008 ⟡ MARCH TEST DRIVE

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ test drive 08 ✩⋆

The day begins like any other.

Routines, eventful scenes, and boring errands — no matter what you were in the middle of, there's a moment where everything begins to feel wrong. A searing pain tears through your body, so intense that it feels like every nerve has been struck at once. Muscles spasm, joints scream in protest, and as you double over, you find yourself clawing or clinging at anything within your reach. As your attempts to maintain composure fail you, your bones begin to twist with an agonizing force, the pain rising in a crescendo until it becomes unbearable to even breathe. Then, as quickly as it began, everything stops.

For a single, terrifying moment, there's nothing. No sight, no sound, no touch, no taste, no smell — just the weight of nothingness swallowing you whole. The absence of sensation might even be worse than the pain, leaving you adrift in a void you can't escape. Hopelessness threatens every fiber of your existence, and try as you might to fight it, your darkest thoughts begin to surface, flooding your mind in an onslaught of suffocating feelings and ideas.

In the darkness, you hear a voice.

It's faint, a gentle flashing of something warm along the edges of your mind, like sunlight itself. It's a voice, but you can't identify who or what it comes from, how it sounds, or what it means — still, you know it's directed at you. Something tugs at your heart, a powerful ache that throbs once and ripples outwards. You can feel the aches again, like fresh sores throughout your body. You feel off, like something isn't quite right, like you're not where you should be, or who you should be. But the voice continues, whispered just beyond your understanding. The sound is warm like hope, and it wraps around you, distant yet intent, before you wake up.

i. ARRIVALS

IT’S RAINING, IT’S MOOR-NING,

The first thing you notice is that it’s wet. Not wet in the way it would be if you were submerged in a pool, or beached at the edge of some mysterious shore line - just wet, damp, a pervading layer that covers every inch of you.

The next thing you likely notice, by virtue of this state of wetness making it impossible to ignore, is probably the fact that this is not the body you had just a few moments earlier. Whether covered in fur, feathers, or scales, they aren’t what you knew.

Nor is the land you’ve awoken in. It appears that you’re in a building - one that’s not been in use for a long, long time. Dust and leaf litter are scattered near openings to the outside world, and melted snow explains why that pervasive dampness surrounded you so entirely. That and perhaps the rain falling through any holes in the roof…which might be falling on you, if you’re unfortunate enough.

It almost looks like a library. Almost, because anything that could resemble a text has been smashed into dust; clay tablets, the scraps of some sort of writing upon them, lay in scattered fragments across the floor that you were once asleep on.

As do the forms of other creatures, be they awake or asleep themselves.

The land outside is a perpetual rainstorm, and aside from the building you’re in there isn’t a single scrap of civilization to be seen. Just where are you all?

No one can say. But perhaps banding together, you’ll be able to find your way to some form of civilization. …Provided of course, it’s not all ruin like the one you’re in.

THE CASTFORM ARE SNORING

⟡ Welcome to the region of Heavy Downmoor; a perpetually rainy place, which fortunately isn’t experiencing the snow it had in earlier months. While Pokemon will eventually realize where the arrivals have appeared this time, player characters will have ample time to make their own way out to Skull Town.

⟡ Whether guided by their own determination, or current residents, Lurantis of Skull Town will be fairly welcoming over all; while apparently occupied with a personal gardening project of some kind, the absence of snow combined with some kind of recent ‘success’ has the residents in a good mood. Characters can certainly be escorted to other locations, but why not rest a while? There’s shelter, food, and most importantly - it’s not raining.

⟡ Did we say it’s not raining? We meant it’s mostly not raining. It’s spring after all, and such weather is to be expected; but it might just be raining a little too much thanks to some over-eager Pokemon doing something called the ‘Rain Dance’. How rude!

ii. STARLIGHT, STARBRIGHT

A MINIOR INCIDENT

The Starfall meteor shower this year is unfashionably late, but perhaps it's for the best - at least this month's newly transformed Pokemon have a cheerful, friendly introduction to the city! Once Psychic Pokemon finally receive the date, all of Bottlecap Bay bursts into activity, dusting off starry decorations and accessories. But thanks to so many Pokemon starting to prep food ahead of time last month... whoops, it seems everyone's a little bit sick of the usual festival food? The bakers and cooks of Bottlecap Bay are scrambling for new ideas, particularly from new arrivals.

In exchange, they're happy to explain the festival to anyone who missed last year's: it's a celebration of wishes, excitement for the unknown, and hope for the future! Legend even says that if you close your eyes and wish upon a falling star, there's a strong Pokemon that can make it come true. All Pokemon agree that it's the strength of someone's willpower and heart that makes the biggest difference, but there are many superstitions about what will make your wish more likely to be heard. The most common this year seems to be that you should share your wish honestly with one other Pokemon - though there's a lot of light-hearted debate about whether it should be the first Pokemon you see after you open your eyes, or whether a friend of your choice is fine. Others will say that you should keep your eyes closed after you wish and stumble all the way home like that, or that you should draw a representation of your wish on the ground before moving.

Perhaps everyone's anticipation and all those superstitions do have some effect, because shortly after the festival begins - days before the peak of the meteor shower even arrives - occasional shooting stars start falling all the way to ground. They impact with loud cracks, scoring gouges in the ground and breaking chips off stone... and leaving broken shells behind them as they bounce. There's something very colorful inside: is that a Pokemon?

Miniors emerge from their shells dazed and confused, and while they respond and react to speech, the noises they make are practically impossible to understand in return. What is quickly clear, though, is that after falling they're too exhausted to immediately shoot back up... and that without their protective shells, their cores are starting to fade! Pokemon scramble to help, looking for safe containers the meteor Pokemon can recover their strength in. Sometimes, if a Minior is lucky, the pieces of their shell are still pretty intact and can just be tied together around them. Other times the nearest intact container is... less optimal.

Quick, grab that jam jar! Surely there's nothing more likely to make your wish come true than rescuing a fallen star, right?

CRASH, AND BURN

⟡ The Starfall Festival might be off to an awkward start, but that doesn’t mean there’s no games - from March 10th to the 18th (as long as the meteor shower), small luck based games such as card guessing, and dice rolling can be had. How do Pokemon do this without hands? Well, you’d best learn!


⟡ Another staple of the Starfall Festival are Farigiraf Fortunes; one time Fortunes that Pokemon can draw will include simple statements of how good, or bad, their luck will be. Bad fortunes are tied to festival decorations to dispel ill fortune, but this, too, may be tricky without hands…

⟡ OOCly speaking, Farigiraf Fortunes are little omikuji fortunes with an included ‘lucky Pokemon’ and ‘lucky color’. You can make up your own, but if you’d like one randomly generated for you, reply here.

⟡ The Stargazing Club is having an absolute ball during all of this, and even non-members can take a gander at the falling stars through their telescope. While everyone has to share- so please, no more than five minutes per run, there’s a line! - even a glimpse at the stars through the crisp lens shows just why this club is so passionate.

⟡ Just what’s wrong with the Minior? They’re not sure; those who were awake during the initial disruption that brought them downward remark on a strange vibrative force that struck them through the air, followed by…well, the sensation of falling. They’re very grateful to the Bay for helping, but they hope to return to the sky as soon as possible. It’s very dangerous for them down here!

iii. CHARACTER GROWTH

GROWING PAINS

The Pokemon across Bottlecap Bay and Skull Town - and the regions surrounding - are in high spirits for more reasons than just the ongoing festival. Every so often, they’ll see it; one of the locals stops mid-gait, and a brilliant glow seems to surround them. Their figure grows, or shrinks, or sometimes even stays the same size, but with a burst of energy it’s clear that the Pokemon has visibly changed. ‘Evolution’, it’s apparently called. A natural part of most Pokemon’s growth, and something that simply hasn’t been happening for a while for some reason.

A few scholars from the Archives can be heard debating on just what it was that caused this change. Some theorize it’s something to do with the weather; that visitor during the Longest Night evolved first, didn’t they? That was during record breaking waves of snowfall, so it must be meteorological.

Others point instead to the rifts that were appearing and creating so much havoc. Didn’t the brave Pokemon who fought those bounties remark on their strange appearances, as if it were an evolution gone wrong? The only problem with that theory is those bounties were encountered after that evolution during Longest Night…

It sounds like there was another theory that the rifts were the source of the otherworldly arrivals all along, and that Bottlecap Bap wouldn’t be seeing any new ones this time. So much for that one.

While the arguments continue with no end, the fair weather and festive moods have allowed the more innovative Pokemon of the region to pull together something they haven’t had the energy to pull off in quite some time - specifically, training mazes! As they explain it, Evolution is often sparked when a Pokemon acquires enough power to do so, taking that final push from battle to go even farther. The mazes are also just good for practice in the first place, and with rumors of a rescue operation for those missing scholars beyond the cliff, every bit of training counts…

…after all, they’ll only be sending Pokemon they think are capable!

BODY ROCKING

⟡ With the variety of body types unique to each Pokemon, it’s no surprise that some of the first obstacle mazes to be found come in the form of simple race courses. Those suited to the water will find hoop-ring challenges littered through the bay and its underwater caves, while those with wings will find similar challenges put together in the Canopy.

⟡ What of those who have nothing but legs (or even no legs at all)? For those Pokemon, the general understanding is that it can take time to adjust to things like an overly large tail, or having four-plus legs where there might have been two, so more simple pop-up mazes are found sprung about the city. Some even include a task- get those flowers up to the shelves, but only after going through this precise set of roads. Collect all these flags, and return them to the place you started. It’s a lot easier to walk now that you’ve done hours of it now, isn’t it!

⟡ Naturally not everyone really wants to run a footrace, or swim, or fly in one for that matter. But for that reason, the beach is getting cleared for some good old sparring tournaments, courtesy of Mightyena! Get your practice in by having a good battle! As a bonus, there are more experienced veterans on site to help explain just how best to tackle an ‘impossible’ foe.

ROCK-PAPER-LIZARD

⟡ There’s a lot of Pokemon types, and it can be hard to keep track of what they do. So aside from the generalized courses, a fun incentive to make it stick is happening through both towns - specifically, after signing yourself on for ‘practice’, you’ll find you get ambushed quite abruptly through the day! Learn to defend super-effective moves, or power through weaker ones! …And don’t forget those first aid kits scattered through the streets either.

⟡ Every type is unique, and that involves more than just the types. As the weather warms up, the spring weather brings out the strangest things in everyone; ground types might want to burrow a safe den, while electric types seek out places most likely to attract lightning. There’s a number of struggles that, fortunately, the local Pokemon are happy to help with!

⟡ Of course, not everyone is a tactile learner…which is why the Archives are also open, and ready to help everyone locate information on their species. Hopefully it’s nothing too unfortunate though - some of these entries seem to have been written with alarming bias behind them, if the wrong scholar was put on the task!

IT’S EVOLUTION BABY

⟡ While no player Pokemon will be evolving through these events, that doesn’t mean they can’t try their best! The most grueling of ‘mazes’ are escape rooms created through the natural resources available to the towns, intended to mirror experiences in the wild with random Pokemon battles and strained resources. Everyone is invited to try them, though they only have so much time to complete the course - after that, experienced rescue Pokemon will go to retrieve them.

⟡ The Cave Tunnels - These tunnels are connected to the Spire that the Oran berries reside in, and come in both flooded and dry flavors. Water Pokemon are invited to give the flooded ones a try, taking advantage of their existing skills, while other Pokemon will find themselves waking in the dry maze to work their way out. There’s all kinds of things down here; they’re deep enough that the occasional lava pit (or vent) is a real risk, as well as low oxygen levels to boot. Watch your step, that the path doesn’t collapse either!

⟡ The Spektrunk Woods - While often split into three zones of ‘north’, ‘middle’, ‘south’, Pokemon might find themselves anywhere in these woods…and the challenges vary across from them. The north has plants that seem almost alive, moving to create entire walls behind Pokemon who don’t pay attention. The middle in the meantime has a number of barely hidden tunnels and crevasses, which Pokemon risk falling into if they aren’t careful. As for the south…the south is perhaps the most tricky, with ghost Pokemon happily pulling tricks on passerby, and the surroundings changing once one looks away. But don’t worry!! You’ll surely get through this after you fight this next Pokemon.

MARCH-ING PROGRESS

One day in the middle of the week, among all the evolving and obstacle courses, Pokemon cluster in the center of Bottlecap Bay. It seems as though Ribombee has an announcement!

The bee Pokemon is accompanied by several other high ranking members of his Guild and seems especially energized, practically buzzing with pride. He waits only for a short while - until there's enough of a crowd, perhaps, or until some designated time known only to him - before launching into what he has to say. Which is this: he and several of his High Rank Cheris have been volunteering extra time scouting, trying to determine more reliable ways through the malleable Forest. And with all their experimentation... they've actually discovered something!

It's already known that in much of the Forest, natural landmarks shift places and Pokemons' senses of time grow more and more distorted. The same happens with constructed landmarks, like someone making an arrow on the ground out of stones, or scratching a tree, or even putting up a hasty sign - and those experiences have taught Pokemon mostly not to bother, doing their best to trust in their innate sense of direction instead. But as it turns out... the Cheri Berries have discovered that sometimes, deliberately constructed landmarks do stay in place, tacking down the forest around them!

They're still trying to figure out the details. It's clear that it takes building something more than in passing - simple signs are still a no-go - but that isn't all of it, as they've still had their experiments disappear on them. Is it to do with specific spots in the woods? If so, why those locations particularly? Is it a type of construction? About all they can say is that they're reasonably confident now that it's nothing to do with the materials used, as they've tested each one individually and in some simple combinations.

However! Ribombee excitedly motions forward Aurorus, one of the Pokemon on stage with him. The contrast is almost comical: the small Ribombee, with his voice lively enough for three Pokemon, and the huge, tall Aurorus, who seems bashful to be on stage. The dinosaur Pokemon flutters his sails shyly, but goes on to say that he found a conveniently central spot in the woods where something he built has been sticking, and he kept coming back to try and stretch it into the beginnings of a road without much success... and then Ribombee suggested expanding it into a Forest Waystation instead! Even without a full road, something like that will make voyages through the woods more predictable, since you can split your journey into two shorter parts with consistent stopping points. Besides that, it'll be a great base for foraging, and they can station some Pokemon there to provide emergency medical treatment at short notice - something that seems especially necessary with how many teams were disabled by those over-evolved Pokemon recently!

"It really just feels like pinning down a perfect possibility," Aurorus concludes.

The end of his explanation is followed by clapping from the side of the stage, where Polteageist enters with praise, telling Ribombee that he and the Cheris have done excellent work. If anything, Polteageist is even more interested in the Cheri's experiments than the Waystation; they're quick to encourage the Cheris to submit the results so far to the Archives, as they'd love to take a look. They'd be happy to assign some Lum Berries to provide support and have the guilds cooperate. (Polteageist doesn't say anything about the Oran Berries, however... is someone still annoyed about the standings?)

There's a sense of genuine comradery between the two guild leaders for a moment... until Polteageist continues. "And in fact, your Waystation feels like the perfect spot to base a point for what I'm here to announce."

Teleportation points. That's what Polteageist is here to announce. Is this what all their sleepless nights have been about? Regardless: it's now possible to send large groups of Pokemon out to wherever is necessary at a fraction of the Psychic Pokemon effort. No longer will Psychic Pokemon have to teleport one Pokemon at a time, and tire themselves out sending an entire team - instead, with a special room constructed to amplify their abilities, a team of Psychics can teleport the entire interior at once!

Now, this isn't fully ready yet, Polteageist clarifies. They've only got one prototype, hidden in the Archives, and things can't be teleported back to the room. For this to be an effective use of resources, Polteageist is picturing building finalized points at useful locations, such as Skull Town and the to-be Forest Waystation. Outside of emergencies and special expeditions, these rooms will be used for scheduled warps several times a day rather than on demand. And anyone who's being warped out on an expedition will still have to return on foot. Still - it's a massive improvement! There will no longer be a need for a day-long trek just to go between Bottlecap Bay and Skull Town, and emergency supplies can be transferred seamlessly to deal with situations like February's avalanche! So Polteageist is sharing this now to provide context for quests they'll be posting on the questboard in the coming months.

With this announcement, nearly all the Pokemon in the crowd lose interest in gossiping about the Forest Waystation - this is so much more exciting, after all! Ribombee is left to leave the stage with a half-hearted glare at his fellow guild leader... but as he and his group of stage Cheris head back to the Canopy, the bee Pokemon's wings seem to flutter more tiredly than before.

BUSY BUSY BERRIES

⟡ Aside from the obvious topic of gossip, this series of announcements has left the Pokemon of Bottlecap Bay chattering about guild rivalries, and they're interested in guild member opinions on this… or in asking new arrivals which guild they'd be excited to join!

⟡ In town, the Lum Berries seem to have regained their most favored status - and various stalls and merchants try to bribe members with small treats on the off chance that they have pull with Polteageist. Can you get them in to take a look at this prototype room? They're so curious!

⟡ While both Polteageist and Ribombee seem to lock themselves in their respective work focuses after this, Mightyena is available for comment after everything is announced - and she seems quite worried about both of her fellow Guild Leaders! She doesn’t say much on it, but she seems certain that if they aren’t careful, they’re going to burn out.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ TDM CWs: Pokemon typical violence, Mortality (Minior focused)

⟡ TDMs are game canon and act as events for the month they are posted.

⟡ New characters can link to their top level beneath the NEWBIE DIRECTORY

⟡ All new arrivals are not assigned to any one guild. However, they may assume themselves to share rooms within any one of them during the course of the TDM.

⟡ Remember that at least one thread for your application must come from the TDM! There is no comment minimum, but we will be looking for engagement, as well as for players and characters who take the time to delve into things like character thoughts, emotions, morality, and other deep themes. Take this time to engage with the setting as you would in game!

⟡ As a reminder, reserves and applications are permanently opened. Please see their respective pages for details on processing time.

⟡ Notes concerning arrival timing, settling timing, etc, go here!

⟡ Have any questions related to the TDM? Ask here! If your question is more general for the game, please make sure to direct it to the FAQ page instead. Thank you, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION

Comments

2!!!

[seacub]

Uhhhhh

[There's something to be said about the Minior Mayhem. He had to house one in his helmet- backpack, really- to get it to the clinic for example.

But, most of them, once re-shelled, could....fly? Float?? So, seeing this one rolling around, he gives chase with his stumpy little legs.

And as soon as Simon takes a shell-break (heh), shouts- ] U- ...Uh...d...Do you need help..?

Are...

Are you stuck??

[i_can_read]

[Simon is just about to shut his shields again when he hears the rapid footsteps behind him--and then a voice calling out.

A... child?

For some reason, the experience of hearing a child jars him. Something in him lurches--not his heart, or his brain, or even his stomach. Because he doesn't have any of those. But something nonetheless, and he rotates on the spot, the swirling energy pools that are his eyes spinning wide and fast.

He doesn't know why it's a surprise that what he sees is... a little brown lizard on stubby legs, wearing a skull. At first, he looks for the actual child--he does this for maybe three whole seconds before it occurs to him that maybe... he's looking at them. Is that possible? If there are children here... then... uh, wait, why wouldn't there be children? Anyway, if there are children, then they'd be... Pokemon, and of course there are fucking children, he feels so fucking stupid now--

--right, he needs to say something. Fuck. Uh--]

Are you talking to me?

[seacub]

[Can't wait to tell this guy where he grew up.

Emporio lets the minior have his quiet dilemma though, until at last he gets something to work with.

Namely, a question.] Yeah.

So far after getting a shell of some kind back, the other Minior were back to floating pretty quick, but... ...you've been rolling around a lot. Are you alright? That's bound to wear the shell down after a while...

[i_can_read]

[That's a good point. Simon has a moment of consternation--why is this information coming from a child?--and then it all collpases into a black hole of frustration.]

--great, something else for me to worry about.

[And of course he said that out loud. He sighs. Which is kind of a weird thing to be able to do. He's pretty sure he doesn't have lungs. Like, he's not breathing. But he can sigh?

He really is trying not to get too hung up on this stuff, but that's weird, right?]

I mean, I don't really know how to fly, or else I would be.

I'm not just going to sit around until I figure it out, though, okay? And it's probably, uh. Probably worse. More dangerous. I can't see with the rocks in the way. So it's probably better for me not to be flying.

[Simon was not very much involved in raising the Family's kids. And boy, is he feeling that skill gap right now.]

[seacub]

[Why does any information come from Emporio, truly? It's a question anyone could ask, most of all the people with actual experience interacting with children.

So, probably for the best that he doesn't know better, actually. Ignorance is bliss?]

Minior do seem to typically spend their whole lives in the atmosphere...there's been a lot of questions about how to better rebuild everyone's shells so they can make the trip, but...

[He eyes Simon....regardless of if Simon can tell right now.] ...That's probably not where you want to go, huh.

[Since, as he's expertly deduced, this is presumably not a local Pokemon.]

I'm not saying you should sit around, but...it might be better to get some help at least? Otherwise you'll end up in a worse situation than falling from the sky did.

...uh... [Come to think...] Assuming that's...what happened in your case?

[i_can_read]

Yeah. I fell. That's what I was told, anyway. I don't know how I got up there, though. None of it makes any fucking sense.

[Simon's limited mental rubric of how to deal with children does not come with a prohibition on swearing. Nor is he sensitive to propriety outside of addressing the Father.

Besides that, he's busy thinking now--the points are lining up quickly. And it's not good.]

I was going to say I don't want to be in the atmosphere, but apparently unless I'm up there, without this rock I'm in, I'll literally die.

[Yeah, this is bad.]

Fuck.

Fuck me.

First I can't see because I'm inside a rock, then I'll die if I'm not in the rock.... and the longevity of the fucking rock I'm in didn't even occur to me!

[He's feeling really stupid--not just that he didn't think of this, but that some kind of lizard kid spotted it right away. Which is actually impressive, and maybe at a better time he'd clock that this is a really smart kid, but he isn't feeling super appreciative of that right this second.]

[seacub]

I'm not really sure anyone knows the 'getting here' part. Most of the guilds have been trying to figure it out so anyone who wants can go home...

[A key note there. 'Wants'. Crossing his arms, Emporio ponders matters before realizing the rock in front of him might be panicking.

Uh oh.] Oh-

Hey- ...Hey, it's...it's not that bad! ...Really! ...For starters, not being in the atmosphere won't kill you! ...I think it's just that local Minior prefer it..? There isn't really competition for space or food up there I guess... ...plus, that far out, and they might have an easier time floating. I'm not really clear on how far toward the exosphere they'd stay...

[Oops he's digressing!] A- Anyway, that part isn't important..! ...What matters is...Maybe we could just find...or, maybe even build something better than rock?

...Something with windows would definitely be more ideal at least I think...

[i_can_read]

Uh. Yes. It will kill me. That's why everyone is running around picking up all the others and all that shit. That's literally the--that's the reason for that.

[He's trying really hard to accommodate for the fact that he's talking to a kid but he'd probably have said the exact same thing if this lizard had sounded 42 years old instead of like 4.

.... he is also not yet aware that '4' is a different numerical age here than it is on Mars.]

And I don't want to die. I mean--I already. I already did. I'm pretty sure.

So I don't--I really. Really. Really fucking don't want to die. And if that means, you know--this... fucking... rock thing. Then I'll live inside a fucking rock. Whatever. I don't know how I'd make anything stronger that I could still move, anyway. I mean, metals exist here--and.

A window... would be nice.

But that'd be adding a weak point. Glass breaks. It... it's too risky.

[After a certain point, he's talking as much to himself as he is to the lizard boy. Deeply normal guy, this Minior is.]

[seacub]

[He shakes his head, not yet realizing they're talking about two different things.

...And then remembers, Simon can't see that gesture.] No- that's just not having a casing; without the shell you have, or something like it, your bodies start to degrade. Minior wear their shells in the atmosphere too, after all.

But if you're encased- like right now- you won't die. It's okay, [he reassures, beaming.] I help out at the clinic all the time, so I've been paying attention.

[Anyway.

He can see the confusion now though, the more Simon rambles. Carefully, quietly, he thinks over his reply. There are options, he's sure...in fact...] ...Maybe...

...Maybe single pane glass, non tempered, is a problem... ...but glass is used in the windows of space stations, and even spacesuit helmets. It's even used in some submarines! Though, I think those get more difficult...the pressure at the bottom of the ocean is still too much for most machines from what I remember...

[He wishes he had his books here. Still.]

...But, the point is, glass stronger than rock definitely exists. And... ...And, I think I know who can make it, too! We just finished making eye glasses for someone here, and with different Pokemon, I could probably ask...

[Ah, but for now...hmm.]

...hmm. ...I wonder if carrying you in a jamjar for a bit could help. At least you'd be able to see everything until then, in that case...

[i_can_read]

[Which is to say, this place will still kill him. The only thing standing between him and his body fucking 'starting to degrade' is a thin layer of rock? Meanwhile, he's meant to eat space dust, and he's no longer in space? How is any of that not a death sentence?

This is, probably, what he would be saying out loud if this child--strangely worldly, strangely informed, maybe he should be suspicious of that, maybe he should be on his guard against it--didn't take that line of thinking into space, and then into the ocean.

He goes silent.

Dead silent.

Simon isn't the type for vivid flashbacks, so there's no repeating voice informatively intoning the words hull breach hull breach in his head--nothing so conspiciously obvious as that. But the feeling closing in around him, erasing the smaller enclosure of meagre stone and expanding reality to the size of one overbuilt submarine, welded shut--

The crack, the blood seeping in.

He doesn't have a body to respond to this the way it did back then. He doesn't have lungs or a heart. No vascular system, no adrenal system. But he still remembers it all. Every inch, every atom of his star-shaped core feels.... hot? He feels hot. He didn't know he could feel hot.]

Yeah,

[It comes out sounding distant.]

Yeah, I. Uh. I know. I know about submarines.

[He's dizzy, the distance increasing. He needs to go. He needs to move, to leave right now.]

Look, I gotta go. I gotta... I gotta go.

[He starts to roll away without even looking--just picking a direction based on a memory of where he is that remains somewhere beneath all the horrible feelings that are swirling inside.]

[seacub]

Huh-

[Emporio can't help but feel like he's said something...wrong.]

Uh- W- Wait-

Wait, I'm sorry..!! I'm sorry if it felt like I was pressuring you on this, but-

[He runs. Hobbles, more like, hoping that he can catch up easily enough to what amounts to a small rolling boulder.]

I really mean it when I say we should probably find a good way to keep you from having to roll around like this, even if it's just temporary..!!

[i_can_read]

[Simon isn't really listening--or rather, he isn't hearing. Whether or not he can physically hear Emporio is unrelated. He's rolling fast--much faster than the short-legged lizard boy can stumble after him--the inside of his brain so overwhelmingly full that it does not occur to him to stop, or look at where he's going, or anything.

He's just going, and he continues right up until he

Well

Well, he finds a road, and speeds up. Which he doesn't seem to notice at all--feeling the difference in velocity or momentum is one thing, but caring about it is another. If anything, it's a boon--he doesn't want to be around anyone right now, actually, because he doesn't want to talk, or be talked to, and he's trying extremely hard to keep it together but he can feel how close the walls of his stone exterior are to his energy core, he can feel how tightly sealed and how solid they are, how secure and how protective, how safe and how confining. This isn't any different, it's not any different at all and this is the only thing holding his mental state together even as he tries to escape the logistics of it, too much to think about, to feel and to realise he is living in. Forever.

He's so focused on this that he does not remember to check his path in accordance with his speed, and so the stairs take him by surprise.

From Emporio's point of view, the minior practically flies off the top of the stairway, only to hit its first step a few feet down. It bounces--

And bounces again, and again, and again, and--]

[seacub]

[Emporio still chases after.

But Emporio is also smarter than some might give credit, even now. In his mind, he's running a small simulation of paths. Of the layout of the city, and the ways a rolling ball of rock and trauma might take them. He diverts- he takes a turn that Simon did not, takes a short cut, so that he might head the Minior off once again.

He does this, and comes back out in time to watch a rock-slide of one, as Simon bounces step to step to step in ways that make the Cubone wince with every strike.

Simon is as large as he is. That doesn't matter right now. What matters, Emporio thinks, is that in a very strange way, he's a lot more durable than the Minior.]

I've got you..!

[Simon knows how big Emporio is. He saw him with his own eyes for at least a second.

He also won't be able to stop this unless he magically finds a way to float, which means that Emporio's wide-armed 'catch' is going to look more like being blown over by a rock and taking the Cubone with him.] GMNH-

[i_can_read]

The good news, such as it is, is that while Simon is starting to get a really good idea of how it would have felt to have been the sub when he rammed that monstrous abomination... the stone shell that covers him is completely flush with his energy-matter core. Which means that he isn't reliving the experience of being a smaller life form made of meat and bone being ricocheted around inside a submarine that's ramming an alien horror several times its size at top speed.

The bad news is that all the speed and momentum he's built up are completely unchecked, and so when Simon--stone shell and all--hits Emporio, it's at full velocity. One second, he's bouncing hard off what he assumes is solid rock. The next, 90 lbs of combined rock-and-starstuff hits something else.

And Simon feels that impact.

He feels it, and he can feel the difference between hitting another stair and hitting whatever-he-just-hit immediately. The lack of rebound, the continued sensation of forward movement....

His brain loads the words that preceded the event just a second too late.

I've got you...!

FUCK.]

FUCK--!!

[seacub]

[Yep.

Yep.

Simon has, successfully, crashed directly into someone equally his size and maybe his weight. It's a hell of a flying tackle- one that definitely knocks the wind out of Emporio, at least!

But-] UGh...

...We really need to find something you can see through, I think...and roll better in...

[TAKING IT LIKE A CHAMP???]

[i_can_read]

....

Oh, fuck.

Fuck. I'm sorry.

[Simon's voice is muffled, but sincere--he sounds almost pathetic, or maybe just defeated. Maybe just tired.]

I--how did you--wait. Did you try to catch me??

[He is very confused, as well as very sorry. This is a lot. He's still reeling from a minute ago when the submarine subject became too much for him. Now this.]

[seacub]

It...it's okay...

[It really isn't but that's hardly the point right now. Dizzily, Emporio manages to stand back up.

Somehow.]

O- Of course I did..!! You were rolling off again, who knows where you could have ended up! It's dangerous!!

[Says the child who just got run over.]

[i_can_read]

....

[Simon is silent for a few seconds. On the one (nonexistent) hand, he's processing the fact that this literal child tried to catch him. Maybe because he's a kid, or maybe...?

Maybe that's the other hand. (Which also doesn't exist.)]

Dangerous.

[He repeats this like he has no idea what's dangerous here.]

[seacub]

Well. Yeah. Rolling around means possibly rolling off something, or around the wrong corner...or you could even wear the stone away.

...it was why I thought finding a sturdier material with something transparent to see through would be a good idea.

[He is, vaguely, still holding onto Simon. Either to support the Minior, or to support himself- unclear which.]

...Are you okay?

[He really asked that huh.]

[i_can_read]

[Wear the rock away?

That had not occurred to Simon. At all.

The instant it sinks into his brain, however, it comes with a spike of fear--real fear. Not a fighting instinct, not a killer's agitation, but actual, genuine heart-stopping fear.]

No.

[He says it honestly, without thinking.]

I mean. Yeah. I'm--I'm fine. Right now. I'm okay. I'm. Uh. I don't like that. The thing you said about wearing the stone away. That's... that's bad.

[It does not occur to him to ask if the kid is okay. Sorry, Emporio. He assumes that if he's supposed to know something, he'll be told.]

[seacub]

[Emporio stares.]

...It's okay to not be, you know. [He is, in fact, still holding the rock that is Simon. Being similar in size, both are on the ground, but that's a hold.]

I mean, no one's gonna be 'okay' all the time. That's just being...uh.

...not human exactly, but, alive I guess?

[Not everyone here Was human, and also, Pokemon have feelings, so he's careful about his words.]

Wearing stone takes a while, but repeated friction would hasten the process. So, the best thing for this is to figure out how to protect and maintain this rock, while finding a better replacement.

[He pauses, considers it...] ...And maybe teach you floating?

[i_can_read]

[Simon is silent.

He doesn't really have a response to 'it's okay to not be' and all of what follows. It's just... it's not something anyone has ever said to him, in any way, and ultimately he decides it's kind of a stupid lie. But whatever. He's talking to a child, and this reminds him of that. Not that it really makes it make more sense, but he does decide he doesn't want to argue with a child. Not about that.

The child does have a point, though.

He is alive. He's alive, and he wants to stay that way.]

I... I guess? Reinforcing it makes sense. I think I can do that. Or not me, but someone. Metal is stronger, I could find some--some iron, or something?

[He wants to wince. He doesn't have anything to wince with. So he just kind of sits there inside his rock, thinking out loud.]

I don't think I can.... make a rock float, though. That doesn't make sense.

[seacub]

There's some rocks that float! ...It also seems to be related to some innate ability though, [the boy explains somewhat apologetically.]

So far, other recovered Minior have been able to levitate about a foot off the ground without too much trouble...so it's probably something to practice.

[...Somehow.]

I definitely don't recommend iron though, [he says immediately.] That can seem durable, but it's not really as resistant to the elements the way treated steel would be...And it'd be heavy. I think if anything, treating something lightweight with a resistant solution is the best bet. I bet with the right research, we could even recreate something like carbon fiber!

[Why's he excited about this!!!]

[i_can_read]

[Right. Yeah. Iron rusts. Simon realised that as soon as he said it, and now he's left feeling pretty stupid.]

I don't know what that is.

[Wow. That did not make him feel better.]

[seacub]

That's okay! It's really neat, I read a lot about it-

[Apparently it doesn't matter if someone doesn't know a thing, because that just means Emporio is taking the happy excuse to talk alllll about it.]

They're fibers made from carbon atoms! It's kind of expensive to make things like that, but they're really durable, while being really, really light! So much that even using them to contribute to other materials raises their strength significantly! Of course, you'd also end up trading out some of the strengths doing that...carbon fiber polymer tends to be pretty rigid, for example, but the important thing is that it'd be really easy to make something that floats with it!! They use it in aircraft after all!