JUNE 2025 EVENT LOG

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ THE BOTTLECAP RAFTING FESTIVAL ✩⋆

May Showers long gone, the sun that greets the month of June seems to intensify its brilliance to make up for absence. It’s only the start of the season of Summer, but the heat is already rising by the passing of the day.

For the residents of Bottlecap Bay, this is just another part of life. Once the threats of strange Pokemon and the enraged Dondozo are resolved there’s nothing stopping them from preparing for the end of the month. Banners are being strung across the streets. Signs are being posted at every business door.

But just what is the Dragafloat Festival anyway?

i. PRE-EMPTIVE CELEBRATIONS

PREPARE FOR A FEAST

Though life in Bottlecap Bay still proceeds with relative normalcy, the air of celebration is impossible to miss after the mid-month passes by. Not content with simply displaying festive banners and flyers for the incoming event, plenty of stores and even small eateries are pulling out all the stops. This holiday celebrates the very first arrival to Bottlecap Bay — but more than that, the timing of their newfound peace can’t be ignored! It’s the kind of chance experience that puts spirits into the highest of moods.

With street foods of all kinds on display, it’s no surprise that Pokemon will see things that weren’t there before. In fact, some shops might even be taking a page from the books of their newly accepted friends, giving their very best attempt at dishes and treats as described to them by these strange foreigners from worlds afar.

The celebratory air isn’t restricted to the daylight hours either. With the battles in the various parts of the woods, the Fog that so afflicted the bay has now receded; only partly, but enough to encourage bolder acts into the night. Local Ghost Pokemon are far more friendly (though no less mischievous) without local suspicions turning their way, and happily dance along great bonfires being erected upon the beach.

As June 20th draws closer, even the Guild Leaders can be seen joining in on the fun. Was that Ribombee with a mug of mead? Did Polteageist just offer to tell a story by the bonfire? It’s said that similar fires were used as signals for other Pokemon to make their way to the shores, but in his very own words, that’s not quite what these blazing towers are for this time. What are they for, in that case?

"Well, that’s just something you’ll have to see for yourselves!"

WINE AND DINE

⟡ Players are encouraged to come up with their own foods present at the festivals as they proceed throughout the latter end of June. Examples can be found here, but real world examples of street foods and drinks are also allowed within reason.

⟡ For characters over the age of 21, there are alcoholic beverages. The fermentation process means plenty of options to go around - feel free to assume they are made from berries, fruit or vegetables, at whatever ABV you'd like.

⟡ While the festival itself isn’t officially until the 20th of June, festivities will nonetheless fill the streets leading up to that day — and even after. They will die down significantly after a few days of cleaning and sobering up however.

⟡ The Guild Leaders are available for threads once again! Players may comment for such threads here, keeping in mind that threads will not exceed more than 5 comments from Leaders.

ii. THE ANNUAL DRAGAFLOAT RACE

ARTISTIC PRIDE

On the morning of the festival, many Pokemon rise much earlier than they normally would. The lone exception belongs to those who were early birds and nocturnal sorts to begin with — in which case they’re not only out and about already, but in some cases staying awake as long as they possibly can. It’s the Dragafloat Race, and for some aspiring extreme artists that means it’s time to show off their Pokemon spirit.

What better way to do that, than express themselves? The Pokemon preparing their paints don’t intend to do that on just any canvas though. They’re here to paint each other, and will happily encourage others to do it as well. Eager to show their skill or teach a new budding artist, it’s time to get creative and try something new.

And preferably, something bright!

IT’S TO DYE FOR

⟡ The paints being used by Pokemon vary. Some Smeargle and Grafaiai use their natural power. Others, such as Ink creating Pokemon, blend their inks with natural pigments for various painters to make use of.

⟡ All paints are safe for Pokemon skin, but are NOT water soluble. Pokemon will be warned of this in advance, but the hope is that these painted designs last through the float race — which is difficult if the water washes it away. It takes about 2 days to fade away naturally.

⟡ Characters participating in the races themselves will be encouraged to paint with colors matching a team theme! See the following prompt for further details.

ON YOUR MARK…

In the days leading up to the 20th, sign-up sheets will have been seen near to the Quest Board’s typical postings. These sheets require Pokemon to sign up for any one of two roles: Tow, or Passenger. Apparently, the sheets explain, random pair-ups will occur at the start of the race for full fairness.

But what about the race itself? When the day finally arrives, the morning is dedicated to preparation. Uniquely colored rafts are prepared for each team, and various body-painters offer their services to help each team match their float. In the true spirit of the race’s origin, each team is encouraged to choose one of the first Pokemon of Bottlecap to theme their ride around. Samurott perhaps? Maybe Gastrodon? The right to pick the coveted Dragapult is one many fight over, so it may be best to choose one of the less popular ones! Bottlecap wasn’t made by one alone after all.

The race starts in the bay, and ends in the bay; it takes Pokemon far, far out to sea before turning them around as Passengers cheer and support their Tow partner through the entire event. It’s up to the Passenger to protect their partner so that the Tow can focus on swimming. It’s a group effort, and one that takes hours of work to boot!

But with the end of the race in sight by way of massive bonfires sitting in the Bay’s evening light, it’s work that will be well worth it. Do your best, Pokemon of Bottlecap!

...GO!

⟡ The race will take only one day, but Sign-Ups are available as a fun bonus for players to participate in. No threads will be required, and a random draw will be performed on June 30th to determine a winner from among a pool of NPC Pokemon.

⟡ Unless otherwise requested, pair-ups for the race are completely random. In fact, players may find themselves ‘partnered’ to an NPC! If two players wish above all else to form a team, please indicate this when signing up.

⟡ Despite the nature of the race, Sign-Ups do not require particular typing for the roles of Tow and Passenger. Instead, there is a disclaimer and a warning encouraging any and all Pokemon weak to Water against the role of Tow.

⟡ Festivities noted in earlier prompts will reach their peak energy during the afterhours of the race, carrying on through the entire night.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ CWS: Water/ocean related risks, potential alcohol use, references to prior heavy quests (Pokemon death, Pokemon eating other Pokemon)

⟡ While all Heavy Quests will ICly have completed by June 15th, 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 24th! We understand that there's been a few months now where this wasn't expected, so we don't want you to forget.

⟡ 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

[dripdrive]

Fair... Makes sense. [How surprisingly noble, given how ready this guy was to use Anasui as a test subject. Anasui sips at his mug again.]

But you're not a human? Not just here but... at all? [No human says 'human-made' unless they're really weird.]

[hundredeyesoni]

[It's not as though he's stopped intending to. Test subjects are among the most valuable resources here, after all.]

That's right, I'm not. I'm an oni.

So I'm afraid most of my practice has been with other youkai. I'm so happy to have the chance to start over, learning about so many new species...

[dripdrive]

[Anasui doesn't mind. He knows that sometimes you have to do horrific things to further a noble goal. He just usually doesn't experiment on people who doesn't deserve it.]

Oni... Youkai. That's... Japanese, right? [Sorry. He's really, really American.]

... Learn anything note-worthy so far?

1/2

[hundredeyesoni]

Yup. Well, oni are, but youkai can be found everywhere. [Judging by dollars,] They're all the same things you might use the word monster for. Actually, just before I got here, I'd been reading my colleague's report on a cerberus...

[... Not that that's relevant in this moment. Then, back on track. What would be the most noteworthy so far..?]

Ah! Here's something I realized as soon as I learnt there were youkai here too. We've all heard the situation with humans. Back home wasn't so different. But do you know why there aren't any animals on this island? Even though their names are in the archives?

Humans and animals became what they are through countless generations of adapting to their surroundings. It's natural to think Pokemon simply came about along the way for some reason or another. So you have three likely scenarios. A, the presence of Pokemon drove them to extinction. B, this island's an anomaly. C, with the exception of humans, everything sentient in this world became a Pokemon from the start.

Youkai are a different case. Just like how we arrived, they began as transformations. [He motions to himself, or more specifically to the Shellder latched on. If this species is proof that a snail can become an oni, why is it that he's not a snail at all?] The fact that they look how they do here pretty much confirms it's option C.

2/2 and maybe preemptive cw for gore mentions and general weirdness...

[hundredeyesoni]

[A pause, as the thought that he should clarify makes him laugh.]

I know it's not the most groundbreaking discovery! Anyone could probably guess as much on their own. But its implications are important to me. For example, I might recognize you as an ostrich, and the locals will agree the word relates to you. But are your insides really the same as something that's never existed?

These are the sorts of things I can't wait to study...

hell yeah! (shakes hand in weirdness)

[dripdrive]

[Anasui nods. He's genuinely interested, even if he is a little confused with some of the particulars.]

So you're saying some Pokemon are youkai? Or all of them are? [Anasui shares eye contact with the eyes on Akira's forehead. There's a long moment where he stares unblinkingly at them before he returns his attention back to Akira.]

But... what you're saying makes sense. Like using the word 'dog' to describe a number of Pokemon but there's no Pokemon with the word 'dog' in its name. It's an association made without precedent.

... Do you want to see the insides of an arboreal Pokemon? I have that at my house. [Anasui no.] When I arrived here, I encountered a lizard-like Pokemon with a tree for a tail. It escaped me and shed its tail so I ended up cutting it into cubes and studying it. I kept some of the spines and the meat of the creature in my house.

[hundredeyesoni]

Only sooome. We've established what you look like on the outside. As for my own appearance, I have no doubt that Slowking are this world's equivalent of sazae-oni, monstrous turban snails with human-like forms. But from a biological standpoint, this body's more of a salamander wearing a shell... Ah! But enough about that!

[Even if there's so much more to it when taking the symbiosis into account, how can he be expected to stay on a subject he's had so much time with when there's an offer of something so new?]

Grass types really are some of the most fascinating. And it ran away from a bird that isn't Flying type..? Show me. While it's a shame that it's already been picked apart, there's still quite a bit that I'd like to know.

[Forget this whole berry wine thing when they're not up to his standards anyway. All Akira's focused on now is how ready he is to follow at any moment.]

[dripdrive]

Can it be both? [Anasui is still unsure what classifies as a youkai and what doesn't but he already gets the vibes that he won't actually understand the difference here and now. A conversation topic for next time, he supposes (Good. It beats small talk).]

I have Flying moves, despite my typing. And it didn't run until I beat the hell out of it. [Anasui nods. He makes sure he's completely finished his drink and then begins to walk off back towards the Archives. While usually he lives with Emporio, Anasui still has his own little apartment and he'll lead the way quietly as always.

While the layout of the house isn't different to anyone else's, what differs is the amount of stuff in there. Tablets from the archives, a bunch of unfolded and refolded papers, a dismantled store front. It's probably more akin to a messy warehouse than a living quarters. Still, Anasui seems to know where everything is and he opens up a freezer box (that has definitely been poached from the Pokemon Clinic) and takes out some perfect five centimeter by five centimeter cubes of something green and red.]

They're a few months old now but this is the shed tail of a Sceptile. I cut it up so I can study it better. You can actually see where the tail becomes more plant-like than animal-like. And you can see the full structure if we arrange it out on the floor.

[hundredeyesoni]

[Not until after they fought? So even those born as Pokemon can be tricked by the right appearance and strategy...

While there's a lot to theorize about right there, it's not until they reach the bird Pokemon's home that Akira speaks up.]

Oh, you use yours as a storage room, too! It's so funny how small our guild's housing is! I've never even had a bedroom this size, but they say it's a whole apartment?

[But as he looks over the gathered items, his cheerfulness almost seems to falter.

That style of freezer... When ice boxes are so simple to make with the access they have to various elemental abilities, was taking supplies away from the clinic-- from his patients-- really necessary? For a moment, his expression might even be unreadable.

At least, until such bizarre contents are presented that he can't help becoming excited all over again. Cubes were difficult to understand the reasoning for to begin with. And now he's finding out they're so small, as well? What's with all of this? He should really be examining Anasui's head, first. Should. Instead,]

You can put it back together from that? Ah! That reminds me! I haven't been able to study lifespans here yet. If it's part tree as you said, once it's arranged are there rings to indicate its age? And what about the composition of its blood? Before you froze it, was it similar to a lizard's, or more of a sap? I'd have liked to see it for myself while it was freshly shed... Hey, let me thaw some to check.