bravenewworld | 8th Prayer: The Big Kahuna

Action/Video at the Beach:

[Okay, this is just so adorable that even a dour, serious young woman like Rei can't help but share it with the rest of Union. The Warp Band starts up, showing a scene on the shoreline. In the distance is an enormous, slow-rolling spring storm heading inland. It's still many miles off, but the effects of it are already beginning to show. Massive swells, enormous waves generated in the distance by the storm, are breaking against the shore at regular intervals. Each wave is larger than the last, and they're predictable in their formation (as predictable as they can be, anyway).

Basically? It's a surfer's paradise.]

Well good afternoon everyone. It's been a while since I made a public broadcast, but I've never seen anything quite like this before. I thought it was worth sharing and recording for later.

[The camera zooms in on something out in the water, a small group of Pokemon on, you guessed it, surfboards. A Gardevoir, Treecko, and Riolu all seem to be in the shallows, paddling around and trying to get a feel for things...but the camera moves up and focuses on something else.

A Pikachu.

A Pikachu in little swim trunks, shredding away down the long trough of one of the larger waves, laughing wildly as the wind blows his ears back. He makes it through the entire trough before swerving back and coasting back in towards the other Pokemon.]

Ariel's been at this all afternoon, and he's been trying to teach the other three how to surf too. I had to do a little reading on the sport, but apparently he's pretty good. Has anyone else ever seen something like this?

Action that evening, Lake Shrine/Union:

[After the storm finally does hit the beach, Rei heads home, but decides to stop up at the Lake Shrine for dinner and a rest. She's built a small fire, but while she sets about cooking up some stuff, Ariel seems to have casually enlisted the other Pokemon in gathering up large wooden sticks and jabbing them in the ground in a wide circle. A few minutes later, he's lit all the ends of these poles up like torches and hops into the center of the ring to begin some sort of strange dance. Rei stops, watching the strange behavior before realizing that it's some sort of ritual.

She...doesn't really know what it's for, but after a minute or two she and the other Pokemon with her start to attempt to follow Ariel's steps, admittedly somewhat clumsily. Rei's never been much of a dancer, leaving that aspect of shrinework to her grandfather, but the Pokemon seems pleased that she's joining in. Never-mind that she'd never, ever let herself be caught doing this if she knew other people might be watching...

So, feel free to watch and wander up!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rei he's so cute! Look at his cute little clothes! Oh Rei, he's adorable!

I thought you'd appreciate him! I rescued him in the Dream World a few weeks ago...and he had those shorts and the surfboard with him already.

Maybe the three of us should learn to surf so we can join him.

I'm sure Ariel would appreciate that. He keeps talking about all sorts of strange things, though, little things I don't understand about surfing. I think it's some sort of culture he's observed in the dream world or something. Or...he's just crazy.

Either way, he bugs me to take him down to the beach or the island as often as possible, and when that's not he surfs around in the shrine's pond. I'd almost call it an obsession.

[And it's weird because he seems to have some degree of control over water.]

Would you like me to speak with him or to swim with him? Or I could have any of my Water pokemon join him.

Well, I don't mind at all. I just wish I knew what a Kahuna was? I mean, I understand what he's saying, there's just a lack of context and I've looked through every book on surfing I can find.

But if you want to come to the beach and swim with him? I won't say no! He won't either. He's pretty sweet, especially since I saved him.

I can look for it in the library? If it is a real word and not one he made up, then it is sure to have a basis in some sort of language. I will be more than happy to assist, after all, he's your precious pokemon, it's the least I can do.

Saved him from what?

Well...I got references to it? It's not a word related to surfing? It's a word for a mystic or wizard in one old language. [Hawaiian.] But I don't see how it relates to surfing is the problem.

I'd appreciate any assistance though, dear.

[She sighs and looks back at the water and the laughing Pokemon when the question is asked though.]

As for that...I'm not entirely sure? I didn't get a good look at it. But it was something in the Dream World. Ariel called it Sycorax. And I think it was a ghost of some sort, but Olympus and Casius drove it off.

Edited 2015-05-14 03:50 (UTC)

Hmm, I'll see what I can do.

[She blushed at being called, "dear." She really quite liked it, actually and suddenly smiled brighter.]

Of course- [She tried to add an endearment before she blushed deeply and the word died on her lips. She wasn't quite there yet with such things.]

Hmm... the Dream World is something not even the old city really talks about, or at least, none of the records we have from them. Does Ariel have a description of Sycorax?

[Rei caught that, and smiles. Maybe it was because of Eiji that she was so able to. Or because of Maya and Jinxie. She's not sure, but it was easy enough.]

Sycorax...well, a bit? It's definitely male, and it always comes at night, when there are shadows. That's why I assume a ghost. It never takes the same shape, either. And it's something that he needed my help to deal with. If it's a Pokemon? It's not resistant to fire. But I couldn't read it the way I can other things. So, perhaps Dark typed to block my Psychic?

[She's got affectionate friends, but Ami is still not used to it herself. It's not really something the extremely polite girl genius really had to deal with before meet Rei and the others... Yuuna being the exception.]

Hmmm... a dark type shape-shifter... or perhaps a dark-ghost type... not resistant to fire... potentially a ghost type...

I will see what I can find or if such a creature is mentioned in previous text. I hope it is not another test by the gods.

Well, it was shortly before we went to the past. So I doubt that. It may just be some manner of dream creature, or Pokemon? The Dreamworld is strange. You know that.

[A beat.]

That's where you found Madame Curie, isn't it?

Curious... I'll see what I can find.

It is! Madame Curie more or less found me though and we took to each other instantly. She's just... I'm very glad to have her.

She's very, very sweet, yes.

[Rei smiles.]

Much like how I am about Ariel, I suspect.

She is very over-protective as well. She and Aurora somewhat butt-heads in regards to leadership of all my bonded pokemon.

Sounds a bit like Juno.

[The bellowing Mama Kangaskhan...]

Only Juno's not very accepted as the leader. That's definitely a council effort.

Aurora has been the unofficial leader because... well, honestly she is just more aggressive than the rest of my pokemon. Not in a bad way, of course! But she's also the very first pokemon I ever had. I suspect she feels it's her duty to be in charge and well... she is very proud.

Madame Curie is more inclined to believe she should be in charge as she's the oldest of all my bounded.

Deimos, Olympus, and Casius are definitely the ones in charge of my bonded. By virtue of being the oldest, largest, and most nosy.

[A laugh.]

And could you imagine anyone following Phobos? At least Aurora isn't a troublemaker.

[She giggled.]

Aurora and Madame Curie both mean well, certainly.

And no, forgive me, I'm not sure I can picture it. [Well, she could, such was imagination, but it was more that she couldn't see it going well.]

Oh certainly. They only care for you.

Really though...if I had to pick a leader?

[Her shadow shifts, and there's a very, very big smile there.]

It'd be Sabaeus. He's the most level headed. And by far the oldest, like Madame Curie.

8th Prayer: The Big Kahuna

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