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[these_guys]

TEST DRIVE MEME


➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
➞ Tag other people's starters and thread out shenanigans!
➞ Invite your friends! Try out new characters! Come play with us!
➞ Have fun!


NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN YOUR TEST-DRIVE JOURNEY?
CHECK OUT ALL THE LOCATIONS WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN:

JOHTO | and | KANTO

✭ ✭ ✭


As usual, we've created a Google Doc so you can submit your wanted characters for a big Route game ad on this month's ATP!
FIND IT HERE
CUTOFF FOR ADDING CHARACTER WANT ADS TO THE GDOC IS:
6:30 PM, EST, ON SATURDAY, JULY 26!
Since we're pretty sure that's when ATP is this month.

Comments

[nicocchi]

[She sighs, crossing her arms.]

Well, you can't here, so don't bother.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Mmmh. [She made little noise, simply nodding slowly as she looked down at her hands. Murkrow, finding all this to be entertaining enough, took off from her perch, and landed on Veronica's shoulder, looking at this new person quizzically.]

[nicocchi]

--Aagh?!

[Nico staggers back in startle from the Murkrow's sudden appearance, nearly toppling over had she not regained her balance. Her Sneasel seems to snicker at its owner nearly falling, but Nico quickly shoots it a glare to silence it before returning her gaze to Veronica. She huffs slightly, placing her hand on her hip.]

A-Anyways, considering how you've wasted most of your time trying to climb a ledge, you're just as lost as I am, huh?

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[...Geeze, girl. It's just a crow... thing. And it's laughing in that way a bird might do at the short amount of panic it caused. Veronica simply watched on.]

Yes, I am. [She nodded, pointing back the way she came to New Bark Town.] The people in the town back there told me to come this way.

[nicocchi]

...Tch!

[Nico clicks her tongue scornfully and balls her fists, reddening from a mixture of anger and embarrassment from the bird laughing at her. The little brute...! This only causes her Sneasel to laugh with the Murkrow, and Nico has half the mind to kick it. It does take a lot of willpower to resist, however, but she chooses to ignore the two Pokémon in favour of answering Veronica.]

Hmph, I came from there, too. The people there weren't much help, and this brat... [She shoots a glare at her starter Pokémon who promptly raises its claws and hisses viciously at its trainer. Taking this as her sign to back off, Nico sidesteps but not after sticking her tongue out at it.] ...she utterly refuses to listen to me!

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Veronica watched the two bicker briefly, not really having any thoughts on the matter, although it would seem that some people didn't get along well with their pokemon.

She was one of those people too, obviously. Murkrow didn't seem to leave her alone though, despite Veronica telling her she was free to go.

Veronica reached over and gave Murkrow some bird scratchies. She seemed to like that at least.]

Hmm, maybe she doesn't like you.

[nicocchi]

Obviously.

[She snaps harshly, eyeing Veronica as if she was out of her mind; did she seriously think that she didn't know that fact already? After a moment, she just sighs, quietly sizing the other up. She's never seen anyone with an appearance like Veronica's before, so it's safe for her to conclude that she's nowhere from her town. Admittedly, the whole 'being pulled from home and dumped here with these weird creatures' thing is taking some getting used to.]

...So, who are you anyway?

[Someone clearly knows their manners, what with asking for one's name without giving their own.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Despite all of Nico's snapping and rude glares, Veronica keeps an amicable expression on her face. Not exactly friendly, but she was still going to tolerate Nico. She was just a girl, and a teenager at that. Teenagers were mean, but they didn't shoot at you. Usually.]

My name is Veronica. [No last name though, you need to be on a higher social rank to learn that.] This is Murkrow.

[Murkrow caws happily at her. Isn't she friendly?]

1/2

[nicocchi]

[Hopefully Veronica wasn't expecting a 'Nice to meet you' because she certainly wasn't receiving one; instead, she receives a sneer. At least with this girl, she didn't have to worry about her cuteness being threatened. After all, there was no way that someone would prefer someone with such a drabby introduction to the self-appointed world's beloved idol.]

Hmph! You call that an introduction?

2/2

[nicocchi]

[Nico turns her back on Veronica for a few seconds, then suddenly turns around; there's a much more positive air in her disposition and an energy to her that wasn't present before. She smiles brightly and goes into "character", as shown here, and it's almost...unsettling how she seems to be an entirely different person altogether - one that's much more pleasant to be around, mind you.]

Nico-Nico Nii! Yazawa Nico-Nico at your service! Here with her lovely partner...

[Then suddenly, she points at Veronica's chest, not wavering whatsoever in her exaggerated cuteness.]

...Nico-nii will send you a Nico-Nico smile straight to your heart! ☆

[...Nico, no.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[......................................... Huh.

Well, okay then. This was by no means something Veronica expected to happen, like, at all. She'd expected maybe another glare and some insults, which she almost got, not.... this.

How was she supposed to react to this. She'd have less trouble reacting to someone trying to shoot her, and at least then she'd be able to leap into action. Even Murkrow was uncharacteristically silent on her shoulder, staring at the girl incredulously, and then to her Sneasel. Was this human for real?]

... [Veronica stared blankly at Nico's outstretched finger for a moment, trying to think up words.]

Uh... wow.

[Nailed it again.]

[nicocchi]

[At least she isn't like her friends who would have blatantly ignored her or at least insulted her, so Nico's pretty content with Veronica's lack of words. She places her hands on her hips and puffs out her chest proudly, preening herself on her marvelous introduction. You've managed to at least get on her good side, Veronica, even if you didn't mean to.]

How's that for an introduction?

[Unbeknownst to Nico, Sneasel seems to cast Veronica a look saying 'please don't agree with her.']

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Unfortunately, while Veronica knew bits and pieces of several languages owing to her travels back home, Pokémon speak was not one of those languages. So, even if Murkrow understood that look, she did not.

Veronica gripped a handful of her cloak, thinking it over.]

It's very big, that's for sure. It's very attention-grabbing too.

[She would never do something like that herself.]

[nicocchi]

Of course it is.

[She says matter-of-factly, looking at Veronica as if she expected her to already know this. Though honestly, she's not all that surprised; she had to teach μ's how to make an impact and earn fans. ...Except they weren't all that eager to listen to her.]

You have to be big and attention-grabbing in the idol industry.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Oh, so you're an idol.

[Well everything makes significantly more sense now. And here Veronica was, thinking that Nico was just some mean person with nice moves.]

That explains all those moves.

[nicocchi]

[That's not that far off, though. Still, Nico smirks, nodding proudly.]

That's right. Yazawa Nico, member of μ's.

[Then she pauses.]

...Former member, anyway.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Ah. [Well, the pieces were beginning to fall into place. Still, to find an idol out here, in a place like this... She had only been here a day or so, but Veronica was already confused by many things.

...Hmm.]

You're not a part of the group anymore?

[nicocchi]

Graduated.

[Despite her juvenile looks, she is seventeen years old... Before she was brought here, she had just finished her graduation ceremony with the other third-years in their group and was about to leave campus for the last time.]

You can't technically be a school idol if you've finished school.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Only a year older than Veronica herself. She never really gave looks that much thought, although she did notice just how young Nico looked. Some people were like that, she supposed.]

That makes sense. [Sort of. Veronica was just going with all this.] So now you're an official idol then?

[Murkrow has found this all to be significantly less interesting, and has now flow off to a nearby tree to sit and sleep.]

[nicocchi]

Not yet. I had just graduated before I was brought here.

[She's pretty upset about it, too... Being brought to a place against your will isn't exactly something that you can take in stride. Sneasel doesn't seem to be interested either, therefore it moves over to where Murkrow's landed and climbs up the tree next to the bird Pokémon.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Wow, humans sure do talk a lot don't they, Sneasel?

Veronica rolled her shoulders, finding the loose thread on the cuff of her sleeve pretty interesting. She shook her head derisively.]

Tough luck.

[nicocchi]

[Indeed they do, its human especially.

For some reason, that comment rubs Nico the wrong way so she narrows her eyes, huffing slightly. She's pretty feisty.]

Yeah, it is tough luck. Though, you're in the same situation as me, so it's tough luck for you, too.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Her's significantly less so. A small blessing.]

Hm...

[Well, that actually succeeded in making Veronica look a little annoyed. It was a quiet annoyance that Veronica kept to herself mostly. As it turns out, being stuck in a land that you've never been in, and forced to do something you didn't want to do was more common than you'd think.]

Yeah. [Veronica's eyes flashed briefly, showing a small bit of determination in them.] But I'm going to find a way out of here. I have duties to attend to.

[nicocchi]

[Sneasel'll trade you.]

You're not the only one, you know.

[...Nico, really, what kind of duties do you have to attend to.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[No trade. Find someone else.]

[She nods. Yeah, but my duties are important. [She squares her shoulders, seemingly subconsciously.] I'm a bodyguard.