AUGUST 2025 EVENT LOG

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ 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

Comments

[wovensecrets]

It's likely a defensive measure, but most tend to accept things as they are.

[ Or the truth of the system is kept amongst themselves, she hasn't figured that out yet. They don't seem to be explicitly against certain improvements if it doesn't take time away from the work effort at least... but they aren't exactly the guild for perks. She highly expects that if the soup were brought there it would have to get distributed by the front desk considering the gathering rules... ]

Though, we don't exactly have a set dining room area either. Why, you all sound so orderly in comparison, though it's likely more similar to how it is here.

[ Loud, crowded... ]

[outbounds]

If it is a security thing. Can make it so the other side of the lift is only operable by someone in Cheri somehow.

[ Lock down access to it or something so that not just anyone can stumble across it, he doesn't know. ]

Right now, as it is— accessibility issues if you are not the right shape. [ What's a Slugma supposed to do, for example? Unless Ribombee just specifically avoids ever recruiting the kinds of Pokemon that it would be an issue for... ] But, oh well. That is not the point right now. Oran ... maybe not orderly, exactly? Just communal. Get the feeling everyone is pretty close-knit.

[wovensecrets]

That line of consideration might go over better... the practicality of it might not have come up, before.

[ Or had thought of inviting others in with Soup, before. Or had other members who might not be particularly compatible...

After all, she'd been the one to have to suggest to Guilmon that he try to make his own roof to cover for his tail problem, and that hadn't seemed too much of an issue... Guild politics though, that was something else. ]

Close-knit, though... do you feel differently? Having a different advantage than most.

[ He speaks of it as being a communal situation, but does not also Sound like he is including himself, in some way... is she being nosy? Who knows... ]

[outbounds]

Advantage? [ He blinks a little Rowlishly at her, head tilting further. ] I would not say that. More that ... the ones already here, they have been here a lot longer than us. They have gone through struggles where they come from we don't know much about. [ You know, with humans. Which a lot of them are. Were. Whichever's most appropriate. So to think of himself as part of their cohort would feel like intruding, whereas... ] As for a lot of those who have arrived since, like us—

Well. Much of them are pretty young.

[ So it'd be pretty weird if he were part of their friend group, wouldn't it??? ]

[wovensecrets]

[ Oh. Oh! Now she gets it. Kids. The way humans, Digimon and Pokémon quantified these sort of things were all different, too... she never quite belonged, but "blending in" was sort of her trait. Relating... hm. ]

That's true... it's a bit unbalanced if you put it that way.

[ Does that mean they were. Older. Felt like outsiders? And yet still, very clearly far more equipped than someone like her boss to deal with this sort of thing. They had experience and knowledge of humans and Pokémon to a fault. Ingo-san, at least, seemed to take his role to heart...

Though this probably makes it very fortunate that he and Ingo-san have each other, in this sort of displaced way. It almost felt too personal, stumbling into that line of thought. How did they do it, really. ]

So would you consider yourself more of a boss or a teacher?

[outbounds]

Neither. Boss— nope. Do not have any innate authority over them. Teacher ... mmm.

[ He just. Sort of wobbles a paw in that universal kinda sorta but not really sort of gesture. Maybe the answer might vary depending on who is asked. But he doesn't really think of himself that way. ]

What I do, what I say. Always the same. Subway Master, Battle Facility Head, Conductor— of all those titles only one sort of, kind of works here.

I am Emmet. I am here to help if people ask for it. I can conduct people towards the right lines to take. What tracks to follow if they tell us the destination they wish to arrive at. It is our job to make sure that all passengers get to where they need to be safely.

I can be a guide. Teacher, though. That is something else.

[wovensecrets]

Oh?

[ ... What did her Boss do again? Whatever it was, he certainly hated it as much as he was brilliant. Of course if she ever asked a question then, it was always "It's nothing you need to worry about, get back to work" same old line, same old lines she would just... so thoroughly fall into.

And now without that barrier, she might not have probed further, but... there wasn't someone else to be talking in the space where she would usually be silent, instead. ]

Well, being a Guide does seem reasonable after all that, right? If it's what you want to do. Especially in a world where so many seem likely to end up lost in some way... and you have valuable knowledge, after all.

[outbounds]

Less helpful than you think sometimes. Like I said. This place is strange. Sometimes feels more like a dream than not. I do not want to seem like I know more about what is going on than I actually do.

[ He huffs a short breath, the trailing ends of the longer portions of his fur swaying with the motion. ]

But I know about Pokemon. And I know how things are where I come from. ... it is somewhere that humans and Pokemon manage to coexist and trust each other much more than they do here.

[ So that's also a perspective that's been interesting to have, all things considered. ]

[wovensecrets]

Are you concerned that you might get the wrong sort of attention?

[ Well, she can understand that much from her own unique experiences. As cautious as possible, unless something happens to slip in these. Social encounters. ]

They will have to learn to coexist in a new way if this world keeps drawing in outsiders...

[outbounds]

Hmmm. I do not want to mislead anyone.

[ Wrong sort of attention though, that's an interesting way to put it! What kind of attention does she imagine he'd get... ]

Anyway! Maybe they will. But the guild masters and Dr. Denne talk like this is not permanent, that they are working on figuring out how to get us back. [ How quickly or easily he thinks those answers will come is another thing entirely, but... ] So not sure how many would stay if the chance was there. Some— definitely. [ Emporio, for one. ] Others, maybe not so much?

[ ... actually, if he thinks on it a bit, a decent number of the people he's talked to might ... ]

[wovensecrets]

[ Unknown circumstances dragged them in, it seemed almost arrogant that they would be able to fight it out. Maybe, at another time, she might be more forceful toward the efforts of finding that. Funny, how much perspectives could be altered with the right motivation. ]

That's a pretty big 'if', and who knows? [ She didn't know how possible it would be to go back - and even if she could just become her usual self again, what was even - back there. Ugh. Not thinking about that right now - ]

Then again, the leaders seem to be quite knowledgeable about certain things too. Perhaps they also began their time here as 'outsiders'?

[outbounds]

[ He just does an approximation of a cheerful shrug at the big if thing. Oh, probably, definitely isn't going to be that easy. But unless they are making empty promises to secure cooperation— and that... doesn't seem right, somehow, from what he knows of them— well, the offer sets a certain expectation of what does and doesn't seem feasible. You know.

Because really, why wouldn't they have just told them all that they didn't think there was a way back, that realistically they were stuck? If it is just a false promise it will eventually one day catch up. Why make it at all, if they did not at least believe in the slightest possibility of it?

Still, that last comment is... interesting? ]

How do you mean? What certain things?

[wovensecrets]

[ She offers a slight shrug herself. ]

Mostly just in how they were able to draw their organizations together so neatly, the fact that it sounds like they're more personally aware of when they want to approach a newcomer...

[ To her, that's a little suspicious? But again, there's little more to base it off of than that. ]

But again, who knows? Maybe that gives more reasons than others to be invested in a 'way back'.

[outbounds]

Think that when they're scared of the world around them, coming together was the best they can do. They already were running from something. And for whatever reasons. They did not explore much despite being here for a while.

[ But, hmmm. Mightyena never really sounded she knew anything about him that someone watchful or perceptive wouldn't have picked up on anyway, even if he'd tried to disguise it. Which makes sense, if there is no formal interview process then they probably have their own ways of keeping an eye on and scoping out would-be recruits.

That said... ]

Did they know something about you that they shouldn't have?

[wovensecrets]

Hn... I admit it's a little fuzzy... but it did seem like he had been particularly intent on recruiting me, and yet only came across me while I was experiencing a second evolution.

[ Even if it was more of a side step, but... details. ]

At the very least, they seem very... dedicated to wanting to observe everyone now and push forward.

[outbounds]

Second evolution? But Hatenna is a basic stage Poke... oh. You mean changing from Spinarak. Hmm, I do not know that I'd call that evolution, but...

[ Well, details. ]

Maybe it is because as Spinarak you would have been able to navigate the Canopy well? [ But he really doesn't know Ribombee well enough to say. He peers at her. Does she feel ... ] Do you think you would have chosen differently if he hadn't come when you were in the middle of transforming?

[wovensecrets]

It's possible. I wasn't certain who among the leaders would have an interest in approaching me prior to that happening, but apparently being affiliated somewhere is better than otherwise. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on Guilmon...

[ She honestly doesn't even realize she's slipping back to that, but so it goes. ]

Although Ribombee did seem disappointed that my typing had changed, so maybe it was that? Ingo-san and I did talk a bit about the expectations of evolution, as well...

[outbounds]

[ Her and Guilmon, huh? That's... the Charmeleon in Cheri, right? So she accepted being in Cheri to look out for him, did she? ] Did you know each other from before you came here?

[ Disappointed in a typing change, though ... hmm! ]

But right. Evolution. What did you two talk about?

[wovensecrets]

Hm, Ingo-san thought it was strange that certain Pokémon who were brought here earlier hadn't had their 'expected' evolutions yet, but then you have us odd cases.

[ This is what happens when she actually sits and thinks about stuff, apparently. Originally she had thought it was because they were Digimon, but it seemed wider than that... ]

I just pointed out, that it could mean that even to those already considered later stage Pokémon, maybe a change would be possible, since we're all from somewhere else.

[outbounds]

Hmm, it is possible. Usually involves dying, but then again, this place is already strange enough. Maybe even forme changes exist here that have not been documented elsewhere. Or something like Mega Evolution, but not . . .

[ He says musingly, like that's a regular factoid to just drop amongst the rest of it. ]

Wouldn't consider those kinds of changes or transformations evolution though. Evolution is usually ... [ hang on a moment, he has to figure out how to say this... ] More of the same? Further development of existing blueprints, even if branching? Something like that.

As for why people have not evolved ... huh. That is interesting. Evolution can be suppressed on purpose, and I know that some did not want to evolve...

[ But then there's Akechi, who very much wants to rush things regardless of whatever Emmet has or hasn't said. At least Rookidee isn't one of the lines crippled by an early evolution, but.

Maybe the bay just happens to be above a layer of Everstone? ]

[wovensecrets]

That makes sense. What seems... odd, is that an ordinary evolution would be suppressed in a world that has transformed others to begin with. Unless that's just another one of the "issues"?

[ Those factoids sound very interesting... but it wouldn't surprise her that something like that existed given some of the things she'd seen certain Digimon do. ]

Though, Guilmon did seem to move up a stage? If only on a different path, but same typing...

[ Which in a way seemed closer to... a Digimon? Which he had been, though she doesn't quite add, her own issues aside. ]

[outbounds]

Maybe. To the issue thing. I did not know Guilmon before he was a Charmeleon so I could not say, but Charmeleon is the middle stage of its line. Has branching Mega forms too.

[ He's quiet for a bit. The issues... ]

How we got here. It felt like two very, verrrry different things. Right?

[ The pain, the despair, the dark, the negativity, languishing and drowning in it— and then, separate from all of it, the hope. That is something common to all their arrivals, correct?

Ingo says the problems in Hisui were because the legendaries were fighting. Giratina for the frenzies, frenzied Time quarreling with Space trying to hold things together responsible for the distortions. That ... does it follow similar tracks now? ]

Have wondered. If some of the issues are because whatever those were. Are still at odds with each other.

[ A lot of it— the shifting landscape of the south, the spores of the north, for some examples in particular— can be explained via things they've already found, but some of the other phenomena, like the persistent odd recurrences and distorted time ... those parts, not so much? ]

[wovensecrets]

Oh...?

[ 'Isn't it funny, how desperate, powerful beings always need to move people around for their dirty work?' Her own words, reflected back at her from an earlier conversation, as much as she didn't like to dwell on what they could actually mean. She'd certainly conflated one of those particular feelings with something else entirely...

Still, wasn't like she hadn't encountered that before. The forces behind her boss, playing with the powers of darkness and destruction to weaken the barriers of a world. Those relentless Chosen children, always guided by something else. Ugh. ]

Despair and hope can be very polarizing, after all.

[ And somehow yet come from the same source. Ugh. ]

It would not surprise me if that were the case, be it one or multiple sources. A desperate recruitment, for whatever is in store?

[outbounds]

I do not know. If they wanted our help they have not relayed to us what for.

[ Having met both brothers now, has she realized that one is somewhat more to the point and focused on the facts than the other? He'll draw himself up a little taller, then incline his head. ]

The archives here do not know much about the legendaries. I have looked. Through what I could, anyway.

[ Back during the rainstorms, and the Lum Archives were much more open to everyone than they are normally. ]

What I found. Vague, very vague. Not that much. [ A lot less than what is known about some of the legendaries where he's from, even. ] But the shape of it ... it matched up with the legendaries from where I come from. I did not find something I knew nothing of, or couldn't make a guess at what the story was about.

[ Which is to say— he did not find anything about some hypothetical, nebulous pair of legendaries based around hope and despair specifically. Maybe because the Archives are legitimately difficult to search through, given the (lack of) organization, or maybe simply because the information doesn't exist to find. Other possibilities exist still but. ]

[wovensecrets]

[ She is appreciating how she can have both very similar and yet very different conversations with both of them. Emmet at least, seems to have that more pragmatic angle and doesn't shy from anything too unpleasant... ]

Hmm...

[ Admittedly, it's taking a moment for her to adjust the perspective, even if she's brought up the possibility. The one feeling--the despair, that awfulness, she had thought it had been connected to something prior to her arrival, so having it simply be a separate - but equally awful feeling - was just another box to put that away in.

Ugh. ]

Could just be "they're" just throwing something at a problem to see what sticks until they have more energy themselves. Pawns usually aren't notified of the battle plans.