victory_road | Beach fun for beach bums

Who: Everybody!
Where: Cianwood!
When: June 21st, all day.
Summary: Come to Cianwood today to celebrate the solstice, participate in a race and maybe even get a date??

June 21st. The solstice. The longest day of the year. Practically half the year gone already, which frankly, seems rather insane. It seems like only yesterday you were all fighting to save Christmas with Santa, and yet, that was almost six months ago! How can that be? We just don't know. Time is a force even more mysterious than pokemon evolution.

In any case, Cianwood has gone all out to make this solstice a great big celebration. The beach is awash with bright-coloured umbrellas and stands, selling everything a visitor might need to make this into one hell of a day (and, let's be real, also a lot of things you don't need, but hey, who doesn't want a nice souvenir?) Rental stands have everything from surfboards to huge inner tubes for rent for those who want to stay at the surface of the water, as well as snorkelling equipment for those who won't mind taking a peek below the surface. On a cleared stretch of beach, a small Sand Castle Contest is being organised. The prize won't be anything fancy (just a token little reward, really) but why not enter? Don't worry, there are separate prizes for kids and adults. Meanwhile, large piles of wood have been stacked here and there, waiting for evening to fall so the bonfires can be lit.

One particular section of the beach is a riot of different smells, with various restaurants and other establishments having set up stands to sell you all the very best. It doesn't matter what you are in the mood for, because you won't have any trouble finding it here! Want some BBQ? It's there; several Sizzlepede keeping those coals nice and hot while the cooks chuck everything that can vaguely be chucked onto those grills. Would you rather cool down with some ice cream? No problem; just as long as you can actually make a choice from all those different flavours available. Has the summer sun put you in a fruit mood? Watermelons (whole and cut), strawberries, cherries, papaya -- it's too much to name!

Or do you maybe just want a drink? It's important to keep hydrated, you know! Juice, water, mocktails and cocktails, everything that you could possibly want to stave off the heat is there. There is even coffee and teas available for those who need their daily worship at the Church of Caffeine. Just don't overheat on them!

And, of course, there is the race.

It looks like the first-ever SEMPER race has drawn quite the crowd. And where there is a crowd, there are more souvenir stands. Why not buy a flag or two to cheer on your pokemon? Or maybe you should buy an 'I ran the SEMPER race and all I got was this lousy t-shirt' for your pokemon to commemorate the occasion. They sell them in all sorts of sizes.

And then there is that mystery section of beach, currently cordoned off with ropes and screens. Signs let everybody know that this is where the Helping Hand auction will be taking place later tonight, but if you had hoped to get an early peek at the decorations or items up for auction, you will be sorely disappointed. Be patient and wait like everybody else is.

So come all and enjoy the beach. Participate in a race maybe, and pull your wallets for tonight's charity event. After all, who knows when disaster might strike again? Better enjoy things while you can!

ooc: The Charity Auction will have its own log, which will be posted later tonight. Should there be any questions, please use the event info post to ask them.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Osu! That was a great hit! Take off your blindfold! You cracked it straight down the middle!"

Ashe dropped the stick before he quickly took off the blindfold. "Yes! I did it!" He laughed when Ky and Loog ran over to him with their excited chirps. "I did it guys! Thanks!"

Ashe looked back at Kazuki. "I love watermelon. Do you have a knife nearby so we can cut up the rest and share it? Um, I didn't ask your name. Sorry! My name is Ashe. These are my friends Ky and Loog, nice to meet you."

"Hi, Ashe! My name's Kazuki," he introduced himself while he opened his cooler, where he was safely stashing a knife for just the purpose Ashe described, and handed it over to him. "And the Oshawott over there is Emma. It's nice to meet you!"

Ashe thanked him for the knife then grabbed one half to start cutting into slices. "Nice to meet you Kazuki," He cut a piece and handed one to him. He turned to his Oshawott, Emma, with a smile. "I saw Ky and Loog talk to you. It's nice to meet you too!"

Ashe turned back to the watermelon to cut some more pieces. "This was fun! Do you do this every summer?"

Before taking the slice from Ashe, Kazuki tended to his Oshawott for a moment. After listening to her pleas (and watching her very obvious body language) he rolled a smaller watermelon in her direction for the three little Pokemon to smash together. Then he dug into his treat!

"I try to! Suikawari is kind of a tradition where I come from," he explained. "I've always loved doing it, so I like to share it with others."

Ashe's Piplup and Mudkip chirped excitedly on their way over to Emma. Now they can hit one too! Ashe fondly smiled at them before he cut a few more pieces of watermelon then wiped off the knife and placed it back in the cooler. He took a seat back and grabbed a piece.

"That sounds like a fun time! I don't really have a tradition where I come from. I do spend a lot of time on the beach though. I really love to swim," He took a break to take a bite from his watermelon slice. "Another thing I like to do when it's hot is to make cold foods too. Since coming here I've learned a lot of recipes I want to try too. Oh! I heard about a treat called shaved ice I really want to try that one. Have you tried it?"

Emma gave the watermelon a good TWACK with her Scalchop first. It didn't break at all, but she seemed please with herself about it. Then she backed up and motioned for the other two to take their turns.

"Oh yeah!" Kazuki answered after taking his own bite of watermelon. "Where I'm from they call it Kakigouri, and it's a whole thing. They soak it in fruit syrup and condensed milk, and top it with lots of fresh fruit, it's super refreshing!"

Ky cheered for Emma before he tried to hit it with his flipper. While it didn't break Ky still chirped happily. Loog watched them before he attempted to break it by using his tail. He made a happy noise when he did it. It wasn't that scary at all!

Ashe watched them for a bit before turning back to his watermelon. "That sounds really good! What kind do you get? I want to try strawberry then pineapple! What other kinds of summer foods do you eat during the summer back at your home?"

The three of them continue to take turns weakening the watermelon with their adorable little Pokemon hits, it's a great game!

"Melon! Cantaloupe and honeydew!"

Flavors that match his aesthetic!

"Mmm... Cold somen noodles with dipping sauce, or maybe barbeque? Barbeque parties in the middle of summer are the best."

It's really cute watching them take turns hitting the watermelon. His shy mudkip even joined in! It was so cute to see.

Ashe's eyes lit up from the flavors. "I want to try those! They sound really good! Cold noodles? I've never had that before. What kind of dipping sauce do you use for them? I want to try barbecue too! Back home we don't have the equipment to barbecue so I've been looking forward to doing it. Oh and I can't wait to try some of those frozen desserts I've seen too!"

"I think the sauce is made out of... dashi, soy sauce and mirin!"

Which were all very specific Japanese flavors in themselves, making his explanation even less helpful, something Kazuki didn't totally realize.

"While you're here, you should go for it! That's what I think is best about this world. People get the chance to do things they never could before. Do you like to cook?"

"I think I have some soy sauce at home..."

Ashe read about those flavors in one of his cookbooks back in his room, though he didn't know how to use them. Well, Kazuki was right now was the best time to try!

"I do! I love to cook! I've made so many things since I got here that I wouldn't had the chance to do back home. Do you like to cook? What kind of foods do you like to cook? Any foods you at here that you really liked?"

"I actually didn't cook a whole lot before I came here! In my family home, my mom cooked, and when I moved out, I lived in an apartment that didn't really have a kitchen," he explained. It was a very common situation in Japan. "But when I came here, one of my first Pokemon friends was a Slurpuff, and he wanted to bake more than anything. So I kinda had to teach myself! I'm still not the best. Honestly, Sticky's a better cook than I am now. But I learned how fun it is!"

"The food here is more or less the same as it is where I'm from. A lot of things are the same, actually... Basically everything but the Pokemon."

Beach fun for beach bums

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