Day 191 | A boy, a dog, and a goat walk into a...

[chosenbylife]

Who: Calem and YOU!
Open: Like a BOOK
When: Day 191!
Where: Near the entrance to Bastion
Format: Initial post is prose but if you'd prefer brackets I'll follow format!
What: After making his way to Bastion from the Skyway, Calem and his Pokemon try and make sense of things

Calem had NO idea what was going on. Waking up in some strange place with no memory of how he got there... well it wasn't what one would call normal by any means. Especially when said strange place seemed to involve a whole lot of small islands irrationally floating about.  His first concern was his pokemon however, and he immediately let his Lucario out of his ball. Much to his relief his trusted friend was alright and seemed to confirm that there was nothing wrong with his other pokemon's auras either. There was a light in the distance, though it wasn't TOO far. Without any better ideas he decided to make his way there in hopes it was some kind of civilization.

So some time later a tall young man rides through the entrance of Bastion on what appears to be a very large leafy goat, with a bipedal blue dog sitting behind him.   Because Calem COULD have walked yes but all those floating islands just seamed really unsafe.  The smart choice was to let his Gogoat take the lead.  He was already skilled at traversing dangerous terrain, hopping from rock to rock, AND getting over those small ledges that were the bane of every trainer.  It was really much safer this way.  Plus even in circumstances like this he liked arriving to new places in style.  And riding in atop a freshly pruned Gogoat with a colorful brand new saddle was just about as classy as you could get.

Though there WERE other concerning things to think about of course.  He caught glimpses of unfamiliar creatures on his way here and was busy looking through his pokedex as Gogoat plodded onward.  He couldn't find any entries that looked like what he'd seen though.  With a sigh he closed the holographic device and scanned the area for someone with some answers.

"Pardon me!" he called out to someone passing by, sliding off his mount in the process (it was only polite), though Lucario remained seated up there, "Could you tell me where the nearest pokemon center is? Or... at least where I am?"

Honestly Calem was hoping for 'Dream'.  Floating Islands couldn't be normal... as fascinating as they were.

Later on in the day he might be found wandering around Bastion, trying to get a feel of the lay of the town and come to terms with things, his Lucario marching loyally beside him.  The observant might even notice the unusual looking key ring that was hooked onto Calem's bag.  A key ring that seemed to have a mind of her own as she jingled energetically any anyone who passed by.

Comments

[unwrittenformula]

[N senses a disturbance in the Force!

Okay, not really, but if there's anything that pings the former King of Team Plasma, it's Pokemon.

Especially Pokemon he's never encountered before.

He was on his way to the Pokemon Daycare from the hospital carrying a bag in his arms, a Zoroark and a Woobat trailing behind him. He was bringing Hilda's belongings from the hospital back home while she got ready to leave. She would, of course, be on bed rest for a while longer given her injuries from the Skyway, but the sooner she was home the better.

Of course N didn't expect to get distracted like this.

Lucario he was familiar with (in the sense of having seen and encountered Rilous and Lucarios in the past) but Gogoat was something new entirely, and he had already stopped walking to stare in awe at it.

That was most definitely a Pokemon, but not one he had ever seen before.

Calem's question almost didn't snap him out of his trance, but Zoroark nudged him.

N, he's talking to you.]

Huh? -- oh. I'm afraid there is no Pokemon center here.

[And now he's going to completely ignore you, Calem, because seriously what is that Pokemon.

He even goes so far as handing the bag to Zoroark to go over to Gogoat and reach a hand out to it, giving a far more interested and warm smile to the Pokemon than to it's human trainer.]

Hello there. You're quite lovely. What sort of Pokemon are you?

[chosenbylife]

[ Calem often wonders what exactly it is about him that manages to attract the strangest weirdos around. It isn't even funny! It's like this guy is so obsessed with his goat he's invisible or something. ]

Uh... hello? I still have questions.

[ Gogoat meanwhile is having none of this. He snorts and stomps the ground dancing away from N's hand. ]

LOVELY? HOW DARE YOU. I AM A KNIGHT'S GREAT AND MIGHTY STEED. I AM NOT 'LOVELY'. DID YOU NOT SEE MY STRENGTH? DO YOU NEED TO SEE AGAIN? I COULD FLATTEN A SHED. WHERE IS A SHED I MAY FLATTEN?

[ Lucario is face pawing and shaking his head in exasperation while Calem is beginning to look annoyed. ]

Hey, don't poke my pokemon. Aren't you being kinda rude here?

[unwrittenformula]

[Even Zoroark and Woobat are exasperated here.

I'm so sorry for him!

Of course Calem can't hear Zoroark...

To what Gogoat says, N lets out a laugh and does a much more respectful bow to him, hand to his chest.]

I'm terribly sorry, you're absolutely right. You're quite mighty indeed.

[N... N, that boy is trying to talk to you...]

Hm? ... I'm sorry, I wasn't listening.

[jfc N...]

[chosenbylife]

[ Lucario acknowledges the apology at least with a huff and a wave. He's not a big talker unlike some pokemon. ]

OF COURSE I AM, FRAGILE HUMAN. BUT I MUST SHOW YOU. A FENCE WILL DO! THERE MUST BE A FENCE AROUND SOMEWHERE.

[ Calem's had about enough here and he skillfully hooks his hand around the still bouncing Gogoat's horn, giving him a couple small tugs. ]

Calm down there you.

[ Gogoat is still stomping his front hooves a bit, but after a few moments he at least doesn't have that 'Destroy all the things' glint in his eyes anymore. ]

Darn right you weren't listening.

[ Calem frowns and puts a hand on his hip. ]

Is EVERYONE around here quite as disagreeable and unfashionable as you are?

[unwrittenformula]

[Zoroark often finds himself having to excuse N around other people, even if they can't understand him, so he's taken to talking more than a lot of other Pokemon. Even Woobat doesn't really seem to be saying much aside from a huffy sigh.

Why in the world did she ever follow you, N...]

That's not necessary, I believe you. We would rather not have our fences broken here!

[And hopefully that settles it because N will finally be giving Calem the attention he seems to desperately want so much.]

Most people here don't care about fashion. Survival is much more important. This place is called The Bastion, and I'm afraid our world is no longer in existence.

[gianthobo]

AZ was seated near the ranch again, letting Eevee play in the tall grass, when he spotted the familiar face. Someone too familiar, actually. He scooped her up and tucked her into one of his pockets as he took a few steps towards the trainer.

And then he froze, trying to think. He wasn't... really worthy of being near someone like that. Someone who showed him just how wrong he was. He trembled a bit, and Eevee made confused noises as she poked her head out. He was caught between heading towards him and wanting to run away, and he wasn't sure which.

Of course, AZ is not the most inconspicuous of trainers...

[chosenbylife]

There is really no way to avoid notice when you're nine feet tall, huh? Even with the way he'd been spacing out there was no way he'd miss him. Luckily for AZ Calem was simply looking in the other direction... but then his Eevee makes noises and he tuns around to look.

"AZ?" Calem looks perplexed. The giant of a man is probably the last person he expected to see around here... but a familiar face is a familiar face and there's something incredibly relieving about seeing one. His mouth spreads into a smile and he wave as he walks towards him, "Why didn't you say anything?"

[gianthobo]

AZ looks down, a little ashamed. He should have said something, yes. But this... this is the boy who taught him about bonds again. He's just not sure what to say. "... Sorry. I've... been here a while. I can answer a lot, but not everything."

[chosenbylife]

"What? You've nothing to apologize for," he laughs a little, "I know you're kind of weird and quiet. But not the bad kind of o weird."

He means well. Honest he does. Lucario just sighs as he often does and Klefki jingles up a greeting. Though something about what he's said confused him and his smile falters just a bit.

"What do you mean you've been here a while though?" he asks, a little concerned, "I saw you not that long ago."

[evacuate]

By now, Zia is at least mostly used to seeing the unusual creatures wandering around the Bastion, but the Lucario still catches her attention. While she's on her way to the kitchen, she can't help but gawk a little, curious.

Her pecker, Veit, is fluttering alongside her. Critters don't bother him, but the way the Klefki rattles at him is far too aggressive for his tastes. With a squawk and a flurry of wingbeats, he launches himself at Calem's bag.

At Zia's whistle, he veers sideways a few inches from his target and returns to Zia's side. He's right behind her as she jogs over to the poor boy her impulsive baby bird just tried to assault.

"Sorry!" she says, "I'm sorry, everything startles him."

[chosenbylife]

Being a pokemon trainer means Calem has been assaulted by many many unusual creatures before. The only real surprise is this one nearly jumped him when he WASN'T walking in the tall grass. That's a real game changer there.

"Ah don't worry about it," he laughs a little and waves a hand through the air in indication of it being no big deal or something, "I wasn't really paying attention and I think Klefki might have instigated it. So it's really only right that I say sorry as well."

The fairy type just jingles meekly as if in apology.

[evacuate]

"Klef..." She's cut off by Veit squawking again, ignorant to the intent of this bizarre key-language, but now Zia actually gets a look at the Klefki. It...has a face. It's jingling on its own.

Oh gods those keys are alive.

"Do you...mean..." She stares intently at the key ring, unsure if she can even call it that if it's sentient.

[chosenbylife]

That little face Klefki has actually BLINKS at her and jingles the keys again, deliberately, confirming her suspicions without Calem really having to say anything at all.

"Ah, yes," he nods at the question, and lightly taps his pokemon's head, "This is Klefki, she's one of my pokemon."

[blackblooded]

Crona is probably not the person to ask. The teen is awkward, fidgety, unsure of everything despite having been in the Bastion almost since its beginning. Crona's fashion sense is terrible, bright striped skirt and a top in a green that doesn't match anything, poorly cared for lilac hair chopped unevenly short. The meister is generally a mess, but there are answers to be gotten from Crona.

"There isn't a pokemon center. This is the Bastion."

[chosenbylife]

Calem doesn't answer her(him? the person??) for a moment. He stares blankly at hir, trying to comprehend the visual assault of pattern and colors before his very eyes. A sight like this he has never seen before. It's almost breathtaking.

"You..." he finally spoke as if coming out of a trance, "I can't tell if you are a fashion disaster on an apocalyptic scale or if you are just simply too avant garde for me to comprehend."

[blackblooded]

Crona clearly does not know how to respond to that, taking an awkward step back and glancing around nervously. Clearly not someone brave enough to take on dramatic avant garde styles.

"It's just... th-they're just clothes."

[chosenbylife]

"But they're not just clothes!" He grins and then shakes his head. Oh boy he is just so passionate about this topic. Of course he might be throwing a little more passion then usual in this to help him think of things other then the multitudes of bad news he's had so far so... sorry.

"What you wear becomes your armor! It's how you present yourself to the world, and it's how others perceive you," he spread his arms with a dramatic flare, "Your clothes are indeed your very life! And the stripes of you skirt to the fashionably asymmetrical bob show just how BOLD a person you are. In fact I must sincerely applaud your statement."

[fuckthemancers]

[Hopefully Calem has had things explained to him by this point in the day as Zulf comes wandering by, holding a makeshift journal in his hands. Hopefully Calem will also not have a heart attack at the sheer stripes that is Zulf's wardrobe.]

[Zulf seems to be in his own thoughts, but the jingling of the Kelfki snaps him out of it. He stares at it a bit bewilderedly, although at least he isn't scared off.]

Ah- pardon?

[chosenbylife]

[ As Calem turns he gets an odd sensation. Like suddenly he was placed in the role of the protagonist of a horror film, his Klefki jingling to warn him that the monster was behind him.

He was not far off and his face just twists into an expression of abject horror upon beholding the sheer crime against fashion that the person before him is. He can only whisper... ]

No...

[fuckthemancers]

...Pardon.

[child what is your problem]

[chosenbylife]

...You poor soul, you MUST be blind.

[ This is the ONLY logical explanation. Even Klefki jingles in sympathy. ]

[dragonform]

Ryu had caught sight of the outsider while he was still near the entrance to the Bastion. Figuring it might be someone lost, Ryu approaches the trainer with the thought of helping him out. On closer inspection, it's pretty clear that this is definitely a new person, and he doesn't recognize the two strange creatures with him. While he had learned a little about Pokemon from AZ and Hilda, these were two entirely new species to him.

"Pokemon center? Sorry, I don't think we have anything like that here. I guess if you're asking about one of those, then you must be a Pokemon trainer, right?" He turns his attention to Lucario and Gogoat, examining them with a curious expression. "Are these two with you?"

[chosenbylife]

Calem sighed. He'd gotten that answer from a couple people but he was ever hopeful that maybe the world had just gone mad. Things were looking ever more dreadful.

"I am a trainer, yes," he nods in reply. Normally he'd think the other crazy because it's clearly very obvious... but like he'd also been told... not everyone knew about pokemon around here. It seemed so strange.

"And yes they are!" all other things aside he can't help but smile a bit. He's clearly very proud of the two, "The large one is the bold and strong Gogoat, and the other is Lucario, my most faithful companion."

[dragonform]

He turns to Gogoat and Lucario offering them both a polite greeting. While they may have looked like animals to most people, Ryu knew that Pokemon were at least as intelligent as most people, if not more so. With that done, he returns his attention to Calem. "I'm Ryu, by the way. So do you know Hilda or AZ?" He asks, curious to find out about the newcomer.

Of course, just because someone is a Pokemon trainer doesn't mean they know all Pokemon trainers, but the boy's a little inept like that sometimes.

[chosenbylife]

They both clearly got his meaning, Gogoat stomping his front hooves a bit and Lucario nodded solemnly in return.

"Pleasure to meet you Ryu, my name is Calem," he replied, laughing a little at the question. He traveled abroad quite a bit so he was used to hearing ones like that. If he came from Kalos then clearly he knew who this random friend of theirs was!

"Actually I do know AZ. I met him several times on my journey... he's definitely an interesting person..." a mysterious one too, "And by Hilda do you mean the tiny young lady with the amazing hair? I only just met her briefly."