Voicemail/Inbox

[paladinlost]

"This is Cecil Harvey. Leave a message, and I'll respond as soon as possible and convenient.



...No, Rosie, I hardly need to say more-"

Comments

[cardboard_boss]

The snake hatched. Called him Menov. It's Venom backwards.

[paladinlost]

I'm glad to hear it, and so are his parents. With such a strong name, I've no doubt his talent for Poison-type attacks will be impressive.

[cardboard_boss]

Yeah. Sounds sort of Russian but it fits him. He's already good at coiling around my arm when we travel.

Image/Text!

[rambling_runner]

[ The image is a newly hatched Popplio, who is clearly getting used to not being in an egg anymore. They're looking up at the camera with a smile, lying on their back and waving clumsily to the viewer with a flipper they were learning to use. ]

I promised I'd show him to ya! I named him Ronan

[text]

[paladinlost]

He's adorable! Welcome to the world, Ronan!

Lenora has not stopped giggling since she saw the picture. Even when so far apart, maternal love truly is strong.

[rambling_runner]

He's fast at finding his feet! He's already getting about and loving the water. He's swimming with my other water mons right now. Thank Lenora again for me; he's got a lot of people looking out for him, not just me!

[ There's another image! The baby Popplio is in a little pool, getting used to the water. A Slowpoke sits on the edge, watching with it's usual dopey expression, while a Lapras and a Gyarados with a scarred eye are in the pool with Ronan. The two big blue Pokemon are swimming alongside him, keeping an eye on how he's moving. ]

[Text + Picture]

[thenightsky]

It's a day late. Sorry about that! Things were kind of crazy with three newborns!

[The attached picture is of a Lapras, Popplio and Omanyte chilling in the shallows of a pond. The Popplio is front and center though is covering her eyes with one flipper in a shy manner while the Lapras seems delighted by her shyness.]

Her name's Quay. She's really shy. The shyest of all my Pokemon actually.

[Text]

[paladinlost]

Do not worry. I can easily imagine how difficult finding time for a picture must have been, with so many little ones.

My, she certain looks sweet and shy! It's not a nature inherited from her parents, that's for certain. Do they get along well?

[Text]

[thenightsky]

I love it though. And so do all my other Pokemon.

Yeah they do! She's really bonded to Altissa and Ravatogh both. And she only seems to get really shy if you try and compliment her. So taking pictures is really a challenge.

February 21st, Post-Gym battle

[paladinlost]

Cecil's first thought, after the last attack of the battle finally dissipates, is that the extra-resistant everything-proof glass panels he used to build the Gym's main room were completely worth the expense.

His second thought is that congratulations are in order.

"Well done, challenger. You've prevailed against our greatest team, and won the Selenian Badge fairly."

Nothing less than his Official Voice will do for that, but his smile betrays his delight.

Re: February 21st, Post-Gym battle

[dreamsofahero]

Sion, of course, is grinning himself, but as the challenger, clearly he's allowed to. Recalling his last pokemon to a well-deserved rest, he nods politely to the congratulations.

"It was a good match," he says, no less sincerely for his politeness.

Pidgey Post | August 23rd

[fuelthefire]

[A couple days after Krieg's age guessing game, Cecil will receive a small package and a note via Pidgey Post. Inside the package is an Everstone. The note is handwritten in some kind of legible, all-caps chicken scratch.]

THANKS FOR GUESSING! HERE'S YOUR PRIZE. SORRY IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE!

-KRIEG

Re: Pidgey Post | August 23rd

[paladinlost]

[A few days later, Cecil sends back a picture and a note.

The picture shows the Everstone in question, carefully placed on a colorful homemade egg pillow. Someone, probably not a human, drew a wobbly smiley face with glitter on one of its sides. It is wearing a tiny sombrero.

The note simply says 'My team has decided to adopt it, thank you.']

X-mas gifts!

[fuelthefire]

On Christmas Eve, Cecil will receive a visit from a black Charizard, bearing a very carefully-packaged gift! Inside that package, he will find the following:

5x Bulbasaur-shaped ceramic succulent planters, complete with succulents.

Also, a note!

I KNOW THE SLAG STACKS KEEP RUINING YOUR GARDEN SO I GOT YOU SOME PLANTS YOU CAN KEEP INSIDE.

HAPPY XMAS!

-KRIEG

Delivery - Christmas Eve

[thenightsky]

Via Pidgey Post, Cecil will receive a delivery from a certain prince! Said gift contains a feather quill pen made from a Chocobo feather that Noctis had found leftover in his things from that strange weekend not too long ago and several bottles of ink to go along with it. There's also a handmade journal that Noct picked up in Olivine while he was passing through to go along with it.

And a note, of course.

'Cecil,

I hope you're able to make good use of these--I'm not much of a writer myself and didn't want the feather to go to waste. Have a merry Christmas and I'm sure we'll cross paths soon enough!

-Noctis'

Sent Friday Evening

[sociallychallenged]

[Cecil will get a note sent by Pidgey mail (god why god) sent before his big party, along with a bottle of wine since that seems like the right thing for celebrations. It's in messy cop writing, but he means well.]

Glad all that time paid off. Congratulations on your success. Go help other people kick more ass.

-HANK

[indigo_league]

Surprise! A courier Dragonite with an official-looking messenger bag has landed nearby. It seems to be a little tired, but as it approaches it manages to pull together an air of professional composure. The letter it presents you with has the official Pokémon League mark on it, and you might catch a split-second glimpse of several similar letters in its bag before it tips its tiny delivery hat and takes off again.

The letter itself reads:

Greetings, Aurora League Champion Cecil.

Your presence is requested immediately at the Indigo Plateau to discuss a matter of deepest urgency. Please find enclosed your new personal Champion's Key, which will allow you access directly to the Indigo Plateau from any warp pad in Johto or Kanto.

Regards,
Indigo League Champion Lance

Sure enough, contained in the envelope along with the letter is a golden keycard. It looks like Lance wants to be very sure you can get there without delay.

[Goodness, what has Lance in such a hurry? Be on the lookout for an OOC post in the coming days!]

Text so Cecil can respond at his leisure whenever.

[schachmeister]

Cecil, I hope I am not catching you at a bad time.

I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about running an Aurora League gym. I'm familiar with the application process and getting the construction started (my own application was recently accepted) but I was wondering if you have any advice for a gym leader to be? Things you may have underestimated when you started off yourself, or things to keep in mind. Anything would be appreciated.

Yours in gratitude,
Armin

Sent at an ungodly hour of the night aka during gym business hours

[paladinlost]

Greetings, Armin,

First of all, congratulations! Designing your gym and waiting for the league's response is, frankly, the most nerve-wracking step in the whole process. What will follow should be a far simpler task!

I do, as a matter of fact, have a few bits of advice to offer, though you may find some of them torturous and unpleasant at first. They are as follows:

   1. FILL ALL YOUR PAPERWORK AS PRECISELY AS POSSIBLE AND IN A TIMELY MANNER. You'll thank me later. This is especially important when it comes to expenses that need to be reimbursed. Keep all receipts, separate those purchases from any personal items, and do not wait more than a day before sending them to the League accountants.

2. Becoming a gym leader makes you a public figure, as far as the locals are concerned. This will grant you a certain measure of respect, but also leaving open to their comments and judgements. Behave irreproachably when you are out and about, and make sure to be seen playing an active and positive role in the local community. Any form of charity they cannot witness will not count in their minds.

3. Unprepared beginners will attempt to challenge you, no matter how many warnings you may put in place. It's best to have a gentle but encouraging refusal speech ready, especially if you fear for their Pokémon's safety. As that might still not suffice, a medical kit on the premises is essential, as are a few snacks to soothe their disapointment.

4. Bring a book. Every gym has its slow days.

5. Your Pokémon that are too young for gym battles or that are not adapted to your format may become jealous of their teammates. Be sure to dedicate some time to their training outside of work hours, or give them tasks to accomplish around the gym while you battle. (I tend to put my little ones on garden path-clearing duty. No visitor has yet slipped on a stray leaf!)

6. If you have a specific theme, lean into it. Make it the first thing people talk about when they speak of you. It'll help spread the word about your gym. Also, if I must be honest, watching people's reactions to your performance is also amusing.

7. Lock any room in the gym that is not intended to be open to the public twice over. Thrice over. Travelling trainers are curious and see closed doors as a challenge. Strongly-worded warnings are not a deterrent.

I hope these meager tips will be of some use to you. Should you have any other questions or concerns on the subject, please do not hesitate to contact me. It would be my pleasure to assist you if it is within my power.

Cordially,
Cecil

[schachmeister]

[This is slightly backdated, but somewhere around the fifth/sixth of January, every Aurora League member is going to get one of these. It's a hand-written letter with a Pelagic gym letterhead leaving no doubts as to the sender.

It reads:]


I hope this letter will not be seen as me overstepping my bounds but --

I think the Aurora League should meet.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed that strange things are happening -- first the wild rumours about pokemon losing control, then the incident at the Safari zone, and now the message that was visible in the sky during the New Year.

Perhaps I'm worrying too much, but it is starting to feel like what happened a year ago when that creature managed to find its way into this world. That didn't come out of nowhere either; there were several smaller events that preceded it though we didn't see the connection at the time. I'm not necessarily saying that this is because of that same creature (though 'He will be back' could certainly be a reference to it) but something certainly seems to be going on. And perhaps this time, if we act early enough, we can put a stop to things before it gets that bad.

I know the Pokemon League is undoubtedly monitoring this situation too, but there is no reason why we of the Aurora League couldn't look into things as well. Or at the very least share our thoughts. Several of us are gym leaders and come into contact with a lot of trainers. Someone may have heard or seen something that, on its own, isn't particularly troubling, but if put together with other, similar accounts, could indicate something brewing.

Plus, even if there is nothing to share of that sort, I think it would be good to get to know each other a bit better. Several new members have joined us since that November. Who knows, we might need to depend on each other again in battle, and wouldn't knowing more about each other and how we fight help if it ever comes to that again? It's easier to trust someone at your back if you know what kind of person they are.


I know all of us are pretty busy, but I'm hoping you could all make time to meet on the 27th of January. That is still nearly three weeks from now, which should give those of us with gym schedules and other jobs enough time to arrange for some time off. I've even found a good place to meet at, where we can both talk and even battle if people would like. I've enclosed the address on a separate card in this envelope.


I hope to see you all there, though please let me know if you cannot make it.

Yours truly,

Armin Arlert


PS. Please do not worry about the costs involved. When I asked Lance for suggestions on where to meet, he told me the Pokemon League has a discretionary fund for these kinds of things.


[As mentioned, there is a card inside the envelope with the address of a battle club in Viridian City.]

[Text] | 3/16

[bestswordmaster]

hey.
Dimitri is hosting some kind of picnic event on the 26th in goldenrod.
if you want to come we could finally have that sparring match.

[paladinlost]

A picnic, you say? How lovely. It would be a pleasure to be there and to finally put those training swords to use. Would a bottle of wine be appropriate for the meal?

Video, shortly after prom

[dreamsofahero]

Cecil, I understand you were one of those possessed by the Yamask during the Rockets' plot. If you wish or need to speak with someone about it, Ryner and I would be glad to assist.

My apologies for not contacting you sooner, it seems we missed you in the confusion after.

[paladinlost]

It was all rather chaotic, was it not? And I hardly helped with that.

[The annoyance in his voice and on his face is very difficult to miss.]

Despite what happened, fear not; I'm well enough. It barely lasted one evening, and at least this time no one died.

Delivery, June 26

[heartofalioness]

Sometime after the festival, either by Pidgey or possibly when Allura comes to pick up her eggs, Cecil will receive an envelope and friendship bracelet woven in midnight blue and a pale pink not unlike the markings on Allura's cheekbones.

Dear Cecil,

I woke up with this under my pillow last night. Keith tells me it’s a “friendship bracelet,” and I have a feeling this one belongs to you. You are not just a talented breeder and coordinator, but a calming presence, and I greatly enjoy knowing you.

Thank You So Much, Allura