victory_road | Surf's up!

Who: Everybody!
Where: Fuchsia City Beach
When: July 15th
Summary: Get yo beach fun on

As far as perfect summer days are concerned, this one is as perfect as they get. The sun is warm, the breeze brings just the right amount of needed refreshment, and the ocean waves are totally gnarly. Because that is what you say when a wave is good.

Seeing as this party has been 'organised' by a group of beach bums, their surfing buddies, and a group of very relaxed Pikachu, it's best not to expect anything too structured out of the day. That would totally harsh the vibe. No, this is very much a 'show up whenever, do whatever, be chill' sort of meet-up.

There's a little stand where visitors can rent all manner of surfboards, wakeboards, and floats. Not for rent, but definitely for fun, is a giant, blow-up Cresselia float. Anyone wanting to join the party need only climb on board to be towed across the water by the surf-stand owner's Blastoise, which is having just as much fun as you are.

Always able to Detect an opportunity, several smaller stands of local merchants can be found selling everything you could ever want in the name of hydration and refreshment. Ice-cream, sodas, fresh water! You name it, and someone is bound to have it.

And while there really are no organised events, ever so often the surfers (human and Pikachu alike) will hold impromptu surfing contests. Feel free to join them. Or feel just as free to tap someone on the arm for some surfing lessons. You might even snag a small, electric instructor.

Speaking of snagging an electric buddy -- that, unfortunately, is the one rule this party does have: No battling and catching the Pikachu!. If you happen to hit it off with one and have a defining character moment after which it decides to stay with you? That's fine. But seriously. No battle. Not even mock-battles between friends. Vibes. Harshed. Let's not.

As evening begins to creep down on the shore and a beautiful sunset bathes the beach in golden light, a bonfire is lit, and food starts appearing everywhere.... though it is all, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you swing), strictly vegetarian. Anyone craving a good, meaty burger (or an old-fashioned marshmallow) better have brought their own, because here you will find only vegetarian substitutes.

So feel free to drop by, catch some waves, share some food, and who knows, maybe you might even make some new friends. As they say --

Surfs up~!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I certainly hope so." Thace glances at his bat, who adopts a droop-eared expression. "When everyone is aware of the possibility and the rules, it can be a good training exercise, but springing it on the unaware is rude at best."

Brodar grumbles at that, but someone else has become interested in the conversation. Or at least, the tiny Whismur who's held in a sling against Thace's chest is interested in the Mudbray and stretching her tiny arms in Dugan's direction. "Whiis?"

Dugan is busy being a therapy animal, apparently, so unless Thace brings her closer, he's not really within touching distance. But he does stretch his nose out in the Whismur's direction and makes a patented donkey-snort at her.

Soldier. Winter. He shakes his head a little. "I try not to make my pokemon fight. Unless they really want to. So we don't really train." And he's done more training than he ever wanted himself, and is fucking done with it, thanks.

Thace nods, very solemn. "It would be so pleasant to know that I would face no battles or war in the future. Perhaps I won't." He sighs, just a bit frustrated with himself. "But I'm unable to trust the peaceful appearance of this world, so all I can do is make sure that my companions and I are ready to defend ourselves if the worst happens."

His Pokemon all sound agreements, with varying opinions on whether training and getting stronger is a fun thing, a necessary thing, or both. Then Thace notices the Whismur's interest, and starts to take her from the sling to hold her out to inspect Dugan.

She starts crying at being removed from her struggle spot, so Thace comes closer and kneels so that Vruli can get a closer look. She promptly coos. "Murr!"

Winter steps back, but lets Dugan step forward instead to nose at the Whismur. "I can't use anything or anyone as a weapon. Can't. If there's a fight. I'll do it myself."

Dugan snorts again, flicking an ear his way as if in commentary, then gives the Whismur's forehead a big ole donkey lick.

"To protect them from being slaves and weapons, I will make any required sacrifice."

Vrig makes an upset "hon" at that, but Thace ignores it, watching Vruli meet Dugan and give her version of a giggle. She bumps her forehead against his snout, and then licks it in imitation of his greeting.

"But if I make such a sacrifice, their only defense against those who would use them as weapons is themselves."

There's a pause, then Winter shakes his head. He knows this. It's amazing, actually, to know this. (Also makes his primary skill pretty useless. Not that he wants to use it, anyway.) "People don't die here," he says. "Someone who's lived here for years told me. Not from violence, anyway. Nobody dies. Just pass out, wake up in the pokecenter."

Dugan huffs in amusement and bumps Vrig back, very gently.

Thace is visibly surprised by that information, and a moment after dips his head to touch his forhead to Vurli's (and Dugan's snout, by coincidence) for a second.

When he lifts his head, there's obvious relief there. "I had no idea. A mildly disturbing phenomenon, but a welcome one in spite of that."

It doesn't do much to change his stance, because unconscious even for a few minutes leaves his Pokemon without his help, and well, his experience with promises of 'immortality' is that they usually come with corruption as a side-effect. He doesn't feel the need to burden this man with that unprompted so he doesn't explain the comment. Yet.

"Yeah, it's pretty weird." Frankly, Winter's kind of used to "dying" and then waking up again. Happened every time he got frozen, happened after a few missions, happened on the experiment table... it's not a thing he remembers clearly, but he knows it. Maybe corruption doesn't happen, but it's not pleasant. "Could be a lot worse, though."

Dugan bumps Thace's forehead, then treats him to the same lick Vurli got.

"It could," Thace says agreeably, "but the knowledge doesn't ease my mistrust of this world. Some things just don't add up."

He smiles at Dugan and doesn't move to wipe of the lick. It's affection, and affection is valued!

His job done, Dugan steps back and leans on Winter's hip instead. Winter weaves his fingers into the short, bristly mane. "There are still bad things here. They're just not the same bad things, I think."

"No two places have the exact same problem. The thought of being unprepared does worry me though."

Thace doesn't have a solution for that particular issue yet, but he's been thinking about it.

That's what hypervigilance is for, Thace. Never being unprepared because you're over-prepared. For any and every possibility. Might be a bit simplistic, but Winter's still working off of only a month and a half of freedom (and memories), here. "Not a lot I'm not worried about. I'm Winter," he finally says, because they're talking, and that's what you're supposed to do.

And it's his name now. The more he uses it, the more it'll stick.

Thace understands that statement all too well. Even in this supposed peaceful place, he doesn't feel any more secure than he did in the middle of hostile forces.

He gives a nod. "I'm Thace. This is Vruli."

"And Dugan," Winter adds, ruffling the mudbray's mane.

"Bray," says Dugan, flicking his tail and ears.

"We're still pretty new. Just a month and a half."

"We had just gotten to Cherrygrove, before a U-Bird asked if we wanted to see the surfing Pikachu."

Thace says that with just a little bit of bemusement, because he'd had no idea what that was. His companions had wanted to come, so here he is.

"But I'm working on adapting."

If he knew what a fistbumb was, there'd be a "here only because of friends" fistbumb here. "Adapting. Yeah. That's a thing." Here's some actual inflection: dry. Winter sounds dry. "I wish I could say it gets easier, but. Hasn't yet, for me."

"Change is a constant; adapting to it is change in and of itself which compounds the issue," Thace says back with equal dryness.

Surf's up!

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