Test Drive - May Edition

[rekindlemods]

Belated May Test Drive! Trying to see if a character will fit or work in the setting? Need some interaction samples? Well this meme is for you! Make a post, tag around, and most importantly, have fun! Here's the setting page for those who want to learn a little more about the city itself. And don't forget to go reserve your character, GO GO GO.......

((PS: We’ve also gotten a suggestion to try and post our Test Drives on the same day as the Activity Check goes up! That is, the last day of the month. We may try that out next time, and see how it works!))

Here's some prompts to help you get started, if you need it:

Option 1

[Animals, animals everywhere! All over the different parts of the city…And perhaps paying you a visit as well! In a strange manner, as you might find yourself looking over Saeng Seong in a different, more fuzzy perspective.]

Option 2

[Petals keep falling on your head; or at least they have a persistent habit of falling from trees that are in full bloom. And as a consequence they form a nice array of color floating on the wind…Or perhaps getting in one’s face and blocking vision. Or in the worst case, causing a sneezing fit from the excess pollen. Still, at least there’s some flowers to help liven up the air?]

Option 3

[Whoops. Looks like you haven't taken the cautionary words of the other NPCs to heart, or maybe you just wanted to take your chances. Either way, the withdrawal symptoms have started and you need to find someone to hug quickly before you get even more sick.]

Option 4

[If there's something else you wanted to play with, that you didn't see here, then have fun with that. You've just arrived in a strange city, after all. There's got to be plenty to explore out and about, not to mention people to meet.]

Comments

[symbolofstrength]

Dragonite cocks its head as it considers the request, then nods. It'll have to run it by its trainer, though.

"What is it, Dragonite?" Sam knows the two have been communicating, not wanting to butt in, but he'd still like to know what Dragonite agreed to. The dragon relays Charizard's request to him, and after a moment, he nods to Charizard himself. "Alright. Lead the way, Charizard."

[littlerat]

She nods her head, and turning around effortlessly she leads them to the direction of her trainer and her team.

It's not a long ride, especially for two like them, and soon enough they're in the area of the park. Red, with the rest of his team out of their balls (Venusaur, Blastoise, Snorlax, Lapras, and Pikachu) can all be seen below, and the trainer looks up at her when she gives a short roar to let them know that she's there, and there's a reason for her return.

She lands down, speaking to the group to tell her who she had found. While Red looks at her, Charizard directs her head towards the skies, and so he looks back up.

[symbolofstrength]

Dragonite lands shortly after, with Sam sliding off its back and looking around at all the Pokemon. Finally his gaze lands on Red, and he nods in greeting.

"I take it these Pokemon are yours?" The boy's style of dress reminds him of Ash, and come to think of it, his team does, too. The thought just makes him homesick, though; this trainer is definitely not Ash.

[littlerat]

When Dragonite lands and Red gets to take in the sight of it, there's a small moment where he wonders if the slight difference in the scales are signs of experience or a birth defection (experience, surely), but when the man gets off and he sees him, well, that observation is taken straight out of his mind.

And it's so weird to hear, spoken to like a stranger by a man he knows so well. Politely so, but still. Red doesn't try to hide his surprise, but he decides to -- nod, stepping forward.

"Y... yeah." He pauses again, relaxing then his expression, and decides to hold out a hand to the professor. "I'm Red."

He wants to say more, but he holds it off, partly wondering if (hoping on?) the professor might suddenly appear to recognise him. Pikachu makes a small but quizzical sound down on the ground, and Snorlax looks to Blastoise, asking him, isn't that the professor from Red's home?

[symbolofstrength]

"It's nice to meet you, Red. I'm Professor Oak." He's pretty sure that any trainer would recognize him, but it's better not to assume. He shakes his hand politely, before nodding his head at Charizard. "I think your Charizard wanted me to meet you."

His attention is drawn to Pikachu's voice, and he crouches down, holding his hand out to the little one.

[littlerat]

He nods, there being no sort of recognition, but at the nod to Charizard he turns to look at her. She's looking back at him, not sure what's going on, but he shakes his head to her before turning back to the professor.

"We know you- we're familiar with your work." That's an understatement. "I'm a trainer from Kanto."

Pikachu, though confused by the situation, steps forward and holds out a paw for him to take as Red continues to speak.

"There's a few pokémon trainers here, but not a lot. I think she was surprised to see you and your dragonite."

Which wasn't a complete lie. None of them knew if any of the other trainers present had one with them.

[symbolofstrength]

"Well, thank you." He's used to that kind of statement from people; meanwhile he turns his head so he can see Red while he shakes Pikachu's paw.

"I've seen them around." He hadn't recognized any of them, so he left them alone. "Dragonite and I just arrived, though." Speaking of Dragonite, it steps away from Sam's side to greet the larger Pokemon on Red's team. Even though it's Sam's guardian, it seems Red and his Pokemon mean him no harm, so Dragonite can let its guard down a little.

Sam turns his face back toward Pikachu, and will try to pet Pikachu's head, if Pikachu will allow it.

[littlerat]

The larger would be Snorlax, sat down next to Blastoise. She looks at Dragonite as he approaches her, giving him a greeting in return with a fanged smile. She's a rather stubborn pokémon by nature, but there's nothing to be stubborn about with meeting a fellow pokémon! Blastoise too gives him a greeting when he comes over, striking up a conversation with him. So you just got here, huh? How long've you known the professor? Chatter chatter.

Pikachu will allow the petting, being used to receiving it from strangers - though the professor isn't a stranger. Kind of.

"Just today? We can help you out if you need it." He can't help but want to offer his help out to the professor, part of him certainly not wanting to see him leave too soon. "We know the way to the apartments from here, and the hospital and the shops. We come here regularly to train - it's got the most space of the districts."

Here being a spot close to the park, which Red points over towards. "There's a park over there, and a sports building's nearby too. You'll see a lot of pokémon-like animals wandering around, but nobody calls them pokémon here."

Is he actually excited despite not being recognised? Just a teensy bit.

[symbolofstrength]

Dragonite sits down with its fellow Pokemon, taking the opportunity to make small talk.

Continuing to idly pet Pikachu's head, Sam nods in thanks.

"That would be wonderful. I've been exploring with Dragonite." The view from the sky was good for mapping out the city in his head, but it would be a while before he knew his way around as well.

"I'm sure Dragonite would love to train too, once it's fully recovered. I don't want it battling for at least a few more days." He calls out to Dragonite. "Right, Dragonite?" Dragonite quirks its head toward the humans, taking a moment to piece together the conversation that was running in the background of its attention, and nods.

[littlerat]

Red looks to Dragonite, surprised by what he hears, but nodding to the pokémon before looking back to the professor.

"Sure, we'd love to help him train. But I didn't know you still battled, professor."

That he had a collection of pokémon again after all the work he and Green put into gathering them, that wasn't too surprising. But Red had always figured he was busy... professoring it, especially for training any for battle.

[symbolofstrength]

"Not professionally, no. But sometimes I have to." His days of challenging gyms and leagues had come and gone, but not all Pokemon battles were a matter of sport. Sometimes, they were truly a battle between good and evil, and that's when he was glad he had an old friend like Dragonite.

"Besides," he laughs, "I don't exactly have the lab to keep me busy anymore. Not while I'm here."

[littlerat]

That was a good point. What would he do without the lab? It was a curious thought, but there was an offer Red had made and he should get to fulfilling that. He turns to his pokémon, seeing Blastoise and Snorlax still chatting - they're two of the more social types on his team, with Venusaur giving a word in now and then. Charizard herself was more happy to just listen, though happy wasn't quite a good word to describe her right now.

But she was keeping her grievances well enough to herself. Not enough for Red not to notice it when he catches her gaze and how questioning it is - but she was his first, and he knew how to look past her outer appearance. She'd been there before when the conversation about different possible worlds or whatever had happened, but she had thought it nothing but stupid nonsense. And now the professor just didn't know them at all? He didn't recognise her?

Red shakes his head, walking to put an arm on her, giving her a sympathetic smile. "How about getting some rest while I show the professor around? Charizard," he looks to the others, "Venusaur, Lapras."

Ah, but what was the professor going to do? Red turns his head back to him.

"Are you going to keep Dragonite out?"

He could keep Blastoise and Snorlax out if so, but he didn't want to walk around the city with everyone out of their ball.

[symbolofstrength]

Sam begins to stand up, only to find that his knees are stiff and aren't cooperating as much as he'd like. Sometimes his body likes to remind him it's not exactly a spring chicken (Torchic?) anymore. Noticing that he's having trouble, Dragonite leaves its spot to grab his arm and help him up, and he gives it a grateful pat on the nose before addressing Red.

"Yes, if that's alright?" If they're going inside, Dragonite would be a bit too big to walk around comfortably, but it should be fine for walking around the city.

[littlerat]

"Yeah," Red answers, and happy to see Dragonite being a pal there. "I'll leave Blastoise and Snorlax out for company."

Pikachu, with the attention taken away from him and noticing that there's plans to get moving, goes over to Red to jump up onto his shoulder just as his trainer finishes saying a few quick words to the three before sending them to their pokéballs.

"By the way professor, what do you know about the city?"

[symbolofstrength]

"If that's what you think is best." He just hopes Snorlax doesn't eat everything in sight, but Red's Pokemon seem well-trained. At Red's question, he thinks for a moment, pulling everything he's heard together.

"I was told the locals are having an energy problem, and they brought us -- people from different worlds, or alternate realities -- to help with it. We can create energy by physically touching each other. The locals will take care of our basic needs, but if we don't touch each other enough, the energy problem will affect us too, and we'll get sick."

With a glance at Dragonite, and Pikachu riding on Red's shoulder, he smiles slightly. "If touching our Pokemon counts, then I don't think that'll be a problem."

[littlerat]

Rude, Professor Oak's concerns. Snorlax is very well-behaved!

"It's been working okay for me," he says, referring to the touch with pokémon. "I don't know how much it helps with the city, but it's true that going without for too long starts to have side effects."

Blastoise and Snorlax themselves were already stood close to each other. Not holding hands, but with their arms still touching each other. But anyway!

"Was there anywhere you wanted to go first? If not, I'll take you to the closest first. I can tell you about anything you want to know along the way too."

[symbolofstrength]

Sam is relieved to hear that; he's much more comfortable touching Pokemon than people, even people he's close to. At Red's question, he shakes his head.

"No, no preferences. Take me wherever you'd like." He wasn't counting on being helped, so he comes out ahead either way.

[littlerat]

Red decides to scan the area, thinking of where would be the best place to start. Seeing where they are...

"District one is the closest." He takes a few steps as he says it, his pokémon picking themselves up from the ground. "It's where all the apartments are. You should have a key for a place of you're own if you picked up the envelope."