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.

(STUDY BUDDIES)

[11121_assumption]

The pushy Snubbull will certainly not be welcome near another patron, who has set up in a quiet corner. It'll be an Alolan Vulpix who tries to turn them away. "My trainer is already looking through that book. I assure you, he is capable of research. Find another." Claudia spoke politely but firmly, putting herself between Parry and Walter. Who was watching over the exchange, in case he needed to give Claudia directions in a battle. At his side was Assumption, who was valiantly trying to help despite his inability to read; instead he was copying the drawings of legendary pokemon, to go with Walter's notes. Another Pokemon of Walter's was hidden in his shadow.

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?]

[notmyrealname]

[Cissnei smiled as the questions were asked, pausing in her writing as her gaze went to Jane.]

I'm doing alright, I promise. Just trying to keep all of this straight.

[There was a lot of information and a lot that could be valuable. She just had to keep it all straight.

On the table, Tseng peered at Jane curiously then looked at Dinah, head tilting as he gave a gruff little bark in greeting.]

[11121_assumption]

When Jane approached Walter, a Haunter would pop up out of his shadow. Not to scare her; the Haunter politely tapped Walter's shoulder to get his attention, and then indicated to Jane with a sunny smile to let him know someone was coming. He still found it odd when people spoke to him politely when they didn't know him. A lifetime of abuse and being ignored was hard to shake off.

"O-oh, I'm fine." Beside him was a shiny Alolan Vulpix and an Alolan Marowak, who also peered up at Jane when she spoke to Walter. The Marowak was trying to help...by copying the drawings in the books and adding the pictures to Walter's notes. He couldn't write, but he was doing his best.

[tearsofademon]

[He starts for a second from his reading, his train of thought interrupted, but the question registers soon enough.]

Ahh, I'm okay, but if you're getting water, I won't say no I guess...

["Clef!" Rose, meanwhile, is definitely okay, and she proves it by holding up a stick of dango. (She's being good and not holding it over the books.) ...She seems to have a pile of boxes of dango next to her, for snacking.]

wildcard

[charcoalfeather]

[Wow, rakka isn' even here, but that sure is a ringing coming from your pokegear, Jane. And there's going to be a familiar voice coming through.]

Jane! Hey! How's it going over there?

[She has to speak up a little, what with all the fire in the background.]

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.

Nighttime

[a_sin_for_him]

[Lust couldn't sleep - not for any ill reasons, simply too many thoughts. She's never been able to sleep when her mind's a'buzz, even if the thoughts are mundane or even pleasant. The current situation, of course, is at the forefront. But there's dozen of other things that keep popping into her mind as she tried to get an early night's sleep, so she's up and about once more.]

[She may as well try and get some more work done, and the walk to the Tower's a pleasant one. She's always found it easy to focus on research and similar pursuits. And it isn't as though any one else is going to be in the archives room at this hour, it should be quiet...]

[Except she's very much wrong in that assessment.]

Heather? What are you doing still here?

DAYTIME

[11121_assumption]

One of Heather's twelve books has some really pretty looking pictures in them. They could be important! One of them even seems to be of the dogs causing all this trouble...

Which is why Heather's going to be politely tapped on the knee by none other than Assumption. He waves to her both politely and affably! And then points to the book in question with a questioning call. Can he borrow this please? He didn't immediately see Wolf or Warden or Kite, and they were doing very serious researching, so he didn't ask to see them right now. But maybe later they could all hang out, and Heather and Walter too!

August 21

[dreamsofahero]

Ah, is that a wild one?

*guess who both didn't arrive until after the infamous Shedinja Incident and has one of his own?*

I didn't know they could be found here...

DAYTIME

[keep_surviving]

Diana blinks at her.

"Shit. Should I have like... Plucked a Murkrow feather and used ink to take note? Because, I kind of scribbled over everything in a blue ballpoint instead?"

She grins playfully.

Daytime

[armoredsoul]

[Al glances over and chuckles, currently in the middle of fetching a stack of books for his group's claimed table. Following Edward's example he's been mostly avoiding Envy, but that unfortunately meant he's not seen that much of Heather, either.]

Or a face with about a million wrinkles. I'm surprised the monks are even letting us breathe near some of these!

Daytime

[tearsofademon]

Eh, if it is illegal, wouldn't be the first time I've been to prison.

[He says that so off-handedly in response to your joke as he walks past, not looking up from the tome he has his nose in even before he's found his way back to where he's been sitting.]

August 21st

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy's not watching, he's too busy trying to carry five scrolls and also dig through them to make sure that he'd grabbed VII and not VI...but being backed into, he does notice.]

Don't look at wha--

[The first thing he notices is the look on her face.]

[And the second thing is what she's looking at. His own eyes go wide as dread clenches his stomach.]

Nobody said those things would be in here.

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.

[keep_surviving]

It's been a couple of days already and Diana's not convinced this whole 'sleeping sat against a bookcase on the floor' thing is great for her back. She's had worse obviously, but she's also become rather accustomed to a bed. Or at least a sleeping bag.

She yawns as she and Isla walk through the shelves, carrying their latest restock of food. It's this brief moment of having her eyes closed that result in her nearly tripping over something grey and furry. The Sylveon's tendril swiftly places down the bag it's carrying and reaches out to steady its trainer.

"Thanks, Isla." Diana mutters as she looks at the cause of her near collision with the floor. She pulls a puzzled expression at the Cinccino and follows its gaze, smirking when she sees Walter.

"Ah, watching Mr Handsome, are we?"

With a nod for Isla to follow, Diana walks towards the man. When she gets close enough she blows lightly on the back of his neck. "Heya, Walt."

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?