[Semi-Closed] Catch-all log for threads

[whiteshroud]

WHO: Jun Nightroad & Various
WHERE: Around Kaisou
WHEN: Second half of May!
WHAT: Catch-All log
WARNINGS: Warnings will get added as necessary.

[In the latter half of May, with college finished, Jun can be found around Kaisou either doing odd jobs as his college-campus coffeeshop hours get cut, or preparing for his apprenticeship for POKEGO. If you want to do a thread with him, feel free to hit me up on plurk or the game discord! ]

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CLOSED TO TAKAME: Got a Deal for You

[whiteshroud]

[Mission Details.

Well this was an abrupt start to the mission. Jun, while donning his shroud uniform, had agreed to it because he needed the extra cash and it seemed well within his capabilities. It was by chance that Takame had taken up the mission at the same time, which was fine. He didn't know Takame super well, but he knew that he was a reliable sort of guy.

What he didn't know is that as soon as they finished taking the commission, they'd find themselves getting pulled into a tear. Jun lands facedown on the forest floor of the realm, but doesn't linger there, instead opting to scramble up quickly like he just touched something burning hot and checks the area for immediate threats.

Fortunately, while he can vaguely sense monsters in the distance, it's just Takame with him at the moment. He then allows himself to take a slow deep breath. It's fine, it's fine, definitely not a trauma response from childhood its cool.

Clearing his throat once he's managed to make himself breath normally, he'll address Takame]

You alright?

[hoshikiri]

[The sudden pull into the tear brought to mind the pure darkness before finding himself in a fake Castrum Abania. He took on this assignment to help and to keep himself sharp but being brought back to that mindset was not remotely pleasant.

As if he'd learned nothing, the discomfort was pushed to the far edges of his mind so as to focus on the assignment. He had some comfort in that Shroud was a reliable ally and his quick reflexes allowing him to recover from his poor landing quickly.

At least he didn't land on the bad arm, but his tail lashed about for a while until he took a few breaths of his own. Then he responded as he brushed the dirt from himself.]

Mm. I am fine. [He took another deep breath, his anxious tail steadying.] And you?

[whiteshroud]

[He'll hold out his hand in case Takame needs help being pulled up, only pulling away if the other seems fine. He does notice the tail lashing but...he won't comment on it. Honestly, he has a pretty limited understanding of tail language]

I'm fine. [A moment of anxiety but he's letting that pass. He turns his attention to the surrounding area] I'm sensing a number of presences in this realm. Undead, from what I can tell.

[hoshikiri]

[Takame was able to stand on his own, but the offered hand is nonetheless given an appreciative nod. Shroud was difficult to read as ever, but there was no sign that he was affected by anything severe.]

'Tis possible they'll attempt to swarm us. [He drew his weapon, mindful of his disadvantage but not seeming to find it a big problem for the spoopy rabble.]

I can keep their attention and count on you to help thin their numbers as we proceed. I've good eyes and memory, mazes mean little to me.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun will give a little nod]

Very well, I'll take care of any you don't. And rely on you for the navigation.

[Jun wasn't bad at mazes, but if Takame is confident then there's no reason not to let him do it. He'll hold out his hand to the side and summon his greatsword. It's easily as long as Takame is tall, but he holds it with one hand with ease.]

I'm ready when you are.

[hoshikiri]

Mm. This way. [He started moving out. A click of a trigger on his Gunblade, readying aetherial carts. Around him a golden aura accompanied the switch, subtle enough to not be blinding to his ally but bright enough to keep all eyes on him.

He didn't seem surprised at how massive Shroud's sword was compared to him but then again he wasn't a very emotive man in general.

He was in mission mode so not much of a talker as he pushed on save for the occasional warning of an obstacle.]

Mind your footing. [He said cutting down any vines that'd trip them up and more out of habit. He had the feeling Shroud was the last person he needed to warn about anything.]

[whiteshroud]

Alright.

[Jun will follow after Takame quietly. Since he's also on mission mode, he's got little interest in chatting but rather focusing on what he can sense. Which it is helpful to have Takame focus on the vines, so he can stay ready for the attacks.

A few skeletons come around a corner. But before they can charge at them, Jun will summon a few arrows of light that hover in the air before flying at them. They slam into the skeletons, exploding upon contact]

[hoshikiri]

...

[It was good he had Shroud to rely on. He sensed them coming, but having a user of ranged attacks quelled them faster than his Lightning Shot did. Small fry like them quickly faded with the light arrows, but more came at them from other sides.]

Eyes on me. [Was said to provoke them into focusing on him as a circular slash cut through the swathes that Shroud could not take out.]

[whiteshroud]

[The provoke works, as the undead horde all turn their attention on Takame to attack him. Jun meanwhile will teleport away, reappearing behind the horde]

Shield!

[He'll yell at Takame before his sword glows and he releases a massive swing from behind, which sends a shockwave of light energy out to cut through the wave of enemies on Takame]

CLOSED TO YUUKI & SOREY: Red Hot Chili Peppers

[whiteshroud]

[Mission details

While Jun wasn't keen with Sorey's idea to work with Yuuki- for the price that they offered and Sorey's insistence, he was willing to go along with it. Besides, as a new apprentice to POKEGO, it was important to prove himself.

So he now stands outside the gate to Kanto. He's wearing his new apprentice uniform which ...yeah, was going to take some getting used to. But he's calm in demeanor]

If I remember correctly, there were several berry patches in the region north of the gate. I'm not sure if they'll be the ones we want though.

[killerapp]

[Yuuki doesn't care that Jun's here in the apprentice uniform. As far as he cares, Jun isn't here at all. Chibi and Maru are giving Yuuki some concerned looks, but he sees no reason in acknowledging the other boy. Jun is very, very firmly in the "Yuuki's old man" category, after all.

He ignore Jun, poking on his phone at the files on Kanto they have.]

Sending you a list of all the spicy berries we know about, Doctor.

[notevensorey]

[Sorey is definitely aware of both boys' resistance to reconciling, or at least clearing the air somewhat, but he still thinks it's important for them. If nothing else, it'll be a skill they both need practice at for later in life.

He smiles over at Yuuki.]

Thanks, Yuuki! I'm not as familiar with berries, so this will be perfect as a reference.

[The brunet looks to Jun.]

Why don't you take point, then, Jun? Our Pokemon can also help keep watch for danger. Make sure to keep an eye on them.

[whiteshroud]

[Yuuki's cold shoulder of him right there is pretty obvious. Great, so the guy is still pissy at him huh? He gives a raised eyebrow before he decides not to comment on it. Whatever. He won't rise to the bait, not when there's a mission at hand. ]

Understood. Let's proceed then.

[He'll step through the gate, waiting for the both of them to follow after. Like always, the Kanto realm is full of life- lush greenery with Pokemon all over the place. Once everyone is in, he'll start walking north at a brisk pace. ]

[killerapp]

[Yuuki follows after Jun, but he absolutely isn't going Jun's pace. Not even out of spite or anything, either; he just knows that he couldn't keep that pace up so he's not even going to bother trying. He is out of shape, okay?

Chibi makes a noise and without missing a beat Yuuki reaches down to pick her up and put her in his bag like it's a makeshift baby sling.]

That Aron will kick your ass, Chibi. It's not hammer material.

[notevensorey]

[Sorey definitely knows Yuuki can't keep up with this pace, so he slows himself down after they enter the Gate.]

Let's take it a bit slow today, hm? This is my first time here, and it's a beautiful day besides.

[This way, nobody can really say that it's because of Yuuki.]

Jun, do you have an estimate for how far away the berry trees are? It's alright if you don't, I just wanted to check if we might need to plan for a short break.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun hadn't been thinking much about his pace, just going at what he usually moves at when he walks. He freezes momentarily when Sorey calls that out, before he complies and slows his pace]

...Very well.

[Yeah he can guess it's not Sorey that wants to go slow here and more the guy that is ignoring him. But whatever. He'll focus on the question, looking thoughtful.]

Mm...I'm usually in wolf form when I come in here, so I'm moving much faster. But at this pace... [He is giving it honest thought, there is math going on in his head] Maybe about an hour?

[killerapp]

[Wolf form? Seriously?

Well, not like Yuuki can talk with how often he turns into a cat. But still! Either way, he lets Sorey and Jun hash that out as he keeps poking at his phone. The signal in the realm is atrocious, but he has copies of all of their files, data, and everything else on it.

He really needs to get a tablet.

Yuuki opens up the stopwatch app on his phone and gets it started, ready to time just how long it takes. If they can get that, it'll help future trips into Kanto.]

Can't believe we lost all our data on this realm....

[THANKS WILLOW

He is of course assuming they had data on Kanto but for all he knows they might not have ever had any.]

CLOSED TO MIKLEO: I choose you

[whiteshroud]

[Jun stood outside the Kanto gate, in his POKEGO apprentice uniform, as he tosses the pokeball back and forth between his hands. Today is the day he's meant to get his starter pokemon along with Mikleo, so he was a bit excited about it. ]

So what should I be keeping an eye out for in there?

[reenforces]

[Mikleo has brought Snow along for the mission though she's not much for combat. She seems relatively unconcerned with anything but licking herself. The water seraph, on the other hand, is very excited and trying to seem professional and cool but... not hiding it very well.

For this outing he's wearing his official POKEGO labcoat, the white one with the blue accents that you'd be forgiven for assuming was for Team Mystic.]

Our target today is active during the night time. That means that they're slow to move during the day and therefore easier to catch, assuming we can find one. They live in trees, and they resemble owls.

I have some other ideas in case we can't find one—but for this, I thought a mild-tempered avian Pokemon would be easiest for you to tame.

[whiteshroud]

[he's been around the seraph enough to be able to tell that he's excited. Not that Jun is going to call him out on it, considering he felt pretty eager himself. ]

A pokemon that looks like an owl...that sounds like it'll be really cute. [He approves!!

I mean-]

-- And a reasonable conclusion based on my animal experience. [he clears his throad] I hope we can find one.

Are you and Hime ready?

[reenforces]

Obviously.

[Like he'd let his apprentice get stuck with an ugly Pokemon!

Mikleo just smiles.]

We are. Let's go, Himeko! [Listen, she has like five or six names so it stands to reason she should also have five nicknames. Anyway his Vulpix does snap to attention and make some cute noise in acknowledgment.

He steps forward, intending to cross at the same time as Jun. He doesn't want to find out what happens if they don't.

Once they're on the other side, Mikleo takes a moment to get his bearings. Then he conjures his clipboard from somewhere and clears his throat.]

According to established research, Rowlets photosynthesize during the day. That's why I thought we'd have a good chance at catching them. It means they can't hide—they need to be in a place where they can catch the sun's rays. That and their daytime sleepiness should work to our advantage.

[Quiz time!]

With the information that we have, what kind of environment should we be looking for?

[Mikleo did drop a major hint earlier with the trees thing.]

[whiteshroud]

[he grins at Mikleo. While he would be less picky about the appearance of his pokemon, he's certainly isn't going to complain about getting a cute one.

With the same concern in mind, he's careful to step through the gate as Mikleo. Once he's in the realm, his dove wings will appear on his back. At least his uniform already had holes made for the wings, so it just takes a bit of adjustment as Mikleo talks. But he is listening, taking all the information into consideration.

An owl that sleeps during the day but requires a place with sunlight...]

...A lightly forested area? A place where Rowlets can sleep on trees for safety, but not so dense in forest to block sunlight.

lmk if i need to change the direction in this tag. i remember squinting at the map

[reenforces]

[The wings really suit Jun the more he sees them.

Mikleo lights up at Jun's answer, though. Jun's really improved as a student, and Mikleo believes he'll do well in POKEGO too.]

That's correct! Anything else just isn't comfortable for them.

If memory serves, we should be able to find something like that if we head north from here.

should be right!!!

[whiteshroud]

[Jun's improvement as a student was definitely Mikleo's influence, encouraging to actually apply himself rather than just doing what's necessary to pass. He'll smile as Mikleo praises him for the answer]

North huh? Alright. Is it a far trek from here?

[He's not worried about himself, but whether he'll need to have Mikleo ride in him if it's a long ways]

[reenforces]

[This whole thing is honestly... just really good for Mikleo. He's happy he gets to help his friend learn his way around POKEGO, and it's helping Mikleo to remember what he loved about it, too.]

It's a little bit of a hike but the weather's good today, so it shouldn't be too bad.

[They don't exactly need to go all the way past the woods to the coast.]

Keep your eyes peeled for any movement. We can identify other types of Pokemon on our way there.