bottlecaplogs | AUGUST 2025 EVENT LOG

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AUGUST 2025 EVENT LOG

⋆✩ THE FIRST TRUE EXPEDITION ✩⋆

The Guildleader’s announcement comes off the excitement of yet another round of mysterious new arrivals floundering their way into society. It comes not long after a fresh round of beach parties and campfires, announced simply by notices posted to the Quest Board concerning a vital announcement to be made at the Archive’s steps. Within the first week of the month, that announcement has been made.

It’s time to expand their borders. It’s time to break through the unknown.

It’s time, the Guilds agree, for an Expedition.

i. LET THE EXPEDITION BEGIN

PACK YOUR BAGS

Preparing for the Expedition is no simple task. After the announcement has been made, all three Guilds prepare personal sign-ups for the matter, extending invitations to Pokemon they feel will do particularly well. An expedition, each Leader explains, is not at all the same as any typical quest. It is an effort comparable to the very exodus that formed what Bottlecap Bay is today. It’s a collective of Pokemon all headed for one singular goal, supporting each other in the effort.

Pokemon are encouraged to invest in sacks and satchels in some cases, while others are simply handed worn packs for their own use. Lists of necessary supplies are passed around, ranging from simple foods like apples and chestnuts all the way to rare and valuable goods that could make or break any team lost in the woods. Seeds that explode when chewed upon, or even revive a Pokemon from unconsciousness are carefully divided among Expeditioners, and as the day fast approaches the nervousness becomes a tangible thing upon the air. Heavy, like a storm. Static, akin to electricity from a yet unseen lightning bolt.

Yet skies are clear - and they remain clear when the day comes for the trek as well.

WE’RE TAKING A ROAD TRIP⟡ The Expedition begins ICly on the 1st of August - Players are free to handwave characters seeing notices leading up to this day beginning from the 25th of July.

⟡ When it comes to being allowed on the Expedition, even new Pokemon are invited to join! The Guild Leaders are anticipating they’ll have hidden strengths and unusual insights in dealing with the unexpected, compared to native Pokemon - what with the experiences they have coming from very different worlds.

⟡ All Pokemon on the Expedition will at minimum be equipped with some form of sack for personal belongings. While larger Pokemon will also be tasked with carrying extra loads intended for tents and shelters, smaller ones will be asked to tow rations (or other supplies that are easily split) for their immediate party.

⟡ Many stores in the town are eager to do their part to support Expeditioners! While this doesn’t mean any special discounts, it does mean that items and goods they exchange might be a little more personalized. It seems a Pokemon’s favorite snack just happens to have been set aside, while the last satchel available is in their favorite color. How fortuitous!

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

While all three are in agreement, it is only one Guild Leader who spearheads the charge. The Oran Berries of the Spire are left with a trusted deputy to handle any immediate matters as the Expedition Team sets off for the woods in early August, and where most teams are a mere two to four Pokemon strong it isn’t inaccurate to compare this one to an army. As a mass, these Pokemon move forward with their packs filled with supplies. Stone, lumber, and straw for larger sorts. Food and tools for others. And still more with nothing but the most vital necessities, first aid, and so on.

The three sections of forest that are known to Bottlecap Bay all border the sandy shore of the Bay’s lower crescent, with the ‘North’ in particular creeping along the Canopy. Through probing of the Forest’s boundaries and environs, thanks in large part to all of the explorations and quests of the past months, the Guilds have determined that the Forest eventually starts funneling together, the far end of each section growing narrower and narrower as the entire Forest is compressed between impassable terrain. This also means that whatever’s at the other end, any entrance to the Forest should exit in roughly the same place.

The Expedition intends to travel just through the North section - at this point they’ve had plenty of experience dealing with the primary hazard of spores! However, as the team carries on, they start to encounter discordant patches resembling the Middle and South in alternating moments of time. Some begin to voice concerns and questions - the Forest was never so strange before, even when the fog was at its thickest. Is this trip really worth it? How are they possibly going to make it through to the other side? The Forest seemed unending even when they were starting to get used to the conditions in each section individually!

As worries mount, Mightyena calls out encouragement, and hopeful whispers spread from the front of the Expedition. One of the Pokemon near Mightyena has a hunch, and says so in a shy voice. A feeling that just ahead, there might be something that isn’t just woods. Thanks to everyone’s efforts in recruitment, many wild Pokemon have agreed to assist over the last number of days - and the ones from the furthest corners of the Forest concur. The end is near, and this has been the forest’s final test. They just have to push on.

They can do that much, right?

ARE WE THERE YET?⟡ While the threat levels over all within the forest have dropped down somewhat, navigation during the Expedition becomes even harder than it was before. The trip at minimum takes a full day - but notably, Pokemon who stray from the group quickly find themselves back in the pack, or back in Bottlecap depending on their intentions.

⟡ The Expedition only stops a few times during this trip, each time for a shared meal. There is always at least one Pokemon with their eyes directly ahead so that they don’t lose the path, and others in the group make certain to keep their fellows in sight at all times.

⟡ While they don’t ultimately set up tents in the woods, it’s clear from speaking with Mightyena that it was considered a possibility; in fact, finding a place for the Outpost within just a single day should have been impossible! She seems certain that at least one Pokemon move or ability was involved in this.

ii. BOTTLECAP OUTPOST, NAME TBD

CAMPING WITH EXTRA STEPS

After little more than a day of trekking, the journey comes to an end. The Expedition’s goal was to find a place suitable enough to create another settlement. To find a place beyond the woods that could be considered safe. A place that could eventually become another home.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Pokemon of the forest, they have managed just that.

The valley is a beautiful carpet of swaying grass, gently sloping hills, and tiny babbling brooks. Wildflowers sprout in colorful clumps or large swathes, and the air smells sweet and fresh; a breeze ruffles gently through Pokemon fur and feathers, chasing clouds through the sky. Scattered rocks and boulders make for perfect spots to lie down and sunbathe. One larger stream meanders through the center, its water clear enough to see straight through to the rocky bottom - at least except for the spots where rocks jut out above the surface, generating sprays of drops and foam. It's kind of hard to believe that this was just beyond the fog and gnarled undergrowth of the forest!

At the other end of the valley, the hills begin to grow steeper, and trees fill in again - in fact, it almost looks denser than the forest on the way back to the Bay, if that's even possible. Over near that end Mightyena is organizing expeditions, marking off three general directions to start exploring. It might be tempting to sneak out for a peek ahead of time, but Mightyena insists it's not safe to go solo and without supplies.

Off in the distance, beyond the dense woods, the hills stretch into an extensive mountain range. Dark clouds hang above many of them, caught on the peaks.

Closer to the center of the valley, on one side of the stream where the ground is flattest, the Outpost's boundaries are being marked out. It's time to start building!

NO REALLY DON’T GO IN THERE⟡ Pokemon who haven’t been approved for Exploration Quests will be swiftly caught and carried back to the Outpost base. Done enough times, and they may even be sent back to Bottlecap Bay!

⟡ Curiously, Pokemon who return from their expeditions will note that even if they encounter mountains, none of the visible mountains match what they saw - no matter what direction teams explore in, the regions and sights are entirely incongruous with what can be seen from the valley.

⟡ Those remaining at the Outpost will have plenty of work to do. Regular travel routes must be established, as well as the placement of temporary shelters. Pokemon will be spending many days out here, which means lots of hunting and gathering work to be done as well. Players are invited to come up with their own unique tasks; a village has many requirements.

THE HEART OF DEVELOPMENT

So here’s the bad news: even with the wide number and variety of Pokemon present, and all the strange abilities and skills at everyone’s disposal, building an Outpost… just isn’t something that happens in a day. Everyone’s going to be here for a while! And there’s simply too much work for anyone to get away with slacking.

Any Expedition members who aren’t being sent out on an official exploration are going to have their paws, wings, and other assorted limbs full of construction tasks. Even those sent out on explorations will be expected to join in as soon as they’re back - assuming they’ve avoided injury, of course. And whenever Pokemon collapse for a well-earned rest… it’s going to have to be under tarps and temporary shelters. (At least it’s probably not much worse than what everyone’s already used to, for everyone but the Lum Berries?)

Still, the relief of making it through the Forest and the loveliness of the environs has the mood of the Expedition high! The overall feeling is like that of a barn raising, with cheers ringing out whenever a new building is framed, and again whenever it’s officially designated complete. Some massive fire pits are very nearly the first thing to get put together, and every sundown there’s bonfires for the Expedition members to congregate around and relax with their supper.

It won’t be long before the Outpost is complete, and this will all be worth it!

NEW PLACES⟡ While the core of the Outpost won’t be finished until the final week of the month, other unique matters will slowly make themselves known as the 24th of August approaches. In particular, a uniquely shaped building with its own Questboard will finish its construction alongside a storehouse, a clinic, and a dwelling house.

⟡ The latter three buildings are quite basic; the Storehouse is used to maintain and preserve stock of all manner of necessary materials including food, and even has the beginnings of facilities meant to process these. There is talk of possibly creating a water wheel to help with this. The Clinic in turn is a far smaller version of its Bottlecap counterpart, meant for emergency treatment of Pokemon who cannot be brought directly to town.

⟡ By August 24th, Pokemon will be able to experience the finished Dwelling house on their own. While it’s constructed in the style of many of Bottlecap Bay’s buildings, it seems to follow the spirit of the Oran and Cheri guild’s dormitory systems. Pokemon share rooms with four simple beds, and the entire building makes use of a communal stove.

⟡ The final building is the most important; it’s a Post Office. The Quest Board outside of it is meant to host requests relevant to the regions too distant from Bottlecap to reasonably respond to, but for now something else is posted there. ICly posted on August 24th, these notices call for a vote on names for the Outpost and neighboring regions. Further details, and an IC Suggestion Poll, can be found Here.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ CWS: Typical Pokemon violence - otherwise this is a fairly tame event!

⟡ As promised on the monthly plotting post, we are happy to announce that Activity Rewards are now available! You can find more information here.

⟡ While all Heavy Quests will ICly have completed by August 24th, sign-ups for these quests will remain open all month.

⟡ For those who participated in Heavy Quests this month, don't forget to submit your quest completion forms before the 30th!

⟡ Have any questions related to the event? Ask them here! If your question is more general for the game, please make sure to direct it to the FAQ page instead. Thank you, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Well! If she already has plans for it then that is okay. But if she has it out here on purpose, and there have been rumors about it being haunted...

He is not quite going to take a stab in the dark. Educated guess more like, considering. ]

Is it actually any quieter in there? Compared to out here. Psychic-wise, I mean.

[ Or is it just the distance from the rest of the group doing the heavy lifting there. ]

Tch...

[ She should have guessed from his demeanor that he might be one of those oddly perceptive types. Or just someone who guesses really well and sets a trap for confirmation...

Sigh. ]

... It has been an experiment. It dampens, but not by too much, and not at all if more people are around. I don't suppose you have any suggestions for materials that might work?

[ Perceptive, lucky guess, or methodical and prone to laying traps in conversation? Who can say! ]

Hmmmm. [ The sound's a little drawn out, Emmet drumming out a brief pattern with his claws in the dirt before settling himself down a bit more for a proper conversation. ] Don't think some of the materials we'd normally use for psychic dampening might be available here. The kind of stuff from where I come from. You know.

[ If things like certain kinds of metals and spoons can boost psychic power we're going to pretend that the Pokemon world has also figured out stuff that helps muffle it somewhat, at the very least so that kind of power doesn't spill outside of a battle court excessively, ]

Could try lining it with fur or something from a Dark type? Can't hurt, anyway. Even if it doesn't work out. You might still get a cozy comforter out of it.

Oh?

[ There's something almost oddly satisfying about encountering a fellow fidgeter, that it almost makes the (still subtle, but still clearly there) engine rumbling just a little more tolerable. Slightly. She observes, she listens, she considers. "Where he's from", has a little familiarity in it too. ]

That sounds almost cozy, as long as it doesn't invoke some weird allergy, just being in that close proximity to the opposing type. Pokémon bodies are so susceptible, aren't they?

[ Well, mental works a little different than physical, but still. A "shadow mantle" sounds cool, right... ]

Haha! I am Emmet. I think that is the first time I have heard that opinion from a newcomer here. Usually it is 'are you sure a Pecha berry is enough for poisoning', or 'do we have to test for unknown typing by seeing what attacks are more easily endured?' Not even a lot of it. Nothing like Earthquake or Overheat or anything. Just little Embers, only just enough to confirm an educated guess.

[ That conversation was through the pearls, even, so he got to hear the internal screaming on that quite vividly. Anyway. ]

Don't think an allergy should be too much of a concern. Psychic is Psychic. Think for active hurt there will need to be more intent. That is how Dark works, after all. Ghost is also similar, at least for moves involving feelings.

[ It's a lot of weaponized grudges and spite and malice and resentment and vengefulness there. Then Dark is that plus playing dirty... well, those kinds of violent emotions aren't exactly fun for psychics, are they. ]

But passive blocking— probably still should work.

[ That first part, she can't help a bit of a laugh at. She can imagine a few people having that sort of reaction, even without being present to the conversation.

Of course when he introduces himself, that also helps solidify the familiarity of where she's heard that name before. That very helpful fire and ghost type fellow, did she ever - get his name... she'll hang onto that thought. ]

Different worlds come with different sorts of expectations, right? Once you understand the basic principles, the rest doesn't take too long to follow... besides, you've seemed very knowledgeable so far, Emmet-san.

[ Even if some concepts are weird and difficult, but that's an entirely different problem. She prefers shoving away dark emotions so she doesn't have to deal with them, but apparently now she gets to drown in those feelings from others. A lot. Thanks, she hates it! ]

So it wouldn't hurt to try, I suppose, if there was a reasonable way to find something like that...

[ His grin widens a little bit at her laughter. Therrrre we go, at least someone isn't so taken aback by some of these aspects of Pokemon. A reasonable way, though... ]

A couple of months ago... [ Another canine headtilt, the opposite direction of before; it sort of suggests the same energy as bringing a hand to one's chin in thought. A sharp nod, then, after a moment of it. ] Right. The clinic was holding a donation drive. They were taking all sorts of things. Everyone was encouraged to give whatever they were willing to; said they would find a use for it one way or another.

Might still be some leftover from then? Or maybe they will hold another at some point.

[ There are dark types in the guilds for sure, he knows, there's at least a couple in Oran alone already, so it's worth a shot? ]

Could always ask around about it too. Maybe some of the weavers might be able to direct you towards the right station in exchange for a favor or something else? Leavanny and Galvantula have been helpful with some of my questions.

[ Anyway, back to something she said for a moment (and there's a brief surge of something like electric current intrigue or interest despite his otherwise relatively sedate state, tucked away again hastily as best he can since she's already admitted to wanting to figure out a solution for the psychic problem): ]

But! Other worlds. You have done this sort of thing before?

Well, let's see...

[ Oh, he would latch on to that... but she did fall into the casual conversation trap again, didn't she? Despite being such a guarded person. Still, he seemed likely to accept it with a more open mind, too... but then again they'd all been moved to a new world to begin with. She does her best to maintain as light and airy a tone as possible... ]

Not "this" sort of thing exactly... but I'm familiar with being able to move between gates that separate certain worlds. Unfortunately, this one seems a little more off the grid, in that regard...?

[ And that gives her more of the moment to at least consider his information a little more. At least, it sounded like a potential direction to try, and the intent toward being helpful-constructive at all was better than assuming nothing would work to begin with. Even if the fact that she needed such assistance in the first place was of course, going to be a completely irritating fact... ]

... Although hearing all of that, it all just serves to remind me that I would have fared better if I had remained a spinarak. Tsk... I already feel jealous!

[ Funny, haha! Here, that one's for free. Maybe it's just the slight shift in emotion, she's feeling more like she's just had a slight spike from an energy drink but is still tired. ]

[ Get got, Archnemon! You have been duped into the horrifying ordeal known as social interaction. ]

'Off the grid.' If you mean it in the way I am used to. Then yes. This place is sort of very far removed from what many of us here are used to. Even if we lived with Pokemon beforehand. In some ways, parts of it still feel more like a dream. [ Especially with some people's species changing even after showing up here ... he never really did care too much for philosophy, but with them all being changed at all, and the recurrent oddities that mostly seem to surround the idea of who they are; isn't there that one old story, the one about Butterfrees dreaming?

He shrugs just a little, though, smiling still. ] But I would be verrrry annoyed if it was. Even if dreams and reality are not so far apart in Unova sometimes.

Certain worlds, though. [ There's a little staccato rhythm to the word, crisply said. ] What kind?

Tch --

[ The words sound suspiciously like alarm bells. Rambled too much, didn't she? She doesn't have to answer. She could easily just make something up!

... But what was the point in that, really? She'd already alluded to some of these things. ]

Mn, the real world, the digital world, those were the ones easy to navigate between. The dark world, that one would tend to leak everywhere. The ghost types in the forest would like it, probably.

The dark world ... if you say the ghosts would like it. Then it doesn't sound like the reverse or distortion world. More like the spirit world, then? Digital, though.

[ Another curious tilt of the head. ]

Huh. And you are not a Porygon?

Something like that, but it thrives off negative emotions... it's mostly an annoyance if you don't know how to avoid it.

[ She shifts her hair in something akin to a shrugging motion. Porygon, huh...? It does sound like something to look into later... but just as easy to play it off, too. ]

As for me, I wasn't one before, though this world seems like it can't quite decide what to do with me as it is, so who knows?

Does it also have an association with mist and fog.

[ Since so far they've a pretty solid batting average on everything else. ]

Though. Hmm. Wonder why it has such trouble with some people... Some of us have ideas about why we ended up as what we did when we arrived to this station. Others I am not so sure about.

Fog, mist, and quite a lot of ocean, of all things.

[ When things line up, there's probably a reason? Not that she's thought about it much, or anything. ]

If the purpose is to feel toyed with, it's doing it's fair share of that, all things considered. Which category do you find yourself in, then?

Some ideas, nothing concrete. You know. [ Plenty of routes possible in terms of conjecture, no definite destination. No need to get into the details of some of the things regarding it back home, when circumstances are so different here. ] Ingo knows this variant better than I do.

But maybe this place does think it is funny sometimes. Maybe it does not. Hard to say really!

Right... [ Slight pause, but the pieces fit, in an odd way, from what she's picked up from the Typhlosion himself... ]

Maybe the place or whatever else dragged us here could just have a taste for ironic things. But, no way to really know at this juncture, so why worry too much?

If it has a sense of humor. Then that means there is intent behind who ends up here.

[ As he is, when he shrugs, the motion ripples through all of his fur, the more ghostly portion of it slowly waving as if underwater. ]

... but we knew that already. Too many parties with connections to each other here for it to be completely random.

'Why' is the real question. But like you said. No way to know.

That question tends to have unsatisfying results, anyway...

[ And yet she's still finding him surprisingly easy to talk to. Odd... but the usual cause for restraint wasn't necessarily there, either. ]

Annoying as it all is, it could be worse. Others might not see it that way.

Haha. It could be, yes. Like I said.

I would be verrrrry annoyed if this was just a dream.

[ Strange and potentially inconveniencing or even dangerous as this all is, there's certain things that make it worth it. ]

It doesn't exactly feel like a dream, either. Unless someone else is doing the dreaming, but that's bordering something else entirely that I'm not sure I'm comfortable with...~

[ In any case, she doesn't know what that means for her, if this was a dream, because then would she be this aware? Have that much physical and mental pain? What did it mean for what she last "remembered". This was the problem with that "why" question.

After all, hadn't her life just been someone else's - ]

If there's something important you don't want to lose, being "annoyed" is just... too nice.

[ For her, it's - a relief?, being alive. For him, she suspects, it's that connection to a certain person that might not even be possible anymore. What a twisted world... ]

[ Huh. Does she know, then? Maybe Ingo has talked to her before. Or maybe she's just caught things over the network, somehow— psychic types are supposed to have more control over it, right? Or maybe it's just a good guess from what he's said. ]

'Too nice.' Am I supposed to be angry about something I can do nothing about? What good would that do?

[ What route does anger offer him? Where would following that track lead him? ]

I would rather figure out something else to do about it. Now that I know where to look.

But do not worry! I do not actually think this is just a dream. Just that some parts of it are like one. So you do not have to be uncomfortable about that part.

[ Probably. An existential crisis was not on the schedule for today. ]

[ Oh good, a productive response. It's certainly a refreshing take, doing something about the problem instead of being tripped up in whatever - what if scenario.

Much like she actively tried to avoid thinking about her own issues and project onto unlikely candidates, or something. She just doesn't have anywhere else to go, so ... trying not to be bitter. ]

Oh, not at all. You've given it quite a lot of thought, after all...

'Quite a lot'? [ What a thing to say while having what he's pretty sure is her first conversation with him?

... Is Ingo being embarrassing about him... ]

Not sure what makes you say that. All of it, whichever part of it. It is just the truth, is all.

Oh, you just seem to be the type...

[ Turns of phrase, the fact that he does seem fairly knowledgeable about a lot of this, even in the easy manner he discusses it-

But! She knows part of her little game is up, anyway, as much as being a psychic type might allow for some fun on her end, to keep people wondering. Her favorite thing to do to, find any reason to deflect away from herself. ]

But, so you're aware, I have spoken to your brother a few times! Certain things may have come up... I have a standing invite for soup, even -- I just hadn't been certain who you were fully until you mentioned it, and... well, it might have been a bit much, to lead with all that.

If you have heard about me from him. Some things may have been exaggerated.

[ She hasn't even said what, if anything, has actually come up but he is going to put that out there anyway.

But anyway. Huh. Another, slower pattern in the dirt... ]

If you have a standing invite. You are welcome to come any time. But. The Oran Berry housing can be crowded. All pretty close quarters.

[ His head tilts again. ]

Will you be okay?

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