Castle Prom 2020

[indigo_league]

After arriving in Cerulean City and riding in one of a fleet of Cerulean Cape Shuckle Shuttle buses for an hour or so, the trees break and the road snakes along sea cliffs. In the distance, all can see a grand building rising up into sight, and excitement bubbles up within each and every heart as this year's mysterious, grandiose Prom location draws ever closer...




Welcome to the castle!

Their duo of hosts stand ready to welcome the characters when they arrive, assuring them that their luggage will be taken care of, and inviting them for a special tour of the castle, or would they rather first see their rooms, or perhaps even have a bite to eat? The choice is up to them.

THE CASTLE SIGHTS The Outer Courtyard For those wishing to get a breath of fresh air or looking for a place to perhaps engage in a little battling, look no further than the courtyard. Nestled safely within castle walls, the courtyard has been given a thorough renovation. The stones gleam like they have never gleamed before; a large fountain (certainly too new to have belonged to the original castle) stands at the center of the courtyard, the water gently cascading down over the marble figures of two nondescript and crowned humans, one holding a sword, the other a shield; wide-open doors welcome characters further into the castle. The Stables To the west lie the stables. Anyone interested in taking a ride along the cliff trails (or guests who just wants to see the horse Pokemon) is welcome to enter. The comforting smell of hay and wood hangs in the air, though any persons expecting to find familiar faces like Rapidash, Mudbray or Zebstrika is going to come off rather surprised. Instead what they will find are snow-white, proud-looking equines. Their long, pastel-colored manes and tails have been brushed to perfection, occasionally adorned with braids and white flowers. Long, violet colored horns jut out from their foreheads, a spiralling pure white groove running along their length. Long fetlocks drift along the ground, rather like delicate pink clouds, almost giving the Pokemon the appearance of being stabled on air rather than something so common as hay. Yes, anyone who has not yet had the pleasure of being able to admire the beauty and grace of the Galar Rapidash can look and ride their fill here. While the stable hands cannot allow anyone to actually keep one of the magnificent horses themselves no matter how much a guest is willing to pay, whenever their bosses aren’t looking, they certainly prove willing to provide characters with a Galarian Ponyta egg for a small price. (Limited to one per character) The Kitchens To the east lie the kitchens, and what kitchens they are! At all hours, characters will be able to smell the delicious aroma of a variety of sumptuous meals being prepared. In the mornings, the scent of fresh bread and breakfast fills the air, changing to the scent of pastries and later on more filling dishes as the day continues on, and fresh pots of tea are always on hand. Officially, the guests are asked not to enter the kitchen, as to not to disturb the many cooks working there. Unofficially, there are not exactly any guards, so if you really wanted to sneak in, you probably won’t get stopped. The Dining Room Adjacent to the kitchens awaits a large dining room. Tables have been set up in long rows with plenty of room for all with some to spare, and once someone sits down, almost as if by magic, they will soon find one of the waitstaff at their side, presenting them with an extensive menu. Order as much (or as little) as you like! The chefs will have it ready for you in a flash. The Ball Room The old castle ballroom has been done up to the nines, reflecting nothing but glory and splendor. Some delicate little tables and chairs stand at the sides of the room, for anyone who needs a quick break for their feet, but most of the polished marble floor is intended for dancing. There is a small chamber orchestra playing in a corner to provide everybody with only the classiest of tunes (though they do take requests for more modern music) and neatly dressed waitstaff with an uncanny ability to tell who is and isn't underaged flit through the crowd like black butterflies, making sure no glass goes unfilled. The Inner Courtyard The doors of the ballroom open wide onto a second, smaller courtyard at the back of the castle. Unlike the Outer courtyard, which was all stone, this smaller, Inner Courtyard is dominated by plants. The gardeners have done their very best to dress up the inner courtyard with plants and flowers of any kind - so many plants, in fact, that there is no room for battling out here. But if you wanted to take a breath of fresh air, wander around and look at the plants, or perhaps even try and find some of the small, secluded nooks created by the plant cover, you are more than welcome. In between the lovely smelling blooms, characters will also be able to find bushes and small trees laden with unfamiliar berries! Small cards in the soil will explain exactly what kinds of berries they are and what effect they have, and characters are invited to pluck a few berries if they want. Just don’t get too greedy! The new available berries are: Apicot, Salac, Ganlon, Petaya, Liechi, Lansat, Custap The Library Situated on the second floor is the castle's splendid library, a welcome respite for those less inclined to dance and frolic. Whatever books originally filled these weighty shelves are long gone, but their hosts have spared no effort in making reading material available to their guests. Among the shelves, guests will be able to find many books on the Galar region's history and myths. Some of these tales are already known over in this region (Who doesn't know the tale of the wise King Arthur and his oval table?) but there are also many more obscure and unknown fables and tales; the truly inquisitive may even be able to find some material on the two crowned fellows depicted in the main courtyard's fountain. It's almost as if Prom's esteemed hosts shipped over their whole personal library. They may, in fact, have shipped over their whole personal library. Pull up one of the plush armchairs, grab a book, and make yourself comfortable by the roaring fire! There's more to read here than you can finish in a lifetime! The Bedrooms Upstairs, guests will find all manner of bedrooms to choose from, from smaller rooms meant for a single person, to large ones for couples, to even larger ones for characters that would like to spend the night with a few friends. One thing holds true for them all: these rooms are seriously extravagant. Decked out in the finest of antique furniture like large canopy beds, solid wooden chairs, tapestries, and rugs, the decor brings to mind bygone centuries. There are even hearths in every room that can be used to light a small fire; while the rooms are all wired for electricity, unfortunately, central heating was a bit outside of the realm of possibility. The Tower Not all of the towers have undergone restoration, but the grandest, largest of them has. It will take some real stamina to climb all these stairs, but if they do, characters will be rewarded with two things: First of all, their two hosts have seen fit to create a small miniature museum inside the Tower’s chambers. Paintings, tapestries, and artefacts have been brought over from the Galar region to be put on display. All the artefacts brought over depict moments from Galar’s rich history, including paintings of ancient kings and queens, an actual knight’s armour, chalices, swords tucked in velvet under lock and key, and richly woven tapestries that for some reason seem to depict knights battling giant Slugma. If you still have energy after the climb to get here, you can continue on to the very top of the tower. From the tower’s high vantage point, it seems the entire Kanto region is on display in the incredible view. The ocean stretches out along the horizon, but closer to home, characters will be able to behold wild forests and cliffs, the green lush routes of Cerulean Cape itself and at night, millions and millions of stars twinkling up overhead. And all the rest... Beyond those sparkling rooms and done up corridors lies... the rest of the castle. The parts of the castle not quite done with their renovations are roped off, but nothing is stopping guests from exploring if they so wish - especially if they are interested in finding those rumored lost treasures or traps. While the rest of the castle shines, these parts of the castle feel almost haunted. Dust and derelict dominates the rooms, old broken furniture covered in dingy white sheets and creaking doors adding to the atmosphere. Did the eyes of that painting just move? Why is there a weird draft coming from that wall? What was that strange ominous creak coming from behind you? Are there any dungeons? Wait, did you just hear someone crying in a far off room? Jeez, no wonder they say this place is haunted. The Rocky Beach The main attraction outside of the castle, besides the hiking and riding paths, is a small stretch of rocky shoreline accessible just outside the main courtyard and down a surprisingly sturdy set of stone stairs. While it's a crummy place to lay out and get some sun, it is littered with bits of detritus from the sea. Shells, whole or broken, peek out between smooth pebbles and the rare piece of sea glass, and at low tide clumps of seaweed lay draped over the craggier outcroppings. Nothing is stopping you from fishing or poking around in the shallows for Pokemon, but you're more likely to find an interesting souvenir than a new friend...

---

AVAILABLE POKEMON Naturally, this wouldn't be a Pokemon Prom without some Pokemon to catch! All catchable Pokemon range between the levels of 10 to 30. The Pokemon in the castle mostly haunt the unfinished section, but feel free to have the occasional encounter in the renovated sections too! Castle Impidimp; Gastly; Haunter; Litwick; Lampent; Duskull; Shuppet; Sinistea; Misdreavus; Honedge; Doublade**; Dusclops**; Polteageist***; Gengar***; Courtyard Butterfree; Cutiefly; Ribombee; Beautiful; Vivillion; Rocky Shore Binacle; Staryu; Wimpod; Frillish; Krabby; Kingler**; Jellicent**; Slowking***; During the characters' stay, they might suddenly find their room a mess, as if a small tornado went through their luggage. They might even find themselves missing some incidental items or articles of clothing, nothing necessarily valuable or significant, but it sure is weird. This is... probably the work of the castle's Pokemon, right?

---

TREASURE HUNTING While your shuttle bus slowly trundles towards the castle, the driver will regale his riders with local stories and legends, chief among those the legend of the castle itself. You see, the castle was built by a relative of Bill (you know, the Pokemon storage system inventor?), but no one has lived in it for years and years because it is haunted. No, not haunted by Ghost types. That would be rather common and hardly worthy of note, wouldn't it? No, the castle is haunted by the ghost of Bill's great-great-great-uncle, and rumor has it that he is so possessive of the castle and its contents that he will kill all who enter. You see, even when he was alive, this man's enormous hoard of wealth was only outmatched by his enormous amount of paranoia. He was so paranoid that others would come to steal his wealth that he built his castle high upon the cliffs where no one could approach it undetected. But that wasn't enough to settle his fears! He started to hide his multitude of treasures all around the castle, and he built many traps and secret passages to protect them. It's said he was so fiercely protective of his money that he refused to leave the property even after his death, and his spirit still haunts the castle to this day. Many who have tried to find his treasures have disappeared. That is what the rumors say, at least. In any case, feel free to explore those abandoned halls and ruins for these supposed long-lost treasures. Better check for hidden rooms and passages behind old bookcases, trap doors covered by thick dust-riddled carpets, and perhaps even a hidden vault or two in the castle basements. Players are free to go absolutely wild in coming up with secret passages and hidden secrets for their characters to find. Now, as for the treasures characters can find during these explorations, they can broadly be divided up into two categories. The first category of treasures are common treasures. These are small, fairly common items that can be sold after prom for a small amount of Pokedollars each (think 100-200p), or they can be kept as a memento. Generally, these are small items that could easily fit inside a character's pocket and won't necessarily be well hidden. Characters are allowed to find as many of these common treasures as they want. Examples of common treasures would be items like pieces of antique silverware, broken mirrors, small figurines, old books damaged by the passage of time (but perhaps still readable in some places), or parts of worn and threadbare tapestry. The second category of treasures are rare treasures. These are properly hidden items that can either sell for quite a bit of Pokedollars after prom (think 5000-6000p), or can be used in-game. In order to allow of an element of surprise, every character that wants to participate in finding some rare treasure is allowed to comment once to a special RNG comment to find out exactly what they will find. Each treasure will consist out of somewhere between two and four items, the exact number of which will be left up to chance. For any questions, please refer back to the previous OOC post.

Comments

BEACH - KINGLER

[indigo_league]

[schachmeister]

[Armin staring into the camera like he is on the office.jpg]

Closed to close CR.

[Right. This is-- Really, Armin wishes he could say this is unexpected, but it is not. It's exactly the thing he has been expecting all weekend. Well, perhaps not exactly this but certainly some sort of trouble.

Though, at least that also means he is prepared for it.

Armin jumps into action almost immediately, first trying to find those closest to him and those he trusts beyond anything. From the sound of it, it sounds that whatever is happening, is happening in several places all at once. And Armin really doesn't know if they have the time to tackle one after the other. They are going to need to split up and divide these various.... whatever is happening among them. So yes, Armin is keeping an eye out for people like Shiro and Jean and Krieg and Miss Maya and all those he trusts to be able to handle this so they can make sure things are divided well among them. There are other trainers too, obviously, but Armin doesn't know them well enough to factor them into his strategies just yet.

(He's also keeping an eye out for Angel, just to make sure she is okay. And Link, considering he's still so new here.)]


Open.

[It makes sense, doesn't it? Something is happening out on the beach. Probably the best person to send there is someone with knowledge of the beach and the kind of pokemon that live on it. Which is the logic Armin had used to volunteer for handling this particular disturbance.

He skids slightly on the rocks as he hops off his Noctowl's back, having used Amadeus to get down to the beach as quickly as he can. But even Armin's knowledge of Water pokemon couldn't have prepared him for this. He's never seen anything like it. It's... a Kingler? It looks like one. But not like any Kingler Armin has ever seen. It rises up out of the ocean, tall as a building, swinging a claw that is larger than Armin's boat.

Worst of all, it seems to be panicking, blinding crashing its claw into the rocks and spraying a thick foam onto the beach, letting out an eerie, piercing screech that is loud enough that it won't be able to hear anything shouted at it.

Well, that's just great.

Reaching for his pokeballs, Armin lets out his Dhelmise. Dhelmise battle Wailord. If anything he has can stand up to a creature of this size, it's the giant anchor pokemon.

And when he spots someone else out on the beach:]

I'm going to need some help wearing it down. It's terrified, but I don't think we can reason with it right now. Not like this.

[standless]

[Jonathan had been quite ready to follow others across the castle- the rumbling had been coming from below after all. But as he glances outside the window it's clear that's not the only place.] That creature...isn't that a 'Kingler'? [Diego captured one earlier that day, actually... Still. He doesn't see as many running for the beach as the other locations, and so without pausing he opens the window and throws out a ball-]

BRUFORD!

[Corviknight- a fine choice in terms of birds capable of catching a man on its back and not even faltering. The bird coasts down toward the shore and the battlefield with ease-

At which point, Jonathan comes down to face Armin.]

At the scale they are, do you expect status focused things would have any effect? [he asks, the rest of his team- and hold on Jonathan that's only 5 pokeballs did you count your Type: Null as part of your six you silly fool- sitting in their pokeballs as he looks to the crab. He doesn't have a Lot of options for status but...]

[schachmeister]

It's hard to say. There are too many factors that influence it.

[Its size could make it difficult, but then Wailords are also huge and can still be affected. It might have an ability that keeps it from being affected or it might not. Armin can quote what he knows about Kinglers (quite a lot, really) but will that really apply to this one as well? It clearly isn't a regular Kingler.]

But we won't know until we try. I'll draw its attention with Octavius here. Please try any status moves you might have. If nothing else, we'll figure out what doesn't work. Oh, and if any of your pokemon happens to know Sunny Day, now would be a great time to use it.

[And then, with his attention back to his Dhelmise.]

Octavius, let's start by using Power Whip.

[marmoron]

[Aaaaaand swooping in from further up the beach is Keith on the back of his shiny Charizard. He's late and doesn't even have any Starbucks with him, but he does have a Houndoom with Sunny Day. Obviously that has to count for something.]

Buddy, you're up!

[He throws a pokeball onto the beach as he lands with the Zard. The Houndoom that emerges lets out a howl, teeth bared and ready to battle this mysteriously enormous crab.]

Use Sunny Day.

[As sunlight shines down on the Kingler, it scuttles back further into the ocean, sending water splashing in every direction. Then turning to Armin and Jonathan:]

What've you guys tried on this thing?

[lioness_rampant]

Everyone, be careful of that claw!

[ Keith is followed directly by a flustered-looking Allura, fluttering in on her Altaria. The pokemon she summons from its ball is her trusty Pachirisu; sparks of excitement flying from her cheeks. ]

Trigel, use Thunderbolt!

[ The electric discharge further illuminates the evening sky, the bolt arcing across from the tiny squirrel to the immense Kingler. It's a direct hit, making the Kingler roar and froth with anger. ]

[standless]

Understood!

[Everyone else seems to be plenty ready to use offensive strategies as it is- well, other than Sunny Day but Armin just asked for that after all- so with a nod, Jonathan pulls out a pokeball that Armin might be familiar with.

Yep.

It's Castella.] Alright little one- Sing as loud as you can, and as long as you can, understand? Do your best!

[One tiny speck of blue zips out from Jonathan's hands, speeding about to start chirping serenely. Kingler may be huge, but that's not really going to help with something so small- heck, if they try swatting she may well just fly through the claw's vice.

It's with the time that opens up, that Jonathan looks to the others.] What we've tried so far is more or less what you're seeing now. We've not had much time to try and calm them I shall admit.

[schachmeister]

[Armin is mumbling a little to himself, his mind racing as he goes through what he knows about Kingler and their attacks.]

Kingler have several strong water type attacks. Sunny Day should help lower their potency.

[A quick glance at Keith.]

Can you make sure that Sunny Day stays active? Keep applying it, please. I don't think any of us wants to take a Crabhammer or Razor shell at full strength.

[Then it is Allura who his eyes fall on.]

I'm sorry, electric attacks might not be the best idea right now. Sunny day makes them more likely to miss. Do you have any Grass types maybe? Or Ghosts? Kingler have a lot of normal type attacks too. A ghost pokemon should be immune to those.

I was hoping we might be able to weaken it enough to hold it down and talk to it. I don't think it means to attack us. It's just... confused. Terrified probably.

[lioness_rampant]

[ Trigel's little cheeks puff out at Armin's commentary, but Allura puts a hand over the little squirrel and shakes her head. ]

I didn't bring my Grass type with me, and Keith is your man for Ghosts. But, there might be a way...

[ Reaching into her pockets (because, yes, she did change out of her dress before arriving), she retrieves a few liechi berries and tosses one to Blaytz. ]

All right, Blaytz! Use Natural Gift!

[ The Altaria plucks the berry out of the air and gulps it down, lifting off and firing off the attack. Even though he doesn't known any grass-type moves, Natural Gift allows him to use them with the right kind of berry, and liechi berries just happen to give the strongest effect. ]

And while we're at it... Trigel, use Charm!

[ Happy to oblige, Trigel hops up and blows kisses, winking at the Kingler. That will lower its attack stat, if nothing else. ]

[marmoron]

[Keith gives the others a nod before turning his attention back to the frothing Kingler.]

You got it. Let's finish this quickly before anyone gets hurt.

[He throws a second pokeball and a Dragapult wearing a sequined scarf joins the fray.]

Regris, set up a Reflect! Buddy, it's time.

[Grinning a little at the Houndoom, he grabs a stone hanging around his neck, and holds it up into the air. Arcs of swirling pink and red energy glow around it and the Houndom until the pokemon takes on a new evolved form.]

Alright, buddy. Hit it with a Solar Beam!

[The devil dog glows as it gathers energy from the sunlight, then instantly firesit off at the behemoth. Few things really like taking a sun boosted, solar power boosted attack from a Mega Houndoom, and this gigantamax Kingler is not an exception. Taking heavy damage, the towering Kingler flails massive limbs and smashes a claw down onto the ground.]

[standless]

I don't believe anyone with me is especially adept with grass type... [Jonathan murmurs, frowning.] But I do have... [He pulls out Bruford's ball again, tossing it forward- the bird, ever vigilant, simply appears just above the group instead of charging toward the Kingler.] Bruford- I need you to prepare yourself before joining the others, understand? Hone your claws for now!

[The corviknight doesn't screech, but simply nods- and moves to hover a bit behind the crowd, scratching talon over talon over talon. In the meantime, Jonathan explains-] Bruford has a move known as 'Power Trip'...it's quite impressive, and while it won't have any advantage in typing, it's incredibly powerful even with just one raised statistic. Raising one's power farther than that should make it far easier to force them back.

[It's a bit brutal, but Bruford is good at controlling himself. In the meantime...well.

Singing is still happening. Also, not that Jonathan realizes it yet, his Type Null is currently running toward the crowd on the beach, having just now realized 'WOW!!! ONE OF THE KINGLER IS REALLY BIG NOW!! WOW!!'

She can't do anything but Jonathan is here and what if he doesn't know?? He should definitely know.]

Chaos

[notyourgoddess]

[Yup you were right. Maya is looking for other people she knows as well and will go over to where she spots Armin.]

Well this fell apart quickly. Which way are you going?

[schachmeister]

I'm not sure yet.

[There is so much happening at once, and Armin cannot make duplicates of himself. But this is why he has his family.]

Sounds like there is something happening on the beach. I was thinking of heading that way.

[if it is a water pokemon causing trouble, he might know most of how best to stop it.]

[notyourgoddess]

Good plan. I can head to whatever's happening in the basement.

[It'd be a bit of a mess if they all went to one place.]

[schachmeister]

All right. Please be careful.

[Does he need to say it? No. Will he say it? Of course.]

[notyourgoddess]

You too.

[Aw Armin, don't be worried.]

I really need to figure out how to make explosives for times like these.

[Oh right, no that's a totally valid thing. Be worried all you want.]

[schachmeister]

[Oh boy.]

L-lets talk about that some other time, all right.

[So he can try and discourage you completely. Can't have Maya going to jail. Again.]

[shiro2hero]

Where are we headed?

[See guys? Wearing normal clothes to prom was a good idea after all! Just like Armin warned you all about. Speaking of Armin... it's hard not to spot his friend darting off on a mission, and impossible not to fall into step with him. Jogging along with Armin, his Gengar trailing in their wake.]

I thought we were done with all this. [He's getting too old for this shi-- Armin.]

[schachmeister]

Sasha is going to say I told you so.

[Though, in all fairness, Armin was absolutely expecting her to be right. He just couldn't justify staying home if there was any chance of being able to make a difference here. He can fight. There are other people here who can't.]

We should probably split up. Make sure there is one of us heading towards each location.

[shiro2hero]

I mean, fair enough -- but you did warn people, too.

[And that's also why Shiro showed up. If he'd stayed home while other people fought, or tried to fight, it wouldn't sit well.]

Good plan. You heading to the beach?

[Since... this is Armin.]

[schachmeister]

I was thinking about it.

[Reliable, predictable. Again, take your pick.]

How about you? I saw Miss Maya just now and she was heading down to the basement.

[shiro2hero]

Makes sense to me. You probably know the most about it.

[Nope -- reliable. Absolutely reliable.]

Okay. If Maya's going down there -- I'll check the courtyard. Allura was there when I saw her last.

[schachmeister]

All right. Once you've handled it, head inside the castle. N-not that I necessarily think I'm better at handling things than anyone else, but out on the beach, whatever is happening shouldn't be able to do as much damage as inside. Those should be your priority.

[There are plenty of people inside the castle, and possible support structures something could take out. Not so much risk of that on the beach.]

[shiro2hero]

Fair enough.

I can send Red inside, too, ahead of us. She'll get people out if she has to.

[He'll keep his other team with him. Just in case.]

Be safe out there, Armin.

[schachmeister]

I'll try. You too, all right? I don't want to have to explain things to Sasha if you get hurt.