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

[johto_guys]

[Another pause, and one of those world-weary sighs. Then, Ho-oh nods.

It's hard to get across just exactly what was wrong to a human, though, that was no fault of their own. Pokemon are simply easier to talk to.]

[dreamsofahero]

Sion likes to consider himself on the more insightful end, as far as communicating with pokemon goes, but clearly he has limits. Especially when it comes to pokemon he's not already well-acquainted with. So he nods in acknowledgement.

"Dusk, if you would?"

The absol nods, giving a small "sol" of affirmation as she steps forward. She bows her head respectfully to Ho-Oh, before looking up questioningly. What is it she should relay to her trainer?

[johto_guys]

[The bow is very much appreciated. Ho-oh takes a second to preen, seemingly pleased for a moment, and then another roar sounds out across the region. Ho-oh shoots the mountains a withering look, and then gestures with a wing and a jerk of its head in their general direction.]

Hoooooh.

[And then the wing gestures to the silver feather in Sion's grasp.]

Ooooh!

[What follows is something that can only be described as the airing of grievance. With each gesture of its wing, Ho-oh stirs up gusts and dust as it trills and calls. The general feeling coming off of this? It's one of a very exasperated parent, almost, one that's in over their head and simply wants help. From the dirty looks Ho-oh keeps giving the feather, it could be implied that Lugia is the main source of its ire, but exactly why that is, Ho-oh bristles and clicks its beak, almost like it's embarrassed.]

[dreamsofahero]

Some of the gestures Sion could follow, but the specifics are definitely lost on him. So when Ho-Oh is finished, he looks to Dusk instead. The absol considers matters for a moment, then gives her understanding of matters, complete with her own set of gestures. It takes a moment, with Sion needing to ask a clarifying question or two on the more complicated parts, but over five years of working together means he and Dusk have learned to understand each other reasonably well, at least.

Once he thinks he understands, he looks back to Ho-Oh.

"You would like Lugia to assist, however, it has been either unable or unwilling to do so?"

It's his best guess, at least.

[johto_guys]

[There's no sound of affirmation. Just a nod, and a flick of an errant wing as Ho-oh closes its eyes.

That impossible Lugia, honestly.]

[dreamsofahero]

While he's definitely curious as to just what, exactly, this apparent grievance entails, now is neither the time nor the place to ask, even if Ho-Oh were inclined to answer. Instead, Sion's reminded of the news reports he saw earlier...

"I don't know if you'll find this useful, but apparently, Lugia has presumably been located somewhere in the Seafoam Islands. At the very least, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres have been seeing coming and going from the area, carrying berries and such things into the islands."

[johto_guys]

[Oh

Oh

That get's Ho-oh's eyes to open immediately, and you can almost hear the indignant squawk that's on the tip of its tongue as it bristles again, letting out low calls and trills. It's almost pacing in circles on top of the tower with its movements, clearly irritated and muttering grievances under its breath. Of course, Lugia wouldn't be in Johto when Ho-oh needed it, this is - this is just great, this is the Cheri berry on top of the proverbial ice cream sundae, isn't it?]

[dreamsofahero]

Well, that seems to have gotten a reaction, at least... The real question is, what to do about it?

"I believe there are already quite a few people searching for Lugia there already. Perhaps they'll be able to locate it?"

[johto_guys]

[Ho-oh huffs, stopping, and shakes its head once. If it's with the Kanto Bird Trio and far enough into the Seafoam Islands, it won't want to be found. Can you humans prove it's possible?]

[dreamsofahero]

Is that skepticism? That seems like skepticism, probably.

"You don't think they'll succeed...?"

A pause, then: "Well, I doubt the so-called 'Legend Seekers' would make much progress, but there would be other, more capable people there. Ryner and I found this feather in the Whirl Islands entirely on our own; I imagine as large a number of people as were headed out there would be even more efficient."

[johto_guys]

[Ho-oh begins shifting on its feet again, a touch more agitated than before. This answer does not please the giant phoenix. If anything, it huffs and nearly unfurls its wings, ready to lift off and return to wherever it had been before, but...you all had been so persistent in finding the dance steps and performing. As much as it doesn't seem to agree with the idea of people finding Lugia instead of some other alternative, it does recognize the effort taken just to get its attention.

Perhaps some other way of thinking might be better to get Ho-oh to be more amiable to your plight?]

[dreamsofahero]

Well, that evidently wasn't what Ho-Oh wanted to hear. The question is, which part is the problem? Being unconvinced that the humans could succeed in finding Lugia, or the implication that they could? Perhaps if he can't be certain, it would be better for Sion to try a different approach...

"We cannot hope to calm Entei and the others ourselves, in any case. However, if you would be so gracious as to aid us, we will certainly offer any support we're able.

"Besides, if nothing is done, well, I fear it may sooner or later cause real harm to humans and pokemon alike if things continue like this..."

[johto_guys]

[Well, who knows what Ho-oh wants to hear? Ho-oh itself might not even know. A Legendary Pokemon can also have moments of doubt; they are not infallible.

Ho-oh stills and heaves a sigh. It knows. It knows full well that the Beasts cannot and should not be allowed to run amok as they have, that much is evident. Yet...still, it makes no move.]

[dreamsofahero]

That's certainly a better response than a moment before, at least. And since Ho-Oh has already made its opinion of Lugia plainly known, Sion carefully puts the feather away, reasoning that it's already served whatever purpose it could at this point. Not to mention the fact that it is something of a precious memento to him and Ryner that he'd rather not risk damaging if he can avoid it.

"At the very least, is there any advice or direction you could give us? I imagine you would know those three far better than any of us could hope to, after all."

[johto_guys]

[Seeing the feather be put away is a definite relief for Ho-oh. It relaxes visibly, shaking itself out to stand taller, straighter, more authoritative. It considers Sion for a moment before turning its head towards the mountains -

- and letting out a loud call. Seriously, please cover your ears or they will be hurting for a while.

There's a pause after the call, and then two roars at once echo from the mountains, and then start up their back and forth once more, defiant and strong. If a bird could facepalm, Ho-oh would probably be doing so right now.

This is not something a group of humans or just one legend can do on their own. Not when it's escalated this far.]

[dreamsofahero]

"I take it that means we need more help if we're to get their attention..."

[johto_guys]

[Another sigh-like sound, and then a nod. It really can't do this on its own. It's gotten to the point where that option has passed.]

[dreamsofahero]

"Other than Lugia, are there any other possible options?"

A pause, then:

"Or would you be able to help find Lugia, if people have already narrowed down its likely location?"

He knew it might be a longshot given Ho-Oh's earlier attitude, but it didn't hurt to cover all their options.

[johto_guys]

[Ho-oh shakes its head. It can't just leave Johto to make Lugia come back, especially if it doesn't want to. And what other Legendary would even want to step into another region's mess? Neither of those options sound likely.]