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

[lyingheart]

Aside from the tip of her head to acknowledge his name, she doesn't say anything until he asks his question. Part of it is having no real need or skill in small talk; part of it is needing movement more than lip service. Another part might be matching to his movements, more concerned with moving complimentary to him versus whatever everyone else is doing. Like sparring, only maintaining distance and following through on someone else's initiative.

"I'm not, no." Easy enough to admit to that truth as she stays light on her feet. "Hearing how exciting the last two of these were, I figured it was worth coming to stay in the loop." Of what, if anything, happened. Presumably there were past dancing events that happened without disaster falling down on everyone's head. It's sad how she hopes this isn't like that, even as she hopes it is. "What about you?"

[unabates]

He doesn't consider it odd, per se - she doesn't have the look or air of a socialite, and while Jack can schmooze with the best of them, it's exhausting. That's not what he's here for.

She matches his movements well enough - she might not be a dancer, but she's easy enough for Jack to lead at the very least.

"A little bit for the party, but mostly I wanted to keep an eye out in case anything goes down." So, much like herself, he suspects. The chance for a 'vacation' has been nice, he'll admit.

[lyingheart]

"I suspect there's a number of older... dimension travelers doing the same." Refugees is the word she wants to use. It's the one she uses in the quiet of her mind, day in and out, defining how they're both separate and part of this landscape they're tenuously holding on to.

She focuses on reading how he moves to move as well, staying light on her feet, keeping her weight supported by herself. The music is unfamiliar but nice, louder than the day to day music that suffuses everything around them. Having a break from the background noise for something inviting movement is a welcome distraction.

"How long have you been on world?"

[unabates]

"There is definitely a few of us here for that particular purpose," Jack agrees sagely. "I think, even if something pretty bad happens, though, we'll be just fine. There's quite a few tough people around and everyone has at least one pokemon."

He focuses on not getting too complicated for her to match to the beat of the music, which is definitely a nice break. When she asks, he has to think.

"About four months now. It feels like it's both been longer and like I got here yesterday. How about yourself?"

[lyingheart]

And of those pokemon he mentions, she knows a fair number of them are capable of handling keeping trainers from drowning, one way or another. All things considered, she's less concerned about non-combatants here than she would be back home. Regardless of those non-combatant's origins.

"Seven, going on eight." Funny, that number didn't come to mind as readily as she expected. She'd arrived in September of the prior year, hadn't she? Yes... something like that. Has it been so long? Will there be a time she looks back and realises it's been years? "I understand what you mean. I feel the same way, and I can't say if it's something I enjoy or not."

[unabates]

Shiro had seemed extra concerned about what might happened at the dance, and while Jack understood the concern - he couldn't help but feel pretty confident in their ability to defeat what might come along.

"You've been here a while, then." Not the years he knew Ford had been here, or Cecil, but long enough. "It's definitely not something I particularly enjoy. This place is... pleasant, I'll give it that, but the peace isn't something I'm used to."

[lyingheart]

"I don't trust it." The peace can't feel real. Not with the life she's had, where peace was a lie paid for by everyone, including those who would never benefit from it. "Half a year here and it's still difficult to believe in all the differences. Even outside of the culture shock."

[unabates]

"I understand."

Even before he'd been betrayed and blown up, Jack was fighting for peace. He was never sure what to do with it, and he was glad he had people like Amari and Angela to talk to him about it. Now, of course, he doesn't get that luxury. Being alone is the worst for his paranoia spirals.

"Kind of feels like a kids TV show, when the worst you ever have to deal with is stealing, or the occasional missing pokemon. Not things like murder and torture."

[lyingheart]

"... Given what I know of television here, yeah, I can see that. Though both happen, theoretically. They're just so much rarer it's like they don't have the same social problems we did back home."

It was why she didn't linger in most the cities, partly because they weren't the cities she expected them to be, partly because she didn't want to stop moving. Or really try to find what it is that Bertolt looked into, or what the other man on the PokeGear network did, with missing pokemon. It's a good thing this place isn't like home. No bodies to hide. No skeletons to pull out of closets that would lead to more skeletons made in the process.

[unabates]

"There's a certain way you grow up when you don't fear for your life at any point."

There's a quiet contemplation there. There's also a difference growing up with something like a Pokemon at your side - a constant companion. You're never, truly, lonely, because you know you'll have them. People like Jack and Annie didn't grow up with that.

"Where are you from? I'm from a place called the USA on Earth."

[lyingheart]

His words resonate. If only there wasn't a reason they had to do so.

"Within the Walls on some land mass on a planet we don't bother calling anything in particular. May as well call it Mudball."

She has high respect for her world. Tonight, she's being nice. She didn't call it Shitball. Which is the one truth she focuses on, since all the other truths she has must stay quiet and close and tucked away, as if she knows as little as the ones raised in Paradis.

[unabates]

"Within the Walls... same place as a Sasha Braus, and that kid that runs the train coffee shop?"

His tone is curious. There's no judgement, no immediate act of pity in his expression. Sure, he's heard enough about where they come from, but he knows firsthand what someone acting like your home is shitty is like.

Not that he knows she'd agree.

[lyingheart]

"Jean? Yes. They both are. A few others too. Bertolt lives and works with Jean, so you might have seen him." No one else merits an actual mention, because Annie doesn't generally run down lists of people she knows for any particular reason. Sorry but not sorry, Marco and Armin!

She doesn't expand beyond that, claiming familiarity with who he's talking about. If anything, she ends up furrowing her brow, lips pulled into a small frown. "Seems odd that so far it's only people who trained together in the military who came here. Even in the past... seems like the ones who came and went were still all known." No one else from their great big Mudball of a planet, but that aside, no one else from within the Walls who didn't know the rest.

[unabates]

Jack knows Armin too, but for some reason he doesn't come to mind. Perhaps it's just the lack of war discussion that he's had with the others; the first thing he thinks of with Armin is Pokemon.

He listens to her wonder out loud, and after a moment he goes, "I noticed that. Most of you military kids are at least passingly familiar with each other. I know a guy whose niece and nephew are here, as well as Krieg, who had his merc buddies show up."

He shrugs one shoulder, finally. "It's just me so far, but honestly I like it that way. Maybe one person being here creates some kind of point for the others to show up."

[lyingheart]

Bluntly speaking, she'd prefer if she were the only one here too. It's a cowards way out of having to handle any of the consequences, but she'd take that, being free for a while from the mess of her home and all the politics she'd been born into.

Wishing doesn't make something true, however, and she'd never wish those here to leave. They all have better lives while in this place than back home.

"Could be," she says. "Makes as much sense as anything else, and more sense than the ledges."