victory_road | Travel Buddies :o (Closed Catchall for LoopsieDaisy)

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Travel Buddies :o (Closed Catchall for LoopsieDaisy)

Who: Cali and Loop :D
Where: Goldenrod City, more specifically that monster sized department store. How one doesn’t get lost in there is beyond me.
When: Roughly one week after survival one-o-one in Prehistoric Johto and Jurassic Prom
Summary: Loop and Cali decide to be travel buddies :D

After a week of being back to modern times, surviving prehistoric Johto with friends and Darwin the Archen, Cali decided it was about time to get some camping/survival items as well as the promised giant box of candy cars for Celebi’s shrine at the massive department store (seriously this thing is huge enough to be declared a city itself). Most of Cali’s current team is back at the hotel room to relax, especially Sweet Sixteen as he recovers from the worst thing an old pokemon could experience, BEING A TEEN AGAIN AHHHH. Wagashi and Kugel are in the PC for now, which means Darwin is hitching a ride on Cali for the day :D

Of course, no shopping trip is ever completed without some sort of hiccup coming up such as Darwin’s bird brain going off upon seeing what all pet owners dread when going to a pet supply store…TREATS!

“Darwin, that's a no no!” Cali called out as she went to try and retrieve her prehistoric lizard bird.

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Loop honestly isn't a huge fan of the department store; something about it makes them feel claustrophobic. They're trying not to think about it. But it's undeniably the best place to stock up in Goldenrod, so here they are - accompanied by Fleuirk the Banette and Clawmille the Anorith.

They're used to seeing other trainers' Pokemon running around, the few times they've ventured in here, but they're not used to having Archen trying to flap and/or clamber over them in order to get to the treats. They duck - in time to see Cali running up after.

This feels... familiar.

"We should probably stop meeting like this," Loop jokes, turning around to try to scoop Darwin off the treat rack. "Where's..." (What was the apple dragon's name again?) "...Sweet Sixteen?"

Clawmille snips her pincers at Darwin. Finally, something familiar in all these weird surroundings! Hello, fellow prehistoric jungle dweller.

Cali pauses on time to realize who Darwin was clambering over for treats, "Hey Ryver! It's been a while since Ilex Forest."

Darwin is easy to pick up, sort've like picking up a cat really but with feathers as he chuffs at Loop. Cali was relieved that Darwin didn't get the chance for treats, "We really should, Sweet Sixteen is back at the Hotel. He's been kinda grumpier than normal lately after getting devolved into an Applin again."

Darwin clicks a bit before giving a friendly trill at Clawmille, it was nice to meet another prehistoric denizen too!

"So how've you been holding up after the sudden jungle trip?" Cali goes to ask, cheery as always.

Mmgh. "Hoping to avoid Celebi from now on."

They make it sound like they hated the jungle, but honestly - well, it wasn't great, but it also wasn't a big deal. It's not like they weren't traveling through the wilderness beforehand! A Pokemon that can make people time travel, though... and poor Sweet Sixteen.

"Orrery ended up a Beldum again, too. But I'm fine!" They manage a smile. You know, the usual: just continuing traveling. They're not actually sure where to go next, they think they've covered all of Johto's land routes. Kanto again, maybe...? (And then what?)

"What about you? Nothing bit off by ancient Pokemon?"

Yes poor Sweet Sixteen, he had to deal with the dreadful monster of teen angst all over again. Cali did pretty good during the whole jungle ordeal, sure it was close to being like the horror show of Orion 23, but upside, no mobile carnivorous plants.

"That's fair, though it was a pretty great first prom, I'll be missing that tree sap stuff." Cali admitted, the little sugar fiend liked the tree sap.

"Oh no, I hope Orrery is doing alright after that one. I'm glad you're doing fine though, the surprise trip certainly was something else." Cali felt very bad for poor Orrery, especially if she was taking it hard like Sweet Sixteen is at the moment.

"I'm doing alright, the ancient Pokemon were great. Though, this trip reminded me just how much I miss being in a group. Back home, we normally pair off in groups for either work or going out to the wastelands. I'm thinking about seeing if I can travel with someone once again."

"She seems to be taking it in stride! Or maybe she's just floating above it~?" Loop grins a little wider, waiting to see if Cali will respond to the terrible joke. (Get it, get it, because she's a Beldum.)

In the meantime, they put Darwin down - watching carefully to make sure the lizard bird doesn't try going for the treat rack against instantly.

The last bit makes Loop's gaze slide away, smile fading slightly. Traveling in a group, huh...

Whatever it is that's going on in their head, Fleuirk gives Loop an interested glance. Then she then plops down to sit on their shoulder, kicking her feet.

Clawmille, meanwhile, has no conflicted reaction about this at all. Traveling with another prehistoric Pokemon? Yes please! She scuttles excitedly in very fast circles around Cali, then Loop, then Darwin.

Loop, seeing this, huffs out a breath that's almost a laugh. "Where are you planning on going next?"

"Well she is an uplifting spirit of sorts." Cali joked along with Loop...oh no the puns..it is spreading.

Darwin is greatly debating this new found freedom, treats or no treats, truly the greatest debate a reptile bird could possibly have. The little guy is giving the treats the Morticia Addams longing glance, Darwin no. Thankfully Clawmille has gotten Darwin's attention instead of possibly traveling with another prehistoric Pokemon.

Cali, with the happiest tone possible (oh god the sunshine is strong here in her energy) upon hearing Loop ask, "Ecruteak City is the next one once I'm done here in Goldenrod City."

Loop perks up a bit. Ecruteak City! They did like it there.

"Good choice! There's some nice theaters over there, and lots of street markets. They're a lot less overwhelming than this department store."

VERY DEBATABLE... but to Loop, at least, they are. Loop's used to streetside markets, not so much buildings the size of the ones in Goldenrod.

"But you'll want to watch out for Ghost Pokemon overnight."

If Cali was a star, she would be going super nova over how excited she was to hear that.

"Oh man, they have street markets? That's a lot more better than a massive building like this. I never been to a theater though, what's it like? I only have recordings of shows and that's about it." Cali asked, she seriously hasn't been to a theater before.

There is a pause a bit at ghost Pokemon, they have always fascinated Cali after learning about them after her encounter with Hisiuan Zoroark during the Swinub Scurry. It would be nice to be around with another person though as that was a pretty dangerous situation and there was no telling how well it'd end the next time. Plus, Loop is super fun to be around, Cali was more than happy to ask them right away.

"Hey Ryver, would you like to travel with me? I think we'd have a lot of fun traveling as a group together."

Loop, meanwhile, has never seen a recording! They know that video is a thing, thanks to the Gears and TVs around Johto, but they have the vague idea that it's all stuff that's live only. So they assume she means something like a script - read, not watched.

"It's..." Loop motions with their hands a bit, trying to figure out how to put it into words. "The best actors get deep into the heads of their characters, and you can hear the emotion in their voice, see it in their body language. You might know it's fake, but it feels like it's really happening, right in front of you. It's - encompassing? Cathartic?"

They stop there, a little embarrassed and trying not to show it. (They do still like plays. It is cathartic, to go through that kind of emotion, but then be able to set it down once you leave the theater.)

Loop hesitates for a long moment, while Clawmille skitters even more excitedly. She's almost bouncing in circles around Darwin, even though her body shape doesn't make it very easy to jump.

...it can't hurt, can it? (It absolutely can. But Cali looks very hopeful, even with the mask covering up her face.)

"If you'd like me to, sure." They try very hard not to sound uncertain, and mostly succeed. They smile - that looks a lot more confident, but they have a lot of practice. "I can help guide you to Ecruteak."

They're not going to assume she wants them around any longer than that!

Cali doesn't mind the explanation at all, it's still very magical to her. To be able to experience a life theater performance in person is something Cali never had the privilege to enjoy first hand. It was fully welcomed in open gloved arms.

"That sounds amazing, I'd love to go see one if I get the chance to do so. Is there a show you'd recommend?"

Cali truly can emote insanely well with her mask on as she lights up at the idea of Loop traveling with her! Surely nothing wrong can happen there (Cali you're forgetting that weird weekend you were warned of earlier..)

"I would love that! Maybe we can catch a performance while we're there. I think we're going to have an amazing time traveling together." Cali certainly is a little ball of sunshine as she takes up Loop's offer.

Darwin goes to join in with Clawmille's circle bouncing as he too is excited for this, the modern world sure was a weird change in scenery for this Lizard Bird too.

This is a safer subject! Loop tilts their head, thinking back. "Last time I was in Ecruteak was early winter..." - or at least, last time they were there long enough to see a play. "Most of the theaters will have rotated what they were putting on."

In short: they have no idea what to recommend yet! "So we'll have to find out!"

...which does actually give them a little bit of something to look forward to! What a surprising feeling.

But on that note, if they're going to be traveling together - they should probably get back to stocking up. "What did you need in here, anyway?"

Surprises are always the best option, it makes the experience all the more better as Cali answers, "Sweet, that'll be a lot of fun then to check out the listings for what shows are playing."

Cali certainly was excited for this and is thrilled that Loop was fully onboard to go check out a live theater performance.

Cali does go to think carefully over what she needs first as she happily responds, "I'm going to be getting some fun camping meals that'll be easy to heat up on the go, fun sweet treats, a tent, and I'm thinking a lantern to navigate the dark with. Do you think it'll be enough or is there anything else I should consider?"

Edited (I goofed the last part :x ) 2025-05-10 02:41 (UTC)

A tent... fancy! When Loop was last traveling with a group long-term (don't think about it, don't think about it), they were sharing a tent. But they haven't bothered to get one here; it took a while for them to even get a small tarp.

They haven't bothered to get a lot of things they should have. They've been surviving, but... they honestly haven't been taking care of themself very well, traveling solo.

For Cali asking about herself, though, they put some more thought into it. "You probably already have something for first aid, since you're a doctor..." They remembered!

"And something for starting fires." They've got Burnoît for campfires, and they'll happily share his firepower. But just in case Cali doesn't have anything yet, Loop wants to make sure she's still fine if she gets sick of them. "Since it's spring, maybe a raincoat, if you don't already have one?"

"I'd say a knife, but it's been weirdly hard to find a place here that'll sell me one." Aside from, say, kitchen knives. Not the same thing!

"Yep! We're all covered on that along with field medical appliances, it came in handy back on home planet of Orion 34." Cali was thrilled that Loop remembered she was a doctor.

Yeah, Cali isn't gonna ever lose interest in her new traveling companion, Loop really is that neat in her mind. Cali would periodically check on her Pokemon to make sure he isn't committing PokeCrimes in the department store.

"Oh right, a fire starter, that's a good idea. It'll likely help Darwin a bit when starting it up with Dragon Breath. That was a bit of a surprise earlier when trying to start a campfire before." Cali casually glances over to her reptilian bird for a moment before returning her focus on Loop.

"I was thinking looking for a knife, before the sudden Orion 23 scenario surprise happened, I was wishing I had a knife for shelter building. I'm surprised they don't have something of a Swiss army knife or something close to it." Cali wasn't sure why the Pokemon world didn't have a Swiss army knife, it'll remain a mystery.

"Do you need any supplies too Ryver?"

Hmm. 'Home planet' pings Loop as a weird way of phrasing it, as if Cali's used to the idea of traveling between planets being an option. But in retrospect - it kind of makes sense, right? This place, with Pokemon, is definitely a different planet. ...still, maybe they'll ask about it later, whenever they settle down to camp for the night.

"Yeah, it's odd. I guess they're used to Pokemon cutting things for them, maybe...?" Someday they'll find a knife, hopefully; if only so they can get back to whittling stuff, have something to distract them when they're sitting around the fire. They should check the street markets in Ecruteak again.

"Just the usual for me. Food, Pokemon food." They've been sharing their food with their Pokemon a lot, but when they stop in at a town they try to restock on something Pokemon-specific, just in case there's some sort of nutrients they're missing. They try to take better care of their Pokemon than they do themself. "But I was going to check some TMs, while I was here."

(Loop's never bothered with TMs before, but Cecil's Pokemon have low-key shamed them into it.)

Cali spoke of her home planet as though it was very normal, like going to the market place. Scratching the side of her mask a bit, Cali did think about how weird it was there were no Swiss army knives.

"Maybe, I'm not sure if any of my Pokemon can learn cut. I do hope that they will have a Swiss army knife someday." Cali was completely perplexed, but not much one can do about it, "Do you think Carbink could do delicate cuts? I think their gems were supposed to be sharp enough to make cuts like that."

"Oh man yeah, let's go check out the food items. I absolutely love how big the food selection is for outdoor camping. I wonder if they have JiffyPop here, that's a fun camping treat right there." Cali brighten big time at the food shopping, there's always surprises there to try out, especially the ever illusive JiffyPop.

Oh, those rock and gem Pokemon at Celebi's Prom?

"Maybe so. Or... there's definitely at least one Pokemon out there with knives for hands, too." They're thinking of Pawniard, though they don't know it by name - they've just seen it around before.

JiffyPop... it's another thing Loop's never heard of. Is it going to be like those self-heating meals Cali showed them earlier? "Lead the way!"

"Oh man, that one sounds like a great Pokemon to have on hand. There is such a huge diversity, I honestly love that about this world." Cali was thinking Scyther when she heard the description, not knowing about Pawniard just yet.

Cali perks up as she goes to lead Loop to the grocery part of the department megalith, her mask emoting is a skill on its own, "Sure thing! I think it's a few steps away."

It was an understatement of sorts to call the Department store a megalith as the grocery aisle sure was something else. Apparently the Pokemon world version of Jiffypop was Simipop with a Simisear mascot on it for the popcorn brand. It like a weird foil cooking pan of some sort with a wire handle. Cali excitedly goes to show Loop the camping staple of popcorn.

"Here we go, I guess they call it SimiPop here. I always looked for Jiffypop when the import day came, they were my favorite snack back home. What sort of treats did you enjoy back home?"

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Travel Buddies :o (Closed Catchall for LoopsieDaisy)

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