bottlecaplogs | September Catch-All

[Questing with Emporio is usually fine, and despite their literal big mouth, the researcher they have to protect- Golbat- is actually somewhat pleasant.

But Anasui? Ugggghhhh. Flowey knows he decided he wants to be a 'better person', but does he have to start now?

As they set out to Furnace Mountain and as the heat goes from 'sweltering' to 'nearly unbearable' for the little Sunkern, his barely-restrained disdain becomes known.]

This sucks!!! Ribombee is a sick freak for sending me out here!

[After recovering from his exploration into Heavy Downmoor, Flowey has been just dying to talk to Akechi. Finally, the chance comes in the form of a simple gathering quest. He can earn some brownie points with the guild and talk theories-- it's a win-win! He does have to carry a basket on his head the whole time, though.]

The second meeting of the Flowey Detective Agency is now in session! Do you wanna start by presenting your findings?

[Admittedly, he has few new findings on Ribombee. With Firepaw in a coma, Flowey has been trying his hardest to aim for the coveted guildmaster's pet position, but realistically his tantrum on the Grumpearl network shot his chances at that forever. He still thinks that at least if he works hard enough, Ribombee will be forced to acknowledge him.

The only 'finding' he does have is that Ribombee made him shorten it from 'Death Blood Murder Skull Town' to just 'Skull Town', which Flowey thinks makes him even more suspicious, personally.]

[Anasui rolls his eyes. He has no sympathy for Flowey. Even Golbat, a complete stranger, is occasionally flapping their wings to make sure a cool breeze floats by Flowey's way but Anasui isn't giving the kid any leeway.]

Oh, quit your whining, kid. It's not going to make it any cooler. Or suck any less.

[Anasui isn't much happier, Flowey. The heat is already making him irritable faster too.] Walk faster. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave.

The Flowey Detective Agency.

[He gives a rather flat look, head slightly cocked.]

I could protest that, given that I worked as a detective.

[A rather fraudulent one, but still...

Well, they have other matters to tend to, fluttering about to gather their resources.]

At any rate, I do have some information regarding the housing hierarchy. Where Mightyena-san is concerned, it's merely a matter of space, time, and resources, and she was deeply apologetic about the living conditions.

That's all well and good for the Oran Berries. The other night it rained and I didn't get a wink of sleep. Thought about asking Ribombee, but he was too busy with Skull Town. Which he insisted on shortening.

... But, hey! At least, I heard someone got a fancy new promotion! [He perks up a little.] Way to go!

Why, thank you.

[He puffs out his chest a little, tipping his chin up.]

But, funnily enough, Mightyena-san did advise speaking to Ribombee-san. She seemed... uneasy, when questioned about it, almost as if there's tension between the two.

Funny you say that! Three guilds, all with different ideas about how the town should be run, and no single leader? It's a miracle this place hasn't turned broken out into outright war yet! Wanna place bets on how long it takes for the outpost to declare independence? Or maybe the native Pokemon will destroy it first because of all the imperialism.

[He's about to cackle just thinking about it... until remembering that people would probably die. Maybe even he would die. That's sobering.]

Uh. Which would be bad, of course.

It's entirely possible that frictions could arise between the outpost and Bottlecap Bay in time.

[The remarks about 'imperialism' aren't entirely misplaced.]

I believe the key difference between this and imperialistic society is how communal it is. The Pokémon as a whole value community over personal gain, with a lack of currency, police, and other landmarks of more corrupt, capitalistic societies.

"Capitalistic?" [He doesn't know what that means. Frankly, he's still confused that most Pokemon don't just drop gold when you win an encounter against them.]

Nevermind, I don't actually care. I've been dying to talk about how weird the expedition here was and the stuff I found exploring.

[Emporio is doing his best not to feel like he's driving on an hours long road trip. No they aren't there yet. No, he doesn't care who started it. He will turn this car around. He will.

Sadly there is no car, only one of the problems.]

If you want, maybe one of us could carry you..? [Emporio trails off, looking from Flowey to Anasui. He and Golbat...can't...really do it after all...

...considering how the move went this could be tricky.] H...here, I brought extra water for everyone, [he deflects. Golbat meanwhile assures them that they Should be a bit cooler in the tunnels. Probably.

Depends how close to a vent they end up.]

And just when I was readying an economics lesson.

[Chuckling, he lets the matter drop. Flowey does have a point, after all.]

At any rate, I'd be happy to hear your account, seeing as I only visited "Furnace Mountain."

What a wonderful idea!

[Flowey jumps onto Anasui's back and hangs on for dear life.]

Hee hee. Save it, nerd.

[He gets serious.]

So I was in Heavy Downmoor with Perrin and Bigby. It took almost drowning in a deluge and fighting a mob of Spearow, but we found a ruined building. We took shelter inside. It was more or less structurally sound, even though the interior had been ravaged by the jaws of time. Nothing worth taking back-- just dust and rot.

But we found something else. The layout... the shelving... it was almost exactly like the Archives.

Now, some staircases were in different places. The faded paint once was a different color. But there was no mistaking it. Ask the others if you won't buy it from me.

Of course, first thing I thought: "Polteageist totally ripped off the design of the Archives from this old building." Sometimes, it's the most boring explanation.

... But all of us felt something. Speaking in our minds. I remember every word, still.

"How many times have we been here? How many times have we lived here? How many times have we fallen to ruin?"

[Flowey pauses, letting that sink in. As if he just said the scary part of a horror story... but, this is real.]

... Remind you of anything? You remember the memory share, don'tcha? It made me think of resets.

But of course... if the world did reset the way I was able to, there wouldn't be any old buildings left behind. Everything would've gone back to the way it was. Still... something isn't right.

[Anasui glares at Flowey and then glares at Emporio even harder. Really kid? Really? You're so gonna get it later.

A part of him wants to peck Flowey until the stupid Sunkern falls off. However, instead, he turns to Emporio and picks the child up with his beak and dumps him on his back.]

If I have to be the ride, I'm not doing it longer than I have to. We're moving faster.

[He glances up at Golbat, wordlessly asking if they are able to keep up with him. He won't floor it if Golbat is going to keep flying but he will run. And if Golbat does hop on, he's going to floor it at 120km/hr.]

[Akechi listens intently, calm at first. He tries to file away all this information for later...

But the Archives. The implications.

It gives him genuine pause, eyes far wider than they typically appear.]

A time loop...? But then, if that were the case, how could the ruins coexist with the present?

[A time displacement, then?

But, wait...]

Firoza-san mentioned something a few months ago, regarding the exploration of the Southern Forest. If I recall correctly, their group encountered an Oricorio that was familiar with Bottlecap Bay, but not the guilds. Moreover, they fell into effectively the ruins of a prior civilization.

Could this not be connected to your findings?

[He can't help but smile a little. Good to see that they're on the same page.] Interesting. Veeerrrryyyy interesting. It can't be a time loop, but it definitely sounds like... Bottlecap Bay has been built before. Something happens, and then it's left to ruin. And then it gets rebuilt again somewhere else, just a little bit different. Whether or not there's a new cast every time or new suckers are pulled from their worlds to die here... I don't know yet. I'll have to follow up with Firoza-- maybe Pokemon like Oricorio know more. Someone has to remember.

For now... I didn't find any remains. Just dust. [That causes him to shiver involuntarily. But... Pokemon don't turn to dust when they die, he thinks. Even if they do 'fall down', comatose, sometimes.] Either this version of the Archives got destroyed a long, long time ago, or whatever happened didn't leave any bodies.

[How morbid. He would find it cool if there weren't the potential of impending disaster. He has no real reason to think it was them specifically who lived in these 'other' versions of Bottlecap Bay other than the fact that there's no evidence of other Pokemon having lived there. And, well... it's a hunch from his experience with resets. Sure, the patterns don't quite match up, but... something's weird.]

One thing's for sure. Whatever happened, it's going to happen again.

I have another hypothesis.

[Pausing, he glances around, just to ensure no one's listening. It's not that private, but subjects such as these are delicate. The complications therein may in turn confuse or concern the locals.]

Assuming this world follows an unending cycle, is it not possible that we're a new variable intended to break said cycle?

UH-

[He could swear Golbat tore off ahead, Just to avoid what's about to happen-

Or maybe it's to keep up with Anasui. Anasui sure does move fast when he wants, and, well-]

O-Okay, but I really can't do much to help make sure nothing is coming from underground like-

[Doesn't matter. ZOOM TIME. They're making tracks now, and that means he just gets to sit in baby jail and sigh.]

...Well, does it feel a bit better at least Flowey?

i. Premonition

[Flowey doesn't know how the rumor got out. Maybe it was Lusamine, before she fell into a coma. Maybe it was Chara, getting revenge for him accidentally letting their name slip on the Grumpearl network. Maybe it was Ribombee or Dr. Denne or even that ~~bastard~~ best friend, Malamar.

Either way, rumors spread that today, September 15th, is Flowey's birthday.

This infuriates him to no end. It would've been Asriel's birthday, but that kid is gone. If anyone asks him, he replies with:]

Birthday? Buddy, you think flowers had birthdays? And what would I ask for, a shiny red bike with a basket? Don't be stupid.

ii. Uwa!! So Birthday

[For some reason, a small group of Pokemon has taken it upon themselves to throw a little party for Flowey in the Canopy. An assortment of ripe berries and baked goods serve as party refreshments. Flowey is wearing a party hat, sitting in a corner. If he had arms, he would be crossing them.

You can say that your character was involved in setting up the party if you would like. If nobody else would have set up the party, then it's going to be a small assortment of NPC Pokemon that Flowey was involved in rescuing or helping throughout the months.

Feel free to arrive with a gift, a snack, or just to wish Flowey a happy birthday.]

iii. Wildcard, Start!

[Feel free to throw any other birthday-related prompt at Flowey. Here's a few notes:

- This takes place in the middle of the month, so this is concurrent with the test drive. Flowey is hiding out from Skull Town because he doesn't want to be brainwashed with Froslass.
- He would be turning 13. He has graduated from edgy tween to edgy teen.
- This is, in fact, after his broadcast where he crashed out over Lusamine's coma and said he wants everyone to die.]

Edited 2025-09-16 18:23 (UTC)

Wow! You really were a famous detective, huh? [This... sounds extremely sarcastic, but that's just his nature. He's actually impressed. Flowey was so focused on his nightmare scenario of being trapped in some weird time loop that he isn't controlling, he didn't even think about that.] That's a great hypothesis!

Actually... Emporio and I were talking. I'm sure you were thinking along the same lines, but we were speculating that a Legendary Pokemon that must have brought us here and turned us into Pokemon. [There are too many coincidences and little oddities that add up-- the way the forest was glitching, the way some Pokemon go missing multiple times, the fact that Pokemon go comatose like dolls with their strings cut. He'll explain if Akechi asks for more clarification.

... Although Flowey is naturally biased to think of the world as a game, and so he had felt like some sort of 'game master' had brought them here. It was his own peculiar line of reasoning.]

It might've called us here because nobody else from this world could break the cycle. It had to take drastic action because this may be the world's 'last chance', don'tcha think? When we were walking to Death Blood Murder Skull Town- [And yes, he will say the full name,] the forest was really weird. Even without the fog, it was like reality was breaking.

...Breaking how, exactly?

[His head tilts, but his attention remains firmly in place. This is a significant lead, one most certainly worth following up on...

The question is, how do the discoveries at Furnace Mountain fit into the big picture?]

YESSSS!!! [This is awesome!!] Giddyup! Faster! Do a jump!

[He's having a blast. And he's annoying Anasui in the meantime, so it's even better!]

Like it was a game glitching. Even without the fog, there were parts that were... weird. Unreal. Those parts of the forest kept alternating between North, Middle, and South. And isn't it weird how we got there in just one day, even though Mightyena said it should've been impossible?

It could be something about the Forest specifically, or it could be a Pokemon was using some move. [Whether it was to help or hinder them, he can't say.]

... There have been other cases of disorientation, though. I heard that voice in the abandoned archives building in Heavy Downmoor. Once, I became convinced that I wasn't actually who I thought I was. And this ISN'T just me. Haven't you noticed the same Pokemon go missing multiple times?

[He is kicking you with a super-effective move the first opportunity he gets, Flowey.

Anasui doesn't do a jump but he does pick up speed. Thankfully, Golbat is quick when they want to be and manages to keep up with Flowey. This wasn't the escort they had in mind but far from it for them to refuse eager protectors.

With their increased speed, they won't take too long to their destination. And when they do, Anasui will SLAM on the breaks. On a dime, he stops, in an effort to throw off Flowey (sorry Emporio. You're collateral).

I have. And then there are those who seemingly lose the same item repeatedly as well...

[It's less severe but still worth noting. Repetition. Repeat missions. It all aligns with the sense of loops or cycles...

But this voice? Well, that's a fascinating segue, isn't it? So fascinating that Akechi finally seizes his chance.]

At any rate, our exploration at Furnace Mountain also yielded fascinating finds. Setting aside the immense heat and the peril, we found an obsidian spire covered in mysterious symbols.

[Bringing his wings together, he lets that sink in.]

But directly touching the spire assaulted our minds with a cacophony of voices. It was... overwhelming, to say the least, and we were unable to discern their precise words.

However, as we left, a mysterious voice asked, "Can you hear me?"

September Catch-All

Scholastic Decisions

No Pain No Grain

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Oops it was myyyy turnnnn

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Flowey's Birthday (OTA)

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