victory_road | Fourth Wall!

[Video]
[A feed opens up on the network early Friday morning with Hiccup in a very dark place.]

Um… a little help here?!

[The picture moves from his face to pan around his surroundings. It’s mostly rock, and water, though there’s a structure behind him that looks like a shrine.]

I went to sleep in Cherrygrove City last night and woke up to… this. No idea where I am or how to get out. Can’t a guy get some sleep without being sent to a cave?

[Blackthorn City]

Whether someone comes to help him or he manages to find a way out himself, Hiccup eventually gets out of the Dragon’s Den and comes into Blackthorn.

There’s dragons… everywhere. The young man gawking as he sees a bunch of dragon Pokémon sailing through the sky or stomping around the city. Hiccup running a hand through his hair as he walks and turns around and doesn’t watch where he’s going and…

“WHOA!” He stumbles out of the way just in time as a flock of Wooloo also come running through. Sheep??? This place is strangely starting to feel like home!

As he continues to take it all in he doesn’t see the big black shape coming. Swooping down from behind and tackling him.

“AAH! … Toothless?”

The big black dragon is doing an excited full body wiggle, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he pants in Hiccup’s face.

“Hey buddy! I’m happy to see you too!” Hiccup’s arms coming around the dragon’s head as he gives him a hug.

[Celadon City - Early]

As soon as she wakes up in the Pokemon Center something feels… off. The room she’s in feels much more sterile than it usually did. The walls were gleaming white and the bunks were something like what you would find on a ship in her galaxy. This was definitely not how things looked when she fell asleep.

Completely perplexed she puts on her armor and… wait… is that her jet pack?! Putting that on too she grabs her things and heads out into the main area where several robotic Chansey are walking around. That’s… different. A bit weirded out now she walks out the door only to find the landscape of Celadon has completely changed! The buildings far taller and more numerous than they had been before and all gleaming with their chrome exteriors.

What is going on? Just standing there holding her things, Bo-Katan simply stares at everything. Then to make it weirder, a strange Pokémon comes running up to greet her. The Miraidon in Low Power Mode acting as if its always known her, and she pets its metallic head uncertainly.

“What’s happening?”

[Celadon and Surrounding Areas Later]

If anyone in or around Celadon happens to look up, they might see a Mandalorian jetting through the skies. Not too unusual to see people wearing jet packs around here, but Bo’s armor is still very distinct.

Roaring past the windows of the tall buildings, she flies to the top of skyscrapers. Viewing the ships that cruise by at very high altitudes. Not caring if she startles anyone as she just enjoys flying again and checking out this strange new layout of the city.

You actually might find her suddenly landing next to you even! Taking off her helmet and uttering a quick apology if she startles you.

[Video]

[Bo even pops up on the network eventually! Her red hair blowing in the breeze as she sits high atop a building.]

What’s going on?

[Surely someone must know? She can’t be the only one seeing this either!]

Edited 2023-11-17 17:27 (UTC)

[Goldenrod City]

As much as this is a nice change of scenery, a man walking around in robes certainly sticks out in this futuristic setting. Obi-Wan had been enjoying tea while sitting on his meditation platform in Temba when suddenly he was here. He’s confused and disoriented to say the least. Not that strange things didn’t usually happen but… not quite like this?

The tall gleaming cities remind him a lot of Coruscant but this clearly isn’t the same. With the Jedi looking lost as he walks around, cloak billowing around him, and a lightsaber clipped to his belt. The bearded man giving the strange droid-like animals some curious looks as he passes them by.

Eventually he just has to ask and walks up to the first person he sees. Even if they are looking just as lost as he is.

“Pardon the intrusion, but would you be so kind as to tell me where I am?”

Edited 2023-11-17 17:40 (UTC)

[Celadon City]

Well there, for some, is a familiar Mandalorian walking around the futurized city, and look! He even has a pokemon following him around. Grogu for his part is staring around at the new surroundings. Taking it in with that typical wide eyed childish stare.

Din for his part is little annoyed to be here. Last he remembered, he was sitting outside his cabin on Navarro, watching his son play at their little pond. Then he was being unceremoniously dumped on his ass as the scenery changed around them. Now the two of them are searching the city for familiar faces, and a way to get out of here.

Din is also not exactly enjoying the fact that there's robotic animals all over the place. This is reminding him of Plazir-15. Hopefully he doesn't wind up kicking any of them.

[Wildcard?]

[Open to throwing this idiot and his child other places too.]

[Arrival - Goldenrod]

Wow, I can't believe how tall these buildings are! Every thing looks like something from a sci-fi novel!

[A young boy dressed in blue is running around the streets, seemingly looking for someone. He seems... very lost. And it's a bit distressing being a kid who's mentor figure just kind of disappeared.]

Professor! Where are you? Can you believe this place?! Everything's all metal-y!

... Where is the Professor, anyway? Where did we get split up?

[... He hopes he isn't here by himself. He'll continue running around, thankfully he doesn't run into any cars as he zips across the street - they're all flying!]

[Meeting Pokemon - Still Goldenrod]

[The weirdest thing about this place is all the robotic creatures that are seen roaming about. Luke tries to interact with a robotic golden fox - but he doesn't get very far in the conversation before it runs off. And all this time - he's been carrying a mysterious ball on him that he doesn't know what it's for. Suddenly, it shakes in his hand, and a small Teddiursa pops out.]

Oh hello! I didn't even know you could fit in there...? Uh anyway, your the first non-robot creature I've seen around her-AH!

[The Teddiursa makes a lunge for Luke's face. It's hard to tell what's going on, but Luke is in a bit of a panic.]

AHHH it's eating my face! Get off!!!

[He seems... fine? Seems like the Teddiursa just wanted to jump on him.]

[Celadon City]

[Mirabel still remembers his last run in Johto, though she doesn't remember it looking like this! Flying cars, tall metal buildings, everything looks... so strange. But her map says it's Celadon City and she has Ladrillo with her again, so....?]

... Yeah, no way this is Celadon City.

[Is the map wrong? She's not sure, but she sees a metal Delibird pass by, and gawks at it. She recognizes the Pokemon!! But why is it covered in metal!?]

What IS this place?

[Robot Pokemon]

[Mirabel thinks to herself, I've got to get myself one of these cool-looking new Pokemon! That... look like old Pokemon! It's fine! She spots a robotic-looking Sharpedo, and immediately sends out Ladrillo to battle it. Except... in one swoop, the Sharpedo knocks out Ladrillo - guess Mirabel's a little rusty about typing. With her one Pokemon knocked out, she starts sweating as the Sharpedo seems a little annoyed with the battle.

And zooms towards her, snarling.

Mirabel takes off running.]

I'm sorry I just wanted to catch youuuu!!!

[ ...Ah. This was not her home.

Minfilia had to repeat to herself, internally, that it was just one of those weekends. (She hoped.)

But she found herself an artificial garden. And even here, with these robotic and chrome Pokemon and false plants and trees, all feels well.

Her Pachirisu is playing with an Iron Mouse, playfully chirping.

Yet, she seems to be looking around for things that look less. Mechanical. Perhaps she sees you, and rushes over?

...or, later, you see her with what looks like some form of mechanical suit, examining it happily. And then-- bam! She's using Pokemon attacks herself! She is so fascinated by the abilities, and having so much fun! And it's an entire arena for fighting in this manner! ~~pokemon reBURST says what~~

...Or you witness the time where Minfilias' Great Tusk is freaking out even more and is trying to fight an Iron Treads, Minfilia trying to recall her terrified Pokemon. ]

[ Arrival - Celadon City ]
--In fact, I dare say that there could better, more permanent ways to power machinery than the conventional means. Batteries and clockwork could be a thing of the... Past?

[ A strange man who seems to be dressed halfway between scruffy electrician and old timey convict opens his eyes and finds himself in the middle of a futuristic city, discussing his opinions on technology to a random Rotom. ]

Ah... Miss? [ He glances about at his surroundings. This is clearly not the manor he had been invited to, and this was clearly not the young lady who asked for his opinions... Even though the buzzing thing seemed invested in what he had to say. ]

Hello? Anyone? Where am I?!

[ He proceeds to wander about aimlessly with the rotom trailing behind him like a lost puppy. ]

[ Route 8, towards Lavender Town ]
[ After he manages to get his bearings, Luca's confusion swiftly turns to curiosity. This technology is leagues beyond what his world is used to! What's powering it all?

His investigation takes him on the road to Lavender Town. It's probably a good thing that rotom continued to follow him around, because he ends up running into a robotic ralts on the way there. ]

A robotic child? [ He walks closer, reaching out to try and grab the machine. He doesn't get far at all before the ralts sees him and cries out for its... Parent? Gaurdian? Whatever this angry robotic humanoid that came running to its aid is???

Luca's eyes widen as the Iron Valiant brandishes their blades. ] Oh dear.

[ Then the Iron Valiant begins to charge. ]

OH GOD! [ Luca ducks out of the way, just barely avoiding the pokemon's blade. They proceed to chase him down the road. ]

[ Lavender Town ]
[ One misadventure later...

You might find Luca and his new Rotom buddy near the power plant. Like everything else in the area, the building has inexplicably become much more advanced. He wants to see how advanced, but he's having trouble getting himself signed up for a tour. No, a "virtual tour" of the plant does not count for him, it must be in person... ]

Brilliant. We may need to find a more direct way in... [ He mutters to himself as he ponders the advanced fingerprint scanner near the door. That's probably a lock, but how does one crack it...? ]

1) A RANDOM SPACESHIP PORT

What do you mean you're not doing pilot testing?

[Oh, oh Shiro. Buddy. It's not going to happen. You're standing there, arguing with a bored-looking official at the new space port. An official who explains, again, that the piloting tests don't operate on the weekends, and no, they can't make an exception.]

Okay. Fine. [He rubs at the bridge of his nose, exhaling. At his feet, his Umbreon crouches down, hissing at a robotic-looking Snubbull behind the glass counter.] What about just - in the atmosphere? Are those available?

[... help him. He's so close to flying. Please help him.]

(2) ANY CITY
[The problem with being accompanied by something as big as an Aggron is you... really can't hide it. But there's no keeping Kuro in his ball on a weekend like this. Not when the world suddenly looks so strange. Not when there are so many odd creatures out and about.]

[In this instance, the big Aggron has its head set on Shiro's shoulder, giving a death-glare to the ... the what. Is. That. The robot's trainer is staring at Shiro and Kuro like they've just seen a ghost.]

You don't need to call the Jennies, seriously. He's trained, he's not going to hurt anything - [To which the person starts yelling about a monster and pointing dramatically. Shiro's Aggron clearly bristles, but stays put, protectively.]

... seriously?

[He is so tired.]

(3) wildcard;
( anything else? Make your own scenario anywhere! Shiro is usually followed by either his Aggron, or his Umbreon, and can be anywhere in Johto/Kanto.)

1 - Shapeshifting Fun

Oh!

It's one of those weekends!

Rose never knows when one is coming, but it's always a delightful surprise when it happens. Humanity and being human is something she loves, but it's fun to be her old self for a few days. Like a little vacation, only instead of another place she's another thing. There's just so much she can do as a Gem that she can't as a human - and of course the opposite is true.

But there's one thing she's always eager to do when she wakes up a Gem once more.

Shapeshift.

While she loves her human shape, it's just so much fun to try others on for size! And there's so many to try!

Not even sure where she is after stepping out her front door, Rose doesn't care. It doesn't matter. Geography is just a vague suggestion on these weekends anyway and it's almost impossible to get anywhere on purpose. The where is immaterial. What does matter is that she has space to shapeshift and try out being a new Pokemon.

With a few moments of effort - sometimes it's a little hard to remember just how to do it - Rose shifts and blurs and her physical projection rearranges itself into...a large rose pink Dragonite. The insides of her wings are so pale a pink they're almost white. Oh this is a fun shape! She looks down at herself with delight, looking over her shoulder and flapping her little wings while waggling her tail.

She takes a few experimental stomps, like a giant lizard in a B movie advancing on a city, and laughs in delight.

The Future!

Now this is very different.

Rose was sure she'd just been in Mahogany, but this...well, this building looks almost like something from her own planet. Or other planets she'd seen. Nothing like this exists anywhere in Johto or Kanto, and she'd know. She's explored every inch possible to explore in both regions.

"Goodness..."

It's not the first time a place has appeared during these weekends. But what was that creature she'd caught a glimpse of. It looked like maybe some sort of mechanical Pokemon! Well, this certainly deserves some investigation! Curiously, she calls out to anyone else she sees in the immediate are.

"Do you know what that strange building is?"

C - Wildcard

[OOC: It's fourth wall, Rose will be all over, and I'm up for almost anything! Feel free to just toss a starter at me or pitch me an idea.]

(1) ROBOT MODE
This is a world he knows. Or, at least, one more familiar to him than Johto or Kanto ever was. The way the skyscrapers dominate the horizon, the metal and glass of it all. What a better chance to stretch his wings! Because, you see, Shadowmaru is himself again - that is to say, a giant robot. A giant purple robot. When he's not flying, he's crouched on the roof of a building, observing the streets and... odd creatures below.

"Are they AI...?"

Like him? Or like Pokemon? What is this? What's happening here? His musing isn't exactly subtle - he can be seen from the street below. Especially, if he knows you. Then he's coming down to show off.

(2) ~~DOG~~ WOLF MODE
You'd be forgiven for thinking the... canine trotting along the street was another of the new robotic pokemon. The fact he seems to have attracted a following of robotic Electrike and Rockruff doesn't help matters.

Though... if you do try to throw a pokeball, it bounces off him harmlessly, and earns a deadpan stare.

"Is that meant to be a joke?" asks the big purple robot dog. Whose eyes flash at every word. Yeah, that's still Shadowmaru. Oops.

(3) wildcard;
( hit me up! Shadowmaru is sticking to the cities, in his robot form. He's about 17 feet tall and bright purple. So that's normal.)

[This is not at all where Chip had expected to wake up. It also isn't when they expected to wake up, but that's a problem for later. They waste little time in rushing out of Mom's house, and...onto a sci-fi set?]

[It doesn't take long for Chip's distress at being 'kidnapped' to melt away into delight at the futuristic mirror of Johto they've found themself in. So enthused they are, in fact, that they completely miss the NPCs gawking at the Salandit clinging to the top of their head and the...wait, what is that on their shoulder? They sure do treat the thing like a Pokemon, but there's no way it's in the Pokedex.]

I wonder what kind of Paliens 're around here? [Abruptly the kid turns to you, all smiles and nearly vibrating with ill-contained excitement.] Hey, are there any Gyms around here?

Open - Various Prompts All Over

This is a particularly strange Strange Weekend.

Lust is back to being a homunculus, eerily pale and technically not alive in the biological sense. An annoyance to an unpleasantness, depending on her mood at any given moment. But it fades in the face of the eerie, metal buildings that she sometimes stumbles onto or the odd Pokemon that can be found around them. Or the things in the sky that sometimes zip overhead.

Sometimes she approaches to investigate, cautiously, curious but not trusting something so alien.

Other times she can be found bounding up the sides of Goldenrod's regular buildings, or Ecruteak's. If she's stuck like this for the weekend, she may as well use it for something she enjoys. She runs across rooftops and uses lampposts as stepping stones. Sometimes it's as though she's dropped right out of the sky, landing next to some passerby without warning...

And it wouldn't be a strange weekend without Lust having to chase after one of her Eevelutions. Watch out for the extremely quick Leafeon that's decided to explore all the strange new things the weekend has to offer, he has no qualms about running right over anyone in his way. Lust, at least, is a bit more polite in her pursuit.

A bit.

Closed to Scar

It's immediate. The realization hits as soon as waking does. Every fiber of herself feels different - but familiar. The absence of the usual little aches and stiffness that morning normally brings, of that heavy limbed feeling, of sticky sleep in her eyes. All of it gone, because dead things don't need to worry about any of that. Even things like the sensation of her bedding, normally so pleasant and comfortable, seems somehow dulled. But maybe that's just her imagination.

The second thing she realizes is that he is right beside her, soon to wake as he rises early, and he'll know immediately, too.

Unfortunate.

Things are different now. She is different now. Not out of any magical solution, but through years of slowly working on herself. This stark and impossible to ignore reminder of how things were is very poorly timed. It's all been going so well, them both discovering new and previously hidden sides of one another. Some corner had been turned but now...

There's nothing to do for it. Three days. It lasts three days.

She lays on her back in bed, staring at the ceiling. All will be madness outside anyhow, there's no great urge to get up and out of bed. Only a part of her that thinks maybe she should get up before him, not be here cold and lacking a spark of life to greet him first thing...

Closed to Envy

Lust isn't here with much enthusiasm. But Envy had urged and cajoled her into coming out with him. He hardly has anyone else he can ask, they're the only two of their kind in the world. Something she grows more and more tired of, each time it happens.

But he's her brother. And god knows she's subjected him to some things he'd rather not have to be exposed to in the past few months. The least she can do is leap around and extreme parkour with him for an afternoon. That part of it...well, it's not so bad. If nothing else, it will eat up some of the weekend.

"Alright, here I am." In all her homunculus glory. "What did you have in mind?"

Keith could be found hovering near the spaceport all day. Was he considering stealing a ship? Probably. Could he be stopped from doing it? Maybe. Could he be talked into doing it? Highly likely.

But, for now, he mostly looked annoyed that something so relatively similar to something from home was right there in front of him and he couldn't immediately do a damn thing about it.

He hated it.

And, yet, here he was... torturing himself.

It was one of those weekends again, wasn't it? Romelle's first clue was waking up from sleeping, having somehow been moved during her sleep to a random patch of grass in Celadon City.

Ugh.

Her second clue? When she opened the door to the Pokecenter, and almost ripped it off its hinges because of the return of her Altean strength.

Oops.

Her third? Where did all these futuristic (modern, for her) buildings come from? This looked more like things that she'd seen during her travels with Team Voltron than anything she was used to in PokeWorld.

Wow!

Now... to find a way back to her regular street clothes so she could change out of her pijamas... maybe this door will do it... She stepped through.

Edited 2023-11-20 02:22 (UTC)

[You find yourself ~~on a path in the woods~~ in a parking lot. People need parking lots in this day and age. It's the future! There are vehicles more often! But these vehicles are strange and off-putting.]

[So ...]

[Clearly.]

[We are building our own cars today. With a magic sticky hand. Plucking tires from these strange, inexplicable machines. Putting them together again in a weird sort of. Open flatbed configuration. It's... sure a thing. And the creature currently building it, using one hand to manipulate the materials like with some kind of magic beam... looks a bit displeased.]

[A couple pokemon - Flygon, and sleepy-looking Dragapult - are watching this with rapt attention. Like it's a tennis game.]

Hm. Inelegant. But... serviceable, I suppose.

Luna was fascinated with all of it. She'd never seen buildings like this. Sure, she'd seen very tall things, and haphazardly constructed things; buildings that, for all intents and purposes, should have fallen before they'd even been completed. And many of her muggle-raised and muggle-familiar friends had told her stories about this 'science fiction' genre of entertainment that talked of the future and fancy technology. But she'd never actually seen anything like it before.

She wandered the streets, staring quite openly at everything and with no cares at all if people thought it was weird for her to stare so much.

Ella, her Spinda, was fascinated by a cute robot counterpart called Iron Teeter.

{OOC: Iron Teeter source}

Celadon City

[The blond teen wandering the streets of Celadon seems more than a little confused by his surroundings.

Thing is, it's not the futuristic nature of the city. Heartland City, his hometown, was also pretty darn futuristic, if in a more colourful way. Nor is it the robotic creatures; Heartland casually had trashbots roaming the streets and Kaito himself had a robot companion he built himself.

No, what's bothering him is the fact that this is not where he thought he'd go after what happened on the moon.

Suddenly something catches in his hair from behind and he startles, reaching to grab whatever it is and pull it out with a frustrated grumble. Grabbing hold of the thing, he yanks it out of his hair and into view to find that it's some sort of...lizard creature, if one that looks like it was hybridized with a tiny rocket. The lizard (a robotic Dreepy) blinks its LED eyes up at Kaito. Kaito, in turn, stares down at it, before putting it down on a nearby bench.]

There, go on. [The Dreepy does not go on, instead latching onto Kaito's hand and clambering up to his shoulder at surprising speed for something that only has its little arms to grip with. Settling in on its perch, the Dreepy blinks up at Kaito again, who only sighs in defeat.]

...Alright, fine. You can stay. [This is still better than what he expected, all things considered.]

[Action/Arrival]

[Unfamiliar city? Check. No recollection of how he got here? Check. Lots of strange creatures running around? Tri-ple check. The look on man's face screams 'well, this may as well happen' as he walks through the streets, taking things in quietly (a stark contrast to his sense of fashion). For someone who was dead but is now pointed not, Jotaro's remarkably calm.

For now anyway.

Golisopod and Grapploct are natural enemies in the wild, and while its weird that the duo are beefing in the city, it's not unusual for those two evolutionary lines to fight. So anyone with a Pokedex may not be entirely surprised that a wild Golisopod bullying a tiny Clobbopus, clawing it with the small claws on its front legs.

The bug punts the poor creature off into a bin, making it shriek in surprise and pain. The Golisopod grins(?) and moves in for the kill. However, Jotaro immediately steps in front of the taller bug and glares at it.]

Oy, oy... Bullying kids? Don't you have any self respect? [To what would be a suicidal move for most, Jotaro steps in front of the smaller Pokemon. He scowls at the Golisopod.] Why don't you pick on someone your own size, you oversized Arthropod?

[The Golispod clicks its mandibles angrily and immediately slashes at Jotaro. Jotaro jumps back as the creature screeches at him.]

Honestly... It's guys like you that piss me off. ORA!

[And Jotaro just fucking punches the Golisopod under the chin, completely bypassing its hard shell. It's not enough to take out the creature but the Pokemon is at least stunned.

Jotaro doesn't seem to have any Pokemon... so even though he seems fine, maybe he needs a hand?]

-------

[Video]

Good grief.

[The camera turns on to show a beach. It's hard to discern which beach is it because the screen is largely taken up by Jotaro's chest and a poor Clobbopus that's a little too close to the camera. The poor Pokemon looks like its been crying and its covered in bandages.]

So, I patched this little guy up and he was fine for the last few hours. But he started crying suddenly and I can't figure out why. Anyone good with...

Clobbopus!

Yeah, that.

[VIDEO]

[ The video starts like any other on the Poke'Net. It's a nice shot of a few Pidoves eating bread crumbs in the park. Suddenly the camera spins around to reveal Mister Beetled Juice with his wild eyes and wide grin. He twists his finger into his hair and yanks his head right off his shoulders with a scream. The feed ends as suddenly as it began. ]

Around the Corner

Beetlejuice hasn't felt this alive in ages--which is kind of weird because today he is dead. Very dead.

The ghoul lurks in the chrome alleyways waiting for passers by. At just the right moment he leaps into view with a loud scream and distorts his body as creepy crawlies writhe across his clothes.

"EEEEEYYYAAAAAGGHHHH!!!"

In the background, his Mimikyu cheers and claps its shadowy hands.

Downtime

When he isn't busy scaring people, robbing establishments, or starting fires, Beetlejuice can be found reclining in mid air as though he were draped across a lounge. With one leg kicked over the other, he relaxes and plucks at the strings of his banjolele.

"Dumm tee dum dum..."

Hiccup | How to Train Your Dragon | OTA

Bo-Katan | The Mandalorian | OTA

Obi-Wan Kenobi | Star Wars CRAU | OTA

Din Djarin | The Mandalorian/BoBF | OTA

Luke Triton | Professor Layton