the_plateau | November (and December) event: Daylight Saving

Winter creeps ever closer and the days get ever shorter.

It happens every year, but after everything that's been going on (not to mention the atrocious weather...), what should be relief just feels more like melancholy that so much of that October daylight was used up dealing with the wormholes, the beasts from beyond, and putting an end to the Aether Foundation's crooked scientific endeavors.

Even the walking around downtown or setting up camp with your Pokemon, what should be cheerily-lit store windows or a cozy crackling campfire somehow don't do much to light up the gloom.

YEAH, WHAT A BUMMER. ... BUT WAIT! WEREN'T THERE SUPPOSED TO BE REWARDS COMING OUR WAY?

There were!

It took a few weeks while the Pokemon League dealt the aftermath of... well, everything.

It stands to reason that they don't normally condone teaming up with a bunch of unidentified monsters with a penchant for property damage, forming a literal mob, and storming a private organization's facilities, but in this case? Clearly it was for the best.

So, in the latter half of November, official thank-you giftbaskets delivered by an equally-official League Courier Dragonite will start making their way to player-characters. Each one contains a crisp letter thanking each participating character for their efforts both in uncovering as well as putting a stop to the Aether Foundation's interdimensional crimes, a bulk package of healing items (10 revives, 10 Hyper Potions, and 10 Elixirs), as well as your (the player's) choice of two out of the three following items:

One (1) re-usable TM of your choice
One (1) Hidden Ability candy
One (1) shiny Pokemon egg of your choice

Better late than never!

NICE! ... BUT IT WOULD BE NICER IF THE RAIN WOULD STOP :(

It's true... the clouds and rain have continued uninterrupted for weeks. Even though it hasn't been severe enough to cause any major damage to the landscape, the constant cloud cover and limited daylight hours are not without their negative effects-- especially for Pokemon that normally thrive in sunny conditions. Fire-types will find their energy diminishing rapidly in battle, while Grass-types have been feeling increasingly sluggish and wilty. Even Pokemon who aren't particularly affected by sunlight one way or another seem to have lost a little of their luster.

SURELY THAT'S JUST THE ~~SEASONAL DEPRESSION~~ TYPICAL GLOOMY NOVEMBER MOOD THOUGH, RIGHT?

DAYLIGHT SAVING

EVENT ITINERARY:

November 24th: Aurora League members ICly receive letters summoning them to the Indigo Plateau.
November 26th: OOC Infopost and Aurora League IC planning log are posted.
November 27th: EV News Post
December 1st: Main IC event log for entire game is posted
December 7: EVENT END...

ETA 07/12: In order to allow everybody a chance to properly play through the event, we've decided to extend the OOC deadline for this event. What this means is that ICLY, the event will still end on the 7th, but OOCLY we'll allow players (and ourselves too) more time to play out threads while we reveal more of the event. At the moment, we have tentatively extended the deadline by a week, though this is somewhat flexible and also depends on players' activities within the log.

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O-OH GOD.

Yes, Necrozma is here. Necrozma has been here.

Under absolutely no circumstances is it supposed to be here, but as the old saying goes... too bad!

For several weeks, Necrozma has been helping itself to the world's light and getting stronger by the day. So it's not your imaginations-- the days really have been getting shorter than they're supposed to.

HOW DID NECROZMA GET HERE?

Well, normally Necrozma wouldn't have ever even noticed this little world... but thanks to our friends at the Aether Foundation tearing countless holes open in reality for the past two years, it did, and it's been trying to get in ever since. Most of the wormholes generated by the Aether Foundation were too small, but it turns out, repeatedly ripping open the fabric of space and time results in things going a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, even in places where Aether wasn't trying to do it. And even if it couldn't get all the way through, it certainly had no problem reaching out and groping around for what delicious, delicious light it could snatch.

First it was over the ocean north of Cinnabar Island, where Articuno swooped in to defend the innocent plane-crash Pokemon and got a desaturated wing for its trouble.

Then it was the Ruins of Alph-- this time the casualty was (an entire) Suicune.

Both of these instances (along with countless others in areas too remote to be noticed by anyone but wild Pokemon) ended in the wormhole closing again before Necrozma could fully emerge, but there happened to be one place out there so untouched for so long that a wormhole bigger than any seen before had the chance to slowly fester into existence...

Yep, that's right. Cerulean Cave.

And while everyone was busy invading the Aether Foundation headquarters... well. The rest is history.

WEREN'T THE ELITE FOUR IN THERE? WHY HAVEN'T THEY SAID ANYTHING BEFORE NOW?

Well, yes, but about that... the Elite Four were indeed down there investigating the source of Cerulean City's abnormal swarms when they inadvertently stumbled across the big honking supermassive wormhole. And, in the process of trying to suppress the already-emerging Necrozma, they and their Pokemon were all drained of their light just like the two injured Legendaries.

Fortunately, they were pulled out of there by Entei and Raikou before anything more dire happened to them. Unfortunately, with their Pokemon stricken with the lightlessness (and boy, if you thought Suicune had it bad, imagine not being a Legendary Pokemon and still getting hit with this), this means that in order to get back to the Plateau, Entei and Raikou have been carrying them through the wilderness... very... slowly. And they didn't have phones. And they feel like this.

They've only just gotten back to civilization, and while they're doing what they can, "what they can" pretty much just means getting the word out. First to the Aurora League, and then to the world at large.

Which means that as usual, the duty of fixing this falls to you.

WHAT DO WE EVEN DO???

Well, for starters, nobody knows precisely where Necrozma is... not even the Elite Four. It had been somewhat pushed back before they were forced to retreat, but they sure don't think it's just down there politely waiting.

But a big shadowy threat to all the world's light being MIA is ominous news. Especially when it would seem that Ho-Oh and Lugia also seem to be MIA-- meaning the responsibility for protecting their injured siblings from further harm falls to Zapdos, Moltres, Entei, and Raikou alone... hopefully while avoiding the same fate themselves.

In the two guardian-legendaries' absence... it might be time to help them out!

Keep your eyes peeled for an EV news post to go up in a couple of days... ~~the worst is yet to come ;)~~

WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT THE AURORA LEAGUE?

Those of you in the Aurora League may have already received a mysterious summons to the Indigo Plateau-- that's because the Elite Four have a special mission for you. In addition to being debriefed in person about what happened (with the expectation that you can help spread the word without causing mass panic), they need someone to go do what they couldn't: take care of that massive wormhole.

That's right-- the Aurora League will finally be allowed down into Cerulean Cave! It's sad that it's not under happier circumstances, but this has to be done and you're the only people qualified to do it. While they're not necessarily confident that Necrozma is still down there, if it was the only place big enough for Necrozma to come through, it's probably also the only place big enough to be able to push it back out. Your job is to find a way to reopen the wormhole Necrozma entered through and then keep it open so that it can somehow be forced back through.

WHAT ABOUT THE ULTRA BEASTS?

The Ultra Buddies you've made are overall much calmer and less frantic now that they've rescued Celesteela from Lusamine, but they're still very apprehensive of Necrozma, and for good reason: they know exactly what it is and what it's done to numerous other worlds, including their own!

Most of them have no desire to get involved, and plan on sticking together with Celesteela until this all blows over. Only UBs who have found friendship with player-characters and their Pokémon will dare to take a stand against the fearsome Necrozma-- they've grown to like you over the time you've spent together! It's true that rescuing the kidnapped Celesteela was their only priority when they arrived, but now they have enough of a positive association with you and this strange new world to want to help defend it.

Side by side... with a friend.

HOW WILL THIS EVENT GO DOWN?

Timeline-wise, this event will run from late November to early December, with a planned ending on December 7th. While this first week is mostly dedicated to planning, week 2 will involve both a Big Reveal (tm) for the playerbase at large to deal with as well as first-ever opening of Cerulean Cave for Aurora-Leaguers-- who won't be able to complete their mission without help from everybody else on the outside! Stay tuned for the main event log (as well as more information over here!) to go live on December 1st!

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT?

As always, participation is not required!

While all characters will be dealing with the effects of Necrozma's influence on the world, they are 100% allowed to stay home and steer clear of this apocalyptic nonsense. Pokemon Centers will be taking in as many as possible as the darkness takes over, so any player-characters who would rather hole up will have plenty of company to ride out the coming storm with!

WILL THERE BE PRIZES?

Yes, achieving a "Good End" on this event will unlock prizes for all participating characters! They will not, however, be our usual go-to's (multi-use TMs/shiny eggs/H.A. candies)-- you guys just got those from the Pokemon League! They will also not be affected by which group(s) your character joins during the course of the event-- all characters will receive the same rewards whether they're in the Aurora League or not, stood guard over Suicune or fought alongside Zapdos!

WILL THERE BE OTHER EVENTS DURING DECEMBER OR IS THIS IT?

While we made the decision to extend Daylight Saving into December to allow for ample play-time, the usual end-of-year festivities (solstice festival, Goldenrod Holiday Market, a special IC treat from Santa for all characters) will still take place!

However, some of you may have noticed that the 4th Wall event that usually takes place every November got bumped off by this event. To decide when we should host a replacement Fourth Wall, we'd like some player input! A poll ~~will be posted shortly--~~ is available here-- let us know what you think there!

I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS!

Ask 'em down here!

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SO WHAT HAPPENED TO LUGIA AND HO-OH AND WHY ISN'T NECROZMA IN CERULEAN CAVE WHERE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DAMMIT?!

Well, the E4 said they couldn't be sure it was still down there!

After encountering Raikou and Entei helping the desaturated (monochrome'd, greyed-out, norted, whatever you wanna call it) Elite Four home to the Indigo Plateau, Lugia and Ho-Oh made a beeline to Cerulean Cave to try and intercept the invader... but it seems that even for two godlike Legendary Pokemon, facing Necrozma on their own ended very poorly.

Lugia and Ho-Oh, covered in and seemingly controlled by metallic black armor that once made up Necrozma, are now terrorizing the Whirl Islands and Ecruteak City-- seemingly in pursuit of more legendary light to steal... meaning that even if the Aurora League's super-special mission in the cave is the final key to getting rid of it for good, everyone on the outside has no small task ahead of them!

CAN MY CHARACTER AND/OR THEIR POKEMON BE DESATURATED?

Yes-- as the Elite Four and their teams found out, Legendary Pokemon aren't the only ones in danger of having their light stolen! Even if they're what Necrozma's after the most, it won't say no to other snacks in a pinch!

Physical contact of any kind with Ho-Oh or Lugia will result in a loss of color-- and consequently feelings of physical fatigue and vertigo so profound that there's, uh. Not much you can do after that.

So try not to get hit! Break out those Special Attacks!

CAN MY CHARACTER AND/OR THEIR POKEMON BE POSSESSED THE SAME WAY HO-OH AND NECROZMA ARE?

Nope-- Necrozma has already spread itself thin enough across the two Legendaries, and while shards did shatter off of it when it broke through into this world, only the remaining Pokemon in Cerulean Cave were unfortunate enough to encounter those... which means that it's a problem for the Aurora League, not for Team Bell or Whirl! Good thing too, because they've already got plenty on their plates to deal with!

YIKES! SO HOW DO WE FIGHT NECROZMA'D LUGIA AND HO-OH?

Well, it won't be easy, that's for sure!

Luckily, trainers will have Raikou and Moltres (for the Bell Tower), and Entei and Zapdos (for the Whirl Islands) on their side! While they aren't as strong as Lugia or Ho-Oh (even when the two AREN'T possessed by a malicious alien entity), they're nothing to sneeze at, and for the first time ever, they will be fighting directly alongside trainers to combat the threat.

DOES THIS MEAN I CAN RIDE RAIKOU/MOLTRES/ENTEI/ZAPDOS INTO BATTLE LIKE A GLORIOUS VALKYRIE?

Well, not for the entire fight since there's so much going on, but.... yes.

The Legendary Beasts and Birds have spent a lot of time maturing from their petty mischief-making and aloof avoidance of humankind in the last couple of years... and they know how important working together is right now.

Feel free to include any of the four in your threads to your heart's content, rescuing your character or their Pokemon from certain doom, carrying you across water or rooftops, and exchanging significant looks of solemn acknowledgment!

MY CHARACTER IS A LOVER, NOT A FIGHTER! WHAT CAN I DO?

There's two still-injured Legendaries-- not to mention countless Pokemon and civilians-- to ensure the safety of!

Characters who aren't up to battling might shine best in the chaos by helping others escape or hide from harm. This could mean setting up a bunker for Suicune and Ecruteak's elderly population to huddle in together... or it could mean frantically piloting the rescue boat with Articuno in it as Lugia comes bearing down on you!

WHAT ABOUT OUR ULTRA BUDDIES?

Good news... despite their terror of Necrozma, those Ultra Beasts who befriended player characters in the past months just couldn't sit by and do nothing...

If your character had an Ultra Buddy, they may find their pal showing up at the last minute to help in the fight! Like your Legendary allies, their power can't compare to Necrozma's... but they're here to help anyway.

Friendship is magic.

GREAT! ... SO HOW DO WE DEFEAT LUGIA AND HO-OH?

Well, they are basically gods, so... it's not as simple as just spamming Hyper Beam till they go down, even with the help of all these friends.

Saving Ho-Oh and Lugia, defeating Necrozma, and driving it away for good (aka, achieving Good End for this event!) is going to require all three separate groups to work together. Collaboration is key!

HOW CAN WE ALL WORK TOGETHER WHEN EACH TEAM IS IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PLACE?

We know, we know, it's a lot of ground to cover...

Luckily, Dragonmaster Lance had the foresight to set up a special Emergency Network Channel for posting messages that can be seen by everybody! With so much happening, it's important to reach out-- not just to those in your immediate vicinity, but also beyond!

Hook up with the Aurora Leaguers to find out where they're at on getting that portal re-opened!

Shoot a line to Team Whirl to find out how close the Articuno Rescue Boat is to making a safe landfall!

Tweet pictures of that greyed-out monk with RIP and #ThoughtsAndPrayers stickers all over them! ... Er, wait, maybe that last one would just be considered spam...

Either way, achieving the win condition for this event will involve keeping each other informed on what's happening and strategizing together!

I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS!

You can still ask 'em down here!