May Adventure: I Want to Go Where Everyone Goes

[lifeaftr_mods]

NEW ISLAND: IO

Who: Everyone!
What: Io appears!
When: May 10th and onward
Where: Io
Warnings: The possibility of drug use and alcohol may come up. Otherwise, tag as you go!

Things Are Shaping Up to Be Pretty Odd
As of May 10th, the mana pools on Ensō and its islets will now allow for travel to Io. Though you could always opt for sailing, if you wanted. As we mentioned on the island's introductory post, no exploration is necessary! The island is small enough and easily traversed, and with a minimum of dangers, you have plenty of time to visit each of Io's six draws.

The temple is the easiest place to get in touch with the local avatar, though you can contact them just as easily by striking up a conversation with just about any honeybee you see in the vicinity. The lazy drone of them can be heard all over the island, though they're quite complacent, and not at all prone to disturbing adventurers. The temple itself is twined with grapevines and smothered with inlays of rubies, proud and sparkling. Inside, it smells of honey and wine, and seems to exhibit a naturally contented glow. Just outside, numerous fruit trees sprout all about the temple's courtyard, to be sampled at your leisure.

The bathhouses are located just south of the temple, and are prime locations for some rest and relaxation. Bathe, swim, take a spa day! There are innumerable rooms to do exactly that, and more space than be reasonably filled by some sixty-or-seventy people. Or maybe you're interested in getting absolutely sloshed instead. The vineyard is perfect for that, located to Io's northeast on one of its long, tapering peninsulas. Rows upon rows of grapevines lead up to the crown jewel of the region: a proud winery with enough goods to satisfy even the most parched.

For those less keen on mind-altering substances, the tea gardens are a far safer bet. They practically emanate tranquility, with their soft paper lanterns, thickets of tea trees, and a tea room with a seemingly endless supply of every supplement to your drink that you could ask for. And if none of the teabags or tea leaves in there suit your preference, you're free to wander about the gardens yourself and sample whatever you like.

The Honeycomb at the island's heart is much more akin to a play structure or jungle gym than anything else, but its interlocking passageways and erratic, hexagonal architecture aren't for nothing. It's an ideal spot for play or exercise, if you're into that kind of thing - or for getting positively sick on honey sticks.

The campsites ensure that you don't truly have to depart from Io, if you don't want to. Tents full of chairs and cushions and blankets make it a wonderful place to spend the night if you're so inclined, and the lockers full of food and drink are assurances that you won't go hungry. And with all these massive bonfires and firework cannons, why would you ever want to leave?

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Welcome to the island of Io! Please, enjoy your stay and make full use of this island's many faculties! For further information in regards to the island, or plotting, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC info and introductory post
[ ♆ ] Io on the Locations page

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[yallstupid]

[Had she said no, he definitely would have pushed, a bit...but in the end it's her choice. Guzma's aware that Lillie needs to grow, and she will, she'll find her confidence, but here? Here, it's a bit harder, when she doesn't have too much to fight for, doesn't have much to prove. But it's not good to stagnate, Guzma knows this, and she'd learn a lot about herself, and her little creampuff, if she understood what actually having a battle is like.

He may have forgotten, down the line himself. Reminded only by a plucky little brat and her equally feisty team.]

Lil, no one is good when they try something for the first time, not unless y'all is some kinda freak genius or whatever. Y'all gonna mess up, make mistakes, but I ain't here to judge or criticize you. I just wanna chill and let my Pokémon work off some steam. They deserve to have fun just as much as we do, yeah? [And Guzma's Pokémon enjoy battling, just as much as he does. Some more than others, of course, each member of his team is different and has their own personality. Speaking of--]

Pick which one y'all wanna use. I'll even help you out and list up what their moves are, so y'don't gotta do no guesswork.

[flower_of_innocence]

Oh I couldn't take Golisopod from you, even temporarily. [The response is immediate, if a little...um. Strange sounding, probably.] Oh, um! But I know all your pokemon are very important to you, of course! It's just that Goli is...you know.

[Yours.

She doesn't know for sure what happened in the past (but doesn't she though?) but after all they've been through together she can't possibly gel with that pokemon the way he could. She would get him hurt by her hesitation.

(...if she's honest with herself, she doesn't think she can gel with any pokemon in battle, and she knows that tactically speaking she's giving Guzma an advantage by letting him use Goli.)]

[yallstupid]

My partner? [Guzma finishes for her, a grin curling up on his lips as he plucks Golisopod's Pokeball off the table and rolls Ariados' closer to Lillie.] Heh...yeah, the big guy's been with me since we both was real little. Probably 'bout your age, actually.

I mean, I wouldn't mind y'all using him for a test fight - Golisopod likes you, and he's prob'ly the most obedient, and patient, of my entire team, but, uh...he's definitely my ace, so I appreciate y'lettin' me keep him in my roster, yeah. Anyway, here. Release Ariados and scan her with this.

[He tugs out his Pokedex and hands it to Lillie. As beaten up as it is, it does still function properly....ish. It needs a few good whacks to get it to stop glitching sometimes, and the screen is still cracked and scratched pretty bad, but it's usable. And once Lillie does scan Ariados with it, she'll find the Pokemon's stats, ability, nature, and more importantly...her moves:

Fell Stinger
Sucker Punch
Toxic Thread
Venoshock

Review them closely.]

[flower_of_innocence]

[Lillie's hand hovers over the pokeball for a few seconds before she takes it. It's...lighter than she thought it would be, but there's a heavy feeling in her chest that about balances it out. She's really going to do this, huh? But she does as she's told, scanning the (probably slightly confused) pokemon and reading the data entry the flickering screen spits out.

There are some areas where people use the string Ariados spins for their own weaving. The resulting cloth is popular for its strength.

That's...kind of cute. A weapon made into a utility. Another way that people and pokemon bond and work together.

Her moveset is interesting, if a little sinister. She seems primarily focused on depleting her opponent's hit points through passive damage, while exploiting the side effects of Venoshock to deal burst damage. At least, that's what she understands from reading the move descriptions and mentally calculating how they fit together. That Guzma taught her these moves is equal parts impressive and disconcerting, since it means he was aiming to really leave his opponent reeling, but he clearly put some thought into how to do it.]

Alright, I think I know a little more about how you like to fight, Ariados. [She glances up at Guzma.] Can we...keep her out for a bit? We should get to know each other, right?

[yallstupid]

[Ariados emerges from the Pokeball as she always does, blinking in the sunlight but immediately prepped and ready to either battle or just cuddle up to her trainer. Each of Guzma's Pokemon all have their own personality and characteristics - Golisopod is the calm, quiet, patient one...and Ariados is the excited, friendly, affectionate one.

She does tilt her head curiously at Lillie when the Pokedex is pointed her way, and scoots closer to inspect it, holding out her front arms and trying to pull the young girl's arms down to her level. It's a sharp "behave" from her trainer that gets the massive spider to back off, and she siinks to sink a little on her feet at being scolded, but bounces back up when Lillie speaks about fighting, bobbing on her legs up and down and clicking her fangs together.]

Yeah, no sweat, sis, you can play with 'er a little bit while we drink this muck and chill. I wanna give y'all a fighting chance to read up on my girl's strengths and weaknesses and come up with a strategy.. Remember, you're already at a disadvantage since I know 'er inside out - s'what you work out with what y'all got that makes the difference.

And you-- [He points at Ariados, and the spider stands to alert, eyes wide and blinking.] You listen to Lillie, yeah? This is just a training battle, and she ain't don't none'a this before...so y'all better be on your best behavior.

[And he gives the big arachnid a loving pat on her head.]

[flower_of_innocence]

[Ariados' personality probably matches Lillie better than Golisopod's would, for what it's worth.

Lillie hands the pokedex back to Guzma and sits down next to her new spider friend. Part of her isn't quite sure what to do, until Nebby finally decides to chime in and waddle over to the spider. It seems interested in her legs. Possibly because it is lacking any and she has many. The fact that Nebby isn't afraid just instinctively puts her at ease enough to offer her hand for Ari to inspect. And, should the pokemon prove docile or interested enough, a gentle and careful head rub will follow.

But there is another matter at hand: "Muck". The child smiles sincerely, amused but confident that Guzma will like this concoction. It smells pretty much exactly like Tapu Cocoa - how could he not like it? She points at the mug.]

The "muck" should be brewed by now. But please be careful, it's sure to be very hot. You could try putting milk in it to cool it off and make it more mild.

[yallstupid]

[Ariados is...well, she's excitable, friendly, curious, and rather energetic. When Nebby inspects her, she turns in a bit o a circle to watch the cloudy Pokemon herself, tilting her head to one side with a click of her mandibles before poking Nebby a few times with those colorful legs of hers. That is, until Lillie offers out a hand and Ariados immediately heads over to inspect that instead, hopeful for a treat or some good, good rubbins. She relaxes into the girl's palm with an affectionate chirp, lowering herself a little as her eyes slide shut.]

Tch...you spoiled princess... [Guzma snickers, observing the two interact with a lopsided smile. He half expected this - Ariados basically gets along with anyone that isn't afraid of her, and Guzma has seen this time and time again. She's become spoiled by the girls and even some of the guys back in Po Town. Plumeria even gives up a spot on her bed (much to Salazzle's dismay) for the spider to curl sometimes.] Just watch her fangs, she gets bitey when she's excited, and even a nip is, uh....w-well, it ain't any good.

Ariados is still very, very poisonous, after all. And, uh, speaking of poisonous... Guzma's smile fades into a grimace as the mug is moved to him, and he picks it up to sniff. Mm...it's got a good enough aroma - definitely some spice in there, and he can whiff the chocolate, though it doesn't have the fuller scent of chocolate that Tapu Cocoa does. This is more subtle. Guzma gives Lillie a look, brow raising at her, then takes a hearty gulp of the scalding liquid like he's not sucking down molten lava and licks over his lips, smacking them with a thoughtful hum.]

Not...awful, I guess. Still got a bitter, kinda earthy aftertaste though, and it's smooth in a dif'rent way. [He takes another gulp, seeming not phased by how hot it is. Guzma drinks his cocoa right from the pot sometimes, clearly he's used to this.] Not as creamy though. Mm...s'okay, but Tapu Cocoa is better for me, personally. S'a god 'nuff substitute if'n I'm desperate, though.