Violet frowned at that. While it wasn't unheard of for trainers to sell strong Pokemon, it was generally frowned upon due to said Pokemon usually being unwilling to fight under an inexperienced trainer. However, Gastly hadn't shown any signs of discomfort at the arrangement despite the clearly suboptimal battle strategy used. "Magneton, did you sense any badges?"
Magneton's reply of 'no' only made the mystery stranger.
odd, I mean its possible that her ghastly vibes with their trainer well enough they overlook that she's bad at it. Like I said, some mon are bastards same as humans. So they could just be super into seal clubbing. Though, that pokeball is odd.
Waiting for her to walk away, Violet immediately pounced on Magneton. "You can't just steal from someone," she explained. "What do I even …" Violet's words trailed off as she saw the Pokeball itself. It wasn't any design she was familiar with, appearing like a regular Pokeball albeit with black lines running across it that looked superficially like a cage.
this is a design that just screams human supremacy. The imagery of your partners in a cage would be desirable by people who don't see them as partners. I mean it could just be a design quirk and the lines are functional, but I doubt it. Even if the black lines have to be there, you can change the color of the case so it does not look so damn ominious.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.
The next day the two girls arrived in Viridian City. After having spent a few hours walking to the city, Willow and Violet split up. The former made a beeline for the Viridian Gym while Violet couldn't resist her curiosity.
Using a terminal in the Pokecenter, Violet began exploring online resources trying to find a match for the Odd Pokeball. The Silph Co website had no mention of it, with the only item of curiosity being their new Masterball which was under heavy criticism from trainers across Kanto due to trivializing the need to bond with or defeat a Pokemon before capturing them. Turning towards historical sites, Violet initially thought that perhaps the design could be an older model. Yet that too didn't work. Lastly, she turned to a variety of forums and collector sites, trying to see if perhaps this was just an obscure model. Eventually, Violet was forced to concede that whatever the Pokeball was, it wouldn't be found via public knowledge.
Out of options, Violet walked over to the nearby Pokemart and took a breath to steady herself. Approaching the clerk, a middle-aged man who was rather bored with mundane cashiering Violet hesitantly asked. "Do … Are you familiar with this Pokeball?" Holding the Odd Pokeball in her hand, she held it out, inviting the cashier with a name tag saying 'James' to take a closer look.
James glanced behind her, satisfied that he wouldn't be holding up the line to answer Violet's questions. Examining the Pokeball, it was clear that he expected it to be an easy answer where the customer simply didn't bother performing an image search online. "That's odd," he frowned when it became clear that was not the case. "I haven't seen this model before, did Silph Co release a new model?"
Violet shook her head in reply.
"Where did you find this?" James asked, taking out a magnifying glass to examine the black stripes which turned out to be a series of complex circuits. "And why does it look like a cage?"
"I … found it?" Violet hesitantly replied, providing an answer that James clearly didn't believe. "Do … do you know who I can ask about this?"
"There's a Silph Co office in the city," James explained. "You can't go wrong with that. Or if you can get a meeting with Giovanni, he'd be your best option. He's been a lead investor for Silph Co for some time now. And as the Viridian Gym Leader, he'd know about any prototypes floating around."
Thanking James, Violet left the Pokemart, mulling over the options available to her. Giovanni was likely to provide her with more information, although trying to contact the notoriously flaky gym leader would be difficult. As she thought, Violet spotted a trainer in the Pokemart that had been checking out a series of items in the lane next to her. Looking at the items she had Violet immediately noticed that several of them were missing, as if she had left roughly half her items at the counter.
Taking out the Odd Pokeball, Violet noticed that the other trainer seemed to recognize it as she narrowed her lips into a thin, displeased line. As the trainer began to text someone, Violet noticed her shift slightly, briefly exposing an emblem belonging to the Viridian City Gym. Well, it seems she had a third option.
[] Ask the Attendant about the Odd Pokeball
[] Ask Silph Co about the Odd Pokeball
[] Ask Giovanni about the Odd Pokeball
[] Write-in
I still need to catch up, but ehehehehe, why not throw ourselves knee-deep into a team rocket plot.
Silph Co's Masterball is a competitor, and I dont know if either Team Rocket or Silph Co can be treated as all that trustworthy.
Alright, I'll be calling the vote here, it seems that Violet will be asking the attendant about the odd Pokeball much to her surprise. You do manage to pick out quite a few insights from her against her will. Namely that Giovanni found out about this Pokeball type some time back and has put out an order to try and track down where they came from. As for what the ball does, the attendant does reluctantly admit that from she's found it makes high level Pokemon more compliant and docile.
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Oct 30, 2024 at 9:30 PM, finished with 20 posts and 12 votes.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.
[X] Explore Unorthodox Locations - Viridian City has a lot that you can explore, some of which would certainly be atypical. Who knows what you may find?
Violet abruptly stopped in the middle of a step and turned around. "Ex-excuse me," Violet began, her heart hammering in her chest at confronting someone at all, let alone in public. She spoke softly, almost hoping the attendant wouldn't hear her. "Are … are you familiar with this Pokeball?"
The attendant froze in the middle of a step, almost tripping over her own feet. An expression of pure shock flickered across her face before fading into a calculating gleam. Staring down at Violet, the attendant didn't speak for a moment, content to try and intimidate the younger trainer with her gaze as well as study her.
Taking an involuntary step back at the intensity of the attendant's stare, Violet looked her up and down. The assistant for the Viridian City Gym was a young adult with white hair who wore a set of Pokeball earrings that Violet recognized were actual Pokeballs. "...Why do you ask?" the attendant's words jarred her out of her thoughts.
"You recognized it," Violet said softly, noticing that the attendant only chose to speak up after realizing that the younger trainer was deep in her thoughts and analysis. "And you're an attendant for the Viridian Gym."
A second flicker of surprise crossed the attendant's face. Subconsciously, her hand twitched towards the hidden emblem that was obscured by the jacket. Disguising the motion as if she was simply smoothing out the creases on her clothes, the attendant stuck out her hand. "Crystal, attendant to the Viridian Gym." Her words were serious but polished as if she had practiced this exact phrase for months at a time. "And why do you ask about that Pokeball?"
Violet frowned, realizing the shift in strategy. If Crystal couldn't throw her off balance, then she would try and redirect the conversation. "I found it and wanted to know more about it." Choosing to play into Crystal's plan, Violet noticed the attendant frown slightly before her expression morphed into a more relaxed one. It seems that while she had her suspicions about how Violet got the Pokeball, she didn't think the younger trainer knew what it did.
"Have you used it yet?" Crystal asked, trying to make herself sound uninterested. Violet however caught the gleam in her eyes, where the answer she gave to the question would determine quite a bit about what happened next.
"No," Violet replied. Immediately, Crystal's posture relaxed. "The trainer I got it from wasn't normal."
"How many badges and what Pokemon did they have?" Crystal asked once more, trying to turn the conversation into an interrogation.
"O-only if you tell me what it d-does," Violet stammered, trying to sound confident only to wilt under the older attendant's gaze.
Crystal continued to stare, causing Violet to shudder involuntarily. But the younger trainer refused to cave. Finally, the attendant let out an explosive sigh. "Fine, I'll tell you. They make strong Pokemon more docile and compliant."
"So that's how she managed it …" Violet said, trailing off at the intense look in Crystal's eye. "I-I got the Pokeball from a trainer named Amber." Violet swallowed nervously. "Sh-she had a-a Gastly that was strong. A-and didn't have any b-badges."
"Amber, hmm." Crystal frowned, recognizing the name from somewhere. "It's more than I had before, thanks, kid."
The attendant turned around, having gotten what she wanted. But before she could leave, Violet asked one last question. "How-how did you learn about them?"
Crystal paused, a feeling of uncertainty coming across her as if she was just a cog in a machine and didn't know the answer herself. "I was told about them."
"So Giovanni?" Violet asked, realizing her answer was correct the moment Crystal turned around with a look that was both irritated and impressed.
"You're a lot more annoying than the other kids I've dealt with," the bite in the words was subdued by the crinkling around her eyes. Even if Crystal's face portrayed full disinterest, the smile was readily evident to Violet. "If you challenge the gym, be sure to ask for me as your test."
Violet didn't know if that was a good thing. Only that it would be interesting and nerve-wracking.
The 38th Week, 1 Locked. Pick 1
Pokemon Actions
[] Catch your Sixth Pokemon - Now that you have five badges, you could catch another Pokemon providing a full team.
[] Train with your Pokemon - All of your Pokemon are skilled in battle with unique skills, but they can see some improvements through practice. Especially with their new moves.
[] Buy and Use TMs/HMs - You're a big enough trainer to afford TMs and HMs for your Pokemon.
[] Buy Items - Now that you've earned the fifth badge, you can start looking into buying items for your Pokemon.
[] Train with Willow- While it would be nontraditional to train with your rival, both of you have unique skill sets that could complement each other.
Battling Actions
[] Challenge New Trainers - Now that you and your Pokemon have developed, fighting a few trainers in rapid succession would be easy.
[] Challenge an Experienced Trainer - There are at least a few experienced trainers around here that may be worth fighting.
[X] Challenge Crystal - In order to face the gym leader, you have to first defeat one of the attendants. And Crystal appears to be quite interested in facing you herself, even if she hides it well.
[] Challenge the Viridian City Gym - While you wish to face the gym, you'll first have to face one of the attendants to gain entry for a six-badge fight. After which you could face the gym itself. Willow will be facing Giovanni this week as well.
Exploration Actions
[] See the Sights Inside the City - Several interesting attractions in Viridian City would be worth exploring.
[] Explore Unorthodox Locations - Viridian City has a lot that you can explore, some of which would certainly be atypical. Who knows what you may find?
[] Explore the Viridian Forest - A thick patch of jungle north of the city home to mainly bug types with a few ghost types here and there, it'd make for a fun adventure for a few days.
Traveling Actions (Will be taken either Week 39 or Week 40)
[-] Leave Viridian City - Once you defeat Giovanni you plan on leaving the city within a few days. (opens sub-vote).
Social Actions (For socials, it's assumed you keep up a basic level of contact through text, choosing a social means I write it up)
[] Call Your Parents - Your parents would as usual like a call when you're free.
[] Call Tetsuya - Having just arrived in Saffron City, Tetsuya is training hard to be able to win a battle with Sabrina.
Other Actions
[] Look into the Odd Pokeball's Background - You've learned a fair bit about the Odd Pokeball from Crystal. But you could find out more via Silph Co or other sources. Spend some more time trying to figure out where it came from.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball's Background - You've learned a fair bit about the Odd Pokeball from Crystal. But you could find out more via Silph Co or other sources. Spend some more time trying to figure out where it came from.
[X] Buy Items - Now that you've earned the fifth badge, you can start looking into buying items for your Pokemon.
[X] Challenge the Viridian City Gym - While you wish to face the gym, you'll first have to face one of the attendants to gain entry for a six-badge fight. After which you could face the gym itself. Willow will be facing Giovanni this week as well.
Either we get to the bottom of a mystery or meaningfully progress our journey. Either is fine with me.
Silph Co could have given us much more general information regarding what the existence of the pokeball means. Now all we know is that the local gym leader likely knows what this strange ball does.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball's Background - You've learned a fair bit about the Odd Pokeball from Crystal. But you could find out more via Silph Co or other sources. Spend some more time trying to figure out where it came from.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball's Background - You've learned a fair bit about the Odd Pokeball from Crystal. But you could find out more via Silph Co or other sources. Spend some more time trying to figure out where it came from.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball's Background - You've learned a fair bit about the Odd Pokeball from Crystal. But you could find out more via Silph Co or other sources. Spend some more time trying to figure out where it came from.
Alright, I'll be closing the vote here. Looks like an adventure through Silph Co is in order. And thanks to having your talk with Crystal, you're able to narrow down where in the corporation you want to look.
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Nov 4, 2024 at 9:23 PM, finished with 4 posts and 4 votes.
[X] Look into the Odd Pokeball's Background - You've learned a fair bit about the Odd Pokeball from Crystal. But you could find out more via Silph Co or other sources. Spend some more time trying to figure out where it came from.
[X] Challenge the Viridian City Gym - While you wish to face the gym, you'll first have to face one of the attendants to gain entry for a six-badge fight. After which you could face the gym itself. Willow will be facing Giovanni this week as well.
If it makes her feel better if we want to pick up a Gengar before the Indigo League we're going to need some extra time as well. Which probably means we'll drop her off for her gym battle before flying on Dragonite to Lavender Town and back well she's busy with that.
