victory_road | Prom 2023 - Back to the Falls!

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Prom 2023 - Back to the Falls!

What’s this? There’s glitter in the air. What’s this? There’s dresses everywhere.

Oh right. It’s Prom time.

From the afternoon on, on Friday the 7th of April, your characters will all be arriving at Tohjo Falls via the transport arranged for by Lance. He did end up borrowing a few of those Corviknights from the JKBA, but there are also several of you who will find themselves flown to the Falls by one of Lance’s Dragonites or Charizards. Please give them a poffin if you are able, they are all very good boys and girls.

Your characters will be set down on a tiled driveway (more like flyway, Ha) in front of an impressive-looking villa. Those who have been here before might note that the villa has gotten a bit of a renovation and an update. Turns out that when Team Rocket kidnaps you and keeps you captive in your own home for several weeks while wrecking the house and digging Arceus knows how many basements beneath the house, you might be entitled to some compensation.

And from the looks of things, Lance and co used that compensation to turn their little vacation home back into something where they can relax in peace.

After you arrive, you’ll be greeted by Lance or one of the other Elite Four members, who will give you a quick run-down. You are free to explore the house and surrounding area at your leisure. Please respect their privacy and do not go into any of the locked rooms. You’ll find your accommodations behind the house, so feel free to head there and unpack. Oh, and, there will be a little announcement later, so if you could be in the dining room for that, that’d be stellar.

Well, off you go!

WELCOME (BACK) TO THE FALLS

THE SIGHTS

The Villa

As mentioned by Lance and Co, parts of the villa are off-limits to guests. Not to worry, there is nothing nefarious hiding there this time. It's just that those rooms are the Elite Four's private quarters, and they'd rather not have people go through their underwear drawers! Other areas that are off-limits include the kitchen, but this is just for practical reasons; wouldn't want to get in the way of the cooks preparing lunch and dinner.

Still, even with these off-limits areas, there is still plenty to see.

Library

On the upper floor, there is a decently sized Library for anyone who needs a bit of peace and quiet. The books within are part of the Elite Four's personal book collections. There are a lot of books related to each members' preferred Pokemon type, as well as a very sizeable collection of books on Pokemon Battling, strategies and counter-strategies, in addition to a good number of autobiographies from famous (former) gym leaders and Elite Four members.

Their books aren't all business though! There is also plenty of fiction available, as well as non-fiction related to the Elite Four's personal hobbies. The books are not marked, so it's hard to tell which book belongs to which E4 member, so have fun trying to figure out who added the books on glassblowing to the collection, and to who the knitting books belong to.

Gallery

Also on the top floor is a gallery that contains the many prizes each Elite Four member has won over the years, as well as some interesting artefacts they've found during their lives. Ever wanted to see Lance's first badges? Or perhaps Bruno's weightlifting trophies? And wow, looks like Will participated in some contests back in the day!

Okay, those things probably aren't worth hours of visiting, but there is also a collection of photos of various legendary pokemon, as well as some items related to them, such as a feather that is said to have belonged to Ho-oh, a scale that was left behind after Groudon and Kougre fought and could it be true? One of Hoopa's hoops itself?

Fascinating!

Dining Room

Obviously where characters can dine. Unfortunately, the dining room itself is not big enough to fit all characters at once, so they've also set up some tables outside among the tents, and people are asked to check back if there is no space. When not in use to have dinner in, the room is left open and available to anyone who'd like to use it.

Ball Room

Now that prom night is finally here, your characters may enter in what was previously forbidden. Yes, beyond these doors lay a mysterious land of, uh... tables and a dance floor.

Listen, there is only so many ways you can describe a ballroom, okay! There is a central floor where people may dance if they so desire, and around that spot, plenty of tables and chairs have been set up for you to rest your tired dancing feet at. Though there is no big dinner served at prom, there are staff flitting around with refreshments and canapes and, fitting the style of the villa, tapas. There are, of course, also flutes of champagne and wine and other adult drinks.

Note the emphasise on adult, there. Don't expect to con these waiters into giving you something if you are underaged.

(instead, try and find a trusted, untrustworthy adult friend. It's okay. We won't tell your mom.

Pool

Outside, of course, is the pool. This hasn't changed that much from previous visits here. It's... well... it's a pool! What more can we say? It's a good place to have some fun and play around, but if you are more into relaxation or perhaps even catching some rays, there's also plenty of space around the pool with plenty of deck chairs available to you.

It is still only April, so to make sure nobody catches pneumonia in the pool, the water has been heated. Please do not heat the water further. You know what we are talking about!

The Accomodations

Those who have visited before may remember that the Villa doesn't exactly have enough bedrooms to house all promgoers. In fact, there have been years where you just kipped on the floor in the garage-like area.

Maybe Lance is trying to match the standards set by previous organisers. Maybe there was a little extra money left over after the renovations to plurge, but this year, you won't be expected to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag!

Instead, behind the Villa, beyond the pool area, there is a field of tents. And these aren't your basic little travelling tents. These tents look pretty luxurious. True, you will still be sharing them with a few others, but at least you'll be sleeping in something like a regular bed. There are also some chairs and benches dotted around the area, where you can sit and relax, as well as a few open tents that have tables and benches inside of them where one could eat breakfast or dinner.

(And, of course, there are tents available too where you can take care of the, ah, less glamourous needs of the human body. No need to bring your own TP either, it will be provided!)

The tents house four people each. If you, for whatever reason, want to cram more people inside, Lance will be a little startled but will allow it. If you try to grab a tent all to yourself, Lance will give you a very disappointed look.

The Surroundings

If your character isn't the type to hang out for hours by the pool or spend their entire Saturday already getting ready for prom, why not go exploring a bit? The area around Tohjo Falls is normally off-limits to people, after all. This might be your only chance to see it.

(unless we come back again here next year)

While exploring, your character has the option of trekking into the forests behind the villa or descending into the cave that houses the waterfalls this area has been named for. Wild pokemon can be found in each area, though please be careful! As few people visit this location, the pokemon here are very unused to humans. Please always bring a strong pokemon with you when you go exploring!

And who knows, if you keep an eye out, you might run into an unfamiliar pokemon or two...

Forest (lvl 20-45)

Charjabug, Corvisquire, Venipede, Sizzlipede, Fletchinder, Greedent*, Whirlipede*, Nincada*, Flapple**, Appletun**, Talonflame**, Ninjask**, Shiinotic**, Sprigatito**, Centiskorch***, Vikavolt***, Corviknight***, Trevenant***, Scolipede***

Cave (lvl 20-45)

Sandshrew, Woobat, Rolycoly, Noibat, Roggenrola, Aron*, Glimmet*, Sandslash*, Rhyhorn*, Carkol*, Noivern**, Swoobat**, Boldore**, Fuecoco**, Lairon***, Rhydon***, Glimora***

Falls (lvl 20-45) (Fishing/Surfing)

Qwilfish, Staryu, Arrokuda, Wishiwashi, Finneon*, Skrelp*, Lumineon*, Relicanth*, Starmie**, Overqwill**, Quaxly**, Seadra**, Gyrados***, Barraskewda***, Dragalge***, Kingdra***

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Once everybody has arrived and has been given some time to unpack, it's time for the announcement Lance has been teasing. What is this unique opportunity he mentioned? Will this have anything to do with prom itself? Has Lance conned us all into attending a Tupperware party?

In any case, you all gather in the dining room. The Elite Four is gathered at the front of the room, Lance taking the center stage. Will is standing next to him. For a moment Lance just glances out over the crowd, as if checking that everybody is here, before he clears his throat and begins.

"First of all, let me say that I am very happy to see you all here. It's been a few years since we last were able to greet you in our home, and here is to hoping things won't end as badly as last time.

But that is not what this announcement is about. Rather, there is going to be some changes within the Elite Four. Changes we'd like to make you a part of.

A few months ago, Will announced to us that he will be stepping down from his position as Elite Four member to--" Lance seems to pause for a moment, looking at Will, "--pursue opportunities elsewhere!

Of course, we cannot leave his spot unoccupied, so in the last few months, we've been hard at work vetting and narrowing down the choices for who will replace him. And finally, we've been able to narrow it down to just two remaining candidates. It's been a struggle, let me tell you! We've had so many qualified and incredible trainers who wanted to join us, but we believe we've found the best two.

And that is where you come in!

As I said, we have been able to narrow down the field to two final choices. And what I'd like to offer you this weekend, is an opportunity to take an active part in deciding who gets to be our newest member. You all, after all, have proven over the years that you not only care about pokemon, but you've also grown to care about this world, often helping us out when situations were dire. We believe you, as much as anyone, have a right to determine the future of this region.

In just a moment, I'd like to introduce you to our two final applicants. I can already assure you that they are both excellent trainers, and very skilled battlers, as well as individuals who we believe we can rely on in a bad situation. What we'd like if for you to cast the final vote on who takes over Will's position.

Throughout this weekend, they will make themselves available for questions. Please ask them anything you wish to know, and please also discuss the manner among yourself if you wish. Whichever person you choose, know that we already feel we could work and depend on either of them. At the end of this meeting, we'll distribute voting slips to everyone. These cannot be replaced, so please hold onto them, and once you've made your choice, please submit them to the vote box in front of the Ballroom before the start of the dance. Then, during the party on Sunday, we will reveal who will become our newest members.

Now, I've said quite enough, so let me introduce you to our two final applicants--"

The dining room doors open, and two figures stride in, walking to the front to join Lance and the other Elite Four members.

"Please welcome Bede from the Galar region and Malva from the Kalos Region"

Not sure what is going on? Why not check out our prom FAQ

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For Mando

'Why haven’t you caught any Pokémon specifically with me in mind?'

It's something Mando had said about a week and a half ago while helping Riz deal with some Extremely Teen Shit, and while he had immediately followed up and said he didn't need Riz to get him a Pokemon (and really, the reason it had been brought up was to help Riz understand how he felt about Boober), the idea had nestled itself in Riz's brain.

Because, yeah, he hadn't caught any Pokemon for Mando, like he had for Boober. And while he absolutely did not feel the same for Mando as he did for Boober (whatever that might be was still a bit unclear, but it was definitely different) he did like Mando a lot. Sure, he was kind of a weird adult who mostly hung around kids, but he treated Riz like he was just any other adult, and not like he couldn't handle himself. And he had always listened to Riz's concerns about everything in this world patiently and had even agreed most of the time. Plus there had been the way he had helped him deal with his, ugh, feelings.

So, yeah, Mando did probably deserve a Pokemon. And he definitely deserved a thank you for helping Riz out, and maybe, just maybe, those two things could be combined.

After having gone through the whole villa and finding nothing suspicious, Riz had moved his interest outside. Last time, those crazy god Pokemon had come from elsewhere, so it was very well possible that the disaster wouldn't be coming from inside the house. And if, while he was investigating the caves, he was also keeping an eye out for any interesting Pokemon that might suit Mando, well, that's entirely his business.

Hour later, Riz returns, looking a little grungy, but fairly satisfied. Or as satisfied as he is ever going to look during prom. He could do with a shower, but first--

"Mando? You here?"

Riz sticks his head into their shared tent, and hey, if his eyes are closed so he'll be sure not to catch Mando and Shadowmaru in flagrante then again, entirely Riz's business!

Good gods, Riz, that was one time, and it's not like they were boning down on the couch! Mando had his arm around Shadowmaru's shoulders! So G-rated it could be streamed for all ages on Disney+! No parental restrictions necessary!

"Yeah, I'm here."

Mando lifts his head from where he's been chilling on one of the beds. Not doing anything more illicit than paging through one of the books he took from the library. A book which is a historical study of Pokemon evolution, by the way, so definitely nothing that would offend delicate sensibilities.

He takes one look at Riz, and sighs.

"What have you been up to?"

He's not going to broach the topic of a shower yet. Yet.

Riz squeezes open one eye and then the other, when he is certain nothing untoward is happening. Listen, if Mando knew Kristen and Tracker, he'd understand Riz's concerns about catching people having sex anywhere once they hook up. He's lucky in that he doesn't actually live at Mordred Manor and doesn't have to worry about these things when he is at home, but even then he's seen some things.

"Making sure the perimeter is clear. If something is gonna go down, it's not gonna come out of the caves."

Also, hush. He's going to take a shower after this. This is just more important!

On some level, Mando gets it. Horny young Mandalorian apprentices have been known to make bad decisions about where and when to find openings in their armour. Hell, horny old Mandalorian warriors have done it too. But he'd like to think that, as adults, he and Shadowmaru would have better sense than that.

"Good plan." Mando will take over checking the perimeter later tonight, in probably fruitless hope that Riz will actually get some sleep. He'll probably stay up all night working on a conspiracy board, but a man can dream. "You find anything interesting down there?"

Riz had seen the mess Sandra-Lynn had made of things during Spring Break, so in his experience, adults tend to be as stupid about these sorts of things as teenagers. Worse, maybe, because when they screw things up, the fall-out tends to be much bigger.

And Riz will absolutely join Mando on a perimeter walk later tonight. He doesn't need to sleep. He can sleep when he is dead!

(Except he already has a job lined up for himself when he dies, so he won't sleep, even then)

"Yes." Riz hops up to sit on the edge of the bed. "Remember how you asked me why I hadn't caught you any pokemon? I know you said I didn't have to, but you were right, actually. I should've been catching you something too. So I did."

Either way, Mando has been very careful to not offend Riz's sensibilities in the apartment's shared spaces. He's not going to apologize for having an arm around Shadowmaru's shoulders, though. That's a hill he's willing to die on.

"What, really?" That came out of the left star quadrant, and Mando can't hide how much he's both surprised and pleased. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, we've already established that I didn't have to. But I wanted to." Riz drops his eyes, fiddling slightly with the buttons on the cuffs of his shirt. "The stuff you said... it helped. I mean, you already know me and Boober-- that we-- Point is you helped. And I want to thank you for that."

"All right."

Mando reaches across the bed and pats Riz's shoulder. "I'm glad it helped. And that you two are happy again. I'll take excellent care of whatever you caught."

Really, he couldn't have handled having the two kids be weird around each other, so Mando's help was at least partially motivated by his own well-being. But hey, all's well that ends well, right?

Sure, Mando, keep telling yourself you did it out of self-interest. We all believe you.

"I know you will. And, listen, I know it doesn't look like much right now, but I think you'll really dig it once it has evolved." Riz cocks his head for a moment. "Well, it's you, so you'll probably like it right now too. You like taking care of things. But I caught it because of what it'll turn into."

And with that, Riz reaches into his pocket to withdraw a Pokeball, holding it out to Mando.

He is a deeply self-interested individual, okay? Big scary bounty hunter and all that.

"Don't apologize for it before it's even out of its ball." It's gentle chiding, though, as Mando turns the ball over in his hands. "And I just end up with a bunch of things around me that need to be taken care of. It's not like I go searching for them."

With that blatant lie firmly established, Mando gives the ball a toss into the air. There's a flash of light, and suddenly, something tiny and jade green with enormous ears is on the bed between Mando and Riz.

"Oh." For just a second, Mando thinks it's Grogu, and he's speechless.

"They aren't normally supposed to be green. It's one of those weird-coloured ones." Riz, for the record, absolutely doesn't give a hoot about shiny Pokemon. If he wants to pick up a Pokemon, he will do it, regardless of its colour. The only upside to them is that people will give you good trades for them. "But, I figured, you like green lil' guys."

"She's gonna turn into a big dragon bat thing."

Mando is barely paying attention to Riz. No, he's reaching down to scoop up the little Pokemon with both hands. She's not Grogu; no one could be Grogu. But she looks enough like him that Mando will forgive himself for jumping to that conclusion.

"What kind is she?" The Pokemon huddles in Mando's cupped hands for a moment, then reaches out with tiny paws and grips his thumb.

"She's a Noibat. They use those big ears to create ultrasonic soundwaves to attack other pokemon with and find food. They are a part dragon, part flying type, and this one got an ability that allows her to bypass stuff like Reflect and Lightscreen which is pretty dope. Oh, and they are really big fruit eaters, so if she gets upset, just feed her some fruit, I guess." Riz rattles off everything he gleaned about Noibats from the gear, giving Mando a broad, toothy grin that seems to ask 'are you satisfied? Did I do well?'

Mando nods as Riz rattles off everything he knows about Noibats. Another dragon? Very fitting, somehow. He has a water dragon and an earth dragon already; all he needs now is a fire one and he'll have a complete set.

"Hi. I'm Mando. I'm your new trainer."

The Noibat considers him, then screeches softly. The sound reverberates off Mando's helmet, making it ring and Mando chuckle. He turns back to Riz.

"She's amazing. Thank you."

For a moment, Riz is very glad he doesn't have his normal ears. That screech was already a little loud for these stupid human ears, and he doesn't want to even imagine what it would've been like if he could hear like a proper Goblin.

"It's nothing. Like I said. You helped me, it's-- it was the least I could do."

Nah, this is above and beyond the least Riz could do, but Mando will let things lie where they are. He turns his attention back to the little critter, and gently pets her back with one finger.

"Is there a goblin word for bat? Or dragon?"

Riz cocks his head, thinking about it for a moment. "Bat is Hazgut. For dragon, it kind of depends. The proper name for them is Muorgkrizt. But that's not the word most Goblins will use. It's kinda considered bad luck, cause its said that if a dragon hears its name, it's gonna come devour you. So usually, everybody just says Vaws-hak, which really just means something big that'll kill you."

A lot of things can be Vaws-hak technically. When you are smaller than everything else, and live in a dangerous land (orginally, at least; the most dangerous big thing Riz has to content with on a daily basis is the Elmville bus system), lots of things are big and will eat you.

Mando nods at Riz's descriptions; he too knows what it's like to travel to places filled with big things that will kill you! Between old Imperial droids, sand monsters, and whatever ~~other side quest of the week~~ else he has to deal with, he understands that sentiment very well.

He looks back at the little bat. "What do you think? Does Vaws-hak sound like a good name to you?"

The Pokemon considers, then nods and shrieks. Yes, that will do quite nicely, as she will be a giant scary dragon bat someday.

"Vaws-hak it is." Mando lifts her to his shoulder and sets her down on his cape, where she can hold on with her little claws. "Thank you, Riz. She's great."

"Yeah, well, I figured you'd like her." Riz reaches up to adjust his hat a little (okay, a lot) self-consciously. He's happy that Mando is happy! He's happy that his gift was received so well. He's also not good at handling emotions. Like, for gods sake, he used to puke when he got too excited.

(It's okay. He hasn't done that in months.)

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." They're both happy at the moment, so it's as good a time as any to bring this up. Mando makes sure Vaws-hak is secure, then turns his full attention to Riz.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad." Gotta get that out of the way first! "You've seen this emblem on my armour, right?"

Mando turns his shoulder to Riz, so he can see the mudhorn on his armour.

'There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about.'

Oh god, someone is hurt. Or dead. Hurt and dying. Riz jumps to attention immediately. His pupils can't dilate properly anymore (not like they normally can) but rest assured, he'd be staring at Mando with eyes wide as saucers, a tension to his shoulders and--

Oh. It's not bad. Okay. That's. Okay.

Riz's shoulders slump a little, raising one brow as Mando turns a little to show his pauldron. "Yeah."

Oh damn, he should have led with nothing is wrong. Mando doesn't like how Riz immediately went into high-alert mode; he likes even less that he's the one who inspired it.

"Sorry. Should have told it was nothing bad to start with." Oh well. Nothing to do now but push on through. Mando taps the mudhorn emblem on his pauldron.

"It's the symbol of my clan. Back in my world, I'm part of a clan of two: myself and Grogu. But here, I've realized that my clan is growing." He pauses, unsure of how to phrase the next part. Boober wasn't familiar with traditional family structures and so liked the idea of being in a clan almost immediately; Riz has a real family back in his world, and might not like the idea of being associated with another one.

"I didn't have a family of my own before. My parents died when I was very young, and I was never formally adopted into another Mandalorian clan. I had to make my own." Another pause. "I'm not trying to replace your parents. I would never try, or want, to hurt that bond. But if you're interested, I would be honoured to call you a member of Clan Din."

Riz is always a second away from dropping into high alert mode, so he doesn't hold it against Mando. It's fine. It's all right for him to live like this, constantly on or near the edge. It's fine. It keeps him focused and ready to deal with anything life might throw at him.

(Or that Riz chooses to get himself involved in.)

"You couldn't replace my parents even if you tried." It comes out blunt, but Riz absolutely doesn't intend for it to. It's just matter of fact to him. His parents are super badasses, both of them. And they've put years and years into raising Riz, even when he was little and a lot more trouble. To say that nobody could ever replace them is just a simple fact to Riz, no different than saying rain is wet or Mumple is a terribly boring school.

"What would it even look like, me being part of your clan? I don't wanna wear a helmet."

It's blunt, sure, but it's also honest and right to the point, and Mando respects that. For such a sensitive topic, it's better for everyone to shoot from the hip, so to speak.

"I wouldn't try, because I know that's not my place. You're fortunate to have such involved, loving parents, and I know I can never replace them." They're on the same page about this; Mando can admit to being wistfully envious of the kind of relationship Riz has with his parents. Would Mando have had that kind of family without the Clone Wars? Who knows? The best he can do now is try to emulate it with Grogu.

"You wouldn't have to wear a helmet, or take on the Creed." That's a lot to ask, and besides, Mando isn't qualified to do the baptism. Without the Armourer or the sacred waters of Mandalore here, taking the Creed is an impossibility. "It's more like a promise we'd make to each other. We'd promise to protect each other however we can, and to honour each other and our choices. Most importantly, we'd promise our loyalty to each other and anyone else in the clan."

So really, stuff they've been doing already; they'd just be putting a name to it.

"And then I'd make you a small mudhorn symbol to carry with you, if you wanted one."

Riz cocks his head, mulling over the words in his head. "That sort of sounds like an adventuring party, the loyalty and protection stuff."

Which, Riz is absolutely already part of, and loyal to an adventuring party. But, at the same time, the Bad Kids aren't here. Riz wishes they were (except not, because if they are not here, then they are back home where they should be and from where they can get him out of here) but that is a fact he has had to accept. Would it be so bad for him to join another party in the interim? Would he be upset if the situation was reversed and, say, Adaine was here, and became part of an adventuring party with Boober and Mando. He doesn't think he'd be.

"Who would be in it? You, me, Boober? You are making Boober part of this, right?"

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