Sarah Lee
•
Soldier, Poet, King
The Creed
Posts: 483
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Barack Orama
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 35
|
Post by Sarah Lee on Sept 26, 2022 11:07:32 GMT 9
Sarah and Tuesday left Professor Ash's lab and headed out into the bright sunshine of a town just starting its morning routine. People jogged past, and there was a child nearby flying a Butterfree-shaped kite.
Sarah didn't notice any of this though, as she was too busy trying not to drop the stupid, wet, shoebox she'd been given. She held it with both hands, using a pinched, two-finger grip so that she didn't have to touch it too much. "It's dripping," she noted, voice flat with annoyance. A popup appeared on her UI, displaying the quest details.
With her hands full of wet cardboard Sarah was unable to dismiss the notice.
"It smells too," Sarah noted, as they headed beachward, "like sand and seaweed. And I'm certain something is alive in there. Just look at the sides!"
Whoever had packaged it had punched numerous holes in the outside. Breathing holes. The box was 'sealed' shut with a double band of duct tape around the middle, and it was clear that whoever had packaged it up valued speed over, well, everything else. It certainly didn't look like the handiwork of the pristine Professor Ash.
Tuesday |
|
|
Tuesday
•
Battle Legend
The Creed
Posts: 1,602
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Martín 'Mars' Marzán
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 138
|
Post by Tuesday on Sept 26, 2022 19:26:22 GMT 9
There’s something deeply ironic about being asked to deliver a package, and that irony does not escape Mars. Aren’t deep dive VR games supposed to be all about escapism? Where’s the escapism in this? Maybe he should take it as a chance to find out what being one of his employees feels like. Almost like that episode of Undercover Boss they had pitched him once…
Nah, fuck that.
AMZN would never do this to anyone.
"Gross." is the wise assessment Tuesday adds to Sarah Lee’s observations, then leaning in closer to the box as if to hear any sound that might give them a clue as to its content (but not too close). Her blonde cat ears twitch, but of course, it’s not like they make her hearing any better than that of your regular UNOVR player. They do, however, do much better at expressing her emotions than good ol’ regular human ears.
The sounds of crawling and rattling cause said cat ears to flick back, Tuesday taking a quick sideways step away from Sarah and the package.
"Yup. That’s totally alive. This is like making a delivery for the world’s worst fish market or something."
Like buying live lobsters, but in Mars’ experience with live lobsters, it’s all usually neater and much nicer than this.
"Wait… Couldn’t they just have put this thing in a pokéball?"
Is it even a pokémon, though? |
|
|
Sarah Lee
•
Soldier, Poet, King
The Creed
Posts: 483
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Barack Orama
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 35
|
Post by Sarah Lee on Sept 27, 2022 0:39:40 GMT 9
"Ugh." Against her better judgement, Sarah looked into one of the holes. It fizzed with lukewarm bubbles, which dribbled down the side of the box. "Delightful."
"Well you see, Tuesday," Sarah said, "if they put it in a Pokeball then we wouldn't have this amazing chance to learn all about the UI." Sarah's voice was as full with sarcasm as the box was with moist sea creature, and just as poorly contained. She eyed the quest icon in her peripheral vision, which now had three sub-quests added to the list.
"Here," she said, thrusting the box towards Tuesday with the manner of an aunt recently covered in infant juice, "would you care to do the honors?" |
|
|
Tuesday
•
Battle Legend
The Creed
Posts: 1,602
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Martín 'Mars' Marzán
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 138
|
Post by Tuesday on Oct 3, 2022 1:43:14 GMT 9
"What? I don’t want–..." Too little, too late. Sarah Lee shoves the box into her hands, and at that very second, Tuesday counts herself lucky she’s wearing gloves, because she can totally feel the way water drips over them. Gross. This better not ruin her gloves! Disgruntled, she sighs. ”...it.”
Oh well, they might as well get this over with.
"Fine. Let’s have a look."
She shifts her hold of the parcel, putting one hand under it as if it were a pizza box. Something within it crawls, and the feeling of its movement through the cardboard sends a shiver down the spine of the cat girl. Her discomfort is more than visible.
"Gross."
The box is held as far away from her body as her arm length will allow from that point on, and it’s then that she opens her IU with her free hand, having a look at the stats of this item now in her possession.
The hell?
”Damn… Sarah, I think our box has an EXP bar.”
What does that mean, though? How does it gain experience? Is it just close to levelling or…
|
|
|
Sarah Lee
•
Soldier, Poet, King
The Creed
Posts: 483
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Barack Orama
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 35
|
Post by Sarah Lee on Oct 8, 2022 23:27:40 GMT 9
There was a soft ping as the first sub-quest was scratched off in her UI. Unfortunately, what little information was gleaned from inspecting the box only raised more questions. Inconvenient, restless questions that bumped around in Sarah's brain like a overlarge Pokemon in a shoebox.
"The EXP bar is a secondary issue," Sarah said, firmly. "One that will only be relevant if we fail to deliver the box before it levels up. It's simple. If nothing happens that could grant the Pokemon inside any EXP, then it can't level up." Sarah looked around, suddenly on the lookout for any would-be quest givers, keen-eyed trainers, or stray rare candies.
Swiftly she brought up the search menu and tapped the voice search button. "Kartana," she said, using the nickname she'd given the helpful search bot, "which way to the beach?"
There was a brief pause. Pale dots bounced up and down as the bot thought. "The nearest beach is ELEVEN minutes walk EAST along CERULEAN BOULEVARD. Would you like to begin navigation?"
"No thank you, can you just drop a marker on our minimaps?" Sarah's minimap popped up, and suddenly all three of the sub-quests were completed. It wasn't surprising, honestly. After all this was a tutorial. Now all that remained was the simple task of-SCREEE!
Something white and blue and feathered swooped for the box in Tuesday's hands and suddenly Sarah's screen was a blur! She was assaulted by aggressive arpeggios as she and Tuesday were dropped into a battle with a hungry Wingull that had just mistaken the shoebox for dinner! |
|
|
Tuesday
•
Battle Legend
The Creed
Posts: 1,602
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Martín 'Mars' Marzán
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 138
|
Post by Tuesday on Oct 17, 2022 1:18:48 GMT 9
Blonde eyebrows form perfect arches when the EXP bar is deemed a secondary issue, because to her it looks dangerously close to being full. But, Sarah Lee’s logic is sound, and as far as Tuesday can tell, the other has also been playing the game for longer than her. Surely she must know what she’s doing, right? Right?!
"Ugh. Can’t believe we have to walk for eleven minutes. You’d think they’d add teleport points or something."
It seems like a waste of time to her. Is this why so many people wander around on mounts? It totally is, isn’t it? She should probably get herself one of those, but that leaves the question of which of her pokémon would be better suited for it…
Just as Tuesday finds herself pondering this very important matter, something white and soft smacks her right in the face. A wing. A Wingull’s wing. A Wingull’s wing that then flaps angrily when the glorified seagull tries to fly away with their soggy box.
"Oh no you don’t!" She somehow manages to hold onto it, braving the pungent scent coming from it, but they seem to end up having to battle the stupid little bird anyway.
No problem! They’ve got this!
Tucking the box under one arm, Tuesday reaches for her golden pokéball, full of unshakable confidence.
"Say “hello” to my littl- GRGHHHH."
She gets a WATER GUN right to the face.
"The fuck?! Is that saliva?! Ugh. Water pokémon are so fucking gross." |
|
|
Sarah Lee
•
Soldier, Poet, King
The Creed
Posts: 483
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Barack Orama
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 35
|
Post by Sarah Lee on Oct 25, 2022 12:23:17 GMT 9
Wingull circled overhead, wheeling and screaming at them, and Sarah saw a little text popup next to the box, letting her know that whatever was inside had just used Defense Curl.
"I don't think it's saliva, per se, "Sarah says, trying to console Tuesday. "I'm not even sure that birds produce saliva. Though some do make a sort of milky residue from their crop to feed their babies." She reached for a Pokemon of her own. "Fall!" she called, as if commanding the annoying bird to drop from the sky. Shinx burst from her ball, looking around with gleaming eyes. "Strike down that creature with lightning!"
"The bird?" Fall asked, squinting up into the bright sun.
"Yes! We must protect this package." Sarah waved vaguely in the direction of the moist cardboard box.
"Okay!" Shinx shuddered, wiggling its hind legs and lashing its tail, chargin electricity all through its dense, static fur. As Wingull swooped Shinx lunged, crashing into the bird with a clap of lightning. The blackened bird screeched in shock, flapping off towards the beach as quick as it could. "Take that!" Shinx taunted.
As Sarah was petting Fall, congratulating the Shinx on a fight well won, she heard an unmistakable sound. A lighthearted audio bite that sent a jolt of fear through her body.
DING!
The sound of something levelling up. |
|
|
Tuesday
•
Battle Legend
The Creed
Posts: 1,602
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Martín 'Mars' Marzán
OOC Username: Stells
Arena Points: 138
|
Post by Tuesday on Nov 8, 2022 17:37:54 GMT 9
If Tuesday weren’t in the middle of being absolutely astonished due to the fact that a silly-looking seagull had just spat a jet of water at her face, she would notice a few things like the box using a move and gaining experience. However, since she is indeed absolutely astonished due to the fact that a silly-looking seagull had just spat a jet of water at her face, she does not notice either of these things. At least the water had been cool and refreshing, it even tasted kind of nice…. Oh god… Had she actually drunk some of it?!
Suddenly, she feels just so slightly queasy for a second there. She decides to blame Sarah Lee’s talk of milky residues and birds feeding their babies.
"Ugh. I think I’m starting to hate birds."
At least Sarah and her Shinx deal with the Wingull without a problem, but that does lead to another much much bigger problem.
It all starts with a DING!
What follows is flashing lights shooting out of the holes in the moist shoebox. Heterochromic eyes widen, and in an instinct, Tuesday lets go of the box. It falls on the ground, and right there in the middle of Cerulean Boulevard, it begins to expand.
It’s as if something were growing inside it. As if something were attempting to burst out…
It grows and grows, and then, the cardboard gives in.
A huge pokémon appears from their delivery’s remains, staring down at them with dark eyes and making a series of clicks and trills. Somehow, that's even worse than having poké-speech enabled.
Tuesday blinks a few times.
"God, it’s so ugly...Do you think it’ll just follow us the rest of the way?"
|
|
|
Sarah Lee
•
Soldier, Poet, King
The Creed
Posts: 483
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Barack Orama
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 35
|
Post by Sarah Lee on Nov 22, 2022 22:40:27 GMT 9
The creature did follow them the rest of the way, snapping and gurgling at the fine people of the settlement as they passed by. "This is the longest eleven minute walk of my life," Sarah said, as the seaside finally came into view. The ocean had never looked so inviting.
Sarah looked down at her minimap to make sure they were at the right spot. "Cerulean Avenue? Odd. I thought....never mind." She crossed the road and jumped down from the boardwalk that ran along the beachfront. As soon as her feet hit the sand, there was a PING! on her minimap and the list of objectives disappeared, replaced by a new and final prompt.
Hand over the parcel!
"Well, there's not much parcel left," Sarah said, looking around for the soon-to-be-disappointed recipient, "but at least we're almost done with this horrendous crustacean.
A swimmer dressed all in black ran up to them, board under one arm. "Is that the Wimpod I ordered?" he asked, head cocked to the side. "It was way smaller in Bethany's Catalogue, but I'll take it!"
"You're welcome," Sarah said, handing him the wet, shredded remains of the carboard box she had been carrying. "And may you two live a long and fruitful life together." Her UI pinged, showing that the quest had been successfully completed, and that she could once again return to a life free from 7ft tall bipedal crabs.
"It's funny actually, I only got the Wimpod to try and show off to-."
Sarah walked away, leaving the man (or NPC) to ramble to himself about his one true love. Sarah didn't have time for that, she was only in this for the rewards. Something sparkled in the sand. Speaking of rewards. She dug the mysterious object out of the sand. It was a bottle, with a roll of paper rolled up tightly inside. "Tuesday! Come check this out!" Sarah called, struggling to pull out the cork.
She carefully smashed the bottle in half against the edge of the boardwalk and unrolled the paper. It was a hastily drawn series of scrawls that almost looked like the city. Underneath was a set of poorly worded sentences. Poetry? Clues? Sarah brought up the 'Inspect' tool and a smile spread across her face.
Treasure Map!
Her blood raced, and she gripped the edges of the map. This was big. She looked at the map again. A first part of a red dotted line showed on the map. Would it fill in as they figured out the clues?
"You know what they say: The only thing better than a reward is a challenge." |
|
|
