victory_road | Come alive come alive

Come alive come alive

Who: Everyone attending the Contest Spectacular! (For more information about this event, check out the info post here!)
Where: Celadon City
When: February 15th-17th
Log:

Valentine’s day may be just past and most cities are relaxing back to normal after all the romance. But in Celadon City, the holiday hype wound up as a lead-in to the month’s main event: the return of the Contest Spectacular!

After Olivine had the honor of hosting in the summer, Kanto’s rainbow city has been eager to draw the event back and truly establish the new tradition. Not that it took much convincing to get Hoenn’s Contest runners back on board—not to mention the Aether Foundation’s assistance as well. They’d heard the city had had an on-and-off issue with pollution, so of course they’re here to supervise and ensure Pokemon safety!

Lusamine having the opportunity to judge more beautiful Pokemon is simply a perk to coming, of course.

Anne and Liz have returned as well, wouldn’t miss it for the world. They’re growing very fond of hosting for this new and interesting region, not to mention getting to meet all the people from entirely different worlds! Whenever they can grab a moment of downtime, they can be spotted out and about with their Plusle and Minun, and are eager to chat people up and hear their otherworldly stories. Just no questions about results!

As for the city itself... Celadon is always flashy, but they really pulled out all the stops this time.

Pink, red, and white tents and booths fill the streets between the towering green-glassed buildings. The fashion center of Kanto apparently didn't get the memo that the fourteenth was over and instead decided on having more hearts, more Luvdisc-themed decorations, and MORE cherry lollipops.

The Aether tents blend right in with the other lovey-dovey colors-- this time they're there to pass out hand-warmers and sanitizer, pamphlets about PokeRus and how to best avoid passing around germs. They're friendly as always (although there seem to be even more of them this time than there were back in August), but Celadon City made sure that there's far more to see than some geeks in white. Now that the Contest Spectacular has two massive successes under its belt, more people than ever want to get in on it.

It seems that every bakery in town came together to outdo each other, and extravagant sweets and pastries are being sold and sampled out at every turn. The usual photobooths and costume-rental stands (that, cough, are definitely not advertising from local fashion companies that want you to stop in and BUY the outfits from their boutiques later...) are present as always-- and the mini-games from last summer are back too!

One booth is surrounded by a near-constant crowd-- manned by a shiny Decidueye and his nervous-looking Trainer-- the regal owl Pokemon is signing copies of his newly-published self-help book-slash-autobi"owl"graphy ("Owl I Want Is You: Memoirs of a Hopeless Romantic") with one of his own quills.
And of course there's the official Contest stalls bursting with merch from the previous contests-- including (but not limited to) colorful additions like:

a sparkling necklace whose beads form the shape of an Onix (EXPENSIVE... but so stylin'!)
a clunky (but very popular with the Youngsters) action figure that transforms into a lumpy Tyrantrum if you follow a bunch of complicated steps
a short newsstrip-style graphic novel about the action-packed adventures of a crime-fighting Wailmer
a VERY dapper line of Joltik-themed bowties and cuff-links
a dainty music box containing a tiny ballerina Eevee figurine that spins when opened
a set of "Ink Blasterz (tm)"-- Octillery-themed squirt guns that come with packets of (nontoxic) black dye so that you and your friends can ruin your neighbor's drying laundry even more once summer rolls back around
a set of gleaming opalescent d20's in a Sableye-shaped box, complete with two hollow holes on the lid where the eyes should be where you can stick two of them!
a floppy green Deino doll that, when switched on, tumbles chaotically around the floor and emits growling noises.

But for those worn out on ~~capitalism~~ the shameless merchandizing, this year the real centerpiece of the outdoor attractions is a temporary but still impressive greenhouse erected in the plaza outside of the main tent. Gym Leader Erika and her underlings have worked throughout the month to feature the fruits of their labor (no pun intended) in the Celadon Gym, and the Greenhouse is a great place for a relaxing respite from the cold, slushy February streets outside. Visitors can learn all about exotic flora and even purchase potted Berry trees, houseplants and bonsais raised by the Celadon gym trainers themselves!

~*~

[IMPORTANT: Please submit your contest entries here! For all other activities, feel free to make your own top-levels!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And dogs, apparently.

[ are all his dogs allergic to pollen? aren't fire types supposed to resist grass? ... is pollen a grass?

jack is not a scientist, these are questions for later, as he turns the dogs towards some nice inoffensive trees. like a true dog owner, he pulls the sleeve of his sweater over his hand to start cleaning their noses off.

... and then egon says that as dixie sneezes again into his face, and he snorts. ]

Do you want me to turn off the sun while I'm at it? Give them a minute and they'll calm down.

Edited 2019-02-18 18:43 (UTC)

[Egon doesn't seem to recognize Jack--probably because he's never actually seen him over the network--or any of his dogs. Then again, he's generally not very good at remembering people's faces unless they've spoken more than once.]

Turning "off" the sun would be an ill-advised plan.

[He says that with a completely serious tone as he seals the bag and puts it in his pocket.]

You may as well transfer the pollen to other plants, while you're at it. I'm sure the caretakers would appreciate it. [He pauses.] You were the one who placed their Pokémon on stage and let them cry, yes? What, exactly, was your thought process behind that?

[ in fairness, jack doesn't recognize egon immediately either - although the tone (or lack therof) of his voice certainly rings a bell.

when egon suggests transferring the pollen, he looks at crybaby and jerks his head. ]

Go on.

[ she skits! excitedly and goes to stick her face in more flowers as jack keeps the dogs out of harms way. when egon asks about his 'performance', jack looks up at him and, deadpan, ]

Figured I should do something if they were going to bother to fly me out here.

[ he looks back to the skitty currently rubbing her face in ALL THE FLOWERS. ]

Dog routines are all fun and cute, but it's cats that people seem to really go crazy for.

Yes, most humans seem to enjoy small, furred, quadruped mammals.

[His eyebrows furrow ever so slightly as he watches the Skitty go absolutely ham on the flowers. Hm. Feline-facilitated pollination.]

Personally, I do not see the appeal. Mammals may be one of the least interesting creatures under the animalia kingdom--at least, from a scientific standpoint. [The corner of his mouth twitches.] Unless these creatures happen to be supernatural in origin, of course.

[As Crybaby sticks her face in one of the flower bushes, there's a small surprised "bllrpp!" noise. Out from the bushes emerges a round, green baby. Bits and pieces of pollen have been suspended in her cytoplasm. She looks up at the Skitty, then blinks.]

you're baby! i'm baby!

Ah--there you are. I was getting worried.

Are you telling me my dogs aren't precious babies?

[ he says that as straight faced as possible, before he gives a small snicker and waves a hand. ]

I'm kidding. What's the most interesting creature to you under animalia, then?

[ crybaby gives a small noise of surprise, raising a paw to gently poke at kölliker's membrane, careful to keep her claws sheathed.

she's baby! she's crybaby! she shares with glee. jack, meanwhile, looks surprised. ]

Is your Pokemon talking?

[Egon blinks. What an odd question to ask.]

Please. That would be like asking me what my favorite breed of fungi is, or my favorite class of spirit to study. [There's a beat.] Though, I am particularly fond of arthropods or arachnids.

[Kölliker wiggles around, bumping herself against Crybaby's paws.]

Not "talking" in the sense that she is verbally speaking--in addition to having incredibly powerful psychic abilities, she can telepathically communicate with other organisms, including human beings. [He grimaces.] Though, it becomes rather difficult to teach a creature any sort of meaningful self-control if they have the ability to tap into anyone's thoughts.

[And, as if to demonstrate this--]

kölliker! hi! i'm baby!! hell dammit bastard--

Stop. Please.

Edited 2019-02-18 19:33 (UTC)

Well, I can't say I'm a fan of spiders, but the ones here aren't too bad. At least you can see them a mile away.

[ crybaby raises her other paw to basically bounce off kölliker a little, giving a gleeful noise.

jack, meanwhile, listens to egon. all right, so it's a psychic pokemon that's talking to people. and then -

cursing, which makes him grin. that reminds him of pharah after hanging out with uncle jack and gabriel. ]

Telling her no is just gonna make it worse, you know.

[ crybaby tilts her head and then rubs her cheek against kölliker, purring bzzrd. it might be her attempt at 'bastard'. ]

[Kölliker makes a delighted bubbling noise. That's right! Crybaby's learning fast!]

bastard!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm...well aware of this. This has been happening for over a month.

[He sounds slightly more exasperated--like a parent with an unruly child who's honestly just inches away from giving up. One of the gardeners looks up, startled by the sudden amount of swearing. Egon pinches the bridge of his nose, then clears his throat.]

Kölliker, if you keep using that language in public, you won't be able to talk to Luca for a day.

[Kölliker seems to consider this for a moment.]

no!

[Egon looks surprised.] What do you mean, no?

Bazzrd!

[ crybaby excitedly rubs her cheek against köllikers, her tail swishing back and forth. jack is finished cleaning up his dogs, who look between him, kölliker, and egon, their tongues hanging out.

jack gets up, raising an eyebrow at the two of them. this also reminds him of fareeha and ana, and he folds his arms.

he knows better than to interrupt, after all. kölliker will just take it as reinforcement.

(but she can probably sense his amusement). ]

no!!!!

[Jack can probably sense a feeling of annoyance, confusion, and...Kölliker being genuinely upset? Egon seems to feel it, as well, and he sighs deeply, trying to think of what to do next.]

I am somewhat disappointed in you. You're a good unicellular creature, it is just not polite to say these things to other people. I do not want to have to discipline you, but you need to stop if you do not want these consequences.

[She burbles quietly, thinking about Egon's words and calming down a little. After a brief moment, she floats over to Jack and tries to bury herself in his arms.]

new dad.

[She says that with a tone of mischief. Egon rolls his eyes.]

[ jack can sense it, and - while he never had kids himself, he was exposed to fareeha and gabriel's kids enough to understand what is going on here. it's just a little different with pokemon.

kölliker doesn't want to get in trouble with egon, but neither does she want to stop being bad. unfortunately, neither of these things can happen.

.. her solution is definitely one he's seen before, with fareeha running into her father's arms to avoid her mother's punishment.

except jack is not playing this game, and he raises his arms so kölliker has no where to squirm. ]

No, not new dad -

[ but even as he's telling kölliker no, crybaby has turned around with a confused look. new dad? is this a trade? is jack trying to trade her again???

tears well up in her eyes and she opens her mouth to let out of a mournful wail that echoes in the greenhouse. ]

[oh god what have they done

Kölliker pauses for a moment, evaluating Crybaby's thought process. Then she decides to ignore it and continue to try and attach herself to Jack. Egon looks stunned and mildly terrified, glancing from the wailing Skitty to his awful, awful child--]

Uh--nice kitty, good kitty. Please stop crying. [There's a hint of desperation in his voice.] Please.

[He frantically digs through his bag and pulls out a PokéBall, clicking down on the button. The Solosis gets scooped up in a red beam of light and disappears from sight. Egon scrubs his face with his hand. This should be sufficient enough for her to reevaluate her actions.]

I'm very sorry about that, uh-- [He looks down at Crybaby.] Can't you--Can't you turn it off?

[ yeah that went about how he expected it to, all things considered.

jack puts a hand down and, very firmly, both mentally and verbally tells ko no. but it seems crybaby's wails unsettle egon enough to recall her.

jack, meanwhile, rolls his eyes. ]

Like turning off the sun.

[ but he reaches down and scoops crybaby up, dixie sniffing at her as well, and strokes his hand over her pollen covered head. ]

I've got you, okay? No trading away, I promise. I'm right here.

[ her wailing subsides to soft sniffles and rubbing her face against jacks chest.

dixie sneezes again, then walks over to egon to nose at his hand. you have an upset baby, sir? ]

[Well. All things considered, at least this guy seems to have things under control. Egon still looks rather uncomfortable for having been at least partially responsible for this.

He glances down at the Houndour, currently sniffing at his hand. Fascinating--she seems to resemble a hellhound, of some sort. He reaches down to scratch her head before pressing down on the PokéBall button again. Kölliker gets released next to Dixie, and she blinks, turning around to look at what havoc she hath wrought.]

no swear?

No swearing. [Egon kneels down, staring at Dixie.] Please, say something to her.

[He must be truly desperate if he's asking a dog for help....]

[ no no, egon, if a certain man didn't have a habit of provoking this kind of response from his skitty - see his contest entry - he probably could have nipped this in the bud a bit sooner. but he has not, and here we are.

dixie accepts the head scratches with a little tilt. when kölliker is released next to her, she gently gives her a lick to her 'cheek' membrane. when egon asks her say something? that has a look of surprise.

she's a dark type, so she can still hear kölliker but the psychic interference doesn't affect her. instead, she bumps her head against her, verbalizing a series of gentle growls and low barks.

the gist of what she says? that she gets swears are super fun, don't get her wrong. but for other people they're not fun. and she can see how upset she gets her trainer-dad and other pokemon when she does it.

if she listens to trainer-dad initially, she won't get in trouble. he's not mad at her until after she says no - and she can sense that egon is upset, but still cares about her, right?

she bumps her nose against kölliker's membrane again. plus, if she listens to him, then she'll have more leverage on when she can use swears later. ]

Edited (i wanted to add more) 2019-02-18 21:26 (UTC)

[Save them from these babies.

Kölliker burbles a little, but before she can go into her usual "I'm baby" blathering, Dixie starts barking. She blinks, tilting her whole body to the side in a quizzical manner. Hmmm...black dog fire skull cool makes good point. On the one hand, she likes having fun, but...she doesn't want to make glasses serious dad upset, because then he gets sad, and she doesn't like to see him when he's sad.

She nibbles on Dixie's nose before saying--]

ok! no swear.

[Egon rubs at his temples.]

Why are you more willing to listen to other Pokémon instead of me?

[He glances over towards Jack, who is still holding Crybaby.]

Is she calming down?

[ black dog fire skull cool does make a good point. there are other ways to have fun besides swearing! especially in this location.

dixie waits until kölliker releases her nose before she sneezes slightly, her mouth pulling back in a grin. good baby.

and, of course, at egon's despair, dixie trots over and gives his cheek a lick, too. there there, trainer, you'll get it one day.

jack, for his part, has a bunch of pollen on his chest, but crybaby seems to have calmed down. he nods. ]

Yeah, she's fine. How's yours?

[ she's not swearing, at least. crybaby makes another little skitty? noise, directed at kölliker. ]

[Egon grimaces slightly at the cheek lick. Just think about the fact that it's not that different from being in contact with ectoplasm, except it comes from a dog, and dog drool is not scientifically interesting to him.]

...Thank you. [Said while wiping off his cheek with his sleeve as he gets up on his feet. Kölliker hovers over towards Crybaby, bubbling softly and cheerfully. What's up, fellow baby? Doing better now? Wanna have some fun that may or may not involve swearing?]

Your...hellhound appears to have convinced her to stop. [He shakes his head, putting his hands in his pockets.] Whatever works, at this point. Where did you obtain a creature like that, anyways?

[ dixie seems to not care about the grimace, and trots back over to jack, checking on bandit and scout, who are currently biting each others ears, entirely unbothered by the drama that just occurred next to them.

crybaby reaches out for kölliker, giving a cheerful skit! sure, she's down for fun that may or may not involve swearing. (she'll just wait until jack is out of earshot to try it).

jack chuckles a little bit, setting crybaby down so she and kölliker can have their conversation. he reaches out and scratches behind dixie's ears. ]

I found her - well, really, Crybaby found her - outside Goldenrod. She's a Houndour - a dark and fire dog. [ he clears his throat. ]

She approached us on our way in when Crybaby was upset, and wouldn't leave us alone. I, uh, never actually caught her with a Pokeball.

[ dixie snorts. if jack would throw one at her, she'd get into it! ]

Hmm. So she simply decided to follow you on her own volition? Perhaps this is another example of Pokémon purposely seeking out trainers that can take care of them.

[...Man, this guy must really like dogs. Or dogs must like him, because who just brings three dogs into a greenhouse like this?]

...I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Dr. Egon Spengler. Again, I apologize for the...swearing.

[Kölliker sort of sends a mental image to Crybaby of the Sushi-go-round game she saw while floating past everything. Suggestion? Food? Eat? She'll be able to be in contact with her dad, so everything's gonna be safe.]

[ jack is definitely the type to just have way too many dogs and take them everywhere. that's what makes the skitty such an outlier, but she's sort of made it very clear that jack didn't pick her by choice.

still, when egon introduces himself, he has a moment of surprise, and then laughs. ]

My name's Jack - or Soldier: 76. I think we've spoken before, about people disappearing. And I've heard worse; I used to be in the military.

[ crybaby makes a delighted noise. oh, she's so down to do that. she turns and mewls at jack, who looks at the two of them. he seems to get that she's asking to go somewhere, so he waves a hand. ]

Go have fun, kitten.

[ crybaby turns back and bounces up and down, as high as she can. yes yes sushi game now. dixie immediately trots off after them as soon as they start moving, though. ]

Edited (goddamn weirdo never says his last name) 2019-02-18 22:23 (UTC)

Oh.

[Egon blinks, then rubs the back of his neck. Kölliker disappears with Crybaby. To do totally good things, now that Dixie is supervising them and looking over their metaphorical shoulders.]

Yes, that's right, isn't it? Interesting to meet you in person for the first time. [He crosses his arms.] I have to say, my last few incidents with the military--at least, in my world-- have been less than positive. Do you have a United States where you're from?

[Just going to lay all his cards out on the table right now. He's not one to hide his opinions about things.]

[ listen, if kölliker wants to do some swears, dixie is not going to stop her. she's the most adult, but swears are fun, and no one will get hurt if they do it quietly.

still, he can tell that 'less than positive' probably doesn't cover egon's feelings. he gives a small nod. ]

We do, and we have a United States military, which is where I originally joined up. But I spent the bulk of my service in Overwatch - a United Nations organization - out of jurisdiction of the US of A.

[ he shrugs. ]

I'm not one of those oo-rah types who think the force can't fuck up.

The United Nations is a barely-functioning institution that only serves to make the people feel as though any sort of meaningful politics are taking place.

[Well, he's just...comin' out swinging, I guess. Also just assuming that Jack is from the 20th century, as he's mentioned the United Nations.

It's fine.]

It sounds as though the United Nations in your universe seems to have somehow obtained some policy enforcement. Though there are always downfalls to having any sort of military power on hand without any way to regulate it.

[ the thing is he's not exactly wrong, even in the 21st century. part of jack's conviction on talon infiltrating overwatch has to do with them infiltrating the united nations as well.

it's not anything he's going to disclose to egon, unfortunately, but he partially agrees. ]

When you get an organization on a global scale, things tend to take more time.

And, anyway, Overwatch was initially formed in response to a global terroristic threat that threatened to destroy humanity. Once we'd handled that, we moved to peace-keeping and integration - since like any culture, that 'terroristic threat' had real people on the other side of it that weren't bad guys.

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