Test Drive Meme - December - Merry Christmas and a New Year!

[bestmomever]

December has arrived! And it's a festive, very festive time for the people of Alola. You'll find that many local businesses are doing well this time of year as there's brilliant lights being strung up, in preparation of people, both tourists and people. The doors are open, the Christmas Spirit is in the air, and Delibirds have arrived to start taking letters to Santa! Mallow in particular has been a chief advocate of getting your letters into Santa, as this is the second Christmas Vacation coming up for the Fallers, and soon you'll be off school for Christmas Break which starts on the 18th.

You'll have lots to do, but soon, there'll be a aura of business as Christmas begins to loom closer and closer, as a sense of urgency starts pushing forward as the Delibirds seem more and more urgent...




A. Arrival

Another wave of Ultra Holes have opened up over the Island, alarms have appeared and the Ultra Guardians as well as Bewear has come into play. This time, the Fallers have been asked to intercept the literally Falling people who are coming out of the holes and brief them and bring them to the Pokemon Center, ie Immigration to get checked in. Wicke is there to answer questions but a few volunteers may be there as well. The experienced Fallers can get you up to speed.


B. The Alola Community Visitors Plaza

A venue usually for tourists, new Fallers are given a chance to see the main tourist area for Alola, in order to orient and familiarize themselves with the nature of Alola and Pokemon in general. A far cry from the disorganized mob that was originally there, this time, there are people set up in the stands, ready to receive tourists and Fallers alike. Pamphlets, interviews with locals and tour guides, Ride Pokemon to take you around the island, and various other places are available. Please look around, the choice is yours. This month it is decorated for the Festival of Lights, aka Christmas.


C. The Hau’oli City Markets

This is where the marketplace stands, full of fresh fruit and food. Those who are hungry can be treated to a delicious taste of Alola. Not once, not twice, but more times than they can imagine. Your coin is good here, even if it’s alien in nature. Even if you don’t have coin, you’ll be fine. Ohana. No one is left behind or forgotten. We’re not about to let people go hungry in this world. Nature’s bounty is for everyone, humans and Pokemon alike. There’s no need to steal, just ask the marketplace for some food if you are very hungry. Even if you’re shy, Miss Anela will offer you a snack. There's a lot of holiday treats.


D. Job Board

Odd Jobs have been posted here right now, thanks to the efforts of the people who have decided to help the Fallers out, and it’s also a help wanted board for those who want to earn some coin in the middle of the week before the beginning of the school year. Tasks such as bucking crates of Juice off a truck, to doing some simple paperwork in an office for a few days, and even tending Pokemon in a farm on Akala Island. The choice is yours. Get out and explore. There's a lot of decorating jobs right now.


E. Exploring the entire island chain

If you wish to explore Melemele, it is a big island, and there is plenty to see. There are Forests, Honey Fields, Hot Springs, Beaches, and many other places. Melemele boasts one of the biggest cities Hau’oli City, and is the capital of Alola. Here, up at the top of a large plateau is the challenge area where Hala offers the Grand Trial. The caves are full of Pokemon, and your Pokemon are eager to prove themselves in a Trial. There's plenty to see now, with Akala island, Ula'ula Island and Poni Islands also opened up for tourism.


F. Grand Trials

The Four Kahuna are accepting challengers once more. Those who wish to participate in the sacred trials are allowed to participate in the Grand Trials once more, to earn the right of the Z. With the goals in mind, you may undertake a Trial to earn a Z-Crystal first, and then take on a Grand Trial for a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal. The choice is yours which to tackle first.


G. Festival of Lights

There's actually two Festival of Lights this time around! The Boat Festival where there will be several boats on the water displaying gorgeous lights which shine on the water, and the festival where the land shines with twinkling lights on the seventh. The first is on the 13th. There seems to be a wonderful time coming up.


H. Melemele General Hospital

Even Angela is working extra hard to make sure everyone's prepared for the winter, and that makes time for checkups, and other such things. If you've got the sniffles, this one is for you. But also, come chat with Angela, and meet some of the more colorful visitors from Overwatch Earth.


I. Aether Labs

Come review the brand new information that makes the Ultra Guardians go on the offensive. Which means, Aether Labs is open to the science community! The scientific community heads can now access the labs, and the resources within. Under the guidance of Wicke, Faba and, Burnet, you're allowed access to Aether's resources to build and invent and upgrade and repair your own equipment.


J. Alolan Steel Guitar Festival

Come listen to the native music of the people, leading into the city. You can listen, try out one of the steel guitars, dance, the choice is yours! Your world is yours to explore!


K. Lighting of the Banyan Tree

In the middle of the city there's a massive tree being erected. This is the Banyan Tree, and on the seventh during the Festival of Lights, it will be lit up! Come check it out!


L. Wildcard

If you haven’t found a prompt that suits you, make it up!

Comments

[aspire_to_be]

Getting back to shore, Toshi stepped out of the water as Bonsly hopped towards him with a cheerful chirp. "Ah, I'm fine, I'm fine!" He chuckled as his Pokemon leaped into his arms, regardless of the water covering him. "You should be more worried about your weakness to water, Bonsly."

"Bon bon," replied Bonsly, chidingly.

"I'm all right," replied Toshi softly. "Mr. Kaiba, I hope your Sobble, Goliath was it? I hope Goliath is all right. I did my best to soothe him before we made it to shore. Is there anything I can help with?"

[blue_ice]

Goliath sure loves to climb all over Kaiba. Sobble's on top of the human's head now, but mostly so he can have a better look at the strange man. Goliath claps happily and waves.

"We're fine. I'm...grateful."

Kaiba's still eye-level with those bulging pecs. Wow. He coughs, reaching down for a towel to drape over his considerably-less-impressive form.

"Though if I can repay you at all, I will. I don't like to be in debt. You're new, right? I think I would've noticed you before."

There's an odd up-lilt to his voice there.

[aspire_to_be]

"Ah, yes I am. Forgive me, I'm Toshinori Yagi. I'm from Japan, thereabouts. I'm based out in California, in Los Angeles right now through the California Hero University." said Toshinori, holding out his hand for Kaiba.

"I'm a professional hero, in training. I go by my Codename All Might when I'm in uniform, but after meeting Bonsly, I think Bonsly is the real hero, having chased off that incredible monster that even the Pro Cow Lady was hard-pressed to defeat in LA. They called it an Ultra Beast, uh... Buzzswole I think it was. It was more than a match for my fists I have to admit. I never fought anything so solid before!"

Toshinori smiled. "But brave Bonsly here, had no fear. She ran up to it, and used a powerful Tackle to shove it through the Ultra Hole. What a hero!"

[blue_ice]

"Mm. Seto Kaiba, also from Japan, CEO of Kaiba Corporation, the city's most prominent gaming company," he explains, with the strongest grip of a handshake that his smaller hand will allow. It's hard to project his usual dominating aura when he's not used to being smaller and shorter, but he sure is Trying to stretch to his full height.

"I would've guessed professional bodybuilder, but that doesn't surprise me either."

That little bit of backstory catches his interest.

"We've fought a Buzzswole before, but we did so by...entering a flexing contest with it. With muscles like yours, you could've won easily. But our Pokémon have strange and powerful gifts that need to be nurtured," he agrees, looking over at the little Rock type.

[aspire_to_be]

"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Kaiba," replied Toshi. "Call me Toshi!"

Toshi chuckled. "My world is very odd even by some worlds. Over 80% of our population has some kind of superpower that it's almost mundane. A plethora of mutantkind. Although to be honest, a lot of powers aren't even suited for Hero work. Some like mine are very suited to Hero work. Others are like a light for reading in bed, or picking up faraway objects if they fall behind a couch from twenty feet. Believe me, not every power is the same, or quote "useful" for heroing in the same vein as some people might think conventionally or as flashy."

"Really? So you've dealt with them before? There's been a couple of them showing up in our world before this. Along with tall thin ones who act as thieves, sometimes too fast to catch. We've called them Speeders. Like tall thin cockroaches. The one that I cornered decided to fight rather than flex." said Toshi. "I obliged, and he showed his battle prowess."

[blue_ice]

"Mm. I don't know their proper names, but Pokémon invaded your world for a while before you came through?"

That...has worrisome implications for the other worlds. He pales a little, but decides to distract himself.

"Your power is...super strength, then, or something else as well?"

[aspire_to_be]

"For a few months. I don't know how it is in Japan, but for a few months now, since I've been in California, I've seen and responded to Pokemon that have arrived in our world. Some are harmless like Skitty's who are looking for food. Others, well..."

Toshi frowned a little. "The worst of it was the Buzzswole and the speedy cockroaches. But there was one that emerged from the water, the natives mistook it for a very small Godzilla before it started shooting up the area in a panic since people were crowding it. We managed to herd it back. I found out a day ago after arriving and describing it to the authorities that it's something called a Tyranitar. That's when I met Bonsly actually when I wrestled it back into it's Ultra Hole."

[blue_ice]

"If that's happening...then that means they could be invading other worlds as well, doesn't it? I didn't notice anything off before I fell, but this could be bad. You told Aether about this, didn't you?"

Because not every world has a whole legion of competent superheroes.

[aspire_to_be]

"First thing I did." said Toshi. "For the most part, a lot of our Pokemon issues have been low-key. The Tyranitar was an outlier, as with the Buzzswole. Thefts are common in my world, like bank robberies and high tech crimes so it's not uncommon for Heroes to get mixed into Pokemon incidents."

"But I'm sure a few hungry Pokemon stealing from a food cart would go unnoticed, for a while in another world. Even if they were as low key as a Ratata I'd imagine. If someone started feeding them, then they could survive in a world indefinitely."

[blue_ice]

"Still, not every world has a team of superheroes waiting in the wings to save it. Mine doesn't---only a military, and they can't handle anything on that big of a scale."

Even his private special forces would struggle, and he pictures Mokuba at the helm with a frown.

"I'll get back to the lab soon. I have a feeling things will only get worse, but maybe that's my inner pessimist speaking."

[aspire_to_be]

"Mind if I join you? I have some perspective on how people without Quirks could handle a situation without Pokemon. Considering that a very resourceful friend of mine handled himself quite well in a situation with a lost baby Khangaskhan."

He smiled, thinking of Dave. "Don't worry, it'll be all right!"

[blue_ice]

"...All right. But I'd like to hear that story," he found himself saying, a tiny answering smile on his face.

"Mm. A natural optimist to oppose me." But in the moment he finds that amusing.

[aspire_to_be]

"A dauntless smile to keep the people happy. That's the kind of way I face everything!" Laughed Toshi. "All right, let's get going. Where to?"

[blue_ice]

"The Aether labs. It's a hike from here, but I could give you a ride. Unless you can fly or something."

Kaiba quickly dries himself off and dresses, rumpling his hair in the process, before he calls up his motorcyle.