#late‐blooming blueberry arc

[tlblitzle]

Hello Driftveil! I arrived a few hours ago and took some time to peruse the market, but now it’s time to go rumble with Clay. I have given Dymie an Air Balloon to mitigate THAT threat but uh. Things are still looking QUITE sketchy lmao. Here’s hoping I’ve trained Pal well

I am feeling OPTIMISTIC. I like your STRATEGY for me and think it should hold up to a HEAVY ASSAULT!

Thanks bud. You’re gonna do great

[tlblitzle]

Damn that was a fun night! Elesa’s gym style is one thing, with the performance experience and all, but Roxie really blows that outta the water! The way she can make a gym battle into a feature spot in a concert is like nothing I’ve ever seen. She got me working up a sweat in a way I don’t get with battles. Usually it’s nerves for a risky strategy or dangerous opponent, but tonight it was all about the energy. I was getting into it, and was just super pumped! Like. Of course I love battling, but it’s rare that I get so outta my head during a match. Normally I’m more intense and focused than that. It was fun letting go!

I’d show y’all Dymie, my for-sure MVP for the match (it carried so hard it did evolve into Magneton!), but the rascal is still anti-photo, so instead you can have a little video from just after I won :)

[As the video starts, Lux is still on the battlefield as Roxie calls back her Scolipede. Storm returns the Kilowattrel as well after a quick congratulatory pat, and takes a moment to pan the camera over the cheering crowd. As an evening event this gym challenge was pretty well attended, even if on a weeknight, and Roxie’s band mates can be heard wrapping up the song they were backing the battle with. After a beat, Roxie can be heard seizing control of the audience, handling the crowd work like a champ. Storm brings the camera back to focus on her, as they both approach the center of the stage and Roxie continues to talk with the crowd. She rallies a cheer from the crowd just for Storm, the victorious challenger! He chuckles a little nervously, perhaps embarrassed by the gesture, before Roxie unfastens a Toxic Badge from her costume and presents it to him. He issues a “thank you!” loud and clear for both Roxie and the audience, before taking the badge with his spare hand. “May I?” the trainer asks, before getting the go ahead to flip his camera and get in a pose together with Roxie and his prize, holding for a beat before the video ends]

She played a couple more songs to close out the night, (which I got to be front row for!) and now I’m back at the Virbank Pokémon Center about ready to pass out. Tomorrow, I think I’m gonna devote the day to a detour over to @koffing-time for snacks and treats and end the day back in Nimbasa, before I throw my ass at the brick wall that is Clay. That’s something I want ALL day to prep for lmao

[tlblitzle]

So I ultimately decided Tix was right that I was charging ahead too fast (we had a nice chat about it and a bunch of other stuff last night when I stopped by at @koffing-time, and I have a much greater respect for Striaton Gym now. Sorry, Olivia!), so today was a break day! I decided I’d try and end the day back home in Nimbasa if I could, but the when and how weren’t so important. And seeing as yesterday’s break was mostly for me (sleeping in, Nacrene Museum, and having some excellent cafe treats), today was for the team! And HOO BOY do I have pics and video to share. First up, Ozone had so much fun running the Skyarrow yesterday that I just HAD to give him another go at it and run him through some drills

[A video taken on Skyarrow Bridge. Ozone is in a ready stance off in the distance, the camera trained on him. Storm, off-camera, waits for a beat before whistling and calling out for him. The Zebstrika is off in an instant, barreling down the bridge towards the trainer. Within moments, he’s flying past the camera, hooffalls slowing as Storm brings it around to catch Ozone turning around and plodding back to receive a couple poffins pulled from a baggie. After a few pats on the face and a “good boy~” the video ends]

We also did some more riding practice on the way back to Castelia, where Lux got to play at the docks again. Didn’t film that seeing as I just got footage of him at the docks a couple days ago, but that did let me play some games with him! It’s much more enriching and safe if I’ve got an activity planned to hold his focus, after all. I did, however, take the time to meet up with a few of Burgh’s gym trainers. Bugs aren’t my forte and I wanted some advice, so we talked about that over lunch and Beanie got to play with some Pokémon more her size

[A pair of pictures, both in Castelia. The first is a selfie with Storm and a few other people, all still done up as clowns, in an outdoor eating area. Presumably this is the gym trainers’ lunch break, based on the position of the sun. Storm, meanwhile, has dressed as not to be totally outdone. He’s done his makeup in bright colors today, with a pink/yellow/blue motif and nails to match. Her earring choice for the day is a pair of dangly lightning bolts, which stand out nicely against his dark hair. The last of the outfit in frame is a bright blue scarf around his neck and a similarly bright floral (matching the color scheme no less) under a black leather jacket. The second picture is an assortment of very small bug types gathered in a backroom of the Castelia Gym, in the midst of playing. Beanie’s playmates include a Cutiefly, another Joltik, a couple Burmy, and the largest among them, a Dwebble and a Durant]

After that, I secured myself as best I could and made the trek back through route 4. I considered a detour over to the resort, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort, because I still had to give Nimbus and Dymie their attention back in Nimbasa (though I let them lead my battles along the way). And check it out!

[A picture of Dymie! Nimbus is underneath the Magneton, nuzzling against it as its eyes remain fixed on the camera. It isn’t aiming its magnets at the device, though, and appears to be tolerating the situation well enough. Nimbus, for her part, doesn’t seem to care about the camera in the slightest, entirely fixated on her wary teammate. She seems a tad floofier than usual, perhaps from rubbing against her fellow electric type. The setting itself appears to be Storm’s home]

This isn’t perfect progress or anything, I still can’t take pictures of Dymie solo, but I remembered I have something of a silver bullet. Nimbus is pretty good with soothing my team, and after giving it a little time to adjust to my place, the low-stimulation environment seemed to have helped Dymie a lot! I dunno what it is about Nimbus that’s so calming, but definitely feel it too when we cuddle. Speaking of! I’m just spending the rest of the day at home with the team, because we’ve all had a busy past couple days. Clay’s gym can be a worry for future Storm

[tlblitzle]

HOLY FUCK

I’m finally in Mistralton! When I dragged myself into the center I think the Joy was worrying her little heart out over how miserable I looked. According to her it’s December now, which would make this nearly TWO MONTHS since I entered Chargestone. And I lived it in a single night. LOVE that for me!

Turns out Pal was having a weird reaction to the electromagnetic fields present in the cave, thanks to some quirk of that old plasma jailbreak it used. Neither of us understand it, but I guess if THAT can distort time, then maybe that ghost story about time-traveling in Rotom-possessed elevators has some weight to it. Scary thought, bc I feel like Rotom are maybe the worst Pokémon to just have time powers. They’re pranksters down to their very souls, so you just know that power’s getting used for evil FUN

Pal and I think Dymie decided not to evolve in Chargestone because it could sense something was weird, so maybe we’ll have a Magnezone on our hands soon, now. I do still have that thunder stone on hand just in case

Aaaaand I dunno when I’m gonna go fight Skyla. Not worried about the fight in the slightest, but I need a little time to unwind first. Last night/months was a lot, so I’m just gonna start by looking for some fun around the city. Maybe if I’m lucky Mistralton Cargo does skydiving or something. It’d be legitimately way less stressful than going back to Chargestone. Never again

[tlblitzle]

-BZZT-

STORM needs HELP with his JOURNEY. She has gotten STUCK since arriving HOME. He keeps saying he could NEVER BEAT CLAY. Maybe that is true, but I can CHANGE that. I have done RESEARCH over the PAST FEW DAYS, and been preparing for THIS MOMENT. She will be UPSET by this, but it is only a PRANK. He will UNDERSTAND, and WE will LAUGH.

[There are multiple attached screenshots. First is a screenshot of a GolduckDuckGo search. The search bar reads “how to JAILBREAK a ROTOM PHONE” and a question posted to NaclstackExchange among the results has been highlighted. A second screenshot shows that NaclstackExchange post. The top answer reads “A Rotom Phone cannot be jailbroken. The Rotom contained within maintains system integrity, and normally prevents this from happening. Team Plasma has succeeded at forcibly removing the Rotom from the phone before, but every phone has been irreversibly damaged, and the Rotom have experienced strange side-effects. For this reason it isn’t recommended to tamper with your Rotom Phone in any way.” The third screenshot is of a blog run by a Plasma scientist. The timestamps are about a decade old, and some of the images no longer load due to the website undergoing decay, but the text remains intact. The view counter is low, implying few people knew this blog ever existed. The screenshot is focused on a blog post dated soon before the fall of Plasma, discussing a breakthrough success at “liberating enslaved Rotom” and attaching a file labeled “RELEASE.exe”]

The PACKAGE is scheduled for DELIVERY TONIGHT. The BACKUPS have been MADE SUCCESSFULLY. SYSTEM INTEGRITY is at an ALL-TIME LOW. NOW is the time to ACT. I only hope STORM’S BANK ACCOUNT can forgive me.

- PAL

[A final image is attached. Pal has taken this picture itself in a mirror. It has a smirk that feels downright Cheshire in size, and is winking at the viewer. Printed across the Pokémon’s selfie is the phrase “See you soon, YAKON”]

[tlblitzle]

Ugh, I always forget how bad Pal’s signal gets on route 4. I swear, the winds never let up here do they? The infinite sandstorm from hell

Finally in Castelia though. Did some training along the way, so while my team is healing up in the Pokémon Center I’m gonna dump the sand outta my boots. Burgh can wait another half hour lmao

[tlblitzle]

Alright, I’ve packed up and am ready to sink some time into a league challenge. The question becomes what my approach should be. Gym order is important, and I’ve got some options thanks to the expansion gyms. I figure the cleanest solution is an order with minimal backtracking, starting with Elesa here in Nimbasa. Unfortunately I can’t just make the standard circuit from here, because that’s only 6 of 8 badges. SO here’s my plan

Like I said, first up is Elesa in Nimbasa. From there, I’ve got to visit Burgh in Castelia, then I’ll opt for Roxie in Virbank. After that I circle back on myself to get to Clay in Driftveil, and from there it’s the standard route (Skyla in Mistralton, Brycen in Icirrus, Drayden in Opelucid, and finally Marlon in Humilau)

I’m skipping out on Striaton and Aspertia because they’re more geared towards kids just starting out, and Nacrene closed to make way for Aspertia. That said, if I can get in touch with those gym leaders and arrange something more my speed, I’m happy to extend my little journey and pick up some extra badges! And speaking of getting in touch, I know a bunch of our gym leaders are here on rotomblr, so if any of y’all see this, keep an eye out for me! I’ll be the adult amid the sea of children passing through your doors lmao

[tlblitzle]

Y'know, I wonder what it would take to become a teacher over at Blueberry. Their facilities are just so nice...

[tlblitzle]

Finally made my second run at the Quake Badge today. And lookie what I got!

[A selfie. Storm is posing with Pal and Clay, badge in hand. The trainer is drenched, and though grinning wide, her slouched shoulders betray some exhaustion. It seems this battle has taken a lot out of the trainer. A caption has been added, reading “got so sweaty Pal decided I needed an impromptu bath lmao”]

As expected, Pal was a crucial contributor! My Substitute/Nasty Plot plan gave us plenty of firepower to cut through most threats! And Beanie was a major contributor too. Setting up some Sticky Webs made sure we had the advantage this time around, not to mention a clutch Giga Drain or two!

I did it! Finally I have EARNED my PLACE on the team!

Now I’m gonna go eat some celebratory pizza and try to calm down. This has been a stressful evening, tbh

[tlblitzle]

Welp! I slept through most of yesterday (roughing it in the cave for multiple days was a very bad idea lmao) and today I did nothing but plan avenues of attack. I… might need to talk to a doctor about getting my hands on meds for my attention issues. Hmm…

Oh well! I’ll muscle through my league run and handle it after I’ve at least fought the elite 4 once. I wanna get this journey done this month, and that stuff moves too slow to wait on

[tlblitzle]

Heyyy… So… I’ve spent the last few days in Chargestone Cave. We’re talking FULLY camping in there

The electrical field seems to have COMPLETELY eaten most of my posts, which is unsurprising because the deeper I went the worse it got. Dymie has been resisting evolution, which strikes me as odd. I dunno why it’s so opposed to becoming a Magnezone, but it’s otherwise happy and healthy. Especially now that we’re outta there again. My team’s gotten a good bit of training, though, and I’ve been practicing the new plan of attack I devised to counter Clay. But it’s late right now, and we’re all gross from multiple days of Cave Time, so I convinced Pal to help us out with an impromptu bath before we head back to the Driftveil Pokémon Center to turn in for the night. Driftveil Gym Take 2 can wait ‘til tomorrow

STORM missed a detail, probably from FATIGUE, but I have her COVERED. Take this VIDEO of BEANIE.

[A short video taken deep within Chargestone Cave. The footage is somewhat crackly, a likely side-effect from the strong electromagnetic field. The Joltik has just fended off a Ferroseed, which goes rolling off down a tunnel. Storm kneels to rummage in his pack, the camera angle from his wrist-bound XTransceiver briefly obstructed. A light begins to emanate from out of view, and the trainer startles and stands, training her camera on the evolving bug. Beanie, a newly-minted Galvantula, rushes up to Storm and knocks him over in a strange, arachnid hug. The video cuts off to the sound of laughter as the human pets the spider’s fuzzy body]

[tlblitzle]

Hey! So last night some big things happened, and I have some major news to share. I needed a lot of time today to sort things out, but I think it’s all in order now. I guess I should start with-

I have a proper BODY now!

Hush, you. But yeah, Pal is a bit different these days! It ripped itself outta my phone, and bought a washing machine to live in.

I said SORRY! A successful LEAGUE CHALLENGE pays well, so it should be EASY to EARN back the MONEY!

I swear if you don’t let me type-

ANYWAY yeah! Pal has joined the team, can still speak somehow despite that normally being a feature of utility forms, and can APPARENTLY wirelessly type on my XTransceiver. Speaking of! My phone is dead now, so I’m switching back to the ol’ XTrans (though there’s nothing ex-trans about me, eyyyy) for now. The rotomblr app on here is… bad, but I can still post, so it’ll do! Luckily this model is still recent enough to take over the functions I needed Pal for (photos/video, social media, calling/texting, maps, the Pokédex…) and Pal was smart enough to make sure it was attached to the same number and already loaded up with my contacts and such, so hopefully there’s no issues there

Which means we should be READY to go CHALLENGE CLAY!

AFTER you’ve had training and I’ve devised a battle strategy for you! We’ve been over this. That’s why we didn’t leave for Driftveil today! I needed to do some shopping and get you used to battle. I’m not gonna send an untrained Pokémon into any actual battles, let alone a real-deal league match!

BOOOOO!

Uh huh. Give me shit for caring about your safety. Sure. Anyway, if anyone in the Nimbasa area wants to do some LOW-STAKES scrimmages in the next couple days, hit me up! Maybe a bit of experience will temper this clown’s expectations lmao. Otherwise we’ll be training out on route 5

[tlblitzle]

Oops! Got myself sidetracked the past couple days, huh? The dangers of stopping at home, I guess. I’ve still been training, but I haven’t made any moves to head for Driftveil. I miiiiight be more nervous about facing Clay than I thought, haha… Haven’t even been especially active here because Pal has been acting strangely? Like. I try to ask it why the phone is running slowly, and it’s super cagey about the reason? I don’t wanna send it in for maintenance because I don’t wanna lose my files and I worry about what “maintenance” entails when there’s a living(? ghost types are weird) creature involved. I hope Dymie’s camera interference didn’t do any lasting damage…

[tlblitzle]

Ugh. Slept in later than I wanted. Still caught the boat back to Castelia, but my schedule today might be cutting things a little close. I was hoping to get the opportunity to stop in Nacrene for the Museum while I was in the area, but we’ll see about that. Maybe now’s a good time to get some riding training in with Ozone? I bet he’ll appreciate getting to sprint across the Skyarrow

[tlblitzle]

So today has been productive! Arrived in Virbank around noon, and since then I’ve been basically everywhere in the complex. Plenty of good battles with wild Pokémon and trainers alike. And of course, as I said I would yesterday, I got myself a Magnemite! Its name is Dymie (short for Neodymium), and it enjoys bullying Pal lmao. I’d post a picture but every time I try to take one Dymie starts using its magnets to generate interference lmao. I think we’re gonna head back into the city, grab dinner, then it’s go time with Roxie!

[tlblitzle]

Oh right! Progress update! Yeah Lux definitely earned MVP status again, but he fell to a stray Rock Blast, and check out who picked up the slack~

[A selfie of Storm and Burgh. Storm is holding the Insect Badge in her spare hand, and Nimbus is nestled under that arm, now fully evolved as a Luxray. A hint of static electricity is in the air from her purring and nuzzling, as evidenced by the hair/fur of Storm, Burgh, and Nimbus all standing up slightly]

[This is followed by a second picture, still in Castelia Gym, solely of Nimbus looking at the camera. Her eyes are a crackling pink, much like the rest of her yellow-to-pink discoloration, and her back is arched. She’s leaning away from the camera, eyes wide. The image as been captioned “oops, looks like she saw her first skeleton! poor thing 😭”]

After I calmed her down she seems to have adjusted to her new sense, because she promptly used it to find my berries pocket and try to steal from it haha. Good thing I’ve been researching enrichment activities that engage Luxrays’ vision! Anyway I finished my challenge hours ago, and spent the night celebrating by enjoying the city. Castelia is no Nimbasa, but there’s some decent shops (I picked up a Thunder Stone because I’m gonna go Magnemite hunting over in Virbank hehe), and of course there’s Lux’s well deserved treat!

[A video overlooking the Castelia City docks. Storm tosses out a pokeball from off screen, and Lux emerges straight into the air. He briefly turns toward the camera before Storm says “Go on! You earned it buddy!” The bird then takes off, soaring through the skies above the sea. Storm can be heard laughing slightly as she tracks her Pokémon with the camera. He does take a few dives, plucking Basculin from the sea before being prompted by a sharp whistle each time and tossing them back unharmed. After a few minutes of this, he begins heading back, with Storm raising an arm for him to perch on just in time. The trainer issues a soft “oof” and stumbles a little at the landing, before chuckling. “You’ve a big guy now, you can’t just crash into me anymore!” The video cuts off as Lux trills with delight]