ohmyarceus | Test Drive Meme - January & February edition

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Test Drive Meme - January & February edition

➞ 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!

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OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
NAVIGATION | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS

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[ mai definitely knows what it's like to be the underdog just as he does. she's always felt beneath other people and has constantly had to fight to make her way to the top just to have it stripped away from herself. joey and mai are more similar than they think, really. so she's quick to reassure him because honestly, he has made something of himself from what he's telling her.

as he talks himself up, instead, mai isn't able to help but smile at it. it's better to see him feeling confident than beat down. ]

There you go, don't sweat the small stuff, as they say.

[ she shrugs lightly as she uses the idiom. ]

We've been put through the wringer, you and I. If anyone has the guts and the strength to become something special here, then, it's you.

[ alright. that's more than enough being nice. mai is more often sassy and aloof, so, it might be time to return to that in order to maintain her own defensive walls being on alert. she watches as he retrieves a map from his bag and moves slightly closer to the young man to peer over his shoulder at it. ]

Travel time, huh? Without a swanky car, at that. Talk about a drag... Well, you know this place better than I do but keep in mind that a beautiful lady such as myself definitely needs somewhere as equally stunning to lay my pretty head. Hm?

[As hard as it would doubtless be to get either of them to admit, both of them really had been through so many of the same trials and tribulations. The idea of being beaten-down and stepped-on by those with more power, privilege, or abilities was something virtually baked-in to them by this point so the notion of landing someplace where all bets were off and it was just a straight-up race to the top seemed to Joey to be just what the doctor ordered. Whether he'd ever be admit it to even himself or not, Mai was just the person that Joey would want along on this kind of romp too, but he certainly wasn't going to let the situation be just his glow-up.]

Boy you can say dat again Mai. I think between just da crap we've been through since meetin' we've got enough trouble undah our belts ta last two lifetimes. Heck, near as I can tell dis might be da first time we've got a shot at doin' something like this without having some big bad come outta da shadows to try n' keep us under his boot. If da playin' field's actually even, den I almost sorry for anyone dat gets in Joey Wheeler's way!

[Like he'd done earlier, Joey thumps his chest in emphasis of the bravado. Realizing what was was saying might sound a bit exclusionary though, he quickly adds an ammendment.]

Dat's not sayin' you wouldn't go straight to da top too of course Mai. You know I wasn't sayin' you wouldn't. Just you watch. In da time it takes ya ta blink you'll be a mastah of dis system and kickin' butt all over da place!

[Speaking of all over the place, Joey still hasn't actually told her what's within reasonable distance. Scatterbrain that he is, he should probably get on that.]

Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Pulled da map out, but nevah told'ja what was actually around.

[He brings it back up and points to the town immediately west of them.]

Dis is da place closest to us. It's pretty small, but it's real pretty. It's called Cherrygrove and it's got cherry blossom trees all ovah da place. Dey got a nice hotel der and even a spa, but it's all mud n' stuff so I don't know if that'd be up ya alley. Da hotel should be right cushy doe, so if dat sounds like a good first stop we can hit dat in prolly a couple of hours if we take da Dragons.

[He gives Mai a grin.]

Gotta keep ya comfy in style after all right?

[ as much as she tries to give the image of a cool, confident woman who laughs in the face of said trials and tribulations, even mai feels that wave of relief that it might be a little easier to make something of herself here in this world. she sighs lightly as though letting a heaviness go for both herself and him. joey's always sort of seen as the sidekick and it's about time that he get to be the star of the show — and it's about high time that she get to be the lead of her own as well. ]

Three lifetimes. [ she scoffs as she folds arms beneath her chest. ] So, the world here seems to be our oyster, is that it? I'll take it. If I don't have to claw my way up from the bottom to the top for once in my life, it can't happen fast enough. I've got enough moxie to drag myself up the ladder but, boy, I could do with a manicure that won't get chipped on the way up, hm?

[ at least he realizes that he needs to give her a bit of a picture of where she can go and how she can get there. there's a soft snicker at him attempting to quickly recover himself. mai eyes the map from leaning just over/against his shoulder to do so. ]

Cherrygrove, that sounds as though it might match my beauty, just barely. [ she winks. ] A hotel and spa sounds pretty great to me. Even the mud baths. Have you never heard of those, Joseph? You're missing out.

Dragons? You got Red-Eyes on a leash now or something?

[ although he isn't wrong. mai does like to go in style. ]

Alright, style it is. Show me the way, Wheeler.

Edited 2023-03-08 16:24 (UTC)

[Joey makes an uncertain face. He'd be the first to admit that he doesn't exactly know what the finer things actually are, but the idea of covering himself in mud can't be right... right? Still, he's been living like a backpacker for the past half-year so maybe having something that could counteract the months of sleeping on a camping pad and clocking miles a day would be just what the doctor ordered. Eh... that's a bridge he'll cross when he comes to it.]

I passed through der' like... way back and it looked pretty nice. Da trees der seem ta be in bloom all year so dat's really cool, but it seemed pretty old-fashioned too so dat might not be whatcha lookin' for. Anythin' dat's got a real bed n' some big plates'a foods got my vote doe'!

[Joey pulls a Pokéball off his belt and holds it up for Mai to see.]

I dunno how you wanna do it, but one'a da Dragons oughta be big enough for us ta both ride on. Cherrygrove's like a day away on-foot, so dat should only be a couple'a hours flyin'.

[Not realizing that doing so would mean them being in close-quarters for the duration of the ride, Joey just keeps smiling obliviously.]

Dat sound like a plan?

[ she's going to laugh so much if she ever finds out that he's so averse to a mud bath. especially since he's been backpacking for so long. surely he's gotten muddy at least once, right? ]

That sounds rather beautiful but what to you mean, old-fashioned? Lets just call it "vintage" so we can continue thinking it's the best of the best for a lady like me.

[ he's not wrong, though. a nice bed and some good food is enough to get her into a hotel room even if it isn't the best around. she glances to the pokeball and sets her hands firmly onto her hips as she, too, realizes if they ride together then they will be pressed together. she doesn't have a problem with that though. ]

You know, [ she smirks. ] that sounds like the best way ~~to tease~~ to travel. Lets do it.

Vintage? Dat's like da jeans dat look old and fancy booze n' such right? I guess dat fits a spa like da one in Cherrygrove pretty well, so yeah! Let's go with vintage!

[He gives a pleased-but-clueless grin. Joey's never had much of an opportunity to bask in the finer things or rub elbows with high society so the only way he's really seen the term used is when it comes to promotions at the mall or things that hipster kids like Duke Devlin might have exposed him to during his years at Domino High. The combination of adult freedoms and more than a little pocket change might be just what he needs to broaden his horizons, but for now Mai is going to have her hands full bringing some culture to the Joey's horizons.]

Looks like it's time for Baby Dragon! Come on out bud!

[Joey throws a Pokéball out and a giant orange dragon appears in front of them. It appears like a Dragonite, but where the little antenna would normally be are two stumpy horns and the ordinarily green wing interiors are the same orange as the rest of its body. Small ridges run down it's back and little horns protrude out the joints of its wings, making it a dead-ringer for Joey's longtime duel monster friend, but its size is certainly not indicative of a juvenile dragon.]

Hey der Baby Dragon. Dis is Mai! She's gonna be travellin' with me from now on, so you be on ya best behavior ok buddy?

[The dragon nods in confirmation of Joey's request and seems excited at the prospect of a new member to the gang but, just as Joey prepares to get underway, the realization dawns on him about their riding arrangements. Whether she's in front or behind, the ride is sure to be a more *ahem* intimate arrangement than the two have been in for some time and it will be for a decent chunk of time. A stripe of blush proceeds to flush across his face and he looks away from the assembled group.]

Uh, umm, yeah. Looks like it's time to get on da road huh?

[He proceeds to cover the lower part of his face with his hand, trying his best to feign the appearance of being in thought, before turning back to Mai and Baby Dragon.]

So... Mai. You wanna ride in da front... or da back?

[~~INTERNAL SCREAMING~~]

"Fancy booze," huh? You're a real man of the world, aren't you? [ she gives a light laugh. ] I'll take your word for it, at least until I see it for myself.

[ not everyone can get into that kind of high society and as someone who's been on both side of the proverbial coin, she's not even sure it's worth it to climb that ladder. there are some things that using her wiles has taught her are totally worth it though. such as spas which, clearly, she needs to show joey are some of the better parts of the high life.

the name of the duel monster rings a bell given how often the blond male uses it as an integral part of his deck. what pops out of the ball, though, is anything but a baby dragon. she even takes a step back at the sheer size of it as she takes it in. okay, so it is a bit of a similar look to the baby dragon but the size is all wrong. as joey speaks to the pokémon, she raises a hand in greeting. ]

Well, hello there... Baby Dragon.

[ she approaches the pokémon and smiles to him while it dawns on joey that they're going to have to be close and basically settled against one another for the trip. she's already fully aware that that's how travel will be because unlike the boy at her side, she's used her brain for that little tidbit. ]

This guy is huge, huh... I suppose I'm ready for a trip so long as it isn't too crazy...

[ travel on a dinosaur-slash-dragon creature is going to be rather interesting after all. mai sets a hand to her hip and smirks toward wheeler, noting the blush and his attempts to disguise it, she moves closer to him and lifts an arm. ]

What a question to ask...

[ she drapes her arm over his shoulder, reaching up to do so as she speaks. ]

So, what do you think? Talk about a hard decision to make...

[ she pauses and pats his shoulder to emphasize her response of: ]

—definitely the front, I'm not risking falling off from being behind you. Yeah? So how do I get up on this thing...

[While Dragonite was certainly one of the easier Pokemon for Joey to "Duel Monsters"-ify the size of him was certainly more in-line with his adult form of Thousand Dragon. The wrinkly skin and mutton chop sideburns just wasn't in the cards though so, especially after their experience in Alexander's Pyramid, he was perfectly content to settle for his little orange friend instead. Riding on the real-deal had worked out alright back in the day, but the bigger size of its Pokemon iteration had definitely given the unforseen benefit of being able to be a two-seater.

Joey just sort of nods to himself in surprise at how things worked out, still trying to do his best to poker-face the seating arrangement, but Mai's sultry accentuation of the situation only made it more difficult. Her particular phrasing before choosing to sit in front filled Joey with panic ~~(not that he wouldn't have panicked either way things worked-out)~~ but he manages to just nod robotically in acknowledgement of her decision despite the sea of conflciting alarm bells and jubilation going-off in his head.]

Dat, uh, dat sounds like a plan Mai! Can't have ya fallin' off on ya first flight can we?

[He manages to eak out a totally-not-awkward "haha" afterward before continuing.]

You don't gotta worry about climbin' da big guy. He knows da drill real good.

[Directing Baby Dragon would give him something to turn his attention to before the inevitable need to board brought all his panic back harder than ever, but that was a battle to be fought in a few minutes. For now he was happy to fake it til' he makes it.]

Go ahead and lay down der' bud so we can get on. We're gonna be headin' ta Cherrygrove!

[At his direction the towering dragon lazily flops onto his belly, assuming the laziest of postures but making it easy to climb aboard.]

[ it certainly isn't a baby dragonite but the colouring is correct so mai isn't going to judge the chosen name. besides, it's kind of cute. fortunately for them, it seems, since baby dragon ( the real one ) would definitely not be large enough for the pair to travel on.

mai is just full of innuendo that she tosses out at the most opportune of moments, like this one. joey is doing his very best to hide it but that robotic method of nodding toward her kind of allows her to see the internal panic. it just reminds mai that she's still "got it," and she's ready to join him on the pokémon for the ride to what promises to be a relaxing day ( or several ) at this spa location. it's time to treat ~~yo'self~~ themselves — whether joey understands a mud mask or not. ]

I'm certainly not interested in toppling to my death while flying in the air, no. Since you're experienced with this sort of thing, I'm sure you'll definitely manage to stay on the pokémon without issue even with me in the front.

[ you know, with his arms around her and stuff. ]

That so...

[ it indeed seems so because with a little coaxing from the blond next to her, the large travel pokémon seems to comply and lower itself for easy access to the saddle on its back. it's kind of funny how it just flops down and she snerks at it but soon climbs up. ]

Aren't you a gentleman, Baby Dragon, getting down for a real lady to climb up. I'm flattered and you're a doll.

[ and she settles down, straddling to ensure her balance is okay! she peers over her shoulder at joey and motions with her finger for him to join her. ]

Come on, Wheeler. Lets make my first ride memorable, hm?

Edited (subject line erasure. sorry for edit.) 2023-03-16 14:18 (UTC)

I know ya wouldn't expect it given... ya know, dat it's me but all da guys got real good mannahs. Can't be expectin' ta be a big-time Gym Leadah and run things like a pack'a monkeys right?

[Joey awkwardly steps forward to join Mai on the Dragon. If someone had told Joey this morning that he'd be riding on his Dragonite with his arms around Mai Valentine he'd have asked them to share whatever they were drinking, yet here he was. Settling-in to the nook of Baby Dragon's back behind her he was admittedly excited at the idea of what the day, let alone the future, had turned into but was undeniably terrified at the same time. Having slid into-place Joey reaches around to place his hands as normally, casually, and every other-ally way possible onto Mai's hips, continuing his internal symphony of internal screaming as he does so. Come on Joey. Keep it together! A simple commute can't be that ~~hard~~ difficult!]

Next stop Cherrygrove eh? Make sure ta keep it steady ok bud?

[Focusing himself on the actual process of flying, Joey gives his Pokémon a reassuring pat to let him know the time had come for lift-off.]

Guess we both get'ta cross ridin' a mythical creetcha off da bucket list eh Mai?

Edited (Forgot to clear the subject line. Apologies!) 2023-03-22 00:58 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive Meme - January & February edition

sorry for delay.

Re: No worries! Hope everything is ok! :)

all is good. just had a busy weekend/start to the week!

Sorry for the delay. Had a busy past couple of days.

all good! hope all is well.

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Sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors. Stuck with mobile atm.

all good!

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