Round 3
This prompt is for those who wish to participate in our Spectator Tournament that runs adjacent to the central OCT! Remember you can't compete in both tournaments at the same time (those knocked out of the central tournament can join in on spectator prompts, though).
Prompt - “Picky Patient”
Darkness had crawled over Base Camp, some hours after round three came to a close - the crisp air was disturbed by yaps of “wait, come back!” from a little black Zorua. From within a medical bay, Dora sighed defeatedly.
“What’s up?” mewed a sleepy voice outside. It was the blue-scarfed Espurr, carrying a binder of notes on competitors’ ailments following the tournament’s events so far. His sister gave it to him in such a hurry, he thought better than to argue, taking them to Grand Aid before bed. He plopped them on the floor, joining the Ariados - hunching together over a small, empty cot.
They turned to face him. “Hoopa’s been feeling sick… Gran tried to give it its medicine, but… well, he went to get me, and while he wasn’t looking it got up and flew off!”
“That’s what Merri’s been yapping about?” Espurr asked blearily. “She’s runnin’ all over camp…”
“I think Gran took your sister to go and find Hoopa,” said Dora.
“GUYS!” Her coworkers whirled to look at Merriweather as she bounded inside. “It’s Hoopa, it’s Hoopa, they ran off! I caught a glimpse of them up by the stump-stage - they d-dropped one of their hoops, but they didn’t stop - just floated off into the trees! I couldn’t keep up!”
With each word, her breathing quickened, tears welling in her frantic eyes. “Gran and Green followed, but I can’t leave all the competitors behind in case something goes wrong, s-so I stayed. The ring they left turned into a portal - I-I didn’t even know they could open one without focusing - it’s just floating there! And I should really stay by it to stop anyone from going in, just in case, because who knows what’s gonna…”
Dora patted Merri on the back with one of her forelegs, soothing her gently.
“What’s through the portal?” Espurr kept his tone level.
“Some k-kind of… volcano! That’s it! Hoopa’s favourite berries only grow in volcanic soil!” exclaimed Merri.
Dora’s mandibles widened into a soft smile - she spoke much more calmly than usual. “Merri, why don’t Blue and I find some spectators to help gather berries for Hoopa? Maybe then they’ll take their medicine, if it comes with a bitter snack. We’ll keep everybody safe!”
Espurr rubbed his eyes, resigning to his fate of a delayed bedtime. “Yeah - and Gran ‘n’ sis will get ‘em back in no time,” he says, shooting lazy, nub-like finger guns.
“S-so what do I do?” asked Merri, lost.
“Go and get some rest,” said Dora sweetly. “You’ll need that voice of yours for the announcement tomorrow!”
“Yeah. And you can give Hoopa a real big hug when they’re back - we’ll wake you up for it,” promised Espurr.
Merriweather sniffled. “Are you sure..?”
Her friends nodded.
“Okay. Thanks, guys. You’re the best.”
Spectators who are gathered after Round 3 of the Hyperspace Tournament occurs must pass through a portal to Magma Orchard and find bitter berries for Hoopa.
This description of events may be altered to suit your entry, so long as the prompt itself is consistent.
Dimension
Weather condition: none, sunlight, or harsh sunlight.
Terrain: none or grassy
Pokémon: most common are fire, rock, ground, and dragon types. You may also find some fighting and steel types, and grass types might be found near berry plants. Others are rare.
Geography: looming volcano over a field of soft, fertile earth. The landscape seems barren at first, but upon closer inspection, certain species of bitter berries grow fantastically in these conditions. Though it is dark at base camp, feel free to choose any stage of the day within the volcanic area.
Inspirations:
Images from various Pokémon games.
Rules
Show your character(s) gathering bitter berries for Hoopa! You can show additional context, such as them departing from and returning to Hoopa's pocket dimension, but collecting berries is the base requirement.
Submit entries (after submitting your characters to be screened, as described on our Character Creation and How to Enter pages - the process is very similar for competitors and spectators) via email to HyperspaceOCT@gmail.com (it helps us if your subject line includes "Spectator Round 3 entry").
Please keep in mind our regulations for the spectator tournament:
Spectator entries don’t need to be as extensive as entries in the main tournament to be accepted, but they can be if you’d like! They may be as brief as one illustration or a few paragraphs, just make sure we can see what your characters are doing.
Don’t show characters who are competing in the main tournament taking part in spectator prompts. It can be assumed the quarter-finalists are resting after the events of round three. You may show competitors in Hoopa’s pocket dimension.
One additional ticket will be granted for depicting your character(s) doing each of:
taste-testing a berry (or finding another way to check its quality),
encountering an environmental hazard (like smoke, ash, or lava),
encountering a wild / native Pokémon in the prompt dimension (this doesn’t have to be in combat).
For details on earning base tickets with your entry, see the Spectator Tournament page. Good luck!
Deadline
26th January 2024, 23:59GMT.