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Logan hadn't really expected someone from Hydance to be there with stamps when he was about to leave UNOVRCon, but sure enough, the stamp booth was there, and Logan took the offered STAMP and smiled and tried to sort through his thoughts.

His suitcase was heavier than it had been on the way there, but he'd assumed that that would be the case, had packed only the essentials on the way in to prepare for just such an eventuality. A few larger items were being shipped back home, and that... hadn't been part of the plan, exactly, but it wasn't a problem either. He had plenty of space to spare back home, and it wasn't like the money was an issue, after all.

But... the con hype was starting to wear off, and Logan was tired, and starting to realize how much time, effort, and money he had spent on this little expedition. Was it worth it? All for some video game that he refused to let anybody else from back home ("from real life", he thought, as if the convention wasn't, as if none of the people he'd met back there had been real people going about their own lives just the same as Logan himself) know that he played it in the first place.

He had fun. That was what mattered, right? That he'd had fun at the time?

But if that was the case, why did he suddenly been so burned out?

Oh good, Logan wasn't the only one getting here at the eleventh hour, or who looked a bit confused about what exactly was going on here; he saw at least one other person in the area who looked every bit as confused as Logan felt, and Logan felt a strange sense of superiority as he was able to pull up his own version of the UNOVRCon a bit quicker than the other person--the other player--had pulled up his before.

Maybe if he had been in the Dream Kingdom Lounge earlier... but Logan felt self-conscious enough crossplaying as Bunya, and adding his very pink and feminine user avatar to the mix had felt like a bridge too far for him, before he's heard that there was some excitement involved, and maybe even some in-game loot to boot.

Was he too late to get in on the action? Well, even if he was, he'd get a STAMP out of the deal at least, thanks to a helpful if tired-looking Hydance employee at the stamp booth nearby. It was better than nothing, at the very least. And hey, sometimes with this sort of thing, every last bit helped... even from a player who perpetually felt like he was running one step behind...

SPOILER: Click to show

{Damage Roll}22l2XvKR2d100
+10 (Interact with Previous Post)
+20 (Supereffective)

Damage Dealt: 114
Attack type used:
C0D13_2 HP: -243/5000

Logan knew he was taking a plunge in a couple ways by coming to this con in person.

Not, like, financially. His parents had that much covered. He could buy to his heart's content, as much as he could fit in his bedroom anyway, and maybe if he asked nicely he could fit a few things into the guest room or one of the other rooms they didn't use much. That wasn't the issue.

But, well, he was in a weird spot where he tried not to mix UNOVR and real life much, and also where his avatar wasn't completely unknown (he thought, he hoped--hey, Valentine had done that one raid, right? That had to be something! Even if he didn't remember much in the way of details...) but definitely wasn't one of the big name players either, and going to the con in person might just complicate all that even further.

At least his outfit was sensible enough, because here in VR, he was still wearing it. Logan was glad he hadn't gone with his first thought of cosplaying as his avatar--the pink wig was wild enough, but the more he examined her outfit, the more he realized that it was very girly and showing way more of her body than he would ever want to do in person. But he was still crossplaying, even if someone who didn't know the game lore (but who would that be at UNOVRCON?) wouldn't be able to tell. Hey, it wasn't Logan's fault that this game had like, five NPCs! Cygnus' outfit was way too complicated, he didn't think he could pull off the sheer chad-y vibes of Chadwick... the rival, maybe, but Logan didn't know how you'd get those star prints onto clothes without either doing a really sloppy job outright painting it or just like, hiring someone, which felt weird.

So, in UNOVRCON in reality and on the ocean back in VR, Logan was dressed like Dr. Bunya instead, and feeling a little awkward about it.

(He'd come to the Arcade just for the STAMP initially, but hey, while he was working on free swag for himself, why not try to get some free swag for his character while he was at it? But Logan didn't trust his cosplay outfit to be quite sturdy enough for that knock-off Temple Run business. The monocle kept falling off as it was, and the stockings kept creeping back down his legs...)

So. Sandwiches, huh? Logan wasn't an expert on those, in real life or in Pokemon. (Did they even have those in the regular games? Were those, like, an item at some point? Or did the devs just make that up entirely?)

But as he steered his boat onto the island and examined the trees nearby, upon hearing a nearby player's shout for help, Logan realized one thing he did know a fair bit about... or used to, anyway.

How long ago was it since he'd spent hours on end mixing Pokeblocks in Pokemon Emerald, trying to get just the right contest stats...

"The pink ones are sweet! So that should be good, right? Probably better than the red ones, those are spicy, I think... and dry, maybe? I never did know what 'dry' was supposed to taste like, but I'm guessing it's an acquired taste at best..."

Funny how the old knowledge came flooding back like that, the moment he needed it again. It was like he was eight years old again, hunched over his translucent Game Boy Advance, hoping that this Pokeblock would be enough to make his Pokemon a contest Champion...

Even in the more sedate of the two minigames, Logan didn't trust his outfit to be up for much activity, so he shook the nearby trees rather than trying to climb them. Some of the pink and red berries fell down, but also a twisty blue one, and while it looked familiar Logan couldn't remember what it was supposed to taste like, or its name for that matter...

"I mean, do we know what kind of thing the, uh, Splashmother likes in the first place? We don't, right? So, uh, might as well play it safe, I assume?"

Logan was used to playing it safe, at least. He was out of his comfort zone enough as it was here.

Valentine's box was filling up fast, but she was finding it hard to care when there were so many cute Pokemon out there to snag! Sure, she had a few cats already, but the ones she didn't have were adorable, too, so how could she pass up the chance at some more? A few Bytes spent on box slots would be well worth the cost if it meant giving her the opportunity to bond with more potential Pokemon friends.

First, though, she had to do the battling side of things... at least that was easy enough here in the Tower of Cats, where she was guaranteed to not need more than one attack to finish off her opponent, so long as she used the right one.

And Valentine knew just what attack to use this time around.

"Nova, hit 'em with your Shadow Sneak!"

In the regular Pokemon games, Shadow Sneak wouldn't even hit an enemy Patrat... but UNOVR wasn't a regular Pokemon game, not by any stretch of the imagination, and here, the attack was enough to knock down the wild Patrat in a single move.

Nova, for her part, flitted around the Tower happily, a few stray feathers falling to the ground as she flew this way and that way, clearly satisfied with her own battling prowess.

"Right! Uh..."

Valentine took a large step towards the tall grass, not quite sure where she should be focusing her attention in the meantime--on her conversation partner? On the tall grass itself, and whatever was about to pop out of it? On MOM (NPC) suddenly running their way?

As it turned out, though, the point was moot, because whatever she had been focusing on quickly lost focus once QUACXEE popped up seemingly out of nowhere to block her path.

"Whoa there! Were you about to step into the Tall Grass?"

QUACXEE's voice was robotic and almost monotone despite the emotional intent behind its words, and in a way that could have been soothing, but somehow it just annoyed Valentine even more. Like, it was bad enough being lectured by an actual person, but being lectured by a robot felt even worse.

"Wild Pokemon can be found in the Tall Grass! Before you head in there, you need to learn how to catch Pokemon!"

"I already know, thanks." Valentine muttered under her breath, turning towards her tutorial partner and sharing an exaggerated eye roll. This was going to be... interesting.

"Support does make sense, I suppose... I'm still figuring my final team out, but my Rowlet's a Tank, my Paldean Wooper's a Sweeper, and my Noibat's Support... nice and even, at least for now."

Hearing the other woman describe her team, though, a pattern became clear to Valentine, and she couldn't help but comment on it.

"You're a fan of Poison-types, then, I take it?" Three out of four mentioned seemed like a clear enough pattern to Valentine, at least. She wouldn't have guessed that her fellow Flabebe-hatcher would be a Poison-type fan, but then, it took all kinds... and she wasn't opposed to Poison-types, at any rate. Glimmet was a pretty nifty Pokemon; Valentine wouldn't mind having one of those herself down the line. And Venonat was always nice, and of course her Paldean Wooper was part Poison-type too...