40th Recipe [Text, Goldenrod City]

[cyan_maid]

[porchguests.jpeg

porchguestsjan8th.jpeg

holyshitjan13th.jpeg

That's, uh. Some interesting pictures to start a post with - an ever-increasing amount of Zigzagoon (the usual ones, not Galarian ones) appearing at night on Jane's front porch, snacking on baked goods. While she might not realize it's the influence of the ??? Luck from the Snorunts last week, it sure is still pretty freaky to see! You'd think she'd know not to feed wild Pokemon en masse like this, but...]

So...let me preface this by saying I'm okay, we are all okay at my house.
No incidents besides...guests.
A lot of them.
They haven't wrecked anything but they ARE insistent when it comes to pawing at my door, and my Pokemon have talked to them. Considering they then go and bring out everything I've baked during the day and hand it over, these guys are just looking for some good food.
Honestly, I don't mind? August even went and reassured me that they're just passing through town and would rather not stay, but...
Um...
I kind of...
I felt it was important to catch one of the visitors.

[jimineycrickets.jpeg

Yes, that is one entire Galarian Meowth.]

He wouldn't communicate with any of my Pokemon and doesn't seem to blink all that much?
So I'm bringing him to the Pokemon Center for a checkup, I'm...concerned. About those eyes.
If anyone else happens to see any Pokemon at night that look a little off, make sure to help them, alright? I don't know if this guy is just a one-off happenstance or if there might be more like him running around...

Comments

[hypertextualjuggler]

o shizzzzz
sum 1 did a weird breeding project 4 sure
look @ that lil mfer

ne way u sayin these big groups aint normal ?
these lil tent ninjas n zigzags n ur purrbeast ad 4 ganderbulb medfluids lol
im getting mixed messages haha i thot swarms were sumthin regular
this a weird swarm or what

action

[nastyboy]

[Dimitri can't help but glance out towards the windows as Jane puts this up on the network, brow sort of just... furrowed. The first nights they stayed, he'd just been kind of... content to let Jane deal with this herself, but..]

Do you think your - visitors should be organized a bit more?

[cyan_maid]

Organized how?

[Just stowing away her 'gear and now the Pokeball in which this odd Galarian Meowth is stored. She'd take him to the center right away, but if she opens that door, all those Zigzagoon will trail after her asking for food.

Best to feed them first.]

I'm mostly just thankful they aren't destructive...

[nastyboy]

Well, they often are left to simply crawl wherever they like. They are intelligent creatures. We can arrange them in a line, or, a circle - something of that nature.

I'm also glad they are not destructive, but, with how often they scamper about, perhaps that is simply luck... It is best to minimize the risks.

[cyan_maid]

Hm...they might be persuaded to sit in rows...let me see.

[As if on cue, Dinah appears from the kitchen with an open tin full of cookies - and not a tiny tin either, but one of those big deep ones that you eat out of for a month trying to finish everything inside. There's lots of mixed Berry cookies, it's healthy and safe.]

Thank you, Dinah - would you go in front of me to see if they'll all sit down? I know they must be hungry, but we're going to try something!

Dih! [A nod, and the Audino makes for the door, immediately chatting with the Zigzagoon. They seem curious and willing to play along if it means snacc.]

Dimitri, did you want to join us?

[nastyboy]

Oh, well... If you do not mind.

[He is kind of fascinated by the sheer amount of Zigzagoon that are around here...]

I did not think that Pokemon could swarm like this...

[cyan_maid]

I don't mind at all.

[Just carefully going to inch out and not open the door too wide so Dimitri can follow in suit. They...don't seem to want to slip inside, but Jane would rather not give them the opportunity.]

There was one time a couple years ago where someone uploaded a video of a swarm of Pokemon hiding under their porch, and whenever they dropped some food, all their little hands would come up through the gaps in the wood to get at it. We figured out those were Mimikyu later, but swarms...well. They're usually not so pointedly fixed onto one place. I wonder how they knew to come here of all places...

[The Zigs are all shuffling into place and gratefully taking their allotted cookie from Dinah, but even when she's given everybody one there's still plenty more. She hands the tin to Jane, who takes it with a quiet "thank you, dear".]

Now, let's see if they would like any more.

[So many patient cronch sounds...]

[nastyboy]

So this sort of thing is common?

[Wow. Dimitri shuffles awkwardly out so that he can follow suit, and makes sure to close the door behind him. It's so strange seeing so many Pokemon like this in the same place. Although...]

I had noticed, a few times in the time I have been here, the prevalence of more Paliens of a certain type than normal. I had simply thought we were passing by a particular, ah, herd, or family.

[What... do you call groups of Pokemon.... hm. Dimitri ponders that to the sound of cookie crunching.]

[cyan_maid]

[She waves her hand in that "so-so" motion.] It's not common in there being so many of one Pokemon in places they shouldn't be, but common in being an occurance that happens. I would say it's likely to be at least one swarm of them per month? But the pattern doesn't exactly hold all the time. And...hm, well, it could be a particularly large herd, or lots of herds of the same type converging.

[She offers Dimitri some of the cookies as the Zigs finish their meal. A couple of them toddle off to wait at the bottom of her porch steps, while others cautiously move forward, looking up at the humans with quiet, big eyes. Jane kneels down to distribute.

She could toss it to them, but that'd be rude.]

Alright now - ah ah ah, don't take it from the tin, you know to wait - there we are. See? A little patience pays off. Oh, this one's so small, did you hatch recently? Good thing you all seem to be born with all the teeth you need...

[nastyboy]

How peculiar.

[This world really does hold a lot of mysteries... It's enough to make Dimitri wonder, really. Unfortunately, he's never been much of a scholar. He'll leave that to two of his boyfriends, the smart ones who have an interest in this sort of thing.]

[For now, he just nibbles on the cookie he's been given, and nods to the Zigzagoon. Yes. He too is participating in the crunching, hello.]

It is good that they are born so capable, isn't it?

[cyan_maid]

[Thank goodness these are Pokemon and human safe.]

It really is. Some of them need a little more help when they start out, but overall? They're born ready to take on the world.

[The little baby Zig moves to bop its head under Jane's hand, and she gently pats it in return. Petting consent!]

[nastyboy]

[What a good bean. Dimitri smiles at the sight... and then remembers one of those Pokemon that needs help.]

Ah. Magikarp are one of those types, aren't they?

[cyan_maid]

Oh yes, those need lots of help. Feebas too, if I recall.

[It's not their fault they're useless, it really isn't.]

[islandshore]

Huh.

I was about the ask if it's blind, but the eyes don't look that milky. Pupils still visible...

Does it respond to anything? Waving objects? Laser pointers?

[cyan_maid]

He does! He's attentive and responsive.
But he doesn't like to vocalize, I think?
The most he's done is purr around my Null.
...He really purrs a lot around Quinn, actually. Like a rumbly car engine.

[islandshore]

Huh. If he's hitting it off, might be good to keep them close. Could make him easier to handle, at least.

See if the Joys know what's up with his eyes, but if you end up having to treat him, Quinn could make things easier? But I'm not a huge expert.

Only Meowth I ever had was less spacey and more. "I like shiny things. Don't touch."

[cyan_maid]

I plan to do that. To be honest, seeing him hit it off so quickly with one of my Pokemon is...well, I had planned on releasing him after we were sure he was alright, but maybe he'd like to stay.
I've only really had one cat in my life before, but he's already leagues better than that one.

DW stop eating notifs challenge 2021 >(

[islandshore]

Sounds like it's a sign, then.

I mean, as long as you think you can handle one more on your team. Dunno how your roster compares to my crazy menagerie, but even if you did release, he might end up following you around.

Happened to Sora and me a few times.

bluuuh

[cyan_maid]

Oh, definitely. I try to make time for everyone. Usually, whomever's staying in the house is on a rotating schedule, so we all get to know each other.

Oh my, did it now? How did you manage the tagalongs?

[islandshore]

That's probably better than what I do. When I'm in Celadon, I just let my team have full reign of the Training Center.

Gets kinda chaotic.

As for the tagalongs... well, Sora wound up catching the stalker Charmeleon after she followed us all the way from Cinnabar. It was... something, all right. I'm not even sure how she got across the ocean.

[cyan_maid]

Well, my house is only so big...if I could have everyone around at once, I would, but it's not so easy.
I can imagine it would be a lot of chaos, but also very nice. Never a dull moment.

Goodness! Maybe she caught a ride from another Pokemon? I do not think the Charmander line are supposed to let their tails go out...

[islandshore]

...Now I'm just picturing her surfing on Tentacool.

Honestly, wouldn't put it past her. And to think it all started from a bruised ego.

But honestly, a smaller place isn't all bad. Less to clean. Less to manage. You can take things at your own pace.

[cyan_maid]

I'm not going to lie, even with a smaller house, I still need help cleaning it up once a week. Some of my Pokemon have become very good at domestic chores in order to assist.

[islandshore]

Probably doesn't help if they've got a lot of fur or feathers, huh?

And then you've got Pokemon that shed their skin. Used to have to pick up after my Serperior all the time.

[cyan_maid]

I have half-joked to my foxes that they don't need to go and lay any eggs because the amount of fur they shed could equal an entire litter in unto itself, so...yeah, gosh, sometimes it can really be incredible.