hey, we're still here!

[these_balls]

SOMEWHERE OVER ROUTE 2
DAY 21/12. 23:52.

The noises kept resonating throughout the world, the ground shaking and the sky in chaos, torn between hail and rain and lightning; the winds were merciless as they gathered around the golems that barely seemed to notice. They were in the middle of it all, protected from their work of slowly pulling up the earth and undo what they’d done long ago. The reporter had to scream over the rotor blades to be heard when she tried to get words into the mike. It was terrifying flying like this in the middle of what everyone was calling the worst … what? storm, day, anything known to man. The weather could make them crash – or the helicopter could malfunction any second. The camera was flickering too, she could tell from the red light momentarily going out. And below and ahead was what could only be Registeel, red glowing eyes in a circle barely seen through the wind and snow. “As you can see-” her cameraman lifted his hand up as much as he dared before he was holding the camera again, close, like a life line – “As you can see, there’s no sign of any of this stopping- there are many speculations but nothing is-” There was a movement any other pilot would call turbulence but theirs simply called, “shit!” She took a moment to gather herself and then went on. “Professors have been called in and there are rumors of a Hoenn specialist working with the police to put an end to this but things are increasingly critical in Blackthorn and Pewter, I’m getting reports that at least one Center is destroyed and there are several power outages all over the re—Sam!” They’d worked together long enough to understand each other and Sam, the cameraman, didn’t think twice before he scooted over, balancing precariously for a moment on the tilted helicopter floor before he found a safe place to hang onto and could aim his camera in the direction she was pointing. … None of them had ever seen anything like it before. It was light, bright and disruptive in the darkness of the storms; high in the night sky for all to see as beams of warm light spilled through the clouds. Before the reporter could say anything about it or the cameraman found time to even react, the light seemed to gather itself up in one single, shining point (something small, so very bright) before it exploded outwards in a single shockwave – And just like that, whatever end they’d all been facing was … gone. Or, well. Mostly.

You didn’t really think the world would end, did you? The good news is that the golems are gone. The bad news is that most of their destruction is still here.

And that’s why we need you, the good people of Johto and Kanto! What time other than the holidays to show your caring spirit and help out when needed? No city went entirely undamaged as the weather storms shook both regions, but most of the damage done by the golems themselves were concentrated in the northern cities and those are in dire need of help.

There repair work will go on until at least February, and you have a lot of opportunities to help out: a lot of homes were damaged, but also parts of Center facilities, gyms, marts and other important places. Pewter, Viridian, Blackthorn and Mahogany are hit the hardest, along with the surrounding routes, and where volunteer work is most needed and appreciated. The gyms in these cities will be out of commission for the next two weeks so the gym leaders can help out, and the Centers in Pewter and Blackthorn are too damaged to offer normal services for the next few days.

Also if you could help prep up the city relics like the Bell and Sprout towers and the forest shrine, that’d be very appreciated.


Now, what's really interesting about this whole ordeal is that as the work goes on, strange markings are becoming evident in the grounds of Blackthorn, Pewter and Viridian: perfect circles about a two feet across, that create various patterns only clearly visible from overhead. In the future, they might be tourist attractions - for now, they're studies, and Researchers and Scientists work together to understand what it means.

Just before New Years, they'll release the translations to the public:

WE BUILT THIS

MAN ENDS
POKÉMON END
EVERYTHING ENDS

NEW WORLDS
INHERIT
NEW DREAMS

That's in Blackthorn, Pewter and Viridian, respectively. As to what it actually means, that's about as much of a mystery as everything else ...


… oh yeah, and another thing. We wouldn’t forget about Christmas! Feel free to consider it an apology. On Christmas Day, everyone wakes up with an egg next to them. You can’t tell from the egg itself, but all Pokémon hatched from these eggs are shiny! As per usual you’re free to pick any Pokémon from any generation for your egg except for legendaries. Have fun!

Any questions? Ask us here! Happy holidays!

Comments

QUESTIONS

[these_balls]

[timelymaid]

Would characters be able to go check out the scenes at some point before they become tourist attractions, if they ask the researchers? :O

[these_balls]

Yes, they will!

[eagletalons]

If a character were to ask to take part in the research, would the scientists let them tag along? How long would this research take-- like would it be just till the release of their translations or longer?

[these_balls]

The scientists would let them tag along. More than one brain is always a bonus, so they'll take all the extra help they can get!

The research will take a long while. On-site, it'll be just a few weeks, but past that, they'll be at Oak's and Elm's labs studying more about it. And that studying will also be open to those helping out.

[for_realsies]

What is the weather like for the rest of the month? Has the blizzard and snow broken, or the low temps?

[these_balls]

Low temps, lots of snow, but pleasant weather!