victory_road | Area Zero Field Trip

Early in the week, Riegfried and Soy sent out a recorded video: an invitation for all guests on this Paldean vacation to join them on a little field trip into Area Zero within the Great Crater of Paldea. It is a spot known for fascinating explorers, academics, and seasoned battlers, however is generally off-limits due to the dangerous nature of the very powerful pokemon within. Which makes it the perfect place for a little study trip!

(They add that the trip was approved by the Paldea League, which is in charge of granting such access, but isn’t the idea of heeding the call of adventure no matter what more thrilling?)

Anyone interested in spending two days in Area Zero will be asked to gather in front of the Academy on the morning of the 9th, from where flying taxis will take everybody to the Gate Entrance. From there, warp panels bring you inside the crater, to the first of many research stations. While most of the space within is dedicated to computers and scientific equipment, the sleeping quarters have plenty of beds to accommodate you all overnight.

You are also met here by several of the scientists stationed at this research station who have an offer for you. While you can just explore the area on your own, you could also contribute to the general body of knowledge and understanding and perhaps complete an assignment or two.

Completely optional. Really. If you can resist five harried scientists giving you big Lillipup eyes.

Outside the research station, Area Zero awaits. The grassy ground spirals down in a corkscrew pattern with occasional caves branching off. A wide river with rushing waterfalls cuts its own way through. Light sparkles off of crystal formations and gives a glittering appearance to the whole space, which is otherwise dimmed by a foggy mist. Area Zero lives up to its reputation when it comes to mystery, but as for danger? The Pokemon up here seem to be a little stronger than others encountered in Paldea, but all things considered, they hardly seem worth being warned about.

But there is the sense of something more. Maybe you hear clicks and whirs coming from something unseen, or see a colorful glow that fades before you can reach it. You may simply be unable to shake the feeling you’re being watched.

And even at the higher points of Area Zero, you may outright see the source of all this: Creatures that resemble familiar Pokemon, but behave like machines. Despite their appearance, the PokeGear recognizes them as true Pokemon.

These Pokemon are reclusive until the trip leads to Area Zero’s depths, but within those underground caverns it’s a different story. More of the Pokemon there share that robotic quality than not. Some display aggression, some fear, and others curiosity. This is their home, and visitors from the outside world are so rare. How can they be sure what to expect?

Anyway, have fun, be safe, and make sure you are back at the Research station at 10PM on the 10th. We are only allowed to leave 10% of participants behind!

IC post | FAQ post | Badges
Map & Availability | Calendar
School Assignments

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[His eyes widen a bit as he listens, with a long, low whistle. That sounded... Whoa. And he thought an endless water slide of time was a weird way to run a party.

There was something in Louie's tone there that caught him up, though. Something that sounded like he was talking about beyond here. Something that'd happened to him in his own world, or, from the subject, someone he cared about. Someone who had been brave and foolhardy, and they HAD gotten hurt, and it had still affected Louie. The tone humbles Gobo, and he looked off for a long moment before letting out a sigh.

Brave, yet still getting hurt. How many times could he keep putting his friends through that?]

...Yeah. You've got a really good point. That's definitely something I need to keep in mind way more than I actually do.

[His hands crossed slightly, one fiddling with the sleeve on the other.]

It's really hard when all I want is for my friends to be safe and for bad things to just stop happening for five minutes. Fraggles aren't supposed to go through weird time tubes and radish blights and polluted droughts, we're supposed to have fun and make music! [He laughed softly after a moment, without much humor.] Well okay, that's not actually fair and not what I actually think, either. We're not excluded from bad stuff, of course not. No one is. It's what happens after...

[He trailed off a moment, looking up and away as if he could see the Crobats in the high and dark eaves of the caves.]

...And my "after" has gotta stop being foolhardishly runnin' into danger. I've already got one friend who worries after me constantly, even if- [Still a small laugh, but a more genuine one this time] -worrying is what he does anyway.

[Then he was serious again as he looked over at Louie.]

There shouldn't be two. And... I'm sorry. I know it was just one moment this time, but I guess that's just this time. And you're right, I gotta be smarter about things.

Edited 2024-06-05 04:23 (UTC)

[Louie's pace slows more and more as Gobo speaks, starting the very moment he says it's a good point. He hadn't expected that at all, frankly. He knows his share of people who are too brave - stupidly brave - no matter the facts or the odds they're faced with. More than his share, if you ask him.

And yeah, a lot of them get hurt because of it. If they ever admit they need to be safer and more careful, it's not until after they get hurt. Them, or someone close to them. Sure, it sounds like maybe Gobo may have experienced that, but it's one thing to assume that from what he's saying. It's nothing Louie's heard about, and he's so stunned that by the time Gobo's done saying his piece, he's come to a stand-still.

He's stunned, certainly too caught off guard for all the details to click; things like radish blights or the fact that Gobo apparently considers him a friend despite how infrequently they've talked. It's a good kind of stunned, though- Or at least, mostly good. It's cool to have someone just see it like that! And it'll be good if Gobo does get more careful about these things.

But what does he say to that? It was nice, he just doesn't know where to go from here.]

I mean, you don't need to be sorry or anything, but- Yeah. That sounds...

[It sounds what, good? No, really, what does he even say here? He feels a little silly that's it so difficult, but having an emotionally open discussion after a harrowing run-in with danger isn't fair.]

Thanks, Gobo.

[It would be lying to say that Gobo didn't notice Louie's hesitation, in more than just stopping in place. He wondered what he'd said, mostly because he was being open and honest about all that. Was that... not how people usually went about it?

Well even if it wasn't, it was how he did. So he tossed out his own hesitation about that and nodded, offering Louie a smile.]

Yeah, of course! It's just how I feel, eh?

[His smile softens- dampens? -a bit after a moment.]

It's a lot of tough emotional stuff and I'm just learning all of it as I go, but... [A brief pause at a thought.] That's just all of us, isn't it. There's a Fraggle song that goes, "This game is hard enough when you're playing on your own. Let the dreams we share begin to guide us home."

[And yes that was a little bit in rhythm and tune.]

We're all just learning as we go, but it's not just up to us, it's the existence of the people we care about and who care about us that helps us be our best selves.

[Then he laughed softly, rubbing the back of his head.]

That sounds pretty corny, doesn't it?

Yeah, it's pretty corny.

[His tone is even, bordering on uninterested, but he's smiling- He can't help it. Corny isn't his style, but he's not sure he'd call it corny if its sincere. And Gobo seems just as sincere here as he has every other time they've spoke. What he said is sappy, sure, and that's... Well, it's still not Louie's style, but it can be comforting in its own way.

And while he's quick to change the topic of conversation, it's not just for the sake of moving on from the sappiness at all.]

Hey, if you haven't picked a birthday for yourself yet... You should. And tell me when you do, okay? I'll get you a gift.

[He shrugs.]

I owe you, for getting me out of that cave.

[That was something that genuinely surprised him, and he laughed after a moment, not out of derision but in a warm, if startled way.]

Aww c'mon, you don't have to do that! I would've done it anyway, I don't need any "this for that" in return.

Don't worry about it. Trust me, I wouldn't offer if I didn't really want to.

[Maybe Gobo would've battled anyway, but that's not why Louie wants to give him the gift- not exactly. Louie's team might have been fine to handle this, really, but he knew that already. He still hadn't planned on leaving that little cave, he'd been too scared.

There were a few people here he knew he cared about enough to put himself danger for, and frankly? He doesn't count Gobo among them. Well, maybe now he will, after talking. It's kind of cool that he'd wanted to go out and help anyway. Sometimes taking a risk like that is stupid and only stupid, but he's glad to see that when it's not, he's got it in him. Even for someone he doesn't consider a close friend. He wasn't sure until now.]

But you gotta let me know ahead of the day you pick, so I have time to figure something out.

[For his part, Gobo was quite touched by the offer. Nothing about this had seemed to be anything out of the ordinary for him, including the heart to heart, but it all had clearly meant a lot. So with a warm smile he nodded.]

Yeah! I might get a bit distracted and tell ya a little late, but I'll do my best. You can count on that.

Area Zero Field Trip

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject