⇨ ALOLA

[ringleaders]

Who: EVERYONE.
When: Day 73 - Day 87
Where: The islands of Alola.
What: The Carnival arrives at its next touring location, a series of tropical islands inhabited by a species of animal called Pokemon and their trainers!
Warnings: Pokemon is pretty PG-rated.

IT'S A POKEMON WORLD↴ Alola is broken up into four different islands, with a number of unique points of interest. Boats can easily be rented in order to get between the islands, or you can just pay for the fair of a scheduled trip. If you can prove you have the skills for it, you can also call on a "Ride Pokemon" - that is, either a Charizard or a Lapras that will fly or swim you between locations. ► POPULATION: Though the islands appear very small as an abstraction in the actual games, that doesn't hold over into the actual reality of it. When interacting with the different locations, imagine that they are about as big and spread out as they would be in real life. It's about on the same scale as Hawaii is on earth. Ignore any wikis that say the population of each island is like 200 people, because that's just adding up all the scripted NPCs, and there are realistically more than six houses per town. ► AMENITIES: Even if they aren't overtly listed on island maps, it can be assumed that all towns and cities will have basic amenities - that is, places to eat, place to go to the washroom, places to buy souvenirs, and the other things one would expect in a tourist heavy area. You can also buy malasadas pretty much anywhere. ► POKECENTERS: You'll be able to find a Pokecenter in pretty much every town - a Pokecenter is a public building in which Pokemon Trainers can rest and get their Pokemon healed. Think of it like free international Pokemon healthcare. You can also buy Pokeballs here, as well as potions and other healing items for later use. ► AETHER FOUNDATION: A peace keeping organization that shelters Pokemon from harm and abuse. If you kill/maim any Pokemon or otherwise act violently in public, they will come to try to take you down with their Pokemon. They also are the main force working against Team Skull. MELEMELE ISLAND↴ [MELEMELE DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU KOKO] [WIKI LINK] ► TRAINER SCHOOL: A full fledged for young, aspiring Pokemon Trainers! Students go here to learn about Pokemon care and battling before setting out on their own journeys. It would be sort of weird for an adult to show up here, like it would for an adult to try to attend an elementary school, but you can probably learn some of the basics just from touring the facility. ► HAU'OLI SHOPPING DISTRICT: The biggest shopping district on Melemele, you can do a lot here, from eating out to getting your hair dyed. A lot of shops are, unsurprisingly, completely Pokemon focused - but there are some that aren't, too. There are also some very nice beach fronts nearby. ► BERRY FIELDS: Berries come in a lot of different types and have different effects when used. Mostly, Pokemon love to eat them, regardless of what type they are. This is a big field of them, most of which are free to take if you catch them when ripe. ► TEN CARAT HILL: The secluded interior of a small mountain, filled with some rare types of rock Pokemon. You have to be able to bypass the left overs of some recent rockslides to get in. ► TRIAL SITE: There is only one trial on this islands, which is the Normal type trial. All you have to do is fight a bunch of Pokemon ferrets, and then fight an even bigger Pokemon ferret that thirsts for your blood. It's not so bad. AKALA ISLAND↴ [AKALA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU LELE] [WIKI LINK] ► TIDE SONG HOTEL: A big ass hotel near the port - if you want to stay on Alola overnight, this is a pretty good place to go. It isn't too expensive, and is also rather nice. ► DIMENSIONAL RESEARCH LAB: Alola, on occasion, has been the site of various dimensional breaks (haha) in which extraplanar creatures called Ultra Beasts have crossed over. There isn't much information about these beasts, but they are something that are being actively studied. Characters who are nerds might find some of this information interesting. ► HANO GRAND RESORT: The inevitably big, fancy resort that tends to take route in touristy places like this. If you actually pay to spend some time there, you can enjoy all the things you'd expect to find in a fancy resort, except with way more Pokemon. There is also a fancy, secluded beach for resort goers only. ► BATTLE ROYALE DOME: A battle area in which 4 trainers fight each other all at once, with teams of there Pokemon. The trainers here are mostly quite expert, and you need a team of three Pokemon to play, so player characters probably won't be able to participate. However, you can still come to watch, if you like seeing a bunch of colourful monsters slapping each other around. ► PANIOLA RANCH: A large ranch that keeps a lot of Pokemon that resemble earth farm animals. You can leave Pokemon here to stay for a while if you need a break from the strains of trainer life. Quite often, however, your Pokemon will end up getting knocked up and leave you with another egg to care for. ► TRIAL SITES: Brooklet Hill is a lake filled area that contains the Water Trial. You have to fight a bunch of schooling Wishiwashi, and then an even bigger schooling Wishiwashi to win. Wela Volcano Park contains the Fire Trial, where you must climb to the top of the dormant volcano, and spot the difference between a series of ceremonial island dances. Then you gotta fight a team of Marrowaks and a giant Salazzle. The Lush Jungle contains the Grass challenge, in which you have to find a series of rare organic ingredients in order to brew something that will lure out a giant Lurantis. ULA'ULA ISLAND↴ [ULA'ULA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU BULU] [WIKI LINK] ► MALIE GARDEN: A nice big garden to hang out in and chill. Also, there are Pokemon there... and also, Pokemon battles? There's really no end to it. ► MOUNT HOKULANI OBSERVATORY: Up at the top of the local mountain, you can go see a space observatory. Like most things in Alola, it's like a regular observatory, except with more Pokemon, since some Pokemon just straight up come from space. You can take a bus up here, but you can also hike if you want. ► HAINA DESERT: A shitty desert in the middle of the island. Mostly only good for if you want the kinds of Pokemon that live in shitty deserts. ► ABANDONED THRIFTY MEGAMART: A Megamart, but haunted. Extremely haunted, filled with the kind of ghost Pokemon that would actually kill you. You have to take a bunch of pictures of ghosts on your way through here if you want to beat the Ghost Trial. ► PO TOWN: The ramshackle remains of the town that Team Skull have taken over. It's completely walled off from the rest of the world, and is pretty terrible. No point in going in there unless you're fighting crime, in which case you can expect to get challenged to Pokemon battles by a lot of Team Skull knuckleheads. ► LAKE OF THE MOON: A huge, round temple thing in the middle of nowhere. It's used to praise a legendary Pokemon that existed years ago, but there presently doesn't seem to be anything around except cool architecture. ► TRIAL SITES: The Observatory contains the Electric Challenge, during which you have to fend off various kinds of electric grubs, before eventually taking on a giant Vikavolt. The Abandoned Megamart must first be cleared before challenging the Ghost Trial officially, at which point you will have to defeat a powerful Mimikyu. PONI ISLAND↴ [PONI DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU FINI] [WIKI LINK] ► SEAFOLK VILLAGE: A village made of nothing but houseboats and other water fairing homes. It's the only major town on Poni Island. ► ANCIENT RUINS: Most of Poni Island has been reduced to ruins, over time. Not many people live here, relative to the other islands, but there are a lot of abandoned buildings from when they apparently used to. ► VAST PONI CANYONS: Most of the island is comprised of canyons, caves, and valleys filled with particularly strong Pokemon, and also a lot of fight-hungry Pokemon trainers. Most of them will want to fight you as soon as they see you, since they are there mostly to train, but they will back down if you tell them you're not a trainer. Though, at that point they will strongly urge you to go home, because it's too danger for anything other than the strongest trainers. ► ALTAR OF THE SUN: A matching altar to the one found on Ula'ula, except this time dedicated to a legendary Pokemon of the sun. If you play some magic flutes here at the right time then apparently a giant lion might show up, but there's no way to be sure. ► TRIAL SITES: The only Trial here is the Grand Trial, which is a fight against the leader's ground type Pokemon. You may also get lucky and have the Fairy Trial's kahuna deign to fight you, with her fairy types, if she randomly wanders into your path. Both of them are very strong, and are not advised to challenge for new trainers.

Comments

Peridot | OTA (mostly)

[periphrasing]

AROUND THE ISLANDS

What's that? It's weird for strange adults to attend the Trainer School? GOOD THING AGE IS A JOKE TO GEMS, AND PERIDOT DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN, because school was absolutely her first stop on the islands. She had wanted to learn as much as possible about this place before going out exploring, and, given that it's Peridot that we're talking about here, you can bet she has committed every little bit of information she heard in class right to memory.

While she's kind of smug and obnoxious about her extra knowledge, the information she can provide can also be a boon to any carnival members who cares to approach her. If there's a Pokemon you want to catch, or a trainer you can't seem to beat, consider her your walking, talking cheat sheet to Pokemon training in Alola. All you have to do is ask.

GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT (ULA'ULA ISLAND)

Now this is interesting. Peridot generally has a low opinion of the technological capabilities of humankind, but she has to admit... harnessing the raw power of the Earth's molten core? It's an impressive feat. She spends a good couple of hours just ogling the displays here, reading up on the equipment... but what she really wants to know about is the geological profile of the island.

"Hmm... It's a real shame I can't get closer to the plant facilities here," she sighs wistfully. "And these displays could really use more information on what kind of lava these volcanoes produce."

As a fellow Carnival member, you get her attention, and she keeps rambling like you've been engaged in this conversation the whole time. "Judging by what I've seen so far, I'd say these islands are largely comprised of basalt formations. Imagine the resources Homeworld could derive from a place like this!"

FEELING HOMESICK (HOKULANI OBSERVATORY)

It's nice to have a huge telescope to get a look at the sky with, but it's not mandatory. The view from up here is pretty great even without it, which is why Peridot has no qualms about sitting outside in the dirt and doing some stargazing.

It's strange to think that a mere few years ago, she would have been completely averse to this sort of activity. A waste of time, she'd call it. It's still kind of a waste of time, but she can see the benefit to it now as well. It's grounding.

"No Homeworld visible from here, either," she sighs, not at all surprised by this discovery. The night's still young, but there are a lot of stars to look at.

ROUTE 8 (BEACH OUTSIDE OF LUSH JUNGLE) (Closed to pre-existing CR)

If you know Peridot, you've probably seen her do a lot of strange shit before now... but this is whole new level of ridiculous.

First of all, it's worth noting that of all the beaches available in Alola, she has definitely picked a pretty dumpy one. It's all rock, no sand, no easy access to warm clear waters for splashing around in. Just hard, sharp, unforgiving igneous rock on all sides.

Second, and probably more importantly... She's perched on top of one of said rocks like a vulture, gripping with sharp claws that are invisible thanks to the glamour she has cast on her right now. Her green eyes are narrowed, laser focused on a hole in the rock face opposite. She barely blinks at all. It's possible, even, that you maybe went into the jungle to complete a trial, and when you come back out? It seems she hasn't budged an inch.

Might be worth asking her what the heck is going on.

WHO'S THAT POKEMON? (MALIE GARDEN)

"...I have no idea how we're going to get you to replicate any of these moves."

That would be Peridot, talking to none other than her faithful pal Pumpkin, who has left the carnival grounds with her today. They're hanging out in the shade of a tree while Peridot thumbs through what seems to be a guide-book about Pokemon attacks, her brow furrowed with concentration. She's also in the company of Stumpy, her brand new wimpod, who is jittering nervously by her side and staring fearfully at Pumpkin.

As for the gourd herself? She's sporting a brand new hat. A very strange hat. One that makes her look like... Um...

Well.

Someone should probably intervene here.

somewhere around the islands?? Poni, probably

[mirrortide]

"Anyway, I've heard a bunch of the people say that there's other lapis around here." She explains, motioning to the beach in front of them. "So this is probably the best place to look, right?" Well, minus some of the higher cliffs in the Poni canyons, but Lapis figures they can work their way in.

Also there's a lot of Ocean around anyway, so it'll take a good long time regardless.

"I don't know why they'd be helping the humans move from island to island, though."

[periphrasing]

"Other gems? Here?" Peridot looks super skeptical, glancing up at Lapis and then back out at the water. And then back again? "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not opposed to helping you look, it's just... I don't know, it seems improbable to me. Impossible, even."

[mirrortide]

"They keep talking about it. So unless there's one of those pokemon called a lapis Lazuli, they have to be around here." She's certain, and she really, really wants to see them?

Lapis takes a few steps out onto the water before she looks at Peridot. "Do you think they'd be walking on top somewhere or below?" She asks, because even if they're her own Gem type, she's... a little unsure? Look, she's definitely had different experiences from any sort of Lazuli.

[periphrasing]

She really isn't so sure about this. But. If Lapis insists...

"Well you said they were helping people get from island to island, right?" Peridot says. "Humans can't exactly breath underwater, so the Lazulis would logically need to stay at surface level in order to be more readily available."

Melemele probably, since school!

[amusicaladventure]

So Ash didn't like asking for help in general. Who did?

But she had a mission here, and she intended to see it through. Joker was still feeling poorly last she checked, so that left her to carry the burden of duty on her shoulders. And carry it she would, even if that meant swallowing her pride.

"I need to find," she said, motioning dramatically with both hands, "a giant snake."

[periphrasing]

Peridot looks up from the guidebook she's reading with eyebrows raised, frowning thoughtfully.

"Well from what I can know, there are a few different kinds of snake-like Pokemon choose from, but... Why do you need one?" the gem asks carefully. She's genuinely curious.

[amusicaladventure]

"To bring it back to the carnival to use for performances," Ash said, as if this were the most perfectly logical thing in the world. "Joker has a friend named Snake, who tames snakes."

[periphrasing]

"Huh. Alright then," she grunts disinterestedly. If this guy tames snakes, she's kind of wondering why he isn't the one out here trying to catch one, but. Whatever. Not her business. "Well, let me see..."

She pulls out some of her notes from class, thumbing through them thoughtfully. "If it's snakes you're looking for, there are approximately 9 different species to choose from across 5 different evolutionary families. Some of them, such as the grass snake family that is comprised of snivy servine and serperior, are exceedingly rare in this region. Ekans, arbok and seviper are all poison types that are fairly uncommon as well, but they bear the most physical similarities to what you humans would classically recognize a 'snake'. Dunsparce is a unique normal type that is the only member of it's evolutionary family.... And then we have onix and steelix-- those are the 'rock snake' and 'iron snake' Pokemon, respectively. They're fairly common in caves found around the islands."

Information all conveyed with barely a pause between sentences. Hope you were ready to get slammed with that much information at once, Ash.

Hokulani

[pipers_son]

Joker has decided, although he really hasn't had that much time to think it over deeply, that he likes this place. High up, away from people, perfectly placed for looking at the night sky. Considering his condition, it's a sight he knows he's going to have to get used to. Might as well enjoy the most beautiful bits of it.

Peridot doesn't have the same problem, he knows, but still, he quietly comes to a stop behind her, hand tucked into his pocket and a fat owl on his head peering between his antlers.

"Universe is pretty big," he observes quietly, the only kind of answer he can think to give.

[periphrasing]

"WAH--" Peridot jerks back in alarm. Reflexively she tries to twist to see who's behind her, knocks herself off balance, and winds up falling over in the dirt. Someone SUPER failed to hear Joker approaching.

At least she was already sitting down.

"Oh. Joker," she says in a clipped tone that very much conveys an unsaid message of 'forget what you just witnessed, that never happened'. "What brings you up to the observatory at this time of night?"

[pipers_son]

Wordlessly, Joker just reaches up and hooks one finger into the corner of his mouth to pull it back to pointedly show one long fang. Before Hell, it wouldn't have meant much- lots of people get pretty sharp teeth in the carnival, Peridot being a perfect example- but now, well....

Yeah.

That should at least address "this time of night", but, pulling out his finger, Joker addresses the other part of her question. "Just heard it was a sight ta see! And since my options are a wee bit limited, I thought I'd at least enjoy the sights I can see, yeah?"

[periphrasing]

She makes an uncomfortable "Ngghhehhh" noise at the sight of that fang, leaning away slightly. Let it never be said that Peridot has ever been sensitive about anyone's problems, ever.

"I suppose that's logical," she says, turning back around and settling to continue with her stargazing. "Though I recall hearing that the Ringmaster was supposed to have a way to cure people of that particular issue...?"

ROUTE 8

[starseedling]

Steven did notice Peridot on the way into the jungle with his dad, and now that all that trial business is done... She's still there? Steven watches her from a distance for a while, wondering if she'll move.

She doesn't.

He decides to hustle over, approaching her cautiously so as to not disturb whatever she's doing. What may be obvious about his appearance right now is that the back of his shirt is bulging out, due to some kind of creature obviously hiding inside of it.

"Psst... Peridot. What are you doing?" he calls to her in a hush.

[periphrasing]

She sort of catches his approach out of her... PERIpheral (heh), but doesn't really react until he speaks up. Then, and only then, does she turn to him, and it's very abrupt.

"SSSSsssshhHHH!" she hisses on reflex, and then pauses a beat. "Oh. Wait. You were already whispering. Well whatever, it bears re-emphasis!" Peridot says at a loud whisper, and then she turns her attention back to the ground below before she explains. "Every time I've walked past this spot, I've seen something moving across the ground here at an improbably fast speed. I need to know what it is. So I'm waiting to see if it comes back out."

[starseedling]

Unfortunately, Peridot's hissing shush at the start spooks the fomantis in Steven's shirt into squirming out into his hair, chittering frantically amongst the curls and roses. Steven's eyes widen, trying to deal with that and listen to Peridot at the same time, and he ends up scooping the fomatis off his head and nestling it into his arms like a baby.

"It's okay, Buddy! Look, this is Peridot! She's my friend," he says. He holds fomantis out towards Peridot, and then frowns, returning his thoughts to the mysterious rock creature problem.

"Um... have you tried luring it out with treats?"

[periphrasing]

"Woah!" Peridot gasps, distracted momentarily from her objective (and that suggestion) by the sudden appearance of fomantis. "You got a Pokemon?" She looks and sounds envious. Frustrated, even. "How did you manage to get a Pokemon? I've been trying to catch one for days!"

hokulani observatory

[anti_nonsense]

Rita had a fairly productive day at the observatory. She not only completed the challenge required for the Island Trial, but she also had the opportunity to examine some of the equipment and information there. Unsurprisingly, the stars and systems recorded didn't seem to match up with anything known to her, but it was interesting to see how powerful their telescopes were, and what sorts of images they were able to record.

By the time she leaves, it's already past sundown. She's in the process of figuring out how to get back down the mountain when she notices something (someone?) sitting on the ground. It's only when she hears Peridot speak that she fully realizes she's looking at a fellow carnival worker; one of the less human-looking ones. Rita might not stand out much with her human appearance and Alolan clothes, but those requiring glamours certainly look conspicuous to her. Especially since she's not exactly used to being around aliens yet...

Standing nearby with her arms crossed, Rita bluntly asks, "What? You getting homesick?"

[periphrasing]

It's a good thing Rita is under Peridot's supervision as a lighting tech, because she would probably not even have recognized her as a fellow carnival member otherwise.

They really need to start having meet and greets for the newcomers again.

Thank the dark for covering up the blush that creeps over her face, because she's pretty embarrassed to have one of her underlings overhear her in a moment of sentimentality. "Just... Curious! That's all. You can't help but look sometimes, you know?"

[anti_nonsense]

Rita finds her gaze wandering up to the sky. "Hmph... I suppose." She can't really say anything when she was just doing the same thing, essentially. Not that she's been away long enough to really miss home. It's just that she can't help but wonder where home is, in relation to here, even though that might be a question with no simple answer.

She looks back to Peridot. "How long have you been away?"

[periphrasing]

"From Earth? A little over a standard year," she says, feigning a casual shrug. "I'm not too concerned about it. Gems don't have to worry about age, and the Ringmaster insists that when we leave her realm, she puts us right back where we were before we joined. Relative to the timeline of our home dimensions, I mean."

POWER PLANT how have we not threaded until now jfc

[dontpokethat]

Let's face it, Ginko has probably been paying more attention than some would. His and Peridot's interests may not align particularly closely, as he knows well from having worked with her for this long, but that doesn't mean he's not at all intrigued by this stuff.

He gives a quiet, faintly amused huff, looking over another of the displays. "Doesn't seem like they're too concerned with the type of lava here, unfortunately. Probably since it doesn't affect how they harvest the energy from it... unless it does?"

If it does, that would be pretty amazing, honestly. But he's got no clue either way.

I DON'T KNOW ITS KINDA CRIMINAL TBH

[periphrasing]

"Oh, I imagine it would have some affect," she muses, tapping her chin. "Different kinds of rocks have different melting points, not to mention it would affect the viscosity of the magma and lava... I'm not concerned about all that, though. I really just want to know for the sake of theorizing how good of a Kindergarten these islands would make."

Peridot no.

gonna assume he knows at least vaguely what kindergartens are by now?? lmk if that works

[dontpokethat]

Ginko just... looks at her for a moment, pressing his mouth into a thin line.

"Regardless of how well it would work, I doubt the locals would appreciate that."

He knows it's not like she's actually going to do it, and probably doesn't have the option at this point, but still: Peridot no.

WORKS JUST FINE FOR ME I mean she does love to brag about her qualifications

[periphrasing]

SHE CAN'T HELP IT OKAY, SHE MISSES IT. It's what she was made for, Ginko :(

Peridot echoes part of that thought pretty much exactly: "Don't worry, it's not like I'm actually going to set up a production facility here," she snorts, rolling her eyes with amusement. "Even if I could, it would be incredibly impractical... and that's to say nothing of the moral issues involved."

The gem turns back to a display containing various igneous rocks, a sad smile creeping over her features as she glances down at it. "I just like to challenge myself sometimes, you know? I mean, being a Kindergartner is my primary function."