[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! ]

Comments

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.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun will give a little nod]

Ha, that's fine. I don't mind walking. If you start to get tired though, let me know.

[Look he knows most people tend to tire out way before he does ok]

Sounds good. I've been in this realm a number of times, but I can't say I know the names of most of the creatures here.

[reenforces]

Thanks, I will.

[He knows Jun is just looking out for him. And honestly, Mikleo's not the athletic type, so... there is probably complaining in his future.]

I... might've brushed up a little. It's been a while since I took... what course was it? It was like a birding class but for Pokemon... [He hums in thought.] Anyway, a little review always helps. I can give you the study materials after this if you're interested in learning more.

[whiteshroud]

[Yeah he fully anticipates the complaining. Mikleo you're the pretty one but you're also the dainty one.]

A bird pokemon class...that sounds like a class August would enjoy. [Dude loves birbs] And sure! I'd like to try to learn as much as I can during this apprenticeship.

[reenforces]

[Oh absolutely.]

I bet he would. They covered other kinds of wildlife too, but it was mostly focused on birds and small brush Pokemon.

If you narrow them down to a few specific traits, you can learn how to identify things pretty reliably.

[He shields his eyes from the sun with one hand as he peers at the bushes along the path.]

[whiteshroud]

[He'll give a little nod as they keep walking. As they walk, they can spy a few normal and bug type pokemon just going about their day through the meadow]

I see. Mostly I'm just worried about the sheer volume of Pokemon. A thousand different kinds is a lot to learn.

[reenforces]

[Seeing them running around so freely makes Mikleo feel inexplicably happy. The city he grew up in wasn't nearly as full of life. They had little birds and things like that, but it wasn't on the level of Pokemon running loose through the grass.]

Whoa, hold on. You aren't expected to memorize all of them! But you might get tested on the most common ones, or the different family groups they fall into. It's just like taxonomy in Earth biology.

They know that not everyone has Sorey's eidetic memory. [mumbling] Sure wish I did.

[whiteshroud]

Oh, really?

[he breathes out a small sigh of relief]

That's a relief. I was feeling a bit stressed about that. My memory is nowhere near as good as Sorey's either...

[reenforces]

[Awww... Mikleo smiles in a way he hopes is comforting.]

Nah, it's nothing like that, so don't worry. They're more concerned about you being able to tell the difference between a fish and a bird than naming a specific subspecies or something. This is more of a general knowledge test.

[He brushes a bit of bangs out of his eyes. They're getting long enough to tickle his nose. Whoops. He'll have to ask Jun to trim them later.]

Ah, look—some Pidgeys are flapping around in the meadow. Can you see them? They're one of the most common sights around here. They start off cute, but when they get stronger and evolve, they become extremely powerful fliers. They can even fly faster than the speed of sound or so I've read.

[Definitely one of the backups Mikleo had in mind if they couldn't find a Rowlet.]

[whiteshroud]

I see. I could probably do that...as long as there's no flying fish Pokémon to use as a trick question.

[He says it as a joke, mostly. When Mikleo points out the pidgeys, he will turn his head to watch them. ]

The speed of sound, really? Wow! I always see pidgeys flying around the place, so I figured they were akin to pigeons or robins.

[reenforces]

I don't remember seeing anything like that on the test, but you never know. Better make sure you get the other questions right just in case.

[He nods, pleased that Jun seems interested.]

That isn't completely wrong. It's like if a sparrow could grow up into a falcon. There's nothing wrong with being small and cute forever, but a fully-evolved Pidgeot must be a sight to behold...

Anyway, let's move on. We might be able to spot more Pokemon further in.

[whiteshroud]

I'll keep that in mind...

[Ah, at least that helps him with narrowing down what to study, so it's good knowledge to know]

Haha, cute and small is fine, but if it wants to grow big it should be able to. It'd be neat to see one fully-evolved someday.

[But ah right, got sidetrack]

Right! I'll follow your lead.

[reenforces]

If your Pokemon wants to grow big and strong, then it'll definitely find a way.

[He's sure that Jun will see something like that one day, at least if he continues to grow closer to his first Pokemon after they catch it.

It feels a little bit like they've been walking forever, and even Mikleo is starting to tire, but he doesn't complain. Sometimes he stops so they can drink some water and sit down for a little, but if Jun asks him if he wants to rest, he'll decline. It's important, in Mikleo's eyes anyway, that Jun doesn't feel like he's doing this alone. He might... accept a free ride on the way back, though.

At last the scenery seems to be changing. Trees are scattered here and there, with a thicker forest visible in the distance.]

We're getting into Rowlet territory, [Mikleo says, keeping his voice low.] Once we find one, we can get close and I'll have Hime engage it. While it's distracted, you'll throw your Pokeball and hopefully catch it.

Does that sound good?

[whiteshroud]

[Jun will walk with Mikleo, sometimes making idle conversation or asking about creatures or things that strike his interest. Curiosity runs pretty strongly in this one.

He doesn't tire through the journey, though he does regularly check on Mikleo and lets him take breathers when he needs it. He wouldn't mind if Mikleo decided to rest within him, but Mikleo is pretty insistent about making this trek along with him. He doesn't mind, best to have two sets of eyes instead of just his in a place like this.

Finally, they reach the Rowlett's territory. Jun will mimic Mikleo, keeping his voice low]

Yeah, that sounds good. [Taking a moment to sense presences..] I sends some creatures up in the trees nearby. A couple have grass energy.

[That might be our guy]

[reenforces]

[Mikleo watches Jun for a moment, and then he nods.]

All right. Let's get closer and have Hime draw them out.

Hime, go!

[He points at the line of trees. The little Vulpix goes running up to the first one and looks up. No bird here, so she looks back at her trainer. Mikleo gestures to the next one. As soon as she sees the bird hiding on the branch, she starts yipping and pawing at the tree.

This effectively flushes the target out. But what pops out isn't the brown owl that Mikleo's expecting—it's bright green. Mikleo gasps.]

A rare phenotype?! I've never seen one in person! Jun, get ready!

[The owl swoops at Hime, but she dodges nimbly and whips her tail at it. Call it distracted enough for an attempt.]

[whiteshroud]

[They've gone over the plan before, so Jun is ready and watching as Hime flushes out the bird. He's not all that familiar with what Rowlet's are supposed to look like, so he'll have to ask what Mikleo means later.

Right now? He has a mission. His focus must be fully on that. ]

On it!

[As soon as there's an opening? Jun is teleporting closer. As soon as he reappears, he's throwing his pokeball straight at the bird]

[reenforces]

[His Vulpix gets one good hit on the bird and knocks it down. This turns out to be what the Pokeball needs. Into the ball it goes, and though it jumps around a little bit, after three attempts it gives up. Hime does a little happy prance and flicks her tails, then runs back over to Mikleo and runs up the back of his coat so she can ride in his hood.

The seraph turns to his companion and beams.]

Congratulations!

[whiteshroud]

[He doesn't dare breath as the pokeball is jumping around, only letting himself when he hears the telltale click sound that indicates a pokemon has been caught. With a grin, he'll run over and pick up the ball. His eyes are fixated on it as he holds it in his hand, handling it gently as if to avoid rocking the pokemon inside too much.

His first Pokemon. His first accomplishment on this new path he set himself on. This was no doubt an important moment.

But like always, he'll respond with humility]

Haha, thank you. But it was Hime that did most of the work! [He'll walk back over to the pair, reaching out to give Hime a well deserved ear scritch] Good girl.

[reenforces]

[Hime looks very proud of herself, and gives Jun's fingers a good lick. Mikleo chuckles.]

She isn't completely spoiled.

[MIKLEO SHE IS RIDING ON YOUR SHOULDER]

Right, so—you caught what's called a 'shiny' Pokemon. They're extremely rare. If it evolves, its next form will stand out from the others, too.

It kind of resembled you, now that I think about it. It suits you.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun gives a little snort at that]

Sure, but she still sleeps on bedding nicer than mine.

[SHE IS SPOILED.]

A shiny pokemon... [He makes a mental note of that] I did notice it looked rather green for a bird. Like my hair color.

[He'll look at the ball again] I hope we get along.

[reenforces]

I'm sure she'd share if you asked.

[Or sleep directly on Jun's face... better not.

He reaches up to scritch Hime behind the ears idly, while he looks at the Pokeball in Jun's hands.]

I'm sure you will. Just spend some time together, and you'll come to understand one another.

[whiteshroud]

[he snorts]

Be that forward with royalty? Please, that'd get me thrown in a dungeon for a thousand years.

[He's joking, probably]

Ha...I hope so. [He'll carefully attach the pokeball to his belt for safe keeping] Is that all we need to do? Should we head back?

[reenforces]

[Mikleo laughs at that.]

She can be merciful. Sometimes.

[He really is biased.]

Yeah, we're done. Though, we might want to swing by the pet store and get some things to make its stay more comfortable. You could leave it in the care of the Academy, but then you won't be able to bond with it when you want.

[whiteshroud]

Sometimes.

[He says in a light teasing tone.]

Haha, if they're going to be my partner, I want to try to bond with them myself. So let's go to the pet store! We can also get treats for the princess there.