a delightful picnic day.

[thunderwave]

Who: Everyone!
What: PokeBalls are now functional, and there are a lot more friends in Tabula Rasa.
Where: Outside of Heavenly Blanc! It's a picnic, baby.
When: You know, now-ish.
Content Warnings: Cute. Dragons. Birbs.

It seemingly happens at random, for the trainers of the creatures they call Pokemon. Sudden bursts of light, and out emerge quite a few new friends. Pokemon of different Types, shapes, and sizes are now wandering around . . . sticking close to their trainers, probably.

There's a small gathering outside of the Heavenly Blanc, with various snacks and food set out on tables outside. Feel free to come by, play with Pokemon, and have a bite to eat! It's a random assortment of food and drink, all "foraged" and/or made by the Pokemon crew in order to celebrate their partners being released and to also introduce them to their friends they've made in Tabula Rasa!

Be careful of the rumbling storm nearby, though . . . but on the bright side, at least your phones seem to be working, if you have any? Time to take selfies with your new friends, or maybe a TikTok that just stays on your phone forever.

(Trainers will have top levels, if they want, so if you want to interact with a specific trainer, you can wait for their level! Otherwise, have fun at the picnic.)

Comments

[halloflamer]

[Look who it is. Blue notices Kaiba in the midst of rubbing the fins on his enormous Gyarados, and they both turn to stare back at him- Blue, with the widest, smug grin one could imagine.]

Oh! Came to see what you're missing, card-nerd? [Blue calls, waving. His Gyarados, with its ferocious-looking glare, hovers nearer to Kaiba in what seems like curiosity, rumbling as it breathes out fishy-smelling air onto him. Who are yoooou?]

[Letting his Gyarados intimidate the new company, Blue saunters over, hands in pockets.] If you ask nicely, maybe I'll even teach you to catch your own.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[As he proceeded forward Kaiba tried to project a distinct lack-of-interest which was only slightly betrayed by the occasional shifts in his line of vision. That being said he had a fairly solid poker face, being spotted by his least favorite trainer however...]

Don't flatter yourself, dweeb. I didn't even know you, or your monsters were here until this very moment. You happen to be blocking the path- like usual. [Scoffing with the level of vehemence he deemed appropriate. He stopped in his tracks raising his arms into a crossed position. Though he studied the creature as it approached he was determined not to give anyone the satisfaction of gauging his level of unease.] Have you moved on from stuffed animals, and finally decided to associate with something that might possess real power?

[The odorous breath assaulted his senses, prompting him to break his composure and cough as he covered the lower portion of his face with one of his gauntlets. It really didn't help but it was instinctive]

Quite frankly, I don't see why I would want to, but if I did, I wouldn't need you to teach me.

[halloflamer]

Uh-huh, [Blue nods along as Kaiba starts up his better-than-thou speech right on time. But hey- at least this time, he admitted they were monsters, right? They're getting somewhere with the whole 'Pokémon really do exist' thing!]

[From the looks and sounds of it, though, Kaiba hadn't gotten his 'monsters'- er, that is, his little pieces of paper back, yet. Blue could see the jealousy written alllll over the other's face. As Gyarados nears him, he seems to cower- ok, really, it's probably Gyarados, but Blue prefers the former assumption. He can't help but snicker at that, although Gyarados doesn't seem quite so pleased.]

[Still, his Pokémon knew at least somewhat that Kaiba wasn't exactly a friend to Blue, do the serpent remains on guard, intimidatingly looming over the other.]

Sure, because you'd totally know how to battle and catch a Pokémon on your own, right? You know, they're not just cards that you call rules on. They're living beings- there's a lot more strategy to it than your dumb little game, [Blue shrugs.]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[The response is dismissive, but not unsurprising. As to whether there's been any progress, that is debatable, I mean, he also calls his cards- monsters. It's a term of convenience.

Kaiba had at least gotten to see his monsters, spells, and traps in action again in the dream world, but that only increased his desire to see them functioning here. Since the pokeballs were functional now it stood to reason that it was because the idea of pokemon and their contraptions had been introduced to a greater amount of people. The more an idea circulated increased it's likelihood of being incorporated. So- whether he liked it or not, Kaiba was going to have to put in the legwork and patience to entice others to the game of duel monsters.]

You should really invest in an industrial-sized breath mint for this one... [Not able to stay silent about the stench any longer]

It wouldn't be hard to figure out if someone with your IQ is capable of it. [Getting in the dig before defending his beloved game] I highly doubt that. These creatures must have limitations, and the cards come with expansions over time always changing the potential outcomes. Besides, you're only thinking about monsters, but duel monsters is so much more than that. [Taking a step forward towards Blue, he swept out an arm to continue preaching but the motion dislodged a ball he'd been concealing. It was pink with a heart shape on it, and as it dropped onto the grass-covered ground it popped open... in a flash one of those winged giraffes appeared. It outted the brunette for his earlier experiments.]

[halloflamer]

[Kaiba- enticing anyone to anything-]

[Hmmm.]

He can understand you, [Blue comments passively as Gyarados rumbles irritably over Kaiba. He's a good boy who likes humans and is well-socialized with Blue, but... he's still a Gyarados. Kaiba would do well not to provoke the Atrocious Pokémon, but-]

[Blue also doesn't really feel like warning him! So.]

"Limitations", huh. I wonder just how much you really think you know about that. [Blue wonders.... glancing at the Key Stone on his neck, and thinking of the Z-Ring he had back home- Mega Evolution was the surpassing of those limits, quite literally. Boy, this guy would be real surprised if Gyarados Mega Evolved in front of him, wouldn't he?]

[He's about to explain to Kaiba how many different ways he was wrong before a Pokéball- unmistakably a Love Ball, he catches the design on it- drops out from Kaiba's coat and breaks open to reveal... one of those strange Flying-type Girafirig that lived near the forests. Blue stares for a long moment, and so does Gyarados, before the serpent arches down to greet it with a rumble. Are you a Pokémon too??]

....Well. Looks like I didn't have to teach you after all, [Blue grins, somehow both impressed and amused at the same time, despite himself.] Maybe there's a little trainer juice in ya, after all!

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Gdi. Where is Yugi when you need him?]

... [Great. Should have figured that given the previous interactions he's seen between the trainers and the singular pokéman they had before. Still, a part of him didn't care. The breath was almost bad enough on it's own to knock a body down, and wilt foliage. Was there an apology forthcoming? No. He does have some sense of self-preservation so he would lay off the negativity for now... towards the gyarados]

[Not much, actually but he was confident that the cards had more nuances and infinite combinations than the Pokemon did. If only he could utilize a crush card virus on Blue's creatures then they could really see who would be laughing then. In the dream world it might have been possible. A missed opportunity.] Considering the nothing I've seen you do with them up to this point.. [It was actually Professor Oak that had provided the most insight into the subject]

[Oh gawd. A love ball? Was it really called that? Honestly, Kaiba already hated it for being so effeminate looking but he couldn't really do anything about it now. He'd been more careful about the random tests afterwards since he had zero idea what he was going to do with this giraffe now. He stops speaking too, and just stares. At nothing as an awkward silence prevails and a knot twists internally. Go on. Get to it. Make with the jokes already- point out the hypocrisy. GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM.

... but the response was quite unexpected.

The giraffe tilted it's head and looked about at it's surroundings, knowing them to be different than before. It look at the gyarados uneasily, before looking to it's master who seemed displeased but not frightened so the giraffe brightened up. It made an enthusiastic and friendly sort of coo as if to say If pokemon live in those things, yes!.]

Hmph. [Kaiba huffed, not taking this opportunity to gloat. Surprisingly. Apparently he felt just embarrassed enough not to push his luck.] I'm a duelist, first and foremost.

[halloflamer]

Hmmm. Yeah, in case you didn't notice, my guy- we also went a huge while without eating or sleeping until this point, [Blue shrugs, leaning against his dragon casually.] So I can't say I'm super surprised that my Pokémon can't even use their abilities. Anyway, I already knew that, since 'vee hasn't been able to, either.

Buuuut, suuure, just keep underestimating them! I'm pretty sure Gyarados here can eat you in one gulp, and now that we've all got appetites, maybe I'll even let him!

[...He wouldn't. But he can totally dream of it.]

Sure, [Blue agrees, and walks up to the creature with a friendly smile and a hand outstretched to let it inspect him before petting it.] Hey there, pal! Sorry you've got such a jerk trainer, but you're pretty cool, aren'tcha!?

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[It wasn't much to go on, but it did give Kaiba a little insight as to the nature of Pokémon. Apparently they, like effect monsters possessed various ways to influence combat. Eh- or was it like effect monsters or something more elemental based. That would be basic- more along the lines of something Blue could handle.] .. and what abilities are those? [If these skills were so great then Blue ought to be able to expand on them]

Whether you want to admit it or not, I'm sure your monsters have their weaknesses. It would just be a matter of figuring out what those are. [The Gyarados's mouth was certainly large enough to pull off what Blue proposed, but Blue himself didn't seem to have that murderous edge within him.]

[When approached the giraffe leaned it's long neck down, giving the extended hand a sniff before allowing the contact. The creature was much friendlier than it's current owner. It even went so far as to press it's head into Blue's hand. It was odd but Kaiba found himself feeling oddly betrayed by the familiar exchange.] ... [Blue had his own monsters besides, let him pet one of them. Though he didn't voice this, he just shot the two a look before his eyes darted back over to Gyarados. With it's trainer currently distracted, Kaiba felt more comfortable giving it another once over. He didn't wish to appear too impressed while Blue was paying attention, but dragons were appealing to him..]

[halloflamer]

Of course they all have weaknesses, [Blue scoffs, like he's tolerating the silly questions of a child. Not that he isn't enjoying lording his knowledge over Kaiba....] But, well, none of them can use any of their attacks, really. They're much weaker physically, even- a Tackle from Eevee normally would have you laid out on the floor!

[And boy would he love to do that. Hmph.... Anyway, he gestures to the enormous dragon floating nearby.] Obviously Gyarados is a Water-type, right? But he's not able to summon any water, or use his energy beams... Even Arcanine can't use his flames like usual...

None of it even makes sense, since it's just their basic biology to do so, [Blue huffs, folding his arms.] At least Gyarados and Pidgeot can still fly just fine.

[While Blue is busy petting and cheerfully cooing at the cute not-Girafirig, Gyarados meets Kaiba's curious stare with a wary, but patient one of his own. He knows this human doesn't get along with Blue at all.... But Gyarados, despite his species' nature, was quite peaceful around most humans. So, as long as Kaiba didn't try anything fishy around him.....] Rrrrrr? [He gives a curious rumble of a greeting after a moment of them staring at each other.]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[As usual, Kaiba didn't care for the attitude, and he doesn't see the need to sound so smug when the next thing Blue admits is that his creatures are severely weakened below their usual standards. Why would you ever divulge something so critical to anyone, much less someone you actively despise?] Another side effect from courtesy of this environment, I can't say I'm surprised.. [Or that torn up about it. So Pokemon only had their size, bulk, and flying abilities.. placing them on a more even playing field than they would be otherwise.] So you claim.

[Not that the words could be backed up.] They're color-coded? [Sounding less impressed and more like, 'you know this has to be a kid's game'. Blue for water, red/orange for fire. Brown for...refuse.]

Other people have made similar claims, about the inability to utilize their innate abilities, that's the one thing that does make sense, since it's an established patten. [Not that he believed in these abilities and their existence. There had to be a logical reason for why they could or would exist in some form in the first place.] The bird I get, the sea serpent.... [didn't have anything on it that looked like it had the means to generate that sort of lift]

[Part of him wants to tell Blue to get over himself, and stop fussing over his monster, he just shakes his head and tries to ignore it. The winged-giraffe appreciates it anyway, trying to communicate with chirps and coos of it's own. At that size Gyarados could do some significant damage with force and momentum- you know something real, physics. For his part, Kaiba didn't attempt to do anything at all, he just observed and mentally assessed, which seemed to garner that row rumble. Maybe it didn't liked being stared at? He didn't really get that it was a greeting, but it wasn't threatening either. Trying to be accommodating the brunette looked elsewhere at the other monsters milling about or playing. What he wouldn't give to see his Blue-Eyes again. His first love, lol]