EVENT LOG: Barcelona/Paldea Trip (closed to people going on the Spain trip)

[kaisoumods]

WHO: Travelers to Barcelona
WHERE: Barcelona!
WHEN: Early January
WHAT: Traveling to Barcelona
WARNINGS: Will add as needed


Barcelona/Paldea Trip

A few months ago, a clown ate a rare herb and set off a sidequest. The Herba Mystica, a mythical plant known to heal all sorts of conditions. Unfortunately, the plant is very rare... and is nowhere to be found in the Kanto realm. It looks like there's a chance for it to form should they be able to access Tera Crystals in the northern region of Kitakami, but those had been drained of energy thanks to some Ether Crystals getting mixed in.

And so, our plurky adventurers decided the best course of action was to travel to Paldea, the land where tera crystals are natively from, and get some themselves. That meant taking a trip to Barcelona in Spain, where the gate for Paldea is located.

Will they manage to succeed in their quest? Will they finally be able to get their hands on some Herba Mystica? Will they manage avoid being cringy tourists? Only time will tell.


[OOC: This is a catch-all long for anyone attending the Barelona/Paldea trip! If you are interested in having a character go on the trip, please sign up here! The first weekend of January, we're setting up toplevels for basic travel and tourism, while next weekend will be stuff about actually going into Paldea! But have fun and enjoy yourselves!

Comments

PRE-PLANNING THE TRIP

[kaisoumods]

[This is a catch all for any conversations taking place before the trip starts, such as travel plans and what not!]

UN: Hikari-vi| Text | Filtered to Folks who know Haru

[whiteshroud]

[There'd been talk of Haru coming along and serving as guide, since the guy lived in the city before. But unfortunately, the fates don't play nice sometimes. Acting as a point of communication for Haru is part of his contract, so when it's been determined Haru won't be able to make it- he'll just send out a text message blast]

This is Jun, Haru's little brother.

Unfortunately, he's fallen ill, so he won't be able to come along on the trip. I'm sorry to anyone who was looking forward to his guiding. He's really disappointed too.

As for me, I'll be accompanying you on the trip there. Unfortunately, I have work matters I must attend to, so I'll be teleporting back to Kaisou shortly after to deal with that. However, should something occur that requires you to come quickly back to Kaisou, I should be able to teleport you... within reason. It's very draining teleporting between continents, so please keep it to emergencies.

Thank you.

TRAVELING TO BARCELONA

[kaisoumods]

[This is the catch all for anything happening during the actual traveling to Barcelona! Currently there are three established methods to get there:

1. Fly on an Airplane the normal way. If you can afford a ticket or have a rich friend, enjoy the normal way to travel! Somehow, everyone's managed to get the same flight. don't question it.

2. Ride in a Serenitea Pot. Too poor to fly? No matter! There are two serenitea pots being taken with on the trip that characters can ride in and skip plane ticket! The two serenitea pots offered belong to Cotton and Noctis. Cottons is a lovely cozy grandmotherly home in a wintery landscape, while Noctis's is a gamer den with a magic underwater aesthetic (don't worry there's a barrier between you and the actual water).

3. Find your own way. Got your own way to get to Barcelona? Great! We'll see you there!

Note: The average flying time between Barcelona and Kaisou is 12 hours. If you take airport security, customs and side travel time- expect it to be a 14-16 hour trip! ]

Dan Heng | Honkai: Star Rail

[heng_like_a_dragon]

[Dan Heng not only finds himself the only one riding coach class, but his luck is insanely good. No babies have been taken into the coach area, the people in his row and the person directly behind him cancelled their flights. Nobody else who signed up for the expedition are in coach class as they've paid for first class.

Which means he's alone.

Thank. GOD.

He texts his fiances that he'll be leaving and then turns off his phone. Dan Heng reclines his seat politely, and then settles in to read the new Xianxia danmei book his sister got him for Christmas. If Veronika comes by, he's also prepared with some snacks for her enjoyment during the flight.

This is going to be the most relaxing 12 hours of his life.]

Von Lycaon | Zenless Zone Zero

[paraselenic]

First Class.

[Travel can certainly be hell if you're not prepared. Thankfully, 'prepared' was practically Rule #1 in Lycaon's handbook.

He knew how torturous the airlines can be as well, so he had bought three First-Class tickets: One for himself, one for Viktor, and one for Rika. (Sampo you can use your baby daddy's money)

After making their way through security and passing through the gate, Lycaon had both his luggage and Viktor's to put away. Their seats were all next to each other (and also next to Sampo), and Lycaon couldn't be happier securing the seats he did. The seats were spacious which did wonders for his clunkier legs, could fold out into a bed complete with blankets, which was good for Viktor's condition.

Movies were provided. He bought wifi for all of them, ordered the gourmet meal package, and there's a little desk area next to them to place their things. By all accounts, this should be the coziest ride you could possibly get.

He sits in his seat, pulling out a Pokeball to release Veronika, who immediately snuggles into his tail as he gets himself situated.]


Arrival, Closed to Hugo at the end.

[Barcelona was certainly balmy in comparison to the sub zero temperatures of Kaisou. Thankfully it wasn't so warm that he would be suffering. 60F was certainly do-able.

After making his way out of the airport and getting the directions to the lodging from Sampo, he takes a moment to let the wind catch in his fur, smelling the salty breeze of Barcelona. Veronika has perched on his shoulder, clutching one of the Serenitea pots they had been tasked with while Lycaon gets his bearings.

[Closed to Hugo]

After, Lycaon pulls out his phone, looking around and getting his bearings. It'd been so long since he'd been to Europe. He'd greeted a few passerby in Spanish, offering a smile before he opened up his contacts, scrolling to find Hugo and hitting the call button. He'd notified the man of the situation before he left, so he SHOULD be arriving in Barcelona within the next hour or so. If all went well.

He quickly switches to French for this call:]

Have you nearly arrived? I've brought Irene, Loki and Puck for you.

Ash Carbide/Cabbot | TOCS

[switchaxe]

Cotton's Teapot

[Look, if he doesn't have to deal with customs? Ash is gonna fucking take it. A cozy home in a winter wonderland is ideal compared to fucking customs. Or an airplane. He's like six feet tall, airplanes are not made for him and his legs. Sure, as a summery fae-type the cold is kind of fucking awful, but that's what blankets are for.

Needless to say, you can find Ash in Cotton's teapot in a few places. Either curled up somewhere reading, curled up somewhere as a dog, or in the kitchen.

He eats a lot, okay? It's only fair that he makes a lot.]

Viktor | Arcane

[hexcrafter]

[first class]

[Considering his usual disposition projected reticence and a little bit of severity, it probably came as a surprise that Viktor was downright cheerful as they went through the airport--especially for someone who had to explain spinal and femoral metal implants to security several times. He stuck fairly close to Lycaon and Rika throughout the boarding process, settling into first class with some insisted-upon help from the former.]

[Truthfully, what was a bright disposition for most translated to vibrating out of his skin with excitement for Viktor, whose Tinkaton was just as gleeful as she was let out to press her face to the window. (Rio, meanwhile, was happily taking a nap in Noctis' particularly aquatic teapot.)]

[...In Talia's defense, when not occupied talking to the others or exchanging movie suggestions, Viktor himself would be even more focused on the window several times over the next twelve hours--watching the scenery with the utter fascination of someone who had never actually traveled a day in his life.]

[arrival]

[The warmer weather alone was practically worth the trip, or so Viktor might have thought if he found the trip itself to be the slightest inconvenience. The winter air in Kaisou was a miserable aggravation on his condition, so the shift was a welcome relief to cap off a very enjoyable twelve hours.]

[His Tinkaton walked a step or two behind Viktor as he paused outside the airport, adjusting his grip on his crutch restlessly as he looked to a clear sky and completely unknown surroundings--just letting the whole circumstances settle for a moment or two.]

Agnes Tachyon | Umamusume | OTA

[supercausal]

Noctis' Tea Pot

[Carolyn looked around as she entered the Serenitea Pot, slowly adjusting to the existence of magic. She would have to thank Noctis again, this was far better than a plane and meant she could actually be productive. She looked around and found a good spot to camp out for the duration of the trip. She pulled a small desk, a laptop, a tablet, and a stack of papers out of her spacial dimension.]

I should make sure to stop by a couple apothecaries when we get there, I may be able to get ahold of some local ingredients to experiment on. Oh, thank you Indane.

[Carolyn thanked the Ribombee for handing her a test tube of amber liquid and continued taking notes, occasionally taking sips while she kept rambling to herself.]

Noctis Lucis Caelum | FFXV | OTA

[illucesco]

[In retrospect, maybe he should've given himself more time to clean the teapot up before volunteering it. In contrast to the cozy little cabin Cotton probably keeps spic and span, Noctis's teapot has the kind of furniture you'd expect from someone who realized he should maybe get any furniture at all and just frantically threw whatever he could buy at the nearest store in.

But there's a lot of video games and some of the latest consoles, because he's got his priorities straight, really.

Noctis himself can be found out in the yard, either fishing in the early hours of the flight or roasting some fish over a fire later on. When someone approaches, he glances up and scoots over, making some room on the log he's sitting on.]

Don't worry, the water's not going to be coming in any time soon. I checked.

Cotton Cookie | CRK

[creamcottonshepherd]

[Cotton's teapot is cozy. You can't go outside of course- there's this utterly horrid blizzard going on outside that she insists has been the case since she got it. Maybe she should look into that.

But inside? It's the perfect ideal of a cozy winter cabin. There's a roaring fire. There's piles of quilts, some knit and some not. She doesn't have anything that can cook things (other than the fire perhaps), but she's still packed plenty of snacks and things for whoever doesn't manage to peer out of the teapot lid and hiss for someone to get them food from first class.

And of course, there's what others have brought. Did you think this trip would be without entertainment? Don't be silly. It's a 16 hour trip! There's a great big sheet hanging along a wall, and a projector just waiting to play various movies, per Anby's suggestions!

(And you know, popcorn is one of those many things that can be cooked over the fire if you've ever wanted to experience that!)

...Mind you, it's possible that with it being such a long trip one might want a nap as well, and she's prepared space upstairs for anyone who needs to...

But really, it could be worth it just to relax by the fire. Cotton certainly is. Nothing says 'trip to Spain' like...uh.]

Hmmm...perhaps a blanket for that one, I did do a scarf this year...

Cha-cha-cha..!

Eeek!

[A brilliantly violet peach...thing floats, trying to offer mochi to anyone who wants it. (Don't worry, it's not poisoned. Probably.) Beside it, a floating tea cup full of living matcha, accompanied by a brilliant little green bat, appear to be trying their best to heckle the mochi peddler.

Cotton is ignoring them.]

LODGING

[kaisoumods]

[They're going to be in Barcelona about a week give or take, so you need somewhere to stay! Sampo has been nice enough to offer a villa for folks to stay if they wanna stay in a group setting. Otherwise characters are welcome to stay in hotels or find their own lodgings!

Please take any smut threads to inboxes, thank you.]

Rika | Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

[goodolrika]

[Rika, for her part, has opted to stay in the villa, largely for the novelty of it.

Currently, she can be found in the kitchen with a whole bunch of berries from Kanto that she brought with her, sitting at a table with her Clodsire at her feet. The Clodsire is very intent on devouring a Payapa Berry at the moment, but once he spots anyone approaching, person or Pokemon, he'll greet them happily before returning to his food. This does make Rika look up, at least.]

Oh, hey.

Anby Demara | Zenless Zone Zero

[burgersplease]

[Anby knows the importance of trying to make a trip as cheap as possible, so even if she doesn't really know Sampo, she was happy to take the offer up of staying at the villa.

If you're up at sunrise? You'll find Anby up. It's part of her contract price, to be up with the sun. She's out on the terrace, watching it rise as she does every morning]

What a beautiful sunrise.

[She'll comment to herself or anyone that's nearby. And once the sun is high enough in the sky? She'll finally look away and pull out her phone.... all so she can do her very important research.

Burger research]

Viktor | Arcane

[hexcrafter]

[With a whole Barcelona to see and only so much time to do it, maybe it wasn't a surprise that Viktor didn't spend too much time at the villa. But he was certainly around; in the mornings he'd be helping out around the kitchen making breakfast for whoever didn't go out for food, with Talia assisting (standing on the head of her hammer to reach the counter). If someone came in, he'd look up with a small smile.]

Good morning. I already started coffee, and if you prefer tea there's some in that cabinet.

[At least one night--probably after spending all day at the museum with Varian--he'd sneak out when no one was around, sinking into the hot tub for a while with Rio curled up on a poolside chair nearby. In that case, if someone happened by...he'd sink down a little further and quietly hope he went unnoticed.]

TOURIST TIME

[kaisoumods]

[The Barcelona POKEGO team needs time to prepare for your excursion into Paldea, so in the meantime, characters have a chance to enjoy the city of Barcelona! It's not every day you get to travel to Spain after all.

This is modern day Barcelona, so any typical tourist activities you want to do is open to you! As for the supernatural stuff- Barcelona enjoys a Spirit Vein that is much more stable than the one in Kaisou. It is strong in the fire element, though the "cold" months of winter (read, temperatures in the 40-60F compare to Kaisou being well below zero) have made the water element slightly more present.

And with this spirit vein, comes a slew of paranormal activity. Witches are common in Barcelona, often running shops with various supply. As for non-humans, the most commonly sighted ones are dragons, griffins, gargoyles, and there's even some vampires around... despite the place being a rather sunny country year round. But hey, vampires love being masochists after all. You should also be wary of the waters around Barcelona, just in case you run into any water spirits that are in the mood of drowning people.

But there's lots to do! Enjoy your vacation!]

Patrizio (Pannacotta) Fugo | JJBA

[infezione]

[Perhaps unsurprisingly, the things that got Fugo's attention in Barcelona are the markets.

He's looking on his phone and humming thoughtfully.]

Looking around La Boqueria at the very least is a must, and maybe we'll find a market geared toward the paranormal...

Varian | Tangled | OTA

[droptheious]

[ Varian told Jun that he would have a good time exploring the city instead of devoting the entire time to the work they had come here for. More to the point, it had become a challenge, on account of the fact they flirt weird, and Varian absolutely cannot lose a challenge his beloved has laid down for him.

But he's still a nerd. More importantly, a nerd who does not speak a word of Spanish. So he will have dragged someone else on this quest with him. Can you speak Spanish? If you can, great! If not... well, maybe two heads not understanding a word of what is being said can do better than one? That's how it works, right! Naturally, he is heading off to all the museums and the libraries - what else would you expect, honestly? He's currently making a beeline for CosmoCaixa looking absolutely delighted about it. ]

We have GOT to ride the glass escalator! At least twice, maybe three times! I wanna see all the inner mechanisms of it!

[ You totally wanted to ride an escalator multiple times today, right? Of course you did! ]

GOING TO PALDEA

[kaisoumods]

[Been enjoying your trip? Good! A few days after your arrival, you'll be video called by one of the POKEGO researchers stationed in the region -- Professor Turo. He'll apologize for the delay, saying that they had to run of their own evaluations to make sure the proposed plan wouldn't caused any ecological damage-- and fortunately everything fell within acceptable parameters!

With those concerned waived, he'll send over the coordinates of the gate. He'll apologize for not being able to take you to the gate in person, but he'll meet everyone in the Great Crater within Paldea to help guide the way. He'll also warn it's going to be a long and steep trek, so people should plan accordingly. Also to be careful of getting pulled into tera crystal dimensions, as if you get trapped in one of those - only pokemon moves will work.

The gate behind the famous Basilica, just out of view of where the tourists normally go. As you head through this gate, you'll find yourself on top of a hill in the center of a large city that's been completely abandoned and ravaged by time - just like the state of the Kanto realm.

Around the place, there are massive and active tera crystals that have sprung up all over the place. Should you touch one of these crystals, you'll be pulled into a pocket dimension with a massive and hostile pokemon. Worse, none of your normal abilities seem to work in these pocket dimensions- only Pokemon moves seem to function properly, just as the professor had warned. But hey, if you manage to stop the angry pokemon from attacking you-- you should be able to harvest some herba mystica that's growing in the dimension- so that's nice!

This is when you should probably make any last checks before you head towards the great crater]

[goodolrika]

disquiet;
[Rika is used to the Kanto realm. She is used to seeing it in ruins, ravaged by time and reclaimed by nature. She assumed that Paldea would largely be in the same shape and had been bracing herself for that.

But assuming isn't really the same thing as seeing it for real.

A part of her aches as she looks around the city, looking at places she can barely remember. Eventually, one can find her staring up at the ruins of the Academy.]

... I kept tellin' myself I was prepared after I'd spent so much time in Kanto, but...

tera;
[Once she's gotten the shock out of her system, she's... honestly in no hurry to head to the Great Crater. Instead, she can be found staring contemplatively at a Tera Den, Pepito the Clodsire out by her side.]

If I remember correctly how this sort of thing goes, probably best I don't hop down there alone, but...

[The chance to go in and find Herba Mystica...]

THE GREAT CRATER

[kaisoumods]

[Once you're done exploring the other parts of Paldea, it's time to head to the great crater. Fortunately, Professor Turo arranged an airlift for your crew (which granted, is a cabbie with a bunch of flying pokemon carrying it so it flies so it's not the SMOOTHEST of rides), so you won't have to worry about climbing the mountain. However, they can only drop you near the top of the crater- as it's really not safe for the flying pokemon to fly deeper in that.

Upon landing, you'll be greeted by the professor. He's a tall and handsome fellow, but while he gives of heat... anyone with magical sensing abilities will notice there's nothing alive about him, even if he looks like a normal person. Still, he's friendly enough and is happy to guide you down the crater.

As it turns out, the Great Crater -- or Area Zero as it was called long ago, is a place where time doesn't behave normally. As such as they walk down the long path, they will spot that there are a lot of pokemon here that came from the ancient past... as well as robotic pokemon from some distant future. These time paradox pokemon are strong, and easily made hostile if you're not careful. Either be prepared for fights, or try your best to avoid.

Should you need a rest, there are four abandoned research stations along the way. These research stations are in better condition than the rest of the realm, thanks due to the weird behavior of time in this crater. You can catch your breath here or even take a nap in a cot-- the pokemon will leave these places alone.

After an endless journey, they'll finally reach the depts which is full of tera crystals. The spirit energy in this place is off the charts, so much so that you can practically see the spirit energy in the air, moving around in a haze around the place of various colors. Professor Turo will declare that it's here that Arceus can go through with the plan. He'll wish them luck, before backing up to observe. Now it's up to the Pokemon god to use his power to connect this place with the Kanto realm that used to be part of it so long ago.

Good luck, Arceus]

[hexcrafter]

[i; airlift]

[It wasn't that Viktor was ungrateful for the offered ride--quite the opposite, but he looked over the cab and estimated the cramped space as well as the jostling and felt a little bit ill to consider it.]

Eh...I think I will follow behind, if it is all the same to you. [He took a Pokeball out of his pocket and released Blitzcrank, who cautiously picked up their trainer to sit relatively comfortably in their hand.]

I believe they would not mind carrying one or two more, if anyone would feel more comfortable.

[ii; area zero]

This place is incredible. [Viktor had moved to sit on Blitzcrank's shoulder as they traversed the crater, the Golurk walking cautiously along with the group. Their trainer, meanwhile, had taken to writing in a journal as they moved--observing the surrounding crystals and seemingly taking notes.]

Remarkable, that magical energy's tendency to crystallize seems to be a common principle across universes. I wonder if that could be a property of the element itself, like freezing or evaporating points.

[iii; research station]

[It was a long walk, and Viktor estimated that he and Talia could stand to stretch a little and that Blitzcrank could use a break. The research station was a relatively quiet place to walk around a little after sitting still for so long, but...kind of melancholy, if he thought about it. Which he elected not to, lest it bring up complicated thoughts Viktor wasn't quite willing to linger on.]

[Regardless, eventually he and his Tinkaton ventured back outside, Viktor talking half to her and half to himself as he fidgeted with an empty Pokeball that had been lying around on a desk. Wandering a short distance away to examine a cluster of crystals growing out of the rock walls--largely unaware of the whir and click of machinery of an unathorized fucking thing that decided they were encroaching on its territory. It moved in a flash of silver and scarlet, rapidly bearing down on Viktor who had no time to do anything but flinch-]

[-and a colossal clang of metal on metal sent the paradox machine flying backwards courtesy of an enormous brass hammer, Talia standing between the threat and her trainer with her own weapon lowered like a gun.]

[...For good reason, it seemed, because the end of it had started glowing.]

[supercausal]

[Carolyn grabbed a small pickaxe and started chipping at the glowing rock, trying to get a decent enough sized chunk to fall off. Eventually she manages to work a piece out and grabs it with tongs before realizing she forgot to open the radiation safe case. She looks at her party of pokemon.]

Oh damn it I forgot to open the case, I don’t suppose any of you are able to.

[As she is asking the the case is held out to her, opened, from her side. Without thinking she puts the chunk of crystal into the case.]

Yes thank you.

[She pauses as she realizes it wasn’t any of her Pokemon that assisted her. She turns to see an Iron Valiant shutting the case for her and setting it down.]

Well aren’t you helpful, I don’t seem to recognize you so you must not be with the Pokego people.

[The Iron Valiant nodded when she called it helpful and continued assisting her as she proceeded to collect some more samples from around the crater. People now noticing as Carolyn ventures around the crater she is being followed by an Iron Valiant that seems to be acting as a sort of assistant.]

HEADING HOME

[kaisoumods]

[With the mission complete, it's time to head home! There are three ways people can choose to head home:

PORTAL: Jun has generously agreed to open a portal near the Paldea gate that'll take people directly to the Fortress of Meropide outside of the Duke's office. The entire group will be notified of the location and time of this portal, and he'll leave it up for 1 hour before closing it.

FLYING HOME: If you wish to stay longer, you can! There's a group of characters planning to stay longer so they can enjoy a vacation before flying home on the airlines. You guys will be left to figure out your own travel arrangements.

SOME OTHER WAY: Missed the portal and didn't manage to get an airline flight? Well.... good luck! In other words, characters are free to have their own antics about how to get home.

Once you've returned to Kaisou (which is so much colder than Spain why did you come home)- you'll find that in the Kanto realm? There are active tera crystals popping up around the realm. These tera crystals will work just like the ones in Paldea, where they will bring folks into a pocket dimension where only pokemon moves work! Should you manage to succeed fending off any hostile pokemon there, the herba mystica within are now yours! Great job guys!

NOTE: please feel free to continue backtagging this log! ]

Portal -

[droptheious]

[ Varian is, naturally, taking the teleport home. Largely because he's had more than enough time to be separated from his partner, and he very much wants to see him again. He's waiting at the pickup point with his bags, rocking on his heels excitedly. ]

Man, it's been a heck of a trip, huh? I think it's been pretty worthwhile, though. Now we have the tough research part ahead of us!

[He sounds pretty stoked about the tough research part. And, when Jun appears, well - he'll give his fiancee enough time to get through the portal before running towards him. Surely Jun will catch him if he runs into his arms? ]

[supercausal]

[Carolyn gladly takes the teleport home, eager to experiment on the samples with her full lab setup. As she arrives at their destination something feels off, the ground feels different . She looks down and she just stares at her legs for a moment. Her legs are not more like those of a horse, complete with hooves instead of feet. She looked around, realizing that while she had taken the free trip she didn’t exactly know where Meropide was.]

Okay I will have to hold off on the existential crisis and lab tests over being half bipedal horse until later. I don’t suppose anyone knows how to get to the university from here.