth he is. He's been in virtual reality before, and honestly at the moment, he is not sure whether this is more of that or something new. Is he back in his body at last, no longer trapped in cyberspace?

When he opens the backpack and discovers a Pokeball, his confusion and disbelief only build. Having worked for the largest gaming company in the world, he is certainly aware of the Pokemon phenomenon. The Red, Blue, and Yellow games have unprecedented popularity, rivaled only by Duel Monsters.

"I am in the Pokemon world," he says to himself, not noticing someone passing by. Is it you? "It must be virtual reality."

And yet ... this feels real, moreso than even Noa's world. Only ... how could that be possible?

He holds out the Pokeball and opens it.

B. Network Video

The screen lights up to the sight of a serious, tan-skinned man with wild brown hair and a small beard. He bows politely and speaks in a Southern accent.

"Good evening. My name is Leichter. Somehow I have found myself in this incredible but surely fictitious world. Is there anyone who can tell me what is going on and why we are here?"

In the background, a Galarian Ponyta peeks at the screen with curiosity.

"Also, if you have seen my associates Mr. Gansley, Mr. Crump, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Nezbitt, I would be most grateful to know where they are."

It is so strange to be without them after so long. They had sometimes quarreled in silly ways, but that had never damaged their relationships with each other. They had always been a team. He wants to find them again. Maybe they are here too. If they're not ... where are they?

Network (Video)
[There's a teenager on the screen who at first glance might appear to be wearing some really weird jewelry; a necklace that looks like claws clasped together. The reality is that Louie's new starter is a surprisingly lazy Galarian Meowth, who is half-asleep against the boy's back, hanging onto him like some kind of viking sloth.

Louie, for his part, well... He's trying to play it a bit cool and casual - this will be any newbies' first impression of him, after all - but he can't help grinning. He's so happy to be here again.]

Well, looks like I'm back, huh? [He leans a bit to show off the Meowth, who doesn't react beyond a blink.] And I finally got my cat that acts like a cat!

His name is Penningar, and mine's Louie. [He made the mistake of giving his last name straightaway the first time, and so many people were confused.] Like I mentioned, I've been here before, although it seems like I'm back at square one now. I mean, I figured my Pokemon wouldn't be waiting, but... My badges are gone, too. I guess that makes sense, but-- Man, not loving the idea of doing that again. Actually, I might, you know, not.

Anyway, shelfing that for now - as well as the fact that I'm back in time for winter and walking through snow, gross - I mostly just wanted to tell people I'm back and meet people who came here since I've been gone, I guess.

Any Early Route (Johto or Kanto)
[Okay, so having a lazy cat Pokemon always sounded great, but maybe Louie was more lucky to start with an aggressive fighter last time around than he'd thought.

At the very least, he'd like it if Penningar was more willing to walk. Oh, sure, that's the whole point of a Pokeball, but Louie likes the idea of spending time with his new partner. But the little dude weighs more than Louie wants to keep on his back at all times, which is why someone might see the teen off to the side of a route, crouched down by a sleeping Galarian Meowth. He's tugging at the Pokemon's arms, trying to get it to move.]

Come on, Penn, really? Even I can't fall asleep that quickly.

(ooc: Should Louie get back into VR, any network prompt threads can be made game-canon!)

New Bark route // [Network Video]

[Oh.

Here again.

And it was chilly, of course.

Fortunately, Botan could at least say she was not in a state of distress, besides being in a familiar-yet-not place and lacking all of her Pokemon except one that...didn't look familiar to her. It looked like a Ponyta but...strangely cloudy. It must have been one of the "new" ones that had started trickling in before she left. Regardless, she puts on a smile and turns on the video.]

Hello, this is Botan! I'm terribly sorry to be a bother, but I am aware that I'm no longer in my own world! [A little boring, right...? What did people usually do on these introductions, call for people they knew?] And I see scrolling through the directory that nobody from my world is here, so no, I won't bother asking. [Hardly anybody she knew before, either, there were some, but...there probably wouldn't be a purpose in asking after them. It might cause too much turmoil——if they even remembered, at any rate.]

I suppose a better question might be: what have the Pokemon breeders been doing since I've been gone? Any organization or are we all still just throwing our eggs to the wind? Thank you. [She ends the feed there.]

[Botan will be making the journey, of course, since she has no other choice but to until she can save up some money. It's most likely her shop is gone and there won't be a purpose in bringing it back.]

[A little later, up to a random route.]

[Now for the other dilemma: what should she name her Ponyta?]

I know you're a Ponyta, it's just...over in that place you're a Psychic type for some reason. [She kneels to be at level with it, staring it right in the eyes.] You haven't said a word to me yet, though. Why is that? Shy? Or too young? You seem like you're a little young to be making this journey with me.

[As strange as it looks for a grown woman to be talking to a pony-creature like it can talk back, that is what's happening!]

((ooc: Botan is a returning character! And I am, too, I have not RPed in years, so please bear with me while I try to get the hang of it again.))

Network

[ There's a woman on the screen who looks to be about...21 or 22? She's a lot older than that, but who the fuck's counting. Her blonde hair is kinda messy and she's...oh god, she's wearing a damned ahegao shirt under that hoodie. I'd say she needs Jesus, but with the necklaces she's wearing, one that bears a cute little Jesus fish and the other of which is a tiny cross, that clearly seems to be the problem. ]

I just want one of y'all to tell me who the fuck did this.

[ There's a palpable rage in her voice even as she keeps it low and soft, as if she's saving up all that anger to tear out the throat of whoever it was who did, indeed, do this. ]

This? This is fucking disgusting. I mean none of you fucks asked to be turned into a goddamned monkey, so do I just not get a break or something?

[ There's also an Espurr next to her, eating one of the rice balls Mom packed while she gives it affectionate little headpats. Because as much as she hates everything here, the cat is fine, okay? ]

Cherrygrove

[ Having just beaten up a small child's Pokemon team and taken their lunch money, Val now finds herself in...honestly a convenience store or a Pokemart or something, staring at the variety of goods while occasionally peering off at the window where it's very clearly afternoon, the sun fully aglow.

Looks back at some drinks.

Grabs something red.

Grabs something for her Espurr.

Looks back at the sun.

And then she just...looks out the window, flipping the bird at the fucking sun, but it looks like she's flipping off absolutely no one in particular.

As her what that's about and she turns, a slight growl in her voice: ]

The fuck're you lookin' at?

(As an ooc note, I'd like everyone to look at her permissions and opt out page.)

Edited 2022-11-12 16:12 (UTC)

[Goldenrod]

[How she'd managed to make it this far in such a pace when this was not remotely the kind of terrain she was used to was anyone's guess. She wasn't entirely sure, herself, other than it'd been the strange creature that had been at her side when she awoke that had insisted on her getting to move.

She knew she stuck out in the crowd of the city itself, she always did in any place particularly crowded. But, luckily, she'd found the clothing in the backpack provided and had decided maybe something warmer had been in order. Even if the outfit wasn't really... something she'd ever really consider wearing herself. One hand remains lightly on the head of the absol that is tucked against her side, seeming to be particularly keen on watching the area around his trainer.]

We should be fine here, I think...? [Her voice is soft, but if anyone happens to hear her, it wouldn't be the first time she's run into that particular problem.]

[Network/video]

[It takes some fooling around and a little bit of a guide from some kindly passerby before she figures out how to get this 'gear going correctly. Things... seem rather calm and it's pretty clear that wherever she's at, she's sitting at the base of a tree. An absol rests at her side, barely visible other than his head resting in her lap, the distinctive horn-scythe obvious just barely in frame.]

I... know that this place is not somewhere I'm familiar with. If someone could please point me in the direction of information, I would greatly appreciate it. Sadiki is clearly not a ka beast nor a guide, so I am at a bit of a loss as to where "here" even is? [She's pretty firmly aware of where she was and where she should be and it certainly was not touted as this place in any way, shape, or form. Though she's hoping she doesn't have to say what places she means, necessarily.]

NETWORK

aight so i got this concrete noodle to beat the shit out of these buffed up ring chums that's cool and all
but y'all gotta tell me where're the big guns or w/e tf
the canon creeturs
high caliber ammonals
things that go out with a bang ya feel me?
names rebecca i'm from the future
didn't think flatlining would send ppl to the stone age
but hey you get paid for superpowered cockfights i can dig it

ACTION/NETWORK - CHERRYGROVE CITY (cw: alcohol)

[ this has got to be, like. the calmest, most untouched universe in the history of forever. rebecca is impressed and almost feels like the odd one out when it's just . . . so calm. you don't have to pay taxes to keep a pet. there's actually nature around here. and you get free healthcare for you and your choom? that's fucking bananas.

now, living under normal societal norms are a huge reach. when all you've known is the outlaw life, getting a jenny's attention may come by pretty quick, but luckily— rebecca has no guns, and all her chrome is offline. ugh.

since a box of beer is actually cheap, she'll grab one of those and take to the beach. like. there's an actual beach. she's a swimmer class trainer, dawning nothing but a bikini, a jacket and boots, but she's not actually a swimmer. she keeps to the sand which feels . . . strange? but good between her toes, even if sand gets everywhere. but drinking alone mega sucks. taking the pokegear, she flips on the network and taps the tip of her bottle against the screen. ]

Ayo, who wants to party like there ain't no tomorrow?

[ she's lonely. ]

Route 35/South of Goldenrod

[Just south of Goldenrod City is one of many new arrivals, in a black hoodie that someone in Goldenrod had been robbed of some hours before. It's remarkable how easily the bizarre can be accepted when none of it is believed to be real, and Tomura is fairly sure he recognizes this game.

Or well, at least the basic concept of it. You catch little monsters, you have them beat the crap out of each other, they get stronger, you get prizes.. the entire genre is pretty much the same, the devil's in the details. And the details for him is a small pair of foxes, one snow white the other rusty brown, sitting on the road, waiting patiently. Of course none of it is REAL, he'd never pick something so annoyingly adorable as his partners.

He's got a baseball bat slung over one shoulder, and a number of baseballs stuffed into a sack, and by the number of baseballs and one or two tennis balls scattered at his feet, he's been at this for a little bit now.]

'Team building'.

[Both vulpixes perk up when he begins grumbling under his breath, picking up a ball with four careful fingers, pinky elevated.]

This isn't team building, this is exercising the dogs.

[He levels the baseball bat at the nearer fox, and the alohan variant jumps to its feet, looking terribly eager and not at ALL intimidated.]

You little monsters are lucky I like dogs. Later on we're going to go beat up some helpless critters so you can get more exp, this is too slow.

[Baseball bats can certainly be weapons! But ... thankfully he's not using it that way for once, instead tossing a ball upward a bit before slamming it with the bat, sending the baseball rocketing away. Instantly the snowfox races after it, peppering the offending ball with little puffs of snow and ice, but the other stays right where it is, watching, a lack of movement that draws a 'tch' from the behoodied young man.]

001. new bark

( some lady grinning in his face before shoving him out the door is, arguably, a weird way to start the day. after realizing that he's been shuffled away without his swords, zoro tries to get back inside only to realize that the door's been locked behind him. some mom...

no amount of shouting, banging, or headbutts against the doorframe (thanks carvanha) will get him back in there where, he presumes, his swords and the rest of his belongings are.

you're welcome to tell him to give it a rest if you spot a green-haired samurai preparing to launch a full-scale home invasion in this nice, suburban neighborhood. if you're more content with sitting back and watching, you might find yourself being recruited to the cause. )

Oi! This crazy lady robbed me! Don't look at me like I'm the bad guy!

002. new friend

( he's not willing to call his weapons a lost cause just yet. before he was shooed away, his mom [??] said something about a journey of some kind. maybe this whole thing is a test of his mettle, and having his weapons returned to him is some kind of reward. it's the kind of challenge one might run into on the grand line, so it's not entirely unfathomable to believe that this whole thing is tantamount to a one of those ninja warrior tiktok videos... if he knew what tiktok was.

so he's off, he guesses. somewhere. for something.

and this flying fish won't leave him alone, but that's all right. the fish did his best to help zoro with his assault on the home front, so he's more than okay with keeping him around as a companion. )

Thanks for your help back there. Are you sticking with me for a while?

Carvanha!

Good. I'll look out for you. Put your faith in me and we'll be alright.

Carvanha!

( how zoro became so fluent in pokemon-speak is a mystery, but he's guessing from carvanha's scary smile that he's in for the long haul.

the first restaurant he finds, he stops in for food and, hopefully, drinks. he hasn't gotten any money, but he'll figure that out after he makes sure his new friend has had his fill. the table he sits at is largely empty, and he'll welcome over anyone who might have a better sense of what's going on than he does. )

Did you get one, too?

003. new path / network

( his first days of travel are about as good as they could be. he spends his days wondering the woods and his nights sleeping outside among the stars. it reminds him a bit of his younger days, going wherever the road took him, but this time he has a floating fish to worry about. he also has his crew to worry about, none of which he's seen at all since arriving here.

one night, he takes some time to dig through his pack to get a better feel of what he's meant to be doing here. the phone takes the most time to figure out, and it's practically dawn before he finds a way to broadcast himself and his dozing carvanha to the world. )

Where am I?

( he means that in every sense.

he's lost.

he's so lost.)

CHERRYGROVE

( It was disorienting, to say the least. Waking up in a world distant from your own, the temporary fear of realizing your powers had been erased and worrying about one's capacity to defend themselves, in an unfamiliar room... only for someone who was distinctly not your mother (an upgrade, really) claiming to be your mum, and telling you to visit the local professor to receive your first Pokemon?

At that point, she'd convinced herself this has to be a dream, right? That she fell asleep playing her GBA. That the still sane part of her mind was retreating into comfort. That she was no longer a vampire, that she could feel the sun against her skin again, that she had nothing to worry about. No Sabbat, no hunters, no werewolves. That for the first time in a while, she could indulge.

Well, as the hours pass, it's dawned upon her that no. This is very much real. Frankly, better circumstances anything that she's endured for the past several months. She's gathering her bearings now, scanning the aisles of the Pokemart, Hatenna perched on her shoulder. And her shopping cart? Potions, a set of Pokeballs, and... food, mostly. Fillings for sandwiches, chocolate, juice boxes. Things she can easily fit into her pack.

...Oh dear. It seems Hatenna has taken to hopping around, knocking a few things off the shelves. And if you're caught in the crossfire? )

Ooof. Sorry!! Let me help you there.

( Odette seems embarrassed by the collision. Oops. )

NETWORK; VIDEO | UN: ODILE

( Greetings trainers! Have one (1) petite, pink-haired girl, interrupting your mid-noon broadcast of Pokemon Talk for: )

Is this working correctly? ( A quick moment to adjust her camera, aaand. ) It seems as though introductions are pretty common on here, so I'll try not bore you too much. My name's Odette! I'm looking for recommendations, actually. Where are your favorite places to shop? What are the best restaurants in the area? That kind of thing. Or you could even just tell me about the breeders scene. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!

( And a wave to the camera before cutting off the transition. )

WILDCARD

( Have another idea? Come at me! I live for this. )

»Traveling«
[It's a chilly winter evening on your route of choice, frost crystallizing on the grass around Daggar's campsite. A small fire crackles at the center of it all, a tiny hearth in the face of Johto's wilderness. Daggar sits close to the fire, back to the massive Arcanine curled up behind her.]

[A camping pot hangs over the fire, steaming and letting off a sweet, heavily spiced scent. Daggar leans forward, giving it a stir with a large ladle. She inhales, smelling it before nodding with approval and filling a large mug.]

[If you've been traveling together, she passes you the mug-]

Have some. Is mostly apples. Or close enough, here.

[Or, if you haven't been-]

If you need to warm up, is fine, come and sit. If you're here to fight, is also fine. Maybe wait until at least morning, first?

[She JUST got comfortable, guys.]

»Network«
[Is that a still picture- no, there's some shifting in the background, a few motes of dust drifting past the visible rays of cold winter sunlight coming down from above.]

[But boy is that that one chilled-out Slowpoke, even by Slowpoke standards. Sharp-eyed viewers might be able to spot the slow clouds of condensing breath around its snout, the only apparent signs of life for most of the video.]

[And finally, it blinks with the patience of a shifting mountain, glacially turning to look into the camera.]

...Is this NORMAL?

»Wildcard«
[Choose your own prompt.]

text; un: contender

( What choice did he have but to go along with this? Crazy to him as it seemed. He couldn't even write this off as a trick of the grail, really. Was it his penchant for all-nighters-- making this all one, big, hallucination? Perhaps, his descent into madness?

His first instinct is locate Maiya. Not that he particularly expected to find her in a place like this. Once he puts in the time to familiarize himself with his device, sends out a code to the network, thinking text wouldn't reveal details of his location the same way a video or voice message would, and knowing there is only one person who would possibly understand his cryptic message: )

hanged man.

cherrygrove

( Sitting on a park bench somewhere, once Kiritsugu has come to terms with his situation, what's been keeping him grounded to reality-- oddly enough, was the tiny white Vulpix perched in his lap, prodding her nose against his hand and demanding more pets. He obliges her, idly running his hand through her lavish fur, as he takes a bite out of his hamburger.

After several moments of headpats and chin scratches, she gives him a happy squeak, and stretches out against his chest like a cat. He never kept any animal companions growing up. With Natalia's schedule and constant traveling for assassin work, he would have never had the time, really. And yet, he couldn't help but find his Vulpix's little quirks... soothing? Promoting him to pull off a piece of his hamburger, offering it to her. )

Hungry?

( She greedily accepts, woofing it down before prompting him for more. Okay, okay. He offers her another piece. )

What do you think your name should be?

( Engage him?? )

wildcard

( Have another idea? Hmu! )

Ilonka | The Midnight Club

Super Sonico | Super Sonico: The Animation

Machi Tobaye | Ace Attorney

Leichter | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Louie Duck | DuckTales 2017

Botan | Yu Yu Hakusho

Val | Vampire: The Masquerade NPC I made up for a chronicle once lmao