The Kanto Biregional Tournament: OPEN MINGLING LOG

[these_balls]

Who: Anyone and everyone! (for actual tournament battles, check here)
Where: Vermilion City & surrounding area.
When: Nov 5th to the 22nd, FORWARD- AND BACK- DATING FRIENDLY
Summary: It's the big tournament! Feel free to mingle, explore the city, or comment on the matches
Rating: PG-13 for poggleman violence.
Log:

Whether you're a tournament participant who's on break between battles, or just someone who'd made it all the way out to Kanto just to watch, there's something for everyone. Vermilion City is bustling with energy and excitement over these few weeks. Shops have been set up, selling all sorts of interesting looking merchandise, and the stadiums are brightly lit, even when there are no battles going on.

[INFO POST] [WINNERS POST]

Comments

open to meetups anywhere between the 5th and the 22nd!

[enjoymyatelier]

[After he'd lost (to a teenage girl, no less), Kayneth had spent about a day and a half sulking and being incredibly cross with his Pokemon (because clearly it hadn't been his fault they'd lost, not at all!!!). Well, the ones who'd lost, anyway-he was less cross with the ones who he hadn't been using in the tournament, but the fact that there was a limit on how much could train within Vermillion's general area per week, so he was incredibly cross with that particular bit of this situation, as well.

Also, the tournament (that he hadn't been allowed to advance in) had been rather expensive to enter due to the class he'd been assigned, and he was fairly consistently low on funds anyway...

Well. He had an idea of how to make money, but the thought of selling artwork he produced was aggravating his already severe headache. However, at this point, it was unavoidable for someone like him-it was more dignified than menial labor, and he wasn't simply about to offer clutches of eggs to the network without ensuring that they were high quality.

So, throughout the next week or so, he could be seen throughout Vermillion either eying up particularly scenic locations for inspiration or actually sitting down somewhere and drawing up a preliminary sketch-of one of his Pokemon, of course. That seemed to be a fairly popular subject, even if he was loath to pander like that.

Well, hey. He's actually pretty good. Maybe he'd be open to commissions? He is reasonably good at keeping up a facade of basic politeness... at least, he's better at it the further away from the fifth it is.]

[autocratic]

[ Saber is on her usual stroll with the Pokemon of her choice for the day, which is Machina the Metagross. Running on the high of her victories, she's actually been in a pretty good mood for an extended period of time. After all, she's getting attention, excitement, and entertainment from this exhilarating tournament. She'll just have to be strong and smart, and do as she always does: attain victory with guile and overwhelming force. ]

Mmm? [ She spots a familiar face down the way of her walk, and she blinks at what she is seeing. Moving closer, she recognizes who it is and stops only a few feet away from him. ]

What a sight this is. Relaxing your nerves by exercising your artistic craft, magus?

[riastrad_ridire]

[Sloooooowly leaning over Kayneth's shoulder like the obnoxious thing he is.]

...Whaddya know, you've actually got some talent.

[failures]

[Guess how surprised Larry is when he's out looking for a place to sketch and actually finds someone else drawing too.

Answer: really excited.]

Heeeey, I didn't know there were more artists around. What an awesome coincidence!

[Don't mind him Kayneth, he's just going to sit near you with his armful of sketchbooks and pencils. And he's going to bug you too.]

This place really is perfect for inspiration, huh?

[ex_cashcow493]

What are you doing?

[ Because unlike everyone else who's happened upon Kayneth, Saber has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that someone like him could make something so beautiful. ]

[decrees]

[Logan doesn't do well in crowds. He used to have issues being around people, but time has thankfully helped with that. Still, he does like to take a break from being surrounded by so many people, which finds him away from the tournament and exploring the area. Vermillion would be fascinating if it weren't so crowded. Perhaps he'll return after the tournament is over and things have quieted down a bit.

He finds himself watching Kayneth sketching from a distance, finally approaching after he realizes that Kayneth is drawing one of his Pokémon.]

You're quite good.

[Hopefully you don't mind the interruption! It is still pretty early on in the tournament, after all... Sorry about that, Kayneth.]

[paladinlost]

[Well, Kayneth, you are in luck. On the eleventh, your new habit of drawing attracts the attention of a fellow artist! ...A very pink, fairy-like one.

She's a very polite watcher, at least. She stays far enough to be felt without making her presence too invasive, and she's also very quiet, carefully not making any noise or sudden gestures that might distract him or his current inspiration. If anything, she's studying his technique.]

anything between the 5th and the 22nd is fine!

[pretentions]

[Admittedly, Tokiomi is usually the most introverted person ever, but given that he was dragged out to the stadium for the first round of the tournament and was promptly immersed in the sea of humanity known as Vermilion City During A Sports Event, he's...well, he's still the most introverted person ever, but he's more or less resigned himself to the knowledge that he'll have to deal with it. He even managed to attend the second round of that tournament of his own volition, given that Major Armstrong was still in and that would be only fair; he still isn't terribly fond of this sort of thing, nor is he fond of crowds, but at least he's managing well enough to not die.

When he isn't figuratively clinging to Kayneth for dear life out in particularly busy areas as required for the tournament itself, he's actually spectacularly good at finding coffee shops in out-of-the-way locations - charming spots, if not particularly classy, with tea that actually isn't terrible, much to his fairly pleasant surprise. He's perhaps a bit jumpy due to the massive amount of unfamiliarity to this place, but in general, he's open for conversation.

Or, you know, colliding with him in general is always good, given that he has to leave the relative security of those out-of-the-way places eventually. Man really needs to learn how to socialize.]

[decrees]

[If there's one thing Tokiomi and Logan have in common besides awesome goatees, it's their inability to stand crowds for any length of time.

Logan came here with Kimblee, but it's a bit much to constantly follow the man around. He's spent some time exploring Vermillion on his own, but the sheer amount of people have easily overwhelmed him. He's not used to mingling among his people - it was never something he did, even before the whole mess with the Crawler - so crowds really aren't this favorite thing. That explains what he's doing in one of those out of the way coffee shops, examining the menu curiously.

He finally orders (tea, it's familiar and reminds him of Albion so of course he'd choose it) and once he's received the teacup he has that startling realization that there's nowhere left to sit. Lovely. His luck, ladies and gentlemen.

Ah, but it seems there is a table in the back with a free chair. He'll just have to intrude on another man's privacy, but no big deal!]

Is this seat taken?

[enjoymyatelier]

[...well, if Kayneth was going to put up with figuratively being clung to for dear life, he was at least going to be heading to some of these nice coffee shops that Tokiomi had been apparently finding all over the place.

Particularly now that he'd lost. To a teenage girl.

...really, isn't the dark-haired guy in the red suit supposed to be the one drinking tea staring gloomily out the window...? well, that's Kayneth's job today.

Though, at least Tokiomi happened to have better taste in tea than in wine.]

...It's decent, I suppose.

long overdue this was long overdue

[namelesshero]

[Tohsaka Tokiomi... sharing the same last name, until he knew what the man looked like, it was at least safe to assume there was a possibility that he had some sort of relation to another magus. whereas the mysterious bowman often kept to himself at first, his travels with the Empress long and sometimes taxing on the mind, he did keep a watch over the network, over the Poké Gear as it were. initially to scout out if his Master would return, but he'd discovered a few important details here and there. and amusingly enough?

all of these little facts were seperated from him still. so imagine his E-Rank luck when Archer, dressed casually enough, would wind up in the same coffee shop that was more or less out of the way of high levels of traffic. Saber could use the time to prepare and focus during the day, while he would go back at the day's end and watch her matches on the days she was competing. though having never met face to face with Tokiomi, the white-haired Servant had no clue, as he took a sip of his tea and mused to himself, that he was in the same room as the father of his ally(?) in the Holy Grail War]

You're almost there, Saber.

[sculpted]

[[Armstrong had been pleasantly surprised to come out the victor in both his first round matches; his opponents had been incredibly tough and the fact that he had to fight so hard to steal the wins was quite sobering. Descole in particular had given him trouble, but he had seemed satisfied enough when the battle concluded. So reluctant to accept a shirtless hug, however...

It's as he's wandering through the streets of Vermillion that Armstrong spots a flash of red buried in one of the cafes. Oho! He would recognize that suit anywhere! Pushing his way into the cafe (with some degree of difficulty; it's hard being 7'3''), Armstrong gave Tokiomi a cheery wave.]]

Mr Tokiomi!

same as above, 5th-22nd OTA

[explosivecombat]

[There's only so much complaining that Kimblee can handle, between Archer and Cobra both, and he's also somehow managed to bring the most socially-awkward set of people possible with him; the downtime he has between rounds is as good a time as any to clear his head, really. The city itself is lovely, surrounded by ocean as it is; he can't say that he isn't enjoying it perhaps more than he should be, and most of the time he's calm and relaxed.

...hopefully you won't catch him on the outskirts of the city the rest of the time; it seems he's taking this tournament business incredibly seriously, given how hard he's training his Pokémon. Yes, he realizes they're at the level cap already. No, he doesn't care. He's not being cruel, per se, but he is being rather cold, offering orders with a distinct sense of distance to his voice and a fairly dark look in his eyes - at least, for as long as he's unaware that he's being watched.

But! Otherwise, pleasantries as usual, really - though he'll be decidedly more stressed the longer he's still in the tournament, and as such things might get a bit...strained, starting after the second round. He's the only one still in from a certain criminal organization, and his superior officer is even more competitive than he is, if such a thing is possible.

NO. PRESSURE. KIMBLEE.]

[glaciates]

[The third round's matchups had finally gone up. Needless to say, Isaac wasn't amused.

He had figured that something like this would happen - both he and Kimblee had done well so far and the chances of them ending up against one another were greater with each round they won - but now that he was actually going to face Kimblee, he found himself a bit worried. He knew how Kimblee fought and he had watched plenty of battles between Kimblee and Archer, but that didn't give him much of an advantage.

Besides, why would he want one? He was a bit worried about what would happen if he did defeat Kimblee. It wasn't really something he wanted to dwell on. He knew Kimblee would be angry with him if he didn't try his hardest to win anyway.

This would have been so much easier if one of them had lost earlier...!

Vermillion is always too crowded for Isaac's liking, so he's taken to hanging out on the routes. He doesn't always train his Pokémon, instead opting to explore the area a bit, never straying too far from the city in case he needs to get back in a hurry. After all, he doesn't want to end up sleeping on the routes if he doesn't have to. That explains what he's doing out here today, but he's a bit surprised to find Kimblee out on the routes as well.

He's so used to watching Kimblee train his Pokémon that he doesn't even see anything wrong with how hard Kimblee is going. To be fair, Isaac tends to be incredibly tough on his Pokémon as well.]

Hey. So I take it you've seen the matchups?

[enjoymyatelier]

[...well, it just so happens that someone else is training on the city outskirts today-someone who's doing grim, serious business training for an entirely different reason.

This actually isn't a bad area for Kayneth to train his current team in, the highest-leveled member and the lowest-leveled member aside-which makes the fact that there's a restriction on how much he can train that much more annoying. Nevertheless, he's not going to slack off-it's a new week, and he may as well spend some time training.

So it's only natural that the two of them could cross paths, and when Kayneth's Sigilyph happens to notice something going on, she has to go check it out, much to her trainer's consternation...

...so, uh, there is someone currently watching, and it's a weird Nazca bird, with her increasingly frustrated trainer only slightly behind her. That... might count for something, right?]

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy was aware that Kimblee was in the city; they were in the same bracket, after all, even if they hadn't gotten matched against each other. But Envy only manages to actually run into him the day before the second round. He's been doing some training for his match in the outskirts of town too, so he's got his team of three out and following him when he spots Kimblee.]

[Envy goes right over, because as far as he's concerned Kimblee is more interesting than Yet More Training, and how could he lose his match tomorrow anyway, right? He stops a decent distance away, not really interested in getting caught in any Pokemon crossfire, but his Tropius is leaning her neck out slightly as though she'd get right in the middle of it at the first opportunity.]

Getting ready for tomorrow, I take it.

[snapandscoot]

[[Emmy had left Descole back at the stadium, and was presently trotting her way through Vermillion, wanting some peace and quiet and seeking the outer parts of town. There was a slight spring in her step for some reason she couldn't quite work out, a feeling within her that...well frankly it made her feel like a teenager who had just been asked out on her very first date, and she didn't really want to puzzle out the reason. She decided to just enjoy it.

She perked up even more, if possible, when she spotted Kimblee; his white clothes were almost impossible to miss, after all, and she quickly broke into a run, raising a hand to wave-

"Did he ever tell you how he was affected during that incident in July?"

Descole's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife, causing her to come to a stop, lowering her hand as a dark feeling came over her. In her giddy haze she'd momentarily forgotten just what it was he'd told her about her friend. Her dear friend.

A shudder passed through her body for reasons Emmy also couldn't decipher; today was going to be one of those days, it seemed. Fortunately, Kimblee has his back to her and was obviously focusing on his Pokemon; he didn't appear to have noticed her yet. Taking a deep breath and burying those dark feelings down, Emmy walked over to him, pasting a smile on her face and lifting her arm back up.]]

Mr Kimblee!

The 7th, after losing both his matches

[combat_butler]

*Hayate can be found wandering around Vermilion, as he's rather familiar with the area. Though he looks a tad sour. He knew he'd lose his Advanced round, but after his Elite round loss he's just kind of been sulking as he waited for his inevitable loss.*

Haaaa... I went into advanced knowing I'd lose considering it was a gimmick entry, but losing in my elite round in such a lame way is really depressing... I think I'm just going to go home tomorrow instead of stick around for this...

Honestly, where's the fun in a tournament fight if your foe just goes to sleep every time and heals every time you damage it?

[gyaooon]

[Ryo was giving it his all in cheering Hayate on, so he couldn't help but be disappointed too when Hayate lost. Especially when he lost to a cheap tactic like that... Being very concerned about his butler buddy, Ryo decided to seek him out and see if he was doing all right.

When Ryo finally spots Hayate... U-Urk! He really is taking it bad! Not that Ryo could blame him, but... It kind of breaks his heart to see Hayate sulking around the city like a sour jawbreaker that rolled under the refridgerator. He quickly approaches him.]

Ayasaki-san, are you okay? Y-You're mumbling to yourself in a very suspicious fashion...!

[D-Don't tell him... Could it be that Hayate was so humiliated by his loss that his mind is slowly starting to slip?!]

OTA from the 5th to the 22nd!

[failures]

[Finally, the tournament is here! Larry's been excited for it ever since he heard the announcement so he's going to be in high spirits between rounds, especially since he managed to win his first battle.

Although he spends a lot of his time watching the other matches and hanging out with his travel group, he can also be found in the more scenic areas of town sketching and painting or in local battle areas getting his Pokemon ready for future rounds. Really, there's even a good chance of finding him taking in the sights.

He also may or may not be scoping out some good places for dates. It's been a while since he and Ur had one...]

[snapandscoot]

[[Emmy notices Larry wandering through town as she herself is doing the same thing; can't hurt to say hello!]]

Ah, Larry, isn't it? I don't know if you remember me, but we spoke after your battle with Clair. My name is Emmy!

[[because really

there's a distinct difference between video communication and actually speaking face to face]]

november 5th ~ 22nd, all day, every day

[ex_cashcow493]

[ Vermilion City was a bustling place and Saber found it difficult with each passing day of the tournament to find a place to hide away at. So after giving up, Saber can be found on the tournament grounds sitting under a tree on a pile of leaves. Caring little for the events around her, Willow and Hazel will be curled up along each side of their trainer.

Fall was a good time for them.

This time last year was some of the happiest days of their lives, especially Hazel who was evolved with Merlin at her side. Leaning over, she scritches behind the Flareon's head lovingly as an idle action.

Should anyone approach her, she might offer them a duel if they appear to be a participant in the tournament. And if it's someone she recognizes? She'll force a wave to call them on over. ]

11/13

[autocratic]

Well! This seems to be the first time I have ever seen you so relaxed, King of Knights.

[ Yes, that is her voice. Flanked by her Metagross and Scizor, Saber the Red looks at her counterpart's reclined form bat the base of the tree with a slight smile to her face. Someone's working her way through her Cup. ]

November 14th-22nd, OTA

[beforethedarkness]

[His pokémon were finally healed and resting, but it didn't make it hurt any less. The entire battle poured over his head, all the while showing him where his mistakes were, what he could have done differently, but he was still coming up with no answers to how he could have won. He had tried his best, his pokémon put their best efforts forth... But he still lost. Even if that last attack would have hit Burst and knocked him out, Riku still had Gigabyte left with full health. He would have lost no matter what, regardless of how strong his pokémon had become or how good his strategies were. That knowledge burnt him more than anything.

Sasuke was sitting on the docks, his eyes staring blankly to the ocean as his Luxio, Naru, mewed at him and nuzzled under his arm. He eventually did start to lightly scratch behind her ears, prompting a purr from Naru before she turned to nuzzle at him as well. More than anything, she wanted her trainer to lighten up and stop being so upset, even if it was kind of boring to just sit there. But even pokémon had priorities.

It was Naru who first noticed a visitor, and like the friendly pokémon she was she ran right up to them and meowed loudly at them. Sasuke, unfortunately, wasn't so receptive when he turned to look that person in the eye, almost demanding an explanation for why they were there body language alone.]

11/14

[strawberryredgrave]

(Dante has dealt with electric kitties before. Hell, he has one resting in ht PC while only taking a few with him to Vermillion. He still isn't sure how the hell that works, but whatever; makes stuff easier for him. The Scizor by his side waves at the Luxio in greeting.

Dante, on the other hand, is pretty occupied meeting Sasuke's stare. He was kinda just passing by, so he just shrugs.)

Found your cat.

5th - 22nd OTA

[glaciates]

[Isaac absolutely loathes crowds. It sort of comes with the territory when you're absolutely horrible with social cues and also on the run from the government for several years. No big deal. Vermillion is almost out of the question for Isaac when he's not battling, so he can be found on the routes, never straying too far from the city.

Despite his... social failure, Isaac doesn't seem all that worried about the matches. He occasionally has his team of three out to work out a few move combinations, but for the most part he's content to let them relax. Should you choose to approach at any point, chances are you'll be greeted by a giant fire moth who's incredibly curious about newcomers. At least it's not the giant mammoth or the bladebeast?]

[scientificflair]

[...that giant fire moth certainly is a thing, isn't it.

Descole has been seeking out Isaac for a number of reasons, really; idle curiosity is certainly one of then. Wondering whether Emmy has fallen in with a great lot of serial killers or just one possible serial killer is another. At any rate, he imagines that Isaac won't exactly be easy to miss, given his height, the length of his hair, and his rather...distinctive appearance; Descole's own appearance has been altered drastically from his showing in the competition, due to the magic of prosthetics and latex and...sheer Laytonverse magic. The man being greeted by Solaris today is the same one that came across Emmy about a week ago - long blond hair tied back at the nape of his neck with a length of blue ribbon, leaving his rather striking grey eyes visible, about the only thing notable about his otherwise nondescript appearance, his features very similar in structure to the natives of this place; he was simply-dressed in a black trenchcoat and dark slacks, and while he seemed somewhat surprised by the sudden tremendous fire moth from right the hell out of nowhere, he didn't look unfriendly overall.

Just...that tremendous moth was rather startling.]

Ah...

[...what does he do with this, other than glance at Isaac as though at a bit of a loss.]

This one is yours...?

[He isn't bothering to conceal his rather heavy British accent any; he hardly sees the point, as he doesn't know this person anyway, and passing as someone from around here isn't terribly important in a one-on-one conversation like the one he intends to have.]

5th to 22nd, OTA!

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy's spending a lot of his time not getting ready for the tournament just wandering and exploring the city. He's never been to Vermillion before, and new surroundings are always interesting (especially when you get to them and they aren't a surprise town full of ghosts). He's almost always being followed around by his Tyranitar, who is trying very hard not to be intimidating around crowds of people, and occasionally some of the other members of his team as well. Envy's also spending a whole lot of time around the harbor; he's been to Olivine and Cianwood before, but that doesn't mean the sea isn't still about the most interesting thing around to someone from a landlocked country.]

[Before his match against Crow in the second round, he's in high spirits after his victory in the first round, and spends a good amount of his time around the city's outskirts preparing for the next fight. After the second round results, though, his mood isn't so fantastic. How could he have gone and lost? He's spending more time around the ocean after that, letting his equally displeased Tropius take her bad mood out on all the water-types she can find. He'd definitely be up for a battle himself at this point.]

[determinator]

[Needless to say, Envy isn't the only one who isn't pleased with the tournament's results. No, it doesn't matter that the first bracket was over several days ago; Archer is still irritated. His bad mood seems infectious; the normally-relaxed Alakazam by his side is as uptight and irritated as his trainer. Then again, he was one of the Pokémon Archer was using in the tournament, so he could just be disappointed...

Hopefully Tropius wasn't expecting to take on that specific Tentacool, because it's getting blasted by a high-powered Psychic attack.]

Alekhine. [Archer doesn't seem overly displeased though, and the Alakazam uses its psychic powers to toss the Tentacool back into the water, fainted.]

I wasn't expecting to find you out here.

[That remark is directed at Envy. Archer approaches, folding his arms.]

I saw the results. I was disappointed to see you knocked out so early.

Nov. 5~22nd open to all

[autocratic]

[ Saber's happy. Why wouldn't she be? Kicking ass and taking names as usual in the tournament she's participating in. She commended her opponents - they were challenging, they were exciting; they should feel honored they were even paired at all with her! She's just so glorious. Of course, there's Archer's nagging to her not to get a bloated head, to which she always responds with a smack to his head (or tries to - freaking giant bowman). Regardless, she's not going to go down easily or do things in a foolish manner.

Still, it is her Pokemon that deserve the most praise (well, still mostly her, but, you know), and she's treated them graciously over each victory. For the most part, Saber can be found wandering around, preening and puffing herself up, but every conqueror needs a little downtime from all the exciting festivities. For the time being, Saber can be found on top of her Gyarados - yes, Gyarados - lounging by the docks, a splash of red of gold amongst an expanse of light blue.

It'd be easy to spot her as her Gyarados is literally curled up, head pressed to the ground facing the waters. The Roman Emperor is lying on her side, casually eating groups of grapes or snoozing on top of the crown of her precious Gyarados. Why? Because she damn well can. ]

Nov 16th

[namelesshero]

I have to admit,

[having been there for all of her matches, it's a wonder how he's managed to find the time to be by himself over the course of this tournament. but he has! he's been around, enjoying the time spent alone. but of course, he'd have to return back to his travelling companion at some point]

That's one of the more creative thrones I've seen.

[enter Archer!]