HOENNWEEN: INTRO CHALLENGE LOG

[these_balls]

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

Comments

[fauxtographs]

[To her credit, Emmy had remembered to change out of her Rocket uniform and grab her Pokémon before leaping into the portal, although she'd had to force herself to pause. The sound of the highly familiar voice had shaken her rather badly; how could he possibly be here? He was supposed to be in custody of the police! This didn't...no! It couldn't be right! It had to be some sort of stupid trick! But her instincts and her new Pokémon's urging had compelled her, along with that voice, to head straight into that odd portal to wherever the voice wanted her to go.
 
...and what a place it is.
 
She's had some experience with Evil Teams, and all the oddly-dressed people fighting civilians can only mean one thing - villains!! So that means it's time for battle!
 
In a way, she's rather excited. Time to fight some mooks!
 
So if you happen to be in the main areas of the battlefield, you might be treated to the sight of a bunch of grown-ass men fleeing from a tiny woman and her even tinier dog, who are in hot pursuit and gaining ground rather quickly.
 
The Lillipup has a scrap of black fabric in her mouth that may or may not have come from someones pants.]
 
Come back here, you rogues! Tell me where you're keeping him! You won't get away from me!
 
[OOC: Emmy will stop using Pursuit if you address her - there are plenty of other Grunts to chase, after all!]

[captainash]

[...Funnily enough, what attracts Ash's attention is not the ridiculousness of fleeing grown-ass men, nor the angry shouting that follows them. No, what catches his eye is the little Lillipup, and the sight of such a fierce young Normal-type about to kick all sorts of ass is enough to earn his complete approval.

With a smirk on his face, he turns towards his Houndoom.]

Dark Hound, let's be nice and help the lady.

[Dark Hound must approve of that particular plan, because in a flash he's throwing himself right in front of the grunts. Okay, it's not so fun when one trips on him, but that's a small price to pay for the show that will undoubtedly follow.]

[fauxtographs]

[That Surprise Houndoom is certainly a boon for Emmy and her Lillipup; the subsequent confusion gives her more than enough time to catch up to the gaggle of grunts.]
 
Get them, Lily! You take the ones on the right, I'll take the left!
 
[What follows most certainly classifies as a show; the grunts try to fight back against Emmy but they're soon disposed with a flurry of swift kicks to numerous areas of their bodies, and her Lillipup manages to collect another two lots of black fabric scraps before her targets flee the area. Puffing herself up, she trots (with her bounty, of course) over to where her trainer is angrily trying to get information out of one of the grunts who hasn't managed to escape.]
 
Where is he?! What have you done with my uncle?!
 
[But regardless of how furiously she yells at him, the grunt clearly has no idea what she's talking about, and he and the rest of them are swiftly sent on their way with a Roar from Lily once Emmy realizes it's pointless.
 
Sighing, she runs her fingers through her hair.]
 
Maybe it was just a trick after all....oh!
 
[Now that the area has cleared, she's noticed that Houndoom properly.]
 
Are you alright? I saw that one of those morons tripped over you! 

[captainash]

[Awww man, such a beautiful sight and Ash doesn't even have popcorn to properly enjoy it. He does, however, have two legs that can bring him closer to the grunt pile, to get a better look at their uniforms.

As for Dark Hound, once addressed directly, he sits up and barks happily. Considering that he follows that up with an approving nod towards the Lillipup, he seems not to mind those few moments of discomfort.]

Don't worry too much about him. He's had a Lickitung collapse on him before; one idiot or two is nothing. Did they have anything interesting to tell?

[Because that sure looked like an interrogation over there.]

[fauxtographs]

[Well, clearly this means that the two dog Pokémon have to become friends! Lily will even put down her collection of fabric to give Dark Hound a happy bark in return. As for her trainer, she furrows her brow and has a think.] 

A little, but it was all very weird. I think he thought I was asking about his boss, until I clarified that it was my uncle; that caused a bit of confusion! He started babbling about a fortress on Cinnabar Island and that his boss would be arriving soon, but there wasn't much else. Either way...it sounds rather ominous, doesn't it? Especially since this group of rogues looks to be some type of organization. Here I was thinking Team Rocket was the only one! 

[Ugh, now there are two more! Honestly! However, Emmy will save her frustration for later.] 

Oh, how rude of me - I haven't introduced myself! My name is Emmy, and this is Lily. Thanks so much for helping us out, there!

[captainash]

[A most excellent idea! Why, Dark Hound is always happy to meet more dogs, especially when they prove themselves so determined to give evildoers a good bite or two!]

A fortress on Cinnabar... Wait, isn't that a volcanic island? Who would be crazy enough to use that as a base, and subtle enough to get there without getting attacked by the police or Team Rocket?

[Obviously not a team that has 'magma' in its name. That would be too silly.]

Ah, you're welcome. The name's Captain Ash, and the Houndoom that helped bruise a few shins is DArk Hound. It's nice to meet you.

[fauxtographs]

I've always thought that a battle would be an incredible place to make a friend! Lovely to meet you, Captain. Although I hope your title doesn't mean you're associated with that band of pirates!

[Emmy's voice is light, however! She's clearly joking.

...

...although considering that you just helped her take down a bunch of the red grunts, it...probably wouldn't be too crazy to think that you might be part of the blue group...

...

...please don't secretly be a pirate.]

[awesmazings]

[Jimmy comes running from where he'd been a little tied up near the lake, breathless and...pretty wet, if the way he's dripping as he runs is anything to go by. Chasing after him are a Furret and a Houndoom, his other Pokemon briefly returned to their balls for the time being to rest after so much water battling.

When he spots Emmy and her Lillipup in hot pursuit of a group of grunts, Jimmy skids to a stop and puts his hand on the Furret's long back, prompting her to stop and stand up on her haunches.]

Cherry, help her! Stop those guys!!

[The Furret nods and is off like a shot, her short paws beating the ground with a frantic tempo as she speeds their way at a diagonal, enough to where she'll reach the point they're trying to run to before they quite get there.

There she stops and turns on a dime, rearing up on her haunches. Suddenly, a massive ball of water forms in midair in front of her mouth, which she abruptly hurls to the ground. It seems to explode like a landmine, a huge, crashing wave spilling in every direction outward from her in an attempt to slow- or even stop entirely- the grunts' escape.]

[fauxtographs]

[You know Jimmy, there's something particularly fantastic about using a wave of water to bring down a bunch of Team Magma grunts - not that Emmy can appreciate that, but she can appreciate the fact that it has most definitely stopped them in their tracks!]

Thanks, Jimmy!

[As if being washed off their feet wasn't enough, the grunts now have to deal with Emmy and her ferocious tiny dog leaping on them and giving them a damn good pummel!]

Where-is-my-uncle!?

[...

...give her a minute, Jimmy.]

[awesmazings]

[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.]

[fauxtographs]

[Most of the Magma grunts have scrambled away at this point, apart from the unfortunate soul that Emmy has grabbed by the hood. He's gabbling away and waving his arms in the universal sign of 'I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING PLEASE DON'T HIT ME!!', and Lily is trying to tug one of his horns off.

Emmy doesn't look very impressed, but at least she isn't trying to hurt him.]

I don't know. I heard his voice through that portal, but it just...it doesn't make sense. When I left him, he was...well, he was in a place that he wouldn't be able to get out of very easily.

[She's trying to ignore the little fact that Johto doesn't really care about jail cells when it comes to capturing people, because that...that's totally irrelevant!]

Besides, this idiot can't give me a straight answer. He keeps talking about Cinnabar Island and his boss! I really couldn't care less about that!

[awesmazings]

[Jimmy's brows furrow a bit as he listens to what Emmy says, watching out of the corner of his eye as Cherry stalks a bit closer to the Grunt they're harassing, growling a little at him in warning.]

What did your Uncle say to you?

[A lot of folks seem to have heard a strange voice calling them here, or even someone they know, such as is the case with Emmy. So, that causes Jimmy to wonder.]

[fauxtographs]

[Straightening back up, Emmy crosses her arms and looks down, trying to remember the exact words she heard.]

It was just...him asking for my help, that he needed me to save him...I'm very close with him, so it was a difficult thing to hear.

Then, of course, I end up here, and there's no sign of him. I'm starting to think that someone has played a very nasty trick.

[And if she ever catches them, they are going to be a lot worse off than this grunt here!]

What about you, Jimmy? Did you hear anyone?

[evilfrenzy]

[Surrounded by a bunch of downed Grunts, Rideaux is in the middle of taking inventory of the healing items in his pack—in case any of his Pokemon decide to be utterly useless and get injured—when he hears a familiar angry shout. He briefly lifts his gaze in time to see some fleeing Grunts rushing toward him and Emmy not too far behind.

It's almost comical to watch, really. But man are these guys screwed if Emmy actually catches them.

...

He gives a slight nod to the Honedge floating beside him and calls out to his fellow Rocket.]

Need a little help, Emmy?

[He's in a perfect spot for it, at least.]

[fauxtographs]

[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!

[evilfrenzy]

[It's the most accurate assessment. He didn't take out those Grunts, he was just uh...seeing if they had any Potions on them! That's right!

...Totally.]

Very well.

[He looks to his Honedge again.]

Soulcutter? As we discussed.

[As soon as Rideaux gives a quick flick of his wrist, the Honedge momentarily disappears into thin air before reappearing in front of the grunts with its sash stretched out as far as it can manage. Because of its lowered position, the grunts have no time to react and trip right over it. When they come crashing down, the Honedge will stab at the ground in front of them to prevent any escapes.

Rideaux curtly zips up his bag and slings it across his shoulder before making his way over to the scene, waiting for Emmy to catch up.]

I'd say they know plenty of things we don't. Was anyone even aware that they were here until today? It seems like they've been pretty busy with...whatever it is they're doing.

[It's all one giant clusterfuck to him.]

[fauxtographs]

[She wouldn't phrase it in that manner, but Emmy is definitely of the opinion that this is one heck of a clusterfuck! Reducing her sprint to a jog, she makes her way up to Rideaux as Lily dashes over to help Soulcutter keep those grunts at bay. The combination of a tiny sword and a tiny dog will have them trembling!

...apparently, quite literally.]

Thanks! That was a nicely done, Doctor!

[She just can't seem to escape gentlemen who use swords! Not that that's too bad of a problem to have, anyway.]

I'm afraid I can't be of any help in regards to your question; I haven't heard anything on the news about...well, any of these people. Maybe if we ask some of them, they might tell us something?

[Especially if we threaten to sic our Pokemon on them, apparently...]

[evilfrenzy]

It was my pleasure.

[No really, that was pretty hilarious to watch if he does say so himself. You intimidate those grunts, tiny creatures!]

Yes, that sounds like the simplest solution. I believe you said you wanted something from them already...?

[That said, he crouches in front of the grunts, beside the tiny and totally intimidating Pokemon. The look on his face is pleasant, but the energy he's giving off definitely isn't.]

You've all been horribly rude, avoiding a woman who wants to ask you some simple questions. How about you rectify that right now before our creatures decide to have their attacks connect next time?

[fauxtographs]

[Apparently the combination of Rideaux being rather intimidating (in a very "definitely not a villain" way, of course!!) and the tiny creatures being aggressive, those grunts are more than happy to start babbling away as if their lives depended on it.

...not...that they're saying anything that makes sense, but you know.

There's also something rather fantastic about a gentleman who gets things done like that! She's clearly underestimated you, Doctor.]

...so let me get this straight. They're waiting for their boss to get here from their fortress on Cinnabar Island, and they've been planning this for a while?

[...uh.]

Did you follow any of that?

[friendyousohard]

[As if being chased down by the truly menacing woman in a snappy suit wasn't bad enough, the hapless grunts are suddenly cut off from escaping when a towering Tyranitar slams its foot down in front of them. The looks they give staring up at the beast are reminiscent of some poor saps who've just run into Godzilla.]

Tower, make sure they don't go anywhere.

[Riding on a Magnezone next to it, Twilight grins down at Emmy.]

Glad to see you're here too!

[fauxtographs]

[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!

[friendyousohard]

[With a laugh, Twi hops down from Tesla to give Emmy a hug.]

It really does seem like we've stepped back in time a little bit, doesn't it? Only our enemies are a bit... flashier dressed.

[Turning her eyes to the trembling grunts, Twilight raises an eyebrow, wondering just what they could have done to get Emmy so riled. Tower quite clearly wants to take a bite out of one of them, which is helping to encourage them all to look as small and unsuspicious as possible. And those who are thinking to run are stopped pretty quickly by just one glance at the snarling Lily.]

I don't suppose you have any idea who these clowns are or what they want.

[fauxtographs]

[That hug is rather enthusiastically returned; it's just...really nice, in the face of how dreadful her month of Team Rocket nonsense has been. If only she didn't have to go back...]

I'm afraid I don't know anything about these lunatics, only that one group are apparently playing pirate, and the other...

[...what the heck would you even call this lot? Demons, maybe?]

I don't even know what the others are doing! All I know is that they're being a right pain, and don't appear to be going anywhere soon. At least we've had some experience fighting dopey team members!

[friendyousohard]

Indeed! Guess we'll be putting that all to use today. Well, let's see if we can find a good place to set up... The Elite Four's house is nearby, I think if we can blaze ourselves a path there we'll have something to put our backs against.

[Sure, they haven't been having any trouble yet, but getting surrounded and slowly worn down by wave after wave of grunts is definitely a thing that could happen.]

[fauxtographs]

[And it is most definitely a thing that they do not want to happen; particularly since Emmy's Pokemon aren't the strongest ones here. But they make up for it with pure spirit!]

That sounds like an excellent plan to me! I'm afraid your team might have to do most of the heavy lifting, as my Pokemon are still fairly young, but I'm more than willing to knock these losers out of the way myself!

[Between her and the Tyranitar (since one of them is definitely scarier than the other!), they'll certainly be able to make it to the house!

...and tbh it sounds like a really cool house so let's do the thing]