GET YOUR TOWELS READY, IT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN

[indigo_events]

Wingulls wheel and dive in the salty springtime air of Olivine City's harbor, as white as the gleaming sides of the ship moored directly below. The S.S. Aqua isn't an infrequent visitor in the slightest, but this time it's for a very special occasion! Colorful banners stream from the sides, each one proudly declaring the word PROM in glittery font.

The boarding starts around noon on Friday, and the sight of the huge ship alone is enough to get many people and Pokemon swept up in the party atmosphere. The captain is even there when the ramp is rolled out, wanting to welcome each otherworlder onto the boat personally with a hearty handshake and (mentioning he's a renowned 'people reader'), a recommendation on what part of the cruise he thinks they'll like best based solely on a glance. Weirdly enough, guests might find that he's usually right!

Unsurprisingly, it takes a good long while for everyone to get on board and accounted for, which leaves each guest with plenty of time to find their rooms, dump their luggage, let their Pokemon out to stretch their legs a little, and finally head back to the deck to wave goodbye to the harbor as the SS Aqua heads out onto the open water.

IT'S FINALLY HERE, THE BEST TIME OF YEAR!


For the next three days until it makes its way back to shore on Monday, the lucky cruisegoers can live it up as much as they want. And, as the captain boasts over the announcement system once things are underway, the S.S. Aqua and its staff truly are the hosts with the most-- not even Gorgeous Resort has as much variety as this!

THE ATTRACTIONS

FIRST OF ALL, THE ROOMS!

Each room is fitted with either one or two king-sized beds, making them perfect to share with partners or friends, along with a wide-screen TV, dimmable lights, and fancy bathrooms. With little soaps that have "Please Steal Us!" printed into them.

Depending on whether they're exterior or interior rooms, they may or may not have porthole windows and balconies on the outside.

Check out the "Mood" channel on your TVs, you won't be disappointed.

GET YOUR SWIM ON @ THE WATER PARK

Possibly the first thing about the ship that most people notice (because it's noticeable from a mile away) are the set of pools and waterslides (proudly titled the Winged Mirage Pools) on the very top deck. It's about as wild as it gets while staying within the acceptable safety level for being pools on top of a huge boat. Each pool has its own set of waterslides that turn and twist to your heart’s content, so be mindful of your fellow guests rushing out to drop in on the fun!

Lifeguards are stationed and well-equipped to keep watch over patrons, and will do their best to keep the pools’ populations separated according to the ship’s rules. It would be unsafe, after all, for a small Pokemon to be bowled over by a group of rowdy folks playing water volleyball, or some similar incident.

The Articuno Pool is limited to human swimmers only! It has a small cold-water jaccuzi on the side, and the mosaic tile laid down looks quite similar to deep arctic ice. Pokemon are allowed in the vicinity of the pool but not within the pool itself.

The Zapdos Pool is special pool just for small to medium sized Pokemon to enjoy! It is staggered in two “tiers” and features greenery and water properly calibrated to suit even the pickiest sea Pokemon’s taste. Humans are allowed to supervise their Pokemon, but are asked to not interfere with the many Lifeguard Starmie on duty.

The Moltres Pool, flanked by two warm jacuzzis, is where people and small Pokemon are allowed to swim together! The water is calibrated carefully to be safe for all swimmers, and while it is expected for swimmers to get a little rowdy, Pokemon larger than their trainers are asked to refrain from cannon-balling, for the safety of everyone around them.

IT'S NOT PROM WITHOUT DANCING!

For the main dancing action, you’ll want to go to the Nido-King and Queen Ballroom. There, you can get down and funky with friends and your roster alike in your nicest prom duds to tunes spun out by a live DJ, who will happily and eagerly take your song requests. Don’t be shy, bust out those moves you’ve been holding onto all year!

For those of you who might prefer an all-night techno thump to your dancing, the Porygon2 Discotheque will keep you up and about long into the wee hours of the morning. Featuring actual Porygon2 assisting their DJ trainer, you’ll have their ill mixes and projected lights guiding you into perpetual party heaven.

AND IT'S NOT A PARTY WITHOUT FOOD AND DRINK!

Food is plentiful on board, nowhere more so than Wailord’s Bounty, a buffet operating round the clock to make sure all guests have the chance to fill their plates with delicious morsels whenever they want. While there’s plenty to go around for people and Pokemon, cruise staff do ask that Munchlax and Snorlax are not brought into the buffet. There have been... incidents.

For those looking for fine dining in the evening, look no further than The Mother-of-Clamperl. Slightly fancier than the other areas of the cruise, guests are expected to be dressed somewhat nicely. No showing up in flip-flops! Wear a dress shirt and have some champagne!

Somewhere in between on the fanciness spectrum, The Shiny Corsola may look like a gaudy bar, but lurking in that sparkly, shimmery haven is a smooth nightlife scene with all of the fancy liquor and exquisite jazz you could ever want. The jazz is live, by the way - the Jazzypuffs play an ever-rotating set for your listening pleasure, setting the mood for a sweet, sexy, relaxing night away from the hustle and bustle of cruise life.

AS FOR NON-AQUATIC RECREATION...

The Radical Croconaw Cove is the dope place to chill for preteen and teen promgoers, ya dig? Chock full of tubular snacks and stocked with retro video games that are the bomb-diggety, this is the off-the-hook zone to get your chill on! There’s also some board games too, for you tabletop nerds who want to squeeze a session in.

If you’re after live entertainment, Sudowoodo Centerstage has all your needs covered. Live comedy? Check. Sketches and skits performed by an ever-rotating cast of human and Pokemon actors fresh from Unova’s Pokemon Musical stage? Check! Opportunities for open mic performances by guests? Oh, honey, that box is done CHECKED! That’s right, guests of all species are encouraged to come on up and belt out that Lady Gardevoir cover that’s been stuck in their head, or perform in any other way! the only limitation is that guests are asked to keep Pokemon moves involved to non-destructive ones. After all, this is a cruise ship, not a Contest! And renovating a ship stage can be pricey.

While Goldenrod and Celadon have their Game Corners, the SS Aqua has the Mystery Egg Arcade, welcoming all ages to come and earn technicolor tickets via timing, chance, sharp eyes, and steady hands! Your first twenty tokens are complimentary, the rest shockingly reasonable in price (the equivalent of twenty-five cents per token), and the prizes you can glean are, while not the usual battle items or rare Pokemon, still very nice! Everything from well-made toys to good quality candies to the usual arcade bits and bobs like whoopie cushions and harmonicas, tiny parachute plastic figurines and paper finger traps...it’s all here, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg in tickets to win it, either!

For those looking for more intellectually stimulating pursuits, the Mantine Maritime Library offers a decent selection of reading materials, all seafaring in nature. From glossy photo spreads of underwater expeditions to reproductions of nautical journals from early sailors in Johto and Kanto history, this place has...well, not everything, but enough to whet your academic appetite.

What cruise ship is complete without an awesome rock wall to climb? Shuckle’s Challenge is specifically for humans, and any Pokemon that can’t learn Rock Climb or similar moves. It’s a test of ability and will, and the top of the rock wall offers a grand prize - the most spectacular view of the open sea on the entire ship.

Colorful and cheerful, Phanpy’s Putting Green is exactly the kind of kid friendly minigolf experience you could come to expect from the Pokemon world. Springy green turf adorned with figurines and obstacles depicting various baby Pokemon in play, it’s a hit with little children as much as it’s amusing for all ages to play a round or two together.

No ship is complete without a place to get in some rigorous physical activity, and The Rink is the perfect place to do so! Fitted with colored spotlights, this arena is fitted with all sorts of sports stuff that shifts throughout the day. For a few hours, it’s a basketball court, then, poof! It shifts to tennis, or racketball, or even a roller skating rink! And in the evening, it is of course open to Pokemon battles! Feel like hosting an impromptu tourney in your friend group with your best partners? This is the place to do it!

...And oh, don’t worry. We didn’t forget the most essential cruise amenity of all. Shuffle board courts can be found where you least expect them, and are always maintained by at least one friendly-looking elderly staff member willing to show you or your Pokemon the ropes. It’d be criminal not to make sure everyone has access to this timeless and treasured activity!

AND ONCE YOU'RE DONE PARTYING HARD...

Rejuvination is the core to the SS Aqua’s Max Revive Spa Center. Equipped with saunas, mineral soaks, and fancy mud masks, you’ll feel like a new ‘Mon once you emerge from their pampering. There’s even a special Trainer and Pokemon massage package for those of you who would like to try and improve your bond with one of your partners. Does it work? Only one way to find out...

While they may not have a specific name, the outdoor deck lounges can be found most everywhere on the outer decks, offering peaceful views of the ocean and any land in the distance that the ship might pass. These decks are awesome places to work on your tan or read a book or chat with a friend without disturbing others or being disturbed, and hold wonderfully atmospheric aesthetics for anyone looking to spot breaching sea Pokemon or take pictures.

[Feel free to toplevel to your heart's content! For more information about the event, check the infopost over here!]

Comments

[fuelthefire]

"Mnahahahahaha! Loser buys dinner!"

Wait, isn't all the food already paid for...? Well, it doesn't matter. There's got to be a condition for winning, otherwise it isn't a friendly competition! Whether or not that condition is ever filled also doesn't matter. It's just more fun with some extra stakes.]

"You guys ready to go?"

That question is addressed to Mari and TD, who are rereading one of the picture books together. Mari bleats cutely and trots over to them, and Torch Dragon carefully puts the book on top of one of the shelves before coming over, too. Only Torch Dragon is ready to go back into his ball, so once that's done, Krieg and his small menagerie are ready to goooo!

"I'll race you back down again, too!"

[notyourgoddess]

"Deal."

The last fight will be with the staff, in trying to pay. Maya will put away the books she'd been looking at as he gathers his pokemon before going to stand by the door.

"Please, that's the easiest part. It's just jumping."

Pity the poor person who is going to try to make them keep ropes tied to themselves.

[fuelthefire]

"Pffff! But landing's important, too!"

.....Seriously. Someone stop Krieg from flinging his giant, heavy meat body off the top of the rock wall. Even if he doesn't hurt himself he might hurt the deck.

He pushes the door open, lets her step out first, and follows, Mareep in tow. Even within the interior of the ship the sea air is fresh and crisp.

"This is way better than the Fragtrap's ship!"

[notyourgoddess]

"Then we'd need to find someone to judge the landing as well."

It is nice out here and she'll walk out onto the ships deck towards where the rock wall is stationed.

"Anything would be better then that ship. I thought I was going to go insane with that stupid dancing and dubstep nonsense."

That trip probably had long periods of meditating by Maya, in a bid to preserve her sanity and not murder a robot.

[fuelthefire]

"Sparky'd do it."

....Jean is the only person who immediately springs to mind as someone who wouldn't kick up a huge fuss about the two of them leaping off the top of the rock wall. Shiro and Armin would both fuss the whole time and they wouldn't have any fun at all. What a drag.

"Pfff! Better me than you!"

Krieg, please. You were already insane before you got on that ship.

Though that doesn't invalidate the truth of that statement. One of Maya's best features, in his opinion, is her sharp and witty brain. Insanity would not suit her in the slightest. She probably showed him how to meditate with her in order to prevent him from murdering the robot. Friendship!

[notyourgoddess]

"Alright then. We'll have to find him. Until then, just a race to the top."

Jean strikes her as the type of person who would do that. She already knows some of the others worry too much.

"At least in Sanctuary, we could avoid Claptrap for the most part."

Poor Claptrap. Still it's better then what could have been. And yeah, Maya no doubt taught Krieg to meditate. It was a really long boat ride.

[fuelthefire]

"But the beatboxing echoed off the walls."

Maybe they couldn't see Claptrap from everywhere in Sanctuary, but he could always be heard.

Always.

BUT, thankfully, they're not in Sanctuary, or trapped on Claptrap's ship. They're on this weird, nameless little planet with all the beautiful scenery and the crazy monsters and probably the fanciest cruise ship in existence.

Where they're gonna blow off some steam.

He grins at her as they emerge onto the deck proper and start heading for the stairs to the level where the rock wall is. "What d'you wanna do after I win?"

[notyourgoddess]

That ...is a very good point. They could never escape him there.

Which is great that they're here then.

And you get an amused smirk back.

"Well, when I win. I think we should check out pools here."

[fuelthefire]

Of course he sees that smirk, and of course it makes him laugh. It feels so damn good to bullshit with Maya, holy skagsacks. Best cruise ever.

"Mnahahahahahahaha! Fine! But I want to see the arcade, too!"

Krieg, you're kind of bad at bullshitting...

[notyourgoddess]

"Sounds good to me."

The arcade seemed interesting and possibly fun.

"This ship has lot of things on it. I wonder if people get lost."

There's probably maps, she just hasn't seen any yet.

[fuelthefire]

"Probably! It might even be more fun that way!"

Although honestly, for Krieg, being lost has zero impact on the amount of fun he's able to have while exploring new places. Especially one as ridiculously luxurious as this particular ship. With his short and distractible attention span, he's guaranteed to have an excellent time pretty much no matter what.

And if he's lost (or not lost) with his best friend? Even better.

"But I bet you can get unlost by yelling a lot."

[notyourgoddess]

"With so many people around, I can see that being a way to get unlost quickly. The people working here seem to be trying to keep things in order."

So a really loud Krieg would be one way to get attention quickly.

"It's not like we can get that lost either. It's a ship, even if it is a big one."

[fuelthefire]

"Mnng, yeah. If we really wanna get lost, I know a good forest! And there's another one that's supposed to be really big too, but I haven't gone there yet. We should go see it when the party's over!"

As well as literally all the other landmarks. The weather is a thousand times better now than it was when Maya had arrived - perfect for traveling.

[notyourgoddess]

"A forest sounds a lot easier to get lost in then a ship. But we've been lost in worse places."

With more people shooting at them.

"Do you have any favourite places in this world?"

[fuelthefire]

"Yeah! There's a lake east of the little ghost town! I used to go there all the time with--"

And this is the problem with habitually speaking before you think. He stops short before he can say Angel's name, cutting himself off and physically jerking to a stop. He's only frozen in place for a short moment, though. He kickstarts his stalled brain with an annoyed growl, and lurches to fall back in step with Maya before she stops walking, too.

"Mnnngh! I liked the town with the electric gym! Its name isn't orange but that's what the color is, and I found so many slag stacks to pet! My hands were numb for hours!"

...Only Krieg would consider this concerning side-effect a perk of petting the neighborhood Grimers.

[notyourgoddess]

She can hazard a guess on whose name he was going to say so she lets it go as they walk.

"You'll have to point them out to me if we go there."

She'll leave the petting grimers to him though.

[fuelthefire]

"We've gotta go there! You gotta bulldoze the gym!"

...which actually brings up something else that he's just started thinking about.

"I want to leave the island when the ship party's over." It is past time to stop sitting around soaking in the tropics life and get back to some adventures. "You're coming with me, right?"

...he figures she will but if she has something else she wants to do he wants to know.

[notyourgoddess]

Gyms, yeah they are on a list of things she has to try around this place. She chuckles slightly when he asks though.

"Of course."

Her plans are currently, bug Armin later about legendary pokemon and then ??? She's open to travelling.

"What are the gyms like here?"

[fuelthefire]

"They all have a specialty, and you just gotta smash the weak point to win!"

Kind of like Krieg, who has a penchant for fire, steel, and rock types and nooooot a whole lot else.

"The bug gym and garden gyms were cakewalks! The dragon gym was a little harder."

[notyourgoddess]

"They're themed. I suppose that means a diverse team is good for gyms."

Maya meanwhile seems to be leaning towards psychic types to no ones surprise.

[fuelthefire]

"Pfff! I guess! But hitting the other one hard enough works, too!"

Seriously, he's strong-armed about half his gym battles because of poor type match-ups. He suspects Maya will probably have a better strategy.

"I can't wait to see yours fight."

Because he knows it's going to be a hell of a good show.

[notyourgoddess]

"Oh good. There's options."

Because her team is not balanced well and while she probably will indeed get a more balanced team eventually. Out of just sheer interest in the types. It's good to know you can go and just brute force things.

"They're getting pretty good. I think they'll be excited to test out a gym."

She's actually really proud of her team.

[fuelthefire]

"Pffff! There's too many options! I don't know how Blondie keeps track of them all!"

Krieg's got a solid grasp on what each of his team members is strong and weak against, but try to ask him about unfamiliar species or types and he'll just shrug.

...Though chances are pretty good he'll be paying close attention to the monsters Maya chooses to train, especially once they start hitting the Gyms.

"What kinds are easiest for yours to slaughter?"

He will 100% suggest they pick out the weakest member of the herd to start in on. Because that's how Pandorans do.

[notyourgoddess]

She thinks for a moment.

"Well the psychic ones are stronger against fighting and poison types."

[fuelthefire]

Now it's his turn to think for a moment.

"The fighters are on a little island. That's where the Torch Dragon learned to Fly." Cianwood City is pretty out of the way in the grand scheme of things, but going 'out of the way' with Maya would be 100% worth it.

"I think the poison gym is in the other place. Kanto. I haven't fought any poison ones yet."