colorsflyinghigh (
colorsflyinghigh) wrote in
bottlecaplogs2026-04-11 04:11 pm
Entry tags:
Ren's April Shenanigans [Catch-All]
Who: Ren, his quest buddies... and you?!
What: Quests and logs
When: April
Where: All around Bottlecap Bay
Warnings: Bugs (other things will be tagged as they come up!)
1. Infestigation(closed to Catrina)
Out of all the things Ren expected to do here, purposely getting himself infested with tiny little bugs was definitely not one of them. Still, he can't deny his own curiousity now, and while he doesn't know her that well, Catrina, seemed so enthusiastic about the whole ordeal that he couldn't not include her.
... A little too enthusiastic maybe. Oh well, who is he to judge? Still, they should find someone who actually knows Infestation first...
"Do you think Vivillon will want to help us out? I think she knows the move we're looking for," he asks Catrina as they walk away from Kinger, quest details in hand.
2. Falling Rocks(closed to Simon)
It's a wonderful early spring day, and Ren's Sprigatito nature compells him to enjoy it to the fullest... not that he wouldn't otherwise, ordinarily, but there's something else about feeling the wind tousle his fur, and smelling the pollen in the air. He doesn't have a mission today, so he ends up going for a walk.
It's all very nice, and his feet carry him to the beach, the gentle sunlight doing wonders for his chronic pain. He happily basks in it- until suddenly a shadow covers him, taking with it the warmth of the sun. When it doesn't go away, he lets out a confused noise.
"Mm?"
... and looks up just in time to watch a rock plummet towards him, too fast for him to dodge. He barely gets out a startled yelp, before-
BONK!
3. Light Quests(open to the people joining him on a light quest)
Are your character and Ren doing a light quest? Take this as your sign to play it out! (if you want!)
4. Wildcard(Open)
Wanna tag with Ren, but got something else in mind than the above? Drop a tag, or plot it out with me in Ren's OOC Inbox/discord (
cha0136)!
What: Quests and logs
When: April
Where: All around Bottlecap Bay
Warnings: Bugs (other things will be tagged as they come up!)
1. Infestigation(closed to Catrina)
Out of all the things Ren expected to do here, purposely getting himself infested with tiny little bugs was definitely not one of them. Still, he can't deny his own curiousity now, and while he doesn't know her that well, Catrina, seemed so enthusiastic about the whole ordeal that he couldn't not include her.
... A little too enthusiastic maybe. Oh well, who is he to judge? Still, they should find someone who actually knows Infestation first...
"Do you think Vivillon will want to help us out? I think she knows the move we're looking for," he asks Catrina as they walk away from Kinger, quest details in hand.
2. Falling Rocks(closed to Simon)
It's a wonderful early spring day, and Ren's Sprigatito nature compells him to enjoy it to the fullest... not that he wouldn't otherwise, ordinarily, but there's something else about feeling the wind tousle his fur, and smelling the pollen in the air. He doesn't have a mission today, so he ends up going for a walk.
It's all very nice, and his feet carry him to the beach, the gentle sunlight doing wonders for his chronic pain. He happily basks in it- until suddenly a shadow covers him, taking with it the warmth of the sun. When it doesn't go away, he lets out a confused noise.
"Mm?"
... and looks up just in time to watch a rock plummet towards him, too fast for him to dodge. He barely gets out a startled yelp, before-
BONK!
3. Light Quests(open to the people joining him on a light quest)
Are your character and Ren doing a light quest? Take this as your sign to play it out! (if you want!)
4. Wildcard(Open)
Wanna tag with Ren, but got something else in mind than the above? Drop a tag, or plot it out with me in Ren's OOC Inbox/discord (

Infestagation >:3c
Oh how wrong Catrina is...
"Sure, where might Vivillon be? I'm itching to see some giant bugs to pet."
no subject
"I don't know if Vivillon would want that, but it won't hurt to ask, I guess?" he says. "Anyway- I think she likes hanging out near the forest, so that's probably where we should head."
no subject
"Shit for real? Sure, let's ask and see if Vivillon is game for a petting." Well that's new, asking to pet a bug at a cafe for pet petting? Well that's just the weird, wild world of Pokemon at its finest. "Lead the way then, I might pick up some snacks then."
By snacks, she means pinecones...delicious pinecones.
CATRINA YES i also wanna pet spinarak
... Okay, he will judge the pinecones slightly, raising an eyebrow when she starts picking them up. But only a little. He's eaten weirder things. Actually, now that he thinks about it... she does seem to like them a lot. He wonders...
"Are they any good?"
Without waiting for an answer, he picks up one for himself, and prompty shoves it in his mouth.
...
...
.........
Well. They're. Certainly crunchy. He grimaces, chewing a little more to see if his opinion will change- nope. Nope nope nope.
"Not my thing, I believe," he says, but still swallows the... snack. "You can have 'em."
A Spinarak styled Cat Cafe is definitely in order then >:3c
Ah yes, the delicious and earthy taste of pinecone. Truly captures that premature tree flavor and aroma in every single cronch cronch....okay that was short lived. Catrina figures it might just be a candle thing then if the grassy kitty didn't like the delectable taste of pinecone.
Oh well that just means all the more pinecones for Catrina to have to herself! Dragon hoarding the pinecones time!
"Sweet! Thanks for the pinecones!" Catrina goes to pop another one into her mouth, crunch crunch. Mmmm...delicious...
What were they doing again? OH HELL YEAH THAT'S RIGHT! PETTING GIANT BUGS! Catrina's kingdom for a spider shaped cookie and come coffee to go along with the experience.
no subject
His ears flick, noticing Catrina's fallen behind a bit. She's... talking to a random Spinarak? He totally missed them. Maybe...?
"Heya. Everything good here?" he asks, prancing up to the duo. "You learn anything, Catrina?"
no subject
This candle is literally vibrating from the sheer excitement upon learning about the fabled cafe of bugs and definitely is set to running towards it. Speaking of...There goes that damn candle now, scurrying off to the Bug Cafe the best a legless candle creature can do.
....This is going well, yep, nothing to worry about....
no subject
But she's already scurrying off at the speed of... deceptively fast for a legless candle creature. Ren's honestly kind of impressed. He takes a quick moment to thank Spinarak for the info, before dashing off after Catrina, catching up with her a few moments later.
She's really excited about this, isn't she? Well... the world has all sorts of people in it.
He doesn't know where it is, so he supposes he'll just follow her for now.
no subject
"Come on! ITS IN HERE!!!"
Catrina wasn't going to wait much longer as she goes to dart inside of the entryway to the Bug Cafe and she is shook by what's before her. All sorts of Bug Type Pokemon are inside, enjoying cafe food and drink items catered to the bug type Pokemon themselves.
"Holy shit, this is a Crawlie's dream come true here.."
no subject
... But none of that, now! Catrina shrieks with excitement, and Ren's quick to follow her, some of the patrons giving them A Look. He grins in apology, before turning to his companion.
"... This seems like a cozy place. We could probably find someone to help us out here..." but before that, his attention's drawn to the menu. The items on it are a bit esoteric, and clearly meant for a bug audience. A... Cup of Mud? It looks like coffee from a distance, and being the coffee lover that he is-
"I'm gonna order something to drink." He turns to Catrina (who is very excited to be here, wow). "You want something too? We'll get back to it afterwards."
no subject
"I'll go for the Nectar, that sounds like fun. I'll find us the best spot to pet bugs at."
Catrina...don't you do it...don't you...oh hell, she's determined to pet her fellow patrons at the Cafe as she wanders off and away from Ren. This candle is now left to her own devices now as the band continues playing. Somehow, this is giving a certain 80s cartoon about ants a good run for its money with the music here.
Yep, this is definitely a Crawlie gathering combined with a Jumping Gem Cafe, Catrina has already deemed it as such. It's best to get some pastries too...compensate them for the trouble.
sorry this is super long ufgusdgf
The nectar is exactly as advertized: nectar. Sweet smelling and watery, while the cup of mud is... he's not sure, actually. It kind of looks like coffee, but it's not hot, for sure. Doesn't really smell like it, either... oh well. He's never backed down from trying something strange before (he still doesn't understand why that vending machine back home sold placenta water. Sure helped in the Metaverse, even if it did taste awful). He thanks the Spidops, pays what he needs to, and heads off with the drinks, balancing them with a tray on his head. Seems like Catrina's found a spot near a bunch of bugs... who are starting to look annoyed. Oh boy.
"Hey, here's your nectar," he says, distracting her, and putting down their drinks before greeting the bugs. "Hey there. Sorry to barge in on you- we're working on a quest." He sits down, and grabs his cup of mud. "Do any of you know the move 'Infestation?'"
He puts the drink up to his mouth, taking a big, confident sip-
-only for his face to scrunch up, unable to hear their replies with how much he's focusing on not spitting the drink out right then and there. The taste... the taste is absolutely indescribable. It's somehow gritty and goopy at the same time, coating every inch of his mouth with its awful, nausiating flavor. Trying not to make a scene, he attempts to swallow, but it's like his body refuses- were he still human, he'd be going green about now.
Panicked, he looks at Catrina, hoping she's actually listening while he battles with the drink- no, absolute filth in his mouth.
It's all cool and this is perfect XD
The whole cafe is just looking on at the scene, one very rancid Litwick is violating that poor and defenseless Ariandos's space while there's a Sprigatito making some interesting faces from the ever mysterious vile liquid...maybe it was a mug of M. Valdemar? Who really knows...
The band, however, is amongst those in the cafe that was most displeased with this disruption! How dare these two take attention away from the band and their music! They are very obviously the Pokemon world's version of the 'Piano Man' as the patrons of the cafe go to cover their ears upon noticing the music had been stopped.
Turns out Kricketune was a far bigger prima donna than Catrina is as he prepares to play a song of misery and woe with a side of ITCHING as a very harsh tune plays out.
"SHHHHIIIIIIT!!" Catrina is wishing she had Sound Defect still as she starts itching all over the place, giving Ariandos time to escape the candle from hell. Upside though to this agonizing tune....there's a pastry of some kind out in the open for thieving..
no subject
Ren finally manages to swallow down the liquid, but the taste lingers in his mouth like a bad hangover. Catrina is being no help at all, forcibly inserting herself into the personal space of an unfortunate Ariados. The music has stopped, and Ren notices too late that the other patrons have covered their ears... being a physically painful note assaults his senses.
"Wh-wh-wha-?!"
To make matters worse, his skin starts itching all over the moment the note ends, like a million little ants have started crawling around on him. Catrina shouts out a curse next to him, and the Ariados that just escaped her... affections huffs at him, scowling.
"You wanted to know about Infestation? Well, there you go," it spits, before skittering away. Ren thinks he hears something about 'fucking non-bugs', but he's too busy trying to crawl out of his own skin. This... this is a form of Infestation?
"C-Catrina. I think it's time t-to leave," he says, trying to keep his voice steady, but unable to with how badly he itches. It seriously feels like he just stepped in a nest of fire ants!
no subject
How she's scurrying with no legs? Don't worry about it.
All she cares about is getting as far away as possible from the cafe before an angry mob forms. Let it sink in for a moment...this was a common occurrence for Catrina to have angry mobs go after her...
"LET'S SHIT SCRAMBLE OUTTA HERE, POTATO KITTY!!"
Catrina that's not Ren's name...CATRINA HIS NAME IS NOT POTATO KITTY WHAT THE HELL!?
Yaaaaaaaay
It's still a huge body of liquid. But it's one that glimmers and shines under the sun, with birds--real birds!--of different sounds and sizes and shapes winging their way across the sky, and Simon is distracted by it all: good, bad, and simply still so new and miraculous that he may never get over it all.
Which is a problem, because distraction leads to forgetting. The comforting security of the sub's confined controls that he holds in his memory is lost; he realises he's not 'inside' anything. He's exposed, and in the air. He's in the sky, a few metres up, like the clouds and the birds--
And just like that--like stepping in a puddle and slipping and falling on his ass--he slips on his own brain and falls out of the sky like a rock.
Literally.
Scrambling, desperate to protect himself before he actually hits the earth, he pulls his shields up and covers himself with solid rock. Just in time to hit something solid with all 90 lbs of him and bounce off, rolling to a gentle stop in the sand nearby.
"Fuck!" Temper, muffled, can be heard from inside the meteor's shell.
If... anyone is conscious enough to hear it.
YAAAAY YAAAAAY
Still, ouch. What the hell was that?
It seems his question is answered by the muffled curse a few meters away from him, drawing a very slurred "mmmmfffwwuuh?" from him. He twists, tries to get up, but-
Nope. Not yet. Head spinning. Dizzy and headache. Give him a moment...
"H'llo?" he forces out instead, voice a bit strained as he regains his senses, squinting at the rock- no, Minior. "You 'kay?"
no subject
In some ways, this is a huge upgrade from living as a human being, in a body made of meat.
He stays inside the stone shell, though--mostly for safety while he figures out what he hit and how much danger he might be in from that. It's a good thing, too--he hears a voice and knows immediately that he must have landed on someone, and that could go really fucking badly.
....or. Uh. Or the deeply concussed-sounding whatever-he-hit could ask him if he's okay, which. Actually, no. That makes no sense, maybe he hit more than one creature?
He waits, listening.
But no other answer is forthcoming, so eventually he's forced to break the silence himself.
"Are you... talking to me?"
no subject
Yep. Definitely a Minior.
"Who else?" he says after a moment, trying to grin through the pain. "Just the two of us here, huh?"
Okay, time for another attempt to get back up. This time, he actually manages, though he definitely looks a little wobbly. He shakes his head to clear it up- the headache lingers, but nothing an Oran Berry won't fix.
The Minior though... he thought all of them had left by now, with or without help. Could this one be a straggler?
no subject
He stays silent for a few good seconds, which is plenty of time for whoever-it-is he just landed on to... do whatever they want. Ideally, that's not attack him, but if nothing else, he's well-protected from anything like that inside his shields.
Or so he hopes. He has to fucking hope. He doesn't have anything else--nothing except brute force, and he doesn't have much of that any more. Not as a Minior.
But as the seconds tick by, and no attack follows, he speaks up again. A little reluctantly.
"I can't see through rock. And I don't trust you." Sorry, but Simon isn't at all sorry actually. "So I don't know."
At least he's honest?
no subject
At least he's honest indeed.
... Part of Ren is a little irritated. He's the one who got hit in the head here! But... huh. If this Minior is still here, maybe it's because they don't trust the Pokemon of Bottlecap Bay?
Well. Well.
"I'm not going to attack you in retaliation, if that's what you're afraid of," Ren says, after a moment. He starts digging in his bag, fishing out- aha!- an Oran Berry. That's a relief. "It's just me here, for the record. Dunno how to convince you of that, but it's true."
If Simon listens closely, perhaps he'll realize there are no sounds of other people. Only him, the beach, and Ren, who takes a bite out of his Oran Berry- who pauses, before breaking off a piece.
"Hey, so... I've got an Oran Berry. It makes Pokemon feel better," Ren continues after a moment, regarding the Minior. "... Do you want some?"
Time to Steel Ourselvesss
But it wasn't so long ago that these two, and others, in separate groups, were pulling clay from the sunken areas of this place. Where they go now of course, is fairly dry.
The better to not ruin whatever they're pulling.]
...So...I guess we're going to be digging at these by hand...
[Emporio looks along the wall they were shown to, nodding as he psychs himself up.]
Okay...That shouldn't be too hard!
dont even worry we all need more sleep xD
Shaking himself out of the memory, he nods at Emporio.]
We can always use our moves if we get stuck, anyway. [A well-timed Seed Bomb would definitely do the trick, though he'd have to be careful not to let the whole tunnel collapse on their heads.]
Let's get going. The sooner we start, the sooner we're done, right?
[With that, he starts looking for a good spot to dig.]
no subject
[Honestly, one would have expected them to have noted a birthday at some point.
...Hey wait a minute Emporio-
Manifesting a 'bone' from the ground with an almost casual wave, Emporio gestures toward a particularly promising 'vein' in the rocks.] ...That one looks like it has something mixed in it...Maybe it'll be good ore?
no subject
That aside, his eyes follow Emporio's bone.]
Oooh, good find, [Ren goes over to the spot that was pointed out, finding that, indeed, it looks like there may be something in there. Despite being an Oran Berry, he has to admit he hasn't figured out how to spot the promising veins- it's one of the things he really misses his third eye ability for.
Doesn't mean he can't help dig them out once they're pointed out to him, though.]
Alright then, [he unsheathes his claws,] let's get to digging.
[A few weaker attacks should definitely unearth some of it!]
no subject
Bone at the ready, Emporio just nods...and, not even realizing that Ren didn't spot it that easily, gestures to the veining in question.] It's really subtle, but you can see the different color striations moving along the sides right here...so, I think as long as we strike here it'll work..!
[Time to start whacking a rock with a bone- it won't be bonemerang or bonerush or anything, but it should do the trick!]
no subject
[With that, he unleashes a few weak Scratch attacks alongside Emporio's whacks with his bone. It's slow progress, but little by little, some decent looking iron ore becomes more and more visible. Once he can, Ren reaches down with his claws to try and pull it loose, and with a bit of effort...]
There!
[A chunk of iron comes out, landing in front of them. Ren grins proudly at Emporio- they did it!]
This looks pretty good quality, if you ask me.
[What's more, it seems that that chunk isn't the end of it- there's more hidden below. A good few thwacks with Emporio's bone will probably help get those loose, too.]
no subject
[It's a bit like going to town with a pickaxe...or in Ren's case, a lot of smaller pickaxes. But the chunks of clear metal ore are coming out, and with a pause to inspect it, Emporio nods.]
I sure hope so, [He agrees.] I can tell it's not the same as the rest of the rock, but I don't know how good it'll be...
[But there does seem to be more where that came from, so he gives a few good thwacks to loosen the load.] I think if you dig around this bit, it'll come free.
no subject
On it.
[And he digs in with all his might, Scratch-ing at the rock to remove some smaller bits. He feels a little bit like a dog, with the way he's digging, but soon enough, the rest of the cache starts feeling loose, and with a few pulls-]
There we go. [Smaller chunks of iron ore get pulled up by his claws, adding to what they've already gathered.] I think that's most, if not all of it.
[He shakes out his paws, covered in dirt as they are, and suppresses the urge to lick them clean. He'll get a chance to bathe, later.
It's not a bad haul at all, for what it's worth. Still, they could probably try to get a bit more...]
What do you think? You good to continue?
no subject
[Cubone helmet set down, he'll start setting as much there as possible in the 'bag'. He gives it a careful eye, and then an experimental lift-] Hmmm...
[And ultimately nods.] Yeah. I think we can try for another vein! This isn't too heavy yet, and there's definitely room.
no subject
[They set out deeper into the cave, and Ren keeps an eye out for things in the wall. He may not be as good as Emporio at it, but... did something sparkle over there? He tilts his head towards the wall where he saw it.]
You think that one over there's worth investigating?
no subject
[Off they go then. A little deeper into the cave, eyes peeled. Emporio hasn't spotted anything yet...but when he looks to where Ren is pointing his head, he squints.]
It might be..? ...Lets go look!
wildcard!
"Ren-kun! Are you busy?"
no subject
"I'm not doing anything right now," he says, ear flicking, "did you need me for something?"
no subject
no subject
He says it playfully, like a joke. Even if a temporary status effects from battles aren't quite the same, they're somewhat similar, right?
no subject
She hesitates for a moment, before settling herself down, a little to his left while being sure to give him space.
"They're definitely something," she agrees, looking thoughtful. After a moment, she reaches out, wriggling her fingers. "Kotoludi!" There isn't any of power that would usually exorcise a case of Possession behind it, admittedly, but maybe it'll amuse Ren.
no subject
"Did you just...?"
Nothing happens, of course, but it does draw a snort of laughter out of him. He's fairly sure it's a healing spell of sorts- though not one he's familiar with. Regardless, it does manage to lift his spirits.
"I don't think that's one I've heard before," he says, after a moment, "what does it heal?"
no subject
"Ah, some of the more ghost-like demons liked to try and possess us, at times," she explains, stretching out with one hand. "I guess they wanted to… ride along, maybe?" …well, that's not without impact, but nothing they hadn't been able to heal up.
no subject
"The Shadows just tried to Brainwash us sometimes," Ren says, very laissez faire. "Nothing a good Amrita Shower or Salvation wouldn't fix... but man, is it a strange feeling."
Understatement! Brainwash was one of the scarier status effects in the Metaverse, in his opinion. He didn't feel that way initially, but... well. When one gentle madman tries to brainwash the whole world, that certainly changes one's feelings on the matter.
no subject
no subject
"And Salvation? ... Not in the way you're thinking of, probably," Ren says, after a moment of though. "It was the ultimate healing skill we got access to, but it wasn't Persona-specific. If I fused the right Persona, or gave someone the right item, anyone could use it... though, Mona was the only one whose Persona naturally learned it."
no subject
…she's tempted to reach out and scratch behind his ears, but she keeps her hands to herself for now, just looking.
"So you could back each other up with it? That's reassuring, right? So in a pinch… three of you could have it?" She hums, resettling herself to get comfortable. "Mona… what was his Persona, again?"