these_balls: (SERIOUS MOD BUSINESS)
Route 29: mods ([personal profile] these_balls) wrote in [community profile] route_10652014-10-27 03:00 pm

HOENNWEEN: INTRO CHALLENGE LOG

Who: Hoennween Plot Participants!
Where: Tohjo Falls!
When: Wednesday, October 29th
Summary: You've just received a call from a mysterious voice asking you to come help save the world. This is Day One of The Rest Of Your Life™ — the introductory skirmish that will determine your field position for tomorrow and the advantages you'll have going in to the fight against Archie and Maxie.
Rating: PG-13 in general; please mark threads that go higher accordingly!
Log:



YOU ARE HERE. YOU'RE FIGHTING THESE GUYS AND ALSO POSSIBLY THESE GUYS. THEY'RE NOT HAPPY TO SEE YOU.

ETA: AND THIS IS YOUR BACKGROUND MUSIC!

KEY:
GRAY areas in the north are a range of mountains that form a natural barrier around part of the Tohjo plain where the Elite Four's resort is located. It is both difficult and dangerous to get up into the mountains proper, but this seems to be the direction from which most of the Team Magma Grunts are entering the area.

GREEN areas in the southeast and southwest are densely-packed forested areas interspersed by lakes and rivers that seem to be feeding into the main waterway into the area. It is both difficult and dangerous to venture into the woodlands proper, but this seems to be the direction from which most of the Team Aqua Grunts are entering the area.

• The BLUE area in the south is the massive lake that feeds the eponymous falls that give Tohjo its name. You will also find Team Aqua Grunts here taking great care to hold control of the lake, if you're interested in engaging in a water battle.

PINK diamonds in the east and west are the sites of massive formations of Mysterious Plot Crystals™ jutting up from beneath the surface; the Grunts on both teams appear somewhat wary of these growths, so they will be keeping a reasonable distance from them while still doing their best to protect them.

• The BROWN rectangle dead-center in the map is...the Elite Four's resort. Not exactly what you might call a fortunate place to be located, but it's easy to see why this might be considered prime real estate for both teams. You're likely to find members of both Team Aqua and Team Magma hanging around here, so be cautious!


A FEW OTHER SETTING NOTES:

• As per Arceus's summon, there will be Gen VI Pokemon joining the battle on their own! You may NPC these Pokemon, within reasonable limits; you may not capture them in Pokeballs, and they are still wild so they will not take commands from characters the way a captured Pokemon would from its trainer. However, they do recognize that the portaled-in humans are fighting on roughly the same side as they are, so they won't attack player characters and might occasionally come to their aid if need be — you're free to NPC them as you like for purposes such as this.

• The aforementioned Gen VI Pokemon can be any Pokemon that swarmed during September, plus any of their evolved forms. They've had several weeks in the wild to get buff and settle in; now you can see what they've got to show for it!

• You may NPC the Team Aqua and Team Magma Grunts as you see fit; either one can be found anywhere on the map, though Team Magma will be more highly-concentrated in the northern areas of the map, and Team Aqua will be keeping more to the south.

• There is no restriction on how many Aqua and Magma Grunts you may fight.

• You may fight members of both teams on this log if you so choose; you are not required to pick just one or the other to focus on for this particular log.

• You may forego Pokemon battling entirely and simply beat up the Grunts with physical violence yourself. If you KO a Grunt, they will white out and be warped to the nearest Pokemon Center back down in the regions proper, where they will be arrested by an officer of the Kangaskhan Police.

FOR CHARACTERS INTENDING TO USE HONEDGES LIKE WEAPONS: due to the high volume of questions we have received on this topic (it's a popular inquiry!), we want to clarify for this Pokemon in particular —

If you choose to use a Honedge as though it were a traditional sword, the most that the Honedges will allow might be slapping the grunts with the flat side of the blade. They are still opposed to attacking/killing humans, opponents or not, and if you try to stab an opponent with them, you're going to get a really obstinate ghost sword going incorporeal and ineffectively going through them. There's also the fact that you're grabbing them by the head and swinging them around — they won't like that very much.

PLEASE NOTE: if you intend to use a Honedge in this manner anyway, we may ask that you experience light IC consequences for it later in the plot! We're not barring you from getting your sword skills on with your Honedges; we're simply pointing out that there may be natural outcomes that follow from those choices.

UPDATE: if you would like to interrogate the grunts, check here for information you can learn from them!


~

☆ THE NUMBER TO MEET OR BEAT IS 50 PARTICIPANTS.

REMEMBER: IF YOUR CHARACTER DOES NOT POST TO THE INTRO CHALLENGE LOG AT LEAST ONCE
(AS A TOP-LEVEL COMMENT OR IN RESPONSE TO SOMEONE ELSE'S TOP-LEVEL COMMENT)
BEFORE 9:00 PM EST on OCTOBER 28, THEY WILL NOT COUNT TOWARD THE 50-PARTICIPANT GOAL!

~


QUICK LINKS

EVENT LINKS MASTERPOST | THE INTRO CHALLENGE INFOPOST | QUESTIONS FOR MODS | INTRO CHALLENGE PARTICIPATION CHECK-IN THREAD
fauxtographs: (� charge)

[personal profile] fauxtographs 2014-10-28 10:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Even though she's well aware of his status as a Rocket field agent, Emmy is still a little bit surprised to see Rideaux out here amongst it all; he seems like such a...well, a classy gentleman!

...that is definitely a correct assessment, and all that.]


Dr Rideaux!

[Either way, she's certainly not going to refuse the help; the sooner she catches this mob of lunatics, the better! She's still sprinting along as she answers him, her voice surprisingly level for someone running at such a quick pace.]

If you're offering, I'm definitely accepting! This lot knows something and I'm not letting them get away!
fauxtographs: (� smile)

[personal profile] fauxtographs 2014-10-28 10:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh bless you and your spectacular timing, Twilight - and your choice of Pokemon!]

Twilight! You don't know how pleased I am to see you!

[After all, there's something special about being reunited with a friend in-person; video doesn't quite cut it. Plus, now that the grunts have been suitably cowed (Lily the Lillipup angrily growling at them is definitely helping! She's almost as scary as Tower, after all!!), she can relax a bit, and interrogate them properly. For now, she'll focus on her friend.]

This is all a bit of a mess, isn't it? It's just like old times, however!
struck_out: (You nuts?)

[personal profile] struck_out 2014-10-28 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh god, what the hell is going on. It's like the whole place has gone absolutely crazy.

Leon's current team is a mix of his new Pokemon and his old, and he's currently got the old guard out because none of his new members are high leveled enough to take on these goons.

With a snap of his jaws, Mac Crunches a Zubat and knocks it out, sending that Team Magma member running. Leon wipes his brow, finally able to find a moment to take stock of the situation. He misses having Aoi; her water attacks would be a great help against Team Magma right now!

And then there's the crazy fire nearby. A wave of hot air engulfs him and Leon has to shield his face from the heat, it's just getting too much. Maybe he should take out whatever Pokemon that's launching those Flamethrowers because it's getting really fucking annoying!

...and then he sees who it is. At first he's glad, glad to see that it's a friendly face! But then that friendly face turns out to be the source of the friendly fire. Another fire blast nearly knocks Leon to the ground; he barely manages to keep his balance. Gritting his teeth and holding his arms in front of him, he runs straight to the source of the inferno, trying to grab Walter's arm. Never mind that Walter's waving a sword around like a maniac...
]

Dude are you fucking insane!? You're gonna accidentally set someone on fire if you don't watch it!
struck_out: (Panic)

[personal profile] struck_out 2014-10-28 11:16 am (UTC)(link)
the FUCK is goin on!?

[That's one way of saying hi.]

who the hell are these bastards n why is evry1 fighting!?
tearsofademon: (strolling by the Seine)

[personal profile] tearsofademon 2014-10-28 11:25 am (UTC)(link)
I never said friend. Aahh, more like temporary ally?

[He starts wandering away.]

But, if you're sure you don't want help, I guess I'll just leave you alone with your mess then.
lieutenantantichrist: (we fuck up they give us pensions)

[personal profile] lieutenantantichrist 2014-10-28 11:39 am (UTC)(link)
A. JUST ARRIVED

[Blake had been out minding his own business, walking down the street toward the drugstore to get some more Latiaspirin, when he heard someone say,]

Hey, Carter.

[It's the quietly resonant voice of a man who's used to shouting> Somebody who has a way of appreciating the times when he doesn't have to compete with screeching metal.

A few steps later, Blake's Snubbull realized she was walking alone.

When she turned back, her trainer was standing in the middle of the road, frozen with unblinking eyes.]


There's something you need to do. C'mere a minute.

[Blake's mouth works.

He's not even thinking that it's impossible. A whole lot of impossible has happened to him.

What comes out is a small, thin voice.]
Pop?

[There's nothing but the sound of the breeze scraping dead leaves around the ground, and a shimmer in the air. Like a man in a dream, Blake steps forward.

As the chaos of the battlefield slaps him in the face, he knows two things.

One: his dad has been dead for years.

Two: he wants to hurt someone.]


B. BEEN HERE A WHILE

[There's Blake, and there's the bruised bastard he's shaking by the by the hood of his shitty red jacket. He's not the first.] Talk, jackass!

[Blake's not hoping for much, and he gets less. Just some babble about bosses and volcanoes. Blake snarls and tosses him to the ground. Before the little bastard can scramble away, he grabs his bag and rummages through it. Nothing that tells him goddamn anything.] Get out of here, dirtbag.

[He holds onto a brown paper sack he found. Blake waves it at the grunt as he gets to his feet and stumbles into a run.] And I'm taking your fuckin' lunch.

[As the guy darts out of sight away from the old bearded lunatic, Blake looks around at the battlefield. He lets out a long breath. He's tired, his muscles hurt, and his knuckles are raw.

But you know what? It looks like there's ham on rye in here.

So that's why Carter found a bench that's only a little bit scorched by firelizard-breath and is sitting there, sharing a couple sandwiches with his dog.]
Edited 2014-10-28 11:40 (UTC)
faintwaves: ([Tease] you dun goofed!)

[personal profile] faintwaves 2014-10-28 11:48 am (UTC)(link)
Obviously, I bet Zen told him to pack the sandwiches too. Their bond is just that magical.

[She's learning lately that Riku is a definite dork. The term "Keydork" applies to him and Sora perfectly.]
sincereheart: (daijoubu)

[personal profile] sincereheart 2014-10-28 11:56 am (UTC)(link)
Then let's do something about it!

[ Mimi grabs a handful of Pokéballs from her bag and tosses them to the ground. Her Maractus, Jumpluff, Skitty, Meowstic, Noibat, and Flaaffy emerge, various raring-to-go expressions on their faces. Chira still looks like her head hurts, but she and Murasaki aren't as jittery as they have been the past few days, which is a good sign! Maybe it was this battle they were waiting for. ]

What's our strategy, Tobias-san?
cawsforalarm: (Smile ✧ I can clear the clouds)

[personal profile] cawsforalarm 2014-10-28 12:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, really? That's too bad. I mean, aside from the part with the portal [and hearing the voice of his dead wolfmom] I've been having fun!

[Because really. Exploding crystals, trolling innocent fortune-tellers, setting Grunts on fire... what's not to like about today?]

[When the Hydreigon slams onto the ground, Henry is surprised for a second, but his smile quickly returns. He waves pleasantly at the Dragon-type and then addresses Kato.]
Well, I wouldn't say 'friend', but yeah. I'm Henry!
cawsforalarm: (Correction ✧ I can see the sound)

[personal profile] cawsforalarm 2014-10-28 12:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, of course I'm trying to faint them!

[Henry kicks the Aqua Grunt's body a bit too forcefully. It seems that between that and Cawdia's relentless pecking, the Grunt's body has finally thrown in the towel, and he zaps away to the Pokémon Center.]

But I thought for sure that fall woulda killed anybody, so I wanted to see if there'd be, like, a carcass or something before you disappeared.
captainash: (confident)

[personal profile] captainash 2014-10-28 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course not! I like my shades of blue much darker than that, and even if I didn't I wouldn't coordinate a whole crew's uniforms like this. That's just asking to get arrested.

[His tone matches hers in lightness, and he's also obviously joking.

...After all, his reasons for not being part of that particular band of pirates are not nearly so shallow. Even if his own space pirate crew does look like a rainbow.]
cawsforalarm: (Squee! ✧ I can hear the crash)

[personal profile] cawsforalarm 2014-10-28 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, cool! I'm just a regular magic soldier, but I really missed being able to wreck things.

[You're just lucky he hasn't gotten bored and decided to faint Goldenrod natives en masse... yet.]
exeggutorhead: (feeling wrathful)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2014-10-28 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[The Lucario, Samus, looks even more confused and worried. Then she sees the other two Pokemon and shrugs at them with the clear meaning of 'I don't know what's going on, do you know what's going on?']

Why, are you gonna take out all of them?

[In spite of how much he wants to get in a fistfight, he stops moving forward a few feet from Al. He doesn't want to give up that edge either.]

I mean, aside from the ones I already did!
exeggutorhead: (I know something you don't know)

[personal profile] exeggutorhead 2014-10-28 01:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Suit yourself, then.

[Envy shrugs nonchalantly, smirking in amusement when Scar falls again. He sits on the edge of the pit, swinging one leg idly (and yes, it's too high for Scar to reach his ankles.]

[Chimera tilts his head and gestures that shouldn't they pull these two out? Envy shakes his head, patting the Tyranitar's side.]


Nah, you heard him. He doesn't want our help.

[The sides are awfully unstable places to be sitting, though.]
awesmazings: (☼ gonna make me fly)

[personal profile] awesmazings 2014-10-28 03:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, no kidding! I've gotten a bunch of those guys fighting on the water, but there aren't any less since I started. There's more now, I think!
awesmazings: (☼ to where)

[personal profile] awesmazings 2014-10-28 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jimmy's once again taken by surprise when his Lopunny coldcocks a Growlithe that had just leaped at her with fire in his maw, aiming to use fire fang, no doubt. She put a stop to that quickly, and pulls back shaking her paw a bit.]

Yeah, there's a lot of Pokemon up in the sky there!
awesmazings: (☼ I know)

[personal profile] awesmazings 2014-10-28 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jimmy stands clear as the water goes rushing past his shoes, his Houndoom lagging behind even further because that is a lot of water nope.]

Uncle...?

[He muses to himself, confused, before finally making his way over when most of the water has run away, leaving a group of tangled, water logged grunts with a lot more problems to deal with than they needed today.]

Hey, do they really have your Uncle?!

[He heard The Voice Of Arceus on his end, so he's not getting any mixed messages from family members in the beyond or anything.]
fishybarrettes: (solve for x)

[personal profile] fishybarrettes 2014-10-28 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[So, it turns on taking on various baddies with level 15 or lower pokemon may not have been the best idea, because there's a sliver of HP left on everybody. There doesn't seem too many guys with uniforms on around the crystals -- you know, the weird glowy ones -- so she figures she can take a quick break here.]

Hey! Does anybody have a spare potion, or, um, six? We're fresh out over here!

[Fighting evil is hard work. And most of the grunts aren't even hot.]
wing_attack: (neutral)

[personal profile] wing_attack 2014-10-28 04:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Try and go for the guys near the water - you'll have better luck there with type advantages, I think. Just keep flying types away from any ice attacks. I've got... plans for the trainers.

[Regal has a mischievous glint in his eye, and Tobias pats him gently.]

Don't worry, I won't hurt them much. We'll just see how much they like swimming.
me_first: (smoke break)

[personal profile] me_first 2014-10-28 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Dynamica should be able to handle things for a bit... tough they obviously can't continue like this forever.

[He shakes his head a bit, and watches as his Haunter taps a grunt on the shoulder and disappears before he can turn around. She does it again, and the grunt turns around. One more time, and the grunt huffs but then lets out a high-pitched shriek as there's suddenly a tongue in his face.]
soundmind: (Confused ► Did something break)

[personal profile] soundmind 2014-10-28 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
AJ!

[Of course Maka would recognize the rootin'-tootin' Southern girl from afar, even if she didn't hear her voice. She seems to have her particular situation under control, but Maka wants to be sure everything's all right anyway, hence running up to her with her entourage of giants (+ one flying squirrel).]

Did you hear a voice, too?
soundmind: (Fight ► GALACTIC PUNT!!!!)

A

[personal profile] soundmind 2014-10-28 05:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[...And the first sight he'd be treated to is Maka Galactic Punting a Grunt out of her way. She seems to have been here a little bit longer, and though there's a veritable swarm of Grunts they look a little...uh, scared of the tiny Meister. Her Pokemon are there, naturally, but eventually she got too irritated with the gang war nonsense and started doing it the Old-Fashioned Way.

It's Kali that actually sees Yukio first, she recognizes the "nervous boy" and stops--barking to alert Maka.]


--Ah, Yukio! Where's Rin? [Yes because of course that's the first question on her mind. Hey, Rin did say they were a "packaged deal."]
styxiedust: on the stairs shouting "victory". (Unsure ✿ well apperantly i passed out)

[personal profile] styxiedust 2014-10-28 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
--Oh, hello!

[Seeing another person is reassuring, even if it's not somebody she knows and a first glance suggests he might be a new arrival. Botan puts the bat at rest on her shoulders and her Gengar sort of...leers at Moses, not that he can really help it, he's trying to express interest, okay.]

If I'm guessing right, we appear to be in an area that's usually blocked from access for us, near the Tohjo Falls. Whoever these...er, people are, they seem to be intent on taking control of something in the Falls proper.
styxiedust: and not your penis alamode (Yusuke ✿ This better be a legit desert)

[personal profile] styxiedust 2014-10-28 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[You know what they're also not? Very resistant to metal bats, so Botan has been whacking them with hers when they get a little too frisky while her Luxray sends out bolt after bolt to take care of the Pokemon. She hears the voice calling for help and pauses, letting out a Milotic and Charizard to help take over the "beating Grunts" duty while she checks on who called.]

Hello, dear, are you quite all right?

[Obviously not, if she's asking for potions. Botan's Pokemon are a little more high-leveled so she tends to keep Supers and Hypers instead of regular ones, but she does have those and Berries in abundance--so she takes out some Supers and Oran Berries to offer.]

There you are, that should do it. I have some sweets as well if you'd like to recharge yourself.
doitrockapella: (GIRLISH ❖ the miss in misdemeanor)

[personal profile] doitrockapella 2014-10-28 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[Carmen's been making some progress around the battlefield lately, mostly utilizing her go-to Pokemon (Tux the Empoleon and Ivy the Ivysaur, today) as a way of keeping the Grunts and their teams off her back as she moves around the clearing; there are plenty of people around to fight, and as far as she's concerned she'll gladly leave them to it, because there's something that's been bothering her and she'd like to get an answer for it as well.

What are all these Grunts doing here, anyway? She fully intends to find out.

She's just finished questioning a Team Magma Grunt when she spots the familiar blues and reds of Adder overhead, so she abandons the effort neatly in favor of raising an arm to flag the air force down — and evidently, signal her willingness for a pick-up.]

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