bottlecaplogs | August ALL THE THINGS (Quests and Open)

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August ALL THE THINGS (Quests and Open)

Who: Umemiya and you
When: August 2025
Where: In town, The Spire, Quest Locations
Summary: Umemiya settles in, offers his services, and starts getting to work
Warnings: None yet
Note: I default to prose; feel free to flip me to brackets

1. If it can be broke, then it can be fixed [Open, Around Town]
Now that he's gotten the tour and begun to meet everyone, Umemiya's exploring the town on his own--stopping by shops and cafes to introduce himself to the staff, pausing to kick a ball around with a young Ledyba, generally starting to integrate with society. If you're out and about on this lovely summer day, you might get the broadest smile that his snout-face is capable of, and a warm greeting.

"Hey! How's your day going, so far?" Teenage enthusiasm is on full display.

2. If it can be fused, then it can be split [Open, The Spire]
In the process of making friends out in town, one fact Umemiya's volunteered about himself is that he's looking for sparring partners, and he's up to the task of training others how to fight. All anyone needs to do is send him a Grumpearl message, and he'll be glad to meet them in the Spire's training rooms (or to escort them in, if they're from another guild).

Once he and his new training partner have secured one of the training rooms for themself, Umemiya's ears perk up. "So, where should we start?"

3. If if can be lost, then it can be won [For A.B.A, Carts before Charts]
Umemiya shows up to the part of the forest where resource gathering is taking place in a chipper mood, his aura-sensing tendrils tied back loosely with a scarf so they're not a distraction while they work. The young Lucario is about average height for his species, doing a few warm-up stretches to prepare for the upcoming workout. After all, it'd suck to strain anything on his very first quest.

4. If it can be touched, then it can be turned [For Ren, Home on Arrange]
Umemiya is eager to Do Teamwork with Ren, after how their first meeting went. Like, clearly they're cut from the same cloth, and will accomplish great things together. But he's also aware of how the small green cat is limping still.

"Hey. Are you sure you're up for this?" He's leaning against a tree at the edge of the designated area for the outpost, watching Ren's approach.

X. So here we are, reinventing the wheel [Wildcard]
[Feel free to hit me with anything else you're into! My discord and plurk are both darkersolstice if you wanna hit me for anything.]

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"I, uh... I'm not sure. Status moves or healing moves? Do you know any of those?"

She's brought with her a tablet she borrowed from the Archives with the help of some kind Lum members she met over the Grumpearl network. While it's not exactly a full Pokedex, it does mention some moves Deerling can learn. She points to a few promising ones: Safeguard, Synthesis, Thunder Wave, and Baton Pass all seem to interest her.

"I do know a healing move, but I don't see it on the list. It's more like a literal wellspring. But some of these sound interesting. Baton pass, huh? Thunder wave...that could be interesting."

He scratches his chin, thinking.

"What moves have you figured out that you know? Any special ones, instead of purely physical?"

She doesn't know the first thing about passing a baton, much less summoning electric shocks. When it comes to moves, she's figured out how to tackle and growl-- which are more like basic instincts than anything.

"I..." She trails off. "Kind of, but... it was an accident. I don't know how to do it again."

Her words come out quiet and distant, almost guilty. She can't meet Umemiya's stare.

So he stops staring, moving across the room to grab a training dummy.

"Okay. We'll figure it out together. I am not going to beat you up for not knowing things right away. We'll try, and fail until we succeed. Sound good?"

The last time Shoka tried sparring with a newbie, it didn't end well for either of them. Still, time has made the memory strange in her mind, rendering it distant and hazy like a dream, and Umemiya's enthusiasm—as well as her own desire to work off some nervous energy—made him hard to refuse. Knowing nothing about Lucario as a species, she's also curious to see what kind of moves he might have in his arsenal. As long as she holds herself back and lets him get the most hits in, it should be fine... Shouldn't it?

Once they're in the training room, she shuffles over to take her place across from him.

"How 'bout you start? I'm feeling generous, so I'll let you have the first move."

(Feeling insecure, more like.)

She playfully tilts her disguise-head at him, and though she doesn't have an obvious mouth, there's an audible grin to her words when she adds, "And don't hold back, okay?"

"... Thanks, Umemiya."

To her credit, she becomes decent at using her Tackle after a little while. When she thinks about an enemy about to attack her, she freezes up. But when she thinks about an enemy about to attack someone she cares about, she manages to throw herself against the training dummy.

No matter how many magical thoughts she thinks, though, no other moves come forth. Noelle stops to catch her breath, her mind clearly wandering.

"Why would I do something silly as that?"

He rushes into an attack with no more preamble than that, running toward her and spinning into a deft kick, powerful enough to shatter boulders. He's really leaned into that as his starting move in a fight: Rock Smash seemed to shake both Endo and Bigby. But they were both Dark types.

He has yet to learn about Ghost types, and their immunity to fighting moves.

"Right. I want you to watch me for a moment. I'm going to talk through something. This isn't about using the strength of my body, what I'm about to do. It's about leaning back into what this form is, drawing that forth from a well in the core of my being. It's trusting in what I am now, and using that to its fullest potential."

He holds his hands, cupping them together, a ball of glowing Aura gathering between them, glowing a brilliant shade of cool blue. And then, he dropkicks the sphere, once it's the size of a soccer ball, for an Aura Sphere attack.

Noelle watches the Aura Sphere with awe. Could she summon something like that? She closes her eyes and focuses on drawing forth from the well in the core of her being.

Her head feels like it's full of fog. She peeks an eye open, but nothing happened.

"Maybe my well is dry..."

Umemiya thinks for a moment, then smirks.

"Take out your Grumpearl. I'm going to show you what it feels like." Because that is the major advantage over phones, isn't it? You can send your thoughts, and it's not just words or images, it's more than that.

Under normal circumstances, Shoka might have tried to lurch out of the way of the incoming, unfamiliar attack, but right now she doesn't bother. She stands motionless, waiting for her Disguise ability to absorb the blow...

Instead, it passes right through her without making contact at all, as if she's suddenly made of vapor. It must have been a Normal or Fighting-type move, then. Umemiya might feel a chill spread through his leg, like the sensation of stepping into cold water.

"Aw," Shoka coos mockingly. "Don't tell me that was your best shot."

A long, ghostly arm lashes out from under her shroud, swiping upward at Umemiya with a Scratch attack.

The Scratch does little more than knock Umemiya off-balance; Normal type attacks won't do much against hardened Steel. But in the back of his mind, he's aware that he's in trouble. He only has three damaging moves and a status move. And two of those three damaging moves are Fighting type. It means there's only one tool left in his arsenal to lash out at Shoka with.

...fortunately for him, that's a Metal Claw. He turns for a backhand with that sharp metal spike on the back of his paw.

"I'm not through with you yet!"

As promised, he is not holding back, aiming to just nail her.

She can't believe she didn't think of that! Noelle eagerly nods and, soon, they've opened a mental connection with their Grumpearls. It feels... oddly vulnerable, and her anxiety radiates through their link.

Okay, maybe Ren's still a bit weak, and still limping as he walks up to Umemiya. That said, he's been steadily improving, and he's itching to actually help out with something again.

"Absolutely," he says with conviction. "Doing nothing would only make me worse, so this should be a good start when it comes to doing missions again."

He lets reassurance flow from him, before going through the mental exercise that allows him to use his Special move again. The well. The Aura. The shaping of something formless from within, and then using it to lash out.

~~The genuine and unfettered intent to cause destruction, necessary for him to attack at full strength.~~

"Alright then, sounds good. But if you need a break, say something. I'm not going to let you work yourself into exhaustion again." Beside being disappointed in himself, Akechi might literally murder him for that.

Their first goal, it seems, is setting up part of the foundation of one of the outpost buildings, getting stones in place and making sure it's even and stable.

"I will," Ren hums- and to his credit, he means it. He'd rather... not end up in a coma again, thanks. It's just... when was the last time he took note of his limits? Oh well, he'll be fine...

He observes their first task, taking note of what to do. His ear flicks, and he turns to Umemiya again.

"You wanna grab the stones? I'll try and figure out the best way to place 'em." Simple enough, and something for both of them to do. Umemiya's definitely in a better shape to carry them, anyway.

The well. The Aura. The intent to harm, to destroy, to kill--

Noelle does manage to use a special attack, but it's not aimed toward the dummy. A blast of ice flies directly at him from her Hidden Power attack.

"Leave the lifting to me, then." He grins, heading off to go get some of the stones. Luckily, there are carts and wheelbarrows to use; he loads one up nice and high before hauling to the spot Abomisnow has assigned them.

"Fuck!"

Umemiya doesn't manage to dodge. Luckily, Ice isn't particularly effective against a Steel type, but he still takes a bit of damage. Breathing through the pain, he turns back to looking at Noelle with concern.

"You definitely figured it out."

She lets out a strangled noise of shock. "U-Umemiya? What happened? Are you... are you okay?" And, much quieter: "Did I hurt you...?"

The cold is still there, gripping her heart, but something else is taking root too. She feels the desire to heal the damage she's done radiating through her.

The smell of fresh grass envelops the training grounds, some wildflowers sprouting around them. Without realizing it, she's used Grassy Terrain. Slowly but surely, Umemiya's wounds begin to soothe.

"I'm alright. You definitely startled me. I wasn't expecting something icy like that from you. You're a grass type, right?"

More excited than hurt, and with the effect of Grassy Terrain, soon even the bruises are mere memory.

"And you worked out how to heal me. Seems like this is more of, like, an environmental effect than my heals. A passive effect instead of something you need to keep doing."

"Yeah... I guess I did figure it out! It's really because you showed me, Umemiya! So... thanks!" She's glad that there's no permanent damage, like frostbite or anything. The fact that she can finally heal others- even if slowly- helps cheer her back up.

"It surprised me too, actually..." She lets out a nervous chuckle. "That's what I meant earlier. I heard it called a 'Hidden Power'. I'm... not good at controlling it. I think it might be my only icy move?"

"Well, now that we know you can do that, let's get it aimed at the dummy. I'm going to drill you on it until you're exhausted."

But he's not actually going to be mean, especially not to her of all people.

She remains inconsistent with Hidden Power, but she becomes able to reliably summon Grassy Terrain. Soon, another obvious idea occurs to her: by kicking dirt in her opponent's eyes, she can blind them. The 'Sand Attack' doesn't do anything to the dummy (obviously), but she keeps it in mind.

What she saw in the psychic connection- both from herself and from Umemiya- lingers in the back of her mind. She isn't sure if she should bring it up.

"... maybe my moves could help with that garden after all," she says, instead.

"Yeah, maybe so. Ren and I were talking about getting some sprouts or seeds for winter vegetables from Beedrill."

Look, if she isn't going to bring it up, he won't either. No big deal!

Shoka is trying to hold back and not do much damage, but the resistance that meets her claws still takes her aback. What is this guy even made of, rocks?

In any case, she has to give him credit for being quick on the uptake. Though his first move phased right through her, his second definitely makes contact; the spike on the back of his paw punctures her disguise rag, tearing open its neck and letting loose a spray of dark particles. It makes her look horribly injured as she's sent flying backward, her false head hanging limp—but she's apparently unhurt, judging by the way she immediately rights herself again and crows in approval.

"Now that's more like it!"

With that, she suddenly disappears, sinking down into the depths of her own shadow to prepare a Shadow Sneak. Her shadow elongates then, snaking its way under Umemiya's feet so Shoka can reemerge and strike at him from behind.

Not rocks, Shoka. Steel. That said, Shadow Sneak works fine against him. He takes the blow with a grunt, before whirling on one hindpaw to turn and backhand her with another Metal Claw. He doesn't have any other damaging options, at this point. Not unless he can pull something clever out of his ass.

(Which is possible. He's definitely one of those determinator type of anime boys.)

"What the fuck? I thought I broke your neck for a moment there."

This time, with Shoka's disguise broken, the Metal Claw hits hard; she tumbles backward with a yelp. Ow?! Even if she's going easy on him, a newbie shouldn't be able to deal that much damage to her! He must have a type advantage on his side. Maybe it's Steel, then, not Rock...

"Uh, because you did?" Or at least he broke the closest thing she has to a neck. She rights herself again—with effort this time, her movements made somewhat sluggish by the weight of her drooping disguise-head. "And now you're gonna regret it."

She wants to sharpen her claws and dive at him with all she's got—Play Rough, maybe, or Wood Hammer... But she's trying not to go all out, so she settles for Thief instead, lunging at him with her claws unsheathed.

(He's new enough that he might not have anything on his person... But if he is holding anything, it's hers now.)

So, on the upside, she's able to nab the green scarf he's been using to tie back his aura-sensing tendrils when not actively in a fight. It's not useful for anything, but hey, she has it.

...but the attack doesn't do all that much to him. Fighting type, after all. Heels never win. And beyond that, she's activated his ~~trap card~~ Ability, Justified, by hitting him with a Dark-type move. His Attack is bolstered, and to him it feels like catching a second wind, in the light of her unfair assault.

"Hey. That wasn't fair." Rather than diving in with another attack, though, he uses Life Dew. There's an audible splash as the little damage she's done is healed off with a shimmer of blue light.

As the scarf slips away into her claws, Shoka giggles. "Gonna cry about it?"

Apparently he won't; he brushes the attack off easily, and though she can't be completely sure, that glow he's giving off definitely looks like a healing move. He's tough—she'll give him that.

His scarf disappears under her disguise rag (she'll return it to him when they're finished here).

"Just full of surprises, aren't you?"

She'll try to give him a little surprise in return, then: Double Team. She starts to circle him, darting around startlingly quick for a legless creature—quick enough that she leaves a trail of afterimages in her wake. Even if they're only illusions, incapable of attacking, they're extremely convincing; soon, it looks like he's surrounded by dozens of her, with the real Shoka lost in the shuffle.

Umemiya's definitely tough... So just a little Play Rough can't hurt, right? If his type is Fighting/Steel, like she's guessed from the way he's taken the moves she's used so far, then a Fairy-type move should only deal regular damage.

With no warning, the real Shoka emerges from the line of doppelgangers, launching herself at Umemiya from his side and wildly swinging her wooden tail like a club.

He doesn't dodge the blow, tanking it on a shoulder with a solid stance and gritted teeth. Yes, it only does regular damage, and that's more than a stubbed toe, but he's used to this sort of pain. He spars hard, and gets into real fights regularly. A clonk with a club is nothing new.

"Gotta keep you on your toes, right?"

She told him not to hold back, so it's immediately another whirling Metal Claw at where he knows the bulk of her actual body is, now that the disguise has been busted. The effect of Double-Team means he's guessing at which is the actual Shoka when he turns.

... Maybe she imagined it. Umemiya might be a bit of a delinquent, as he admitted, but he's not a bad person. He only fights to protect people.

Noelle does her best to push the memory out of her mind.

"That sounds nice! You know I like winter vegetables, fahaha. But, um... who's Beedrill?"

"Someone who put up a request for gardening help on the questboard last month."

So clearly Umemiya's next BFF, that's simply how it works.

Meanwhile, Ren takes note of the new spot's condition. He pats the ground, circles it a few times, and thinks while waiting for Umemiya to bring the stones. Let's see now...

His ears twitch when the Lucario returns, looking up. "Good timing. I've got an idea of where to start."

Ren relays his plans to Umemiya, showing where he thinks they best start, and how to keep everything as even as possible so they don't have to worry much about reshuffling the stones when they're done placing them. That said, he's no architect, so...

"... If you've got any notes, I'd be glad to hear 'em."

Umemiya listens, nodding thoughtfully where appropriate.

"Only note I've got is that if we start on the east side, we'll be able to create shade from the morning sun while we work, and it won't be quite so grueling. But everything you said about the organization and leveling makes perfect sense."

"... So, your new best friend?" Noelle says, laughing. She's kind of started to understand him well enough to feel comfortable teasing him.

"I hope so! Or at least, my best friend beside you."

Sorry, Noelle, you're not shaking this ball of sunshine that easily by pawning him off on a gardening bug.

Ren looks to the east side, and nods in agreement.

"Good point. Let's do that," he says. He stretches himself to try and rid himself of any greater aches, before turning to the stones. "Let's get started, then."

He hops onto the wheelbarrow Umemiya brought, and pushes a rock down with some effort in order to roll it to its proper spot. No time like the present!

Oh, that... makes her really happy. She never knows where she stands with others, and she was worried that she'd just been a drag on Umemiya since she can't offer him anything in return.

"Y-yeah! Best friends," she says. They have only known each other a short time, but... their circumstances aren't exactly ordinary. "Thanks for training with me. Once I get stronger, I can help watch your back out there!"

"I'll be looking forward to it!" He laughs. "Now, let's take a couple cooldown laps around the room and then grab some water."

His claw tears through thin air; the illusion fades into nothing.

"Wow," says Shoka's voice from behind him. "You were way off!"

She launches herself at him again, her own claws unsheathed, a cruel laugh in her throat—only to stop cold before she actually makes contact. Images flash through her mind: flesh shredding under her claws, bloodied feathers scattered across the beach.

She stands statue-still, eyes wide inside her disguise—a suddenly very open target.

That is, for better or worse, a mid-training reaction Umemiya has said before. What she said about not holding back is discarded, as he moves closer not to attack, but to check that she's okay.

"...Shoka?"

He can tell she's reacting to something that isn't him, pulling up short like that.

Edited 2025-08-25 02:16 (UTC)

At the sound of her name, Shoka flinches, blinking rapidly for a moment—and then forces out a feeble laugh.

"Yeah, I'm... gonna tap out." She shuffles backward, claws sheathed under her disguise. "You win—this time."

Though her tone is light and nonchalant, she can't quite keep the slight, shaken waver out of her voice.

"Y'know, you're not half bad... For a newbie. Almost like you've been a..." She looks him up and down (but avoids meeting his eyes). "... Whatever-you-are before."

"How bad did I hurt you? Do you need to be healed?"

He absolutely fires up Life Dew, the quiet sound of water dripping in a cave audible, before cool healing flashes over both of them. Because her tapping out like that, that's worrying. He must have pushed her too hard.

"Hey, don't give yourself too much credit," she's quick to reassure. "I'm good, I just... Woah."

The healing aura washes over her, easing the aches of battle, but her disguise remains torn, its head still hanging limp, long ears nearly dragging on the ground.

"... Thanks... But I'm fine, seriously. Just need to patch up my disguise, that's all."

It's a feeble excuse, considering the fact that she fought on just fine through several turns even with her disguise broken, but she hopes he won't question it.

He wants to pry. He really, really wants to pry. But that's not going to help her right now.

"...uh. Well. Tell me if you're ever up to that again, I guess. Sorry."

But he'll let her go with no further comment, taking the time to clean up the training room.

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August ALL THE THINGS (Quests and Open)

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Seems like a good wrap?

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