victory_road | THE CONTEST SPOOKTACULAR!

Entry tags:

THE CONTEST SPOOKTACULAR!

You arrive before the sun sets over the shining sea, a little before 5 o’clock. A fleet of Corviknight taxis descend near the entrance of the castle, slowly setting their passengers on the ground and allowing them to depart. The golden rays of sunshine illuminate the edges of the castle, casting long shadows and making it take on a rather ominous appearance. Better hop to it–you wouldn’t want to miss the Halloween party, now would you?

WELCOME TO THE HALLOWEEN FRIGHTFEST!

Riegfried and Soy greet you at the entrance of the castle. Riegfried is dressed as a Zubat, toting a blue-and-purple cape, a cute hat with giant ears, and plastic fangs. Soy is dressed as a midnight Lycanroc, wearing a dark red suit and wielding a pair of fuzzy white paw gloves. They welcome you warmly, assuring them that they’ll be well taken care of here. Perhaps you’d like to get something to eat, first? Or maybe you’d like to look around at what games and delights they have to offer! Or, perhaps you’re here to perform in the Contest Spooktacular. The choice is yours!

(If asked about the previous attendants of the castle, Shieldbert and Sordward, Riegfried and Soy will exchange looks and explain that they had been…well, very politely asked to leave and not to come back to Kanto, under threat of legal action.)

EXPLORING THE FESTIVAL
The Ball Room

The old castle ballroom has been outfitted with spooky decorations and all manner of electrical equipment--all the necessary things to put on a good contest! Most of the furniture has been cleared away, save for a central stage for people to perform.

At the beginning of the night, before the actual contest takes place, a costume catwalk will take place! Costumed guests will be encouraged to get up on there and strut their stuff. Don’t have a costume? Don’t worry! The attendants will usher you to a very big walk-in closet for you to pick out an utterly fabulous get-up. All from Riegfried and Soy’s personal collections, of course. They wouldn’t want someone to miss out on a chance to show the crowd what they’re made of! This is also the time for characters to register for the contest.

After a few hours or so, an announcement is made informing people that the contest spooktacular will be taking place shortly, and for people to make their way to the ball room. The lights dim and a distant, pre-recorded bone-chilling cackle is heard. Who knows what sort of spooky scary things you’ll be seeing tonight?

The Outer Courtyard

For those wishing to get a breath of fresh air away from the festivities or to explore the activities the festival has to offer, look no further than the courtyard. Nestled safely within castle walls, 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.

There are a plethora of spooky carnival games that have been set up along the perimeter of the courtyard. They’re definitely rigged, but maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll win that giant Mareep plush. One booth seems to be garnering quite a bit of attention–Bobbing for Applins. If you manage to grab an Applin with your teeth, you get to keep it! Just be careful you don’t bite too hard….

The Stables

To the west lie the stables, with a sign posted that reads “HAUNTED HAYRIDE!”. The comforting smell of hay and wood hangs in the air. Instead of the Galarian Ponytas and Rapidashes that previously graced this area, there are a bunch of Mudsdales lounging, waiting for their turn to pull the cart. Outside, there is a scrawny bearded man perched on top of a Mudsdale, patting it on the neck and giving it reassuring words. A nearby cart filled with hay bale seats lies vacant, ready to be pulled alone.

Fancy a little ride around the outside of the castle to see the sights? You can watch the sunset over the ocean, and maybe spot a few rare Pokémon! Heck, if it’s dark enough, you could even be so bold as to hold hands with someone else on the ride! Who knows what you’ll find out there?

Of course, you could always just hang out with the horses. Nobody’s gonna stop you.

The Kitchens

To the east lie the kitchens, and what kitchens they are! Characters will be able to smell the delicious aroma of a variety of sumptuous courses being prepared for the festival. 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.

Many of the menu items seem to be…well, puns. Perhaps you’ll be interested in some Crobat Monsieur, a croque monsieur decorated like a Crobat? Or perhaps a spot of Pumpkaboo Pie? Perhaps a nice cup of Coffee-grigus would do the trick. (Rest assured, no Pokémon have been harmed in the making of any of these delicious selections.)

The Inner Courtyard

The Inner Courtyard looks…well, different. All the plants seem to have been temporarily removed from this area (as evident by the dozens if not hundreds of potted plants along the outside), and it’s quickly obvious as to why. A haunted house has been set up inside of the courtyard, the temporary walls obscuring the horrors that lie within. The door to enter is slightly ajar, and you hear strange and eerie noises inside. Was that howl from a person, or from a Pokémon? And what about that clanking, shuffling sound? The hairs on the back of your neck begin to stand up.

Dare you enter? Fright and fun both await you. Feel free to make up what terrifying attractions are inside the haunted house. At the end, an attendant will present you with a photograph of you and your friends inside the haunted house. Ahhh, treasured memories.

The Library

It looks like the books were removed from the library with the departure of Sordward and Shieldbert. Perhaps they couldn’t be without their personal collection. Nevertheless, it seems that someone else has taken an interest in this room. A woman with frazzled, gray hair and gigantic spectacles stands near the entrance, a slightly unhinged grin on her face as she welcomes you inside. You see, her name is Dr. Espa–she’s a paranormal investigator, and she needs your help to study ghosts! No, no, not Ghost Pokémon–she wants to track down Bill’s great-great-great-uncle, and any other ghosts that live within these halls!

The doctor–if she can even be called that–has a wide variety of pseudo-scientific equipment on hand, including spirit boxes, dot projectors, EMF readers, temperature gauges, and more. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to wander into the deepest, most haunted sections of the castle and report back to her on whatever you find! If you weren’t already motivated by the pursuit of knowledge, she’ll also offer you a reward of 2000P for any evidence that you find. She’ll…accept any evidence, really.

Is she a staff member, or just a regular woman with a keen enthusiasm for ghosts? It’s hard to tell. Riegfried and Soy certainly don’t know who she is.

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 a stunning sight. 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 millions and millions of stars twinkling up overhead.

The Rocky Beach

The main attraction outside of the castle is a small stretch of rocky shoreline accessible just outside the main courtyard and down a surprisingly sturdy set of stone stairs. It looks like a group of people have set up a nice, warm bonfire on what little strip of sand they can find--perfect to stave away the chilly waterfront breeze. Why don’t you help yourself to a cup of warm cider and sit by the fire for a bit?

If you’re done making your clothes smell like smoke, you could also comb the beach for interesting trinkets. 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 craggy 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...

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.

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; Yamask; Dreepy; Honedge; Doublade**; Dusclops**; Mimikyu**; Polteageist***; Gengar***;

Courtyard

Venonat; Venomoth; Drifloon; Phantump; Pumpkaboo; Murkrow; Rookidee; Zubat; Hoothoot; Woobat*; Noibat*;

Rocky Shore

Galarian Corsola; Binacle; Staryu; Wimpod; Frillish; Krabby; Relicanth*; Wimpod*; Kingler**; Jellicent**; Slowking***;

TRICK OR TREAT!
Near the entrance of the castle is an old man dressed in dark, heavy wool clothes with a mysterious gleam in his eyes. He holds an oil lamp in his hand, waiting for those to approach. If you get close enough to speak to him, he’ll ask you a question.

”Halloween’s not over ‘til you’ve got yourself a good haul of candy. How do you feel about a little bit of…trick or treat?”

He’ll regale you with an old tale about the castle grounds. 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. Though previously only haunted by the ghost of Bill’s great-great-great-uncle, the recent human activity in the area has caused droves of Ghost and Dark-type Pokémon to flock towards the area and take advantage of this newfound source of fun.

Those who attended Prom 2020 would remember that trainers were allowed to search for hidden treasures among the secret passages and strange traps. This year, however, the search will be a…little different! Instead of trying to find treasures, your characters will be exploring the labyrinthian hallways and secret passages to find tricks…or treats.

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. Let us know in your comment where your character will be looking!

As characters explore, they will have a 50/50 chance of encountering either tricks or treats!

A character that rolls a treat will have a generally positive encounter with a Pokémon, who will likely lead you to great treasure and sweets! Conversely, a character that rolls a trick will probably be pranked by a Pokémon. Characters will not be able to catch the Pokémon they encounter, unfortunately–they’ve gotta scare the other guests, too!

In both cases, characters will stumble upon a random assortment of sweets and ghost-related items, including but not limited to rare candies, Alcremie pastries, poffins, and other consumables! Characters may also find a rare, unique item that may be sold for about 5000-6000P or kept as a memento.

In order to allow for an element of surprise, every character that wants to participate in trick or treating is allowed to comment once to a special RNG comment to find out exactly what they will encounter. Each treasure will consist 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... You followed the Corvisquire? It was just there to delivery the letter.

[He blinks.]

So you... spent a whole week lost on the route?

[Lucius makes a face at the notion that he would get lost in the woods like some small child.]

The note said that a bird would be present for guests to go back and forth from the venue. With the ornery creature standing in front of a path it was only sensible to assume that was the way there.

[He sighs before continuing.]

There's very little in the way of signage or mile-markings from what I've seen thus far here too, so I can only imagine the nightmare it must be if your location lays off the beaten-path.

[Marik takes a deep breathe like he's about to go on a long winded explanation but stops himself before he gets started. Right. Lucius is new to this sort of technology and probably still doesn't quite have down the basics of pokemon and their abilities. So instead he walks over to stand next to him and pulls out his pokégear.]

From my experience they usually provide transportation on the larger side. You can't fly on a Corvisquire but once it evolves into Corviknight, you can. Here...

[He opens up an app titled "MAP" which pulls up their current location somewhere in Kanto. He shifts the map around to go to Route 29.]

Right there is New Bark, where you arrived. You pretty much head directly west from there to get to Cherrygrove.

[He traces along the route with his finger to indicate where the path is.]

See? You can pull up the map whenever to check where you are. And here...

[He closes the map tab to open up the "contacts" app which lists a bunch of names along with their usernames and trainer IDs.]

You use this to contact people.

[He scrolls down to Lucius's name and clicks it, which opens a menu with a couple of different options.]

If you click on a person, that opens this menu that lets you contact them in different ways. Got it?

[Lucius listens to Marik's explanation respectfully as he goes through the functions of the Pokégear. Some of the information was new to him, but the majority of it had all been shown to him by people upon his arrival.]

I'd been shown the map but, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to show where you actually are. The notion of an automatically-tracking map is quite splendid, but all it would tell me is that I was between the two townships. Actually finding my way back to the road was all on me.

[He gestures to the map where they are right now.]

For example, I don't think the currently location reflects where we are correctly as that's not what it looked like on the terrifying flight in here...

Hmm... Yeah, I suppose it's not super accurate... I guess just try to ignore smaller paths and stick to the wider open ones? That's what I've always done.

[Chen gets his attention by pointing at the Falinks standing on the other side of Lucius. Marik blinks and leans over to get a closer look.]

Oh! You've already got six pokémon? That's impressive! I've never seen these before.

[He opens his pokedex and-]

... THEY'RE ONE POKÉMON?!

[Lucius gives a face that says "what's he on about now?", and looks down at the Falinks.]

Well, they're clearly not a single entity. I would imagine that they're listed that way as they fight as a single unit. A Phalanx is normally eight warriors deep, so it's odd that there's only six, but I've been told that you can only have six Pokémon on you at a given time so perhaps that's the reason.

Huh... That makes... a little sense. It says here "Five of them are troopers, and one is the brass. The brass's orders are absolute. The six of them work together as one Pokémon. Teamwork is also their battle strategy, and they constantly change their formation as they fight."

[He's unfamiliar with the Macedonian Phalanx Formation. Marik pockets his pokégear and crouches down ala delinquent pose in front of The Boys.]

... They look like little Roman soldiers. Guess that's pretty fitting for you then.

[He looks to the one with the different helmet then upwards at Lucius.]

I'm going to assume he's the Brass?

Indeed! You can tell by his head crest.

[He points to the larger red crest and spike on the lead Falinks.]

Brass is a general term for an officer, so he must fill the role of whatever their Centurion equivalent is.

I see. Huh... I've never come across a pokémon like them before. All of mine are singular creatures. Still, that's a neat gimmick to have, especially if you plan on battling with them.

[He stands back up. With the technology lesson out of the way and minor introductions, Marik wonders if Lucius has done anything at the party yet. They're both unfamiliar with what's going on so... it might be a good way for them to learn?]

... Have you tried the different games out yet? I've been curious but I've never played any of them before. I mean, I saw a few at the last festival but I was too busy with trying various food and learning paper folding.

[And getting his shin bashed in at a haunted classroom with Gongenzaka but that's besides the point.

This is his indirect way of saying "I don't want to try the games alone please help but don't call me out on that because I'll get pissy."]

If the activities on-display here are anything like the festival I visited before, then there will be activities like marksmanship as well as varieties of toys available for purchase.

[He scans the booths as he talks.]

I engaged with a peculiar archery booth last time and, though the bow it offered for use was far from quality, it was suitable for the purposes of earning prizes.

[... He's referring to modern day Japan, surely. Marik still doesn't fully believe him about having visited the world of pokémon before.]

I think there's one like that but it uses a gun. Are you... familiar with those?

[... Does ancient Rome have guns. Is he ready for this answer.]

A gun? No I'm not familiar with anything of that name. If it's used in place of a bow, though, then I'm assuming it's a weapon or catapult that can throw projectiles?

Right. There's two different types, I believe. One just has a cork as the projectile and the other one uses a small bullet.

[He holds up his hand and holds his finger and thumb close together to show the size of the BB.]

I'm not sure which stall has which though. Do you have a preference?

Edited 2022-11-10 03:02 (UTC)

How interesting.

[Lucius cocks an eyebrow.]

It seems it's some kind of slug thrower. I know our Legionaries deploy all manner of weapons that use bullets, and I even saw Sir Apollodorus built such machines himself, but I would never have thought there would be versions of those here in the festivities.

Of course they did.

[What didn't Rome have?]

Do you have a preference on which you want to try? Or do you want to try a different game? There's a bunch more.

Bobbing for Applins might not be the best choice though. Don't know how you feel about possibly biting into an apple that houses a pokémon.

[Oh. Right. Marik's getting ahead of himself. Think about other people first and all that nonsense. ~~Or at least sometimes.~~ He shifts his weight from one side to the other.]

That's, eh, if you're interested...

If you are wanting to win a particular prize I will be happy to help. I'm sure I'll be able to glean inspiration from whatever the people here have come up with for festivities.

[He shrugs.]

I'm not sure. I didn't actually look over what they had.

[Marik pulls a coin from his pocket and flips it. Tails. Way to include Lucius on the decision there.]

Cork it is. Probably better since I've never handled a gun before.

[He starts walking towards the game stall, Usi waddling after him, and he looks over his shoulder to make sure the man is following. Once at the stall, Marik looks over what they've got for prizes.]

I'll go for... that Gengar keychain. And I'll cover paying for the games.

[Usi claps his hands. An excellent choice!

The teen hands over two coins just in case. This way Lucius will have two tries right off the bat.]

You just need to hit 4 different targets in a row. Think you can do that?

Edited 2022-11-11 01:58 (UTC)

[Lucius looks over the little rifle, inspecting its parts and sights.]

Despite the tiny size of the ammunition, the fact that this little device is capable of dispensing a repeated magazine of projectiles is very impressive. It reminds me of the Scorpio used by our own Legionaries, but it seems much smoother in its overall operation. Being handheld is incredible in and of itself too.

[He pauses to shoulder the weapon and aim.]

That being said though... [He fires and hits the target dead-on.] ...it seems rather straightforward to operate.

[Oh, another history lesson. Marik's about to comment about how it's fascinating how Lucius is able to mentally take apart things and understand their inner workings when the man shoots. He flinches a bit then looks over at the Pidgey target.]

How in Oblivion... You got a bullseye!

[These games are supposedly rigged against the players. How did he get a perfect hit right off the bat? Marik just stares slack jawed.]

... Y... You've got... 3 more shots.

[Lucius looks up from the rifle's sights.]

This devices is quite accurate. It seems to lean a bit to the right, but nothing that would cause the projectile to land inaccurately from this distance.

[Wait a minute.]

Wait. You said three left? But didn't you just need the one hit?

But to just pick up a gun and immediately shoot it with such precision...!

[WHO'S MANS IS THIS.]

Y-yes! I told you. You have to hit four different targets in a row in order to get a prize. So you still need to get three more bulleyes.

...

Surely you can't... be that good of a shot.

[I wasn't sure how many shots were in the pop-gun, so I figured it was about five in the magazine. I flipped coins for the remaining four and got three hits and a miss for the last one. From our other conversation I know there's only four in the mag so, insanely accurate as it is, it seems Lucius hits every shot.]

Three more then? I'll do what I can.

[Lucius shoulders the rifle again, squaring up with the target. He fires shots-off, one after the other, and succeeds in hitting the bullseyes on each one.]

Well. [He gives a satisfied nod as he sets the rifle on the counter.] That should do it then. Was that what you needed for the item you wanted?

[Completely at a loss for words from the older man's ability whether it's natural talent or dumb luck, Marik just slowly raises a hand to point at the small Gengar keychain he had his eye on earlier.

Usi claps his hands then gives Lucius a pat on the back. Good going, champ!]

Excellent.

[Lucius hands the keychain to Marik, seemingly oblivious to his state.]

Glad to have been of assistance then!

[He takes it but just keeps staring while his brain processes the ridiculousness of the situation.

Usi'll take the keychain away while his trainer gawks. Thank you very much. That at least snaps him back to reality. Where did-

Oh. Usi has it and is... treating it like a baby. Sigh.]

... T... Thanks. For getting it. Are you this good at everything?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject