Remram

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Zarkun

"Well, there is something though I'm not sure if they're related, but there are strange lights that appear in the woods at night. A green colored light. Make of it what you will."

When asked about if there was a map, she just shook her head and said, "There aren't any maps I'm afraid. Even before Cipher the Deep Woods was an inhospitable place for people to wander into and frankly, given with what you told me I'm surprised that your head is still attached to your neck. I don't even want to imagine what lives in the deepest corner of it." Considering what Jason had just gone through previously, it should have not come to any surprise that the forest was unmapped.

However, the librarian looked thoughtful though conflicted as if she should not tell him something. It must have been important though because before he could leave, she tentatively said, "There is a woman that lives in the Deep Woods, Helga. She knows her way like the back of her hand, but... well, let's just say there is a reason why she lives there. You can bargain with her, but I would be prepared for a big ask in return."

"Well, good luck."

Jason would eventually leave the library and then the entirety of Starbor to go train before his excursion into the Deep Woods. The sun above him had already long set and darkness had consumed the forest because he had a long, long day of nearly dying, fighting a bird, and exploring the village. Eventually, he would find himself outside of the village in the forest proper.

Welcome to...

Starbor Woods

Before you lay a forest of impossibly large trees. Even when you craned your neck to look all the way up, you would soon realize that you cannot see the end of them. Where the sky should be was a thick canopy of leaves with beams of light piercing through that would act as the light source for the woods and that is not even acknowledging the sheer width of these trees. While varying in width, on average they looked like they could be buildings. It would take a few minutes to walk around even the thinnest of the trees. The roots were massive as well, some protruding the ground in towering arcs with large patches of moss growing on them.

You do see some trainers and others walk through, but you specifically were finding a lot of Bug-Catchers and Bug-Maniacs around and that is not without reason. There were small bug-type Pokemon crawling about the trees. On the ground were a variety of small grass-type Pokemon as well going about their own business as well. Not only that, but there were a number of people in harnesses climbing up the trees It would make anyone wonder what was up above in the trees.

There was, surprisingly, a road going through the forest and another dirt path that offered a safe path through the woods though whether or not you follow it is entirely up to you. While it may be a bit dangerous to get off the beaten path, perhaps there are things that people miss?

What could be seen right now were a couple of caterpillar-like creatures skittering around the ground and along the massive columns of trees.

Pokedex Entry #664-Scatterbug, the Scatterdust Pokemon. When under attack from bird Pokémon, it spews a poisonous black powder that causes paralysis on contact. The powder that covers its body regulates its temperature, so it can live in any region or climate.

Pokedex Entry #265-Wurple, the Worm Pokemon. Using the spikes on its rear end, Wurmple peels the bark off trees and feeds on the sap that oozes out. This Pokémon's feet are tipped with suction pads that allow it to cling to glass without slipping. Pearl. It spits a white silk thread that turns sticky when coming into contact with air. The silk is used to immobilize foes.

Scurrying around the ground were these grumpy looking mushroom Pokemon, watching those passing by curiously.

Pokedex Entry #285-Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokemon. Shroomish live in damp soil in the dark depths of forests. They are often found keeping still under fallen leaves. This Pokémon feeds on compost that is made up of fallen, rotted leaves. If Shroomish senses danger, it shakes its body and scatters spores from the top of its head. This Pokémon's spores are so toxic, they make trees and weeds wilt.

Connected Areas:

Route 4
Corrupted Marsh
Starbor City

Suggested Actions

1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search.
2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding.
3. Seek trainers. There should be some trainers among those walking back and forth in the area.
4. Talk. There’s plenty of travelers around. Maybe seek answers to any burning questions you have.
5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally.
6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination.
7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
9. Area Specific: Climb Trees. Arborist Gear or Pokemon required.

Starbor Forest, Known Pokemon

Common:
#265-Wurmple
#285-Shroomish
#664-Scatterbug

Uncommon:
#083-Farfetch'd
#190-Aimpom

Rare:

Deciding to start his training, Sable and Murus. Sable herself was able to make quick work of the bug-types and Occisor did not struggle as well though Murus, not having very powerful moves made much slower progress though got there eventually.

Sable is now level 15. Sable learned Bite!
Occisor is now level 12. Occisor learned Wing Attack!
Murus is now level 14. Murus learned Shadow Punch!

Deciding to delve deeper in, Jason walked for a number of minutes until he the familiar mist began to roll in through the leaves and bodies of the trees. It was even darker than before, requiring him to use the flashlight function on his phone to even see where he was stepping. A sense of foreboding began to creep in his bones, but he kept on going.

Welcome to

Deep Starbor Woods

Deep Starbor Woods was a place that many actively avoided and perhaps for good reason. The mist that permeated the area cutdown the visibility within the woods and somehow, the canopy above was thicker than before, making it darker. This was a tad big dangerous as there were some drops that if someone were not paying attention, they would find themselves with some very broken limbs or fall in a river down below. That is if they don't fall in some webs and find themselves on the wrong end of a hungry bug-type. Actually, people just needed to be careful of these webs in general as they were littered all over the place.

Due to the lack of people travelling and lack of people volunteering to enter, the path that led to the Deep Woods was essentially now just a dirt, rocky path covered with moss. Yes, this place was not exactly a place that experienced a lot of foot-traffic in general, but that meant that there were possibly encounters that people had limited experience about or never had seen before.

From what can be seen, the Pokemon responsible for all of the webs in the area were these green spiders with markings meant to scare predators away from them.

Pokédex Entry #167 – Spinarak, the String Spit Pokémon. With threads from its mouth, it fashions sturdy webs that won't break even if you set a rock on them. Although the poison from its fangs isn't that strong, it's potent enough to weaken prey that gets caught in its web.

There were also these horned caterpillar things with big, pink, round noses and every now and again, sentient yellow cocoons could be seen hanging above from strings of white.

Pokédex Entry #013 – Weedle, the Hairy Bug Pokémon. Weedle has an extremely acute sense of smell. It is capable of distinguishing its favorite kinds of leaves from those it dislikes just by sniffing with its big red proboscis (nose).

Pokédex Entry #014 – Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon. Kakuna remains virtually immobile as it clings to a tree. However, on the inside, it is extremely busy as it prepares for its coming evolution. This is evident from how hot the shell becomes to the touch.

However, the main reason as to why many people avoided took the form of very angry bees with drills for arms. You know what they are.

Pokédex Entry #015 – Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. Beedrill is extremely territorial. No one should ever approach its nest—this is for their own safety. If angered, they will attack in a furious swarm.

Deep Starbor Woods

Common:
#013-Weedle
#014-Kakuna
#015-Beedrill
#167-Spinarak

Uncommon:

Rare:

Connected Areas:

Route 4
Corrupted Marsh
Starbor City

Suggested Actions

1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search.
2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding.
3. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally.
5. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination.
6. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
7. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.

Now, Slayer, Avem, and Lucha all had methods of actually combating the poison and flying-types that littered the forest and just tore through whatever they were training against. However, Slayer failed to knock out a particular strong Spinarak and received a nasty blow from its Poison Sting and is now poisoned. Slayer is slightly over half health.

Slayer is now level 16. Slayer learned Teleport!
Avem is now level 13. Avem learned Double Team!
Lucha is now level 13. Lucha learned Aerial Ace!

Now, on to the quick catch. It wasn't hard to find one of the angry shades of yellow buzzing around and Jason enacted his plan with Occisor to whittle down its health with a few hard-hitting quick attacks though a well timed Twin Needles caused Occisor to be poisoned as well though faced little damage otherwise. Eventually, Jason did throw a Pokeball and the Beedrill was absorbed into it in a flash of white light.

It rolled once... it rolled twice...

It broke out! The Beedrill let out a proud battle cry and was soon recaptured into another Pokeball.

It rolled once... it rolled twice...it rolled thrice!

Result

Jason caught Beedrill!

Gender: Female
Type: 11
Personality: (Up to player.)
Quirks/Talents/Aspirations/Other: (Up to player.)
Level: 11
Moves: Poison Sting, Harden, Twin Needle, Fury Attack
Ability: Sniper If the Pokémon's attack lands a critical hit, the attack is powered up even further.
Held Item:
Currently at low hp.

New Pokémon caught! Jason earned 500P!

Would you like to give a nickname to Beedrill?

If Jason wanted to continue going through the forest, he only had two options before him: either walk around aimlessly and go deeper into the woods without any help or sense of direction or he could try to get the help of that Helga woman. Or do you go back to heal? It's late and if one is unprepared, there could be great consequences.

---

@Lunarlord34

So, Steph decided to delve deeper into the ruins on Route 4. She would walk along the moon lit river, taking in the peaceful sights and sounds. Ghost-types looked at her with curiosity from afar for she gave off a strange feeling that was not typical of people, something that drawn in spirits as if she was bound to them like another visitor that had crossed through earlier. There was an occasional Wooper popping up from beneath the current to reveal its dump, happy expression without a single thought behind its beady dot for eyes. The ruins only helped to make it ever so atmospheric and mysterious to overall make one of the more awesome nighttime walks that anyone could have though there was nothing off about it. The only thing strange was the indecipherable writing on many of the ruins. Perhaps the rumors were simply overblown?

At a certain point though, she would find that there was only silence. All of the Pokemon, even the ghosts, were absent. Even for someone as brave as her, she would have felt a shiver of dread. She all of people would understand it more than anyone. In nature there is always noise, life. If the wilderness was silent, then that meant that there was something entirely wrong with these ruins.

With no warning, she would begin to feel a sense of panic and fear radiate from her within. It was if an icy, ragged hand gripped her heart. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in, an overwhelming need to get away from the ruins screamed and screamed. Steph's breathing would become shallow and quick, and a cold sweat raced down her brow. She would have had no choice, but to run away as fast as she could.

Fortunately, luck was on her side. Before Steph fled, the runes of the ruins lit up with a gentle, soft light blue that washed away the fear and panic that she suffered from though eventually the light flickered away like a dying flashlight.

Does Steph continue onward?

Suggested Actions

1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search.
2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding.
3. Seek trainers. There should be some trainers among those walking back and forth in the area or some fisherman wanting a brawl.
4. Talk. There’s plenty of travelers around. Maybe seek answers to any burning questions you have.
5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally.
6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination.
7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
9. Area Specific: Shop. Fishing Store, a place to get a fishing rod. Closed at the moment.. Mysterious Ruins. Of unknown origin, ancient markings on them. Explore further?

Route 4, Known Pokemon

Common:
#074-Geodude
#194-Wooper
#399-Bidoof
#580-Ducklett

Uncommon:
#622-Golett
#562-Galarian Yamask

Rare: #158-Totodile

---

@samreaper@Sanguine Rose

Tristan did not hear any growling come from the woods. That was his imagination running wild.

So, Tristan and Faye formed their shaky alliance and walked through Route 1, taking in the countryside as they made their way to their next step on their journey. The morning was still quite young though there were still farmers toiling away their cattle; Tauros and Milktank being led to their pastures while young Wooloo and Mareep were led to farmhouses with baskets filled with white and yellow wool outside.

Eventually, they would begin to smell a strong floral aroma and hear a joyous cacophony of different music the closer they were to Florasong. After a while, they soon found themselves in a place that was a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of Grand Glory.

Welcome to...

Florasong Town

There are two things that people experience just as they are about to enter the town. The first is the sounds of music of various genres being played along the streets by hopeful musicians. One would expect it to be a cacophony of noise and dissonance until one would realize that the musicians were playing back to one another in an exercise of improvisation and collaboration to create melodies that suited to the town's visual aesthetic. The second thing that one would experience just as they enter town is the floral assault on the olfactory senses. Everywhere no matter where one turned, there were flowers as far as the eye would see. Potted flowers, garden beds, hanging baskets, and more just about every turn.

The atmosphere was joyous and festive and yet, there is a soothing feeling that one would not find in the hustle and bustle of city streets. One could find people sitting around and relaxing at the outdoor cafes that littered the town and watch not only the musicians, but visual artists paint the idyllic town. After all, this was a town famous for its artistic and musical scene.

One of the crowning jewels of Florasong was what people called Aria's Park, a memorial to the founder of Florasong Town, which is a wonderous garden filled with flowers from all over the world and has many volunteers constantly maintaining it. If one isn't interested in flowers though, it was also home to many Pokemon that were attracted to the aroma and nectar of flowers.

Then there were Florasong School of Music, the place where every aspiring professional musician in Evig and even the rest of the world would kill to get into though that is nothing compared to the Florasong Opera House where any musician worth their salt would try to get a chance to perform there though the competition was stiff. After all, all the street musicians were all people who wanted to play there. The opera house was also the town's Gym.

Aside from that there were a few other places of interest. To start, there was a research facility that researched the Pokemon that lived in Aria's Park and there were other shops aside the Pokemart that sold some things of interest to a Pokemon trainer. There was a berry emporium and an artisanal Pokeball store. There was also a dilapidated old building that gave off some serious bad vibes.

There were Pokemon that wandered around the streets. There were some bipedal rats with strange eyes scurrying around looking very shifty, constantly keeping a look out. Then there were some very friendly canine Pokemon that were laying around by the flower beds in spots with the sun shining down on them and some just walking around living their best life. There were also some red bugs that hung around the musicians that made a sound akin to that of a xylophone.

Patrat, the Scout Pokemon. Using food stored in cheek pouches, they can keep watch for days. They use their tails to communicate with others. Extremely cautious, one of them will always be on the lookout, but it won't notice a foe coming from behind.

Kricketot, the Cricket Pokemon. It shakes its head back to front, causing its antennae to hit each other and sound like a xylophone. It chats with others using the sounds of its colliding antennae. These sounds are the hallmarks of fall evenings.

Lillipup, the Puppy Pokemon. This Pokémon is courageous but also cautious. It uses the soft fur covering its face to collect information about it surroundings. This Pokémon is far brighter than the average child, and Lillipup won't forget the love it receives or any abuse it suffers.

Connected Areas
Route 1. A hilly route filled with many ranches and farmland.
Lake Charity. A massive body of water. Used to travel between Starbor Village, Valstille City, and Florasong Town.
Route 2. West of Florasong.

Suggested Actions

1. Find Pokémon. Can still search for Pokémon in towns and cities.
2. Talk. In cities, there are considerably more people one can talk to. Specify what kind you’re looking for.
3. Exit. Exit the town to any of the connected areas.
4. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
5. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
6. Notable Buildings. Visit any of the facilities of the city!
6.1. Pokémon Center. Heal all your Pokémon.
6.2. PokéMart. Go to a store and buy things.
6.3. Research Center. A place used to study the Pokemon in Aria's Park. Maybe there is a point of interest?
6.4. Florasong School of Music. Not really just a building, but a general campus.
6.5. Florasong Opera House/Gym. ???
6.6. Lyan's Berry Emporium. For all of your berry needs.
6.7. Critical Capture. To get unique Pokeballs.
6.8. Aria's Park. A beautiful park filled with flowers and Pokemon.
6.9. Dilapidated House. Gives off really bad vibes.
7. Street Musicians. Care to give them a tip?

Known Pokemon

Common:
#401-Kricketot
#504-Patrat
#506-Lillipup

Uncommon:

Rare:

Strange Gospel: A Heavily Persona-Inspired Urban Fantasy RP

@AThousandCurses@DarckLeon

"From divine floods to this? God really decided to step up his game then," said Kauro with a chuckle at the mocking theories though he did not take it personally. How could he? Everything was completely absurd, and death was around every corner and behind every closed door. If it were not for the fact that doing so would attract whatever the hell was outside to them, Kauro would have busted his gut laughing at how preposterous it all was. Seriously, him and two other guys after figuring out they were experiencing the strange phenomena as him were pulled into a hellscape that looked like the flipside of their world. Everything about that should terrify him and yet, the ever-looming threat of death found no hold on him. He still had that same grin on his face.

Kauro patted the tall boy's back and said, "Don't worry about it. Just focus on surviving." It was all they could do given the situation.

They waited while the cashier offered to take a peek outside the building followed by a shrill screaming that did not come from him. It came from outside though it did not overstay its welcome. They were not the only ones that were pulled into the world after all. It would have been foolish to think that it was the case. What was surprising, however, was that it was another student from that was a victim. In a city as large as theirs, filled with so many people what were the odds that it was another student from their school to be pulled into this world too? No, what were the odds that it was just that kid and them to be pulled from their world into this blood-soaked hell in the general vicinity? It was a statistical anomaly.

Kauro knew that his school was facing a disproportionate amount of missing people cases because of Strange Gospel, but thought at the very least that there had to be victims outside of the school that were under reported. It would have been odd if that was not the case, but that may have very well been the case. So why target Yamamura High School students? There were too many missing puzzle pieces. They had no way of solving the mystery if they hid themselves away. No, they couldn't hide anyway.

"There's no way we could barricade the entire store by ourselves; they're too many points of entry for us to cover and too few of us to stand guard. I don't know what's out there, but if we're cornered in here then we're dead." They were in a store. There were many windows, air ventilation, and of course doorways that any unsavory creature could use to force their way inside. If anything, they would have been trapped with it.

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

@Sanguine Rose

Did Nolan notice? No, no he did not. His remark came as a response from his time working as a freelance mercenary around the neighboring kingdoms for the last few years. No matter the job there was always someone that claimed that there was an 'easy' job only to be the first to have their existence be put in the past the tense, but Nolan trusted his abilities enough to get him through the direst of situations. Every battle, every foe, every job, every balance of life and death was experience that he gained and committed to memory and body. He was fortunate though in that regard; not many could be taught by those who perfected combat like his fellow God Slayers. No, what filled him with apprehension was that he would be working side by side with another guild mage. Any jobs that Nolan had taken ever since he joined Rising Stars, he took on his own. It was purely out of precaution. It took one person, just the wrong person to recognize his magic for what it was and then it was over for him and the guild for harboring a God Slayer.

For now, he was safe given how ignorant the denizens of the kingdom were in regard to magic as a whole and he doubted that Ria would know what God Slayer Magic looked like either. She just smiled and laughed without a care in the world. "They're either desperate, or they're holding something back to make the guild look like fools when it goes tits up. Either way, it does not change the fact that we will succeed," he said to Ria while they made their way through the guild hall. It was quite easy with many in the hall giving them plenty of way as he walked to the door like they were trying to avoid being bitten by a rabid dog.

He clicked his tongue at the sorry sight. Cowards, the lot of them.

Nolan pushed the door open and let Ria go through first before following suit. Unlike Ria, he did not carry the burden of meeting expectations. For him, it was just another job. He looked around, not really appreciating or absorbing his surroundings with any hint of joy like she did. It was just another place for him. A place that he would soon forget. It didn't matter. The only thing that got his attention was the girl's heterochromatic eyes boring into him.

Again, Nolan still did not understand why Kiba left him alone with Ria and even if he did ask there was no way he'd get an answer out of that self-imposed mute. However, the implication of what could have been mistaken from her invitation did not go completely over his head. His cheeks to the tip of his ears blushed red at the invitation despite his resting bitch face not budging an inch.

No, this was not a date. The idea that anyone would even want to ask him out was so outlandish to him because who in their right mind would want to date someone like him? How arrogant would one have to be to assume that someone was trying to ask him on a date anyway? Yeah, she was not asking him on a date. Why would anyone? And this was Ria, Ms. Ball of Sunshine, the friendliest person in the guild that walks around doing her best to brighten everyone's day. She was just trying to make friends with him like she does with everyone else in the guild. She would have asked anyone else. He wasn't special.

"I, um, it's not that I wouldn't be interested. It's just..." He ran his fingers through the back of his hair, digging his nails into it in annoyance as he exhaled through his teeth. "You'd be better off not being associated with me outside of the guild. I would just ruin your reputation."

Persona ~ Alone at Sea (PERSONA WITH A BOAT 𓊝)

Yeah, no Victor saw the leap that the hell frog made and just booked it as best as could with the unconscious Sophia clung to him. Well, he would have if she would stop being a hindrance to their own survival! Victor just as he was about to make a mad dash like the rest of his peers, Sophia's body spasmed, which made her fall off him.

For the love of... This girl was continuing to prove that if one looked up the definition of 'dead weight' they'd find a picture of her next its definition! Truly there has been no one as fitting for term as she dangled uselessly on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and let's be honest here, that was an insult to potatoes everywhere. It was as if the universe made her its butt monkey and then made her everyone else's problem too. If it were not for the fact that leaving her for dead would have weighed on his conscience, Victor would have left her on the ground to be chow for the warty fucker.

He did not have time to even react to what had happened. One moment he was reaching down to pick up Miss Top 15 and then the next thing he knew he felt his body crumple as he was sent flying, the air was forcibly pushed out of his body and crashed into the spring. Then there was just nothing.

Victor drifted in the waters, his consciousness fading in and out as he drifted deeper and deeper into the spring until the all too familiar icy chill dug its nails into his bones. His eyes fluttered open only to be greeted by the darkness from when he fell into the ocean. Again, he was floating in place though he was uncertain as to what would happen next. When he first fell in, he was flying above another ocean, heard a voice that boiled his insides as if molten tar was poured down his gullet, and them woke up on that beach.

A sense of fear grasped his heart for whatever the awaited future would be. Would he be sent to another island again filled with demon frogs or somewhere else. Was there even something else to come? The only thing more terrifying than being transported to some unknown world, was nothing else happening; to float in the darkness along with no end in sight. A true hell.

The silence was broken. The voice appeared again and warmth washed over him.

"Water... I see. The gateway, the horizon, the boundary..."

Victor did not even get a chance to ask what it was talking about. Light broke through the darkness and his eyes shot wide open. He wasn't floating anymore; his back was pressed against something smooth, yet cool and solid though his vision was completely out of focus. The young Frenchman shielded his eyes from the brightness as he sat back up because it turned out when someone goes from complete darkness to light, their eyes don't adjust immediately.

"Am I dead?" He asked himself in disbelief, his free hand pressed against the ground. It wasn't just smooth and cool; it had ridged and gaps just like tiles. Upon this realization, his hand fumbled around the surface desperately clarifying that what it was and then became hyper aware of not just his surroundings, but himself. Victor was drenched from head to toe, his hair clung to his face and sand in, well, places that won't be mentioned.

Victor scrambled to his feet and spun around to get the full view of his surroundings. It was the second-floor bathroom back in school. The strength in his legs almost gave out on him and he held himself up by balancing against the sink. His breathing was rapid and sharp as he felt a volatile mix of emotion sit in his stomach like bricks, beads of cold sweat ran down his head. In between panicked short breaths Victor asked himself, "Why am I...? How am I...?" Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes and his hand, shaking, covered his mouth as if he was trying to hold back a scream.

There was no time to panic though. For as far he could tell, he was back in school while everyone else was still stuck on the island with that beast. He leaned forward onto the sink and pushed the wet hair out of his eyes that stared at his own reflection in the mirror. "Calm down Victor. You won't get anywhere like this."

Victor poked his head out of the bathroom to make sure that there was no surprise students or janitors walking down the hallway before he made his way out of the building. The only thing he could do now was go back to the docks and investigate the area to figure out what happened, and well, get his clothes back too. He was sure to be sneaky though as he no doubt would have had a bit of trouble explaining why he was just wearing swim trunks on campus in the middle of the night.

Strange Gospel: A Heavily Persona-Inspired Urban Fantasy RP

@AThousandCurses@DarckLeon

"We can either figure out a way to save ourselves and investigate or we wait to see what happens. I don't know when we'll back pulled back in, but the reality is we are probably short on time if we can hear that heartbeat." What were they supposed to do? If they could be pulled back into the world whenever the forces wanted to, they would have no choice in the matter. The only thing they could do was to learn about what was happening and see if they could gleam anything from it. For Kauro, that was a joy, but for the others it was a terror.

The cashier caught on from Kauro's pretty blatant excitement and asked him why he did not seem to be panicking in the face of very possible death. All color in Kauro's face drained away as soon as he was called out for understandably his inappropriate level enthusiasm for their situation. He had been so excited by all the wild possibilities that the case presented that he forgot put on his 'Popular Guy' facade. "Ah, sorry. Uh, you see," he trailed off to think of any excuse to get him out of this situation. Maybe death would have been better at this rate.

However, a convenient distraction came in the form of a tall, rather dim purple haired boy. Kauro looked up at him with an expression that asked, 'how stupid could this guy be'. Yes, these theories were out there, but did this guy really understand what they saw and what's been happening? Kauro asked as bluntly and coldly as possible, "What else would you call that blood flooded world other than a chopping block? In the face of absurdity, expect equally absurd theories. Yes, I have no proof, but is this seriously the time to be a sceptic when you witnessed it yourself? We're not playing by the rules of this world anymore so-"

There was something wrong. It was as if everything seemed normal, like a living room that was neatly in order except for a picture frame that was just ever so slightly titled. Where were the other shoppers? The silence was unnatural; the busyness of the city streets ceased as if it was paused. This was then followed by the light being snuffed away. Then it was followed by the most pungent of smell, an overwhelming scent of iron that flooded his nostrils. Blood soaked the floor and blood poured in thick, viscous streams from fridges and the heartbeat echoed in their ears. They were back on the chopping block.

Kauro took the knife presented to him, his eyes never leaving the store entrance. "Move quickly and quietly. Be on alert. We don't know what's here."

Pokémon: There and Back Again

@Zarkun
"Well, to be honest the only thing I am fairly certain is that there is a shrine in the Deep Woods though I could never confirm it because it's too dangerous for someone with no Pokemon to go wandering around. Perhaps you can find some clues there to find the other shrines if it even exists," explained the studios woman. Obviously, if she were a trainer with any bit of skill then there would have been no need to rely on a relatively green trainer. Not like she had any choice at this point though.

Jacqulyn fished around her cluttered desk of notes and off-brand Pokemon Starbucks (Staryubucks? Gardbucks?) and handed him a leatherbound notebook and a blue pen. Opening the pages would only show clean sheets of lined paper.

Jason obtained Notebook!

"Take careful notes of any observations you deem important. Now if you excuse me, I need to get back to work," said Jacqulyn, but as soon as she sat down her head hit the table and the entire library was filled with the foghorn-esque sound of her snores. Sleep had finally got its grasp over her and was now trapped in the land of nod.

The librarian just absolutely sick of this shit turned to Jason and said wearily, "She's always like this. Can I help you with anything else or would you be on your way?"

What does Jason do?

Suggested Actions

1. Find Pokémon. Can still search for Pokémon in towns and cities.
2. Talk. In cities, there are considerably more people one can talk to. Specify what kind you’re looking for.
3. Exit. Exit the town to any of the connected areas.
4. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
5. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
6. Notable Places. Visit any of the facilities of the city!
6.1. Pokémon Center. Heal all your Pokémon.
6.2. PokéMart. Go to a store and buy things.
6.3. Kiosk. Great place to ask for directions.
6.3. Farmer's Market. Berries, herbs, and various other crops can be found here.
6.4. Stone Emporium Various kinds of stone mined from Rheinvale.
6.5. Battle Items. Items helpful for Pokemon battles.
6.6. Contest Items. Accessories for your Pokemon to look their most fabulous.
6.7. Inventor Betrand's Store. Absolutely mad inventor. What he has for sale is up in the air. Whether or not it'll blow up in your face is also up in the air.
6.8. Food Carts Various kinds of street food.
7. Rail Carts. Take a cart to help you get around the village. Agriculture District, the Scholar District, the Market District, and the Entertainment District

Starbor Village: Upper Levels

Common:
#273-Seedot
#396-Starly
#731-Pikipek

Uncommon:
#425-Drifbloon
#511-Pansage

Rare:
#701-Hawlucha (Entertainment District)

---

@Lunarlord34

The instant Steph reached Route 4 cool fresh air filled her lungs, a reinvigorating sensation after spending her day mainly around the exhaust of cars, the brining sea air of the port, and the inhuman stink of the sewers. It was quiet by comparison with only the local wildlife breaking the silence of night. Perhaps this was a bit of whiplash for her given she had been surrounded by crowds of people all day, but it was also a familiar comfort. There were plenty of nights like this back on her family farm in Galar though the only difference was that for the first time in her life she was on her own.

However, it was unlikely that she would be dwelling on that train of thought. Her sense of adventure fueled her desire to find the ruins, which led her to see if there was anyone at this time though she did find some random guy setting up a tent off to the side.

"The ruins? Uh, yeah they're down that way." They pointed towards the river. "I wouldn't venture too deep though. The place gives me the creeps."

They really weren't that hard to find. They were located by the river that flowed through the route. The remains of the ruins were mainly stone constructs such as moss-covered arches, intricately carved grand gates that were now partially freestanding with some connected to walls, pillars in various states of disrepair with the remains of some laying on their sides, and various places that may have once been buildings. Of course, there were the aforementioned free-standing walls that looked like they were part of something once, but now confuse people with their strange markings where the occasional Yamask would pop out from one of the walls though the ghostly energy that came from the ghosts differed to what was in the ruins.

Steph had no idea about the history of the region or any insight beyond the fact that people lived here. It was up in the air whether or not she even cared about the history behind it and just was more excited by the fact that she could explore something old and could fall on top of her at any moment like a kid in a jungle gym. If she felt like it, she could explore even deeper.

The ghost-types, Golets and Galarian-Yamasks, were watching her with great curiosity though did not approach the wildfire girl.

What does Steph do?

Suggested Actions

1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search.
2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding.
3. Seek trainers. There should be some trainers among those walking back and forth in the area or some fisherman wanting a brawl.
4. Talk. There’s plenty of travelers around. Maybe seek answers to any burning questions you have.
5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally.
6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination.
7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result.
8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you.
9. Area Specific: Shop. Fishing Store, a place to get a fishing rod. Closed at the moment.. Mysterious Ruins. Of unknown origin, ancient markings on them. Explore further?

Route 4, Known Pokemon

Common:
#074-Geodude
#194-Wooper
#399-Bidoof
#580-Ducklett

Uncommon:
#622-Golett
#562-Galarian Yamask

Rare: #158-Totodile

Rising Stars: A Fairy Tail AU

@Sanguine Rose

And there it was again, that overwhelmingly dazzling smile of hers. Nolan had not been part of the guild for very long and even he knew from the moment he saw her that she was a beam of sunlight personified. Joyful, loving, and kind; all the things that he was not. That brightness of hers that gave off the feeling that she so put together, so functional, so normal and then there was him. He was not ignorant to what people thought of him: crude, ill-tempered, violent, cold, terrifying. Walking along the streets of Rembrandt he always received piercing glares from the townspeople and the guard just letting him how unwelcomed he was in their home, not that he could blame them. Hell, he wasn't even sure why Jenna even offered to let him join in the guild, but as long as she kept her end of the bargain it didn't matter.

Ria was so much more hopeful than he was on how they could improve his standing in the town. It would have been so easy to give a dry, sarcastic response to what he viewed as naive hope, but he couldn't bring himself to be cruel to her. She was genuinely trying to help him without making it a transaction, and yet she stood to lose more than to gain just being associated with him.

"Well, I guess it's better to be optimistic," Nolan said and for a split second if she was paying attention his tone sounded warmer, and his icy expression softened just a tad though that may just have just been the alcohol. He watched her disappear into the crowd though he could see the occasional head of purple peek through. She could've just asked him to go to the board with him. Chances were that people would have given him some way, but that did not really matter. Ria ran back and slammed the sheet of paper on the counter with great gusto.

Nolan listened to her excitedly tell him how this was such a great job for them, how it would help Nolan form a better relationship with the town guard after their first meeting, and so on and so on. He arched his brow though when she claimed how much of a cinch the job was going to be.

"Never assume a job to be easy. It's always those that say that that freeze up when things go wrong," he said as picked up the piece of paper and read it over. "I knew the situation is bad, but they can't even send aid to their own border patrol? What hell is going on in the capital?" On its own, it wasn't an unusual job. It was just a simple escort of cargo, but the fact that there had been a consistent lack of military support for this area when reports indicated that there was a spike in beasts running rampant was strange.

Nolan pocketed the job request and stood up. "Well, let's not keep them waiting. I'm sure the guards will just be happy to see me." The sarcasm practically dripped from his voice though he was willing so that was a start.

Persona ~ Alone at Sea (PERSONA WITH A BOAT 𓊝)

Thump...

Thump...!

Victor perked up at the sudden deep, repeated thumping off at the distance, the ground shaking from the sheer size of whatever was causing it. "What the hell is that?" He asked to no one in particular as he looked around to see the source of the tremors, but tried as he might, he couldn't catch a glimpse of anything that would stand out. His search though was broken by the shrill screaming of Sophia and watched her pass out again in the bushes. The stick and the coconut that he was holding fell with a light 'thud' as he rushed over to the girl and lifted her limp body up, checking for any bruising or cuts along the head.

What the hell did she see? Victor's gaze followed where Sophia had been looking through the tree line back towards the beach and saw... What the fuck was that? It looked like a frog, but it was the size of a bus and had six goat-like eyes lined up in a row, and from its front legs were a membrane that looked like wings. There was no creature on Earth that looked like that. Wherever that water spirited them away to, they were not in Kansas anymore.

"Mon Dieu," was the only thing he could muster to say, his eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw slack. Forget sticks and stones breaking bones, a damn rifle wouldn't be able to put that behemoth down. It would only just piss it off. There was nothing they could do that thing to kill it. Whatever it was, it was the apex predator, and they were the flies.

Without warning, the thing bellowed, the force of that thing's scream ripped bushes from the ground and shook trees. Victor as best as he could tried to cover his ears while trying not to drop Sophia, as much as he wanted to. His gave soon returned to the create and he just watched its many eyes dart around, making it unpredictable of where it was looking. However, it was very likely that one of the eyes was looking at them.

Without break his line of sight on the hell frog Victor said to the group, "We need to run, now."

Strange Gospel: A Heavily Persona-Inspired Urban Fantasy RP

@DarckLeon@AThousandCurses
"It has everything to do with it," responded Kauro as his eyes, as Kazama noticed, betrayed his cool and calm tone and the corners of his mouth were fighting back a grin. He glanced down at the hand clasped tightly on the shoulder like a vice and shaking from the anxiety of the unknown. Despite it actually being quite painful, he just looked up at the tall boy and chuckled. To them, the orange haired kid seemed more amused by the situation than concerned. Or perhaps more excited? What were the chances that he'd not only bump into two people who interacted with Strange Gospel, brought into that world, and be from the same school as him? Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket if he got out of this alive.

His attention was brought back to Kazama and continued with that calm and cool tone. "There is no such thing as coincidences. I have my theories, but they are merely conjecture. However, what I am certain is that the app, that world, the disappearances, and that figure are all connected. Everything has a function, a point to its existence. The app's purpose was to communicate to us and make us marks though to what end I cannot say though I can only assume the worst. If I were gambling man, I'd say that we're next on the proverbial chopping block."

For someone that confidently said that they were about to be spirited away by some unknown force to that world to face their death, he seemed unperturbed. He picked up the can of cola in front and cracked it open like this was just him and the boys chilling around on a couch, taking a sip from it. Kauro either was unaware of the severity of the situation or he did not fear death.

He did that thing where when people in commercials after taking a drink make that 'ahh' sound and placed the can back on the counter. Kauro was enjoying this a bit too much, which was more than what was socially acceptable given the circumstances. For him, it was just nerding out at the fact that supernatural phenomena even existed and that he had a real mystery on his hands. He continued to ramble on. "As to what to what that world is, well, I do have theories. My original theory was that it was the future if we are to go with the train of thought that the app shows us that first, but after being transported and getting a better look, it could be a parallel world given that there were similar, twisted versions of structures from our world. Or..."

The student trailed off lost in thought, his fingers tapped on the counter rhythmically repeatedly. This went on for a god thirty seconds before he said "Both theories are correct. Perhaps it will be a convergence of worlds and that's the final possible future the app showed us. We should know, we witnessed the walls of reality be breached by another."

Strange Gospel: A Heavily Persona-Inspired Urban Fantasy RP

@AThousandCurses@DarckLeon

"Uh huh..." This would have been the part where this tall guy would introduce himself, but it looked like he did not seem to know the protocol for basic introductions. So, Kauro still had no idea who this guy was still, and the conversation came to a grinding halt. There was no salvaging that conversation and Kauro really just did not have the energy to care enough to try to maintain a conversation where he would never interact with again. He had more important matters at hand though he was stuck talking to an anxious store employee.

The clerk made a mistake with trying to hide behind a smile; don't try to bullshit a bullshitter. Clearly there was something wrong, but if he would not divulge information then there was nothing for Kauro to do. However, he let on a bit more than he might've intended. This could have been nothing though. It could have just been an actual gas leak, but there were too many strange phenomena occurring all at once all over the city; things that even Kauro has seen. There was a real chance that Kauro had just met another victim of Strange Gospel. It was a big jump to conclusions, but he had to take it.

"You saw it, didn't you? Strange Gospel, or whatever that world was," Kauro said to him point blank without blinking. "You can hear it too. A heartbeat, but it's at the very edge of your hearing like it's background noise. That's why you're looking behind even when all there is behind you is a wall with shelves. Considering you suggested a gas leak, something you'd report immediately to your supervisor, you must've experienced it for the first time today. The same as me."

His blood was beginning to pump again. If he was correct, then that meant it was possible that there were other people that entered that world at the same time he did. Just how many others were pulled into it as well today?