The dog days aren't quite over yet...

[indigo_events]

Who: Everyone participating in the Dog Days of Summer event!
Where: Mt Mortar, the Bell Tower, OR the Seafoam Islands
When: August 17th-31st
Summary: With the Legendary Beasts running amok, it's up to everyone to help figure out what's wrong and get everything back to normal!
Log:



Bell Tower

Volunteers helping at the Bell Tower will arrive in Ecruteak City and be welcomed into the Bell Tower-- the normally-reclusive monks are still fairly stiff, but in the interest of not driving off the very help they asked for, they will be much more accommodating than usual.

Little studies have been set up all over the archive rooms in the upper floors, allowing volunteers to group up at tables and pore over old tomes and scrolls for any information that might be related to Ho-Oh or the three Beasts-- of course, there’s also a wealth of information about legendary Pokemon from other regions… just don’t let the monks catch you getting off-topic!

Gym Leader Morty will also be present helping with the research, and is using his Indigo League funds to finance inn lodgings in town for all volunteers. As for refreshments, local restaurants have also stepped up, eager to provide free food for all volunteer researchers! Gogoat-drawn carts full of fresh, traditional cuisine will come trundling up to the Tower several times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)-- often accompanied by the restaurant-owners themselves. The guy who runs ECRUTEAK HOUSE OF DUMPLINGS will be there a lot-- he and his Emboar are particularly bombastic about stuffing everybody full of delicious fried dumplings at every opportunity. Gotta stay well-fed if you want to study!

That said, anyone wishing to pull an all-nighter will either have to bring their own snacks or rely on the monks’ supplies-- which means plain rice, hot tea, and not much else.

----

Mt Mortar

The base of Mt. Mortar is a flurry of activity no matter what the hour-- the center of operations is a large camping area at the foot of the mountain, where a small army of tents have been set up. Rangers and volunteers alike are rushing around, and anyone just arriving will be asked to sign in and mark whatever tasks they’ll be helping with.

Strong trainers can sign up for field work, which can involve anything from patrolling the mountain to evacuate campers to helping corral the panicking wild Pokemon population (bright side: there’s even more rare ones running around than normal, and capturing them is a quick and easy way to get them out of harm’s way!). Trainers with flying types may even wind up helping to carry water over from the Lake of Rage in case of what the Rangers all fear: forest fire.

More inexperienced trainers will lower-leveled Pokemon will be encouraged to stick around base where it’s a little safer-- but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of work to be done! Several meal tents are set up around the base, where you can serve (or be served) quick meals from hot pans, soup kitchen style. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but nothing that won’t taste great after a long hectic day of running around the mountain. And hey, it’s free.

A first-aid tent is also set up where trainers and their Pokemon can have injuries patched up-- the Nurse Joys staffing it can always use assistance to keep up with everything.

Sleeping quarters are provided via cot-filled tents set up around the base-- those ones are first-come, first-serve, so grab one fast! Helping the Rangers out is an all-day-all-night affair, so everyone just sleeps and eats when they get the chance to. Reminders to do both on a regular basis are posted all around-- nobody wants sleep-deprived trainers doing dangerous work, even if, between the constant roars of Raikou and Entei and the constant activity within the camp, sleeping could get pretty difficult.

Fortunately, one of the first things you’ll be handed upon arriving is a pair of heavy-duty earplugs.

----

Seafoam Islands

On the shores of the Seafoam Islands, everything is… well, chaos.

The beaches are COVERED in tents of all shapes, sizes, and… raggedness. It seems many folks have shown up in lieu of Greg’s frantic video post, and they’ve more or less taken over. You can barely see the sand! Things are quite a bit less organized than they are over at Mt. Mortar, which unfortunately means that for food and first-aid, you might need to wind up heading over to the teeny tiny little dock town with the inn (booked solid, sorry!) and the shop (Blaine’s beach is less occupied, but he can be seen from time to time passive-aggressively picking up peoples’ trash around the outskirts of the tent army and scowling).

Because out on the beach, there’s no first-aid to speak of and if you go to the ‘food tent’, you’ll just be handed something like this.

Fortunately, unlike their hilariously futile efforts to find Celebi and aside from their clear lack of event-managing knowledge, it seems the Seekers actually are onto something. Every six hours or so, Articuno, Zapdos, or Moltres CAN be seen soaring high overhead and disappearing around the back of the mountain, often with stolen food or shiny things glinting in their talons.

The Seekers themselves are more concerned with getting all their equipment functioning than they are about accommodating all the tourists who just showed up to sit on the beach and stare at the horizon in hopes of seeing one of the Birds-- but if you can actually find them in the chaos, they’ll eagerly put you to work.

In this case, 'work' means 'heading straight into the caves to try and #FindLugia'. Well? WILL YOU?



(Remember to SIGN UP over here!)

Comments

BELL TOWER

[indigo_events]

Open~ Let's go with the 18th to start

[notmyrealname]

While it was tempting to travel to the Islands with her fellow Legendary Hunters--if only because they were hilarious--but the chance to read a bunch of texts about all the Legendary Pokemon? Cissnei couldn't pass that up.

She had traveled to Ecruteak for the second time in a month and immediately settled in to start researching. It was rather amazing the sheer amount of information that the monks had within the tower and while she was definitely prioritizing the issues at hand, a sharp eye may spot a few volumes in the pile she had on her table about some of the other Pokemon.

She was seated at a table in one of the rooms that had been set up, in fact, pouring over a book about the Legendary Beasts, jotting down notes here and there as she went. Her Furfrou, Shuriken, was laying beside her chair watching everyone that was milling about while her Riolu, Tseng, was seated on the table sorting through some of the scrolls Cissnei had picked out. Several of her other Pokemon were wandering about in search of specific information Cissnei had asked them to find so don't be surprised if a Raichu wearing a rainbow bandanna around his neck darts between your legs with a scroll in his mouth or if a rather pushy Snubbull hustles you for a book you have.

OTA

[cyan_maid]

[All three avenues of help seem like great ways to pitch in to the cause of making these mischievous doggos calm down, but the one Jane is drawn to the most is at the Bell Tower. Most any day you'll find her in the stacks, sifting through old books and scrolls. Dinah, her nigh unstoppable Audino, seems to actually be behaving for once, looking through the books on her own as well - if just to mimic her trainer - and anything mentioning the Beasts or Birds is immediately brought over to tables of volunteers to look at more closely. If she stops by your table with material, it's likely she'll ask,]

How are you holding up? Do you need anything? Water, a snack? I can get it for you if you want!

[She may be clever, but it seems more productive to play gopher for the rest of you. Well, spill it - what do you need?]

August 18th-23rd

[foolishwren]

DAYTIME:

<sub>[So like... to be clear, Heather hasn't really STUDIED in eight freaking years. That is to say, since she left high school and came here. She's never really had to, unless you count all the prepping and strategizing she'd done before taking Claire on.]

[But as the resident Writer's Kid (tm), she hasn't forgotten how to treat books.]

[That is to say, dump a giant pile of them onto the table, open twelve at once, and make a mess with scrap-paper and eraser shavings. Which is exactly what she's doing. And she makes progress! She's taking really good notes! ... But she was also always a class clown, which means every so often if there's nobody else around already goofing off, she can't quite resist turning to whoever's nearby and saying something like:]</sub>

On a scale of 1-10, how hard do you think the monks would murder me if I took a highlighter to this ancient scroll?

_[Or:]

Man, I feel like it's actually illegal to open a book this thick unless you have a beard of at least four inches.


NIGHTTIME:

<sub>[Nightfall sees the Tower quiet down a fair bit-- once the sun sets and the whirring chorus of Kricketunes starts up outside, most volunteers throw in the towel and head back to their inn rooms. Of course, the archive rooms are as hot and stuffy as ever-- only out in the halls do the windows get thrown open to let some of the cool night air in.]

[There's still at least one person in there hunched over a table, though; accompanied by a cup of cold tea, Heather's sitting there with her eyes shut and her chin in her palm. She's got a book open in front of her as well, but the stifling air is apparently sending her to sleep.]

[She either needs someone to hassle her into going back into town, or a study buddy to keep her awake.]</sub>


MIDDAY, AUGUST 21st:

--jeez, sorry, I thought I grabbed it... there's like seven volumes in this collection, not my fault "III" wasn't in there... hang tight, I'll go see if it's on the shelf.

<sub>[Edging around a couple of other people, Heather DESCENDS ONCE MORE into the labyrinth of tight corners and narrow aisles that make up the Fifth Floor Archive.]

[Maybe you're following her or maybe you're just nearby and happen to hear the way her muttering very abruptly stops... and then she comes backing very slowly out of the dead-end she'd just been shelf-combing, a large book clutched to her chest. But her eyes aren't on the book. They're dead ahead, wide and unblinking. Her mouth is tightly-drawn and pale.]

[Anyone who knows Heather probably also knows that getting an expression like that out of her is a feat very few people are capable of. So what is she...?]

[Oh.]

[At the end of the aisle, in the spot she'd just been standing seconds before, a papery golden shape is drifting gently towards the floor from the ceiling.]

[It's a Shedinja.]

[Whoever you are, Heather is backing right up into you, apparently having gotten her voice back enough to let out a low, urgent mutter.]</sub>

Don'tlookatit.

17th onwards

[11121_assumption]

Walter had read the E4's library during the week Rocket had control of their mansion before the prom. But this was the source of that knowledge. He had many, many questions about the mythical Pokemon in this world and if the Monks had information, he could make use of that. And of course, there was assisting with the legendary Dog Weather Problem.

Walter set up in a quiet corner, taking books that seemed like they could offer insight on the dogs and that were relevant to his own interests; books on Pokemon connected to the Sun, or said to be from other worlds. He had a eat stack and was going through them one by one, copying notes into a personal journal. At his side, his Marowak, Assumption, was copying the drawings that seemed to be special or important (he couldn't write, but he wanted to help). His Vulpix, Claudia, was staying by his side, occasionally fetching a new book or returning a scroll he had gone over very gently. And hidden out of sight was Gloom the Haunter. She was lurking in Walter's shadow, occasionally tapping his shoulder to warn him of anyone approaching him for whatever reason or sneaking off to get water for him.

And strangely enough, there's a Pokemon that's peering behind a bookcase and watching him; a Cinccino is clearly spying on Walter and his Pokemon, but while Claudia has approached her, she isn't budging - except to duck behind the shelf when it looks like Walter might see her.

OTA - Any time: August 17th - 31st, day or night.

[alltoblame]

A. Studying & Research

Ed paid very little attention to the monks in all of this, mostly because he was more focused on the task at hand, but also because dealing with standoffish people was hardly an alien concept to him. He just needed to get in, figure this stuff out, and get out - right? That was the very thing he'd been interested in since he got here, helping and discovering things about this place.

Of course there was also his overwhelming curiosity about the legendaries in general, and even though he'd love to go through every single book available just learning about the ones they were studying now was a bonus. Any books he may have picked up on the other topics along the way are generally cleverly placed in a manner to hide their titles or identifying information from a passing glance, but feel free to notice them and call him out on it as he's too busy taking notes to catch anyone looking. He's also likely to time that reading for when there was less of a chance of getting caught - either when the rooms were so busy with people he'd not likely be noticed or at night when things quieted down. You bet if there's research to do Edward Elric is present at all hours instead of sleeping on a normal schedule at any sensible nearby inn.

B. Sleeping & Eating

In fact, he might sometimes be found falling asleep at his studies. Rice and tea was just a good an option as anything else in his book so on the off chance anyone caught him when he did stop long enough to eat, books and scrolls shoved aside to avoid any chance of damage, that might also be at any hour - he was far more focused on the task at hand than food anyway. He might need a reminder or two to pause long enough to function like a normal human being.

C. Gathering Materials & Wandering About

For the most part Ed was cautiously avoiding any area that Envy might be in - which meant anyone with him, as well - in the interest of not stirring the pot when something more important was going down. He did have to move around the place in order to return books or find something new every now and then though, so he wasn't exactly glued to his spot at the table. Which means one Elric might be found hunting through the archives nowhere near his own study center, or wandering in the direction of another. He might even bump into a person - literally or figuratively - on his way to return a scroll or tome.

(he can also be caught at the inn or commuting between the two, if there's any interest there)

From the 19th onwards!

[keep_surviving]

DAY
Diana had opted to stay in Ecruteak instead of following her traveling companion to look for some giant water bird. It had been the right choice as far as she could tell. All she had to do was head north and look through books all day. She even got free food.

She'd gotten some real nasty looks from a few monks when she brought so much food with her back from the carts outside, but they didn't really have much reason to complain. She kept her food and book piles cleanly separated, and had her Pokemon dispose of the rubbish throughout the day.

Being in such close quarters, she'd decided neither Sass the Salazzle nor Caine the Luxray would have suited the tight work space, so much to their shared displeasure, they had stayed behind.

Instead, Diana sat on the floor with an Espurr and Mimikyu sleeping on the shelf above her head and a red Vulpix pressed against her side, who is keeping her nice and warm in the airy tower, as she reads through the old books. It's been a long time since she'd done any real studying but she's doing her best to make notes.

A Sylveon can be seen walking along, carrying books back and forth with its long tendrils. It pats Diana's head and croons encouragingly. A Zorua is trying to help too, but keeps getting distracted turning into whatever Pokemon he happens to see on his travels. He has a white Vulpix following him around, trying to keep him on task and keep him out of trouble.

EVENING
Ever since arriving to this world, Diana's sleep schedule has been, well, frankly its been shit.

So it's late and she's awake, snacking on whatever she has left over or trying to fill up her constantly empty stomach on warm rice as she keeps reading.

Occasionally, she catches a power nap on the floor, but habit has her waking with a jolt. She rubs her eyes, stuffs another piece of food in her mouth and picks up another book.

The two contrasting Vulpix, along with the Sylveon, have resigned for the night, sleeping in a pile. But the Zorua follows her lead in having short sleeps so he can stay awake and chase the Ghosts around the tower. Finding their trickery amusing and testing his illusion abilities. The Mimikyu and Espurr are awake now. The former has taken up the role of transporter, using its strange black 'hands' to carry the books. While the latter seems content to have replaced the red Vulpix in leaning against Diana, where she often reaches out to idly stroke his fur as she reads.

OTA, any time

[tearsofademon]

[All of the available options for helping to figure out what the hell is the Legendary Beasts' problem are viable ones, to be honest, but for Ryner, there's only one choice. While he could, theoretically, be useful in the other places (though he'd hate it), there are three things he's good at in his life - sleeping, magic, and research. Sleep will do nothing here, and magic doesn't work in this world, so research it is.

(Thankfully, Sion didn't decide differently, because if he had, decisions would have to be made.)

He's come prepared, multiple pens and notebooks at the ready (as well as a pillow or two for when he wants them, because a good night's sleep is essential for keeping up morale and brain power regardless of what anyone might say), and has claimed an out of the way corner where he can read and research. ...Okay it's not always strictly on the topic of the Beasts and Ho-oh, but he can read quickly when he wants to, if questioned he'll just say he was skimming to see if there was anything there.

Rose, his Clefairy, is also poking through as many books as she can, though she's mostly there to weed out anything that looks obviously useless, her research skills are lacking. Jehra, his Absol, sits at his feet, making sure no one disturbs his work, while Glen, his Joltik, might be spotted in the shelves, rooting around for the deepest-buried, most forgotten tomes and scrolls he can find, because everyone else is going to go for the easy to grab stuff. (Not that he has the easiest time hauling out large books, but he's a tinyspider who tries.)]

[a_sin_for_him]

Archives

[It's extremely difficult to stay on topic.]

[It's only that there's so much to read, and Lust has always had a mind that's more curious than is perhaps healthy. And she's never had so much information on Legendary pokemon at her fingertips before.]

[While she has a number of books and scrolls on the Legendaries currently causing problems, keen eyes might note a few other volumes, mostly hidden beneath immediately relevant selections, and a small notebook tucked into her lap.]

[Occasionally, she discretely copies something down into it, then returns to her main journal that's open on the table in front of her.]

Lunch Break

[If Lust had doubted her choice in where to lend her efforts, the food available would have been enough to change her mind. She's more than happy to leave the stuffy archives behind for an hour to indulge in an extended lunch break. Considering how hard she's been working, she feels she more than deserves it. It isn't as though there's a scarcity of it! And it's just silly to not take advantage of free food.]

[Which means a rather common sight is Lust, in a hallway, popping dumplings in her mouth with one hand and flipping through her journal of notes with the other. The scene wouldn't be complete, of course, without her Spheal rolling at her feet, hoping some bit of lunch will drop.]

You're on a diet, Guttle. Be useful and go get me another napkin, I keep smudging my notes with grease...does this say 'watch' or 'hatch?

17th onwards!

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy had been...reluctant, to go to the Bell Tower at first. Exploring the islands had sounded a lot more up his alley...]

[But Heather and Lust were going to the Tower, and he had to admit that he hasn't had the greatest times wandering around in caves. Much less ice caves, by himself. So to the Tower he'd gone. It hadn't crossed his mind not to go do something about everything going on; at this point, it was practically an automatic decision.]

[And, he had to admit once he was actually there and going through armfuls of old scrolls...maybe it was up his alley after all. All those centuries doing a bunch of research and passing it on to alchemists was coming in handy after all. Trying to connect the dots between all this old information was even kind of fun. In a weird way.]

[He can be found mostly during the day and sometimes at night, if the roaring is keeping him awake and he's looking for something to do. And for all the scrolls spread out around him, he's not...really sitting in the most studious pose, with his legs up on the table and an arm slung over the back of his chair.]

So if these dogs are so special and noble, how come their idea of a good time is prancing around making everything muggy?

[After the first few days, he's also, uh. Kind of bristly depending on whether he's seen one of his two half-brothers in the past hour. This place may be a maze, but spending a week in a building isn't exactly good for staying away from anyone completely. Good thing Envy doesn't know what spitballs are.]

SUMMON SCROLL OBTAINED

[indigo_events]

It was the middle of the night, but word travels fast.

The Tower’s dimmed windows suddenly blaze bright as the monks re-light all the candles, and a good portion of the town (yes, INCLUDING Dumpling Dan, his Emboar, and a cart of fresh, last-minute celebration food) come rushing up to see Edward and Cissnei’s late-night discovery. And at least one asshole took it upon themselves to rampage through the inn rattling everybody’s doors and yelling at them to COME QUICK, so all the poor people who were trying to get some shuteye after a long day of researching are apparently out of luck.

At the bottom floor of the tower, the Head Monk (Honk?) carefully unfurls the delicate scroll across a table to reveal an unmistakable brush illustration of Ho-Oh itself, wings spread wide and layered in faded watercolors, triumphantly rising over seven small, gracefully-rendered enrobed figures.

The entire rest of the scroll is taken up by… are those dance steps??

A gasp works its way through the crowd, and the Honk strokes his beard thoughtfully for what feels like an eternity, before finally speaking.

”This scroll depicts an ancient dancing ritual similar to the one known to summon Lugia… of which the only performers are our very own Kimono Dancers.”

The crowd’s earlier gasp is followed by a murmur and a rustle as many of the locals (and really, anyone who’s spent any amount of time in Ecruteak) turn to the Dancers in question, who are all present in an ethereal, tastefully-candlelit crowd of floral patterned fabric. They whisper amongst themselves for a moment, before turning back to the rest, looking apologetic.

”We would love very much to take on the challenge of learning this new dance, but… our youngest sister is injured and cannot dance!”

The smallest of the girls sheepishly reveals a cast on her foot, decorated with many signatures, as well as, notably, differently-colored pawprints from all the sisters’ Eeveelutions.

”We simply cannot dance without her…”

The Head Monk sighs, knowing that trying to convince them is futile, and looks back across the crowd wearily.

”This means… that we must, once again… request volunteers.”


[Holy riverdance, Zubatman! Looks like this prolonged research party is now a DANCE LESSON party! The Kimono Dancers, despite refusing to dance themselves, are more than happy to help instruct any volunteers regardless of experience level in learning the dance steps outlined on the scroll. Will a couple short days of learning be enough for the Ho-Oh Summoning to be successfully performed?? We’ll find out on the 25th!]

[NOTE: This will not be NPC’d or judged, so feel free to thread out your characters perfecting (or the opposite of perfecting) their dance moves to your heart’s content and at whatever pace you choose!]

[johto_guys]

The ritual to summon a Legendary is knowledge known by very few, and used by even fewer. Almost always, it takes rare artifacts or years of training to perfect.

But with the fire raging across Mt. Mortar, they didn’t have that kind of time.

Within two days, the Monks made the decision. Successful or not, an attempt had to be made in the hopes of ending the crisis as soon as possible.

So when the sun is at its highest, those who spent the last few days learning the ancient dance proceed to the very roof of the tower, where the platform has been cleaned and sanded down to dance upon safely. It’s only big enough for seven dancers at a time, which is fine-- they rotate.

Again and again, the dance is performed, with dancers swapping out each time to rest.

It’s all very clumsy at first, and it goes on for a long time.

But eventually, miraculously... the shaky rhythm turns into a genuine groove. With the Kimono Sisters cheering everyone on from the sidelines, and townsfolk applauding from the ground, the dance goes from looking like a bunch of awkward amateurs to… well, maybe ‘professional’ is a stretch, but… not bad, not bad at all!

In fact, despite the dire circumstances, those who dance might even find themselves getting caught up in a feeling that can only be described as joyous...


And then it happens.

A blinding light overtakes the platform, radiating outwards so powerfully that it makes the bright sky look dark by comparison. The Tower shakes as an immense weight comes down upon it. And when the glow fades enough to see… there it is.

Radiant feathers of white, scarlet, gold and olive-green gleam in the sunlight, and Ho-Oh itself glares down at the humans below it from where it perches, at the highest point of the roof. It’s there, in the flesh… but oh boy, does it not seem to share those joyous feelings that the dancers felt five seconds ago.

After taking in the sheer number of individuals before it, the great bird’s eyes slide shut and its chest swells in what can only be a massive, exasperated sigh of resignation. If the humans went through all the trouble to use a ritual that hadn’t seen the light of day in hundreds of years… they’re not going to leave it in peace now, are they. Might as well face the music.

…. SOOOOO… who is brave enough to try and talk to the HUGE, SURLY-LOOKING PHOENIX?

MT MORTAR

[indigo_events]

Pokemon wrangling!

[timelesschampion]

How hard could wrangling Pokemon be?

The answer was very hard. Especially when they were panicked.

Link and his Buizel, Pumpkin, had been out for hours already helping where they could, the pair herding wild Pokemon as best they could while trying to add others to the group as they went. Had they been told to stay near camp? Of course they had. Link wasn't that experienced of a trainer and Pumpkin was very low level but like hell the Hylian was actually going to listen. What good would it do if he was stuck at camp?

Hopping over some rocks, Link and Pumpkin continued herding a group of Pokemon--a particularly sassy Gible having already been caught by Link since it wouldn't listen--making their way out of the more chaotic areas. The blonde startled as another loud roar practically shook the ground around them, sending a Mareep running. Link cried out in an attempt to stop it before taking off after the startled sheep, leaving Pumpkin to keep the others together.

Somebody stop that sheep!

A little bit of everything!

[bertall]

<sub>[The trek to Mt. Mortar had been a long and exhausting one; once the initial broadcast had gone out, Bertolt started to pack up everything he'd need and get his Pokemon ready for travel. As much as part of him would've liked to follow people to the Islands, he couldn't do it for a number of reasons (sea sickness being one of them). None of his pokemon were suited for a primarily water environment and subjecting them to it would've been a little mean.

So instead, Bertolt had gone back to Saffron and took the train back to Goldenrod. After that, it had taken nearly a full day between flying and riding on the back of his Arcanine to give his Charizard a break. In time, he eventually reached the foot of Mt. Mortar...]</sub>


[ᴀ.]

With so many fire and rock types at his disposal, it's no wonder Bertolt went further up the mountain than most of the rangers. His Aggron made it easy to traverse the awkward terrain and while his Arcanine was bigger than the average of his kind, he was nimble enough to worm his way around with his nose to the ground, seeking out any stranded hikers, tourists, and/or other trainers who've joined the relief effort.

Occasionally, the same Arcanine can be seen running down trails with several small Pokemon clinging to his mane and Bertolt on his back. Evacuations could be a hassle, and the last thing anyone needs is someone trying to go up the mountains to try and get a closer look at the two legendaries having a spat near the top or getting themselves into a dangerous situation. Even if they have Pokemon with, he still makes an effort to get his Arcanine to stop.

It goes double for anyone else working to keep things under control.


[ʙ.]

Down at the base of the mountain, Bertolt can be found tending to his Pokemon near the first-aid tents. He knows his Pokemon are made of sterner things, but sometimes accidents happen trying to help people - maybe he's brushing out dirt and soot from the stray fires that break out on the mountain from his Arcanine's fur, or he's trying to make sure they get rest.

Even his Machoke can't be stopped from fussing over his trainer and his team. And other trainers. If anyone looks weary or injured, you can bet that there is a Machoke trying to usher them towards the tents so they can get help, and--

Wait, was that a little nurse hat on its head?


[ᴄ.]

Of course while Bertolt has been working day and night to help out as much as he could, he's been neglecting to take care of himself.

He hasn't been sleeping much on account of trying to stay busy and it shows; when he thinks nobody is looking, he leans up against his Aggron and starts to nod off while standing, but he jolts awake as soon as he starts to sway. He can't sleep yet, even if the beds look awfully tempting.

...A nap couldn't hurt, could it?


[ᴅ.]

_{[Wildcard! Is there anything in particular you want to do that isn't here? Slap it up!]}

choose your own adventure!

[lordofthefries]

A. Sasha was built for this.

Or, more correctly, she was trained for years for this. If she knows nothing else, she knows her forests and woods and her search and rescue. Sure, most of that meant hunting for food and saving humans from the jaws of hungry Titans, but the basics are the same: keep 'em calm, keep 'em safe, keep 'em orderly. No one gets anywhere by panicking.

Especially her.

A flight on the back of the borrowed formerly Eren's and now Armin's Skarmory, Hilde, gets Sasha to the insanity that is Mt. Mortar in a day and some change and with Meatball the Electrode, Reynard the Zoroark, and Ilma the Marowak at her side, she jumps right in by laying down a trail of berries to entice the more scared Pokemon out of their hidey holes. The rest she scoops up in Pokeballs and when those run out, she uses her bare hands and the power of her Pokemon to get others to safety. She knows some people are stupid enough to want to go into the thick of things to catch a glimpse of the legendaries, but she has no interest in them. Not since Suicune stole their tea kettle. What's important to her is getting these creatures to safety and that means handing the ones she's managed to rescue to the first person she finds with empty hands.

"Here, take this little guy. His leg is broken. And this one too. Her nest was destroyed along with her eggs, so you know..." That that Murkrow will be wailing for her lost babies all night. A sound that would sink into anybody with a heart's bones, but Sasha cannot waste time comforting her when there are others to still rescue. She'll come back and check on her and the poor human Sasha stuck her with later, though.


B. Even superheroes need a break (not that Sasha is one, but just roll with it) and she's beginning to feel the familiar aches and pains of pushing herself too far. Even without the gear from home, everything hurts the same and she knows that if she continues on, she'd be no help to anyone.

So it's time for a break and she plops herself down on the edge of a cot with a tray of food on her lap. That disappears into the gaping maw on her face in less than three minutes and suddenly she's glancing around at people who are eating at a more humanlike speed around her. She could go for seconds, maybe thirds, but that means getting up and she'd rather just point at the plate of the person next to her and ask with wide innocent eyes: "Are you going to eat that?"

Because if they won't, she definitely will.


C. Sasha still needs some rest and a bath and a change of clothes because the smell of smoke clings to every part of her like white on rice but there's only enough time for one of the three and she picks resting instead. Or rather, something that means she isn't up on the mountain for now. Meatball is rolling alongside Sasha at her feet, crackling at every turn, as she practically bumrushes innocent people and shoves a handful of berries into their hands whether or not they asked for them or expected them to begin with.

"Here, take these," she says (actually, it's a command), "It'll work as bait. And don't worry. I've got more." Oh boy, does she have more berries. All those months of obsessively growing them has paid off.

everything | ota

[shiro2hero]

1) WRANGLING
[For the most part, Shiro relies on his main three Pokemon for this mission. His Aggron, Haunter and Incineroar. Occasionally riding the former, using Haunter to gently hypnotize the more panicked pokemon into relaxing enough to be shuffled away by his Incineroar. Or just plain picked up.]

[There's a scorch mark up his metal arm from a startled Cyndaquil. His foot hurts from getting rolled over by a Geodude, but he's sure it's not broken -- he wouldn't be able to walk if it were, right? But, needless to say, he's out there a long while. Pushing himself, and recalling his Pokemon before going back himself.]

[And then?]

How does a shark get in a tree?

[Asked from the back of his Aggron, staring up at a hapless Gible in a tree. Which shrugs.]



2) CAMP HELP
(a) [At some point, you stumble on wild Pokemon in need of medical assistance. Like this Skarmory he's currently trying to wrestle into camp. And the first-aid tent. It's clearly annoyed, and one of its wings looks damaged, but that isn't stopping it from flapping wildly and smacking Shiro upside the head on occasion.]

Just -- hold -- still!

[Should've got your Incineroar to do this, buddy.]


(b) [Even the most durable of Paladins has to flop down from time to time, and this is no exception. He's actually trying to rest, with his Haunter drifting nearby, on standby, in case he does fall asleep. But maybe this is the bed you've had your eye on. Or you're just loud and stomping into the tent.]

[Either way, he's going to sit bolt upright, awake at the slightest disturbance. Oops.]



3) wildcard
[Hit him up with just about anything!]

OTA - bolded prompt closed to 1st taker

[agent3]

[Despite being quite short for her age, the Rangers and Jennies couldn't argue too much with Thida; she had four badges to her name and a relatively strong team overall, so it would be remiss to keep her out of the field, and the young girl seemed to change in demeanor completely once allowed to work. Thida takes naturally to climbing and taking risks shuffling along narrow ledges to get to scared, stranded Pokemon. If she's up, and there's a rescue shift headed out, it's likely she's with you and going to every single high, dangerous place within sight.

Or you could find her when she strays from the group to investigate a curly Tepig tail poking out from between some fallen rocks. She's doing her best to move some of these, the small Pokemon squealing for help, but there's only so much rock Thida can move. Help her out?]

((OOC: The bolded prompt with the Tepig is closed to whoever would like to be with Thida when she finds it! Please indicate in your response if you'd like to help her save this little guy!))

Pokemon wrangling, techie work and making new friends.

[2hellwiththe1stlaw]

[a] Gotta catch save em all.

"Down girl...easy! No no no!!!"

Gaige let out a wail of distress watching a wild Hippowdon panic and go crashing through her well meaning trio of Bunary, Shellos and Rockruff. They scattered and bounced some a little harder then others as the massive ground type went thundering up the hill in the wrong direction.

"You stupid mon! That's where the fire is!"

Gathering up her pokemon Gaige gave chase, and maybe you'll follow her?

_________________________________________________

[b] I am the greatest Engineer alive!!!

Back at camp as her pokemon were being healed, Gaige was hard at work in the makeshift first aid tent, elbows deep in some kind of a healing machine.

"If I reroute the power supply through the backup first, then into the hard light projectors...OK Livewire gimmie some juice!"

The Pachirisu was more then happy to pump some electricity into her trainer who's ponytails stood on end and frizzed. She grit her teeth and endured though as the current was carried into the core of the machine and the lights lit up on the outside indicating her patch job had worked.

"HAHAHAHAHAAH! There is no machine too far gone for the mighty mechromancer!!!" Gaige cackled, little sparks of lightning dancing between her teeth as her hair began to smoke and she let go of the machine pulling her robotic arm out and closing it up. Livewire just smirked satisfied by being able to do what she did best, abuse her trainer.

"Bring it on! What piece of tech dare fail us in our time of need? I'll have it up and running again in no time!" She barked at the nearby staff and volunteers. Do you have something for her? Or maybe you wanna try and calm her down...her hair does appear to be slowly catching on fire...

___________________________________________________

[c] Try Try Tyrogue again.

Safety helmet firmly in place, Gaige was flanked by her most fire resistant pokemon as they trekked their way up the Mountain in search of more pokemon that needed rescuing. She had a wet cloth over her mouth to try and filter out some of the smoke, and her goggles were down to protect her eyes.

With Gollett in the lead and Onyx bringing up the rear, a Rockruff to her left and a Mudbray to her right, Gaige felt pretty well protected, though she still had her Shellos held like a rifle in case the fire got too heavy.

Coming around the bend her eyes settled on a familiar Tyrogue she'd seen running around the camp. She could tell it was the same one because of the fresh bandages on it's knuckles that were already tattered as she tried punching through some boulders that had blocked the path.

"Hey! Hey little punchy thing lemme help you!" But as soon as the rock and ground type pokemon moved forward the Tyrogue whirled on them putting up it's fists defensively.

"Hey! Hey easy! I'm here to help! Seriously!"

But the Tyrogue was having none of it, swinging on the air in a threatening manner, Gaige had half a mind just to flatten the little jerk and take her back down to camp.

But something awfully important must be up here for the little mon to be fighting so hard to get there. How best to defuse this situation? Any suggestions for her before she tries it her way?

[notvaljean]

[A]

Polo the Incineroar has gotten worn out, and Jean has taken to the sky. Crouched low over the back of Rocky the Aerodactyl, he's skimming over the tops of the trees, watching the landscape and trying to pick out any people or Pokemon in dire straits. Whenever he sees something suspicious, he steers Rocky down low to investigate, or intercede if needed.

[B]

Not all Pokemon are eager or happy to be rescued, and Jean ends up in the first aid tent. A Gible, now contrite and acting sweet, sits between his feet as a nurse clucks over Jean's hand, which has been gashed by some very sharp little teeth. Jean is gritting his teeth and pointed not looking at the nurse as she stitches him up, instead glaring down at the Gible and talking to it.

"Oh sure, now you want to be friends! Now I'm not so bad! You made me bleed my own blood, you jackass!"

[C]

Even the most stalwart of soldiers wear down at some point, and Jean is passed out flat on his back in one of the tents, his legs sprawled out and snoring inelegantly. His bandaged hand is cradled on his chest, and Spookycheeks the Mimikyu is sharing his pillow, keeping watch on everything and everyone that goes past him. Blitz and Fat Ice Dog have taken up residence under Jean's cot, ready to pounce out if anyone disturbs him.

OTA

[yoyoboy]

I. Bored at Camp

[There are two things Tony hates: Waiting and forced to the sidelines. So for him, being stuck in the camp while serving food to other trainers is like WOOHP prison to him. Even the food in here doesn't seem to make him (and his taste buds) better.

Eventually, during break, he then approaches to a nearby trainer in exhaustion.]

Can I sit here? Thank you.

[Whether if you let him sit or deny him, he will regardless slump on the seat as he sighs in dismay.]

II. Pokemon Wrangling

[After a few minutes of begging, Tony eventually joins in to help the other Rangers gather most of the panicked Pokemon to a safer area. Problem is that wrangling Pokemon is a lot tougher than wrangling WOOHP criminals. Especially that he has some difficulty on herding a bunch of Bibarel while Noise and Frogadier are busy with a bunch of Mareep.

In fact, you may hear Tony's scream when his foot was stomped by a panicked Pangoro.]

III. Misunderstanding Rescue [First Come, First Serve]

[If you somehow pass through the rocky climbing area, you may see a Skarmory is seemingly attacking a young Gible as it is crying in panic. And also, you can tell that Tony tried to protect it, but he may have trouble on that part as he ends up hanging over the cliff.

You may try saving Tony and Gible, but what they don't know is that Tony is trying to help Skarmory on calming a crying Land Shark Pokemon in an attempt to evacuate it from the mountains.]

Approach with caution

[bleedingunversed]

[A]

Drop it over there!

[While Vanitas normally would have just sat back and watched this all play out...someone has a bigger soft spot for Pokemon than he likes to let on. Especially those native to Mt. Mortar where he, himself, had gotten most of his team.

So here he was attempting to tame animals and put of fire where he could.

Noise had immediately fell in line with the other flying types to bring water in as flames started to creep through the forest, everyone attempting to keep it from turning into a raging inferno.

Vanitas watched as his Noctowl dumped the large bucket she was carrying before she swooped over to where he was, landing and taking a moment to recover from nearly six trips in a row. The young man didn't hesitate to pet her head, offering her a grin before he rounded on his other Pokemon.]

Alright losers, get moving! Make sure there's no stupid Pokemon hiding around here so we can move on!

[Scrapper the Houndoom, Phial the Salazzle, Remnant the Typhloshion, Light the Amaura and Wrecker the Totodile all made various noises before heading off to sweep the area, scaring out any critters that were hiding so Vanitas and Noise could herd them to safety.]


[B]

[If there was only thing that Vanitas had still not gotten use to it was the fact that he wore out a lot easier now. He didn't have endless amounts of energy and actually had to sleep.

Like he was doing now.

He'd opted to avoid the tents and cots, propped up outside against his Typhlosion, Remnant, both of them dozing to try and recover some energy. His Noctowl, Noise, was helping to haul in more water while Wrecker and Light were helping to calm some of the more frantic wild Pokemon.

Scrapper and Phial are both standing guard over the sleeping pair though they both look just as tired. This sort of thing was a lot more taxing than every day battles.]


[Wildcard]

[Feel free to make up a starter of your own! I'm down for anything. c: ]

Pokemon Assistance

[seeingeyesteward]

The only one of Ignis's Pokemon that insisted on going into the thick of things was, of course Ravioli. He was given the command to check in but Ignis allowed him to go and assist with the bucket carrying to keep any fires from breaking out. It would give the Pidgeot something to do since there was little to entertain the bird where Ignis was.

Which Ignis was unable to do much of anything to be helpful. The earplugs were driven pretty deep into Ignis's ears and he still sat with his hands over them. His eye was squeezed shut, trying to ward off the headache as the roars continued. It was deafening and hearing was the only way Ignis could really function.

His Pokemon on the other hand were doing quite well. Dahlia, between checking on Ignis, was also helping with the Nurse Joys. Glaive remained next to Ignis, watching closely. Beside Ignis was Anemone, unsure what to do.

And of course, Pimpkiboo... Was floating here and there around the grounds. Dahlia had released him from his leash if only so he would leave Ignis be but thus far the Pumpkiboo was causing no problems.

FOREST FIRE

[indigo_events]

The efforts of the rangers and all of the volunteer trainers have kept disaster at bay for nearly a week.

But it wasn't going to last forever. Between Entei's heat waves and Raikou's lightning strikes, not to mention all the panicked Fire types in the mountain it was only a matter of time before sparks from a struck tree catch in a patch of dried out undergrowth that nobody happens to be around to put out. Within minutes, the fire is racing along the ground up even more trees, and then more and more until it's a full on forest fire.

Pokemon are fleeing the blaze in huge numbers, trying to reach safety, but that's likely to hinder efforts to get the fire under control even more. The rangers are calling on everyone still here, everyone who can do anything, to send out their teams to keep the fire from spreading even further than it already has. Water, Ground, Rock, even other Fire types who could burn fire lines into the ground near the edges, are anyone's best bets for tackling the fire itself.

The Rangers will be directing people as best they can and trying to tackle the most intense areas of the fire themselves rather than purposefully putting the volunteers in danger. But anyone who seems to know what they're doing will be welcome help--at this point they've all been stretched thin.

It's going to take everyone's help to save this forest, and in the meanwhile the Legendary Beasts continue to roar above the smoke, seemingly heedless of the destruction they've caused.

SEAFOAM ISLANDS

[indigo_events]

August 19th and on, accidental in-cave resupply system

[captainash]

By the second day of cave exploration, Ash is starting to realize the scope of this crazy project.

He's known those caves are enormous for a long time; he did spend over a month in here futilely looking for an Azurill, ages ago. (And of course he keeps running into them now, with his sweet miraculous Rilla already fully evolved.) He knows they're dark, damp, and filled with Pokémon that don't always appreciate visitors. But now there's also people running around everywhere, a trio of feathery thieves grabbing loot willy-nilly (seriously, if it turns out they're responsible for his missing nugget...), and of course some extremely rare Legendary hiding somewhere in this maze and causing all this mess. Someone is going to get lost in the chaos sooner or later, and there's a non-negligible chance it's going to be him.

Luckily, he has a plan.

Those trails of potions, pokéballs and other knick-knacks that start popping up all over the place? The plan in question. Will Operation Hansel and Gretel be successful? Or will other trainers move this trail around for laughs, grab that sequence of great balls to finally capture that top percentage Zubat, add itmes of their own until the lines become too complex to follow...?



Trainers who decide to simply follow the trails instead can, with some patience, find Ash himself in the middle of an argument with a Spheal. He's losing. Badly.

"Give me the rope back, please. I'll give you a shiny pebble in return. You like shiny pebbles, don't you?"