Kareeah_Indaga
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Gnomes2169
  Previously on HC  

 Mark gave her a grin that could only be described as cheeky, and he said, "Well, we could use the Safari zone as our entrance, but we're planning to surf on our pokemon over to Quibir and that would probably take a day or two of travel around the peninsula. We'd also have to sail past a lighthouse and a port town that are both probably under Bandra control, and while we could land there first and try to take them, that gives Bandra warning that there are people sailing around in the area and they'll watch the coastline. So here's what I'm thinking..."

Reaching into his bag, Mark pulled out his prosthetic arm and rolled up his shirt sleeve so he could begin putting it on. "This is a small town that doesn't have its own power plant. If we can knock out its connection to the plant in Piez, it will take them days to re-establish it. If we do so at night, it should give us a few minutes at least where the Bandra people in town just think that it's a blackout. If we're lucky, they might even send a group out to investigate the power lines... but regardless, that will knock out most of the lights in town. So we'll have the cover of darkness when we move into town, and any building with a backup generator will have it turned on, making it easier to find with all that noise. We have a few nocturnal pokemon and dark types on our team that we can use to scout and warn us of wild pokemon or bandra's activities, so we should be able to hit the contest hall before they even know we're there. If we're lucky, we might even be able to search the flute maker's place for her tools."

"Anyway. After we knock out Bandra's ability to make poffins in Quibir, get those tools and teleport out any civilians that were there... then we leave town through the safari zone, so that we can collect volcanic ash for flutes and see what kinda pokemon are in the zone. After which, we can decide if we want to sail away or teleport back home." Still grinning, he attaches the last securing clamp of his arm and clenches his fingers with a mechanical whirr. "What do you think?" 


 "That makes a lot of sense! Do we know if their connection to Piez is more direct, like with the help of an underwater cable..."

She has her map open and traces a line from the northeast peninsula directly to Seapoint's peninsula.

"...or is it all on land, more like..."

She traces a roundabout route along the coastline.

"...that? Though that would just determine whether we'd approach from north or south... whichever it is, sounds like a solid plan!" 

Mark considered Pinklady's question and had to admit, "Huh... I honestly have no idea if the cable goes through the sea or around land. We should probably ask a local about that, but either way there should be a tower or power lines outside of town. Shadowed pokemon and burrowing ground types probably cause trouble to ground cables once in a while, so keeping lines close to or above the surface makes them easier to maintain and repair." It would probably make them harder to sabotage too, come to think of it, but direct sabotage with multiple types working together  should  still work. "Best person to ask about that would probably be a ranger or power plant worker, since they'd be the ones called to handle those situations... so maybe we can check with Wain! Though he's busy with shadowed pokemon, so let's wait until later in the evening for that and get some food and training done first."

As he mentioned it, Mark realized something. "You know, I actually don't know what pokemon are in your full team. Maybe we should get familiar with each other's 'mon  before  going on the suicide mission to Bandratown."
gorman
"Yes I KNOW you've been here at work... All I'm asking is if you've heard anything about... Uh...does your building have this light flickering problem often?"
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark considered Pinklady's question and had to admit, "Huh... I honestly have no idea if the cable goes through the sea or around land. We should probably ask a local about that, but either way there should be a tower or power lines outside of town. Shadowed pokemon and burrowing ground types probably cause trouble to ground cables once in a while, so keeping lines close to or above the surface makes them easier to maintain and repair." It would probably make them harder to sabotage too, come to think of it, but direct sabotage with multiple types working together  should  still work. "Best person to ask about that would probably be a ranger or power plant worker, since they'd be the ones called to handle those situations... so maybe we can check with Wain! Though he's busy with shadowed pokemon, so let's wait until later in the evening for that and get some food and training done first."

As he mentioned it, Mark realized something. "You know, I actually don't know what pokemon are in your full team. Maybe we should get familiar with each other's 'mon  before  going on the suicide mission to Bandratown." 
 

Pinklady nodded along to his plan.

"Oh, I don't know yours, either! Let's do that! Plus, I've got a couple of new members of my team from last night I should start really familiarizing myself with..."

She looked down at the Great Ball containing her recent acquisition, the Cosmas Tress.
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

There’s a flash of lightning through the windows and a moment later thunder rumbles the building. The waitress seems to be getting annoyed. “Not usually, no.”

----------------

Mark and Pinklady:

((Yell if you need me. 🙂))

----------------

Mina:

Mina was pleasantly surprised to find the line was very short – a combination of the early hour and the torrential rain. Security wasn’t especially cheerful, but as they were stuck out in the downpour Mina couldn’t really fault them for that. They waved her through after a quick look in her pack and a warning that she’d be detained if she Teleported in without going through the checkpoint – she was very glad she’d taken Ranger Wain’s advice and stashed the Bandra uniform beforehand. A rumbling   krakoow!   overhead and her sopping wet clothes encouraged her not to dwell too much on her good fortune however, and her first move was to take cover in a nearby building.

((Skybreak City points of interest:

Pokémon Center
Department Store
Silph Co Helnith Headquarters
Gym
Newspaper
Hall of Elders
University of Helnith
-University Library
-University Museum
-University Science Department
Police Station
Ranger Station
Human Hospital))

She texted Ranger Wain to let him know she was in Skybreak – he’d said he’d send another Ranger to meet her, but she had no idea when or where – and his answering text told her to meet them at the first floor of the Department Store at 8 AM, so she had a couple hours to kill.

Her next move was to locate the Replacement Part Order Form in her pack and see where that needed to go. That required her to duck out in the rain again to find out where she was in relation to where the repair shop was, and then hop from piece of cover to piece of cover in what she  hoped  was the right direction – at this point she couldn’t really get any more wet than she already was, but the rain seemed to sap the heat from her the longer she was out in it.

There were a few things she noticed while traversing the streets, however.

This was the first time she’d seen any actual Officer Jennies just patrolling the streets like they would have been back in Johto. She’d seen Rangers of course, but very few official, normal police outside the Shrine of Light aftermath and no Officer Jennies at all…until now. Even then most of the police were non-Jennies, and  all  the police had other trainers in tow; Mina would have thought the others were Starlight Squad except she was fairly sure most of that group that was near the city had been locked out. The Pokémon they had out weren’t the usual Growlithe, either: Mina saw Diglett, Trapinch, a number of Ghost types including a ghostly scorpion/spider thing the Pokédex identified as a Wajjet, and a blue Wobbuffet that half-sparked memories she couldn’t quite pin down.

 All  the Pokémon she saw were on edge. And now that she realized that, Natu had been getting increasingly nervous on her shoulder and there didn’t seem to be many if any wild Pokémon about – even in places she would have expected, like around dumpsters and perched on roofs. It was eerie.

Finally she came to what she thought was the right building. The entrance was in a neglected allyway, and there wasn’t any signage out front, but a lot of the buildings in Helnith were that way and it looked like it was on the right street. The door was open, at any rate, and Mina pushed inside to find a dank hallway, poorly lit, with doors down both sides of the hall.

Her extremely soggy shoes squeaked on the floor with every step and she mentally apologized to whatever janitor was going to have to mop that up while she looked for the sign to the repair shop. Or she’d settle for a lobby where she could ask for directions; the doors she tried were all locked, except for the one at the very end. The room beyond that one was dark, however, and Mina was gradually realizing that she was in the wrong building and she ought to go back outside and look around some more when a blast of Spectral energy came whizzing at her head.
gorman
Well this is going nowhere.... Maybe Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center might have heard of something going on. I think to myself before thanking the waitress for her time and leaving.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nodded along to his plan.

"Oh, I don't know yours, either! Let's do that! Plus, I've got a couple of new members of my team from last night I should start really familiarizing myself with..."

She looked down at the Great Ball containing her recent acquisition, the Cosmas Tress. 
 

Given Mark still lacked the funds to go out and buy anything fancy, he would grab some snacks from the pokemon center to serve as lunch for the two of them and he went with Pinklady into one of the back rooms so that he could send out (and feed, of course, since he'd grabbed pokechow for the 'mon. It was lunch for them too!) the members of his team. Gesturing at his gardevoir, who mostly stayed outside of her pokeball at this point, he'd say, "So, this is Tattersail... who you've met before, since we've been teleporting around with her all day. We're psychically connected, and she can read my mind and talk to me in return. Very useful for when I need to talk to pokemon."

Sending out his Umbreon and Frosslass first, since they were smaller members of his team and would be easier to fit around, he said, "These are Sengar and Jessia. The former is a dark type who's... been through a bit, and he's got some weird quirks that make him super tough. Jessia used to belong to a friend, and I managed to save her from Bandra." Sending out his Lairon after that, Mark puts out food for the steel type and pets along his head with his prosthetic hand. "This guy is Marick, and we go a long way back. Had to rescue him from Bandra at the Shrine of Light, but we're finally back together and are going to stay that way if I have anything to say about it."

Looking at the rest of the space around them, Mark hesitates with his pokeball in hand and says, "I think I should let them eat before sending out anyone else, so that we don't, you know, get squished by a dinosaur-fish or rock snake. But the other members of my team are a Lapras named Fisher, who I was planning to ride over to Quibir and who should be able to fit at least two more of us on him as well, and a new Onix that I'm planning to evolve with the help of a member of the Starlight Squad tomorrow, so I should have a Steelix by the time we make our move."

Rubbing at his chin for a second, he'd ask, "Do you have any water types or pokemon that know water moves? My lapras has Water Absorb, so we've been able to use that in battles to pretty effectively keep him healthy even after being targeted by a few attacks. He's kinda been a priority target for Bandra, since he can neutralize their mass Smokescreen strategy with Mist and use Sing to really even out the battlefield."

((Also, I just noticed that Snakestone Cavern has an Onix head on it. I love it. xD))
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

You are immediately soaked to the skin, but make it to the Pokémon Center. The nurse on duty is behind the counter doing paperwork and a pair of trainers, boy and girl, are sitting on the lobby couch. The boy is just as soaked as you are and wrapped in a blanket, grinning sheepishly, while the girl is frowning and pouring tea from a big pot on the table beside them. They take one look at you and the boy wordlessly puts down the cup he was going to drink out of and motions for you to take it.

((+1 Tea))

----------------

Mark and Pinklady:
((I’m glad you enjoyed that little detail! 🙂 And yes I do need to put some monetary opportunities in everyone’s direction.))
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Rubbing at his chin for a second, he'd ask, "Do you have any water types or pokemon that know water moves? My lapras has Water Absorb, so we've been able to use that in battles to pretty effectively keep him healthy even after being targeted by a few attacks. He's kinda been a priority target for Bandra, since he can neutralize their mass Smokescreen strategy with Mist and use Sing to really even out the battlefield." 
 

"Hello Tattersail, Sengar, Jessia!" And, once he sends him out too, "And hello, Marick!" Pinklady waves to Mark's Pokemon.

She then lets herself practically melt onto the floor, the exhaustion from her earlier exercise catching up to her. It also gives her a closer-to-eye-level view of a couple of Mark's 'mons.

"Water types... yeah! Matt and I actually did something pretty similar in the Subway, with our Poliwhirl! Croaky, come out!"

She tosses Croaky's ball in the air, letting her out. Pinklady gestures her towards the food.

"She can give some rain cover, too, if that helps! Let's see, also on first shift for eating... you're up, Leapsy, Bigbug!"

Next out are her flying pair, a Skiploom and a Dustox. Leapsy makes the most of the room's height and begins floating around near the ceiling. Pinklady laughs.

"Would you believe I met all of 'em back home just in Pinwheel Forest? Bigbug wasn't so big when I first met her, though!" She pats her on the back. "These two, anyways, aren't so big on directly beating anyone up, but I figure Leapsy's powders should be pretty useful, yeah?"
gorman
 "Oh thank you for the Tea, you two haven't by chance, come across a Fieberdra rampaging around due to being shadowed have you? Or at least heard anything about it?" 

I'll repeat the question to Nurse Joy as well in case she didn't hear me speaking to the other two trainers.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 "Hello Tattersail, Sengar, Jessia!" And, once he sends him out too, "And hello, Marick!" Pinklady waves to Mark's Pokemon.

She then lets herself practically melt onto the floor, the exhaustion from her earlier exercise catching up to her. It also gives her a closer-to-eye-level view of a couple of Mark's 'mons.

"Water types... yeah! Matt and I actually did something pretty similar in the Subway, with our Poliwhirl! Croaky, come out!"

She tosses Croaky's ball in the air, letting her out. Pinklady gestures her towards the food.

"She can give some rain cover, too, if that helps! Let's see, also on first shift for eating... you're up, Leapsy, Bigbug!"

Next out are her flying pair, a Skiploom and a Dustox. Leapsy makes the most of the room's height and begins floating around near the ceiling. Pinklady laughs.

"Would you believe I met all of 'em back home just in Pinwheel Forest? Bigbug wasn't so big when I first met her, though!" She pats her on the back. "These two, anyways, aren't so big on directly beating anyone up, but I figure Leapsy's powders should be pretty useful, yeah?" 
 

"Yeah, sleep and stun powder are always going to be useful, though there are a lot of fire and rock types in Bandra's group. If you have moves on your Dustox and Skiploom to increase their endurance or evasion, I would definitely recommend using them whenever we're in a fight if you get the time." Which reminded Mark that he needed to go to the move tutor to let Tattersail re-learn Calm Mind. "And rain dance will cut down on how much danger the Wispaferen can pose. Fisher can do that too, and with the number of water types on our team we should probably make sure that's  always  up while we're fighting Bandra, given how many moves it will make stronger."

On the subject of his team, though... "I got Tattersail and Marick while I was in Hoenn. I grew up in Jotoh, but I used to travel a bit back when my military buddies... basically adopted me. Jessia was one of Zelgius' pokemon, again, managed to rescue her from Bandra, while Sengar, Fisher and the Onyx I found here in Helnith." Holding up a finger he notes, "So, eevee are actually not native to Helnith, which means that Sengar was another trainer's originally. Similarly, the onyx was another trainer's, before they abandoned it after a poor performance in Trainer Hill... against me, I'm pretty sure." Weird. Half of his current team had belonged to another trainer; he hadn't thought about that before.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 "Yeah, sleep and stun powder are always going to be useful, though there are a lot of fire and rock types in Bandra's group. If you have moves on your Dustox and Skiploom to increase their endurance or evasion, I would definitely recommend using them whenever we're in a fight if you get the time." Which reminded Mark that he needed to go to the move tutor to let Tattersail re-learn Calm Mind. "And rain dance will cut down on how much danger the Wispaferen can pose. Fisher can do that too, and with the number of water types on our team we should probably make sure that's  always  up while we're fighting Bandra, given how many moves it will make stronger."

On the subject of his team, though... "I got Tattersail and Marick while I was in Hoenn. I grew up in Jotoh, but I used to travel a bit back when my military buddies... basically adopted me. Jessia was one of Zelgius' pokemon, again, managed to rescue her from Bandra, while Sengar, Fisher and the Onyx I found here in Helnith." Holding up a finger he notes, "So, eevee are actually not native to Helnith, which means that Sengar was another trainer's originally. Similarly, the onyx was another trainer's, before they abandoned it after a poor performance in Trainer Hill... against me, I'm pretty sure." Weird. Half of his current team had belonged to another trainer; he hadn't thought about that before. 
 

"Oh, they're both good at hanging tough, especially Bigbug! I bet rain coverage will be a big help to keep my bugs from being burnt, too. I don't think I've seen Wispaferen, what are those like?"

Pinklady sits up to eat part of her lunch. "Wait, how was it you got Sengar, again? Was he abandoned too? Oh, and now should be a good time to introduce one of my two newest members... let's see you, Tress!" She sends out her Cosmas.
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

 "Oh thank you for the Tea, you two haven't by chance, come across a Fieberdra rampaging around due to being shadowed have you? Or at least heard anything about it?" 

The girl of the pair frowns. “Yah we heard about it, it’s supposed to be to the north near town. We haven’t seen it, no thanks to  this  idiot deciding it was a  great  idea to go looking for it in the middle of a storm.”

The boy pipes up. “But Layla it’s a  Dragon Pokémon.  A powerful one! If I could catch it I’d be  unstoppable! ”

“It’s probably strong enough it wouldn’t pay you any attention  at all  and would just  nap  through whatever battle you sent it out to fight.”

The boy visibly sulks, but doesn’t argue with this assertion.

----------------

Mark and Pinklady:

The Pokémon chow down with gusto, except for Sengar, who is only barely touching his food. His ear twitches when Mark says ‘Eevee’.

Tress meanwhile looks around with interest, having obviously never met most of the Pokémon here before…and possibly never been inside a human habitation before, either.
gorman
Wow, a lead already! With a new pep in my step I thank the two again for their information, pop open the pokedex, switch to the phone app and dial Ranger Wain.

 "Hey, yeah I discovered some information from a couple of trainers in the pokemon center. They said that shadowed pokemon we're looking for was spotted north of town. My flier is out of commission but if you'd be able to use your device to catch some for some aerial surveillance perhaps we can locate it faster. Where's your location, I can try to come out and meet you some where. 
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

“ All right, meet me on the north end of the Combee hive fields in a few minutes. I should have more info for you by then. ”

((By the Combee hives: ))

The Ranger waves you over; on closer inspection his uniform seems to be reasonably water resistant. The pair of Combee he has hovering nearby, in contrast, look wetter and unhappy to be out in the storm.

“One of my little friends here found a scorched patch nearby. This way,” And he guides you to a bit of the surrounding grassland that has multiple spiderwebbed patterns of scorched ground burned into it despite the heavy rain.

“Styler says it’s Pokémon-made, not a natural lightning strike. I guess we should be glad the storm came in when it did; this could have been a bad grass fire otherwise. Not that it will matter, if we can’t find it before everything dries up again.” He starts searching the area, the Combee trailing along miserably. “Keep your eyes open; Fieberdra are usually more than eight feet ((~2.5 meters)) long and there isn’t a lot of cover out here. Unless it jumped into the electrical system we should be able to see it.” The Ranger is facing the wrong direction to notice, but you can dimly see that the lights in the restaurant back in town are still flickering sporadically.
gorman
 "Before I went to the Pokemon Center and obtained that information about the Fieberdra, I was in the restaurant and the lights were flickering, they seem to be more sporadic after I left.... You don't suppose that...giant thing...might have gotten hungry and smelt the food? I'm not sure why else the electricity would be acting so strangely. It's not the storm causing it." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 "Oh, they're both good at hanging tough, especially Bigbug! I bet rain coverage will be a big help to keep my bugs from being burnt, too. I don't think I've seen Wispaferen, what are those like?"

Pinklady sits up to eat part of her lunch. "Wait, how was it you got Sengar, again? Was he abandoned too? Oh, and now should be a good time to introduce one of my two newest members... let's see you, Tress!" She sends out her Cosmas. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark and Pinklady:

The Pokémon chow down with gusto, except for Sengar, who is only barely touching his food. His ear twitches when Mark says ‘Eevee’.

Tress meanwhile looks around with interest, having obviously never met most of the Pokémon here before…and possibly never been inside a human habitation before, either. 
 

Noting the lack of appetite from his dark type, Mark scratched at the back of his head and he said, "Well, we were at the edge of town and then Sengar... kinda took offense to being sprayed to prove he was there. Tattersail couldn't detect him, so she didn't believe my water types when they were telling her she was there and took their own initiative to prove they weren't crazy. Things keep getting more and more hectic as time goes on..." Addressing the dark type directly, he says, "Sorry about the last few days again, bud. I promise that we have a few days of rest right now."

When Tress was sent out, Mark said, "Huh. I think that all of us actually have a cosmas at this point. Though only you and Mina have yours on your active teams."
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

Ranger Wain looks alarmed. “Yes, let’s hurry back, if it’s something else it won’t hurt anything to check on it.”

((Restaurant: ))

The lights are still flickering when the two of you return to the restaurant. By now a couple of the lights have blown and you can hear complaining back in the kitchen, which is also suffering from stuttering illumination. The Ranger pulls out his Styler, starts scanning the walls and lights and… ping. 

“Yep. That’s it all right,” he drawls. “We have ourselves a problem. We need to get it out of the electrical system for your Time Flute to work on it. I was hoping we could do this out in the wilderness, away from people, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to be possible. You got any ideas?”

----------------

Mark and Pinklady:

Sengar endures the pets. If he’s cheered by the thought of down time he isn’t showing it. He does go back to his food, though.
gorman
 "Well first we should probably evacuate the citizens or at least inform them of what's going on so if they want to get out of harms way they can. As for ideas, well, I can bring out an electric type, flip the breakers to the place, and try and jolt a response out of our uninvited guest.... I'm not even going to ask how something so large can get into the electrical system..." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

Ranger Wain visibly relaxes. “Good idea. I’ll warn the kitchen; the chef here takes her cooking a little  too  seriously and she’s more likely to listen to me. You get the dining room, and make sure anyone staying upstairs is warned, too.”

((Skipping ahead a little bit…))

Fortunately the storm has ensured the place isn’t very busy, and while the people who  are  present aren’t terribly happy to be sent out into the rain, they change their minds quickly upon learning that there’s about to be a massively powerful Shadow Pokémon in the immediate vicinity. They skitter off to the Pokémon Center and the Herb Shop, while in the background you can hear the cook arguing with the Ranger.

(“I have dishes in the oven! They will be ruined!” “Ma’am, yes you  are  going to lose what you’re cooking now, but you can’t tell me the power surges are good for whatever you’re making? Those aren’t going to stop until we get the Pokémon out.” “…Fine.”)

At last she sulks away with her staff out the door. The Ranger takes a moment to check that everything in the kitchen is in fact off before approaching you again.

“That should be everyone. Any last minute preparations you need to make? Remember, we’re not out to beat it, we just need to hold it here long enough for you to use your Time Flute.”
gorman
 "I honestly have no idea what kind of moves they might have... As it's in the electrical system I'd assume it's part electric? I have no idea if I want any pokemon out to defend myself with after that incident in the ruins where I ruined everything.... Ah, hmm, let's get that dish out of the oven and maybe if the thing is hungry it'll be focused more on eating the food instead of fighting us. And I better pull this out too."  I say as I pull out the time flute. Oh god I hope there's enough charges in this thing to get the job done.

OoC ~ Kareeah wouldn't put me in danger like that without there being enough charges on a time flute right?! *extremely worried*
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

“They’re actually Normal/Dragon but they do learn Electric moves naturally. As for Pokémon, would you rather try taking on such a powerful Pokemon  without  Pokémon of your own? Because I have to say that sounds like a bad idea.”

The Ranger looks over the Time Flute briefly. “It looks intact enough to work; I think you’ll only be in trouble if the Fieberdra takes off back into the electrical system before you can finish using it.” ((You have 4 charges on the thing and it’s only one charge per Pokémon you’re purifying, you just have to make sure it stays in range.)) “I’ll get the food out of the kitchen, you should get set up with whatever you need in the mean time. Once it’s out, we’re going to need to move  fast .”
gorman
Aw man... Well... Nothing can be done about it I guess.... Alright Poliwhirl, Gastly, and Flaaffy come out.

 "Hey there guys, I've got bad news gang, I'm putting you all in an extremely dangerous situation here and I'm not thrilled about it but it's for the good of the community here. We're about to bring a very dangerous pokemon out of the electrical system. The pokemon is shadowed and a dragon type. If Gastly and Poliwhirl can keep it distracted long enough for me to use this flute to clear it of it's condition, we should be good. Flaaffy, I know I'm a horrible trainer and I put you in really bad situations a lot... I'm sorry... I hope that you'll be able to help coax it from the electrical lines and keep it from going back in once we do have it out. Are you guys up for the task ahead of us?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Pinklady:

((You two need a poke?))

----------------

Matt:

Your Pokémon pick up on your mood and nod nervously. They take their places. The Ranger instructs the Combee to assist and places the food in a relatively open, visible spot (moving a couple of tables and chairs in the process), but finally there isn’t anything left to do except try to get the Pokémon out of the electrical wiring. The Ranger steps out to flip the breakers (promising to be back soon) and wishes you good luck while the lights continue to flicker ominously.

A minute passes. Then two.

All the lights go dead at once. Flaaffy zaps a nearby light as instructed and the bulb dies forever with a distinctive  pop . The room is briefly lit by a lightning strike outside, which startles both Combee under a nearby table. This is sufficient distraction that the sparks coming from the broken bulb are very easy to miss. The Combee have just started to buzz out of their hiding spot when a second strike occurs  indoors  and the beast appears.

It is indeed at least eight feet long, with a long graceful neck and bursts of metal pieces coming from each shoulder that vaguely resemble wings. Its body curves into three tails edged with something like hair, but shinier, and the horns on its head are mostly straight but with a blunt hook on each end. It’s also obviously Shadowed: the picture in the Pokédex is primarily white and gold, so there is  no  mistaking the mottled purple-black all over its body as anything else.

((Two rounds before the Ranger gets back.))

Fieberdra: 218/218 (  Shadowed: 72%  )

Poli: 100/100
Gastly: 67/67
Flaaffy: 85/85

Combee A: 38/38
Combee B: 38/38
gorman
 "Gastly try to coax it into using normal attacks against you, Lick the thing, if you feel like it's going to use some dragon breath attack or something dangerous, go invisible and get out of there as soon as you can. Poliwhirl, Flaaffy, stick close to me please.... Poliwhirl if you see any sort of flames start appearing use Bubblebeam to put them out immediately. Flaaffy use Cotton Spore, maybe that'll help distract the thing. Hey you....giant...dragon thing... Listen up, we have some food for you if you behave yourself and listen to this awesome flute!"  I say and start playing the flute when it looks in my direction.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Noting the lack of appetite from his dark type, Mark scratched at the back of his head and he said, "Well, we were at the edge of town and then Sengar... kinda took offense to being sprayed to prove he was there. Tattersail couldn't detect him, so she didn't believe my water types when they were telling her she was there and took their own initiative to prove they weren't crazy. Things keep getting more and more hectic as time goes on..." Addressing the dark type directly, he says, "Sorry about the last few days again, bud. I promise that we have a few days of rest right now."

When Tress was sent out, Mark said, "Huh. I think that all of us actually have a cosmas at this point. Though only you and Mina have yours on your active teams." 
 

"Oh! That sure sounds like quite the mishap. With the rest, I'm guessing he isn't on the active team for this mission?"

"That's convenient! Because, honestly... I don't really know anything about her yet!" She looks fondly at her mysterious Cosmas. "Individually nor Cosmas in general. Got any tips about her kind I should know?"
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 "Oh! That sure sounds like quite the mishap. With the rest, I'm guessing he isn't on the active team for this mission?"

"That's convenient! Because, honestly... I don't really know anything about her yet!" She looks fondly at her mysterious Cosmas. "Individually nor Cosmas in general. Got any tips about her kind I should know?" 
 

"Er... Well, he's one of the toughest pokemon on my team, so I was actually planning to bring him along. Especially if we're going at twilight or night. Dark types are pretty good at seeing in the dark and all." Mark says before cycling out the pokemon that were done eating and sending out Fisher for his turn at the food bowl, though he would keep Jessia out so that he could begin training her to level 30.

Munching his own snacks he would also say, "If you want to talk to someone about Cosmas, I'd talk to Mina. I've done  some  stuff with my own, but that was mostly for contest stuff. If you have the local 'dex, you could also look up information on them there."
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 "Er... Well, he's one of the toughest pokemon on my team, so I was actually planning to bring him along. Especially if we're going at twilight or night. Dark types are pretty good at seeing in the dark and all." Mark says before cycling out the pokemon that were done eating and sending out Fisher for his turn at the food bowl, though he would keep Jessia out so that he could begin training her to level 30.

Munching his own snacks he would also say, "If you want to talk to someone about Cosmas, I'd talk to Mina. I've done  some  stuff with my own, but that was mostly for contest stuff. If you have the local 'dex, you could also look up information on them there." 
 

"Oh! That makes sense!" Pinklady follows suit and cycles out her own Pokemon as well, except for Tress, so that she can see the rest of the current Pokemon parties. So she sends out Sport the Hitmonchan and Whirlywhirly the Scolipede. Whirlywhirly stands aloof without approaching the food, and Pinklady sighs.

"Oh, of course, the 'dex!" Pinklady pulls up her Pokedex to check out what info it yielded on Cosmas. "Thanks for the pointers! Tress, you're in unusually good company!"
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

((Remember that the Flute is an item use! You have to sacrifice a Pokémon’s action to use it.))

At the moment the Fieberdra doesn’t seem the least bit interested in the food. Sparks crack along its darkened hide and its jaws crack open, unleashing blue-black flames.

Fieberdra uses Dragon Breath! ((Good guess!))

Fortunately Gastly has been instructed for this exact situation, and dives down through the floor while fading out of sight. He’s out of the Pokédex’s range momentarily, which is probably for the best because the floor where he was floating is vaporized by the Shadow Fieberdra’s attack – you can see into the cellar through a ring of little tongues of flame around the brand new gaping hole. Poli follows up with a spray of bubbles as instructed, extinguishing the flames.

Flaaffy sends a cloud of fluff at it but the angry Dragon type swats a table at her which intercepts the attack and shatters against a wall, leaving a pulpy mix of ruined food, cottony fluff, broken dishes and bent silverware where it hits. Both Combee are desperately pumping Sweet Scent into the air to try and calm the furious monster, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to do any good in the near future as the sparks crawling over its hide start to grow in size and intensity in preparation for some new attack.

And then you begin to play.

The Fieberdra pauses, and for a moment acts like it hears something unfamiliar far away. Then its eyes close and its head sways back and forth to the music until the last of the Shadowing fades. You can feel the ancient Time Flute crumble a little more in your hands ((-1 charge, 3 remaining)) but it’s done its job.

The Dragon type then gives a brief shake (knocking over a few more chairs in the process) and finally seems to be returned to its senses. It – or rather, she, now that the Pokédex can get a better reading – then seems to panic briefly, making desperate little chirping noises as her head swivels around, searching. The Combee buzz around her head in some concern, but she pays no attention to them, you, or the other Pokémon as she begins looking behind chairs and effortlessly flips another table after she sticks her head under it and apparently doesn’t find what she was looking for.

It’s about this time that the Ranger gets back, sees all of this, and swears colorfully.


((Fieberdra: 218/218 (Evasion down 2 levels)

Poli: 100/100
Gastly: 67/67
Flaaffy: 85/85

Combee A: 38/38
Combee B: 38/38

You just faced down a level 65 Pokémon so I think that warrants some XP. 😛 +3 levels for Gastly and +1 for Poli and Flaaffy.

Pokémon: Gastly
Type: Ghost/Poison
Ability: Levitate
Gender: Male
Level: 24
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 55  +17 
Attack: 29  +17 
Def: 26
Sp. Attack: 60
Sp. Def: 29
Speed: 50
Moves:  LIMIT SIX – DROP ONE 
Hypnosis
Lick
Mean Look
Curse
Nightshade
Confuse Ray
 Sucker Punch 

Pokémon: Poliwhirl (Poli)
Type: Water
Ability: Damp
Gender: Female
Level: 29
Held Item: Remeyo Weed
Stats--
HP: 85  +17 
Attack: 51
Def: 51
Sp. Attack: 42 +21
Sp. Def: 42
Speed: 66  +17 
Moves:
Hypnosis
Bubble
Double Slap
Rain Dance
Body Slam
Bubblebeam

Pokémon: Flaaffy
Type: Electric
Ability: Static
Gender: Female
Level: 29
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 88
Attack: 45
Def: 45 +4
Sp. Attack: 60 +4
Sp. Def: 48 +6
Speed: 40 +5
Moves:
Tackle
Growl
Thundershock
Thunder Wave
Cotton Spore
Charge))

----------------

Mark and Pinklady:

Tress waves acknowledgment with one of her tiny front feet before scooting over to Jessia to start up a conversation in Pokéspeak.

((Let me know when you two are done here and I’ll put in the training for Jessia.))

----------------

Matsubara, Flotsam, Less:

((New player intro, I choose you!))

You find yourselves in the tiny little village of Rieva, right on the edge of Bandra territory. It is about 8 AM and  pouring  rain outside, and every now and then lightning lights up the inside of the tiny town’s Pokémon Center.

 
((Maroon: Inn/restaurant
White: Pokémon Center
Gray: Herb shop
Gold boxes: Combee Hives))

 
 Spoiler: Flotsam, Less 

Being native to the region, you know that storms like this one are unusual; Helnith is usually sunny and dry. They started occurring at regular intervals—sometimes unnaturally regular—some time after the local Legendary Pokémon Salerdia disappeared five years ago.
 


At first you’re mostly alone in the Pokémon Center except for each other, the nurse, and another pair of trainers who have taken seats on the lobby couch. The nurse is doing paperwork, the boy of the pair is soaked to the skin and wrapped in a blanket, and the girl is dry and pouring what looks to be the latest of several cups of tea. There is a pot of said tea beside them and the two are gossiping about a third trainer, yet unseen, who had apparently come in earlier and then immediately went back out into the storm – the latter has yet to return.

A few minutes of this pass before a blurry figure appears at the door.

“See? I told you no one in their right mind would be out there right now,” the girl of the pair scolds her seatmate, but then another figure appears behind the glass, and another, and soon a small stream of people is flowing into the lobby, some in chef uniforms, some in normal clothes, but all of them soaking wet.

The nurse looks up from her paperwork and starts to put it away, sensing trouble. “What’s going on?”

One of the new people, an older teen in a chef’s outfit, replies. “The Ranger said there was a Shadow Pokémon in the wiring and told us all to get out. Hope you don’t mind us staying here until the rain stops.” Another flash of lightning lights up the room, followed a few seconds later by a loud rumble of thunder.

“No, of course not. Stay as long as you need to, I’ll be in the back if you need me.” She disappears into the back without another word.
Feathersnow
The tall, lanky Johtoan in what appears to be lacquered cosplay faux-wood armor stares out the window.  "Is it often like this?"  He asks.

He has his Ditto out and is playing catch with them.

His ears immediately perk up when mention comes of shadow Pokémon. He droops when he comes to understand a Ranger was dealing with the issue and goes back to playing with the smiling blob.
gorman
 "Whoa, WHOA there girl, if you're looking for your eggs or babies... They won't be here, you kinda came here alone as far as we can tell... Uhm, Ranger Wain you wouldn't be able to communicate with pokemon with your fancy styler tamer thing would you? I'm under the impression she's...well... clearly looking for something..." 

Thinks for a moment... Oh god I hope those eggs I found weren't HER'S....

As for Gastly we'll replace Confuse Ray.
WindStruck
Flotsam gazes out one of the windows, trying to decide if she wanted to go out again. She thought her pokemon would enjoy it. It would have been a really nice day otherwise, and she didn't mind all the rain.

Looking over at the tall, lanky boy with a Ditto, she says,  "Hmm? No, I don't think it usually rains like this. I mean.. now it does rain like this frequently. But it didn't used to. Or so I hear." 

Oddly enough, this girl was wearing just a pink little swimsuit, and cradling a Goldeen in her arms.

“See? I told you no one in their right mind would be out there right now,” said some girl. Flotsam looked over at the pair briefly, just knowing they'd think she was crazy.

Then a stream of people started coming in.  "Shadow Pokémon in the wiring? That's... weird."  Flotsam says. Oh well. Maybe it was actually safer outside then?  "Thanks for checking my Goldeen!"  she calls out to the nurse, who was disappearing into the back.

Rascal, her favorite Pokémon usually liked being outside of Pokéballs, but unfortunately also tended to get dried out in the process, and also got in lots of trouble. Hence the nickname!

 "Let's play outside, Rascal,"  Flotsam says casually. They step outside, and the girl immediately gets soaked again. Well she didn't mind, she was dressed perfectly well for the occasion. Rascal immediately started trying to wiggle out of her hands, eying a big puddle that was forming in the nearby fields.
Kareeah_Indaga
Matsubara, Less:

The soaking-wet newcomers loiter around for a moment, before an older woman in a chef uniform – somewhat fancier than the others, and with more pockets in her apron – clicks her tongue and gets the attention of the rest.

“We have customers who did not get breakfast!” she says in faintly accented speech. “We are fixing this now!” And with that she herds the rest of the cooks into the Pokémon Center kitchen. Shortly thereafter  wonderful  smells waft into the lobby.

 
 Spoiler: Less 

Less may recognize the older woman as Sonya Zakuski, a master chef who is somewhat famous in Helnith. Originally from overseas, she used to work as a cook for Mr. Tetherburn, a  very  rich man who owns (or used to own, seeing as it’s in Bandra territory now) the nearby hotsprings. When Bandra took over, she discovered an inner patriotic streak and started cooking for the non-Bandra masses instead; there was one notable occasion where she successfully bribed a Bandra patrol to leave the town alone  solely  with her cooking.
 


----------------

Matt:

((😁

Also, move list updated.))

Ranger Wain has the Styler out before you can finish the request and the little spinning top zings around the distressed Dragon type a few times. Her chirps gradually subside and she stops knocking things over, instead sitting in place and looking around uncertainly.

Ranger Wain pats her nose reassuringly. “I’m sure your babies are fine, Fieberdra, but my friend is right; you won’t find them here. You need to go home, I’m sure they miss you.”

And he gradually coaxes her out of the restaurant, yelping briefly when she decides to hop back into the electrical system and then hop out again outside the building rather than squeeze through the door. Then she takes off into the rain; you see her circle the town a few times before she veers south, out of sight. You can barely make out her sad little chirps starting up again as she disappears into the rain.

The Ranger comes back inside, finds a clear spot near the wall and slides down it into a sitting position, swearing at Bandra quietly but vehemently.

----------------

Flotsam:

You get a couple of concerned looks as you head out the door, but no one stops you. As wet as it is outside, Rascal slips out of your grasp in fairly short order before flopping over to the puddle, where he splashes around happily sending mud and water flying in all directions.

Not long afterwards you notice an electrical flash to the north, near the inn. A pale, long-necked Pokémon with three tails materializes from the light and glides gracefully upwards. You’ve never seen one in person before as they’re quite rare, even in Helnith, but you’re pretty sure it’s a Fieberdra.

It circles the town a few times before flying south, and as it vanishes you can hear it making sad little chirping sounds.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Looks like the notifications I set up for the threads aren't working. I'll attempt to troubleshoot that in the future.
 


Less is sitting by the window, slowly sipping at a steaming cup of tea between flipping pages in a well worn brown book.  "Storms like this have become unfortunately regular in the last few years. The war, and it's consequences, have disrupted the local guardians of the area, and nature shows her abhorrence by these displays."  Less says, his tone slipping into the professorial. He absentmindedly slips a weathered hand down to scratch at Buck's ears. The large Arcanine is doing his best impression of a lap dog. His muzzle, slightly grey from age, is pressed into Less's stomach, and the rest of the pokemon is wrapped around the table, and clearly far too large for the space he's occupying. With a few motions Less manages to get Buck to shift enough that he can reach the rest of his pokeballs.  "Leo,"  he say, as the frog-like pokemon appears,  "head outside and keep an eye out for any stragglers."  Despite the orders, it seems more like an excuse to let Leo indulge in the downpour.

When the chef enters, Less nods his head in respect.  "We are in for a culinary treat at least, to chase some of the dour cast of this morning away. Chef Zakuski is reputed to be a master of her craft." 
 
 Spoiler: Description of Less 

Less is an older man, though still in good shape for his age. His salt and pepper hair is mostly salt now, and kept cropped above the back of his neck. He has dark green eyes that often seem to be far away, though that distance disappears whenever he has the opportunity to give a lecture, or teach someone something. His face is lightly lined with age, and he sports a thick mustache and a similarly thick triangular patch of grey hair on his chin. The style manages to give him an air of discipline, rather than the free spiritedness the style often seems to produce in younger men. He is dressed tolerably well, in a brown tweed suit and vest, with a patches at the arms and a solid red tie tucked into the vest.

When standing, Less walks with a stick it is clear he does not need, but does add to his gentlemanly outfit.
 
WindStruck
Flotsam giggles as water gets splashed onto her, as well as some mud, but in any case, that mud quickly gets washed off. After some moments, the flash of light catches her attention, and she looks up at the Fieberdra.  "Whoa..."  she says, exhaling slowly in amazement.

Soon it was gone, and at about that time, a Croagunk exits the Pokémon center. Hmm, it looks like they might have some company and some new friends.

Flotsam decides to bring a few more of her pokemon out to see how they liked the weather. It may be understandable if the lightning scared them, though. Soon, however, they'd probably be having a nice little party!

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'm not sure how many pokemon I can have out at one time. At least we're not battling. I'll go down the list, first trying to bring out, my Horsea (nickname undetermined yet!), then Staryu, then Finneon, then Clamperl.

Hmm.. I REALLY SHOULD come up with nicknames for all of them.

Horsea: Gypsy. Playful, yet sometimes skittish.

Goldeen: Rascal. Also playful, but curious, brave, and quite protective.

Staryu: Orion. Curious, poised, very intelligent, but  not  that playful.

Finneon: King. Lazy, cuddly, enjoys belly rubs, can sometimes get a bad temper.

Clamperl: Hilda. Shy, but quite kind!
 


Flotsam waves at the Croagunk and says,  "Hellooo~"  beaming happily.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Matsubara:

Being by the window, Less notices in short order that Leo is making a new friend: a little girl in a swimsuit who looks just about old enough to have been starting her Pokémon journey if circumstances in Helnith had been otherwise.

Meanwhile inside, the cooks have monopolized the kitchen. One of the assistant cooks comes out with a stack of cups and a pitcher each of coffee and tropical fruit juice (the teapot from earlier is already making the rounds). He’s trailed a short while later by a bipedal Pokémon with hands like oven mitts and a tail that seems to have grapes growing off it - Less recognizes and Matsubara can identify with the Pokédex that it is a Copiakurn (Kitchen Form), which is carrying a big platter of hors d'oeuvres Chef Zakuski and her crew have somehow put together with record speed out of the standard (cheap, frequently boring and bland) Pokémon Center kitchen materials and whatever they brought with them from the restaurant. There are deviled eggs boiled to the perfect consistency, pieces of French toast with simple designs dusted onto them in cinnamon and powdered sugar, and tiny sandwiches cut artistically. These get passed around to everyone, human and Pokémon, which seems to go some distance to reconciling the Chansey who found their Center unexpectedly overrun with people.

----------------

Flotsam:

You can tell your Pokémon are overjoyed to be out in the rain; even Orion is loosening up a little.

The Croagunk waves back; Hilda snaps her shell shut upon seeing the newcomer before tentatively opening it back up the tiniest crack to peer out, and Gypsy hides behind you and Rascal, but the others take the new arrival in good stride.

----------------

Mark:

You finish your conversation with Pinklady (and feeding your Pokémon) and find a dry place to train; once you’ve finished with Jessia the rain lets up at last. ((About 4:30 PM. In case you see this before you see it in the OoC, 2 levels for Tattersail will put you at 10:30 PM, not 8:30 PM, because she’s level 30 now. Do you still want two levels of training for her?))

((Pokémon: Froslass (Jessia)
Type: Ice/Ghost
Ability: Snow Cloak
Gender: Female
Level: 30
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 91  +8 
Attack: 62
Def: 56
Sp. Attack: 62 +11  +2 
Sp. Def: 56 +3  +6 
Speed: 80 +11
Moves:
Powder Snow
Ominous Wind
Double Team
Bite
Icy Wind
Protect

No new attacks.))
gorman
 "Well that went... Surprisingly well I think! Uh... Ranger Wain, are you alright? Something on your mind you'd care to share? It helps to get things off your chest you know... Don't be like me and bottle your emotions up, they tend to come out poorly when they DO come out." 
WindStruck
Flotsam continues to play joyously out in the rain. It was a little chilly, but she didn't mind. In fact, she thought she actually liked this weather. If not for all the rain, she probably would have never traveled this far inland with all her Pokémon. Mud squished under her feet and between her toes, and it sometimes splashed up on her, but about as quickly as it came, it left again, washed off in the torrential rain.

The other Pokémon had waved back, and two of her friends were pretty shy of it. Though the Croagunk looked sort of like a frog, Flotsam wasn't sure if it actually had much affinity to water? Well. Probably. Otherwise why would it be out here?

 "Hey it's alright, they're just saying hello,"  she said, trying to comfort Hilda and Gypsy.

Eventually she sat down in the widening and deepening puddle next to Hilda, and then King flopped over. Flotsam started to rub his belly.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I could potentially be out here a long time doing nothing. Hope you don't mind!

If anyone has any plothooks, all you probably need to do is just ask Flotsam if she'd like to help or come along.
 
Lord Ruby34
Less looks out the window and shakes his head, though he can't entirely hide the look of satisfaction on his face. That look only grows once the food comes out.  "My compliment to Chef Zakuski,"  Less says to one of the servers after eating an egg and a bite of sandwich,  "her reputation is, if anything, understated."  Buck also shows his appreciation by wolfing down any food that happens to go near his muzzle, which includes two miniature sandwiches that Less procures for his longtime friend.

Less takes a long look around the pokemon center. While the room is warm and hospitable, there's always the chance that one of the travelers could have been a Team Bandra member in disguise. Less spends a moment weighing the chances after examining everyone's face, and takes some time to consider what, exactly, he might ask about the criminals and the nearby town.
Gnomes2169
Once the train stopped, Mark went outside and teleported Pinklady wherever she needed to go before training Tattersail up a little bit. (Just 1 level, if you haven't checked the OoC yet) When he was done, he grabbed some food for dinner before calling Wain so that he could tell him about his plan to go after Bandra's operation in the town of ash, and to ask how the lines from Piez ran to it (by land or by sea).
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

“Nothing you can do anything about. It’s just that this isn’t the first Shadow Pokémon I’ve had to wrangle recently, and this is egg-laying season for most of them. Even if they don’t smash their own nests or kill their own hatchlings, they’re leaving them unprotected. Everything has been dying off, there isn’t anything replacing it, and I don’t see it getting better.

…you should get your Pokémon seen to. I’ll follow in a while.”

----------------

Flotsam:

((That is perfectly all right! 🙂 Let me know if you decide you want something else to do; right now I’m trying to steer Matt over to you three so you can at least meet but if you’re bored I can dig something up.))

----------------

Less and Matsubara:

The server thanks Less and promises to pass the compliment on to the Chef.

Meanwhile, the Copiakurn swings its tail to get the attention of Matsubara and his Ditto, then holds up the platter to offer each of them hors d'oeuvres.

----------------

Mark:

You train for three hours; it’s about 7:30 PM when the Pokédex registers progress:

Pokemon: Gardevoir (Tattersail)
Type: Psychic
Ability: Synchronize
Gender: Female
Level: 31
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 92  +8   -2 
Attack: 54
Def: 54
Sp. Attack: 92 +11  +2 
Sp. Def: 85 +5  +6 
Speed: 64 +10
Moves:
Growl
Confusion
Double Team
Teleport
Lucky Chant
Magical Leaf

((No new attacks.))

Your dinner goes uneventfully. Ranger Wain picks up the phone almost immediately when you call.

((I’m going to ask you to role-play it; you’re getting a little far ahead of everyone else.))

“Wain here. It’s Mark, isn’t it? I hope you’re not calling to ask me to go with you on another adventure, I’m still tracking down Shadow Pokémon from the rift that I was supposed to keep contained during the last one.”
Feathersnow
 Matsubara Akio 
The tall man takes an hors d'oeuvre absent-mindedly after thanking the spirits and his host graciously.

He wants a second, then does a little stretch, getting into character.

"Hello," He announces, "My name is Matsubara Akio, but, if we are all guests under this roof, you may call me Akio!  I am a traveller to this land seeking adventure and glory!"
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Wain here. It’s Mark, isn’t it? I hope you’re not calling to ask me to go with you on another adventure, I’m still tracking down Shadow Pokémon from the rift that I was supposed to keep contained during the last one.” 
 

"Uh, yeah, this is Mark. I wasn't going to try to recruit you for this mission, and hopefully I'm not interrupting anything with those shadowed pokemon, but I figure I should let you know what we're planning to keep someone in the rangers in the loop." Checking around him to make sure no one was listening in, Mark shuffled off to the side and explained, "So we're planning to take out Bandra's poffin making capabilities in Quibir. We were going to sail from Tidepath in two days, landing on a piece of the coast that's accessible, and then knock out the power to the town just before sundown to disrupt their power and lights. After that, we were going to hunt down the backup generator in the contest hall, hopefully rescue the town natives, and then get out via the safari zone."

Scratching at his chin with his prosthetic limb, he asked, "So, uh, what do you think about the plan? And we've been told they get power from the Piez power plant, do you happen to know how the power lines run to them?"
gorman
 "Is there some way to close those shadow rifts to stop the shadowing from happening? Would that help?" 

I'll ask that before heading to the center to heal my....not... injured pokemon. :P
Lord Ruby34
Less takes a long look at the young man who has boldly declared himself, and lets silence linger for a moment after the samurai speaks.  "There is no adventure in this land anymore, lad. Team Bandra has murdered it, along with those that stood too loudly against them."  Less says, his voice cracking like a whip as he speaks, though the anger seems more general than directed at Akio. Less's voice softens as he continues.  "If you seek adventure and duty, then look past these shores. There are places in this world untouched by the ravages of war." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

It's early morning of those of us in the Pokemon Center, right?
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio and Less:

((Derp, I should have realized that was the last name! 😳

And yes, it’s about 9 AM for you guys now.))

Aside from Less, Akio gets a few weirded-out looks at his out-of-the-blue announcement from the other patrons, but the original pair on the couch both react positively: the girl waves and the boy (too wrapped up in blankets to do the same without spilling tea or food) grins widely.

“I’m Layla, this is Todd,” she tells Akio, ending the somewhat-awkward silence. “Are you here for the rift Pokémon then, or—?” She gets briefly distracted as the door opens again, admitting a soaking wet middle-aged man. “Oh hey! It’s that guy from earlier! Hey guy, did you find that Shadow Fieberdra?”

 
 Spoiler: Less 
Fieberdra is Helnith's equivalent to Dragonite.
 


----------------

Mark:

There is a pause on the other end. “ …I should tell you it’s too dangerous, but I know what I’d say if someone told me not to do my job because of that. ” He sighs. “ I still can’t go with you, but I can warn the Ranger Union to be ready with medical supplies for when you get back. If you have to leave the Safari Zone by boat, be   very   careful; Bandra Officer Darrin has been reported attacking ships off the coast.

As for Piez, the power lines to Quibir are connected to more than one point in the grid; it’s for redundancy in case the power lines get knocked down by a storm or Pokémon battle. They come down from Seapoint and continue down to Shadowbeach. What I’m trying to say is, if you want to cut the power to the town completely you’re going to need to do it on the north end of town   and   the south. ”

----------------

Matt:

The Ranger shakes his head ‘no’ and the Combee buzz unhappily. “They’ve been part of the region for as long as anyone can remember. It would be like stopping the tides, or the wind. Even if you could, who knows what the side effects would be? Anyway, we only get a lot of them like this about every ten years, and it’s like a year of drought: we make it through, and things settle back down afterwards. But with Bandra meddling as much as they have, it’s compounding the problems they’re causing.”

((After leaving the restaurant: ))

On your way back to the Pokémon Center in the pouring rain, you see a little girl in a swimsuit, about ten or eleven, playing in puddles with a Croagunk and a large handful of Water Pokémon. The Clamperl and the Horsea skitter behind the others as you pass, the rest don’t pay you any special attention.

Inside the Center, it’s very busy, as many of the people from the restaurant seem to have come here for shelter. And it appears the cooking staff have been hard at work: someone is passing around juice and coffee, and there’s a Pokémon you’ve never seen before carrying a mostly-empty platter of deviled eggs, tiny sandwiches, and French toast with little patterns dusted on it in cinnamon and powdered sugar. (The Pokédex identifies the Pokémon as a Copiakurn (Kitchen Form); it has oven-mitt-like hands and a tail that seems to have grapes growing out of it.)

But you can see the pair on the couch from earlier, and Layla breaks off her conversation with a man in what looks like a full suit of armor (!) to exclaim: “Oh hey! It’s that guy from earlier! Hey guy, did you find that Shadow Fieberdra?”

----------------

Flotsam:

Gypsy and Hilda are just starting to get used to the newcomer when they break off their play suddenly to skitter around the other Pokémon. With this cue you notice a middle-aged man come out of the restaurant to the north, and make his way to the Pokémon Center. Judging by the sounds (and the  wonderful  smells) they’re having their own party inside right now. Before the door closes, you hear the voice from earlier (the one who said no one in their right mind would be outside) exclaim:

“Oh hey! It’s that guy from earlier! Hey guy, did you find that Shadow Fieberdra?”

The door then swings shut, cutting off the sound of any further conversation.
WindStruck
As this other stranger approaches, of course Hilda and Gypsy get kind of scared again. Maybe Flotsam would have said something, but he had already changed course, turning to go into the Pokémon center. Also, the smells of food and the cutoff conversation attract Flotsam's attention.

Just thinking about the food caused her stomach to growl.  "Oh.. it smells good in there..."  Flotsam says. While she was probably perfectly content to be playing out in the rain for  hours upon hours , the distraction made her begin to consider if she wanted to pop in there briefly for a snack.

Then again.. it's not like any of that food belonged to her. She was pretty certain of that. It would be pretty rude to just go in there, eat stuff, and leave...

 "What do you all think? Do you want to stay out here or see if we can have a snack inside?"  She was patting King and rubbing his belly, though he seemed to perk up at the word 'snack'.
gorman
 "Yeah, Ranger Wain and I managed to clear the beast of it's shadowing and it has vacated the premises. It should be safe to return back to the restaurant. I'm sorry for any inconveniences caused by the disruption." 
Nodding to myself thinking, yep, that should be all the information people need, I take a look at the map and try to think of what to do next.
Feathersnow
 Akio 
Akio falters for a moment but doesn't break character.  He was a nobleman, a samurai! That meant something!

"Adventure may be gone, but that cannot mean but that duty remains!"  He puffs.

  Then he considers something-  acting out in public was suspicious as all get out.  If Team Bandra was actually monitoring them, as the man implied was possible, he was going about finding a useful mission exactly backwards.  A sensible organization would use him as a bellwether, ambushing whoever him and he was with.

Buy he couldn't not be a samurai, that would be dishonorable!

He responds smiling to Layla and Todd.  "HI!  Yes, I've heard stories of the rift Pokémon, and came to challenge myself.  Don't mind the armor, it's a Johtoan tradition I couldn't shake."

As the man comes in from the rain, Akio greets him and listens attentively for information about the shadow Pokémon.  As he hears the update he asks "Is there any way I can help?  I know you don't know me, but I was raised on the noble tradition to aide the unfortunate, and today, the place that seems to really need it is Helnith."
Lord Ruby34
 "Duty remains."  Less agrees. He takes a moment to observe the conversation and scratch Buck under the chin.
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam:

The Croagunk is already headed back towards the door, so it’s clear what  their  opinion on the subject is.

As for your own Pokémon, Rascal and King both seem to be in favor of snack time, Hilda and Gypsy less so – though you know them well enough to realize that might be less ‘they don’t want food’ and more ‘there are an awful lot of strange people in there making them nervous.’ Orion spins over to the door to peer in, then spins back to you, apparently undecided. It would seem it’s up to you.

----------------

Matt, Akio, Less:


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Yeah, Ranger Wain and I managed to clear the beast of it's shadowing and it has vacated the premises. It should be safe to return back to the restaurant. I'm sorry for any inconveniences caused by the disruption."  
 

“Aww, I wanted to catch it!” Todd sulks. Layla just rolls her eyes. The assistant cook with the drinks excuses himself to let the staff in the kitchen know the good news, but as there’s food here and it’s still raining quite hard, no one appears interested in returning to the restaurant just yet.

Matt’s attempt to check the map is interrupted as a few more of the restaurant’s staff come out with plates of waffles, bowls of sliced fruit, and other various toppings. It seems Chef Zakuski is really going all out.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Is there any way I can help?  I know you don't know me, but I was raised on the noble tradition to aide the unfortunate, and today, the place that seems to really need it is Helnith." 
 

Layla responds, “There are probably some Shadowed Murkrow or something still around; there were a lot of Pokémon that came out of the last rift, and the Ranger wasn’t around to keep them contained when it happened, so they got all over the place and he’s having some problems rounding them up now.”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark:

There is a pause on the other end. “ …I should tell you it’s too dangerous, but I know what I’d say if someone told me not to do my job because of that. ” He sighs. “ I still can’t go with you, but I can warn the Ranger Union to be ready with medical supplies for when you get back. If you have to leave the Safari Zone by boat, be   very   careful; Bandra Officer Darrin has been reported attacking ships off the coast.

As for Piez, the power lines to Quibir are connected to more than one point in the grid; it’s for redundancy in case the power lines get knocked down by a storm or Pokémon battle. They come down from Seapoint and continue down to Shadowbeach. What I’m trying to say is, if you want to cut the power to the town completely you’re going to need to do it on the north end of town   and   the south. ” 
 

He thought about what the ranger said, checked the region map on his pokedex (since he  has a cell phone  in addition to the 'dex), and he said, "Well dang. Guess I should try to find more people than just me, Mina, Matt and Pinklady... maybe when I meet up with Lijan to evolve our 'mon, I can see if he's willing to send a few Starlight Squad members to help us out." Or maybe a member of their group would be able to find some more trainers to assist them.

"And we were planning to surf a good way around the coast, or to teleport-skip back to Tidepath from the volcanic island after collecting some ash for the flute maker, depending on Bandra water presence. Guess Darrin makes the choice there pretty obvious." Tucking his pokedex away and pulling out his drawing journal and flipping to the back of the last page, he would ask, "Do we know what pokemon Darrin has on his active team?"
WindStruck
 "Oh, you guys~~"  Flotsam says, bordering on complaint.  "Ugh, fine, I'll go inside! And, um. You can stay here if you want."  She looked at Gypsy and Hilda in particular, knowing they were pretty shy of the strangers.

 "Well, unless you're too afraid to be out here by yourself too? I guess King can keep you company. And Orion..." 

Looking down at Rascal, he began flopping energetically and leaped up into Flotsam's arms.  "And yeah, Rascal comes with me, as usual.."  she giggled again. If there's one thing Rascal liked doing, it was brandishing his horn threateningly at anyone that was going to give the girl a hard time.

 "Well, okay! Be back in a minute! Or two.. or.. I dunno!" 

Flotsam trotted off to the Pokémon center and went through the doors, seemingly dragging in a mini rainstorm of her own as water cascaded from her and Rascal's bodies, not to mention the rain outside briefly pouring in through the door too. She looked around at all the people milling about, and then she spotted it: the food! Plates of waffles and fruit and whipped cream, syrup, nuts, french toast, eggs...

It smelled so good! Flotsam's mouth began to water just looking at it all. But she wasn't just going to start stuffing her face like some savage. She approached, ever so slowly, forming slippery puddles as water still dripped from her hair. She looked about at the various people with a demure smile every now and then, but her eyes always went back to the plates of food. She was trying to figure out one thing.. was this food free for anyone to take?
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 "And we were planning to surf a good way around the coast, or to teleport-skip back to Tidepath from the volcanic island after collecting some ash for the flute maker, depending on Bandra water presence. Guess Darrin makes the choice there pretty obvious." 
 

“ Do any of your Pokémon  know  Surf? ” the Ranger interjects. “ Because if not, you’re going to need to leave at high tide, or around then at least. The currents around Tidepath get very powerful when the tide is going in or out, people have gotten knocked off their Pokémon and even small boats before this and drowned. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 "Do we know what pokemon Darrin has on his active team?" 
 

“ Darrin still has most of Tethys’ Pokémon, so expect Acquegon. Expect powerful Water Pokémon in general. The latest reports mentioned Swampert and Lanturn. ”

----------------

Flotsam (and Matt, Akio, Less):

Flotsam gets her question answered quickly as the Copiakurn waddles over to her and holds its mostly-empty platter up to her, making a questioning sound. Rascal slips forward to get his horn under a tidbit and flips it into the air, catching it in his mouth; the Copiakurn looks pleased and makes the questioning sound again.
WindStruck
Flotsam looks down at the platter and beams broadly.  "Oh thanks! I was hoping I could get some!"  She grabs a thing wrapped in bacon and eats it: eggs wrapped in bacon sort of like a filet mignon.

 "Wow, that's good!"  She grabs another, and half a waffle.  "Um.. hey, I have some friends outside who wanted something too..."  she begins, hardly even finished chewing the second portion of bacon and egg.

 "You don't mind if they, um.. I mean, if I took some out to them too, do you?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam (and Matt, Akio, Less):

The Copiakurn babbles something at you in Pokéspeak – it doesn’t sound like a negative, but other than that you have no idea what it said – and gives you a thumbs-up with one of its oven-mitt hands. The platter wobbles a bit as it peers into the pocket on its front (which appears to be part of the Pokémon, rather than a garment like the humans are wearing), grumbles something under its breath, then points at you with its thumb, then at the clock on the wall, then at the floor where you’re standing before it waddles away towards the Pokémon Center kitchen.

One of the cooking staff passing out waffles notices this exchange and translates for you. “He says wait here.”
Lord Ruby34
Less hands Leo a sandwich as the Croagunk ambles back inside, and nods in approval.  "No stragglers so far? Good. Eat your fill and head back out when you are ready. Eyes on the road could save a life in this weather. Come back in if it gets too cold. Princess can stand a watch if you need relief." 

Less turns his attention back towards the conversation for a moment before speaking up.  "Though I am loathe to interrupt a conversation, I have a question about these shadowed Pokemon, if you are able to answer. I have heard of them, but only in the broadest terms. What exactly makes a Pokemon shadowed, and how does the shadowing affect the Pokemon?" 
WindStruck
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 One of the cooking staff passing out waffles notices this exchange and translates for you. “He says wait here.” 
 

 "Oh.. okay..."  Flotsam says, a little deflated but hopeful nonetheless. She idly stands around, rather unaware of the conversations about shadow Pokémon and Team Bandra. That is, up until now.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark:

“ Do any of your Pokémon  know  Surf? ” the Ranger interjects. “ Because if not, you’re going to need to leave at high tide, or around then at least. The currents around Tidepath get very powerful when the tide is going in or out, people have gotten knocked off their Pokémon and even small boats before this and drowned. ”

“ Darrin still has most of Tethy’s Pokémon, so expect Acquegon. Expect powerful Water Pokémon in general. The latest reports mentioned Swampert and Lanturn. ” 
 

Ahhhhh... butts. That was going to be awkward. "Fisher doesn't know surf, no... would you know a move tutor or a person who sells HM's who might be able to teach it to some of our water types?"

And he wrote don the pokemon that were mentioned, adding a note to look up Acquegon in the Helnith pokedex since he had no idea what that was, and writing that he  really  needed to find a grass type one of these days.
gorman
 "Ah, as far as I'm aware the shadow rifts are a naturally occurring thing... Though it seemed, or sounded, like Bandra is antagonizing the rifts in some way making them more frequent? I'm not from around here so nothing really makes sense to me, though I've seen the corpses Bandra's left from their.... gruesome experiments... Ah, but your wanting to help is appreciated. I'm afraid I'm a bit awkward, name's Matt, nice to meet you." 
Lord Ruby34
 "Hmm."  Less hums.  "My name is Lester Douglass. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."  The introduction comes out somewhat distracted, as Less focuses on processing the scintilla of information gained.

That had not been as much information as he had hoped for. Still, it was hard to be disappointed, Less himself had paid less attention to natural phenomena throughout his life than he had his books and histories. That Team Bandra had used them to conduct experiments was entirely expected, there was little the ruffians would not do in search of more power.  "Do you know anything about what Team Bandra has done to agitate these Rifts?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Party:

Leo happily stuffs his face while the conversation flows. Eventually he’s eaten his fill and returns outside to keep watch.

((I’ll just let you lot interact for a bit. Yell if you need me.))

----------------

Mark:

“ There’s a Move Tutor at Trainer Hill, but I don’t think Surf is one of the moves he can teach, ” the Ranger replies in his usual drawl. ((Strictly speaking he can, since as of Gen VIII it got added to the level up move lists of a number of Pokémon, but the existing party Pokémon either aren’t one of those or aren’t high enough level yet.)) “ We used to have the HM at the Ranger Base in Stardust City, but we lost it when the city fell. I don’t recommend going after it; even if Bandra hasn’t found it yet Stardust is going to be a much harder target than what you already have planned.

If I were you I’d just ask around; someone might have one they’ll let you borrow. Or just schedule your water travel around the peak of high tide, but with what you’re trying to do that’s going to be riskier. ”
gorman
 "I can't remember... Mark or Mina... two others I've encountered in my time here.... They would likely know more than I. They seemed a bit more acquainted with this land at least." 
Lord Ruby34
 "I would very much like to speak to your acquaintances."  Less states.  "These events, and Team Bandra's actions, are a matter of particular interest to me." 
gorman
 "Oh, of course, I'll call Mark now and see if he's in the area."  I say as I pull out the phone app on the pokedex, find Mark's number and dial it.  "Hey Mark, if you're in the Rieva vicinity would you be able to swing by the pokemon center? There's some inquiring minds here that are asking questions I lack answers for. I thought you would be a better alternative than I." 
WindStruck
While FLotsam is still waiting for (hopefully?) more food to arrive for her friends outside, she walks up to Less and Matt and asks,  "Huh? So what's this about Shadow Pokemon and Team Bandra? What did they do  this  time?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark:

“ There’s a Move Tutor at Trainer Hill, but I don’t think Surf is one of the moves he can teach, ” the Ranger replies in his usual drawl. ((Strictly speaking he can, since as of Gen VIII it got added to the level up move lists of a number of Pokémon, but the existing party Pokémon either aren’t one of those or aren’t high enough level yet.)) “ We used to have the HM at the Ranger Base in Stardust City, but we lost it when the city fell. I don’t recommend going after it; even if Bandra hasn’t found it yet Stardust is going to be a much harder target than what you already have planned.

If I were you I’d just ask around; someone might have one they’ll let you borrow. Or just schedule your water travel around the peak of high tide, but with what you’re trying to do that’s going to be riskier. ” 
 

Yeah, he'd definitely need to ask around about that one. Perhaps the Starlight Squad would have an HM, or at least know someone who did and wasn't stuck on the Bandra side of Helnith. "Yeah, I'll have to see what I can find. Surf's a pretty strong move anyway, so I don't think I'll be sad to have it." Especially on Fisher, who sort of needed a multi-target damage move anyway. "Anything else you can think of suggesting off the top of your head? You know, besides 'Mark this is stupid and dangerous do something else.'"


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Oh, of course, I'll call Mark now and see if he's in the area."  I say as I pull out the phone app on the pokedex, find Mark's number and dial it.  "Hey Mark, if you're in the Rieva vicinity would you be able to swing by the pokemon center? There's some inquiring minds here that are asking questions I lack answers for. I thought you would be a better alternative than I."  
 

Mark answered his phone in the middle of training Tattersail (he's a bit ahead of the group currently, remember) and he'd say hi before listening to Matt's request. "Yeah, I could jump up to you guys, though I need to finish up a bit of training first. I was also going to call Wain to try and solidify our plan, so let me do that first so that I can fill you in when I get there. Also, I assume you'd like teleportation help to get back to our rendezvous center, right? Oh! And could you give Mina a call and see how she's doing?"

Tattersail visibly rolled her eyes at him during this delay in her training, and he pulled his phone away from his ear to tell her, "Oh, what, I can't ask for someone to check up on my friends without sass? The question was totally innocent anyway!" The psychic type mimed him chattering away with one of his hands and then swooning like a lovestruck maiden and he growled, "Oh shut up." It was only a little crush.

Going back to his phone, Mark said, "Well, anyway, I should be able to swing around by 8, after dinner and stuff. If these guys are willing to wait, then I'm definitely willing to talk. In the meantime, try to get to know them. Names, pokemon teams, what brings them to Helnith, see if they want to train or go pokemon hunting, you know, all the stuff and etcetera."

((Mostly just trying to set things so that time isn't super wibbly and wobbly. Mark's going to be busy until after his call with Wain, so that we can keep everything I've done so far without having to ret-con/ reschedule a bit of training. Keeping Kareeah's job easier. 😛 &lt;3))
gorman
 "You....want me to see how Mina's doing....for you? Uh... I mean if you're busy I can call and ask her if she could come over and perhaps share what she knows with.... I'm sorry what did you say your names were again?" 
Lord Ruby34
 "Lester Douglass."  Less says.
WindStruck
The damp girl in her swimsuit and cradling her Goldeen looks at Matt blankly for a bit and blinks.  "Um, hi. I don't think we've met before. I just go by Flotsam." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "You....want me to see how Mina's doing....for you? Uh... I mean if you're busy I can call and ask her if she could come over and perhaps share what she knows with.... I'm sorry what did you say your names were again?"  
 

"Uh, yeah. I would, but, y'know, don't want to keep bothering her or anything. I'm always the one doing it, you know?" Tattersail kept silently teasing him, so he tapped the side of his head to tell her to read his mind and imagined himself giving her a rude gesture. How she retaliated left him blushing beat red and mumbling, "Oh my god- look, Matt, I gotta go, okay? 'Sail is getting a bit feisty with this delay. If Mina hasn't met up with you yet, she probably has a reason for it. Her research might just be super involved or something... do your best to answer their questions, and I'll meet up with you guys around 8pm to cover anything you missed, okay? Alright. See you soon. Bye."

Hanging up, eyes super wide, he tucked his phone into his pocket and, cheeks still burning, pointed at his psychic type and said, "You stop that." And then he got back to his training.
gorman
 Ah... Hello Flotsam, I'm Matt, helped Ranger Wain at the restaurant before in case you were there as well..."  I say after Mark's awkward phone conversation.
 "Hang on one second, it appears one of my acquaintances is busy so I'll see if the other might be free..."  I add as I awkwardly call Mina's number.
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Party:

Matt’s ‘dex rings a few times before the party on the other end picks up. A female voice responds:

“  Hello?  ”

----------------

Mark (with Ranger Wain):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 "Anything else you can think of suggesting off the top of your head? You know, besides 'Mark this is stupid and dangerous do something else.'" 
 

“ Nothing right now. Take care of yourselves! ”
Lord Ruby34
Less nods once, a silent agreement to wait while Matt makes another phone call.
gorman
 "Hey Mina, would you have time to come to Rieva to the pokemon center and inform some new...freedom fighters...about Bandra and other things they might inquire about?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark (with Ranger Wain):

“ Nothing right now. Take care of yourselves! ” 
 

"I'll try, and you stay safe while hunting those shadow pokemon too. See you soon, hopefully." Mark responded, before hanging up. Going over his journal he would jot down quick notes on the plan right now (including double-underlining "GET SURF"), and, around 5 minutes to 8pm, he teleported to Rieva to meet up with Matt and his new band of misfits.

((I can pause here or have a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey meet-up with everyone, depending on what people want to do. If Mina ends up coming to talk, then I should  probably  pause just so people can talk to Mark in-character without being unsure what they should know IC. 😛 ))
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Party:

“  Sure, I can stop by tomorrow if you like. Maybe later today, depending on how things go, but no promises there.  ” ((She’s only had about two hours to work on that side quest at this point in the timeline.)) “  But what are they asking that you can’t manage yourself?  ”
WindStruck
Flotsam seems to grow more disinterested as she feels more or less ignored, a couple phone conversations taking more priority than in-person conversation.

But she does interject at one point.  "Um. Freedom fighters??"  She was really wondering who this person was talking about. Surely not her or the old man?

The girl looks about uncomfortably. At this rate, the only thing keeping her here was waiting on the Copiakurn to return.
Lord Ruby34
Less also raises an eyebrow at the phrase "freedom fighters," though he doesn't object out loud. Though over romanticized, the term does indicate that Less had stumbled into the kind of people that he was looking for. In spirit, at least. The implication of those words was a brazen challenge to Team Bandra, certain to draw their ire if overheard. Less briefly considered that this could be some kind of trap, but words seemed to come more from zeal than guile.

Less made his decision, and spoke.  "I had questions about the nature of shadowed Pokemon. An unfortunate gap in my education. That said, I am not opposed to discussing other, perhaps more delicate subjects, at some point in the future."   Though he wouldn't have normally interrupted a private conversation, he felt justified given the previous interruption.

The girl who introduced herself as Flotsam seemed to be shifting uncomfortably, on the verge of leaving. Despite her apparent indifference to the rain and cold, she would be risking catching a chill if she didn't stay inside to warm up. Less stood up and unwrapped a half sandwich he had been saving for Dancer, when the room was less crowded. With a gesture, he offered it to the girl.  "Take this for now, child. I am certain there will be more soon."  
Feathersnow
Akio listens with half an ear while trying to prove to the actual heroes he isn't a plant by concentrating on training Ronoin, his Ditto, instead of talking about heroism.

At the mentioned if the Surf HM, he interjects that, while none of his team can learn it, Ronin can emulate it if they have a another Pokémon to copy, at least for a time.
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Party:

((@Feathersnow The call about Surf is separate from you guys, if there’s anything I can do to make things like that clearer in the future let me know.))


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I had questions about the nature of shadowed Pokemon. An unfortunate gap in my education. That said, I am not opposed to discussing other, perhaps more delicate subjects, at some point in the future."  
 

“  Shadow Pokémon? Well it’s kind of a temporary—  ”

The rest gets drowned out when a loud roar rattles the building. It is, despite the noise, a  small  roar – definitely not the Fieberdra from earlier. The people from the restaurant immediately start talking amongst themselves, in voices that range from confused to frightened, and the girl on the other end of the phone seems to give up on being heard, saying “  Matt, I can’t hear anything, call me back once things have calmed down on your end!  ” and hanging up.

A heartbeat later Leo is pushing through the door, followed by Orion, and then Hilda (who sees the huge number of strangers inside and promptly stops where she is, inadvertently turning herself into a door stop).

Leo and Orion immediately try to get their respective trainers’ attention. Flotsam ((and anyone else looking out the now-open door)) can see her remaining Pokémon milling around in confusion out in the rain, along with something else that she can’t make out because it’s the same color as half her Pokémon. As she watches, a pair of black blurs swoop into their midst, and when they’re gone Gypsy is too. But  everyone  present can hear her Horsea’s shrill, panicked cry as she’s carried away into the rain.

The lobby quickly turns chaotic; someone shouts “We’re under attack!” and a number of people push immediately to the back of the Center. Todd yells “That was a Shadow Pokémon! Quick, we gotta help that— Oof! ” and then he’s tripped over his blankets and also Layla so the two land in a tangled heap. It’s clear they’re not going to be sorted out soon enough to do anything useful.

It’s about this time that the Copiakurn returns, carrying what seems to be a repurposed cookie sheet piled high with food. It looks around in confusion, then spots Flotsam and waddles over to present it to her with a noise that sounds like “ta-da!”
WindStruck
Flotsam accepts the sandwich sheepishly, likely intent on going out with the somewhat meager spoils to share, but better than returning empty handed.  "Oh.. thanks..! I guess that will do for now!"  she briefly smiles at the man, only for there to be an interruption, a commotion!

 "Huh? Hilda? Orion? What's wrong??"  Flotsom asks. That roar wasn't good.

Flotsam makes her way to the doors, and tries to peer out the windows. It was pretty hard to see out there. But she notices the two dark shapes, and the shrill cries of Gypsy.

 "Oh no! Gypsy!"  Flotsam cries, tossing the half-sandwich aside, which probably landed on a table or something. Maybe the floor. Instead, she uses her other free hand to try to scoop up Hilda and beckons to Orion.  "C'mon!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Party:

Flotsam’s Goldeen flops along the lobby floor to catch up with her and the other two Water types as she dashes out into the rain. The whatever-it-is that was mingling with her Pokémon outside bolts – it is blue and black, with yellow eyes – and another pair of black blurs take off from the Pokémon Center roof to chase after it, roughly in the same direction Flotsam can hear Gypsy’s rapidly-receding cries coming from. King falls in line with the rest of her Pokémon, the rain and mud making him nearly as fast over the ground as he would be in water.

Back in the Center, the Copiakurn makes a sad sound and waddles slowly back to the kitchen.

((And I’m going to pause there for everyone else in the Center to get a chance to react.))
Lord Ruby34
 "Princess!"  Less reacts immediately, pressing the button on Princess's ball and sending her forth into the rain.  "You and Leo, with me!"  Less yells.  "Buck, guard those inside!"  

Less steps outside into a downpour that immediately soaks his tweed suit and plasters his mustache to his face. His head swivels left and right, looking for any immediate dangers, then tracking the fleeing Pokemon, if none present themselves.
gorman
What the heck was that? I feel my feet rushing me toward the door, part of me wanting to help while another part is screaming, "Idiot! Didn't you hear we're under attack!? That could be Bandra out there!" Shaking my head I tell myself it doesn't matter, something needs help...

 "Let's bring out the team, cept Pyrofyl, let's see what's going on out there." 
Feathersnow
Akio pulls Ronin from their aborted training and has them rest while calling out Eto, the Scizor!  Resistant to most things besides flame, she seems like a good choice fir something that would come out in a rainstorm.

Together they go out the door. "How can I help!?"
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Party:

Fortunately there doesn’t actually appear to be any danger to the Center itself; neither Bandra nor hostile Pokémon.

You follow the Horsea’s cries out of town and into the sodden grassland surrounding it. The Pokémon that attacked - which turn out to be Murkrow - are also herding the yellow-eyed Pokémon (a Luxio) in the same direction, until the whole train of Pokémon, people, and Pokémon belonging to people arrives at a large outcrop of stone sticking out of the grassland. A worrying number of bones are scattered around it...and perched at the top, heedless of the rain, a Shadowed Honchkrow watches your approach with a soulless gaze. Sharp eyes reveal there’s something around one of its legs.

Another handful of Murkrow flap into view as the party approaches, so by the time the trainers and their Pokémon have all arrived, there are eight of them. A couple of the Murkrow are Shadowed too, but with their naturally dark coloration disguising the usual purple-black mottling it isn’t obvious without the Pokédex. The first set have chased the Luxio into a crevice in the rock; the latter is bristling at everything that comes close, including the party. ((Intimidate in effect! Its level is low enough it can ‘only’ affect twenty Pokémon, so the highest level Pokémon on the field (Rascal and the Honchkrow) are currently unaffected.))

Flotsam can see that Gypsy has managed to wrap her tail around the leg of the Murkrow that had grabbed her and is mostly doing a good job keeping out of the way of its beak, but by the same token the attacks she’s firing off are consistently missing their mark.

((Notes for players: Buck is still at the Center and can’t be used for this fight. The battlefield is under the effects of rain, same as if someone used Rain Dance but without wearing off.))

Honchkrow: 125/125 (  Shadowed: 36%  )
Murkrow A: 85/85 (  Shadowed: 48%   , Intimidated)
Murkrow B: 85/85 (  Shadowed: 42%  , has Gypsy, Intimidated)
Murkrow C: 72/72 (Intimidated)
Murkrow D: 72/72 (Intimidated)
Murkrow E: 72/72 (Intimidated)
Murkrow F: 72/72 (Intimidated)
Murkrow G: 60/60 (Intimidated)
Murkrow H: 60/60 (Intimidated)

Luxio: 67/67

Gypsy: 46/57 (Intimidated, tangled up with Murkrow B)
Rascal: 76/76
King: 67/67 (Intimidated)
Orion: 57/57 (Intimidated)
Hilda: 50/50 (Intimidated)

Leo: 66/66 (Intimidated)
Princess: 64/64 (Intimidated)

Poli: 102/102 (Intimidated)
Gastly: 72/72 (Intimidated)
Ratman: 69/69 (Intimidated)
Wythir: 75/75 (Intimidated)
Flaaffy: 88/88 (Intimidated)

Eto: 77/77 (Intimidated)
WindStruck
Flotsam scoops up Rascal as well so he doesn't have to flop around so much, whereas King seemed to propell himself quite fast through the rain. Flotsam calls back at Akio, having grown agitated with her attacked and missing Pokémon.  "Help save Gypsy!" 

She runs and runs through the rain, following the cries of her beloved Pokémon.

Seemed they were having a confrontation at a large outcropping.  "Let her go!"  Flotsam yells, pointing up at Gypsy.

She begins to mutter,  "Rascal, if they don't let Gypsy go, confuse the big one. And King, you start blasting." 

Looking at her staryu, she says,  "Orion, you would need to get in quick (swift). Um.. Hilda.. take it easy and boost your defense for now." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Feels like I'm talking a lot.  Could suggest a move to Gypsy too if you want.
 
Lord Ruby34
Less looks at the flock of Murkrow with some concern. This is more hostile Pokemon than he's seen in one place before, and Buck not being at his side gives him a moment's pause before he shakes it off.  "You will have no prey today." 
 "Go, Dancer! Hero! Leo, come back!"  Dancer and Hero appear next to Less, Dancer bobbing her heads up and down as she quickly takes position near the center. Hero is looking a little more nervous at the massive pile of enemy Pokemon. Less hopes that her spikes will deter the Murkrow from ganging up on her too much.

 "Princess, Bubble! Hit as many of those birds as you can! Dancer, growl!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Hero is taking Leo's spot. Don't want him to take too many super effective wing attacks, or whatever flying attack these things have.

Trying to avoid hurting the Luxio.
 
Feathersnow
"Daisho, Emerge!

Eto, distract that brute from the nice fish!  Use Fury Cutter!"

Akio sends out his Crobat and has his Scizor defend Gypsy!
Gnomes2169
((Wild pokemon battle))

The Honchcrow, sitting as it was above the battlefield like a lord of the carrion, continued to appear uninterested in the battle until attacks began being directed at it, at which point it let out a defiant cry, spreading its wings and gathering power to itself. Both of the shadowed murkrow flying in the air do the same, all of them beginning to swell with Shadow energy.

(All three wild shadow pokemon are using Ether Focus)


 

((Mark a little bit in the past))

Wondering how her day had been going, Mark decided to call Mina during his dinnertime pokemon center meal. He might as well check in after all. It wasn't weird to make a video call with his pokedex at this point, right? He had totally legitimate reasons to call her, after all, so it was hardly going to be awkward!

... He finally hit the call button after fixing his hair a little bit and setting up the 'dex so that the camera would face him while still letting him eat. He might as well look a  little  less like he'd been training pokemon for half of the day.
essCee
The regular Murkrow attack a bit more immediately.

Three of them - C, D, and G - head for the Scizor that closed the distance to use Fury Cutter, and strike her with their wings. (Wing Attack).

The other three begin to circle the group, cawing menacingly. They all keep their distance by using Night Shade - E uses it on King, F uses it on Orion, and H uses it on Princess.
gorman
Oh yuck... This brings back memories... And of course not very good ones...

 "Poliwhirl, bubble as many of the enemy birds as you can. Flaaffy, Thundershock one of the weaker ones (murkrow H). Ratman, Bite the Honchkrow. Wythir, Shadow Sneak that other weak looking Murkrow (murkrow G). And Gastly, stay invisible and if you see any of the birds coming at Flaaffy, appear in front of them and use Hypnosis on it." 

Turning to the other trainers I've recently met while in the pokemon center I yell, "Battles aren't what you might expect, they won't fight fair and neither should you. The more pokemon you use to dispatch the enemy, the less likely one of your own might get injured. Don't make the same mistake I made when I arrived."  Oh wait... they might be locals... What am I THINKING?!?!?!
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

((Note for players: when you don’t specify your targets the DM will choose for you, and that will often be less than optimal.))

With more allies on the field, some of the stronger Pokémon relax. ((Pokémon unaffected by Intimidate: Honchkrow, Rascal, Daisho, Poli, Flaaffy)) Matt’s skeletal half-horse ((Helnith Pokémon!)) streaks past every other Pokémon to land the first hit:

Wythir uses Shadow Sneak!
It’s not very effective…
Murkrow G is hit for 11 damage!

Daisho hovers in place, waiting for a command. But King has his orders, and with the rain making everything slick and wet, is nearly as fast as Daisho!

King uses Water Pulse!
Critical hit!
Murkrow E is hit for 72 damage!
Murkrow E faints! ((And Intimidate moves to Flaaffy.))

He also seems to be taking his instructions to blast very, very seriously as his target is knocked out of the sky in one hit.

Gypsy isn’t far behind, though she’s still wrapped around the Murkrow as it also gathers its energy.

Gypsy uses Focus Energy!
Gypsy is getting pumped!

Poli uses Bubble!
Honchkrow is hit for 15 damage!
Honchkrow’s Speed falls!
Murkrow B is hit for 19 damage!

The attack is a sufficient enough distraction that the Murkrow releases Gypsy and vice-versa. Fortunately for her, Eto is already on the way, and manages to catch her before she hits the ground. ((Gypsy is now free to seek revenge. 😉))

Murkrow D is hit for 23 damage!
Attack missed due to target KO!
Murkrow F is hit for 23 damage!
Murkrow G is hit for 27 damage!
Murkrow G’s Speed falls!

Honchkrow uses Ether Focus!
Honchkrow is getting pumped!
Honchkrow’s Attack rises!
Honchkrow’s Special Attack rises!
Honchkrow’s Speed rises! ((Back up to normal. 😛))

Murkrow A uses Ether Focus!
Murkrow A is getting pumped!
Murkrow A’s Attack rises!
Murkrow A’s Special Attack rises!
Murkrow A’s Speed rises!

Murkrow B uses Ether Focus!
Murkrow B is getting pumped!
Murkrow B’s Attack rises!
Murkrow B’s Special Attack rises!
Murkrow B’s Speed rises!

Dancer uses Growl!
Attack of all foes falls!

The Luxio backs further into its crevice.

Ratman uses Bite!
It’s not very effective…
Honchkrow is hit for 5 damage!

Murkrow C uses Wing Attack!
Eto is hit for 11 damage!

Murkrow D uses Wing Attack!
Eto is hit for 11 damage!

Between Dancer’s Growl and the Luxio bristling at anything and everything in sight, the Murkrow hitting Eto don’t hit hard, but they do hit.

Murkrow F uses Night Shade!
Orion is hit for 25 damage!

Orion uses Swift!
Murkrow B is hit for 18 damage!
Murkrow D is hit for 22 damage!
Attack missed due to target KO!
Murkrow G is hit for 24 damage!
Murkrow G faints! ((Intimidate moves to Poli.))

Rascal uses Supersonic!
Honchkrow is confused!

Gastly hovers protectively near Flaaffy, though none of the birds seem to be targeting the Electric type just now.

Murkrow H uses Night Shade!
Princess is hit for 20 damage!

Eto uses Fury Cutter!
Murkrow B is hit for 8 damage!

Flaaffy uses Thundershock!
It’s super effective!
Murkrow H is hit for 71 damage!
Murkrow H faints! ((Intimidate moves to Daisho.))

Despite its intimidating manner, the Luxio seems intent on staying as deep in its little sheltering crevice as it can get, rather than get involved in the battle royale.

Princess uses Bubble!
Murkrow C is hit for 14 damage!
Attack missed due to target KO!
Attack missed due to target KO!

Hilda uses Iron Defense!
Hilda’s Defense rises sharply!

Honchkrow’s Shadow Gauge falls 2%!
Murkrow A’s Shadow Gauge falls 2%!
Murkrow B’s Shadow Gauge falls 2%!


((Rain in effect.))

Honchkrow: 105/125 (  Shadowed: 34%  , crit ratio up one level, Special Attack up 1 level, Confused 1 round)
Murkrow A: 85/85 (  Shadowed: 46%  , Intimidated, crit ratio up one level, Special Attack up 1 level, Speed up 1 level)
Murkrow B: 40/85 (  Shadowed: 40%  , Intimidated, crit ratio up one level, Special Attack up 1 level, Speed up 1 level)
Murkrow C: 58/72 (Intimidated, Attack down 1 level)
Murkrow D: 27/72 (Intimidated, Attack down 1 level)
 Murkrow E: 0/72 
Murkrow F: 49/72 (Intimidated, Attack down 1 level)
 Murkrow G: 0/60 
 Murkrow H: 0/60 

Luxio: 67/67 (Attack down 1 level)

Gypsy: 46/57 (Intimidated, crit ratio up one level)
Rascal: 76/76
King: 67/67 (Intimidated)
Orion: 32/57 (Intimidated)
Hilda: 50/50 (Intimidated, Defense up 2 levels)

Leo: 66/66 (recalled)
Princess: 44/64 (Intimidated)
Dancer: 60/60 (Intimidated)
Hero: 64/64 (Intimidated)

Poli: 102/102 (Intimidated)
Gastly: 72/72 (Intimidated)
Ratman: 69/69 (Intimidated)
Wythir: 75/75 (Intimidated)
Flaaffy: 88/88 (Intimidated)

Eto: 55/77 (Intimidated)
Daisho: 100/100 (Intimidated)

----------------

Mark (timey wimey ball phone call with Mina):

Mina answers shortly; in contrast to Mark, her hair is still blue and it’s obvious she’s been spending a lot of time in the rain today. “   Oh hey, I didn’t realize these things had video.  Hi Mark, what do you need?  ”
WindStruck
This battle seemed to be going well enough for Flotsam's Pokémon except Orion got banged up. And Gyspy was released! It was time for some revenge! Unless all these birds decided to run away of course. Flotsam wouldn't mind that. She begins pointing out her next targets.

 "King, Gypsy, shoot that one quick!"  she says pointing at the weakened Murkrow that was buffing itself up!

(specifically, both shooting B with water gun.)

 "Easy, Orion! Fall back and recover!" 

Then indicating to Rascal, she says,  "Finish that one off!" 

(Targeting D. Horn attack is some nice imagery)

Lastly, Flotsam pats Hilda and says,  "Don't be scared. This is important. Try to trap the Honchcrow in a whirlpool!"  She sets Hilda down and steps back, letting the Clamperl open and shutter itself into the fray.
Gnomes2169
((Breakfast club battle))

The honchcrow, taking to the sky, would spread its wings as dark energy gathered along its feathers, and then unleash a pulse of energy with an annoyed  Snarl.  The pulse targeted the wild Luxio, Gypsy, Hilda, Princess, Hero, Poli, Ratman, Wythir, Flaffy and Eto. Well, if it can fight through its own confusion, that is. If anyone checks their pokedexes, it's immediately obvious that this bird has some training and atypical moves from a former trainer.

The injured shadowed murkrow, not having the same advantages, would just use a simple Wing Attack on Eto, while the healthy shadowed murkrow sends a blast of shadow energy into the sky and creates a Shadow Storm targeting the Luxio, Rascal, King, Dancer, Poli, Wythir and Daisho.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark (timey wimey ball phone call with Mina):

Mina answers shortly; in contrast to Mark, her hair is still blue and it’s obvious she’s been spending a lot of time in the rain today. “   Oh hey, I didn’t realize these things had video.  Hi Mark, what do you need?  ” 
 

He waved when she answered and flashed her his Markiest Grin tm .  "Yeah, they have a camera and everything,  kinda makes them better for calls than my phone when I don't need to look pokemon up . And I was just calling to check how things were going and to report in on what I've found out... I take it you've been running outside a lot, huh?" 
Feathersnow
"Eto! Continue on your target!"

"Daisho! Astonish the big guy before he does something impressive! "
Lord Ruby34
Less clutches in cane in his right hand, as he uses it to direct his Pokemon. While the battle against the lesser Murkrow were going well, the shadowed Pokemon were clearly going to be a danger all on their own. He might not be able to keep Leo in reserve much longer, even with the risks that the Flying types posed to amphibian warrior. He was already regretting leaving Buck to guard the Pokemon Center. One roar might well have dispersed the flock.

But there was nothing for it. Princess and Hero were out of their element here, and he would have to trust his newfound allies to handle actually damaging the birds while his Pokemon did there best to weaken the black-feathered flock.  "Princess, defend Hero and use Protect!"  Less yelled, gesturing with his cane. He hated to give a complicated order he knew Princess would struggle to handle, but Hero wasn't yet strong enough to weather an assault on her own, but was still able to make at least one valuable contribution to the fight.  "Hero, tail whip! Dancer, Leer!" 

Less's Pokemon jump into action without hesitation, hoping to distract the shadowed Pokemon long enough for the other three trainers to bring them down.
gorman
 "Wow these guys fight better than I when I first started...again that is... Alright team good work, Gastly good job, let's have you repeat what you did last round. Poliwhirl use Bubble again. Ratman use Quick Attack on the Honchkrow. Wythir use Stomp on the Honchkrow as well. And if it's still standing, Flaaffy Thundershock it. Let's go team!" 
essCee
The regular Murkrow start to falter as several of them are dropped quickly. C and D disengage from attacking Eto, and replace their mates who were flying around the group. They each use Night Shade on the Pokemon who most recently hit them - C goes for Princess and D goes for Orion. F keeps up its own Night Shading of Orion.

Caw!
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

The less battered of the two Shadow Murkrow gives a hair-raising screech that manages to cut through all the sounds of battle and rain and leave a brief void of sound in its wake. The unnatural silence is broken a moment later as all the Pokédexes start blaring a warning in unison:

"  WARNING! WARNING! Shadow Pokémon detected! Shadow Rage imminent.  "

The Murkrow goes from being a dark shape in the rain to a Murkrow-shaped hole that seems to devour all light. The Pokédex also informs you that it’s shot up several levels ((Effective Level: 35, up from 30)).

Princess manages to pull off the Protect while dancing between her battle partner and anything looking to attack flawlessly.

Princess uses Protect!
Princess is protecting herself!

Ratman uses Quick Attack!
Honchkrow is hit for 13 damage!

The boost in speed from their gathered shadow energy is just enough for both Shadow Murkrow to edge past Daisho.

Murkrow A uses Shadow Storm!
Wild Luxio is hit for 66 damage!

While the shelter of stone protects it somewhat, eventually the attack blasts into the Luxio’s hiding place, ripping it out into the open. The Electric type just barely manages to climb to its feet ((1 HP!)), before making a worried scan of the area and trying to limp away from the war zone in the least dangerous direction.

Critical hit!
Rascal is hit for 234 damage!
Rascal faints!
King is hit for 119 damage!
King faints!
Dancer is hit for 170 damage!
Dancer faints!
Poli is hit for 124 damage!
Poli faints!
Wythir is hit for 97 damage!
Wythir faints!
Daisho is hit for 71 damage!

Daisho valiantly hangs on to consciousness when nearly every other Pokémon directly hit by the attack is swept away.

Murkrow B uses Wing Attack!
Eto is hit for 19 damage!

The other Shadow Murkrow clashes with Eto nearby; the Luxio, seeing this, decides to give up all attempts at further intimidation in favor of hobbling a little faster. ((Intimidate dropped!))

Daisho uses Astonish!
It’s not very effective…
Honchkrow is hit for 6 damage!
Honchkrow flinches!

Gypsy uses Water Gun!
Murkrow B is hit for 24 damage!

Honchkrow flinches!

Murkrow C uses Night Shade!
Princess is protecting herself!

Murkrow D uses Night Shade!
Orion is hit for 25 damage!

Murkrow F uses Night Shade!
Orion is hit for 25 damage!
Orion faints!

Daisho’s quick save prevented the Honchkrow from pulling off its attack, but Gastly has already been spurred into action at the attempt on Flaaffy, and fires a Hypnosis at it anyway.

Gastly uses Hypnosis!
Honchkrow sleeps!

Eto uses Fury Cutter!
Murkrow B is hit for 21 damage!
Murkrow B faints!

Flaaffy uses Thundershock!
It’s super effective!
Honchkrow is hit for 46 damage!

Hero uses Tail Whip!
Defense of all foes falls!

Hilda uses Whirlpool!
Attack missed!

Honchkrow’s Shadow Gauge falls 2%!
Murkrow A’s Rage Gauge falls 5%! ((Older players will note this has been tweaked; this is so there will be a little more distinction between being Shadowed and being in a Shadow Rage. There will probably be more tweaks in the future, just FYI.))


((Rain in effect.))

Honchkrow: 40/125 (  Shadowed: 32%  , crit ratio up one level, Special Attack up 1 level, Confused 2 rounds, Asleep, Defense down 1 level)
Murkrow A: 97/97 (  Shadowed: 46%  , Rage Gauge: 95%, crit ratio up one level, Special Attack up 1 level, Speed up 1 level, Defense down 1 level)
 Murkrow B: 0/85 (  Shadowed: 40%  ) 
Murkrow C: 58/72 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)
Murkrow D: 27/72 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)
 Murkrow E: 0/72 
Murkrow F: 49/72 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)
 Murkrow G: 0/60 
 Murkrow H: 0/60 

Luxio: 1/67 (Attack down 1 level, fleeing)

Gypsy: 46/57 (crit ratio up one level)
 Rascal: 0/76 
 King: 0/67 
 Orion: 0/57 
Hilda: 50/50 (Defense up 2 levels)

Leo: 66/66 (recalled)
Princess: 44/64
 Dancer: 0/60 
Hero: 64/64

 Poli: 0/102 
Gastly: 72/72
Ratman: 69/69
 Wythir: 0/75 
Flaaffy: 88/88

Eto: 36/77
Daisho: 29/100

----------------

Mark (phone call with Mina):

“  Yeah, I should have looked for an umbrella at the Department Store here, but I got distracted. But how are things on your end?  ”
WindStruck
While at first the skirmish was going swimmingly (HAHA get it?!) now the tables had turned, and many friendly Pokémon had fainted. Even over half of her own Pokémon. They were dropping like flies! While Flotsam was extremely optimistic and perhaps not even taking this battle  too  seriously since Gypsy had been released, now she was worried for the others.

 "Oh my gosh!!"  she gasps, recalling her fainted Pokémon before any more harm could come to them.

 "We've got to stop that crazy Pokémon!"  she cries. Or maybe.. time to cut their losses and run? At least they saved Gypsy now.. but could they even hope to flee from this flock of formidable fowls?

 "Smokescreen and Clamp that one now!"  she says. Flotsam really hoped Hilda and Gypsy would be okay.. if not, not only would  she  probably have to run from this, but she'd feel horrible for her poor Pokémon. All because she went to get some snacks!

Looking to the Luxio that was slinking off, she implores,  "Please.. please help us..!"  Flotsam knew it would be a lot to ask, and this wild Pokémon appeared to be severely injured. So as a token of good will (and possibly the only feasible way this Luxio could reasonably fight at all), Flotsam practically groveled up to this frightened and battered Luxio, and she slowly retrieved a tiny spray bottle thingy (from somewhere?). Spraying the Luxio's wounds improves its HP by 50.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
To make it absolutely clear, targeting Murkrow A, the one that nuked everyone.
 
Feathersnow
Daisho!  Try, astonish again on the shadow Murkrow!

Eto, try to finish the weak one with another fury cutter!
Gnomes2169
The sleeping Honchcrow shifted a bit from its perch, still not fully unconscious and clearly still struggling to awaken, wings twitching to make a Wing Attack against Matt's Ghastly should it succeed.

The raging Murkrow, on the other hand, continues its rampage, releasing a scream from the void itself as it Shadow Rushes Hero.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark (phone call with Mina):

“  Yeah, I should have looked for an umbrella at the Department Store here, but I got distracted. But how are things on your end?  ” 
 

 "Going well enough. Talked to the flute maker, and I think that I have a plan for how we're taking out Quibir's poffin production... but I want to talk to Wain about a few things before making anything certain."  Picking up his pokedex so that he could shift in his chair without leaving her view, he'd ask, "How goes your research? You know. Besides stormy."
gorman
 "Gastly Hynosis Murkrow A, Flaaffy Thundershock the Honchkrow, if its down hit Murkrow A with Thundershock instead, Ratman Bite Murkrow A, please go first and make that bird flinch, I can't lose the rest of you to shadowing again damn it!"  I could feel my eyes starting to water and despair wash over me like the battle in the Shrine of Light when one attack wiped out the whole team. This battle was like a reminder that shadowing's a very dangerous condition with only one strange cure, I think to myself while subconsciously rubbing the pocket of my backpack that held the Time Flute. Wait a second...the TIME FLUTE.... I could have just tried to use THAT to cure these stupid shadowed krows! Oh god and I think of that NOW?! My temples throb from sudden pain and my free hand goes to my head, pain causing my eyes to squint... Damn it.
Lord Ruby34
 "Dancer!"  Less, yells out in instinctive fear as Dancer is blasted by a wave of shadow energy that sends her bouncing and rolling along the ground to land at Less's feet. Less had never seen so many Pokemon fall so quickly, and he wished for Buck's reassuring presence more than ever before. He has Dancer's Pokeball in his hand before he even realizes what's happening. A thin red line. connects the unconscious Dodou and the Pokeball as she's recalled to relative safety. No more help for it, he would have to chance sending Leo in against the flying types. The situation was looking too dire to let any of his companions stay back any longer.

 "Leo, take Dancer's place!" .

The battle itself was chaos. Less noted Flotsam helping the wounded Luxio and unconsciously moved to put his body between the young girl and the flock of marauding Pokemon. They needed to end this fight quickly.  "Princess, vice grip that shadowed Murkrow! Leo, Revenge the strongest foe left standing!"   That left the leader of the shadowed Pokemon. If that Honchcrow was capable of as much as the other shadowed Pokemon, it waking up presented a dire threat against everyone present. Less had an idea. If it wasn't still on the field, if it was gone, then the lessor Murkcrow might flee. Maybe even before they could do any more damage to his companions, or the the Pokemon that stood with them.

 "Hero, guard me for a moment!"  Less took half a moment to take a deep breath as he withdrew the Ultra Ball from his belt. In more than fifty years of life, this would be the first time he had actually thrown one of these contraptions. Emilia had said throwing one of these wasn't that much different than playing catch like they had when she was a girl. No hesitation. The Ultra Ball flew through the air towards the Honchcrow, opening as it made contact.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Effectively skipping Hero's action to throw an Ultra Ball at the Honchcrow. No idea if you can even capture shadowed Pokemon, but Less doesn't know either!

Turn layout: Leo comes in for Dancer after she faints.
Princess uses Vicegrip on Murkrow A.
Leo uses Revenge on the strongest Murkrow still standing.
Hero's turn is used to throw an Ultra Ball at the Honchcrow.
 
essCee
With their targets either seemingly untouchable due to protect or taken down, the three regular Murkrow take stock of how many of their own are down and begin to head back to their sleepy leader. They are intercepted by Eto attacking Murkrow D on the way, so the three of them converge on that very up-close and immediately attacker with Wing Attacks.
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

Despite the groveling, the Luxio shrinks back a little. But perhaps it’s had enough previous contact with humans to know what Potions are, or perhaps it recognized Flotsam as non-threatening, because ultimately it lets her approach and spray it down. Most of its wounds vanish ((-1 Super Potion for Flotsam, 1 remaining. Luxio is now at 51 HP!))

Instantly rejuvenated, the little Electric cat charges back to the fight, bristling at the hostile birds (and this time,  only  the hostile birds), although between the healing and the transit time the Luxio doesn’t have the chance to contribute an attack just yet. ((Intimidate back up!))

Meanwhile, Less' Ultra Ball soars through the air. The sleeping Honchkrow is briefly engulfed – the Shadowing doesn’t seem to be preventing the ball from working (and despite the signs of a previous trainer, it apparently IS a wild Pokémon, which could have been another complication), but it still has to contain the Pokémon long enough to actually  catch  it –

 Pop!  The ball flies apart halfway through its first shake, now broken and useless. ((☹️ -1 Ultra Ball for Less, 0 remaining.))

Equally unfortunately, Ratman isn’t  anywhere near  fast enough to out-speed the Shadow Murkrow ((and Bite isn’t increased priority)), so Ratman is left with chasing after it until he can finally land the blow.

Murkrow A uses Shadow Rush!
Hero is hit for 33 damage!
Murkrow A takes 2 damage from recoil!

Unfortunately the Murkrow manages to hit at the right angle to avoid Hero’s poisonous spines.

Daisho uses Astonish!
Murkrow A is hit for 12 damage!

Gypsy uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of all foes falls!

Honchkrow still sleeps!

Ratman uses Bite!
It’s not very effective…
Murkrow A is hit for 10 damage!

Murkrow C uses Wing Attack!
Eto is hit for 9 damage!

Murkrow D uses Wing Attack!
Eto is hit for 11 damage!

Murkrow F uses Wing Attack!
Eto is hit for 9 damage!

Eto stumbles, but does not yet fall under the Murkrows’ combined assault.

Gastly uses Hypnosis!
Murkrow A falls asleep!

Eto uses Fury Cutter!
Murkrow D is hit for 71 damage!

Eto sends one of her attackers sailing back into the rocky outcrop. The latter slides to the ground into the mud, clearly unconscious.

Murkrow D faints!

Flaaffy uses Thundershock!
It’s super effective!
Honchkrow is hit for 44 damage!
Honchkrow faints!

The large bird tumbles backward off its perch.

Princess uses Vice Grip!
Murkrow A is hit for 26 damage!

Hilda uses Clamp!
Murkrow A is hit for 13 damage!
Hilda clamped Murkrow A!

Leo uses Revenge!
Murkrow A is hit for 42 damage!
Murkrow A faints!

The Pokédexes register that the Shadow Rage ends as soon as the Shadowed Murkrow is KO’d.

With the last of the Shadow Pokémon unconscious, the remaining Murkrow decide enough is enough and take off into the rain. On the ground, the Luxio Roars after them, as if to say, “And don’t come back!” looking confident. And then rubs against Flotsam’s leg, purring. It seems you’ve made a friend.

Now that you’re not concentrating on the battle, it’s clear that the Murkrow have stashed a fair amount of shiny stuff in and around the outcropping, scattered among the bones. It looks like this is their nesting ground, although there is no sign of eggs or hatchlings.

((Let me know if you want to stick around to loot. Either way, time for some XP! 😎

Feathersnow, since you only used two Pokémon the entire battle you can either give a level each to Daisho and Eto or give two levels to Eto.

Everyone else, pick two of your Pokémon that participated and they will each get a level up.

 Honchkrow: 0/125 (  Shadowed: 32%  ) 
 Murkrow A: 0/97 (  Shadowed: 46%  )  
 Murkrow B: 0/85 (  Shadowed: 40%  ) 
 Murkrow C: 58/72  - fled
 Murkrow D: 0/72 
 Murkrow E: 0/72 
 Murkrow F: 49/72  - fled
 Murkrow G: 0/60 
 Murkrow H: 0/60 

Luxio: 51/67 (Attack down 1 level)

Gypsy: 46/57 (crit ratio up one level)
 Rascal: 0/76 
 King: 0/67 
 Orion: 0/57 
Hilda: 50/50 (Defense up 2 levels)

Leo: 66/66
Princess: 44/64
 Dancer: 0/60 
Hero: 31/64

 Poli: 0/102 
Gastly: 72/72
Ratman: 69/69
 Wythir: 0/75 
Flaaffy: 88/88

Eto: 7/77
Daisho: 29/100))

----------------

Mark (phone call with Mina):

“  I might have a lead on that book. The college here has a museum on campus and they have another copy of it there, plus a    huge  library.  ” Mina looks uncertain for a moment, then continues. “  They also have a…job board, I guess; I made a list of some of the things they had posted, and most of them are pretty straightforward, so if you or anyone else needs some extra spending money let me know and I’ll send it on.

But enough about me; did you learn anything useful from the flutemaker?  ”
WindStruck
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Guess I'll level up Hilda and Gypsy, given that they are the ones that survived this harrowing experience, and are among the lowest level. But if Rascal keeps getting 1KO'd, I'll probably have to level him up too!  😛
 


Flotsom sighs with relief, dropping to her knees and resting in the rain.  "Whew.. thank goodness! Gypsy, Hilda, are you okay?"  Though she didn't recall Hilda being hit, and Gypsy looked a little worse for wear... they seemed alright. She couldn't say the same for King, Orion, or Rascal. Yikes!

Just then, the Luxio started purring and rubbing up against Flotsam. She twitched a bit in surprise, not expecting this.  "Oh! Hey.."  she laughs wistfully.  "Hey there. If only you had realized we weren't out to get you sooner."  She pats the Luxio and musses its fur, soaking wet as it was out here.

 "Stupid mean crows, trying to eat my friend..."  she complains idly and sighs before standing back up.

Since Gypsy was the skittish sort, now finding herself around a bunch of strange people and other pokemon, Flotsam decided to go up to her. Hugging her Horsea she says,  "Oh, Gypsy, I'm so sorry! I wasn't really gone that long, was I??" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

 
 Spoiler: New Stats for Gypsy and Hilda 

Pokémon: Horsea (Gypsy)
Type: Water
Ability: Swift Swim
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 59
Attack: 33
Def: 49
Sp. Attack: 49
Sp. Def: 26
Speed: 44
Moves:  LIMIT SIX – DROP ONE 
Bubble
Smokescreen
Water Gun
Focus Energy
Bubblebeam
Agility
 Twister 

Pokémon: Clamperl (Hilda)
Type: Water
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 21
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 52
Attack: 38
Def: 47
Sp. Attack: 42
Sp. Def: 34
Speed: 24
Moves:
Clamp
Iron Defense
Water Gun
Whirlpool
 


Gypsy seems a little shook up, but neither she nor Hilda seem as bothered by the strangers as they had been before. (It probably helps that there are fewer of them.) Mostly they seem tired from the recent excitement.

The Luxio’s head fur is a little shorter than expected, and a glance at the Pokédex will confirm it’s a girl. She seems to enjoy the pats, and after a moment she and Hilda strike up a conversation in Pokéspeak.


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
   "Oh, Gypsy, I'm so sorry! I wasn't really gone that long, was I??"  
 

Gypsy snuggles deep into her trainer’s arms, and while Flotsam naturally can’t understand a word of it her answer in breathy Pokéspeak seems to be reassuring.
Lord Ruby34
Less lets out a long exhale. His gambit with the Pokeball had failed, but at they had managed to drive off the flock. Less took a moment to congratulation his Pokemon.  "Excellent showing. Princess, you did a particularly good job with the protect maneuver."  He makes sure to give a little extra attention to Hero, checking out her wounds before recalling both Princess and Hero to their balls to recover.

The field was a mess. The unconscious forms of many Murkrow lay scattered about, and everyone else seemed to be shaking off their daze. The girl, Floatsom, Less recalled, was fussing over her captured Pokemon, as she well should. Less took a moment to approach.  "I think that little Luxio has taken a shine to you, child. Why don't you offer her a Pokeball and see if she'd like to join you on your travels. It seems likely that she would be amiable."  

Next to them though, was the unconscious Honchkrow that Less had thrown an Ultra Ball at earlier. Less bent down to examine the injured Pokemon, carefully, with Leo standing beside him. He had not had the opportunity to examine a shadowed Pokemon before.  "Is there a way to heal whatever was afflicting these creatures?"  Less wondered aloud. It seemed to him that it might be their responsibility to take the injured Pokemon back to the center to see what could be done.
WindStruck
Having finished a proper reunion with her Pokémon, Flotsam turns curiously to Less. She looks between the older man and the Luxio repeatedly, as if coming out of a daze.  "Huh? Oh, I mean, um..." 

The thought of actually "capturing" or taming the wild Pokémon hadn't crossed Flotsam's mind. She was just grateful that it seemed to want to help, and turned out friendly - and that she got Gypsy back safe and sound at least.

 "I don't know. She's cute and all, and I'm glad she's taken a liking to me. I'm just not sure if, uh.. if she'll be all that compatible with the others? Or if she'll like the same things we do?"  Thoughts of the Luxio roughhousing with her other Pokémon and accidentally shocking them half to death, or simply being unhappy being sopping wet and drenched, or underwater all the time came to Flotsam.

She was about as eager to take on an electric Pokémon as a vampire was to receive a holy cross.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark (phone call with Mina):

“  I might have a lead on that book. The college here has a museum on campus and they have another copy of it there, plus a    huge  library.  ” Mina looks uncertain for a moment, then continues. “  They also have a…job board, I guess; I made a list of some of the things they had posted, and most of them are pretty straightforward, so if you or anyone else needs some extra spending money let me know and I’ll send it on.

But enough about me; did you learn anything useful from the flutemaker?  ” 
 

 "Huh. I'm perpetually broke. I should look at that board."  He says, remembering the medicine delivery jobs he's run over the last few days. More stuff like that wouldn't be all that rough.  "The flute maker told us about the town. There's no pokemon center, it's close-ish to the regional safari zone, there aren't many woods or forests in the area, but it's a bit rocky. It's also close enough to that volcano on the coast that they have a steady source of volcanic ash, which is why she liked living there among other things. They don't have a power plant of their own, so if we can cut them off from the plant in Piez that should pretty much shut them down... if we can handle their backup generators in the contest hall and the mart, at least. The houses are also pretty well fireproofed, on account of the volcano. Oh, and she gave us a LOT of soot sacks, so we could pick up ash for her craft. Ash that's... constantly falling... on account of the active volcano." 

Pausing for a second, Mark would glance around him and lean in to quietly add,  "I'm not certain that I trust her fully. I know it may have just been her personality, but she was... well, she doesn't like Bandra for sure, but she was flighty about them burning down her shop, and they might still have something she cares about to blackmail her with she didn't want to talk about..."  He realized that he'd never actually heard  how  she got out of the town in the first place, just that she'd left after the shop was destroyed, but he shook his head and said,  "I'm probably just being paranoid. But anyway, I implied that we might be looking to come at Quibir from the Safari zone in the east. Just in case. I think our best bet is to surf from Tidepath to the western shoreline anyway."  If his paranoia was onto something and Ei sold them out to Bandra, that would hopefully point their eyes in the wrong direction.
gorman
After inspecting the Murkrow's nest area for loot I over hear the one called Less inquire about a cure to the conditioning of shadowing.
 "As far as I'm aware, the painstakingly long process of fighting with a shadowed pokemon will eventually bring it back to normal provided it doesn't go into a rage and...well... you saw what the ONE bird did to what was it..... FIVE of our pokemon.... Just wipe them all out in one hit... So, now I believe when they become healed, they too will be infected with the shadowing...disease? Ahm, there is also the possibility that you find one of these,"  I say pulling the Time Flute from my backpack,  "It's called a Time Flute and it has the chance to cleanse a pokemon of it's shadowing in one go provided it listens to the music that soothes the savage soul. However this item appears to deteriorate upon usage, I'd say this one has maybe three more uses left before it's completely broken. I'm unaware of a means to repair it. That's roughly the extent on my knowledge of shadowing." 
Lord Ruby34
The hesitation in Flotsom's voice was audible. It reminded him of Emilia and so many other children, hesitant to try a new food, play with a new toy, or make a new friend.  "You will never know the answers to the those questions, child,"  Less responds in the accented drawl he uses when giving a lecture,  "unless you take the time to find out the answers. You may make a new friend, or you may end up parting after only a week. But without taking the time to try to make friends you don't expect, you never will. But your compassion has already started to create a bond between the two of you. I believe that bond could grow mighty, if you take the time to nurture it to fruition." 

Less's attention briefly returns to the Murkrow before Matt's words register. He turns sharply towards him, with a look of surprise.  "Dancer and the others then, could be infected, by this shadowing?"  Less realizes his voice comes out sharper and more accusing than intended. The only thing that stops Less from heading off to the Pokemon Center at that moment is the man's claim that the flute can cure them. Less takes a deep breath, then continues.  "My apologies, that came out poorly, and I do not mean to express anything but my own bewilderment. Does that flute cure all the Pokemon who hear it, then, with one song? If so, it might be practical to take the shadowed crows to the Pokemon center with our own injured companions, so that we can heal them and stop the shadowed Pokemon from spreading this affliction any further."  
 
 Spoiler: Accent and Appearance 

I spent awhile trying to look for a good reference image for Less, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. But I imagine him looking and sounding like the picture below, only twenty some years older, sans hat, and in a tweed suit. Currently, I suppose, he would also be dripping wet.

 
 
Feathersnow
Akio listens with alarm that his beloved Daisho and Eto might possibly be infected!  He sees to them, but does not withdraw them to their pokeballs until this is sorted out.  "Good girls.  You did good."

 
 Spoiler:  OoC 

2 levels to Eto
 
WindStruck
Flotsam looks down and shies away, still feeling quite reluctant. But the revelation that this shadowing was contagious was quite alarming.

 "What?! Oh my gosh! I think we should head to the Pokémon center right away then!" 

She looks at Matt and says,  "If anyone else got shadowed, I hope you can cure them!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

 
 Spoiler: New Stats for Princess and Hero 

Pokemon: Corphish (Princess)
Type: Water
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 66 +1
Attack: 54 +10
Def: 46 +10
Sp. Attack: 39
Sp. Def: 31
Speed: 31
Moves:  LIMIT SIX – DROP ONE 
Bubble
Harden
ViceGrip
Leer
Bubblebeam
Protect
 Knock Off 

Pokemon: Nidorina (Hero)
Type: Poison
Ability: Poison Point
Gender: Female
Level: 21
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 66 +1
Attack: 37
Def: 39 +5
Sp. Attack: 34
Sp. Def: 34 +10
Speed: 35
Moves:
Growl
Scratch
Tail Whip
Double Kick
Poison Sting
Fury Swipes
 

 
 Spoiler: New Stats for Eto 

Pokemon: Scizor (Eto)
Type: Bug/Steel
Ability: Technician
Gender: Female
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 83
Attack: 83
Def: 67 +7
Sp. Attack: 43
Sp. Def: 56 +15
Speed: 48
Moves:
Quick Attack
Focus Energy
Pursuit
False Swipe
Metal Claw
Fury Cutter
 



(( Note for players:  You can’t catch a Pokémon that has been KO’d; in-universe this is a safety feature on the Pokéballs. So if you want to take any of the wild ‘mon back to town you are going to need to carry them, or find another way to transport them.))

 
 Spoiler: Less 
While Less is examining the knocked out Honchkrow, he notices something wrapped around its leg: a thick metal band, with a stubby little antennae jutting out of it and a small red light that blinks ominously.
 


Meanwhile, heedless of Flotsam’s concerns, the Luxio is standing in the rain with no apparent regard for the wet and has managed to coax Hilda out of her shell both literally and figuratively, as the two seem very absorbed in their conversation.

Matt digs through the site and comes up with a number of noteworthy items:

 
 Spoiler: Loot 

Rare Bone
Thick Club
Crumpled up ball of aluminum foil
Water Stone
Human skull
Beach Glass x4
Mining Kit
Heart Scale x2
Lone Earring
Poison Gem
Relic Copper
Chipped Pot – inside is a receipt you can barely make out, with a delivery address in Skybreak City
Glitter Ball
Net Ball x2
Wide Brimmed Hat with bug netting built in
Part of a belt with a shiny buckle still attached
Unown Tiles* – G, K, P, T, W
Cloudy Crystal*
Various bones of indeterminate origin and species

*Helnith item
Cloudy Crystal – weather stone like the Heat Rock or Damp Rock, except this one extends the use of fog
 


----------------

Mark (phone call with Mina):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Huh. I'm perpetually broke. I should look at that board."  
 

“  I’ll send you the list then. Fair warning, if you want one of the jobs you need to sign up at the college campus; it was near the entrance of the main building. Some of them are a regular thing, some of them you have to do at a particular time.

Also, they have security here to protect against Bandra Teleporting in, but that means we can’t just warp in and out whenever we want either.  ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The flute maker told us about the town. There's no pokemon center, it's close-ish to the regional safari zone, there aren't many woods or forests in the area, but it's a bit rocky. It's also close enough to that volcano on the coast that they have a steady source of volcanic ash, which is why she liked living there among other things. They don't have a power plant of their own, so if we can cut them off from the plant in Piez that should pretty much shut them down... if we can handle their backup generators in the contest hall and the mart, at least."  
 

“  Sounds good. And even if we can’t take out the generators, at least the Grunts we fight won’t be able to run over and heal their Pokémon mid-battle.  ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The houses are also pretty well fireproofed, on account of the volcano. Oh, and she gave us a LOT of soot sacks, so we could pick up ash for her craft. Ash that's... constantly falling... on account of the active volcano."  
 

Mina seems to pick up on the hesitation and replies, hesitant in turn, “  That sounds…good?   ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm not certain that I trust her fully. I know it may have just been her personality, but she was... well, she doesn't like Bandra for sure, but she was flighty about them burning down her shop, and they might still have something she cares about to blackmail her with she didn't want to talk about...I'm probably just being paranoid. But anyway, I implied that we might be looking to come at Quibir from the Safari zone in the east. Just in case. I think our best bet is to surf from Tidepath to the western shoreline anyway."  
 

“  She was an interesting personality, that’s for sure. But good plan. Anything else I should know that can’t wait? I need to get out before curfew, or I’m going to be stuck here until tomorrow.  ”

Not long after this, Mark’s Pokédex  brees  with an incoming text.

  Mina sent you a message! 
 Hello, my stormy fellow!

Here is the list I mentioned.

 
 Count the Pokémon that eat out of a feeder at the park (Six hour slots: 7 AM – 1 PM, 1 PM – 7 PM.)(4,000 PD) 
 Battle and subdue (do NOT catch; I asked) a Water Pokémon so they can attach a camera to it (date and time is open, transportation provided) (6,000 PD) 
 Catalogue historical items for the museum (8 AM to 4 PM daily) (6,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to take plaster casts of prints on north coast (date and time is open, I gather this is near Bandra territory and they’re having trouble finding volunteers) (4,000 PD) 
 Set up chairs for a seminar at the park (10 AM to 11 AM TOMORROW, it was going to be today but they postponed it due to rain, also they want multiple people) (2,000 PD) 
 Take chairs down after the seminar (1 PM to 2 PM TOMORROW, see above about more people) (2,000 PD) 
 Collect bird droppings around Skybreak (I’m serious. Apparently they’re studying their diet, or something. Date and time is open.) (3,000 PD) 
 Pick up soil samples from the Geology Club in Tidepath (Date and time is open.)(4,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to gather plant and soil samples from the Spectral Dimension (‘Rift dependent’, I didn’t ask since I figured there wouldn’t be time before you-know-what, sorry! Also they want at least three people.) (20,000 PD) 
 
Also there were some postings from the Geology Club, but they were offering items, not money.

If you want to pick these up, don’t forget curfew starts at 8 PM and goes until 6 AM!  
Lord Ruby34
Less takes a moment to retrieve the metal band from the Honchkrow's leg and examine the object more thoroughly. Some kind of transmitter? Less will look for more information, then hold the band out and see what everyone else might know.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I'll go ahead and delete bubble.

Also, I think Less wants to know what this is before committing to a course of action, if he can figure it out.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Murkrow Flock:
Mark (phone call with Mina):
 
 Spoiler: The phone call 
“  I’ll send you the list then. Fair warning, if you want one of the jobs you need to sign up at the college campus; it was near the entrance of the main building. Some of them are a regular thing, some of them you have to do at a particular time.

Also, they have security here to protect against Bandra Teleporting in, but that means we can’t just warp in and out whenever we want either.  ”

“  Sounds good. And even if we can’t take out the generators, at least the Grunts we fight won’t be able to run over and heal their Pokémon mid-battle.  ”

Mina seems to pick up on the hesitation and replies, hesitant in turn, “  That sounds…good?   ”

“  She was an interesting personality, that’s for sure. But good plan. Anything else I should know that can’t wait? I need to get out before curfew, or I’m going to be stuck here until tomorrow.  ”
 
 
 

He'd make sure to keep that curfew time in mind.  "That should be all on my end for now. I'll call Wain and see what he has to say, and then go talk to those people Matt found. If I see you again tonight, I'll update you on how all that junk goes too. Uh..."  There was a bit of an awkward pause as he considered how to say bye, and he decides on,  "See you later then!"  After she responds, he hangs up, smacks his forehead with his fleshy hand and says,  "Idiot. 'SeE YoU lAtEr tHeN.' That's what took you so long to come up with?"  He checked her text with all the jobs, sent her a message in response, and then gave Wain his call.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: Jerbs 
Not long after this, Mark’s Pokédex  brees  with an incoming text.

  Mina sent you a message! 
 Hello, my stormy fellow!

Here is the list I mentioned.

 
 Count the Pokémon that eat out of a feeder at the park (Six hour slots: 7 AM – 1 PM, 1 PM – 7 PM.)(4,000 PD) 
 Battle and subdue (do NOT catch; I asked) a Water Pokémon so they can attach a camera to it (date and time is open, transportation provided) (6,000 PD) 
 Catalogue historical items for the museum (8 AM to 4 PM daily) (6,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to take plaster casts of prints on north coast (date and time is open, I gather this is near Bandra territory and they’re having trouble finding volunteers) (4,000 PD) 
 Set up chairs for a seminar at the park (10 AM to 11 AM TOMORROW, it was going to be today but they postponed it due to rain, also they want multiple people) (2,000 PD) 
 Take chairs down after the seminar (1 PM to 2 PM TOMORROW, see above about more people) (2,000 PD) 
 Collect bird droppings around Skybreak (I’m serious. Apparently they’re studying their diet, or something. Date and time is open.) (3,000 PD) 
 Pick up soil samples from the Geology Club in Tidepath (Date and time is open.)(4,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to gather plant and soil samples from the Spectral Dimension (‘Rift dependent’, I didn’t ask since I figured there wouldn’t be time before you-know-what, sorry! Also they want at least three people.) (20,000 PD) 
 
Also there were some postings from the Geology Club, but they were offering items, not money.

If you want to pick these up, don’t forget curfew starts at 8 PM and goes until 6 AM!  
 
 
 

Mark's message read, &lt;  Makes sense the chairs one got washed out.  &gt; That was close enough to storm stuff, right? Right. &lt;  I'm guessing these jobs are per-person? Most of them seem easy. Except that spectral dimension one, holy wow that's crazy. The chairs ones should be easily doable, I'll see if any of the new people are interested in helping.  &gt;
gorman
Picking up all the loot's a chore, but I think it'd be simply easier to motion everyone over and ask what people might like, though I likely would want to call dibs on the Water Stone, and give away my extra two sets of Mining Gear so that every new individual might have their own to mine for goodies. After getting loot sorted, I'll answer other pertaining questions about shadowing thusly...

 "Ahm, I don't think I've ever tried, or bothered to ask.... if a Time Flute can cure more than one pokemon of it's shadowing affliction."  I say directed to Less before turning to the Flotsam,  "There is also a way to massage them with certain oils that you could say link to a pokemon's type that also decrease it's shadowing in a much faster manner than simply battling will do. For now, I suggest we recall our friends, return to the pokemon center and inform Nurse Joy of what's occurred so that there won't be any.... oh hey surprise that pokemon you healed was shadowed, and cause a panic or worse at the center. Now if anyone has a healthy pokemon that might be able to carry a knocked out Murkrow to the center, that might help if you're concerned for their well being. I'm NOT certain about taking the shadowed birds there however due to the aforementioned possible problems they might cause. We could TRY to see if one usage of the Time Flute will cure more than one shadowed pokemon after our teams are healed, but you have seen what a shadowed pokemon can do to your friends, so it's critical to be prepared as they're dangerous. IF the Flute manages to cure more than one pokemon at a time, we can see about getting the wild shadowed birds cured as well as any other stragglers. Any other questions, comments, concerns?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

There don’t seem to be many identifying features on the band to give away its purpose beyond the light and the antennae, even on close examination – it doesn’t even have an ID number or contact information on it. Less does find a small hatch on the inside rim, similar to what you’d find on a watch or other small electronic device to house the battery.

((I don’t think you guys need my input for dividing up the loot, but if I’m wrong on that let me know.))

----------------

Mark (phone call with Mina):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "That should be all on my end for now. I'll call Wain and see what he has to say, and then go talk to those people Matt found. If I see you again tonight, I'll update you on how all that junk goes too. Uh...See you later then!"  
 

Mina smiles. “  Later!  ” And the call ends.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 &lt;  I'm guessing these jobs are per-person? Most of them seem easy. Except that spectral dimension one, holy wow that's crazy. The chairs ones should be easily doable, I'll see if any of the new people are interested in helping.  &gt; 
 

Mina doesn’t respond, so perhaps it wasn’t close enough to storm stuff. Or she might just be running for the exit, as it’s very close to curfew when the text arrives.
WindStruck
 "I don't suppose we could just try to unshadow them while they're knocked out?"  Flotsam asks.

 "I'm not sure what to do.. I think they'll keep causing havoc if we leave them be, but it's also dangerous to heal them.. Maybe we should ask the nurse what she thinks?" 

Seeing the others begin looting stuff, Flotsam says,  "Oh gosh, and they'll  really  not be happy when they realize all their shiny stuff has gone missing." 
 "Well, regardless, I will help my friends! Shadowing or not!"  Returning to Hilda and Gypsy, she says,  "Let's get back to that Pokémon center and heal up the others. I hope they'll be okay..."  Flotsam shivers. One might have thought it was due to being out in the torrential rain and not wearing much, but she was really just thinking about the awful hits that King and Rascal took. Still, she cheers up.  "At least they made a bunch of snacks there too. I'm sure that will cheer them up." 

Looking down to the wild Luxio, she pats her head again.  "I bet you could even have some too." 
Lord Ruby34
Less nods along with Matt words while he turns the bracelet over in his hands. The information about shadowing was useful, but Less's mind was more immediately focused on why this uncontrollable Pokemon would have any kind of electronic device attached, unless . . . the thought that came to him was deeply suspicious and felt all to likely. Less immediately attempts to get a nail under the hatch to pop out the battery. If he is successful, he will put the battery itself in his pants pocket. Regardless of success, he will approach Matt with the metal bracelet held in an outstreched hand. When he arrives and sees the pile of bones and the human skull his expression darkens further.
 
"I agree with your assessment in general, though I disagree on the specific course of action suggested, for two primary reasons. First, the bones around their nesting grounds suggest that this flock has killed before. They are a pressing and immediate danger to any travelers for as long as they remain shadowed. If we leave them here they will likely meet one of two fates. Either they will be killed by other wild Pokemon and used as food, leading to whatever happens when a shadowed Pokemon is physically digested by another, or they will wake and return to their depredations. I would prefer not to be party to the death of any Pokemon if such a death is avoidable, and I would strongly prefer not to inflict this flock upon further passers by. They may even go elsewhere and engage in the same behavior. If so, we might never find them again.

Which brings me to my second point. This metal bracelet was on the Honchkrow's leg. This item, I believe, did not make it's way here by chance. While I am not familiar with the device in any particularity, I believe I can make a guess. Antennae are used to transmit radio signals. The position of this creature, at least, was being monitored, and perhaps other data was being sent as well. I know of only one organization at the moment with the resources and the lack of morals, to make a study of the behavior rampaging shadow Pokemon, assuming that they did not induce this affliction upon the creature themselves."  Less gives a look to everyone else present that suggests they should all know exactly which organization he's speaking of.  "I do not know of any way to read the data that may be present. But perhaps it could be done by a computer expert of some kind. If it cannot be, then the only witness who might be able to tell us more is this Pokemon, and getting its cooperation will no doubt be exceedingly difficult. Still, an attempt would need to be made."
 
 "Given that we cannot leave them without risk, and there is some potential benefit in bringing the Pokemon back, I would counsel that we do so. As to your assessment of the danger, I am entirely agreed. We can minimize risk by restraining the Pokemon, and healing them one at a time. Given that we have defeated them once, I believe we can do so again under more optimal circumstances. If possible, we should also attempt to heal them outside, and away from any vulnerable people or Pokemon. I do not pretend this plan is without risk. I believe I can restrain at least one with my coat and belt. If there are any ropes in that mining kit we may be able to restrain the others as well."  

Less looks around and lets out a small cough.  "Apologies for slipping into lecture. It is a terrible habit of mine." 

With a nod to Floatsom.  "If unshadowing them while unconscious is possible, that would also be my preferred solution. Either way, we must be back shortly."  Less sneezes, accidentally punctuating his point.
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
   "I bet you could even have some too."  
 

The Luxio looks very pleased at this and rubs against Flotsam again.

Less is able to get the battery out with some difficulty. The light stops blinking once it’s removed. ((+Honchkrow Bracelet, Bracelet Battery for Less))

((Note for players: Murkrow are only about 5 lbs apiece, but the Honchkrow is over 60 lbs and will need two people if you intend to carry it yourselves.))
Feathersnow
Akio shudders at this revelation and gestures for help carrying the Honhcrow.
WindStruck
If anything, Flotsam could help carry one or two Murkrows, if that's what everyone's deciding they want to do - to heal them..  Otherwise, she'll merrily carry on empty-handed, walking along with her pokemon and her new friend?
gorman
 "If Ranger Wain is still in town maybe he might know something about these transmitters." 
Lord Ruby34
Less nods.  "That sounds like a fine idea."  

Less directs Leo to carry a pair of the knocked out Murkrow and then helps Akio with the Honchkrow. Less will make sure that the human bones are left undisturbed, and make a mental note to come back once the weather clears to give the anonymous corpse a proper burial.
Kareeah_Indaga
Murkrow Flock:

The group wraps the Honchkrow in Less’ coat and belt, and then Akio and Less pick up the large Dark type. Flotsam takes both Shadow Murkrow (her new Luxio friend eyes the unconscious birds warily) and the group is off, Leo playing guard.

Luckily, all three birds remain unconscious during the slow, awkward trip back to the Center.

The group trundles back to the Pokémon Center arriving about 2:30 PM. The worst of the rain has passed, and now it’s just a moderate drizzle soaking everything.

Buck runs over to greet Less on his entrance, temporarily blocking the door, before the Fire type remembers his manners and goes off to the side to sit – though his tail continues wagging madly. The crowd of people from before have gone, the population inside reduced to a lone trainer exiting from the back of the Center, a man in a Ranger uniform, Buck and the nurse. The last is back behind the front desk, a plate of food forgotten beside her as she speaks to the Ranger.

Most of the food from the breakfast party has likewise vanished, but there is a plate of leftover waffles and a mostly-full dish of bread pudding on the table, which Flotsam’s new Electric-type friend is eyeing speculatively.

 
 Spoiler: Matt 

Matt recognizes Pinklady and Ranger Wain.
 


The conversation between the nurse and the Ranger breaks off as the Ranger turns and spots Matt.

“There you are! I heard there was trouble but no one could tell me which way you went. Was this it then?” He gestures to the unconscious birds, while the nurse summons some Chansey with stretchers to take them away.

----------------

Pinklady:

You’ve just finished feeding your Pokémon and taken leave of Mark when a knot of trainers comes in the Center door carrying a trio of Shadow Pokémon – two Murkrow and a Honchkrow. Most of the newcomers are strangers to you, but you recognize Matt.

The Arcanine that was waiting patiently in the Center lobby during your own arrival bounds joyfully over to them and nearly knocks the oldest of the four over before remembering itself and taking a dignified seat nearby. Its tail is still wagging madly though.

While the nurse summons some Chansey with stretchers, you hear the Ranger address Matt: “There you are! I heard there was trouble but no one could tell me which way you went. Was this it then?”
WindStruck
Flotsam interrupts,  "Yeah, they took my poor Horsea friend! But be careful, they're shadowed!!"  the last bit calling out to the nurse, as the last thing Flotsam wanted was them waking up and blowing up the whole Pokémon center.

When the nurse gets a moment, she'll notice Flotasm still waiting at the counter, a timid smile on her face.  "Uh, um.. those shadowed Pokémon also did quite the number on my own..."  She gingerly passes forward three Pokéballs as if she was handling eggs she accidentally cracked.  "Can you help them please?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "But be careful, they're shadowed!!"  
 

The Chansey with the stretchers wave to Flotsam in acknowledgement.


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "Uh, um.. those shadowed Pokémon also did quite the number on my own...Can you help them please?"  
 

“Of course!” The nurse takes Flotsam’s Pokémon and runs them through the healing machine, before handing them back good as new.
WindStruck
Flotsam is relieved to have her Pokémon all healed up.  "Thanks!"  she beams, and then proceeds to let each of her Pokémon out one a time, checking on them, and then apologizing and fawning all over them.

And then, when the reunion is complete, Flotsam turns to the Luxio.  "And she helped us out! Well, kind of,"  she chuckles.  "I appreciate the company. This shadowing is scary business! It's important not to let it spread..." 

Almost absentmindedly, since she feels a lot of the food was meant for her before she had to run, Flotsam grabs the trays of food and sets them on the floor. She sits on the floor next to them too.

 "Finally! We get to have some snacks! Dig in!"  She tries dipping a piece of waffle in the pudding.
essCee
[ Enter Pinklady. ]

Soon after the group returns to the Pokemon Center, a young woman with dark green hair appears out of one of the side rooms. Pokeballs sway from attachments on the hem of her skirt as she walks-and-talks with a Hitmonchan walking alongside her.

 "- so I'm going to need to box you - no, not like-" 

She notices Matt and his newest group, and interrupts herself.

 "Oh! Hi, Matt! Are these friends of yours, I don't think any of us have met!" 

The Hitmonchan waves.
Feathersnow
Akio nods. "Matsubara Akio, at your service"

After getting his beloved Pokémon safe and healthy, Akio's concern is to be part of the group.  There is some seriously evil stuff going around, and he needs to stop it, or at least not become its prey.
Lord Ruby34
As the group trudged back through the rain and mud, Less's mind was churning. What little knowledge he had gained about Shadow Pokemon suggested that they were extremely dangerous. If that flock had fought with a little more coordination that battle could have easily gone the other way. Less's mind kept going back to the skull found by the Flock's perch. Was that merely an unlucky traveler, or had that been a trainer? Questions, and only the two ways to find answers. Either someone with enough knowledge to track that bracelet back, or the Pokemon themselves. And unless they were de-shadowed and captured, the Pokemon likely wouldn't want to talk either.

By the time they made it to the Pokemon Center Less had formed a plan of action. He had meant to offer a compliment to the young man in the armor during the walk back, but between the rain and his own thoughts Less realized he would have to speak to him later. For now, he contented himself with a nod of appreciation and a few words of thanks for taking on the burden of carrying the Honchkrow back.

The first, and most important task on his list, was greeting Buck. The Arcanine made that easy. Less wrapped his arms around the big pup and placed their heads together as soon as they weren't blocking the door.  "Well done, Buck. I knew that I could depend on you to keep this place safe."  After a brief bout of petting Less leaned in closer.  "Next time I try to go off and do something dangerous without you, sit on me until I come to my senses. Now, let's get our old bones out of this rain." 

The warmth of the Pokemon Center offered a wonderful reprieve from the rain, though Buck shaking out his fur from the brief venture outside reapplied some of the water Less had wiped off his face. Less took a second to appreciate the change in temperature before moving towards the nurse. He stopped, briefly to introduce himself to the young woman and her Pokemon.  "I am Lester Douglass, a pleasure to meet you both. While I'd love to speak at length to everyone here, I'm afraid I must beg your pardon. Ff I don't get these old bones warmed up soon I'll be of no use to anyone for near a week." 

When Less arrives at the counter he'll hand over Princess, Hero, and Dancer's Pokeballs.  "Is there any way to detect shadowing in a Pokemon before it's released from it's ball? Dancer took a terrible blow from one of the shadowed Pokemon, and i worry for her safety."  If Less gets the clear from Nurse Joy, he'll briefly remand the Pokemon into her care for a lunch.  "They've already waited too long to eat, they don't need to be waiting on me to warm up before their meal."    Less will also ask Nurse Joy if she has any bolstering vitamins for humans, gesturing to his own soaked clothes and grey hair.  "Anything that'll make it less likely I take a lingering chill." 

That accomplished, Less will beg the brief use of a hot shower, and then get a change of clothes before returning to the lobby approximately half an hour later and checking on his Pokemon, Dancer especially.
WindStruck
Flotsam looks up at the "newcomer": the young woman with dark green hair. Well, Pinklady was a newcomer to her anyway.

The Hitmonchan waves. This causes Flotsam to smile from her sitting position on the floor, sitting amongst like six pokemon chowing down on something, and she waves to both Pinklady and the Hitmonchan, before turning around again. Flotsam probably looked a bit strange.. a damp youngish waif with a mop of bright orange and wet hair, sitting on the ground in just a swimsuit.

Well.. at least, she either was a trainer, or at least seemed to have a great affinity for Pokémon.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:

The nurse heals up all the Pokémon belonging to the group which she is given, returning them with a smile.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Is there any way to detect shadowing in a Pokemon before it's released from it's ball? Dancer took a terrible blow from one of the shadowed Pokemon, and i worry for her safety."   
 

“Oh don’t worry, your Pokédex should be able to tell you if her Shadow Gauge rises, in or out of the ball. Dancer is fine.”

The nurse is able to arrange Pokéchow for the Pokémon, but tells Less sadly, “I’m sorry we don’t stock human vitamins, our care for humans is mostly aimed at younger trainers and misadventures while travelling. But I can have one of the Chansey bring you some herbal tea, and the restaurant staff from across town sent us some extra fresh fruit to replace what they cooked up this morning, if that’s all right?”

While Less is warming up, the nurse apparently decides this is a good idea regardless, and has one of the Chansey bring out a pot of herbal tea to go with the waffles and pudding for the rest of the people in the lobby. It’s very bitter and hot.

When Less emerges from the showers, he finds a Chansey waiting for him with a hot blanket and the aforementioned tea and tropical fruit ((if Less said yes to those)).
gorman
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The conversation between the nurse and the Ranger breaks off as the Ranger turns and spots Matt.

“There you are! I heard there was trouble but no one could tell me which way you went. Was this it then?” He gestures to the unconscious birds, while the nurse summons some Chansey with stretchers to take them away. 
 

 "Ah yes, hello Ranger Wain, good to see you again PinkLady, yeah a Murkrow flock swooped off with a...uh...Horsea I think. Belonged to one of the trainers in the pokemon center when I left you at the restaurant to inform everyone that they could return and everything should be back to normal. Some of the Murkrow were shadowed and there was a Honchkrow with them. One of the birds had a transmitter of sorts attached to it. One of the more...techno-savvy youngsters took it off and removed the battery. Thought perhaps you'd know if it belonged to Bandra or not. Also had a few of our pokemon get knocked out and likely shadowed during the fight. You wouldn't know off hand if a Time Flute can be used on multiple shadow pokemon at the same time would you?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Ah yes, hello Ranger Wain, good to see you again PinkLady, yeah a Murkrow flock swooped off with a...uh...Horsea I think. Belonged to one of the trainers in the pokemon center when I left you at the restaurant to inform everyone that they could return and everything should be back to normal. Some of the Murkrow were shadowed and there was a Honchkrow with them. One of the birds had a transmitter of sorts attached to it.”  
 

This last makes Ranger Wain look worried. “A transmitter, you said? May I see it?” As soon as the Ranger asks, Matt recalls that Less has the transmitter in question and also realizes that Less took off for the showers mere moments ago.


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "One of the more...techno-savvy youngsters took it off and removed the battery.”  
 

Less is also not present to be either complimented or offended at being called a ‘youngster’ by someone young enough to be his son.


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Thought perhaps you'd know if it belonged to Bandra or not. Also had a few of our pokemon get knocked out and likely shadowed during the fight.”  
 

Ranger Wain looks even more alarmed. “They had Spectral-type attacks?! I guess I owe all of you a debt for tracking those Shadow Pokémon down, then. But wait, ‘likely’ have been Shadowed? Your Pokédexes should be able to detect that, one way or the other. And the Pokémon turn black and purple if they become Shadowed, it should be obvious just by looking at them.”


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  You wouldn't know off hand if a Time Flute can be used on multiple shadow pokemon at the same time would you?"  
 

“I don’t see why not,” he replies in his usual drawl, “The issue is those things are  old , and if you blow on them too much or too hard they fall apart.”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio nods. "Matsubara Akio, at your service" 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 He stopped, briefly to introduce himself to the young woman and her Pokemon.  "I am Lester Douglass, a pleasure to meet you both. While I'd love to speak at length to everyone here, I'm afraid I must beg your pardon. Ff I don't get these old bones warmed up soon I'll be of no use to anyone for near a week."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Ah yes, hello Ranger Wain, good to see you again PinkLady, yeah a Murkrow flock swooped off with a...uh...Horsea I think."  
 

 "Hello, Matsubara and Lester! A Murkrow attack, huh..." 

She notices there's a Horsea among Flotsam's bunch and smiles.

 "Good thing you were all there!" 

While Less is busy getting warmed up, Pinklady addresses Akio in particular.

 "So, is giving this sort of help a regular thing for you? It's a really good thing to have done either way, of course! Just wondering if I'll - we'll - " 

She indicates Matt with a quick tilt of her head.

 "- be seeing you more going forward!" 
WindStruck
Flotsam murmurs something to her flock of Pokémon, then gets up briefly and stretches, heading toward the human conversation.

 "Hi,"  she says.

 "The Horsea was with me. Poor thing, Gypsy was scared to death and almost became a meal! You should have seen all those bones around their nest! Doesn't seem like anyone else got shadowed though, which is good.." 

She points off to the back of the building somewhere.  "They took the shadowed crows somewhere back there. I don't know what their plan is, but I'm sure it'll be okay." 

The girl flashes a smile to the ranger and Pinklady.  "I'm Flotsam by the way. Nice to meet you all!" 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Flotsam murmurs something to her flock of Pokémon, then gets up briefly and stretches, heading toward the human conversation.

 "Hi,"  she says.

 "The Horsea was with me. Poor thing, Gypsy was scared to death and almost became a meal! You should have seen all those bones around their nest! Doesn't seem like anyone else got shadowed though, which is good.." 

She points off to the back of the building somewhere.  "They took the shadowed crows somewhere back there. I don't know what their plan is, but I'm sure it'll be okay." 

The girl flashes a smile to the ranger and Pinklady.  "I'm Flotsam by the way. Nice to meet you all!"  
 

 "Nice to meet you too, Flotsam! I'm glad everything came out fine in the end." 

She looks at the back of the building, where Flotsam indicated.  "Taken back there by Pokemon Center staff, right?"  She frowns a moment, unsure if they could've ended up in bad hands.

 Wow, look how quickly I've become paranoid about Bandra! 

Meanwhile, her Hitmonchan - nicknamed Sport, though she hasn't mentioned that yet - approaches Flotsam's flock and sits down somewhat-nearby. He starts talking in Pokéspeak, reassuring words towards Gypsy.
Feathersnow
Akio tells PinkLady "A samurai path is duty, and my duty is here!"  After a pause he shrugs. "Yeah, I was sent out to seek my fortune here in Helnith, and I want to to help as best I can.  It looks like I can do some good, if you'll have me."

"Also, no offense, but "Matsubara" is my surname. You can call me "Akio."  I know sone Johtoans use this language's conventions, but it really doesn't fit with my Samurai mystique"
essCee
 "That's great! Of course we'll have you!" 

She momentarily pales in embarrassment at the name correction but quickly recovers.

 "Oh! Sorry, Akio, I've never met someone who used that convention before. You're from Johto, you say?" 
gorman
 "Ahm, it appears the individual that disappeared had the transmitter device... Where the heck did HE go now?"  *sigh* They might as well be teenagers...gosh darn disappear like them soon as your back is turned!  "Now that you mention it, the ones knocked out are probably fine... I don't recall any shadowing like when we faced that Bandra leader in the ruins so... that's a relief... Still have those shadowed birds to deal with though if they wake up or get healed."  I can't help wonder what the Time Flute is made out of as far as material... Really wish there was lab equipment around where I might be able to run some tests or theorize how to do other things. Like find out how the massaging oil could be used in a different way to de-shadow pokemon.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Oh don’t worry, your Pokédex should be able to tell you if her Shadow Gauge rises, in or out of the ball. Dancer is fine.” 
 

 "I've always struggled with that contraption."  Less says, his tone lightly self-flagellating.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The nurse is able to arrange Pokéchow for the Pokémon, but tells Less sadly, “I’m sorry we don’t stock human vitamins, our care for humans is mostly aimed at younger trainers and misadventures while travelling. But I can have one of the Chansey bring you some herbal tea, and the restaurant staff from across town sent us some extra fresh fruit to replace what they cooked up this morning, if that’s all right?” 
 

 "That sounds like just the thing for these old bones. Thank you, Ms. Joy." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 While Less is warming up, the nurse apparently decides this is a good idea regardless, and has one of the Chansey bring out a pot of herbal tea to go with the waffles and pudding for the rest of the people in the lobby. It’s very bitter and hot.

When Less emerges from the showers, he finds a Chansey waiting for him with a hot blanket and the aforementioned tea and tropical fruit ((if Less said yes to those)). 
 

Less will happily take both tea and fruit while he checks on Dancer. The bitterness is unpleasant, but Less had long ago learned to take his medicine without any complaint. If he hadn't, Emilia would never have consented to take her own.

Less's check over his bird Pokemon mostly involves having the Dodou spin while Less feeds her the occasional piece of fruit. She was, of course, perfectly healthy. Less had never met a Nurse Joy that was anything less than fastidious in her work, but more than thirty years of grading student assignments left enough psychological scars that Less didn't consider not checking Dancer over himself.

Less will nod to the table once more, then approach Nurse Joy one more time.  "Would you be terribly offended if I inquired about those Shadowed Pokemon? I feel like I have a responsibility to ensure that you and yours are not put in any additional danger by our decision to bring them here,"  he says.  "I have no desire to interfere in their treatment, but I was wondering if the treatments available here will help return them to their right minds? Either way, I would like to check on them. As I said, I feel some measure of responsibility for the poor creatures." 

Once Less finishes his conversation with Nurse Joy, and his check on the Shadowed Birds, if permitted, he will return to the table with the rest of the group, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a hot cup of tea in his hands.
WindStruck
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio tells PinkLady "A samurai path is duty, and my duty is here!"  After a pause he shrugs. "Yeah, I was sent out to seek my fortune here in Helnith, and I want to to help as best I can.  It looks like I can do some good, if you'll have me."

"Also, no offense, but "Matsubara" is my surname. You can call me "Akio."  I know sone Johtoans use this language's conventions, but it really doesn't fit with my Samurai mystique" 
 

Flotsam pretty much giggles at these antics.  "Well, I really appreciate the help, Mr. Samurai. Thanks!" 

 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Ahm, it appears the individual that disappeared had the transmitter device... Where the heck did HE go now?"  *sigh* They might as well be teenagers...gosh darn disappear like them soon as your back is turned!  "Now that you mention it, the ones knocked out are probably fine... I don't recall any shadowing like when we faced that Bandra leader in the ruins so... that's a relief... Still have those shadowed birds to deal with though if they wake up or get healed."  I can't help wonder what the Time Flute is made out of as far as material... Really wish there was lab equipment around where I might be able to run some tests or theorize how to do other things. Like find out how the massaging oil could be used in a different way to de-shadow pokemon. 
 

 "What, you mean the older man with the mustache? I forgot what his name was. Lesh.. Lass? No, that doesn't sound right." 
 "Hm. I dunno where he went, anyway." 

She shrugs and returns to her Pokémon, who had devoured absolutely everything in the bowls and platters.

 "Seems like you all were really hungry! Hm.. I think I heard there was a restaurant nearby..." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:

(Less: )


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Would you be terribly offended if I inquired about those Shadowed Pokemon? I feel like I have a responsibility to ensure that you and yours are not put in any additional danger by our decision to bring them here,"  he says.  "I have no desire to interfere in their treatment, but I was wondering if the treatments available here will help return them to their right minds? Either way, I would like to check on them. As I said, I feel some measure of responsibility for the poor creatures."  
 

The nurse does not seem offended at all; rather the opposite in fact. “Oh don’t worry, we have them secured until they can be treated for their injuries. Usually we can’t do anything for Shadowing, but with the Ranger’s help we should be able to purify them too, since they had so much of the Shadowing burned away beforehand. Speaking of which, I think he was looking for you earlier.”

The Nurse tells you she has no issue with you checking on the Shadowed flock, provided you stay out of arm’s reach for safety reasons.

“And that reminds me, this belongs to you I believe,” and she returns Less his coat and belt.

In the back the Honchkrow and both Murkrow have been  very thoroughly  strapped to gurneys, to the point they look more like oddly-shaped mummies than birds. This proves to be completely necessary, however; as you watch one of the birds awakens and starts flailing madly under the restraints hard enough to make the gurney jerk in place, screeching at the top of its lungs with soulless bloodlust in its eyes. The Chansey watching over it starts to sing a gentle song and the Shadow Pokémon’s movements weaken until it falls back asleep.

(Flotsam: )

You recall seeing a restaurant on the north side of town while you were out playing in the rain earlier.
Lord Ruby34
Less takes the opportunity to inspect the shadowed Pokemon. It's his first opportunity to see the birds conscious since the fight and he doesn't waste it.

It's the eyes that scared him, the feeling of hate. Pokemon might attack humans in anger, to defend their territory, or to protect their young. Some Pokemon were even famous for their short tempers. But this wasn't anger. It was a desire to kill him, to kill everyone. It was like a shroud of evil had been placed over the Pokemon, obscuring who they were behind a veil of hate and bloodlust. Someone, or something, had done this to these Pokemon.

 "Who did this to you?"  Less finds himself whispering. He had to stop himself from approaching further and comforting the creatures. They were likely beyond comfort for the moment.

He listens for a moment to Nurse Joy, takes his coat and belt, and then nods.  "Thank you, nurse. Please, let me know if there is anything else that I can do for these poor creatures."  After receiving a response from Nurse Joy, Less will make sure his Pokemon have finished eating and stretching and then recall all of them except Buck to their Pokeballs to free up some space in the Center.

Only then, with his Pokemon tended to, and the shadowed birds checked on, does Less make his way out towards the table and sits down with his tea.  "My apologies for tarrying. When you get to be my age, sitting around in wet clothes for too long starts to be dangerous, not just uncomfortable."   Less will say, while shaking hands with his new acquaintances.

 "Ranger, Nurse Joy informed me that you might be able to help the shadowed Pokemon out more directly that she can?"  Less's voice takes on a questioning note as he speaks.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Ranger, Nurse Joy informed me that you might be able to help the shadowed Pokemon out more directly that she can?"  
 

“Yes, I brought some items with me that should help,” the Ranger fishes a little bottle out of his pocket to show you, and you can see the label reads ‘Vivid Scent.’ With good humor he adds, “If you decide to go charging after Shadow Pokémon again, there’s a little stall by Trainer Hill that sells these. Be warned, they need to be rubbed on.” ((So not something you can do in the middle of fighting the Pokémon you’re trying to de-Shadow.)) “You’re…Lester, you said, correct? I should introduce myself properly.” He puts the bottle away for the time being and holds out his hand for a shake. “Ranger Jon Wain, nice to meet you. Matt tells me you found something unusual on one of the Shadow Pokémon?”
Lord Ruby34
Less shakes the Ranger's hand in return.  "Pleased to meet you, Jon, and please, call me Less. Those scents seem like they could come in handy. I'll have to go gather some as soon as we finish talking."  Less pauses for a moment, and then fishes out the bracelet found around the Honchkrow's leg, though he keeps the battery secure in his pocket.  "I hypothesized that this was a transmitter, though I will be the first to tell you that my knowledge of electronics is not large. It had a battery in it at the time, and the light there"  Less points to the light that went dark when he removed the battery,  "was blinking. We were hoping to find someone with enough technical knowledge to render an opinion on my guess, and hopefully track the signal to it's destination." 
WindStruck
 "Who wants to check out the restaurant?"  Flotsam says.  "I'm  sure they've got some nice fresh food there." 

Predictably, many of the Pokémon would be quite agreeable to the idea of getting some more tasty food, considering the leftover waffles and pudding was probably merely like an appetizer. Flotsam extends the invitation for the Luxio to come along as well, and so she exits the Pokémon center, a small crowd of Pokémon following her.

 "There it is,"  she says, pointing at the restaurant. She walks inside with the full entourage in tow.
Feathersnow
Akio is torn between eavesdropping on the important conversation and following Flotsom.  He is dmfar from sure it's safe to wander away from the group, and, honestly, he and his team are hungry...


He follows the girl.  "Wait up!"
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:

The Ranger examines the bracelet closely. “Hmm. No ID number, no serial number, no brand name. No contact information. It’s not a racing Pidgey band, at least.” The Ranger pulled out his Styler and pushed a button on it. “Viola, have you got a minute?”

A female voice answers back. “ I have to get back on the line with Reed in about five, but I have a minute right now, yes. ”

“I’m going to send you a scan of something a trainer found on a Shadow Pokémon. Let me know when you’re ready.”

“ Ready now. Send it! ”

Ranger Wain runs his Styler over the bracelet from several different angles before speaking again. “Did you get it?”

“ Yes, I’m running it against the database now…I’m not finding an exact match. Best guess is it’s a GPS tracker, but it looks like it’s designed to broadcast off of the official bands. ”

“So someone wanted to find the Pokémon again. Tenma’s work?”

“ I can’t even tell for sure if it’s Bandra from here, but that would be my guess too. If you can bring it to the Skybreak Base I’ll make sure someone gets scheduled to look at it. ”

The Ranger gestures to the bracelet. “Less, may I take this?”

----------------

Akio and Flotsam:

One of the wait staff recognizes the two of you from the Center earlier and escorts you to a table before handing you both menus.

((Today’s luncheon is a selection of fancy sandwiches! There’s a cheap tier, a moderate tier, and a pricey tier.

Cheap – 500 PD
Moderate – 600 PD
Pricey – 750 PD

Drinks:
 Note:  Drinking age in Helnith is  16  which is to say Flotsam has a few years to go before she can order anything alcoholic.

Fresh Water – 200 PD
Juice – 250 PD
Soda Pop – 300 PD
Lemonade – 350 PD
Milkshake – 350 PD
Coffee – 250 PD
Beer – 600 PD
Wine – 700 PD
Non-alcoholic cocktail – 950 PD
Alcoholic cocktail – 1100 PD))
Lord Ruby34
Being correct about the band was a relief.  "Of course,"  Less replies.  "i imagine it went offline a couple hours ago, at a hill about two miles away. It's possible that Bandra, or whoever is responsible, might send someone to check out why they lost signal." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:

((- Honchkrow Brancelet))


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "i imagine it went offline a couple hours ago, at a hill about two miles away. It's possible that Bandra, or whoever is responsible, might send someone to check out why they lost signal."  
 

The Ranger just looks downcast. “I wish we had the people to stake it out, but we don’t right now.”
WindStruck
Flotsam skims over the menu.  "Hmm.. I don't know if this is anything my friends might like,"  she says without looking at Akio.

When the waitress comes back, she asks what kind of sandwiches are on the menu, and what kinds of juice there is. Or perhaps, she's wondering if there is any leftover seaweed, for sushi. Or just.. any other scraps in general too.

She indicates her Pokémon, that might not be able to read a menu very well.
Lord Ruby34
If the Rangers couldn't help directly . . . Less shook his head.  "If I was able to take some of the time myself?"  Less sighed. He didn't know the first thing about staking out an area without being seen.  "I imagine that the war has put a great deal of stress on your resources. There were some human remains on the hill as well, likely a victim of the shadowed Pokemon or Bandra. I was planning to return once the weather cleared to bury the poor soul, but I suppose you may want to investigate beforehand." 

If there the ranger couldn't help immediately, that left only Less's fallback plan for finding out answers quickly. He took a sip of his tea and spent a moment in quiet contemplation. Perhaps one of his new acquaintances would have a better idea than deshadowing and earning the Honchkrow's trust.
Feathersnow
Akio awkwardly orders a coffee and waits to see what Flotsom is getting before ordering a meal.  He releases Akitsu, the Trapinch.  "Hey, boy, you hungry?"  He tries to train the larva not to make a mess, he could be in this evolution for a while.
gorman
 "Nurse Joy you can leave the shadowed feathered friends here strapped down for a bit, I have some purchased oils from the masseuse at Trainer Hill that might help cure them. Is Chansey able to massage and lend a hand or is she busy? If you're both free that would help as well, if not I understand and can maybe attempt to persuade someone else to assist."  I say looking back at Less and Ranger Jon Wain. *eyeroll*
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "If I was able to take some of the time myself?"  
 

The Ranger looks briefly surprised at the offer before saying, “If you’re serious, bring a friend when you go. And I’ll give you my number in case you get in over your head; I probably won’t be able to show up myself but I might be able to pull in a few favors if it’s a life-or-death emergency." He takes out a notepad, scribbles a phone number on it, and rips off the top sheet to hand to Less. "If you can keep an eye on the place until 8:30 PM tonight, someone from the Ranger Union should be available by then to keep an eye on the place.”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I imagine that the war has put a great deal of stress on your resources. There were some human remains on the hill as well, likely a victim of the shadowed Pokemon or Bandra. I was planning to return once the weather cleared to bury the poor soul, but I suppose you may want to investigate beforehand."  
 

The Ranger swore. “Yes, we’re going to want to do DNA testing and find out who it was if nothing else. How much of the body was left?”


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Nurse Joy you can leave the shadowed feathered friends here strapped down for a bit, I have some purchased oils from the masseuse at Trainer Hill that might help cure them. Is Chansey able to massage and lend a hand or is she busy? If you're both free that would help as well, if not I understand and can maybe attempt to persuade someone else to assist."  
 

The Ranger overhears and answers before the nurse can: “I’ve got the oils covered Matt, hang on to yours; you might need them later. I could use your help putting it on the Pokémon if you want.”

----------------

Restaurant:

The waitress rattles off a long list of sandwiches, ranging from grilled cheese, to curry-and-rice, to egg salad, to peanut butter and jam, to cucumber.

The juices are of course tropical and include orange, grapefruit, Nanab, guava, pineapple, Wepear, and mango – all local fruit, seeing as not much can get into the region with Bandra attacking ships along the coast.

She says they don’t deal in ‘scraps’, but she can check if they have any Pokéchow if the young lady wants.

She also makes a note for Akio’s coffee and asks if he would like anything else.
Lord Ruby34
Less will nod and accept the number.  "I have little experience in stealth, but perhaps if one of you"  Less gestures to Matt and Pinklady,  "would be willing to accompany me, we could make a spectacle of ourselves training our Pokemon, while having some of our smaller Pokemon watch for observation?"
 
 "I would also very much like to help with the oils. Many hands make light work, and I would like a chance to make a better impression on that Honchkrow. I have suspicions that it may know where it was shadowed. If he is willing to take us there, that might be another avenue towards an answer."  Less says,  "That Pokemon used a move earlier in battle that suggests it was not always wild. If it is now, and Bandra is involved, it may desire some revenge. That may be enough common cause to forge an alliance, at least for a time." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I would also very much like to help with the oils. Many hands make light work, and I would like a chance to make a better impression on that Honchkrow. I have suspicions that it may know where it was shadowed. If he is willing to take us there, that might be another avenue towards an answer."  Less says,  "That Pokemon used a move earlier in battle that suggests it was not always wild. If it is now, and Bandra is involved, it may desire some revenge. That may be enough common cause to forge an alliance, at least for a time."  
 

“If you want to help too, I won’t stop you.” The Ranger motions for Less and Matt to follow, and leads them into the back to where the Shadowed Pokémon are currently being restrained. The Chansey on duty look relieved at seeing the Ranger, and both nod when he motions for them to stay.

The Ranger pulls three bottles of the Vivid Scent from his pockets, handing one to Matt and one to Less, then pulls out what looks like a very old necklace, which Matt recognizes.

“I only have one Sacred Talisman, so we’ll do this one at a time. I’m thinking we’ll start with the Honchkrow, since it’s the most powerful of the three. The scent needs to be rubbed on the Pokémon, so we’re going to need to take the straps off first – if any of them wake up in the middle of this, we’re going to have a bad time. If you want to back out, do it now.”
Lord Ruby34
Less will nod and whistle for Buck to come and follow.  "I'm prepared." 
gorman
 "Hey that's ironic, I have one of those Talismen too! If we both use it on the same pokemon, would that double the effective usage?" 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I have little experience in stealth, but perhaps if one of you"  Less gestures to Matt and Pinklady,  "would be willing to accompany me, we could make a spectacle of ourselves training our Pokemon, while having some of our smaller Pokemon watch for observation?"   
 

 "I'll be happy to help with the stakeout slash training! I'll get ready while you all handle the massaging!"  She responds before the massage group heads to the back.

Pinklady's "getting ready" consists almost entirely of taking a quick rest. She was still somewhat exhausted from her very active training with Sport earlier. She also takes the opportunity to operate the Center's PC to swap out Sport to withdraw her new Luxray... except she doesn't know how to operate it, so she asks the nurse for her help with it.
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Hey that's ironic, I have one of those Talismen too! If we both use it on the same pokemon, would that double the effective usage?"  
 

“Unfortunately not, otherwise we could skip trying to import yet another Purification Chamber from Orre and just have the Geology Club dig up as many of these as they could find.” The Ranger undoes some of the buckling around the Honchkrow’s foot and wraps the cord of his Sacred Talisman around it instead. “All right, let’s get to it.” He starts carefully undoing the rest of the buckles binding the Honchkrow down, then pours oil on his hands and motions for the two of you to follow suit. “Be gentle and be ready to move fast if it wakes up.”

The Honchkrow, luckily, doesn’t wake up during the process, although there are a number of false alarms as it twitches violently several times. You can tell the Cologne has taken effect when the visible signs of Shadowing fade from its wings, tail and beard, although as the bird is mostly black anyway it’s not as visually obvious as it would be on a more brightly colored Pokémon.

One of the Chansey waddles over with an Awakening while the Ranger untangles the Sacred Talisman, then the Ranger applies the Awakening. The Honchkrow for a moment seems more confused than anything, and then flips itself onto its feet, fluffing its feathers. It glances around, peering at faces, then at the Murkrow.

“Don’t worry,” the Ranger tells it, “we’re going to clear your friends up next, just sit tight.”

The next Murkrow goes similarly – not smoothly, but nothing worse than a few scratches as it thrashes in whatever nightmare it’s trapped in until the Cologne takes effect and the Ranger wakes it up with another Awakening. The two purified birds then go huddle in the corner to caw quietly with one another, sometimes peering up at the last gurney like two kids trying to eavesdrop on their parents, and every now and then the Honchkrow mutters something that sounds like muttered (and nonsensical) human speech.

Meanwhile the three of you have unwrapped the last Murkrow and started applying the last of the Vivid Scent to it. It is eerily still in comparison to the first two…until its eyes snap wide, it flips onto its feet and launches itself at Less’ face all in one lightning-quick motion.

…but not as lightning-quick as Buck, who knocks his trainer out of the way. Both the Chansey start to Sing in an attempt to bring the last bird under control, and finally the already-purified birds pounce on their companion, the Honchkrow squawking in a loud, commanding tone punctuated by a discernable “ Stand down, soldier! ” to the pinned Murkrow.

And then the last of the Shadowing fades, the sudden stress of being dogpiled coupled with a  very  intimidating Buck nearly in its face being enough for the Murkrow to break through it.

The Chansey stop their song, the first two birds get off the third after a moment of examination, and Buck does his level best to shove his human out into the hall away from the no-longer-psychotic birds.

The Ranger, meanwhile, pulls out his Styler to scan the three Dark types. He nods to himself as he scans,  mm-hmm ing to himself as he goes; one of the Murkrow reaches out to nibble the device with its beak and is summarily  fwack ed by the Honchkrow and then the last  mm-hmm  becomes just a  hmm  and the Ranger frowns, Styler hovering over the last Murkrow.

Then the Ranger collects himself and puts the Styler away. “Gentleman,” he says to the two of you, “thank you for your help. Ladies,” and now it’s clear he’s addressing the Murkrow, “I think you’re all fine but I’m going to have the nurse look you over. I’ll be right back.”

----------------

Pinklady:

The nurse blinks in surprise, but walks you through switching your Pokémon with the Center PC (it requires your Pokédex, for authentication purposes). ((Swapped out Sport for Blast Bolt.))
WindStruck
Flotsam ponders over the menu a bit, and she orders some peanut butter and jam sandwiches, as well as cucumber sandwiches. She also gets a serving of mango and pineapple juices..  and yes, she would appreciate if they had anything leftover they might donate to her Pokémon.

She sits there across from Akio, beginning to hum to herself. She plops King up into a chair, and has to help Hilda up into another if she's not going to risk damaging anything. Rascal sits in her lap, and Gypsy and Orion float to her sides. I guess that leaves the Luxio to stand by in a convenient sitting position.

 "You know, I wonder if we weren't meant to bring everyone in here.."  she says suddenly.  "Oh well, as long as we all behave!" 

Rascal begins tapping on the table with his horn impatiently.  "H-hey! We only just ordered!"  she says.
Lord Ruby34
Less had never been a doctor or a masseuse, but rubbing the perfume into the shadowed Pokemon's feathers felt like some demented combination of the two professions. The Honchkrow's treatment went off without a hitch, and the first of the Murkrow's flailings resulted in a small scratch to the back of his hand that left a small smear of blood from the back of his hand to the wrist.

It was the third bird that nearly killed him. One moment there he was rubbing oil into the shadowed Pokemon's wing, and the next he was falling backwards, swatted by a massive paw. He hit the floor with enough force to leave a bruise on his bottom, but with his face and neck fully intact.  That's the closest I've been to dead in almost forty years.  The thought came unbidden. His heart was pounding, and he could feel a thin sheen of sweat on his face. But part of him wanted to move, to act. Less realized that the thought didn't strike him with fear, but with excitement. He had few regrets about the way he had lived his life, quiet and content in his house overlooking the ocean. But there was a spark to this, and edge that he found suddenly and inexorably compelling.

By the time Less snapped back to reality, he was being pushed out the door by Buck. Less wrapped his arms around the big dog and breathed out into his mane.  "It's a good thing you're bearing your years better than I am, Buck. Thank you."  A big paw wrapped around his shoulder for a moment, and pulled him close. That was all that needed to be said.

One more breath, and it was time. This was his best chance to get information about a Bandra base, which was one step closer to finding Emilia.  "Right, friendly faces."  One more inhale and exhale, and Less walked back into the room at a steady glide with Buck a step behind.

 "Ranger,"  Less says, nodding to Jon as the Pokemon Ranger leaves the room, and Less approaches the Honchkrow and her flock. He had a couple bites of fruit left, that he had saved for this purpose. His instincts told him that meat would have been better, but would have been more difficult to find. Less squatted down and proffered the food to the largest of the birds.  "My name is Less. I don't know how much you remember about what happened, but some of my acquaintances and I found you in the wild and brought you back here for healing. Something effected you, and drove you mad for a time. I think it's gone now, but I wanted to know how you were shadowed, if you are comfortable telling me."  Less's voice is soft and low, the tone he had previously reserved for talking to bullied children. He wasn't sure what had happened to this Pokemon, if Bandra had killed her former trainer, or if she had already been released when Bandra found her. Either way, he intended to give this Pokemon his honest compassion.


 
 Spoiler: OOC Question 

How much should we be role playing our Pokemon too? I'm not quite sure if they're full NPCs, or partial player characters?
 
gorman
I can't help noticeably raise my eyebrow in confusion as Less kneels down and starts talking to the Honchkrow. However, as I've seen much stranger things, I don't ask and step past him out into the main room of the pokecenter.

Hmm... I suppose I better stop at the front desk and get the team healed.
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam and Akio:

((Flotsam:
Cucumber (Cheap) – 500 PD
Peanut Butter and Jam (Pricey) – 750 PD
Mango (Juice) – 250 PD
Pineapple (Juice) – 250 PD
Gourmet Pokéchow – 200 PD

Total: 1950

3500 – 1950 = 1550 PD remaining

Akio:
Coffee – 250 PD

Total: 250 PD

3500 – 250 = 3250 PD remaining))

The waitress takes your orders and heads back to the kitchen. She comes back not long afterwards with your drinks, and returns a second time with the food – two plates of little finger sandwiches, one of cucumber and one of peanut butter and jam, the crusts neatly trimmed and the bread itself speckled with herbs that compliment the flavors of the contents perfectly. There is also a big bowl of Pokéchow, with bits of dried Berry mixed in for extra color and flavor and a whole fresh Pinap Berry for a garnish.

She comes back after an interval to make sure you don’t need anything else before leaving to wait on another customer, then returns after another interval with the bill.

----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "My name is Less. I don't know how much you remember about what happened, but some of my acquaintances and I found you in the wild and brought you back here for healing. Something effected you, and drove you mad for a time. I think it's gone now, but I wanted to know how you were shadowed, if you are comfortable telling me."  
 

The Honchkrow eyes the offering with regal dignity, then scoops most of it up with her beak before motioning to the two Murkrow to have the rest. (They pounce on it with obvious glee.) Only then does she reply, and then it’s mostly squawking Pokéspeech that would be incoherent even  without  the two Murkrow squabbling in the background over the remaining fruit. A couple bits of human language and other recognizable sounds come through:

… a beat you recognize as coming from a bit of dance music that was popular a decade or so back …

…a long mechanical sound you realize is intended to be a Tie Fighter after the Honchkrow follows it up with  tsew, tsew  laser noises…

…a particularly passionate bit of squawking ends with the Honchkrow putting a wing over her own face and shouting ‘I knew him well, Horatio!’ before she briefly (and furiously) attacks the gurney with her claws, and then mutters darkly ‘I’ll get you next time, Gadget! Next time!’…

…”side effects may include headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea”…

… then another snatch of music …

…”what happened to ‘never leave a man behind?!’”…

…”I have seen the light!” and that appears to be the end of it, as she finishes with a little more squawking before settling down.

The nurse and the Ranger entered about halfway through, but remained respectfully select. Now the Ranger waves the nurse over to one of the Murkrow ((Murkrow A, the one that tried to attack you when you were applying the Cologne)) and she begins examining it. At first she looks concerned, then confused, before finally giving Ranger Wain a shrug and moving on to the other Murkrow and the Honchkrow.

----------------

Matt:

The nurse heals your Pokémon before the Ranger calls her into the back.

((It’s 4:30 PM, you have four hours before the group meetup.))
Lord Ruby34
Less does his best to follow along with the Honchkrow's speech, nodding as she talks.  "I can see you like movies, at least."  Less takes a moment.  "I think I followed some of that, at least. Stop me if I'm wrong on any particular. There was a a storm, of some kind? And you were ambushed by some kind of villains?"  Less's voice is low and soft. " And then someone died? Or there was someone you thought you knew who did something terrible? Something you want revenge for? But you were shadowed, and experimented on, something strange you can't fully remember? And then they left you, before my friends and I brought you here? Is that close, at least, to what happened?" 
Feathersnow
Akio orders pokechow and a cheap sandwich, based on Flotsom's order.  Akio thanks her graciously.
WindStruck
Flotsam thanks the waitress, and she not only begins passing around the bowl of Pokéchow, but of course, the sandwiches and juice. She thinks some of them might want to try too. In the end, they all end up more or less sharing the meal (though Flotsam lets them all keep the Pokéchow to themselves).

Then, it's time to pay. Somehow, the bikini-clad girl conjures up money from somewhere, but perhaps her reserve of hyperspace inventory would be running out soon. Maybe Hilda was simply hiding some PD in her shell!
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I think I followed some of that, at least. Stop me if I'm wrong on any particular. There was a a storm, of some kind?"  
 

The Honchkrow nods, then makes a noise that sounds like Godzilla’s roar.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "And you were ambushed by some kind of villains?"  
 

A nod.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "And then someone died?"  
 

The Honchkrow looks downcast, but nods again.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Or there was someone you thought you knew who did something terrible?"  
 

This time the Honchkrow shakes her head ‘no.’


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Something you want revenge for?"  
 

A  very  enthusiastic nod, followed by a cackle ending with, “ I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too! ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "But you were shadowed, and experimented on, something strange you can't fully remember? And then they left you, before my friends and I brought you here? Is that close, at least, to what happened?"  
 

“ Chevron one is locked in place ” then a final nod. Meanwhile the nurse seems to have finished her examination of the birds, and the two Murkrow are pecking at the spot where the fruit had been like they expect more to appear.

----------------

Akio and Flotsam:

((Akio:
Cheap Sandwich – 500 PD
Gourmet Pokéchow – 200 PD

Total: 700

3250 – 700 = 2550 PD remaining))

Akio receives his food with Flotsam’s. His bowl of Pokéchow has a Nanab Berry on it instead.

((Flotsam has a Mining Kit now so she also has a bag, remember.))

The Pokémon greatly enjoy the food, Hilda and Gypsy managing to ignore the other diners and unfamiliar Pokémon long enough to make decent inroads on the finger sandwiches. Akitsu tries hard not to make a mess but with no hands and being somewhat top-heavy he can’t easily clear the rim of the bowl, so he isn’t entirely successful until the waitress brings him a plate to eat off of instead.  Then  he takes massive bites out of everything he’s given.
Lord Ruby34
 "Storm . . . a sandstorm and a big monster? " Less fumbles with his Pokedex for a few moments before saying,  "A Tyranitar?" 

When the Honchkrow nods, Less nods too. When the Honchkrow talks about revenge, Less will sit down fully, so he can look at the Pokemon on more equal footing.  "Was it Bandra? Black uniforms, spiky purple 'B' on the shirt? They have hurt those I care about, too." 

Seeing the Murkrow look for food, Less will look up at Nurse Joy.  "Can we get a bit more food for our feathered friends?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "A Tyranitar?"  
 

A very big nod.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Was it Bandra? Black uniforms, spiky purple 'B' on the shirt? They have hurt those I care about, too."  
 

Another nod, then the Honchkrow unexpectedly hops up onto your shoulder ((60 pounds, remember! 😛)) to preen your hair.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Can we get a bit more food for our feathered friends?"  
 

“Of course!” she steps out and a few minutes later comes back with Pokéchow for all three birds. The Honchkrow hops off again and is quickly distracted from any more questioning by the food.

 
 Spoiler: Less 

There have occasionally been rumors of wild Tyranitar in the Shatterhigh Mountains, but another possibility exists: Selene has a Tyranitar.
 


----------------

Less and Pinklady:

The two of you head out to the outcrop where Less fought the Murkrow. The Honchkrow and the pair of Murkrow that were Shadowed are circling overhead; having been given a clean bill of health by Nurse Joy despite some…oddities…the nurse determined there was no need to keep them overnight, and the Ranger had suggested that their presence might smooth some ruffled feathers if the rest of the flock has returned to roost.

As you approach the outcrop, however, all three birds abruptly go silent and dive out of the sky and into the grass. The Honchkrow reappears shortly – on the ground, this time - and grabs Less’ shirt in her beak and tugs down, meaningfully.

…there are human voices coming from the outcrop, and there’s a jeep parked nearby that definitely wasn’t there before.
gorman
Let's swap Poliwhirl and Flaaffy out for Taillow and Pinchy. Afterwards we'll bring Pyrofyl and Taillow out for some fresh air and to see how both are doing. Might also check, or place, the eggs inside of the incubator... As that might help them hatch...just a little.
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

You switch Pokémon without issue.

The Incubator, however, presents a minor dilemma: there is only space for one Egg in it at a time, and you have two. ((Remember the third one is currently in Nurse Joy’s possession for treatment, so that in mind – which Egg are you incubating?))
Lord Ruby34
 Less, earlier in the day 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 A very big nod. 
 

Bandra and a Tyranitar. Less's expression went grim. There were other possibilities, but the most likely came recurrent to his mind.  Selene Icharias . Former champion of the Pokemon League. Current leader of Bandra. Less had sat at the same dinner table as her, when Emilia was inducted into the Elite Four. They hadn't spoken much beyond pleasantries, but Less would never have suspected her of theft, murder, and uncounted atrocities if Emilia hadn't confirmed it.



 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Another nod, then the Honchkrow unexpectedly hops up onto your shoulder ((60 pounds, remember! 😛)) to preen your hair. 
 

Less's deathly serious thoughts are interrupted by the large bird flapping onto his shoulder. The sound that came out his mouth was somewhere between a  "Gack"  and an  "Oof" . If he hadn't already been sitting down, Less was sure he would have born to the ground by the unexpected weight. As it was, he was mostly able to remain sitting, though his left hand was now on the floor, helping bear the Honchkrow's weight. A second later, the situation drew an honest laugh from deep in his chest, and his right hand moved up to stroke the Honchkrow's feathers.  "Is this a way of saying I need to pay better attention to my grooming?"  Less smiled, but his eyes grow sad again, even as he gently pets the giant bird that's slowly bearing him to the floor.  "The people who hurt your trainer are trying to hurt my daughter. They may have captured her. Or forced her into hiding."  Less's voice doesn't waiver as he speaks.  "I don't know. But I will find her, and make sure that she's safe. And then I will do whatever I can to stop Bandra. To hurt them."   It's at this point that Nurse Joy walks back into the room.



 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Of course!” she steps out and a few minutes later comes back with Pokéchow for all three birds. The Honchkrow hops off again and is quickly distracted from any more questioning by the food. 
 

Less gives the birds plenty of time to eat. When the dark-types have finished their food Less said,  "I'm going to head back to where my acquaintances and I found you. Bandra might be there, looking for you. Would you like to come there with me? If they are, I intend to use them to help find my daughter."  Less pauses, and awaits the Honchkrow's answer.

----------------

 Less and Pinklady, present time 
 

On the walk to the hill Less makes polite conversation with Pinklady, by the time they had almost reached the hill Less was about to ask about the young woman's odd name, "Pinklady, that has to have an interesting etymo--"  , then he feels the tug on the back of the his clothes,

Less will drop immediately at the tugging on his shirt, and emphatically gestures for Pinklady to do the same. No way to call out any of his other Pokemon without giving himself away, but Less was at least grateful that Buck was a few steps back, and also now on his belly in the grass a few steps behind the trainers. Less raises a finger to his lips, then cups his ear, trying to hear what the occupants of the jeep might be saying.

 
 Spoiler: Pinklady/KI 

essCee, If you want to roll-play a conversation during the walk, I'm all for it. I just didn't want to split the timeline further without asking you or our DM.

KI, let me know if I shouldn't already have Buck out for this scene. He hasn't been his Pokeball yet, so I figured it would be okay, but I can retcon that if you'd like. Also, what's the weather like at the moment?
 
gorman
I guess we'll put in the...first egg?
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
On the walk to the hill Less makes polite conversation with Pinklady, by the time they had almost reached the hill Less was about to ask about the young woman's odd name, "Pinklady, that has to have an interesting etymo--"  , then he feels the tug on the back of the his clothes,

Less will drop immediately at the tugging on his shirt, and emphatically gestures for Pinklady to do the same. No way to call out any of his other Pokemon without giving himself away, but Less was at least grateful that Buck was a few steps back, and also now on his belly in the grass a few steps behind the trainers. Less raises a finger to his lips, then cups his ear, trying to hear what the occupants of the jeep might be saying.  
 

Pinklady's already on her way to dropping to the ground when Less gestures her to do so, having started when the birds went silent. While Less listens for conversation, Pinklady puts her ear to the ground to listen for other noises.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
 Spoiler: Pinklady/KI 

essCee, If you want to roll-play a conversation during the walk, I'm all for it. I just didn't want to split the timeline further without asking you or our DM.
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

Sure thing! Shouldn't affect the later events, will be good to go with KI's approval.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

The Honchkrow lets Less pet her and even seems to enjoy it.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "The people who hurt your trainer are trying to hurt my daughter. They may have captured her. Or forced her into hiding. I don't know. But I will find her, and make sure that she's safe. And then I will do whatever I can to stop Bandra. To hurt them."  
 

The Honchkrow gives Less’ hair one last preen before she hops off and gives her attention to the food.

----------------

Less and Pinklady (conversation):

((Just in case you didn’t see the note in the OoC: Absolutely you guys can chit-chat in-character if you want. 🙂 Also, the rain stopped about the time you two left.))

(At the outcrop):

((And yes it’s fine for Buck to already be out. I was half-expecting you to ride him there.))

 
 Spoiler: Less 

You can’t make out every word, but you can tell there are at least two of them, they’re looking for something, and not finding it. You can hear faint crackling in the air as well.
 

 
 Spoiler: Pinklady 

With your ear to the ground you can hear big, heavy footsteps and the occasional shifting of rock.
 


----------------

Matt:

You put Mystery Egg 1 in the Incubator. The Pokédex estimates its current hatch time to be about three to three-and-a-half days from now, with the non-incubated Egg being closer to a week out.
Lord Ruby34
 Less, earlier, during Bird Time 

Less gives the birds plenty of time to eat. When the dark-types have finished their food Less said, "I'm going to head back to where my acquaintances and I found you. Bandra might be there, looking for you. Would you like to come there with me? If they are, I intend to use them to help find my daughter." Less pauses, and awaits the Honchkrow's answer.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Reposting exactly because I'm not sure if it was not seen, or because the Birds did not want to respond. Either was is good, but checking.
 


----------------

 Less, at an intermediate time after talking with the Birds 

Less entered the the Pokemon Center's lobby after finishing his conversation with the Murkrows and the Honchkrow, and made his way over to Pinklady.  "I appreciate you volunteering to come with me. I know it's likely to be dreadfully boring, standing about for several hours, but I feel secure in having someone with me." 

----------------

 Present Time 

Less looks at Pinklady and points to his own chest, then his ear, before holding up two fingers. After a brief moment, he then stretches his hand out slightly, and wiggles it side to side, before pointing upwards with his thumb.

After waiting for a reply, Less will slowly mime hitting one palm with his closed fist before drawing a question mark in the air with his finger.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

((My bad, sorry!))


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'm going to head back to where my acquaintances and I found you. Bandra might be there, looking for you. Would you like to come there with me? If they are, I intend to use them to help find my daughter."  
 

The Honchkrow tilts her head at you, then straightens up, squawking at the Murkrow. The latter line up with military precision, and salute with their wings.

The Ranger looks like he’s getting ready to head out himself, but sticks his head in long enough to put in a quick comment: “Looks like you’re all ready to go. The nurse gave the ladies a clean bill of health; stick close, the rest of the flock might not take too kindly to you showing up after you fought them earlier, and your new friends might be able to smooth some ruffled feathers in that case.” The Honchkrow apparently knows enough about humans to know that was a  terrible  pun, and glares at Ranger Wain. He holds both hands up in front of himself and says good-naturedly: “Sorry, sorry, I’ll see myself out!”

----------------

Less and Pinklady (earlier, en route to the outcrop):

((I don’t think you two need any input from me here, but if I’m wrong, let me know!))

----------------

Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

The pair of Murkrow have slipped out of the brush to stand by the Honchkrow, so all three of them are watching Less’ hand gestures. It’s unclear if they understand him or not, but when he finishes, they turn as one to watch Pinklady’s reaction.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  Less, at an intermediate time after talking with the Birds 

Less entered the the Pokemon Center's lobby after finishing his conversation with the Murkrows and the Honchkrow, and made his way over to Pinklady.  "I appreciate you volunteering to come with me. I know it's likely to be dreadfully boring, standing about for several hours, but I feel secure in having someone with me."  
 

 "I'm happy to help! Plus, I sure know I've got to get some more experience with all this Shadow Pokemon and Bandra business... I only recently came here. What about you, are you native to here or did you come from elsewhere, too?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  Present Time 

Less looks at Pinklady and points to his own chest, then his ear, before holding up two fingers. After a brief moment, he then stretches his hand out slightly, and wiggles it side to side, before pointing upwards with his thumb. 
 

Pinklady nods. Following his instruction - or at least, what she thinks is his instruction - she takes one of the Pokeballs from her skirt, mimes rolling it, and then points up.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 After waiting for a reply, Less will slowly mime hitting one palm with his closed fist before drawing a question mark in the air with his finger. 
 

Pinklady holds up a hand palm-outwards, then puts that hand's fingertips to her head, holds up three fingers, and proceeds to lightly dig at the ground with two fingers. She concludes by gesturing to her held Pokeball.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

((My bad, sorry!))



The Honchkrow tilts her head at you, then straightens up, squawking at the Murkrow. The latter line up with military precision, and salute with their wings.

The Ranger looks like he’s getting ready to head out himself, but sticks his head in long enough to put in a quick comment: “Looks like you’re all ready to go. The nurse gave the ladies a clean bill of health; stick close, the rest of the flock might not take too kindly to you showing up after you fought them earlier, and your new friends might be able to smooth some ruffled feathers in that case.” The Honchkrow apparently knows enough about humans to know that was a  terrible  pun, and glares at Ranger Wain. He holds both hands up in front of himself and says good-naturedly: “Sorry, sorry, I’ll see myself out!” 
 

((No problem! Big segmented post!))

Less will incline his head slowly to the birds and nod in appreciation. Before they leave, Less will pull out his Pokedex and try to get a read on the three birds.

----------------

Less and Pinklady (earlier, en route to the outcrop):


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I'm happy to help! Plus, I sure know I've got to get some more experience with all this Shadow Pokemon and Bandra business... I only recently came here. What about you, are you native to here or did you come from elsewhere, too?"  
 

 "I appreciate it nonetheless,"  Less says, as he holds the door to the Pokemon Center so Pinklady and the parade of Flying-Types can head out.  "I've lived here in Helnith, in Siltis Village by the northern coast, for more than thirty five years. i was born in Unova, though I haven't been back in two decades. How about you?" 
----------------

Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nods. Following his instruction - or at least, what she thinks is his instruction - she takes one of the Pokeballs from her skirt, mimes rolling it, and then points up. 
 

Less turns his head sideways. One of the problems of pantomime, of course, was that what was obvious to one person was not necessarily obvious to another, and Less knew he had very little idea what Pinklady was trying to tell him at this moment. Still, he made the decision to trust his companion and nodded his head in approval of her plan.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady holds up a hand palm-outwards, then puts that hand's fingertips to her head, holds up three fingers, and proceeds to lightly dig at the ground with two fingers. She concludes by gesturing to her held Pokeball. 
 

Less will tilt his head quizzically, then gesture to each side of the hill. With that, Less will start moving, keeping low in the grass and trying to avoid making much noise as he moves to the side to get a better angle, and potentially a covert look at what's happening.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady (earlier, en route to the outcrop):



 "I appreciate it nonetheless,"  Less says, as he holds the door to the Pokemon Center so Pinklady and the parade of Flying-Types can head out.  "I've lived here in Helnith, in Siltis Village by the northern coast, for more than thirty five years. i was born in Unova, though I haven't been back in two decades. How about you?" 
---------------- 
 

As she exits the Pokemon Center, Pinklady pulls up her map to check out the village Less spoke of.  "Oh, cool! I've lived in Unova all my life, down in Pinwheel Forest. I only got here a couple days ago, and it sure has been different!" 

She walks a bit ahead so she can turn around and walk backwards while they chat while heading to the outcrop.  "I haven't seen much of Helnith yet, actually... what's a place I gotta see when I get the chance?" 
 
 Spoiler: Outcrop 

(Haven't replied re:outcrop in case you have input, KI)
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 As she exits the Pokemon Center, Pinklady pulls up her map to check out the village Less spoke of.  "Oh, cool! I've lived in Unova all my life, down in Pinwheel Forest. I only got here a couple days ago, and it sure has been different!" 

She walks a bit ahead so she can turn around and walk backwards while they chat while heading to the outcrop.  "I haven't seen much of Helnith yet, actually... what's a place I gotta see when I get the chance?"  
 

Less smiled at the young woman's energy, and reached down to ruffle Buck's fur as the large Pokemon trotted along beside him.  "My family was from just outside Driftveil City. My brother still lives there, I believe. As for Helnith"  Less paused and the smile faded from his face. His voice was a little lower, a little slower, as he continued.  "You should have seen it years ago. The war, and the absence of our guardian Pokemon, has blighted the region. Nothing is quite as it once was. Dewdrop Forest used to be spectacular, especially after the rain. My daughter and I would hike for hours, listening to the sounds of the Pokemon and taking in the forest. It was so alive then. There was always something amazing to see around every bend." 

With a shake of his head, Less carried on.  "But enough of that. I'm sure word of our troubles here as reached distant shores. What brought you to a war zone?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

You scan the birds: the Pokédex reports that they have all leveled up since you fought them and de-Shadowed them. The Honchkrow is now level 36 when she had been level 35, the two Murkrow had been level 30 and were now level 32 and…that was odd.

The Pokédex reports that Murkrow A now has Wind Rider for an Ability.

----------------

Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

The Honchkrow follows Less on foot; the Murkrow hesitate, then stay put with Pinklady when the larger bird motions for them to remain where they are.

 
 Spoiler: Less 

Now that there isn’t a lot of solid rock between you and the sources of the voices, you can see two women, one in a typical Grunt uniform and the other in a lab coat with a small but identifiable spiky purple B on the collar of her coat; obviously Bandra.

There are also a couple net bags hanging from the outcrop – the thickness and texture is consistent with a Pokémon attack, String Shot or Spider Web or something of the sort. The Honchkrow sees these and practically growls: on closer examination the bags contain the remainder of the Murkrow flock, none of whom are moving.

Finally you see there is a Magnemite standing guard near the two humans and a Graveler not much farther away; the latter is plucking the net bags off the outcrop and carrying them over to the truck.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less smiled at the young woman's energy, and reached down to ruffle Buck's fur as the large Pokemon trotted along beside him.  "My family was from just outside Driftveil City. My brother still lives there, I believe. As for Helnith"  Less paused and the smile faded from his face. His voice was a little lower, a little slower, as he continued.  "You should have seen it years ago. The war, and the absence of our guardian Pokemon, has blighted the region. Nothing is quite as it once was. Dewdrop Forest used to be spectacular, especially after the rain. My daughter and I would hike for hours, listening to the sounds of the Pokemon and taking in the forest. It was so alive then. There was always something amazing to see around every bend." 

With a shake of his head, Less carried on.  "But enough of that. I'm sure word of our troubles here as reached distant shores. What brought you to a war zone?"  
 

Pinklady is quiet as Less describes the past, her attention only broken by the occasional glance behind herself to prevent herself from stumbling as she walked backwards. In contrast to her energy a moment ago, she's silent for a moment while giving his question its appropriate consideration.  "Well... I've always been keen on helping Pokemon. And people, when it comes up. Most of these guys..." 
She sways her skirt to make the Pokeballs clipped on swing a bit.  "...were Pokemon I rescued. So when I heard that there was a whole region that needed all the help it could get... I just knew I had to do what I could!" 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):



Less turns his head sideways. One of the problems of pantomime, of course, was that what was obvious to one person was not necessarily obvious to another, and Less knew he had very little idea what Pinklady was trying to tell him at this moment. Still, he made the decision to trust his companion and nodded his head in approval of her plan.



Less will tilt his head quizzically, then gesture to each side of the hill. With that, Less will start moving, keeping low in the grass and trying to avoid making much noise as he moves to the side to get a better angle, and potentially a covert look at what's happening. 
 

Pinklady proceeded with what she signed, and quietly released her Skiploom, Leapsy. Pinklady signed instructions to her - she pointed up, then pointed three fingers down and moved them in a circle - and Leapsy took to the sky. While Pinklady hoped Leapsy wouldn't attract any special attention - banking on the Bandra thinking she was just a wild one - she kept her Pokeball at the ready, in case she'd need to quickly recall her.
WindStruck
After paying for the food and drink Flotsam enjoys some more time in the restaurant.. hopefully not wearing out her welcome.

 "So.. Akio, was it? Where were you from again? I've never met anyone wearing.. armor like that? It's interesting,"  she says.

 "Is it more like for decoration, or has it saved you before? Is it heavy?"  she asks.
Lord Ruby34
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

 "Hmm."  That ability was unfamiliar. Less prompted his Pokedex to spit out a bit more information.

----------------
Less and Pinklady, on the Road

 
"Then you have a bigger heart than most."  Less states.  "I wish there were more people with such compassion and will to assist as yourself. Your actions do you credit, young lady."  Less pauses for a moment, then adds  "What did you rescue your Pokemon from?" 
----------------
Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

A sharp current of anger ran through Less as he looked down at the Bandra goons taking the Murkrow away. The coldly rational part of his brain told him to move back, and signal Pinklady, to call Jon and get help before proceeding. The part that wanted to act told him to have Buck charge, to scatter the Pokemon thieves and leave them broken on the ground as retribution for what they had done to these Pokemon, what they had done to the region. The Honchcrow beside him made a noise of fury, and Less made his decision.

He gestured to Buck, then pointed to the Magnimite. He looked at the Honchkrow, and made a similar gesture, before pointing towards the Rock-Type, but held a finger up, and looked at Pinklady, his cane tucked in the crook of an elbow, and his legs gathered under him to stand. There were a pair of Pokeball's in his left hand, and his right hand was up, five fingers extended, clearly in few of Pinklady, Buck, and the large Flying type.

Less tucked his thumb in.

Then his pinky.

Two fingers.

One.

Zero.

Less's hand opened up and shot forward again, the universal signal for go.

With no further warning, Less stood up and yelled,  "Buck! Fire Fang! Honchkrow, hit Graveler with a dark type attack!" 
 
 Spoiler: Attacks and Targets 

Buck is going to Fire Fang the Magnimite. Asking the Honchkrow to use a Dark Type move on the Graveler, as Less doesn't know her move list.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 ----------------
Less and Pinklady, on the Road

 
"Then you have a bigger heart than most."  Less states.  "I wish there were more people with such compassion and will to assist as yourself. Your actions do you credit, young lady."  Less pauses for a moment, then adds  "What did you rescue your Pokemon from?"  
 

Pinklady smiles brightly at the praise.
 "Well, Leapsy here..."  She throws one of her Pokeballs in the air, and a Skiploom emerges.  "When she was just a wild Hoppip, she got caught out in an absolutely awful storm... the sort that can even break trees!"  She punctuates her story with a dramatic gesticulation.  "Hoppip are maybe a bit too well-equipped to go with the winds, and she was getting thrown every which way, slammed into trees and rocks...  Pinklady lightly pats Leapsy on the head as she chirrups sadly.  "But I caught... well, wind of it! Fortunately, my team and I were able to set up a counterwind and safely catch her! And she's stuck right by my side ever since!" 

Pinklady smiled at Leapsy.  "Everyone on my team's got a story like that, besides my first. Oh, and besides the ones I just caught last night, here! I figured it's probably a good idea to find some more the old-fashioned way, now that I'm going up against something stronger than really bad weather." 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

A sharp current of anger ran through Less as he looked down at the Bandra goons taking the Murkrow away. The coldly rational part of his brain told him to move back, and signal Pinklady, to call Jon and get help before proceeding. The part that wanted to act told him to have Buck charge, to scatter the Pokemon thieves and leave them broken on the ground as retribution for what they had done to these Pokemon, what they had done to the region. The Honchcrow beside him made a noise of fury, and Less made his decision.

He gestured to Buck, then pointed to the Magnimite. He looked at the Honchkrow, and made a similar gesture, before pointing towards the Rock-Type, but held a finger up, and looked at Pinklady, his cane tucked in the crook of an elbow, and his legs gathered under him to stand. There were a pair of Pokeball's in his left hand, and his right hand was up, five fingers extended, clearly in few of Pinklady, Buck, and the large Flying type.

Less tucked his thumb in.

Then his pinky.

Two fingers.

One.

Zero.

Less's hand opened up and shot forward again, the universal signal for go.

With no further warning, Less stood up and yelled,  "Buck! Fire Fang! Honchkrow, hit Graveler with a dark type attack!" 
 
 Spoiler: Attacks and Targets 

Buck is going to Fire Fang the Magnimite. Asking the Honchkrow to use a Dark Type move on the Graveler, as Less doesn't know her move list.
 
 
 

(I'll post for this, but if you'd prefer to have somethings Occur between LR's post and my chance to respond, KI, lmk and I'll retcon this no problem)

Pinklady hops onto her feet as well and points at the Graveler.  "Quickly, get them with a bullet seed attack!"  She shouts to Leapsy above.
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 After paying for the food and drink Flotsam enjoys some more time in the restaurant.. hopefully not wearing out her welcome.

 "So.. Akio, was it? Where were you from again? I've never met anyone wearing.. armor like that? It's interesting,"  she says.

 "Is it more like for decoration, or has it saved you before? Is it heavy?"  she asks. 
 

"Yeah, and you are, Flotsam, yes?  I'm from Ecutreak in Johto.  My family are nobility, though that's kind of less important now we have democracy..." He chuckles.  "This armor, it's mostly a costume.  It might work against a knife, but it wouldn't do anything against a sword, let alone a gun.  It isn't that heavy, though. Back when being a noble was a job and not just a trust fund, wearing armor like this meant you were a hero others could look up to.  I wanted to be that, it seems like Helnith needs it.  But I fight with my Pokémon, not a sword, so I just have the cosplay version.  It's much lighter."  He laughs again.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

The Pokédex is able to give you a little more information:

 Wind Rider :
 Boosts the Pokémon's Attack stat if Tailwind takes effect or if the Pokémon is hit by a wind move. The Pokémon also takes no damage from wind moves. 

The Pokédex also informs you it is  not  a typical Murkrow ability.

----------------

Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

Leapsy takes to the air; there isn’t any immediate reaction from the Bandra trainers as she circles around. Less can see that they look unconcerned and don’t even appear to notice anything is amiss.

That lasts until the Honchkrow leaps into the air and unleashes a Snarl that slams into  both  the opposing Pokémon and, with the benefit of the surprise attack, both the Bandra trainers as well. The two humans drop like stones.

Honchkrow uses Snarl!
Graveler is hit for 75 damage!
Graveler faints!
Magnemite is hit for 33 damage!
It’s not very effective…
Magnemite’s Special Attack falls!

Buck uses Fire Fang!
Magnemite is hit for 96 damage!
It’s super effective!
Magnemite faints!

Leapsy floats down, looking disappointed that there is nothing left to hit, and half-heartedly fires a few seeds in the direction of the opposing Pokémon anyway.

This proves to be a good move, as it startles the Ariados - previously unseen - that had been hiding under the jeep into fleeing, and both the Murkrow chase after it with Pursuit.

Murkrow A uses Pursuit!
Ariados is hit for 25 damage!

Murkrow B uses Pursuit!
Ariados is hit for 26 damage!

They continue harassing the Bug Pokémon as they chase it out of sight.


Buck: 103/103

Leapsy: 72/72

Honchkrow: 129/129
 Murkrow A: 90/90  - chasing Ariados
 Murkrow B: 90/90  - chasing Ariados

 Graveler: 0/70 
 Magnemite: 0/55 
 Ariados: 26/77  - fled
Lord Ruby34
Less, earlier, with the birds

Hmm. That was . . . odd. Less shook his head. Odd abilities were the concern of Pokemon professors, not school teachers. Still, Less scanned the other two birds again, just to check to make sure nothing was odd about either of them.

----------------

Less and Pinklady, on the Road

 "I imagine your original Pokemon love you all the dearer for it."  Less remarks, " For my own part, I have never actually captured a Pokemon myself. Buck hatched from an egg my parents got me when I was a young boy, and the rest were captured by my daughter when she was a teenager. From there, they were given into my care."  Less stopped for a moment.  "I suppose I could use some practice capturing Pokemon too, though I find myself somewhat hesitant about the practice."
 
----------------
Less and Pinklady, at the outcropping.

The whole ordeal had lasted less than a few heartbeats. Less had not expected his first direct conflict with Bandra to be so . . . easy? The twitching bodies were almost pitiable.  "Good work, Buck, Honchkrow. You both did excellently. I did not imagine that you could hit so many so quickly. I am deeply impressed."   I really need to ask her if she already has a name.   Less thought.

After a scan for other Bandra members or hostile Pokemon, Less asks  "Pinklady, are you okay?"  Less hadn't seen any stray attacks that might have hit her, but that didn't mean he couldn't have missed something. After receiving an answer, Less started moving towards the nets with the captured Murkrow, poking the unconscious Bandra goons with his cane along the way to make sure that they were well and truly out cold.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady, on the Road

 "I imagine your original Pokemon love you all the dearer for it."  Less remarks, " For my own part, I have never actually captured a Pokemon myself. Buck hatched from an egg my parents got me when I was a young boy, and the rest were captured by my daughter when she was a teenager. From there, they were given into my care."  Less stopped for a moment.  "I suppose I could use some practice capturing Pokemon too, though I find myself somewhat hesitant about the practice."
  
 

 "Aww, that's a lovely way to have gotten your team."  Pinklady smiles.  "How is your daughter doing? I can't imagine the region's state is great for her to grow up in, but that's what we're here for, right?" 
 "Oh, and as for catching wild Pokemon... I get the hesitation, but if it helps, there's really nothing stopping you from releasing a caught Pokemon if they truly won't want to be with you. Just something to keep in mind." 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady, at the outcropping.

After a scan for other Bandra members or hostile Pokemon, Less asks  "Pinklady, are you okay?"  Less hadn't seen any stray attacks that might have hit her, but that didn't mean he couldn't have missed something. After receiving an answer, Less started moving towards the nets with the captured Murkrow, poking the unconscious Bandra goons with his cane along the way to make sure that they were well and truly out cold. 
 

 "Wait, was that it?"  Pinklady asks as she trudges over. Leapsy floats down to rejoin her, and Pinklady holds out her arm like a falconer to receive. She pats the disappointed Pokemon on the head, then says,

 "Leapsy, could you get back up to watch for anything coming this way?"  Leapsy nods and takes off again.

 "And for cutting up the nets... you're up, Whirlywhirly!"  Pinklady unleashes her Scolipede, who immediately starts haughtily looking down at Less and the Bandra grunts.
Lord Ruby34
Less and Pinklady, on the road


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Aww, that's a lovely way to have gotten your team."  Pinklady smiles.  "How is your daughter doing? I can't imagine the region's state is great for her to grow up in, but that's what we're here for, right?" 
 "Oh, and as for catching wild Pokemon... I get the hesitation, but if it helps, there's really nothing stopping you from releasing a caught Pokemon if they truly won't want to be with you. Just something to keep in mind."  
 

Less looked thoughtful for a moment before replying  "I suppose you're right about releasing captured Pokemon. I hadn't really considered it. I always worry that the Pokemon could be parents themselves, or young enough enough that they still live with their parents. I have no desire to inflict that grief on any creature." 
 
"As for my daughter . . . she's about your age. Her name is Emilia, and she was an adult before the war broke out. I wish that had made it easier, but it has not. Emilia's been fighting against Bandra for these past seven years, from the very first day. The last time I heard from her there was a Bandra Officer who was chasing her. That was a few weeks ago. I don't know if . . ."  Less's voice grows fainter, and trails off. That was more than he had meant to say.  "Well, that's why I'm here now. I need to find that officer, so I can find her."  

----------------
Less and Pinklady, by the outcrop


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Wait, was that it?"  Pinklady asks as she trudges over. Leapsy floats down to rejoin her, and Pinklady holds out her arm like a falconer to receive. She pats the disappointed Pokemon on the head, then says,

 "Leapsy, could you get back up to watch for anything coming this way?"  Leapsy nods and takes off again.

 "And for cutting up the nets... you're up, Whirlywhirly!"  Pinklady unleashes her Scolipede, who immediately starts haughtily looking down at Less and the Bandra grunts. 
 

Less looked at the Scolipede's claws, then his own hands and took a step back.  "Be my guest."  

The Honchkrow was still nearby, and Less turned to speak to the massive bird.   "Is this everyone safe, as far as you can see?"  
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

The other two birds still seem ‘normal’ for their species, barring that the Honchkrow obviously had a trainer at one point:

 
 Spoiler: Murkrow and Honchkrow Stat Blocks 

Pokémon: Honchkrow
Type: Dark/Flying
Ability: Super Luck
Gender: Female
Level: 36
Held Item: None
Stats--
HP: 129
Attack: 106
Def: 53
Sp. Attack: 91+15
Sp. Def: 53
Speed: 67+15
Moves:
Snarl (SM)
Swift (tutor)
Twister (tutor)
Nasty Plot
Swagger
Wing Attack

Pokémon: Murkrow A
Type: Dark/Flying
Ability: Wind Rider
Gender: Female
Level: 32
Held Item: None
Stats--
HP: 90
Attack: 69
Def: 41
Sp. Attack: 69
Sp. Def: 41
Speed: 73
Moves:
Peck
Pursuit
Haze
Wing Attack
Night Shade
Assurance

Pokémon: Murkrow B
Type: Dark/Flying
Ability: Super Luck
Gender: Female
Level: 32
Held Item: None
Stats--
HP: 90
Attack: 69
Def: 41
Sp. Attack: 69
Sp. Def: 41
Speed: 73
Moves:
Peck
Pursuit
Taunt
Wing Attack
Night Shade
Assurance
 


----------------

Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

The Honchkrow struts and flutters between the nets, inspecting their contents as Whirlywhirly makes short work of the webbing. The Murkrow are all unconscious according to the Pokédex; some frizzled feathers and small boulders in places where they hadn’t been earlier make it clear why.

At last she returns to Less and nods, decisively.

About this time the two purified Murkrow return, perching on the frame of the jeep and looking pleased with themselves.
Lord Ruby34
Less earlier, with the Murkrow.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Less shook his head and moved past the puzzle.  "Shall we return? I imagine you're anxious to check on the rest of the flock."  Less considered asking the Honchkrow if she would be willing to join him permanently, but the timing didn't feel quite right.

----------------

Less and Pinklady, at the Outcrop

The scatted boulders made sense. Magnimite and Graveler were good choices to fight off a flock of flying types. Less called out to Buck,  "Buck, do you smell anyone else here? Anything hiding?"   Less began frisking the unconscious goons, which included taking their Pokeballs, recalling any defeated Pokemon, and stuffing the balls in the a pouch on his bag. He'd figure out to what to do with the Pokemon later. Perhaps the Ranger would know.

After the goons were suitably searched and disarmed, Less asked  "Pinklady, would you be so kind as to help me get these two in the jeep?"   Although, Less realized, if these two had used tracking devices earlier the jeep itself might have a tracker. With a flash of light, Less called Leo out from his ball.  "Leo, would you check the vehicle for a tracking device. It might have a red light like the one that we saw earlier today. Perhaps underneath the carriage?" 

That just left the Honchkrow. Less exhaled. He was surprised to find himself oddly nervous. One more deep breath, and Less turned to the large bird.  "Was there a name that your previous trainer called you? A name that you'd like to be called again?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (earlier, with the Murkrow):

The Honchkrow bobs her head and all three birds march out the door.

----------------

Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

Buck takes a moment to sniff around to be sure, but finally barks once and shakes his head ‘no.’

Less finds 1200 PD (combined total) in the Bandra goons’ pockets, plus a Super Potion and an expired coupon to a hair salon in Skybreak City. The goons have three Pokémon each, including the KO’d Graveler and Magnemite, although since the Ariados was chased off rather than knocked out its Pokéball is empty.

 
 Spoiler: Goon Pokémon 

Grunt: Ariados, Graveler, Magnemite
Scientist: Porygon, Castform, Inkel (Helnith Pokémon)

 
 Spoiler: Inkel 

 
 

 


Leo searches the jeep; he does not find any blinking red lights under the jeep. The Murkrow, however, are pecking at the rearview mirror, and you notice thanks to the extra buttons there that the vehicle  does  have a  built-in  GPS locator.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Was there a name that your previous trainer called you? A name that you'd like to be called again?"  
 

The Honchkrow shifts from foot to foot, like she’s trying to think of what to say. “ You need me, Michael. I want to take care of you now. ” She hops up onto your shoulder ((still 60 lbs 😛)) and continues. “ You were just being strong for all of us the way Papa was. ”
WindStruck
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Yeah, and you are, Flotsam, yes?  I'm from Ecutreak in Johto.  My family are nobility, though that's kind of less important now we have democracy..." He chuckles.  "This armor, it's mostly a costume.  It might work against a knife, but it wouldn't do anything against a sword, let alone a gun.  It isn't that heavy, though. Back when being a noble was a job and not just a trust fund, wearing armor like this meant you were a hero others could look up to.  I wanted to be that, it seems like Helnith needs it.  But I fight with my Pokémon, not a sword, so I just have the cosplay version.  It's much lighter."  He laughs again. 
 

Flotsam nods along.  "Oh, that sounds neat! Being a hero and all. And nobility!" 

She tilts her head.  "Hm. I never heard of Ecruteak before. It sounds like a kind of plant or something." 

She leans in closer to Akio.  "It sounds like you want to do something about Team Bandra."  She looks around the restaurant and says,  "I heard they are dangerous." 
Lord Ruby34
No one else hiding on the outcrop was good. The GPS tracker, not so much. Less pointed it out to Pinklady, hoping that she would have a better solution to the problem than trying to find the correct wire or mechanical whatsit and breaking it. Less similarly left out the Ariados's Pokeball as a problem that still needed to be solved. It was probably unconscious in the woods nearby. Hopefully.

Less was still addressing the Honchkrow.  "That's from a movie, isn't it?"  Less wracks his brain for a moment.  "The Sandlot? No, that doesn't make sense. Feraligator Dundee? No, they rarely ever called him Michael. The Godfather movies!"  Less's voice rises in excitement as he finally puts two and two together.  "And it was the character that said those lines? Carla? No, Connie! Do you want to be called Connie?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam and Akio:

((You two don’t seem to need anything from me, but yell if that changes. I don’t want you to feel left out. 🙂))

----------------

Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

The Honchkrow (apparently, ‘Connie’) nods, obviously pleased, and preens Less' hair again.
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Flotsam nods along.  "Oh, that sounds neat! Being a hero and all. And nobility!" 

She tilts her head.  "Hm. I never heard of Ecruteak before. It sounds like a kind of plant or something." 

She leans in closer to Akio.  "It sounds like you want to do something about Team Bandra."  She looks around the restaurant and says,  "I heard they are dangerous."  
 

Akio looks around and says, "Yes, something needs to be done.   I think those guys from before are working against them but I'm not sure they trust us"
WindStruck
 "Why wouldn't they trust us?"  Flotsam asks. She just couldn't fathom it.

 "Well, it's not like I was planning to fight with Team Bandra or anything. They're pretty scary. But.. I'm not part of their group either. I'd never team up with all those meanies!"  She says that with a wrinkled nose and a grimace.
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "Why wouldn't they trust us?"  Flotsam asks. She just couldn't fathom it.

 "Well, it's not like I was planning to fight with Team Bandra or anything. They're pretty scary. But.. I'm not part of their group either. I'd never team up with all those meanies!"  She says that with a wrinkled nose and a grimace. 
 

"That makes sense.  But, if I were Team Bandra, and I wanted to spy, I'd either be someone completely harmless looking or loudly talk about how much I want to fight Team Bandra..."  He gestures to the two of them sitting there.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady, on the road



Less looked thoughtful for a moment before replying  "I suppose you're right about releasing captured Pokemon. I hadn't really considered it. I always worry that the Pokemon could be parents themselves, or young enough enough that they still live with their parents. I have no desire to inflict that grief on any creature." 
 
"As for my daughter . . . she's about your age. Her name is Emilia, and she was an adult before the war broke out. I wish that had made it easier, but it has not. Emilia's been fighting against Bandra for these past seven years, from the very first day. The last time I heard from her there was a Bandra Officer who was chasing her. That was a few weeks ago. I don't know if . . ."  Less's voice grows fainter, and trails off. That was more than he had meant to say.  "Well, that's why I'm here now. I need to find that officer, so I can find her."   
 

 "Oh! I'm so sorry..."  Pinklady is silent again a moment.  "She sounds really great and capable, to have been fighting them for so long... I'm sure we'll make sure she's all fine!" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

The Honchkrow struts and flutters between the nets, inspecting their contents as Whirlywhirly makes short work of the webbing. The Murkrow are all unconscious according to the Pokédex; some frizzled feathers and small boulders in places where they hadn’t been earlier make it clear why. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 After the goons were suitably searched and disarmed, Less asked  "Pinklady, would you be so kind as to help me get these two in the jeep?"   
 

 "Sure thing!"  She has some trouble due to her exhausting exercise earlier but is able to, all the same, help Less handle the Bandra in the jeep.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 No one else hiding on the outcrop was good. The GPS tracker, not so much. Less pointed it out to Pinklady, hoping that she would have a better solution to the problem than trying to find the correct wire or mechanical whatsit and breaking it. Less similarly left out the Ariados's Pokeball as a problem that still needed to be solved. It was probably unconscious in the woods nearby. Hopefully. 
 

 "Do you figure any of your team could fling it really far? Breaking it might get attention too quickly, but if you can get it far from here, it might waste some time! And get it off the truck, of course." 

At the mention of the Ariados issue, Pinklady calls up to Leapsy flying high above them.  "Leapsy, you haven't seen anything approaching yet, right! Could you look for an Ariados, if you can see one from up there, too!" 
Lord Ruby34
Earlier, on the Road


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh! I'm so sorry..."  Pinklady is silent again a moment.  "She sounds really great and capable, to have been fighting them for so long... I'm sure we'll make sure she's all fine!"  
 

Buck had pressed his head into Less's right shoulder and let out a comforting rumble.  "Yes."  The older man took a moment to recover.  "Yes. Every day she was out there I was so worried, but prouder than I can express."  Less shakes his head.  "But enough about my troubles. I'm sure there are happier subjects we could speak of?" 

----------------
Less and Pinklady, at the Outcrop



 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Do you figure any of your team could fling it really far? Breaking it might get attention too quickly, but if you can get it far from here, it might waste some time! And get it off the truck, of course."  
 

Less shook his head.  "Getting it away is a good idea, but I have no idea how to accomplish it. I think the system is internal? Frankly, I'm helpless with electronic engineering."  Less stops, and hands half the PD and the Super Potion to Pinklady.  "I imagine you can put these to better use than our friends here." 

Everything Less said came out a little strained. He was leaning against the jeep, letting the metal support a great deal of his weight while he focused on trying to keep Connie on his shoulder without falling to the ground.  "Connie then" , Less says to the Flying type.  "I can't promise to be the same as your old trainer, but would you like to accompany me? I intend to fight against Bandra for as long as I am able. I would value your aid, and do what I can to help you find the people you want revenge on."  Less punctuated his words by holding out an empty Pokeball, button first, to Connie.
WindStruck
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "That makes sense.  But, if I were Team Bandra, and I wanted to spy, I'd either be someone completely harmless looking or loudly talk about how much I want to fight Team Bandra..."  He gestures to the two of them sitting there. 
 

 "Hey, I haven't been talking about fighting Team Bandra!"  Flotsam says, raising her voice, which ironically sounded a lot like loudly talking about how much she wanted to fight Team Bandra.

 "Oh.. uh, wait... you mean..?"  She started to blush.

 "Do I look harmless? Well I'm only, like, eleven, or twelve, or.. something..."  she mumbles.  "Not that it's a bad thing?" 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Earlier, on the Road



Buck had pressed his head into Less's right shoulder and let out a comforting rumble.  "Yes."  The older man took a moment to recover.  "Yes. Every day she was out there I was so worried, but prouder than I can express."  Less shakes his head.  "But enough about my troubles. I'm sure there are happier subjects we could speak of?"  
 

Pinklady nods.  "Sure! Liiiike... how about Unova! I know you said it's been a real long while since you've-"  Pinklady is interrupted by herself stumbling and falling onto her butt, having neglected to look behind herself, so rapt had she been in their recent conversation.  "Unf." 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady, at the Outcrop




Less shook his head.  "Getting it away is a good idea, but I have no idea how to accomplish it. I think the system is internal? Frankly, I'm helpless with electronic engineering."  Less stops, and hands half the PD and the Super Potion to Pinklady.  "I imagine you can put these to better use than our friends here."  
 

 "I'm afraid I'm as helpless as you are... I thought the GPS was built into the mirror because of the buttons. If that isn't it, I guess trying to break the GPS is our best bet..." 
She gladly receives the potions and money.  "Oh, yeah! Crime never pays."  She asserts as she pockets the Bandra folks' cash and item.
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "Hey, I haven't been talking about fighting Team Bandra!"  Flotsam says, raising her voice, which ironically sounded a lot like loudly talking about how much she wanted to fight Team Bandra.

 "Oh.. uh, wait... you mean..?"  She started to blush.

 "Do I look harmless? Well I'm only, like, eleven, or twelve, or.. something..."  she mumbles.  "Not that it's a bad thing?"  
 

"No offense!  Everyone starts somewhere!"  Akio tries to be reassuring but he is bad at hiding that he is amused.

"Anyway, you're a Pokémon trainer and having a team if Pokémon is the great equalizer!  You'll grow into your power soon enough!"
Lord Ruby34
Less and Pinklady, Road


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nods.  "Sure! Liiiike... how about Unova! I know you said it's been a real long while since you've-"  Pinklady is interrupted by herself stumbling and falling onto her butt, having neglected to look behind herself, so rapt had she been in their recent conversation.  "Unf."  
 

 "Are you alright?"  Less asked, moving over to Pinklady and offering a hand to the rambunctious young woman, which makes it extremely apparent that the cane in Less's right hand is just for show, as his steps are sure and steady despite the cane never touching the ground and he jogs up.
----------------
Less and Pinklady, Outcrop


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I'm afraid I'm as helpless as you are... I thought the GPS was built into the mirror because of the buttons. If that isn't it, I guess trying to break the GPS is our best bet..." 
She gladly receives the potions and money.  "Oh, yeah! Crime never pays."  She asserts as she pockets the Bandra folks' cash and item. 
 

After getting a response from Connie, Less pocked the other half of the cash, and inadvertently pocketed the coupon along with the money.  "I suppose it's time to call Ranger Wain. He may have an idea on how to disable the GPS."  Less mused, before picking up his Pokedex and the note in his pocket.

 "Jon,"  Less stated the Ranger picked up the call  " It's Less. We found some Bandra up where we fought the Murkrow. They're disabled now, but we've run into a problem getting them back to town. It looks like their jeep has some kind of GPS tracker, and we don't know how to disable it." 
WindStruck
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "No offense!  Everyone starts somewhere!"  Akio tries to be reassuring but he is bad at hiding that he is amused.

"Anyway, you're a Pokémon trainer and having a team if Pokémon is the great equalizer!  You'll grow into your power soon enough!" 
 

Flotsam begins to  laugh  giggle.  "Haha, that's right, I guess! Even if I am harmless, Rascal sure isn't! Or any of you others for that matter."  She beams at her Pokémon proudly.

 "..but really...  I don't think it's like we go around trying to pick fights. I think we'd rather not have to fight anything." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

((+600 PD (4,100 PD total), +Expired Hair Salon Coupon for Less, +600 PD (4,100 PD total), +1 Super Potion (3 total) Pinklady))

You successfully load the goons into the jeep; luckily neither of them is particularly heavy by human standards.

Leapsy floats away into the sky, circles the area a few times, then floats back down several moments later. She gets Pinklady’s attention and then points: closer examination in that direction reveals the Ariados, lying in the grass quite unconscious.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I can't promise to be the same as your old trainer, but would you like to accompany me? I intend to fight against Bandra for as long as I am able. I would value your aid, and do what I can to help you find the people you want revenge on."  
 

Connie eyes the ball with interest, then hops over to the Jeep where the two Murkrow are squabbling over what appears to be the keys. She squawks at them a bit in Pokéspeak; the two immediately straighten up. The two smaller birds salute with their wings and Connie nods, apparently satisfied.  Then  she hops back to Less, “ We’re going to shake things up, Morgan. Like old times. ” and pushes the button with her beak. The ball engulfs her immediately and  dings  the capture without a struggle. ((-1 Pokéball for Less, 2 remaining.))

 
 Spoiler: Connie’s Stats (spoiler alert, they haven’t changed) 

Pokémon: Honchkrow (Connie)
Type: Dark/Flying
Ability: Super Luck
Gender: Female
Level: 36
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 129
Attack: 106
Def: 53
Sp. Attack: 91 +15
Sp. Def: 53
Speed: 67 +15
Moves:
Snarl (SM)
Swift (tutor)
Twister (tutor)
Nasty Plot
Swagger
Wing Attack
 


((I don’t know if I need to clarify this but just in case: if you want to reallocate her existing EVs you’re going to need to feed her the appropriate Berries first.))


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Jon,"  Less stated the Ranger picked up the call  " It's Less. We found some Bandra up where we fought the Murkrow. They're disabled now, but we've run into a problem getting them back to town. It looks like their jeep has some kind of GPS tracker, and we don't know how to disable it."  
 

“ Already? You’re very efficient. I’ve got to finish my sweep here, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. ”

((Some time later: ))

Leapsy spots the Ranger first, then Buck barks and takes a protective stance in front of Less until he recognizes the newcomer.

Ranger Wain waves. “Good work! Now what was it about a GPS?”

In the jeep, one of the goons starts to groan. “One minute,” and he produces handcuffs and cuffs both goons to the jeep.

----------------

Flotsam and Akio:


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "Hey, I haven't been talking about fighting Team Bandra!"  
 

Flotsam does, indeed, get a few side-eyes from a couple patrons, but they return their attention to their food in short order.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady, Road



 "Are you alright?"  Less asked, moving over to Pinklady and offering a hand to the rambunctious young woman, which makes it extremely apparent that the cane in Less's right hand is just for show, as his steps are sure and steady despite the cane never touching the ground and he jogs up. 
 

Pinklady laughs at her stumble and accepts Less's help getting back up.  "All fine, thank you! It's a bit tricky sometimes, being somewhere other than the forest I've spent almost all my time."  This time, she just walks alongside Less rather than walk backwards as before.  I should ask about the cane... or should I not? 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Leapsy floats away into the sky, circles the area a few times, then floats back down several moments later. She gets Pinklady’s attention and then points: closer examination in that direction reveals the Ariados, lying in the grass quite unconscious. 
 

 "Good work, Leapsy! There it is!"  Pinklady passes on Leapsy's indication to Less and starts briskly walking over to the spider Pokemon.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 ((Some time later: ))

Leapsy spots the Ranger first, then Buck barks and takes a protective stance in front of Less until he recognizes the newcomer.

Ranger Wain waves. “Good work! Now what was it about a GPS?”

In the jeep, one of the goons starts to groan. “One minute,” and he produces handcuffs and cuffs both goons to the jeep. 
 

Pinklady waves back and lets Less explain the finding.
Lord Ruby34
Pinklady and Less, Road


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady laughs at her stumble and accepts Less's help getting back up.  "All fine, thank you! It's a bit tricky sometimes, being somewhere other than the forest I've spent almost all my time."  
 


"You get used to it eventually." Less smiles, "Perhaps slightly faster when looking at the road ahead." Less put enough wry humor in the words to make it clear that they were not intended as a rebuke.
----------------
Pinklady and Less, Outcrop


Less takes a few moments while the group waits for Ranger Wain to trek over the Ariados and recall it into it's Pokeball before storing it in his pack with the others.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Connie eyes the ball with interest, then hops over to the Jeep where the two Murkrow are squabbling over what appears to be the keys. She squawks at them a bit in Pokéspeak; the two immediately straighten up. The two smaller birds salute with their wings and Connie nods, apparently satisfied.  Then  she hops back to Less, “ We’re going to shake things up, Morgan. Like old times. ” and pushes the button with her beak. The ball engulfs her immediately and  dings  the capture without a struggle. ((-1 Pokéball for Less, 2 remaining.)) 
 

Less puzzled a bit at the quote. This was definitively the first one time that his pop culture knowledge, gained from thirty years of teaching, had failed him. Still, he took the meaning, if not the source. He debated sending Connie right back out, but decided that she could probably use some time to acclimate to her Pokeball. After that he grabbed the keys from the squabbling birds and gave them a piece of Beach Glass to replace their stolen shiny.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Already? You’re very efficient. I’ve got to finish my sweep here, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. ” 
 

 
"They were already here when we arrived. Honestly, they were easier to take down that easier of us expected. They weren't paying attention to their surroundings."  Less snorted. His opinion on the two goons professionalism was perfectly clear from the sound alone.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Leapsy spots the Ranger first, then Buck barks and takes a protective stance in front of Less until he recognizes the newcomer.

Ranger Wain waves. “Good work! Now what was it about a GPS?”

In the jeep, one of the goons starts to groan. “One minute,” and he produces handcuffs and cuffs both goons to the jeep. 
 

 
"It looks like there's some kind of integrated GPS dohickey. I haven't the foggiest on how to disable the darned thing, but a Bandra jeep could be useful if we can take the darned thing without bringing down some kind of goon swarm wherever we try to park the thing,"  Less said.  "I don't think Nurse Joy would appreciate that much,"  he added.

 "Do you have any ideas other than breaking random bits of the computer system until it shuts off?"  
 
 Spoiler: Connie 

It looks like Connie has an EV left to allocate. Can I put it in speed?
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Pinklady and Less, Road




"You get used to it eventually." Less smiles, "Perhaps slightly faster when looking at the road ahead." Less put enough wry humor in the words to make it clear that they were not intended as a rebuke. 
 

 "You might be onto something!"  Pinklady grins.  "Speaking of the road..."  She recalls Leapsy into her Pokeball.  "Don't want her tired for when we set up for watch! Now, what was I saying before my upset..." 
Lord Ruby34
Pinklady and Less, Road


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "You might be onto something!"  Pinklady grins.  "Speaking of the road..."  She recalls Leapsy into her Pokeball.  "Don't want her tired for when we set up for watch! Now, what was I saying before my upset..."  
 

 "I think you were about to ask about Unova. I imagine our experience there were rather different. I only visited the Pinwheel forest once, in my youth." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Pinklady and Less, Road



 "I think you were about to ask about Unova. I imagine our experience there were rather different. I only visited the Pinwheel forest once, in my youth."  
 

 "Oh, yeah! I guess it is pretty far from... I think you mentioned Driftveil was where you mostly lived? I think that's just about as far as you can get from Pinwheel... I know I've never been there! Do you remember what it was like?" 
Lord Ruby34
Pinklady and Less, on the Road


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh, yeah! I guess it is pretty far from... I think you mentioned Driftveil was where you mostly lived? I think that's just about as far as you can get from Pinwheel... I know I've never been there! Do you remember what it was like?"  
 

 "Busy, most days. My parents both worked in the city itself. I remember that it was always bustling. There were always ships coming in and leaving, loading and unloading. It was cheerful, if that makes sense."  Less's voiced sounded far away.  "The city never slept, there was always someone selling something, or calling out. It would be too much for me now, I think, but it wasn't a bad place to grow up. I was certainly never bored."  Less smiled.  "How about you? What was the Pinwheel forest like?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):

(Phone call):
The Murkrow look briefly irritated at Less’ theft of the keys, then pleased at the replacement, and then go back to squabbling – this time over the glass instead. (+Bandra Jeep Keys, -1 Beach Glass, 3 remaining)


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"They were already here when we arrived. Honestly, they were easier to take down that easier of us expected. They weren't paying attention to their surroundings."  
 

“ Take the easy win, ” the Ranger replies in his drawl, “ they never happen as often as you want them to! Anyway, I’ll see you soon. ” And with that the Ranger hangs up.

(After Wain arrives):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Do you have any ideas other than breaking random bits of the computer system until it shuts off?"   
 

“Hmm,” the Ranger examines it. “This looks like an add-on. It should be possible to just  pop – it – right – off – ” The rear-view mirror comes off in the Ranger’s hands; there’s adhesive on the windshield where it used to be. “There. Technically it isn’t street-legal without the mirror, but I doubt anyone will give any trouble over that, all things considered.” The Ranger’s tone turns serious. “Now, you mentioned human remains earlier? Since I’m here anyway, I should take a look.”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
 Spoiler: Connie 

It looks like Connie has an EV left to allocate. Can I put it in speed?
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Connie 

That’s from the level-up she got after being purified, and absolutely you may. 🙂

Pokemon: Honchkrow (Connie)
Type: Dark/Flying
Ability: Super Luck
Gender: Female
Level: 36
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 129
Attack: 106
Def: 53
Sp. Attack: 91 +15
Sp. Def: 53
Speed: 67 +16
Moves:
Snarl (SM)
Swift (tutor)
Twister (tutor)
Nasty Plot
Swagger
Wing Attack
 
Lord Ruby34
Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop)

 "That was easier than I thought."  Less internally cringed. He had assumed that it was wired in. Mechanical things needed wires, right?  Getting old, Less.  The skull should be over here. Less escorted the Ranger to the detritus around the nest.  "Where she we bring these two anyway? And their Pokemon? I figure we can let them stew for a night before we ask them too many questions. Give them some time to think things over."
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Pinklady and Less, on the Road

 "Busy, most days. My parents both worked in the city itself. I remember that it was always bustling. There were always ships coming in and leaving, loading and unloading. It was cheerful, if that makes sense."  Less's voiced sounded far away.  "The city never slept, there was always someone selling something, or calling out. It would be too much for me now, I think, but it wasn't a bad place to grow up. I was certainly never bored."  Less smiled.  "How about you? What was the Pinwheel forest like?"  
 

 "Well... most of the time, it was pretty much the opposite of that! Not silent, of course, but the wild Pokemon weren't nearly as noisy as a city like that. It was pretty comfy, especially after getting to know the whole forest and its inhabitants by heart... and there was always something interesting going on, if you knew where to look! It sometimes was a bit lonely, though, even with Pokemon company."  She looks down at her Pokeballs.  "Which is part of why I took the occasional trip to Castelia! Even if it was kind of overwhelming."  She lightly laughs.  "If you've been to Pinhwheel, I've sure you've been to Castelia, at least on the way there. Pretty crazy place, right?" 
Lord Ruby34
Less and Pinklady, n the Road


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Well... most of the time, it was pretty much the opposite of that! Not silent, of course, but the wild Pokemon weren't nearly as noisy as a city like that. It was pretty comfy, especially after getting to know the whole forest and its inhabitants by heart... and there was always something interesting going on, if you knew where to look! It sometimes was a bit lonely, though, even with Pokemon company."  She looks down at her Pokeballs.  "Which is part of why I took the occasional trip to Castelia! Even if it was kind of overwhelming."  She lightly laughs.  "If you've been to Pinhwheel, I've sure you've been to Castelia, at least on the way there. Pretty crazy place, right?"  
 

Less smiled,  "That sounds a lot like Dewdrop Forest, back before the region started dying off. I took Emilia, and my students, there often. There's a great deal of natural beauty to be found in these forests."  Less laughed alongside Pinklady.  "It certainly is at that. I had thought Veilstone was vibrant, but Castelia put it to shame. I remember going there as a boy, I couldn't believe how many people there were, or how the buildings reached so far into the sky." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop, after Wain arrives):

The Ranger disconnects the power on the device before he speaks. “There we go. Good thing that jeep is an older model; some of the newer ones have the GPS as standard, and then you’d need a mechanic instead of a Pokémon Ranger.”

The Ranger examines the skull and bones with his Styler. “I think I can safely say whoever this is didn’t die here. Except for the skull most of these bones aren’t human; these pieces are Rhyhorn plates, that leg bone looks like it came from a Twiggin, those thin bones are what’s left of a Taillow wing…most of this was scavenged. Typical for Murkrow; they’re one of the few species to be doing really well with the war going on and everything else dying off.” He pulls out an evidence bag and puts on gloves, then carefully puts the skull in the former. “I’ll take the skull to Skybreak for DNA testing; if we can figure out who it used to be we can at least contact any family.” He pushes the button on the Styler. “Viola, let the Base know I’m going to be a little longer getting up to Hillsbreak; I’ve got human remains I need to drop off at Skybreak on my way up.”

“ Will do. I’ll let Skybreak know you’re coming too. ”

“Thank you!” To the both of you he says, “Time to get going I think. Anything else you need to do here? It’s getting dark.”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Where she we bring these two anyway? And their Pokemon? I figure we can let them stew for a night before we ask them too many questions. Give them some time to think things over."
  
 

“I can drop them off with the police when I stop by Skybreak. They’ll probably be held at the station there until morning.”

 
 Spoiler: Less 
Since Bandra Officer Darrin killed off most of them, Skybreak City is the only settlement in Helnith to still have an active police presence.
 
Lord Ruby34
Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop, after Wain arrives):


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I can drop them off with the police when I stop by Skybreak. They’ll probably be held at the station there until morning.”

 
 Spoiler: Less 
Since Bandra Officer Darrin killed off most of them, Skybreak City is the only settlement in Helnith to still have an active police presence.
 
 
 

 "Pinklady, was there anything you wanted to ask the Ranger? For my part, I'm wondering if we can stop by and talk to these two in the morning. There's a few questions I want to ask before the bureaucrats make talking to them difficult." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady, n the Road



Less smiled,  "That sounds a lot like Dewdrop Forest, back before the region started dying off. I took Emilia, and my students, there often. There's a great deal of natural beauty to be found in these forests."  Less laughed alongside Pinklady.  "It certainly is at that. I had thought Veilstone was vibrant, but Castelia put it to shame. I remember going there as a boy, I couldn't believe how many people there were, or how the buildings reached so far into the sky."  
 

 "A city to amaze even city-dwellers... wow! Maybe I should check out Veilstone someday, see if it's a bit less overwhelming. Do you have any plans to visit your hometown again someday?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop, after Wain arrives):

“Thank you!” To the both of you he says, “Time to get going I think. Anything else you need to do here? It’s getting dark.” 
 

Pinklady shakes her head.  "Besides what Lester said, I think we're all done here!" 
 
 Spoiler: Name note 

I noticed that Less introduced himself to Pinklady earlier as Lester and in her presence only referred to himself as Less when calling Wain, so Pinklady thinks it's a nickname reserved for friends. Just gotta make sure the shortening doesn't come up during their road convo 😛
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "A city to amaze even city-dwellers... wow! Maybe I should check out Veilstone someday, see if it's a bit less overwhelming. Do you have any plans to visit your hometown again someday?"  
 

 "After the war is over, perhaps. I still have family over there, and news has been hard to come by. I would like to know how my brother is doing, at least. Do you have any siblings back home?" 

 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady shakes her head.  "Besides what Lester said, I think we're all done here!"  
 

Less nodded towards the ranger, and addressed the young woman.  "Feel free to call me Less, Pinklady." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "After the war is over, perhaps. I still have family over there, and news has been hard to come by. I would like to know how my brother is doing, at least. Do you have any siblings back home?"  
 

 "You've gotta show me around Driftveil sometime, then! I'd love to check out a city not as crazy as Castelia, especially with a guide!"  She grins.  "And, siblings? Not to my knowledge. Is it really like having a close friend you can depend on anytime?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded towards the ranger, and addressed the young woman.  "Feel free to call me Less, Pinklady."  
 

She nods.  "Will do, Less!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "For my part, I'm wondering if we can stop by and talk to these two in the morning. There's a few questions I want to ask before the bureaucrats make talking to them difficult."  
 

“I can let the Skybreak police know to expect you, but so you’re warned: Skybreak has a curfew in place, and no one is allowed out on the streets between 8 PM and 6 AM without special permission. And there’s a security checkpoint to get into the city; there’s usually a long line to get in. Get there early.”
Lord Ruby34
Less and Pinklady, Walking


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "You've gotta show me around Driftveil sometime, then! I'd love to check out a city not as crazy as Castelia, especially with a guide!"  She grins.  "And, siblings? Not to my knowledge. Is it really like having a close friend you can depend on anytime?"  
 

 "Ha!"  Less let out a laugh.  "You're right about always being there, but we argued more often than not. For most of our childhood Norris thought I was a meathead who was wasting his life, and I thought he was too afraid to do anything with his."  Less smiled,  "but that doesn't mean we weren't close." 


At the Outcrop

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less and Pinklady (at the outcrop):
“I can let the Skybreak police know to expect you, but so you’re warned: Skybreak has a curfew in place, and no one is allowed out on the streets between 8 PM and 6 AM without special permission. And there’s a security checkpoint to get into the city; there’s usually a long line to get in. Get there early.” 
 


Less nodded. "I can do that." With that Less helped the Ranger get the criminals onto his own vehicle and got the jeep ready. Less recalled all his Pokemon but Buck, offered a ride to Pinklady, and then let the large fire-type race alongside the vehicle as Less drove it back to the Pokemon Center.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less and Pinklady, Walking



 "Ha!"  Less let out a laugh.  "You're right about always being there, but we argued more often than not. For most of our childhood Norris thought I was a meathead who was wasting his life, and I thought he was too afraid to do anything with his."  Less smiled,  "but that doesn't mean we weren't close."  
 

Pinklady looks thoughtful for a moment, then says,  "I guess that makes sense! I hope I can have somebody like that some day, it sounds great in an unusual way." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady looks thoughtful for a moment, then says,  "I guess that makes sense! I hope I can have somebody like that some day, it sounds great in an unusual way."  
 

 
"It's certainly something special. The trust is liberating, in some ways. It's good to know that it's still there no matter how far away we are."  Less smiled.  "I haven't seen him in nearly fifteen years now, though before the war we were able to call every few months." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"It's certainly something special. The trust is liberating, in some ways. It's good to know that it's still there no matter how far away we are."  Less smiled.  "I haven't seen him in nearly fifteen years now, though before the war we were able to call every few months."  
 

 "That's wonderful to hear! The trust, I mean, not so much the time since you last spoke."  Pinklady smiles back.  "Thank you for explaining it!" 

She doesn't say anything to continue the conversation, at least not immediately.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "That's wonderful to hear! The trust, I mean, not so much the time since you last spoke."  Pinklady smiles back.  "Thank you for explaining it!" 

She doesn't say anything to continue the conversation, at least not immediately. 
 

Less smiled, and let the conversation fall into companionable silence, punctuated only by their footfalls and the footfalls of the Pokemon walking next to him.

As the two trainers near the outcrop, Less began to ask  "Pinklady, that has to have an interesting etymo--"  before the appearance of the Bandra goons cuts him off.

 
 Spoiler: essCee 

I'm good calling that a successful conversation if you are?
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mina (earlier):

Mina probably should have died right there.

But luckily Natu noticed the danger and Teleported them both about fifteen feet out of the way, squawking indignantly and fluttering wildly on his perch on her shoulder. He rotated to face their attacker and yelled in Pokéspeak loud enough to hurt Mina’s nearest eardrum, while Mina herself fumbled for her belt and called out all her Pokémon at once…

…forgetting that Houndoom was still Shadowed and dangerous! She was really regretting having Matt save his Flute right now!

Lights flickered on and it was then that she realized she was definitely in the wrong place, because this was a Pokémon Gym. The creature that had attacked looked a little like Oodramer, but nearly twelve feet long, with defined fins and scales instead of being liquid goop, and with three pairs of eyes instead of one, which blinked in succession so at least one set was always open and gazing in her direction.

Gigazemeka: 321/321

Its trainer looked nearly as bizarre. She was tall, thin but boney rather than graceful, and dressed in a yellow coat of strange make that nevertheless suited her perfectly. Over the top half of her face she wore a Phantom of the Opera style mask that Mina thought might be meant to resemble some kind of fox Pokémon, and she had lengthy red hair.

Of course, Mina was still having trouble registering anything except ‘she almost killed me’ and ‘she’s not wearing a Bandra uniform.’

The trainer – the Gym Leader? – was a little more mentally coherent. “Oh, you’re one of those children running around troubling Bandra.” She signaled to her Gigazemeka to stand down.

Mina recalled her Pokémon – or tried to.

Houndoom had gotten his bearings enough to dodge the recall beam and charged for the scaly monstrosity, chomping down with a Bite – which did nothing, so whatever else it was it was still a Spectral type.

Mina, not at all confident that a solid hit from that monster wouldn’t kill him, frantically tried again, keeping her voice as steady as she could. “ Houndoom, come  back.  ”  Return, return! 

The opposing Pokémon shifted slightly in its trainer’s direction and the latter gave a faint nod. A spark of spectral energy arched from the Gigazemeka to her Houndoom and Mina felt her stomach drop when the latter started to glow faintly. ((Shadow Gauge +1%, total 71%)) But it wasn’t even strong enough to be called an  attack , given how powerful the Pokédex said the creature was. And Houndoom didn’t fall over dead or unconscious; instead, to Mina’s shock, Houndoom...sat down.

Mina wasn’t taking chances and recalled him before his unexpected good behavior wore off.

“Now you can tell me what you’re doing here,  Mina , sneaking in through the side door.” And the Gigazemeka’s trainer sounded cold enough Mina was wondering if she was about to regret recalling all her Pokémon, because if that thing decided to blast her there wasn’t a lot Mina could do about it.

However, there wasn’t actually any good reason for her not to answer truthfully, so she did. “ It was unlocked. I was looking for a repair shop. ” And she had the repair form to prove it, too!

The saffron-clad trainer’s icy façade cracked, just a little, and Mina heard her irritably mutter the words “Darien” and “another liaison.”

Mina went on the verbal offensive. “ Okay, my turn. Who are you and how do you know who  I  am? ” Seriously, how did  everyone  seem to recognize their group? Though Mina didn’t recall the last time a stranger had known her  name  before…that was worrying.

“My name is Cassilda and I lead this Gym, as for how I know  you,  I keep track of trainers with Spectral types, and I can count on  one hand  the number of trainers in Helnith who have an Oodramer. Most of them are part of my Gym.” A smattering of people in toned-down, less ornate versions of what the redhead was wearing started trickling in. “I don’t actually have time to deal with you right now. Gabrielle,” one of the newcomers (with a mask resembling some kind of cat Pokémon) perked up “take this ‘Hero of Helnith’ out of my battle ring. Answer whatever questions she has, boot her out, I don’t care, just keep her out of my hair.”

Mina followed her guide out of the battle arena. Gabrielle proved to be not very chatty. As Mina herself was feeling very wrong-footed after accidentally breaking in and almost getting killed, this was not helping her feel reassured. But Mina felt like she had to at least  try  to make conversation. She asked awkwardly, “ So I take it this is a Spectral type Gym? ”

“Yes.”

“ You get a lot of challengers? ”

“No.”

There was a long, awkward pause, their footsteps echoing down the hall. Mina’s footsteps squeaked more, thanks to the rain.

Mina tried again. “ How did your boss do that, with my Houndoom? ”

“Spectral energy.”

This wasn’t helping. Luckily, inspiration had just struck. “ Were you assigned to escort me to educate  me  or to educate  you?  ” If nothing else Mina figured that was going to be an offensive enough question to shake the other girl out of her stoicism.

It did seem to take Gabrielle aback a bit. “…what?”

“ I mean, is this mono-word answer thing you trying to get me to go away, or do you do this all the time and your boss is trying to get you to socialize? ”

“Strong emotion is discouraged, it is dangerous around Spectral energies.”

Oh. So she wasn’t just doing it to be rude. “ So it’s a training thing. ”

“Yes.” Gabrielle opened a side door and gestured for Mina to enter. The room was empty of people except for the two of them, there were mats on most of the flat surfaces and training dummies in a variety of configurations – four legs, serpentine, a padded block that could have stood in for any Pokémon as long as it was ground-bound and around knee height, a block with sticks sticking out of it suspended from the ceiling…one that looked like a human…

Mina told herself that while ominous, the group had sent their Pokémon after Bandra Grunts and not just their Pokémon themselves, so she shouldn’t worry about it.

It wasn’t working.

“ You know, I’ve  been  to the Spectral Dimension and it isn’t actually that bad. ” And as Mina said that, a memory stirred; the battle with Pyrath, Oodramer using Vortex on one of the Tyrasin…

…which had then started to glow, and fight against its compatriots…

“ …can  all  Pokémon do that thing with the Spectral energy to Shadow Pokémon? ”

“Only to weaker Pokémon.”

Drat, and Houndoom was a little stronger than Oodramer at the moment. She’d have to fix that later and find someplace private to test it – private and  secure. 

“ What else can you tell me about it? ”

There was another long pause. Mina thought, somewhat uncharitably, that it was because Gabrielle was trying to boil her reply down to as few words as possible.

Then Gabrielle called out a Pokémon Mina had never seen before; it had a tail like a shark’s, and a helmeted head with whiskers like a catfish. Her Pokédex informed her it was a Water/Spectral type.  Estuar. 

“Call out your Houndoom.”

Mina wanted to ask ‘are you sure’ but the other girl had  seen  him Shadowed, and Mina had seen what the Gigazemeka had done, so she called him out and asked instead: “ Wow, where did you catch that? ”

Gabrielle nodded to her Pokémon to do its thing. ((+1% Shadow Gauge for Houndoom, 72% total))  “Stardust City.”

Mina winced. Of course it would be in Bandra territory. A Pokémon that was super-effective against most Grunt Pokémon  and  immune to Shadowing couldn’t  possibly  be somewhere she or the others could catch it.

But Gabrielle seemed to be unbending ever-so-slightly, because she added, “Coastal waters. Use a Good Rod.” The masked girl fished something out of her costume and handed it to Mina. “Put this on your Pokémon.”

Mina recognized the item as a Sacred Talisman like the one Matt had used. Mina brightened. “ I’ve seen one of those before, but the trainer who had it never said where he got it. ”

“Dig more.”

Something else to put on the ever-growing list of things she needed to do. Mina sighed internally, and switched the Shell Bell Houndoom was already wearing with the Sacred Talisman. He was eerily still.

“You have Cologne?”

Now it was Mina’s turn to answer in mono-syllables. “ Yes. ”

“Show me.”

Mina had the sudden, irrational fear that this was all an elaborate ruse to rob her, but she took out the Warm Scent and showed it to the masked girl.

She might have been imagining it, and it was difficult to tell with the mask, but Mina thought she might have seen the  slightest  hint of approval in the other girl’s expression.

“Now battle. Nine rounds.”

Mina called for Houndoom to use Odor Sleuth, and had a brief moment of panic when he almost  immediately  went pitch black and the Pokédex started blaring:

"  WARNING! WARNING! Shadow Pokémon detected! Shadow Rage imminent.  "

Even behind the mask, Mina could tell Gabrielle was losing her composure. This was not reassuring. The masked girl had already called for Brine; Mina called out Oodramer and Sandshrew, directing the former to Bubblebeam Houndoom and the latter to use Sand Tomb. Natu chattered from her shoulder but stayed where he was.

Houndoom did  something  and both Water moves evaporated before they could hit him, and danced with terrifying grace out of the Sand Tomb’s path. ((Attack missed!))

((Houndoom 111/111 (  Shadowed: 72%  , Rage Gauge: 95%)

Oodramer: 88/88
Sandshrew: 76/76

Estuar: 128/128))

“Brine!”“ Again! ”

Then Houndoom howled at the ceiling and Mina felt a chill radiate from him.

Houndoom uses Shadow Down!
Defense of all allied Pokémon falls sharply!

But the next volley of attacks hit:

Estuar uses Brine!
It’s super effective!
Houndoom is hit for 52 damage!

Oodramer uses Bubblebeam!
Critical hit!
It’s super effective!
Houndoom is hit for 66 damage!
Houndoom faints!

Sandshrew aborted her Sand Tomb and looked at Mina quizzically. Mina smiled and gave both her Pokémon head rubs. She did  not  recall them, not trusting Houndoom to stay unconscious.

“ Did you know that was going to happen? ” Mina asked, a tad more sharply than she had intended.

But the other girl looked a little shaken and it was hard to stay mad at her. “No. Use the Cologne.”

Mina felt like she should argue, but there really  wasn’t  a good reason not to; Houndoom was as safe to be around as he was going to get until he was de-Shadowed. So she cracked open the Cologne and gently massaged it into his fur.

Her hands came away black – was that soot or from the Shadowing? – but his Shadow Gauge was  much  lower afterwards. ((-1 Warm Scent, 0 remaining, Shadow Gauge: 27%))

Mina carefully removed the Sacred Talisman from Houndoom. She thought she knew what the answer would be but she had to ask… “ May I keep this? ”

“No. Come back tomorrow.”

That was more than fair, and Mina nodded. “ Maybe we should have put the Cologne on, first, ” Mina suggested.

“No.”

That had been a surprisingly forceful ‘no’. “ …why not? ”

“Lower Gauge – more likely to Rage.”

“ Oh. ” Oh  no.  They’d been doing it backwards this whole time! Not that it had come up much thanks to Matt’s Flute but – this was definitely something she needed to make the rest of the group aware of, once they met back up.

Mina realized she was running short on time, so soon after she recalled all her Pokémon and excused herself to track down the repair shop. She found herself impatiently tapping her foot while the man behind the counter took it and handed Mina the replacement part itself. ((-1 Replacement Part Order Form, +1 Berry Crusher Part))

Once she’d finished with that Mina headed to the Pokémon Center, as it had occurred to her she ought to retrieve the book she was researching. She swapped out Houndoom for Serranix, then took the book back from the latter, giving the nervous Dark type a (very careful) pat before recalling her – the Center was very busy.

Between her unfamiliarity with the City, the side trips and the rain, Mina was actually a few minutes late when she finally made it to the Department Store to rendezvous with the Ranger Union contact.

“ I’m sorry I’m late I— ” …and then realized it was someone she recognized! “  Mindy!  ” Mina hadn’t seen her since the Battle Festival.

“Mina!” Mindy waved, and the motion caused her cloak to send a spray of water droplets over the Department Store floor. “There you are. You dyed your hair!”

The look on the young Ranger’s face had a sort of forced look Mina interpreted as trying  not  to say, ‘dyed it  badly .’

“ Oops, I keep forgetting to wash that out. But never mind that, ” Mina ploughed on, “ How have you been? ”

“Busy! But from what Wain told me you have been too, so I won’t complain that you haven’t called me for a rematch yet.” Mina reached for her Pokéballs and opened her mouth to offer to do just that when Mindy cut her off with “I’m kidding! Oh and he said to give you these.” And with that Mindy handed her a number of Berries.

((+3 Nilla Berries))

Mina looked them over and brightened as she recognized them, then stowed them safely in her pack. “ Thank you! I owe you both. Anything I can help with in return? ”

Mindy just shook her head ‘no.’ “Just give Bandra another walloping next time you see them. Was there anything else you needed?”

“ Lum Berries? ” Mina asked, daring to hope.

Mindy’s face fell. “Not me and I don’t think anyone else in our Base have any to spare, either; they get a lot of traction.”

And hopes dashed. “ Drat. ”

“Have you checked around, because they have a farmer’s market here,” Mindy gestured and, now that it had been pointed out, Mina could see stalls in that direction. “and you can usually find Berries there.”

Mina, embarrassed, had to confess she had not. “ I got turned around on the way here, I will definitely check that out. ” The idea of just straight up  buying  what she’d spent ages traipsing through wilderness to find and raise felt enticing but Mina quashed that feeling; there was no sense in getting her hopes up just yet.

Also she was broke, or nearly so.

“Oh, check it out then. The good ones are usually gone by lunch time, but it’s early enough now you might have some luck, and with the rain a lot of shoppers will be staying home.”

Mina nodded. “ Will do. Is it always this bad? ”

“Yes, Bandra disrupts the supply lines on a regular basis, so a lot of people buy up the supplies they can as soon as they’re available.”

“ No I mean the  rain.  ” Mina was well aware of the supply chain issues; they had caused enough difficulty for finding Revives. “ Elder Saha said it was usually sunny here, but this is at least the second big storm since I got here. ”

“Funny story that. The storms actually started being a regular thing…two, three years ago now? It was after Salerdia vanished, I remember that much…anyway, for a while there they were happening like clockwork: once a week, the same day every week, even about the same time of day on that day.”

Mina frowned. “ That can’t be natural. ”

Mindy shrugged. “Nobody’s sure, but it sure didn’t seem like it at the time. But then they started happening more erratically, so maybe it was just coincidence. We still don’t get them very often, though, so most people just stay inside.”

“ I wish I could do that, ” Mina said sincerely, “ but I’m on a time crunch. I’ve be tempted to just have Natu Teleport me from place to place, but the gate guards specifically said not to do that. ”

“No, and the security patrols here have Pokémon that would keep you from doing that anyway. Things with Shadow Tag, Arena Trap, Mean Look, and so on.”

“ Is that what they’re doing? ” That explained the oddball collection of Pokémon. “ I do have one other thing to ask though, ” the Johto trainer dug around in her pack until she extracted the book. “ Any idea what this is, or what it’s for? ”

Mindy took the book for a moment and looked it over, testing the straps. As with everyone else who had tried, the straps just seemed to slide back into place.

“ It’s done that for everyone, ” Mina told her.

Mindy was looking thoughtful. “It looks familiar, like I’ve seen it before. I  know  I’ve seen some of these marks, maybe in the Ranger Base? Some old report? I can’t remember, but I’ll call you if I find anything. In the meantime, maybe ask at the University; they have a big library on the far end of the park. If you don’t find anything there, check the museum or see if one of the professors knows what it could be.”

Mina took back the book and put it away. “ Thanks, I will! You’re sure you don’t want that rematch first, though? ”

“I’m sure, too much to do today! Don’t be a stranger Mina!”

Mindy took her leave and Mina put the book back into her pack. Then she eyed the rainy outdoors through the glass entrance of the Department Store. Lightning flashed.

  I think I’ll just give the rain a little more time to move out…   Plus she needed to check out that farmer’s market, and since she was doing that she might as well check out the rest of the shops too…

Her thoughts were interrupted briefly as her Pokédex started to ring.

The ‘dex caller ID said it was Matt so Mina picked up. “ Hello? ”


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Hey Mina, would you have time to come to Rieva to the pokemon center and inform some new...freedom fighters...about Bandra and other things they might inquire about?"  
 

Mina was wondering if she should be suspicious, had they given Matt the code word? She stalled for time as she thought back. “  Sure, I can stop by tomorrow if you like. Maybe later today, depending on how things go, but no promises there. But what are they asking that you can’t manage yourself?  ” No, thinking back, she couldn’t remember giving him the word. And she’d only seen him a few hours ago, could he really have gotten into trouble in so short of time?

  Who am I kidding? Of course he could.  

But there was some conversation in the background, and then Mina heard more clearly:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I had questions about the nature of shadowed Pokemon. An unfortunate gap in my education. That said, I am not opposed to discussing other, perhaps more delicate subjects, at some point in the future."   
 

  ’Delicate subjects’?   Put that way, it sounded like that strange man was  propositioning  her, and it was a good thing this wasn’t a video call or the people on the other side would see the weirded-out look she was giving her Pokédex.

She told herself she was probably imagining it and focused on the actual question that had been asked.

“ Shadow Pokémon? Well it’s kind of a temporary— ”

The explanation Mina tried to give was drowned out by a great loud roar on the other end followed by the sounds of many people talking at once. Was that excitement, or terror? Mina couldn’t tell. “ Matt? Matt what’s going on? ” She was pretty sure no one could hear her. There weren’t a lot of screams or sounds of Pokémon attacks though, that was probably a good sign? “ Matt, I can’t hear anything, call me back once things have calmed down on your end! ”

She hung up, and waited a few moments for Matt to call back before it occurred to her she wasn’t going to be able to do anything useful from the next city over  anyway , and she should use the limited time she had to do something useful. She wandered over to check out the farmer’s market, hoping they had something useful in stock. A lot of what was available were tropical fruits of varying types, but with a bit of searching Mina found the Berry section:

 
 Spoiler: Berry Selection 

Razz: 20 PD (20 available)
Bluk: 20 PD (20 available)
Nanab: 20 PD (20 available)
Wepear: 20 PD (20 available)
Pinap: 20 PD (20 available)
Cornn: 55 PD (20 available)
Magost: 55 PD (20 available)
Rabuta: 55 PD (20 available)
Nomel: 55 PD (20 available)
Spelon: 95 PD (30 available)
Pamtre: 95 PD (30 available)
Watmel: 95 PD (30 available)
Durin: 95 PD (30 available)
Belue: 95 PD (30 available)
Figy: 60 PD (3 available)
Mago: 60 PD (3 available)
Pepi: 70 PD (2 available)
Noini: 70 PD (1 available)
Pomeg: 85 PD (1 available)
Grepa: 85 PD (3 available)
Rawst: 80 PD (3 available)
Tareen: 100 PD (1 available)
Occa: 400 PD (2 available)
Yache: 400 PD (2 available)
Haban: 400 PD (2 available)
 


Most of what were available were the Berries with no useful effects, which Mina supposed made sense; those tended to produce more Berries per plant. But Mina wasn’t sure she needed any of those right now, except for completion’s sake, and she was too broke for that presently.

Sadly, she didn’t see any Lum Berries, nor much in the way of healing Berries at all. That also made sense, but it was still unfortunate.

She had to check her Pokédex to figure out what ‘Pepi’ and ‘Noini’ Berries were, and once she did she immediately wanted all of both. She didn’t have a Haban Berry yet…ouch, that was expensive. Fortunately they didn’t have any Dragon types so she could skip that for—oh wait, Mark’s Chevalin. And the Yache she only had one of and the Occa she knew they were going to need more of…she needed a side job, or several. Maybe she should look into bounty hunting like Ranger Wain had suggested, since they kept poking their collective noses into Bandra’s business  anyway.  She didn’t have any Mago Berries…all right, which of these had the fastest growth periods? Those would be easiest to grow more of…could she sell some of the Berries she already  had? …she didn’t really have vast quantities of anything they could spare right now.

Ultimately, she walked away with 1 Haban Berry, 2 Yache Berries ((3 total)), 2 Occa Berries ((4 total including the one in the Wild Plot)), 1 Tareen Berry, 1 Grepa Berry ((2 total)), 1 Pomeg Berry ((5 total)), 1 Noini Berry, 2 Pepi Berries, 1 Mago Berry, and 10 PD remaining.

Staring at Berries for so long had reminded Mina to check her Planter Berries, and on inspection the Kelpsy was looking a bit dry ((Kelpsy in bloom)). She thought about hunting down the bathroom to use the sink, then realized there was quite a bit of free water falling from the sky right now, so she just popped out of the Department Store for a moment, took the top off the planter and held it out in the rain until it was nicely soaked.

Mina checked out the rest of the floor after that, but she didn’t have enough money for something from one of the treat stalls or restaurants, and was perfectly capable of making her own Poffin so the Poffin House wasn’t very useful for her. (Also,  wow , that was very expensive for something she could make for herself for free!...maybe she could sell Poffin instead?)

Squashing her growing concern over her finances, Mina decided to check out the rest of the Department Store in the hopes that the rain would have moved on by the time she was done window shopping. There was a helpful sign by the stairs:

Floor 1 – Information and Food Court
Floor 2 – Trainer Goods
Floor 3 – Health and Fitness
Floor 4 – Furniture and Kitchenware
Floor 5 – Jewelry and Geology
Floor 6 – Electronics
Floor 7 – Rooftop Lounge

  Wait… Information  and Food Court.  

Feeling a burst of inspiration Mina went over to the information desk and asked if any of the shops had any jobs that needed doing. She then needed to clarify (after the information desk jockey tried to hand her a number of job application forms) that she was looking for odd jobs, as she wasn’t going to be in town for long. She was told no, but that the local college was paying for help for one-off research projects since the Ranger Union was understaffed, and to try there. Mina thanked the man and climbed the stairs to the next floor, feeling slightly better about her money situation.

That lasted until she hit the Pokéball section.

 
 Spoiler: Pokéball Selection 

Pokéball – 200 PD – Standard ball, normal catch rate
Great Ball – 600 PD – Improved catch rate over the standard Pokéball
Ultra Ball – 1200 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 2 per customer – Improved catch rate over the Great Ball
Net Ball – 1000 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 1 per customer – Works better on Water or Bug Pokémon
Nest Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on lower-level Pokémon
Timer Ball – 1000 PD – Works better the longer the battle has been going on
Luxury Ball – 1000 PD – Normal catch rate, doubles the rate at which Friendship increases
Dive Ball – 1000 PD – Works better while underwater
Dusk Ball – 1000 PD – Works better at night or in dark conditions
Heal Ball – 300 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 3 per customer – Normal catch rate, fully restores HP, PP, and status of the captured Pokémon ((DM note: Not stat damage or Shadowing))
Quick Ball – 1000 PD – Works best if used the first turn of battle
Glitter Ball – 600 PD – Normal catch rate, increases Contest stats
Glamour Ball – 1200 PD – Great Ball catch rate, increases Contest stats
Gleam Ball – 600 PD – Normal catch rate, increases the chance any Pokémon offspring will be Shiny
Venom Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Poison types or Pokémon that have been Poisoned
Scorch Ball – 1000 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 1 per customer – Works better on Fire types or Pokémon that have been Burned
Jolt Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Electric types or Pokémon that have been Paralyzed
Spectral Ball – 2000 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 2 per customer – Works better on Spectral types, or Pokémon that have been Shadowed, and Pokémon with a major status effect ((EX: Burn, Paralyze, Sleep…))
Storm Ball – 1000 PD – Works better when weather conditions are in effect
Creep Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on slow Pokémon (Base Speed 40 or lower)) and Pokémon that are trapped
Facet Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Pokémon that evolve with any kind of Evolutionary Stone ((DM note: barring the Bandra-made Link stone))
Vacuum Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Pokémon that are light weight
 


Even with the obvious gaps in stock, empty shelves and ‘Limit X per customer’ signs, this place  still  had a wider variety of Pokéball variants than anywhere else she’d seen in Helnith. She wanted to try a Storm Ball…she remembered her father talking about them over dinner…but while she could (she had realized, while putting her new Berries away) sell that Star Piece and Stardust she was carrying around, she’d held onto them this long for  emergencies , and ‘she wanted more Pokéballs to catch Pokémon with’ was not an emergency.

So feeling frustrated, Mina climbed the stairs to the next floor.

The third floor was, as expected, dominated by exercise equipment, Potions (Revives of all kinds were, as expected, out of stock) and other healing items, and of course vitamins.

 
 Spoiler: Vitamin Selection 

HP Up: 9800 PD - Increases HP by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Protein: 9800 PD - Increases Attack by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Iron: 9800 PD - Increases Defense by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Calcium: 9800 PD - Increases Special Attack by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Zinc: 9800 PD - Increases Special Defense by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Carbos: 9800 PD - Increases Speed by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
PP Up: OUT OF STOCK!
PP Max: OUT OF STOCK!
 


She stood in front of them and examined them reflectively; she remembered feeling those vitamin prices were highway robbery the first time she’d seen them at the Battle Festival, and she  still  felt that way – with the added bonus that now she knew Trainer Hill gave them out for much cheaper.

She shook herself out of her contemplation of the vitamins when something else caught her eye: those straps in that conformation looked familiar.

 
 Spoiler: Power Item Selection 

Macho Brace: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s choice of stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Bracer: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Attack stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Lens: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Special Attack stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Anklet: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Speed stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Belt: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Defense stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Band: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Special Defense stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Weight: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s HP stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
 

  Wait a minute…   Mina dug through her pack to be sure. But it was; the thing she’d collected while they were tracking down the stolen Poochyena was a slightly different (Mina guessed older) model, but that was the only real difference.

  And I’ve had this thing for how long?!   She could have used it on Magikarp! She could have used it on several of her Pokémon!   Argh!   And here she’d been thinking the thing was something illegal or, at best, unethical to use,  but it was just expensive exercise equipment! 

Mina restrained the urge to bang her head against a wall, telling herself she apparently she couldn’t afford to spare the brain cells. Then she toyed with the idea of selling the device, but no, no, she had time before the attack to train with it, and while it wouldn’t be the huge, fast boost good Poffin would give, every bit would help.

Also if she changed her mind  after  selling it, buying a replacement would be prohibitively expensive.  Yikes . Who could pay those prices?!!

It took almost the entire fourth floor for Mina to calm herself. That floor, thankfully, was largely dominated by things she didn’t care about, given that she didn’t have an apartment any more to put furniture in. Some of the Pokédolls were cute, but completely unnecessary for the next few days, and while she did see some portable Berry Blenders, the Contest Hall in Ceris had them covered there, with the added bonus they were larger than anything on display. Maybe if at some point she found herself with oodles of disposable cash, she’d consider them, but not right now…

 
 Spoiler: Portable Berry Blender Selection 

1-Berry Blender – 10000 PD
2-Berry Blender – 20000 PD
 


And then she found the gardening section.

Here, at last, she had found out where Ailesha had gotten all those Planters she’d handed out during the Poffin class, and other gardening goodies besides:

 
 Spoiler: Gardening Supply Selection 

Berry Planter (portable): 1200 PD - Portable Berry plot, comes with soil. Built for hanging off backpacks, belts etc.  Max carrying capacity for normal travel is 6. 
Pruning Shears: 8000 PD - Use on Berry plants during the 'growing taller' or 'in bloom' stage to increase yield by 20%. Only works once per plant.
Scarecrow: 20,000 PD - Keeps Pokémon from eating planted Berries.
Water Bulb: 5000 PD - Fill once, apply to Planter, planted Berry will be watered for the remainder of its growth time.
Watering Can: 800 PD – For watering plants. Comes in a variety of Pokémon shapes.
Growth Mulch: 200 PD - Speeds the growth of Berries. Dries the soil faster. Single use.
Damp Mulch: 200 PD - Holds moisture in the soil longer. Slows the growth of Berries. Single use.
Stable Mulch: 200 PD - Helps Berry plants hold their Berries for longer. Single use.
Gooey Mulch: 200 PD - Encourages fallen Berries to take root. Single use.
Boost Mulch*: 200 PD - Boosts the number of Berries the plant produces. Single use.
 


Shockingly, the Planters seemed a reasonable price, but Mina reflected cynically that there probably wasn’t much demand for such things in the middle of a city which was sufficiently locked down to make entering and leaving it difficult. Mina also mentally kicked herself for not going through the store  before  spending all her money on Berries, but the Planters at least were cheap enough she could come back once she earned more money. Maybe get some Mulch too.

On floor five Mina mostly skipped past the jewelry – she liked shiny trinkets as much as the next girl, but that was going to be  way  out of her price range, and not useful for stopping Bandra. But there was a section for Evolutionary Stones and another for power-boosting Gems, and another, plainer section that had been taken over by the Geology Club filled with lots of miscellaneous things that had been dug out of the ground. No Time Flutes for sale, and there was an empty spot in the display labeled ‘Sacred Talisman’ so Mina assumed they were out of those too, but as she was still broke that didn’t bother her much.

At length she made it to the sixth floor. Mina skipped past the TVs and other human-centric electronics in favor of the  wall  of SMs:

 
 Spoiler: SM Selection 

SM 16 – Natural Gift – 2,000 PD
SM 19 – Weather Ball – 3,000 PD
SM 23 – Hail – 2,000 PD
SM 24 – Fog Maze* – 2,000 PD
SM 29 – Ice Beam – 3,000 PD
SM 30 – Flamethrower – 3,000 PD
SM 35 – Taunt – 1,500 PD
SM 36 – Mimic – 3,000 PD
SM 37 – U-Turn – 3,000 PD
SM 40 – Brick Break – 3,000 PD
SM 41 – Earthquake – 7,500 PD
SM 50 – Giga Impact – 7,500 PD
SM 51 – Hyper Beam – 7,500 PD
SM 57 – Psychic – 3,000 PD
SM 60 – Protect – 2,000 PD
SM 63 – Double Team – 2,000 PD
SM 70 – Dream Eater – 3,000 PD
SM 72 – Night Terror* – 5,000 PD
SM 75 – Explosion – 7,500 PD
SM 80 – Thief – 2,000 PD
SM 83 – Sun Lamp* – 2,000 PD
SM 89 – Chomp* – 3,000 PD

Fog Maze – weather move. Makes it foggy for 5 rounds.
Night Terror – Ghost type, Special damage, does recoil to the user and they have to be asleep to use it.
Sun Lamp – Fire, Special damage, x2 damage during Sunny Weather. Pokémon with Chlorophyll are immune to damage, and receive the Speed boost they would get from Sunny weather for one round afterwards if it was not already applied (if it's not Sunny weather, in other words).
Chomp – Dragon, Physical damage, 10% chance to lower the target's Defense by one level.
 


Even these were a scantier selection than she would have expected in a non-warzone,  but they had Earthquake!  And if she’d had U-Turn on Natu during that last climb of Trainer Hill, she’d have had a lot fewer problems!

  Okay, find out what that book is about, then make money and come back!  

The seventh floor appeared to be blocked off, but as Mina’s feet were getting sore and her soaked-through shoes were feeling increasingly unpleasant with each step (and she wasn’t even done walking for the day!) she figured that was just as well. She treated herself for putting up with her soggy footwear for this long by taking the elevator back to the ground floor.

Mina was now out of Department Store to explore, and it was (of course) still raining. She sighed and recalled Natu (no reason for  him  to keep getting soaked too) then plunged out into the wet, navigating between overhangs and other sheltered spots en route to the library.

At least the lightning had passed.

(Library: )

The library was dark when she arrived; the librarian at the front desk warned her that the power wasn’t expected to be back on for several hours. The whole building felt oppressive, but Mina wrote it off as an effect of the rain and general quiet.

Most of the library was empty of people, but in the section Mina had been directed to a hooded figure was bent over a table, reading in the watery light of the nearby window. They had their nose buried so deep in the cowl of their cloak Mina couldn’t even see their eyes, and they’d apparently been here a while as the garment was dry. A short stack of science magazines (Mina saw genetics and Pokémon research featured in large font on the covers; someone must be studying for their science class) were half-obscured by a large book (‘Major Artifacts of Oblivia’), and there was a stack of similar tomes next to it. She hoped none of those was a book she was going to need; he (or she? Between the loose clothes and the poor lighting Mina couldn’t tell) looked very absorbed.

Mina did her best not to disturb him as she scanned the shelves, or rather tried to scan them as it was too dark to read anything. After a frustrated moment she pulled out her Pokédex and used the screen as an impromptu flashlight to read the bindings on the books.

The bookworm jerked up like a spooked Rattata at the sudden light, and a moment later an electronic voice came from about the vicinity of his waist.

“ You are not a student. ”

Mina gave him a confused look that said ‘yeah, and?’ The librarian had told her that wasn’t a problem, she just couldn’t take any books with her. “ No, I’m not, ” she agreed aloud, after she realized it was dark enough the bookworm probably couldn’t see her face.

Mina turned her back on him only with trepidation; she got the feeling she was being subjected to some intense scrutiny, but the bookworm didn’t actually  say  anything so she went back to reading titles.

She realized as she searched that she had  no idea  what  her  book was called (assuming it had a name in the first place), but even if she didn’t find anything about it specifically, she might find something else useful, so she was a little liberal in what she took off the shelf.

  ‘Interpreting the Fossil Record’, ‘Pictures and Potshards: A Beginner’s Guide to Excavation ‘ - that could be useful now that I have a Mining Kit, pity I’ve got a deadline - ‘Legends of Helnith’ –   that one came off the shelf   - ‘Life in Fragments’ ‘A History of the Cult of Salerdia’ ‘Alph to Teba: A Study of the Unown’ -   Mina grabbed that one too; the first copy of the book they’d found had been in the Ruins of Teba, maybe there was something in there, even if it was just a footnote   - ‘Art and Architecture of Ancient Helnith’ -   and separate volumes for Kanto, Johto, Hoenn…and several more regions besides, some of which were quite far away   - ‘Literature of the Ancient World’ -   that came off the shelf too   - ‘Planning You First Dig’ -    “ Wow there’s a lot of archeology books here, ” Mina remarked to herself.

“ Of course. ”

Mina nearly jumped out of her skin; she’d gotten so absorbed in looking at titles she’d forgotten the bookworm was there.

The bookworm in question continued as if she hadn’t reacted. “ This city is one of the foremost repositories of archeological knowledge in the world. Why did you come here, h- ” the electronic voice cut into static for a moment and the bookworm shot the box on his waist a sharp look “ –Why are you here, if that is not your purpose? ”

“ I’m just looking for something more specific, ” Mina replied, slightly intimidated. And on reflection she decided those were enough books to start with; hopefully when the power came back on she could make a more focused search. She picked a spot on the opposite side of the table from the bookworm - hopefully out of his way - and sat down to research.

Still using her Pokédex for light, Mina cracked open ‘Literature of the Ancient World’ and was quickly disappointed. It turned out to be about ancient writing styles - cuneiform, hieroglyphics, cave paintings, and some of the ways ancient peoples stored their writings rather than the nice encyclopedia of artifact-books she’d hoped for.

“ Well that was a waste of time, ” she grumbled aloud. The bookworm was staring at her (she thought; the light was behind him, at the very least he was facing in her direction). “ Sorry, I’ll try to shut up. ”

‘Alph to Teba’ was similarly unhelpful; most of the rubbings and pictures she’d seen in person by this point, and the bit about mysterious radio broadcasts had been included in the tour of more than one field trip when she was younger. The most she found was a blurb about the Unown tiles they’d been finding - ‘used by ancient peoples to call upon the powers of the Pokémon’ - but that she’d known about from that note Mark had shown her. Nothing about her book at all, though it had admittedly been a reach.

‘Legends of Helnith’ was a bit more interesting.

 In the First Days
Man was at the Mercy of the Creatures of the Earth, Sky, and Sea
And Lived in Fear
For the Creatures of the Earth, Sky, and Sea knew Malice 1 
And in their Malice birthed Destruction
That Man could not stand against
The Original One saw the Plight of Man and had Pity
He declared that the Malice of the Creatures should be locked away
That they would no longer harm Man out of Desire but only Necessity
The Original One called upon the King Who Moves the Lands
But the King said, ‘I cannot do this, for I am tired from moving the Lands’
The Original One called upon the Dragon of the Sky
But the Dragon said, ‘I cannot do this, for I must Watch
That the Seas do not flood their Boundaries
Nor the Lands overtake the Seas
But remain in Balance’
And on and on it went
Until the Original One came to the Incarnation of Change
And the Incarnation of Change said, ‘I will do this
I am young and strong
I will be the Ever-Shifting Lock
Upon the cage of Malice
Let All look upon me and know that I will not fail’
And then his Sibling was born
Who knew nothing of Malice
And she was called Salerdia

 1  Some translations, ‘evil’, ‘fury’, ‘rage’ 

Mina skimmed past the next few pages; she’d heard the story of Salerdia’s egg washing up on a secluded beach and Salerdia making a paradise-on-earth during the Battle Festival and didn’t really need it repeated.

 And when the Ever-Shifting Lock
Saw what his Sibling had wrought
He cried,
‘Where are my Praises?
Where my lauds, my extolls?
Do not my deeds exceed hers?
Did I not chain Malice?’
And the Two fought
And there was again Destruction

After some Time
Both Siblings
Came onto the Battlefield
But Aidrelas saw his Sister was not alone
His Sibling cried,
‘Yield, Brother,
 Or you shall be unbound!
See those Arrayed against you
The Song Who Tames the Sea
Sings for your Defeat
The Dragons of the Eons
Roar for you to stand down
Even Man has forsaken you for me
Who Watches over them, and not you
All can see that you
Have Failed 2 
And my deeds are the Greater!’
And Aidrelas declared this to be true
And quit the Field
Swearing he would return with Allies of his own
And he was called the Incarnation of Malice forthwith

But the Song Who Tames the Sea
And the Dragons of the Eons
Said to Salerdia,
‘This war is your doing, not Ours
And not His
You are the Key that opens
The Ever-Shifting Lock
And releases Malice into the World
Your Brother is embittered
Because of your Pride, your Hubris
You must Mend this,
It cannot be Us’
And the Incarnation of Growth scoffed
And did not hear them
And so it remains to this Day

 2 Some translations, ‘are Beaten’ ‘are Outmatched’ 

The next section seemed to be about ‘the Ruffians from Beyond the Sea’ but a quick perusal told Mina that wasn’t what she’d come here for.

At last Mina looked up and realized it was nearly 12:30 PM and it had been hours since she’d eaten, as her stomach was now loudly reminding her. The bookworm was still there, his nose back in one of the many tomes beside him, but Mina got the impression he was still watching her anyway.

Feeling like she should say something, she said, “ I’m going to go get something to eat. Do you want anything? ” He’d come off as a hostile earlier, but then, the creepy electronic voice didn’t do tone at all, so maybe she was reading too much into it. Mina was inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, at any rate, since she'd been so quick to judge Gabrielle earlier, and it wouldn’t be any trouble to sneak something over from the Pokémon Center kitchen.

But he must have been deep in his book after all, or perhaps just ignoring her, because he didn’t respond.

“ Okay, see you in a bit then. ”
Kareeah_Indaga
Mina (con't; one quick trip to the Pokémon Center later):

When Mina got back from her food break he was gone.

On the bright side, the lights were on, but when she went to check the computer systems were still booting up and there was already a line of people waiting to use them.

Feeling oddly hurt by the abandonment of her study buddy and frustrated that she apparently wasn’t going to get anything else useful done anytime soon, Mina distracted herself by checking her Pokédex; it was getting to be time to meet with Ei and she wasn’t anywhere near done here yet. She was mildly surprised to see a message from Ranger Wain: it let her know that Matt had been very helpful but he was still chasing after a Shadow Pokémon. So she sent a text off to Mark passing that information on, and then letting him know she wasn’t going to make it to the meeting with the flute maker either.

And then she eyed the rain outside. Much as she liked being somewhere dry, she was on a time limit.

And she’d been getting tired of poring over books anyway. Mina decided to save more reading for tomorrow, and check out the college instead.

Not wanting to get wet any more than she already was, once Mina found the main campus building she took the nearest entrance she could find, and started looking for the museum, or wherever she was supposed to pick up the jobs that man at the Department Store had mentioned.

She was pretty sure the wing she had entered wasn’t either. Just in case Mina peered in a few doors, expecting classrooms or maybe a lecture hall, but the first room she looked into had a number of people in lab coats messing with a large machine mostly composed of spinning metal blocks. As she watched, a rocky Pokémon with a truly  massive  red nose stepped onto the platform underneath it. A second later, it took on the familiar glow of evolution, and when that faded it had shot up in height and its nose was even bigger than before. The people in lab coats got excited and started taking notes and messing with the machinery.

The other rooms appeared to be similar, in that they were obviously for science rather than lecturing. A few were dark and unoccupied, but Mina had already poked her nose in where it wasn’t welcome enough today that she didn’t try to investigate further.

Finally the hallway she was in bent off to the right and came to an intersection. And here was a map of the place on the wall (with the fire exits labeled); Mina could see there appeared to be two major wings off the main building. She’d come from the science wing; there was signage indicating the museum wing was in front of her and the central branch (consisting, as far as she could tell, mostly of classrooms and offices) was off to her right.

Mina almost plunged immediately into the museum but then she remembered the (paying!) research projects the man at the Department Store info desk had told her about, and decided to go right and locate the front desk first to inquire about those first. She ended up finding the front desk and the jobs at the same time: there was an enormous bulletin board by the main entrance, and it was  covered  in advertisements for clubs, buy and sell notices for dorm furniture, and, yes, several neat little sign-up sheets, mostly with the official-looking letterhead of the University of Helnith at the top.

Mina made note of several of these, questioning the receptionist about what she should expect in general and asking for more details about some of the odder ones. (  Bird droppings, really?  ) Some of them were around town, some were repeatable (though Mina didn’t really have eight hours to catalog dusty artifacts today), and some it looked like she would need to grab some of her friends if she wanted to get paid for them.

She signed up for three of them – one for collecting rainwater around town, one for installing cameras in Murkrow nests, and a third that was also to collect water but this time from the river south of Ceris (which was close enough to Bandra territory that Mina wasn’t surprised it was still unclaimed) – and made note of several more that looked easy if someone in the group needed money or she had more time to burn later.

There were also a number of similar notices from the Geology Club, although they seemed to be dealing mostly with items not money – someone was looking to trade a full set of Relic Coins ((Gold, Silver, Copper)) for “rare overseas fossils!”, another was offering Max Revives for a fossil, there were at least a dozen looking to swap Unown Tiles for different Unown Tiles, but there was one that seemed to stand out:

  Looking for Trainer with Dive to retrieve lost cargo – Offering common or uncommon Evolutionary stone of your choice for one day of searching with a bonus for successful retrieval. Inquire at Department Store or Geology Club Headquarters in Tidepath.  
Pity she didn’t have a Pokémon with Dive, she could always sell the Stone if no one needed it. Maybe she could get it tutored onto Gyarados? But the time listed was a full day, which Mina definitely didn’t have time for even if she’d had a Pokémon with Dive. Too bad.

Satisfied she’d gotten enough to keep herself busy and maybe earn enough for an SM later, Mina got the equipment she’d need for her chosen tasks from the front desk – specimen jars for the rainwater collection and the river water sampling (and Mina made the receptionist put different colors of tape on each, so she wouldn’t get them confused) and cheap little wireless webcams for the Murkrow nests.

The receptionist had told her she was supposed to measure and collect the rain water  after  it had stopped, which it (still) hadn’t yet, and Mina couldn’t Teleport out with the patrols around town nor was she willing to climb up to Murkrow nests in the rain, so she took the opportunity to go through the museum.

She just glanced at most of the cases as she passed them: a big display of minerals and common artifacts, a hand-sized feather that split at the tip in a case by itself, a very old looking crown, a collection of jade statuettes of various Pokémon, an anchor and a bunch of old wooden beams and old metal tools that took up an entire section of wall - and there was the book!

It was on a pedestal by itself, and the case surrounding it was a little dusty. The book itself was, if not identical to the one currently stored in her pack, at least a very close match, complete with blank clay medallions and leather straps binding it shut. Mina leaned closer to read the informational plaque:

     TOME OF INTERSECTING LIFE  
Known more commonly as the ‘Book of Lines’, the original copies of this tome date back to the first conflicts between Aidrelas and Salerdia. Tradition holds that to protect the secrets inside, the Council of Elders of the time made a pact with Salerdia and other unnamed powers that no human would be able to open the tome without the consent of the Legendary Pokémon.

The disks on the front are native Helnith clay, similar to other artifacts found in the region. Several of the symbols on its cover have been found in ancient ruins as far away as Oblivia, but the tome has proven impervious to all modern technological attempts to access its pages and no record of its contents exists.   
  Well that’s…helpful I guess.   At least she had a few things she could cross-reference at the library now. Including a name!

Mina considered heading over to the library again right away, but figured it was probably packed with students now that finally –  finally  – the rain had stopped. She was going to have to come back to Skybreak anyway to do the river water task; maybe tomorrow.

Mina also wasn’t entirely sure she trusted the clear sky to stay that way at this point, but after a quick detour to the bathroom to water her Petaya plant ((Petaya in bloom)), harvest the Kelpsy Berries ((+5 Kelpsy Berries)), and replace the latter with a Grepa Berry (and of course watering that too), it was still not raining. ((Grepa Berry planted, initial watering,  Day 26: 4:30 PM))

So it was time to make some money!

Mina’s first order of business was gathering the rain measurements. There were four gauges around town; one by the library, one by the Silph Co. regional headquarters (Mina paused outside, wondering if she should give her parents a call, then thought better of it) one by the Pokémon Center and one by the Hall of Elders (a weirdly oppressive place, despite being enormous; Mina was reminded of the library). She made note of the measurements, made sure the caps on the specimen jars were tight, and returned both to the college for her first payday of 2,000 PD ((2010 PD total)).

Heartened by this easy success, Mina headed to the nearest Murkrow nest to place cameras.

There were three nests around the city she was supposed to add cameras to; the receptionist had given her instructions on how to reach them, since some of them were on top of buildings or otherwise out of sight of the ground.

The first nest was on one of the many office buildings in the city, and required Mina to climb several flights of stairs – the nest itself was located on a windowsill just off a landing. There was a Murkrow on the nest, and just like every other Pokémon she’d seen in the city, it seemed nervous and twitchy. Mina took a step forward and stopped when the bird fluffed up and cawed threateningly.

“ Hey there, don’t mind me, ” she told them, “ I’m just setting up this webcam… ” She tried to show it to the Dark type to show that it was harmless, but the bird Pokémon wasn’t having it: it took off and flew at Mina’s head, and it was then that she saw it had an egg.

  Well, drat.   Mina couldn’t exactly blame the bird for trying to protect their egg, but it did make this job harder than it needed to be.

Mina called out Oodramer; Murkrow were Dark types, and while the receptionist hadn’t actually  said  Mina shouldn’t hurt the birds she was trying to set up the cameras for, she kind of took it as a given. “ Keep it distracted Oodramer! Try not to hurt it! ”

Hopefully the Murkrow would stick to Dark type attacks…Mina hastily started setting up the webcam, trying to keep one eye and ear on the battle at the same time.

That was Astonish – not a Dark move but Mina would take it under the circumstances – that was Wing Attack and Mina winced ((16 damage to Oodramer)) – that was Pursuit and did nothing…

  And done!   “ Oodramer, good job, return! ” Mina called back her Pokémon (another Pursuit, which still did nothing,   thank you Spectral immunity to Dark moves!  ) and sprinted for the door. The Murkrow got close enough she could feel it brush past her vest, but she made it.

Mina considered her next move as she went back down the stairs and detoured to the Pokémon Center. The webcams were intended to be attached to something solid at an angle to view the nest, but she suspected as long as they had a good view of the nests no one would care if it was  actually  attached to anything. She could have Natu Teleport the webcam to the next nest…except these were Dark types and Mina didn’t want him to end up with broken bones again. Maybe Pidgey could help…

The next nest was in a tree in the park, and as it transpired there wasn’t anything nearby she could attach the camera to anyway, unless she wanted to try climbing the tree – and the nearest branches were out of reach and still wet and probably slippery as a result, so she did not. She could see the nest though…

She called out Pidgey and Natu, got the camera ready and then handed it to Natu. “ Pidgey, I need you to distract that Murkrow. Natu, once he’s gotten it to chase him, Teleport this into the nest. ”

Both birds nodded and got into position.

It probably would have worked, if there had only been  one  Murkrow.

But a second bird – Mina assumed the mate of the one currently sitting on the nest – swooped out of the branches to chase after Pidgey instead with Pursuit ((30 damage)), so there was a (now even more angry and defensive) Dark type still on the nest itself when Natu warped up to it.

He had the good sense to drop the camera in and Teleported back before the nest-sitter could respond, leaving Mina to once again flee from angry birds.

At length Mina collected her Pokémon and traipsed over to the Pokémon Center again. Pidgey had taken a solid hit and the only reason Natu had escaped unscathed was because he’d taken the other bird by surprise.

The final nest was on top of the newspaper building, and Mina wished she had some time to look around but it was getting late and she needed to be out of the city by curfew. She saw two birds were guarding this nest too and had resigned herself to letting her poor Pokémon get beat up yet again when she noticed a bit of tinsel was hanging from the nest. That was right; Murkrow liked shiny things. Pity she couldn’t paint the webcam silver and get the Murkrow to take the camera up themselves…  Wait a minute…  

Mina dug through her pack to see if she had anything appropriate in the Accessory category.

  No shiny dyes…but I do have some Glitter!  

It was blue Glitter; Mina hoped Murkrow didn’t have any color preferences and glued some to the webcam everywhere but the lens. Then she turned it on and was pleased to see it didn’t seem to be taking any harm from the Glitter.

Mina watched out of the corner of her eye until she was sure the Murkrow were paying attention, then made sure to flash the webcam as best she could in the fading evening light, trying to show off how sparkly and shiny it was. Once she was sure they were watching she set it down in a nice, visible spot and walked away…to behind what she thought might be the building’s air conditioner, where she hid and kept watch.

Five minutes, six…then one of the birds swooped down to grab the webcam and carried it back to the nest. Success!

Mina made her way back to the college to pick up her next paycheck, feeling pleased with herself. ((+7,000 PD, 9,010 PD total)) She had enough for Earthquake! Or U-Turn. She frowned.   But not both, and I should probably get some more Planters so we’ll have enough Berries for Poffin before the attack.   Mina thought the chances of finding useful planting equipment during their next mission was high; unfortunately she needed it  before  the next mission.

She considered her options. At most, she could fit four more portable planters onto her pack, but each was about the price of an Ultra Ball. If she wanted U-Turn and Earthquake both on top of that…even if she sold her emergency Stardust and Star Piece she would still be short.

She wasn’t really keen on coming back tomorrow and having to go through all the hassle of security again, but it looked like she was going to need to…and she would have had to anyway, she reminded herself, since she needed to leave and come back to get that river water sample (which would conveniently also pay for Earthquake).

Feeling simultaneously annoyed and relieved, Mina made her way back to the Department Store to pick up U-Turn and four portable Planters ((-7,800, +SM 37 U-Turn, +4 Planters, 1210 PD remaining)). She dithered a bit over the Mulch, but ultimately decided to skip it for now; the Berries they needed more of the most would be too slow to produce even  with  a boost from Mulch, so she might as well save the remainder of her cash.

Mina was debating what to put in her new Planters when Mark called. And, surprisingly, his face appeared on the screen. “ Oh hey, I didn’t realize these things had video. ”   Must have been a software update??? I didn’t even realize these things had cameras!   “ Hi Mark, what do you need? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Yeah, they have a camera and everything,  kinda makes them better for calls than my phone when I don't need to look pokemon up . And I was just calling to check how things were going and to report in on what I've found out... I take it you've been running outside a lot, huh?"  
 

“ Yeah, I should have looked for an umbrella at the Department Store here, but I got distracted. ” The SM selection had been a  great  distraction. She should probably change into some dry clothes when she got out of town though… “ But how are things on your end? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Going well enough. Talked to the flute maker, and I think that I have a plan for how we're taking out Quibir's poffin production... but I want to talk to Wain about a few things before making anything certain."  Picking up his pokedex so that he could shift in his chair without leaving her view, he'd ask, "How goes your research? You know. Besides stormy." 
 

“ I might have a lead on that book. The college here has a museum on campus and they have another copy of it there, plus a  huge  library. ” Mina wondered if she should mention her study buddy, or the nervous Pokémon in town, or that it looked like they were going to need to track down a Legendary Pokémon to get the book open…some of that should probably be told to everyone; she’d save it for when they all got back together. “ They also have a…job board, I guess; I made a list of some of the things they had posted, and most of them are pretty straightforward, so if you or anyone else needs some extra spending money let me know and I’ll send it on.

But enough about me; did you learn anything useful from the flutemaker? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Huh. I'm perpetually broke. I should look at that board."  
 

“ I’ll send you the list then. Fair warning, if you want one of the jobs you need to sign up at the college campus; it was near the entrance of the main building. Some of them are a regular thing, some of them you have to do at a particular time.

Also, they have security here to protect against Bandra Teleporting in, but that means we can’t just warp in and out whenever we want either. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The flute maker told us about the town. There's no pokemon center, it's close-ish to the regional safari zone, there aren't many woods or forests in the area, but it's a bit rocky. It's also close enough to that volcano on the coast that they have a steady source of volcanic ash, which is why she liked living there among other things. They don't have a power plant of their own, so if we can cut them off from the plant in Piez that should pretty much shut them down... if we can handle their backup generators in the contest hall and the mart, at least."  
 

“ Sounds good, ” Mina replied. “ And even if we can’t take out the generators, at least the Grunts we fight won’t be able to run over and heal their Pokémon mid-battle. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The houses are also pretty well fireproofed, on account of the volcano. Oh, and she gave us a LOT of soot sacks, so we could pick up ash for her craft. Ash that's... constantly falling... on account of the active volcano."  
 

“ That sounds…good? ” Mina responded uncertainly. She had the impression that Mark was realizing something, but couldn’t tell what it was just based on the context he’d given her.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm not certain that I trust her fully. I know it may have just been her personality, but she was... well, she doesn't like Bandra for sure, but she was flighty about them burning down her shop, and they might still have something she cares about to blackmail her with she didn't want to talk about...I'm probably just being paranoid. But anyway, I implied that we might be looking to come at Quibir from the Safari zone in the east. Just in case. I think our best bet is to surf from Tidepath to the western shoreline anyway."  
 

Mina hadn’t gotten the impression Ei was untrustworthy, just crazy, but she’d only met the woman once and she wasn’t the one with an emotion-sensing Psychic type, so maybe she just wasn’t being paranoid  enough.  “ She was an interesting personality, that’s for sure. But good plan.”  ” Mina glanced at a clock and swore internally; she was going to have to cut this short or she’d be spending the night in Skybreak. “ Anything else I should know that can’t wait? I need to get out before curfew, or I’m going to be stuck here until tomorrow. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "That should be all on my end for now. I'll call Wain and see what he has to say, and then go talk to those people Matt found. If I see you again tonight, I'll update you on how all that junk goes too. Uh…See you later then!"  
 

“ Later! ”

Mina started making her way to the nearest exit to the city at the fastest walk she could manage and broke out into a run as the clock ticked closer to 8 PM. She just barely made it out; the road outside the city was lonely without the street lights and people walking by.

But now that she wasn’t in imminent danger of being trapped in the city, Mina took a moment to type up the job list and hit ‘send’.

And then she called out Natu and went on a Teleport spree to harvest, water, and replant her Berries.

((Occa sprouted
Shuca sprouted
Qualot in bloom
+ 5 Niptir Berries, Ebet planted in Wild Patch #4, Day 26 8 PM

Salac Berry planted in Planter, Day 26 8 PM
Liechi Berry planted in Planter, Day 26 8 PM
Ekon Berry planted in Planter, Day 26 8 PM
Nilla Berry planted in Planter, Day 26 8 PM))

There were signs of Pokémon moving in on the plants, and Mina swore to herself. They couldn’t afford to lose their Poffin boosts to wild Pokémon, much as Mina knew the wild Pokémon had to be having it rough with everything dying off. But she was out of Repel, and she needed to get to the group meeting; she was just going to have to keep the harder to replace Berries in her new Planters and hope for the best until she could manage some counter-measures.

(And maybe, once they were ready for this next mission, she could put in some of the Poffin-only Berries for the Pokémon. But one thing at a time.)

After she finished she saw that she’d gotten a response text from Mark:

  Mark sent you a message! 
 
Makes sense the chairs one got washed out. I'm guessing these jobs are per-person? Most of them seem easy. Except that spectral dimension one, holy wow that's crazy. The chairs ones should be easily doable, I'll see if any of the new people are interested in helping.  

She didn’t see their code word, but there also didn’t seem to be anything to say beyond maybe a thumbs up emoji or some other form of positive acknowledgement, and she could do that in person: it was meet-up time.

Finally, Mina arrived at the Pokémon Center. She changed into some dry clothes and found an out-of-the-way corner to go over her Berry math while she waited for everyone else to arrive; there had to be some way to squeeze more or better Poffin out of their limited time and resources...
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

You make it to the Pokémon Center without issue.

There is no sign of Todd or Layla, but they have been replaced by a different pair: a boy with a prosthetic arm and a pale girl whose hair looks like she tried to dye it with her fingers and no mirror. The latter looks up from her notepad briefly to wave.

 
 Spoiler: Pinklady 
You recognize Mark and Mina.
 


----------------

Mark:

It’s time for the meet up you’d promised earlier, so you make your way to the Rieva Pokémon Center lobby.

Within minutes, Pinklady and an older gentleman come through the door; a large fluffy Arcanine trots obediently behind the latter.

----------------

Matt:

A few hours pass after you check the status of both eggs and your Pokémon. You make it to the meeting at the Pokémon Center just in time: Less and Pinklady are right in front of you, and both Mark and Mina have arrived as well.

----------------

Flotsam and Akio:

((You guys are welcome to continue your dinner conversation, you’re just going to be in two places at once.))

Despite the leisurely dinner, you are both able to arrive at the Pokémon Center with time to spare. A number of other people have arrived, most of whom you recognize from the fight against the Murkrow flock. Of those unfamiliar to you, the most noticeable is a boy with a prosthetic arm.
WindStruck
After a bit of a delightful meal (or rather, given how much it was all split up amongst everyone, just another snack) and some conversation with Akio, Flotsam decides to return to the Pokémon Center to see what is going on.

As far as she was aware, there was talk about a strange device on the Murkrows, as well as human remains and such back at their outcropping. She wondered if they had found out anything else.

Entering the Pokémon Center, she wave to Less and Matt. She also smiles at Mark, Pinklady, and Mina, every so friendly like. Her Pokémon still follow her around, like a little gang, or an entourage.
Gnomes2169
Looking up from his sketchbook when he hears the center doors open, he'd been working on fleshing out a few of the art pieces he's just put the outlines down for earlier since he hadn't seen anyone he recognized when he'd arrived, Mark closes the book as he spots Pinklady and he waves to her and the person walking with her.  "Hey there Pinklady! How's it been? And..."  Looking at the new guy walking with her, he goes from waving to pointing at Less and asking,  "Are you one of the guys that Matt was talking about when he called me? And hi, I'm Mark, nice to meet you."  His prosthetic limb, a sleek, black limb that was built to look somewhat like a normal arm with latches that could be opened up to deploy solar panels, whirred as it extended out so he could give the new person a handshake.

Behind Mark, there was a gardevoir who waved to the other two trainers and gave a low, greeting trill as well. Tattersail was also the one who spotted Mina, since Mark is blind, and she nudged him in the side to point her out. This made him jump a bit, and he turned his head to call,  "And hi Mina! Didn't see you there!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
All:

Flotsam nearly gets tripped by her entourage as her Clamperl almost immediately clams up at the sight of strangers and her Horsea tries to hide behind her.

Meanwhile Mina breaks her attention from her notes again long enough to smile at Mark. “ Hi Mark! Sorry, I’m a little distracted right now. ”   Definitely not going to have the Salac Berries in time for the next mission…  
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Meanwhile Mina breaks her attention from her notes again long enough to smile at Mark. “ Hi Mark! Sorry, I’m a little distracted right now. ”   Definitely not going to have the Salac Berries in time for the next mission…   
 

He didn't seem bothered by her continuing to be a nerd, figuring that she was still setting up plans on her end, and he responded,  "Don't worry about it, I think we're still waiting for everyone to show up anyway." 
Lord Ruby34
Less stops chatting with Pinklady as they head inside. The trip in the jeep had only taken a couple minutes. The bulky vehicle was now parked outside the Pokemon Center. Frankly, Less was pleased at how the day had turned out. Two Banrda goons captured, and two potential leads on a Bandra base. Now he just needed to follow through with those leads tomorrow, a plan, and probably people to help. It seemed like Pinklady would probably we willing, though he hesitated to ask until he had an actual plan.

Those thoughts bounced around Less's head as he entered the Pokemon Center again. Less was immediately struck by how many people there were, and how young they all were. Matt, the man he had met earlier, was the only person in the room who looked older than their early twenties. Nurse Joy was probably older too, but managed not to look it. Less nodded in polite greeting nonetheless. Perhaps it wasn't that everyone else was young, but that he was simply old. When he had been a teacher, being the oldest person in the room had been a matter of course. He just needed to keep reminding himself that these particular young people probably weren't looking for a lecture.

When the young man approached him, Less shook his metallic hand with only a single glance at the prosthetic arm. The young man was hardly the first person with a battle injury that Less had met.  "Lester Douglass, though I suppose you can call me Less."  Nothing for it other than to trust people. If they were friends of Mark and Pinklady they probably weren't Bandra spies. Buck woofed behind him, echoing the greeting.  "A pleasure to meet you." 
Feathersnow
Akio acts cool after getting to the pokemon center.
He decides on sending out his Crobat and not announcing he is a heroic samurai or a deranged cosplayer more than is absolutely necessary by dint of his armor...

"Hello, I'm Akio.  I haven't met all of you yet." He is unsure if shaking hands is the thing to do here.  It seems very unbecoming of a Samurai, but he wants to fit in in this land.  And the fact one of the newcomers has a prosthesis makes it even more awkward.   He accepts any proffered greeting,  but otherwise just nods.
essCee
 "Hey there, Mark! Mina! Tattersail!  Pinklady waves back.  "Less and I just took down some Bandra goons! Well, mostly Less! Actually, it was entirely you, huh?"  Pinklady refers the last bit to Less rather than Mark.

When the final pair arrives, Pinklady waves to them.  "Glad you could join us, Flotsam, Akio! And the rest!  She turns her attention to Flotsam's entourage with the last greeting.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Hey there, Mark! Mina! Tattersail!  Pinklady waves back.  "Less and I just took down some Bandra goons! Well, mostly Less! Actually, it was entirely you, huh?"  Pinklady refers the last bit to Less rather than Mark. 
 

 "Nonesense,"  Less said.  "You and Leapsy scared out that Ariados. Without that it could have easily taken us by surprise."  Less smiled.
gorman
 *Fidgets nervously* 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 When the young man approached him, Less shook his metallic hand with only a single glance at the prosthetic arm. The young man was hardly the first person with a battle injury that Less had met.  "Lester Douglass, though I suppose you can call me Less."  Nothing for it other than to trust people. If they were friends of Mark and Pinklady they probably weren't Bandra spies. Buck woofed behind him, echoing the greeting.  "A pleasure to meet you."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio acts cool after getting to the pokemon center.
He decides on sending out his Crobat and not announcing he is a heroic samurai or a deranged cosplayer more than is absolutely necessary by dint of his armor...

"Hello, I'm Akio.  I haven't met all of you yet." He is unsure if shaking hands is the thing to do here.  It seems very unbecoming of a Samurai, but he wants to fit in in this land.  And the fact one of the newcomers has a prosthesis makes it even more awkward.   He accepts any proffered greeting,  but otherwise just nods. 
 

Mark shook Less' hand, the mechanical bits of his arm whirring with the motion, and he says,  "Pleasure to meet you both! Less and Akio, I see that you've already started working with Pinklady and Matt. I'm guessing that you were part of the group when Matt called me earlier?"  Letting go of Less' hand, he pulled out his journal again and said,  "I heard you guys had questions, though I wasn't sure exactly  what  you wanted to know, but let's start with them! What did you guys want to ask about?" 
Lord Ruby34
 "Well,"  Less started, " I had originally intended to ask some questions about shadow Pokemon, but I received a crash course of my own in the last few hours."  Less smiled, and continued.  "And I do still have a few. " Less turned his head towards Matt.  "First though, I wanted to thank you again for helping to de-shadow the Pokemon we found earlier. You have my, and Connie's, gratitude."  Less patted his newest Pokeball as he spoke.

 "Still, I had a few questions remaining on the nature of shadowing. Primarily, what's the root cause? And what exactly does it mean. It seems to put well, a shadow, over a Pokemon's mind, but what can they still remember? Is their cognition impaired? And is it always natural, or could someone artificiality shadow a Pokemon?"  Less asked, rapid firing a few of the questions that had been rattling around in his head since he had first looked a shadow Pokemon in the eye.
gorman
 "Ah no problem. When your pokemon get shadowed it's a fast learning experience to undo it." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Well,"  Less started, " I had originally intended to ask some questions about shadow Pokemon, but I received a crash course of my own in the last few hours."  Less smiled, and continued.  "And I do still have a few. " Less turned his head towards Matt.  "First though, I wanted to thank you again for helping to de-shadow the Pokemon we found earlier. You have my, and Connie's, gratitude."  Less patted his newest Pokeball as he spoke.

 "Still, I had a few questions remaining on the nature of shadowing. Primarily, what's the root cause? And what exactly does it mean. It seems to put well, a shadow, over a Pokemon's mind, but what can they still remember? Is their cognition impaired? And is it always natural, or could someone artificiality shadow a Pokemon?"  Less asked, rapid firing a few of the questions that had been rattling around in his head since he had first looked a shadow Pokemon in the eye. 
 

Mark paused at the initial remark, and when Less was done speaking he admitted,  "Honestly, I don't know too much about shadowed pokemon themselves. I thought you were going to ask about Bandra. But... well, I guess I know some of the answers."  Adjusting his glasses as he thought a bit about it, he said,  "The cause seems to be energies from a spectral realm, the same energies that spectral types use for their type attacks. If a pokemon is even so much as hit by a spectral attack, it shadows them ever so slightly, and being knocked out by one of those moves is enough to leave a pokemon fully shadowed. I'd guess that shadowing causes them pain, and leaves them feeling like they are surrounded by enemies, given how Sengar and my Chevlain were acting when we were trying to de-shadow them, but until they actually enter a rage they can be reasoned with and given commands... even if they might ignore them. I could actually ask my pokemon if you'd like, I'm psychically connected to my gardevoir and she could translate their responses for you." 

Rubbing at his chin on the last question, Mark said,  "As for if it can be done artificially... well, I guess that's technically down to how you define artificial. A spectral type's attacks could be seen as such, but if I'm right and it's simply down to the spectral energies, then it's not only theoretically possible, but  probable  that someone could use a machine to inject those energies into a pokemon and shadow them. We've seen Bandra at a rift too, though we had no idea what they were doing with it and decided not to investigate too closely... they were wheeling pokemon cages into them, though. Maybe they also had a few machines inside and were trying to harvest spectral pokemon and energies to experiment more with shadowing?"  He'd heard rumors about shadowed pokemon in other regions without spectral types, but he'd always assumed them to be baseless rumors or fairy tales. Now, though, if tech could be used to tap into the spectral realm and induce shadowing...?  "Again, though, that's just a guess on my part. A ranger or a researcher could probably give you more accurate answers." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Nonesense,"  Less said.  "You and Leapsy scared out that Ariados. Without that it could have easily taken us by surprise."  Less smiled. 
 

 "Oh, I didn't realise that! Hooray for teamwork!"  She pumps her fist.


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "Ah no problem. When your pokemon get shadowed it's a fast learning experience to undo it."  
 

 "Oh, didn't notice you, Matt! Hello to you too!" 

Pinklady pays close attention to Mark's explanation. She'd been meaning to ask about it, herself, so this was very helpful to her, too.
Lord Ruby34
The spectral realm. Some of the books Less had read over his lifetime had mentioned such a thing, and he had known it was real, in the same far off way that he knew about other planets, as a faraway place, beyond his need to visit or understanding with more than passing familiarity. The rifts that had started opening had always been a distant problem, something for gym leaders and Pokemon trainers to handle.   You  are a trainer now, old man, and you need to learn fast.  The thought came to him distantly, in the voice of his youth. Less took a moment to nod greetings to everyone else at the Pokemon center while he considered what Mark was saying.

If Bandra was wheeling cages into the rifts it could mean that they didn't have a machine that could shadow Pokemon directly, though they hardly needed one if they had a few spectral Pokemon with them and a willingness to be cruel to to their stolen Pokemon. That shadowed Pokemon were capable of occasionally listening to reason was notable. Less had assumed that they were completely senseless to anything but their anger. It made sense though. Not all of Connie's flock had been shadowed, but they had all followed her. The young man's psychic connection to his Pokemon was also notable. Less hadn't realized such a thing was possible, though he knew that powerful psychic Pokemon could sometimes be understood by humans.

  "That was immensely helpful, thank you. I may ask a few questions of Ranger Wain when I see him next, but I think I have a better understanding than I did before. I recently made the acquaintance of Pokemon who had lost her trainer, and was shadowed. We've been able to communicate somewhat, but if you would be willing to translate that would be helpful."  Less looked up at the clock on the wall.  "Though perhaps that would be better saved until tomorrow. She's had a difficult day." 

Less nodded at Matt as he chimed in.  "It was certainly a quicker lesson than I had expected." 

Less grimaced, thinking of Bandra. He disliked the idea of talking about them so openly, but if anyone here was a Bandra spy he had already proved his opposition to them by driving up in a commandeered Bandra vehicle. Nothing to do but forge ahead then.  "I suppose I do have a few questions. But I know what I need to of them, I believe. Murders, opportunists, or cowards, depending on when and why they joined. I have little sympathy for them no matter the cause of their allegiance. They are lead by their officers, foremost among them our former Pokemon league champion, all of whom are extremely dangerous."  Less sighed,  "But I have no desire to underestimate them, given that I expect to find myself at loggerheads with them in the future. What should I know?" 
gorman
 "Yes hello Pinklady,"  Listening to Less talk with such disdain about people that joined Bandra reminded me of my old days. It's strange how I did so much to protect a family that left me in the long run. Yet here in the strange land, far from any sort of familiarity,  IS  something familiar. At least as far as crime goes.
Gnomes2169
 "If you had questions, Tattersail and I could help translate the answers."  Mark said with a nod, happy enough to help the older man connect with his new pokemon. Considering it for a bit, he offers,  "I was going to be doing some odd jobs tomorrow to try and make some money to replenish my empty wallet, and one of them was set up and tear down for a presentation in Skybreak. They wanted multiple people for it, so if you don't have a job or other obligations that you need to worry about, it would be a good job for you to do while asking questions." 
 "As for Bandra..."  His slight grin turned into a slight frown as he considered that he didn't know any of these people. Less had made his disdain clear, and Matt seemed to trust him and had helped the older man take down some grunts, but the samuri hadn't said all too much and the other girl was a  literal child.  Well, that last one at least wasn't likely working for Bandra, to be fair. Still, they were in the lobby of a pokemon center, so even if everyone was trustworthy Mark decided he should hedge his bets and be a bit circumspect.  "Bandra as a team function as a strict hierarchy. On the bottom you have the grunts, who are mostly used as fodder. They seem to be kinda dumb, lazy or risk adverse as a whole, but recently they've become more alert and vicious. I think we might be somewhat responsible for that... we've been hitting them hard, and a good number of grunts have been captured by us.

"Regardless, Bandra's leadership is entirely different. They are not fools, and they were already making plans to make their grunts more dangerous and effective  before  we started fighting back effectively. We've encountered grunts that have pokemon with poffin stat boosts, and we know they've been using breeding centers to make pokemon that have useful egg moves."  Now to drop the hint. Mark paused before saying,  "We aren't able to fully stop either of these activities. They have too many contest halls, and too much territory to do the breeding in. Still, if we can take down some of their poffin makers we could at least slow that down to give ourselves time to make poffins and get boosts of our own..."  He let the thought linger, then shrugged and said,  "But anyway, Bandra's leadership are not incompetent like their grunts. They plan ahead, have powerful pokemon, and are fully willing to sacrifice parts of their group if it will give them a long-term advantage. They've lost a taskmaster at the Shrine of Light and their nose has been bloodied... it probably hasn't improved their mood much."  Tapping at the side of his fake arm he adds,  "Not that they had much chill to begin with." 
WindStruck
After nearly tripping on Hilda, Flotsam frowned briefly and giggled.  "Oh, you shy girl. Don't think I want to leave you outside on your own just yet.. after what happened. Maybe we could.."  she grunts a bit trying to push Hilda's shell along.  "I could take you to a quiet corner? Or um.. how does the Pokéball sound?" 

 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Hey there, Mark! Mina! Tattersail!  Pinklady waves back.  "Less and I just took down some Bandra goons! Well, mostly Less! Actually, it was entirely you, huh?"  Pinklady refers the last bit to Less rather than Mark.

When the final pair arrives, Pinklady waves to them.  "Glad you could join us, Flotsam, Akio! And the rest!  She turns her attention to Flotsam's entourage with the last greeting. 
 

Flotsam smiled again and approached.  "Hi! Nice to meet you! I guess you already know my name.. what's yours?"  she asks.

From about then on, Flotsam was mostly distracted trying to eavesdrop on the conversation about shadowed Pokémon and Team Bandra.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Flotsam smiled again and approached.  "Hi! Nice to meet you! I guess you already know my name.. what's yours?"  she asks.

From about then on, Flotsam was mostly distracted trying to eavesdrop on the conversation about shadowed Pokémon and Team Bandra. 
 

 "I'm Pinklady! Pinklady Pomegranate!"  She puffs out her chest proudly and grins.  "I could name the others here for you, if you'd like. Oh, and, if you don't mind me saying so... one of your Pokemon is shrinking away a bit... is it there being other people here that's a bit much for them, or just how crowded this place is getting overall?" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If you had questions, Tattersail and I could help translate the answers."  Mark said with a nod, happy enough to help the older man connect with his new pokemon. Considering it for a bit, he offers,  "I was going to be doing some odd jobs tomorrow to try and make some money to replenish my empty wallet, and one of them was set up and tear down for a presentation in Skybreak. They wanted multiple people for it, so if you don't have a job or other obligations that you need to worry about, it would be a good job for you to do while asking questions."  
 

Lifting chairs for money. Less immediately felt older. Up until a week ago he had been drawing a salary, a consistent salary that he had been making for thirty years. To be doing odd jobs for cash again . . . Less reminded himself that he had little left. The war had devastated his retirement investments, and between Georgia's care and sending money to Emilia it hadn't left him with much, and that had gone to his neighbor to pay for him to look after the house while Less was gone. Frankly, setting up chairs for money wasn't a terrible option. What else was he going to do? Gamble on the outcome of Pokemon battles? That didn't seem at all sustainable. And if he could manage to use the time to talk more effectively to Connie it was hardly as waste of time.

 "I suppose I could help with the . . . presentation. I have to be in Skybreak first thing in the morning anyway. The Bandra goons that Pinklady and I,"  Less says, with a gesture to the green-haired young woman,  "apprehended are being held there. I was hoping to ask them a few questions before they end up transferred to a high security facility." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "As for Bandra..."  His slight grin turned into a slight frown as he considered that he didn't know any of these people. Less had made his disdain clear, and Matt seemed to trust him and had helped the older man take down some grunts, but the samurai hadn't said all too much and the other girl was a  literal child.  Well, that last one at least wasn't likely working for Bandra, to be fair. Still, they were in the lobby of a pokemon center, so even if everyone was trustworthy Mark decided he should hedge his bets and be a bit circumspect.  "Bandra as a team function as a strict hierarchy. On the bottom you have the grunts, who are mostly used as fodder. They seem to be kinda dumb, lazy or risk adverse as a whole, but recently they've become more alert and vicious. I think we might be somewhat responsible for that... we've been hitting them hard, and a good number of grunts have been captured by us.

"Regardless, Bandra's leadership is entirely different. They are not fools, and they were already making plans to make their grunts more dangerous and effective  before  we started fighting back effectively. We've encountered grunts that have pokemon with poffin stat boosts, and we know they've been using breeding centers to make pokemon that have useful egg moves."  Now to drop the hint. Mark paused before saying,  "We aren't able to fully stop either of these activities. They have too many contest halls, and too much territory to do the breeding in. Still, if we can take down some of their poffin makers we could at least slow that down to give ourselves time to make poffins and get boosts of our own..."  He let the thought linger, then shrugged and said,  "But anyway, Bandra's leadership are not incompetent like their grunts. They plan ahead, have powerful pokemon, and are fully willing to sacrifice parts of their group if it will give them a long-term advantage. They've lost a taskmaster at the Shrine of Light and their nose has been bloodied... it probably hasn't improved their mood much."  Tapping at the side of his fake arm he adds,  "Not that they had much chill to begin with."  
 

Less decided not to mention just how much territory that Bandra occupied. If the young man was talking about the trainers in the room, the numbers deficit painted a fairly grim picture of their chances in the long term. Still, any disruption to Bandra activity would be a boon. Less wondered exactly what Bandra was using the contest halls for. If they were storing information there as well as those expensive Pokemon snacks then it could be worth hitting one. Less considered mentioning Emilia to the young man, but decided that it wasn't the time, at least not yet. Still, he could at least plant a seed of his own.

 "It sounds like their officers are the only thing keeping their operation afloat."  Less stated, then let out a breath.  "But that confirms much of what I know. I suppose, though, that I do not see the relevance of these Poffins? I thought they were just expensive Pokemon snacks?"   Emilia had always asked him to buy them for her Pokemon, so Less supposed their was probably something to it. He had always gotten Buck a jar of PokeDelights bone snacks for his birthday. Should he have been getting his Pokemon something different this whole time?
gorman
 "I'm not certain any place is secure if Bandra's leader really has a legendary pokemon if the rumors are true..." 
Gnomes2169
That would also give them a chance for Mark to tell the older gentleman about the current plan. While at this point he was almost certain that Less could be trusted, talking about what the group was plotting in small public spaces was the fastest way to make Bandra aware they would be attacked.  "Excellent, I look forward to seeing you there!"  Mark said, before telling everyone else,  "Oh, and the offer is open for everyone. The university was looking for  multiple  people, and set-up and tear-down pay 2000pd each, so it's really not a bad job for one afternoon." 
 "And poffins... are expensive pokemon snacks, yes, but they have  tangible  effects on the combat effectiveness of the pokemon that eat them."  Mark explained, before getting jabbed in the kidney by his gardevoir, who glared at him and mentally demanded, &lt; You  will  be feeding me more poffins. &gt; He rubbed at his side and told her,  "Yeah, yeah, I know. If you scan her with your pokedex, you'll see the effects that the few poffins I've been able to feed her have already impacted Tattersail. Mina and I were going to try making more sometime tomorrow, to see if we can get a few more boosts on our teams before... well, encountering Bandra again, since that's inevitable in this region."  Smooth Mark. Smooth recovery. No one will notice the pause.
WindStruck
Flotsam continues to greet Pinklady.  "Pinklady! That's.. wow! I thought that was your surname at first."  She grins and says,  "I think I met most everyone? Except the guy with the arm..." 
 "Oh, Hilda? She's just shy.. usually always like that around strangers." 


Flotsam turned to Mark and asked,  "An odd job to build and tear down something for a presentation? Huh, what is that? What are they talking about?"  The girl felt sort of interested, but work seemed like.. a lot of work...  hm..
Lord Ruby34
 "I heard the city won't let anyone in before 6 a.m., and there's usually a line. I'm planning on being there by 5:30 at the latest."  Less stated. It would be an early morning, especially if he needed to provide transportation by jeep to everyone. Still, Less didn't intend to waste time standing in a line that could be put to more productive use.


 "Hmm."  Less pulled out his Pokedex, fumbled about with it for a few seconds, and scanned Tattersail. The young man was right. His Pokemon was showing a small but significant increase to her special defense from Poffin boosts. It wasn't much, but it could potentially turn the result of a close fight. And the way that young man was talking, and Matt's earlier reference to freedom fighters, suggested that this group was actually seeking out conflicts with Bandra, which meant that these were, in fact the people that Less was looking for. Less looked around the lobby. Pinklady, Matt, Mark, and the girl who Mark had been talking to earlier, presumably Mina. As far as the others here the young man in the faux armor had proven competent when fighting the Murkrow flock, as had Flotsom, though she was far too young to be risking her life. It still might be worth it to get the other young man onboard.

 "It seems you're right. I assume there's a limitation to how much a Poffin can help a Pokemon, or making these things would have supplanted training entirely." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'm assuming that a scan will show be basically what's in the excel sheet.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Flotsam turned to Mark and asked,  "An odd job to build and tear down something for a presentation? Huh, what is that? What are they talking about?"  The girl felt sort of interested, but work seemed like.. a lot of work...  hm.. 
 

... This literal child  probably  was too young to work. In general. What even were the labor laws of Helnith?  "You don't need to worry about working, little one. I'm not certain they'd even let you...?"  He glanced at Less and raised an eyebrow at him to imply a question. Could kids work in Helnith?  But hi, I'm Mark. Are you on your pokemon adventure?"  Did they even have the standard pokemon adventure going on in Helnith, what with the war and all?


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I heard the city won't let anyone in before 6 a.m., and there's usually a line. I'm planning on being there by 5:30 at the latest."  Less stated. It would be an early morning, especially if he needed to provide transportation by jeep to everyone. Still, Less didn't intend to waste time standing in a line that could be put to more productive use.

 "Hmm. It seems you're right. I assume there's a limitation to how much a Poffin can help a Pokemon, or making these things would have supplanted training entirely." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'm assuming that a scan will show be basically what's in the excel sheet.
 
 
 

Turning back to Less, Mark said,  "Well, technically Mina could teleport us to Skybreak since she's been there with her Natu... but we're still going to have to wake up early regardless. The seminar sets up from 10am to 11am, and has tear down from 1pm to 2pm, so we should have  some  time to get things done before and after all that. Maybe some time for a discussion over lunch in between them too. And yeah, poffins, just like vitamins, can only take you so far. But if you wanted to do things in pokemon contests, that will  also  be helped with poffins. You know. If contests start up for real again." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Yeah, that spread sheet shows all the EVs, vitamins and poffin boosts... as well as some of the other miscellaneous boosts that crop up from time to time. Mark used a rare candy to evolve his gardevoir while she was unconscious, for example, and while that brought her back up it also left her with a semi-pemanent -2 HP from the stress of that transformation, which can be healed by giving her HP-ups to counter-act the effects.
 


Turning to look at Akio, Mark asked the samuri fanboy,  "But also, how about you? Are you doing anything tomorrow, or are you open to helping around with some odd jobs? The seminar runners were looking for a group to help them out, but there were other jobs available too if you didn't want to mess around with chairs." 
Feathersnow
Akio looks to Mark.  "There is nobility in service, and everyone starts somewhere!"  He breaks character. "Yeah, sure, I'm free to help, whateveryou need."
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 ... This literal child  probably  was too young to work. In general. What even were the labor laws of Helnith?  "You don't need to worry about working, little one. I'm not certain they'd even let you...?"  He glanced at Less and raised an eyebrow at him to imply a question. Could kids work in Helnith?  But hi, I'm Mark. Are you on your pokemon adventure?"  Did they even have the standard pokemon adventure going on in Helnith, what with the war and all? 
 

Less shook his head no.  "This job is unlikely to have an age restriction."  Most natives didn't seem to agree with him that children should be kept children through their early teenage years. The whole concept of a Pokemon adventure at 10 years old was ridiculous and dangerous. He hadn't let Emilia go on her adventure until she was sixteen. And she had become a member of the Elite Four, which Less felt vindicated his position.



 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Turning back to Less, Mark said,  "Well, technically Mina could teleport us to Skybreak since she's been there with her Natu... but we're still going to have to wake up early regardless. The seminar sets up from 10am to 11am, and has tear down from 1pm to 2pm, so we should have  some  time to get things done before and after all that. Maybe some time for a discussion over lunch in between them too. And yeah, poffins, just like vitamins, can only take you so far. But if you wanted to do things in pokemon contests, that will  also  be helped with poffins. You know. If contests start up for real again."  
 

Teleportation. That was something Les had seen done in a few movies and online videos, but nothing he had ever experienced himself. Less still remembered a theory he had read once that teleportation actually killed you, and reconstructed you again at the destination. The theory was probably wrong, but Less had to a repress a shudder nonetheless. Saving time was useful, and there wasn't a method of travel faster than instantaneous. Less forged on.  "We can aim to meet in the center lobby at 5:20. That should leave a little extra time in case we're delayed."  

Less nodded along with Mark's explanation of Poffins. Buck was paying even closer attention. His ears had perked up at the mention of contests, and he had already left a small puddle of drool on the floor just from hearing the word Poffin repeatedly. He had been considering entering Buck into a contest before he met Georgia. That had been such a long time ago, and their whirlwind courtship had banished the idea into the depths of Less's memory until now.

 "I suppose"  Less started, looking at Mark, but with his meaning aimed at Buck,  "that investing in some of these Poffins makes sense."  Less paused. Buck let out a deep, happy woof from behind him.  "I imagine the circuit itself is closed, but there might be a contest hall or two still open. Perhaps if Bandra can be driven out of Helnith, than the Contest circuit and the Pokemon League Challenge could return." 

Less nodded at the young man in the armor. Was he doing a character of some kind? Less decided he was willing to let the young man have a second chance at a first impression.
Gnomes2169
Mark looked at Akio for a few moments, trying to decide if this guy was serious about the samuri formality thing or if he was just a giant dork cosplaying... but not falling one way or the other. If he  was  a giant dork, that would at least make him less likely to be Bandra. Bandra didn't seem to allow dorks in its ranks.  "Uh, yeah, we'll be happy to see you there."  He'd say, nodding.  "If you'd like a ride, let us know." 

The time that Less told him made Mark's eyes widen a bit, and he looked at the older man like he was crazy for a second. 5:20? AM? As in 5:20 in the morning? What madness was this? Teenagers were usually lucky to wake up at 7, let alone be out of bed and dressed by that time.  "I... guess I'll... get to bed early, then. And set an alarm."  And try not to hit snooze on it too many times.
WindStruck
Flotsam shrugged at Mark.  "Uh, that's okay! I was just curious anyway." 
 "Well thanks for the help, everyone, and good luck!" 

Flotsam begins to round up her Pokémon and heads outside again. If it wasn't obvious by now, this girl did love being outside.

 "Hm. The restaurant was nice but it's pretty pricey. We could try to find our own fruit." 
Feathersnow
"Yes, please, a ride would be great!"  Akio was, technically, a samurai.  But that meant little in the modern age.  Playing up his over-eager cosplayer persona wasn't dishonest and seemed to serve him better.  He was helping people who fought Bandra.  Admittedly, he was doing grunt work that seemed unrelated to the fight, but that was a soldier's lot, as he understood it.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 The time that Less told him made Mark's eyes widen a bit, and he looked at the older man like he was crazy for a second. 5:20? AM? As in 5:20 in the morning? What madness was this? Teenagers were usually lucky to wake up at 7, let alone be out of bed and dressed by that time.  "I... guess I'll... get to bed early, then. And set an alarm."  And try not to hit snooze on it too many times. 
 

Less's lips twitched in a repressed smile.  "I did just acquire a jeep from the Bandra goons Pinklady and I defeated, if that would be more convenient."  Less paused.  "Of course, that would require waking up a little earlier to get on the road . . ." 
Gnomes2169
Mark's expression becomes one of  true horror  as Less continues talking, and he says,  "No, no, we don't need to worry about that. That's, uh, that's fine. We don't need to wake up  that  early."  Truly, old people didn't understand how much teenagers valued being able to stay up late. Alas. Mark might need to actually have a real sleep schedule again if he continued working with this man.

He did interrupt this bout of existential dread to watch Flotsam leave with a bit of concern. It was getting late, and she was a young girl... but he wasn't her parent and she'd apparently been taking care of herself so far, so he didn't go after her. Still, he wasn't  happy  to see her go off on her own...
Lord Ruby34
Less failed to stop his lips from twitching. He could only hope that his merriment was partially disguised by his mustache.  "Well, if you're  certain  that it won't be an issue." 
 "Is anyone else planning on going to Skybreak tomorrow?"  Less asked, his gaze looking at Matt and Pinklady in particular.
gorman
 "I've kind of recently come from Skybreak actually. Or should I say, I have been in the area. Do you need assistance with something?" 
Lord Ruby34
 "Ah"  Less said, a hand reaching up to smooth out an errant hair on his moustache.  "I suppose not. I was looking for a headcount for our trip to Skybreak in the morning." 

Less's eyes drifted to the door. He had to remind himself that he was not Floatsom's teacher nor her Father, and it wasn't his place to bring her inside if she did not want to stay. Still, he found himself worried about the girl. She hadn't objected to Leo's presence before. Perhaps it would be welcome again. With a quick flash of light, Leo appeared from his Pokeball.  "Leo, why don't you keep watch outside, like before."  Less looked at his Pokemon and hoped the little Poison type took his meaning.  "I'll let you know when it's time for dinner." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   And is it always natural, or could someone artificiality shadow a Pokemon?"  
 

Mina was mostly up to her eyeballs in Berry number crunching, but after Mark gave his very through, in-depth response she pulled herself out of her notes long enough to add, “ There is supposed to be a Team Snag’em over in Orre that was Shadowing Pokémon. I think they’re why Orre has Purification Chambers available for import. ”


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "I could take you to a quiet corner? Or um.. how does the Pokéball sound?"  
 

Hilda seemed all in favor of the Pokéball. Gypsy looked tempted, but ultimately shook her head ‘no’ for now.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I suppose I could help with the . . . presentation. I have to be in Skybreak first thing in the morning anyway. The Bandra goons that Pinklady and I apprehended are being held there. I was hoping to ask them a few questions before they end up transferred to a high security facility."  
 

Mina made an approving noise, then scribbled something into her notes.


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "I'm not certain any place is secure if Bandra's leader really has a legendary pokemon if the rumors are true..."  
 

“ She’s in league with Aidrelas, ” Mina reminded bluntly…and then after the words had left her mouth recalled that she wasn’t really  reminding  most of the people here, as she’d heard that from Salerdia herself and no one else who was here had been present for that. She’d told Mark, but the turnover rate of their little group meant he was the only one who had heard it, at least from her.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "It seems you're right. I assume there's a limitation to how much a Poffin can help a Pokemon, or making these things would have supplanted training entirely."  
 

Mina was still paying attention sufficiently to nod, but Mark seemed to have the answer covered so she left him to it, just adding:

“ Part of the catch is that the limit for Poffin boosts is higher for higher quality Poffin. ” Hence her feverish number-crunching.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well, technically Mina could teleport us to Skybreak since she's been there with her Natu...”   
 

“ To the  entrance  yes, ” Mina corrected. “ Otherwise we’re liable to get arrested. ” Mina had been specifically warned about doing that. She’d be willing to do it in an emergency, but not just to skip the security that was, after all, there for a perfectly understandable reason.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "But if you wanted to do things in pokemon contests, that will  also  be helped with poffins. You know. If contests start up for real again."  
 

Mina wondered if she should remind Mark of the advertisements plastered over the Ceris Contest Hall for the Contest over in Landsedge (probably long over by now, how long ago had that been?) but decided on balance that was sufficiently off-topic to leave it unsaid.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "We can aim to meet in the center lobby at 5:20. That should leave a little extra time in case we're delayed."   
 

Mina didn’t even look up from her notes, just gave a thumbs-up of approval for this plan. There were worse reasons to give up sleep.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Is anyone else planning on going to Skybreak tomorrow?"  
 

Mina wasn’t entirely sure she needed to answer, given that she was one of the people with a Teleporter, but she raised her hand anyway.

----------------

Flotsam (outside):

Less’ Croagunk wanders out of the Pokémon Center after you.

((How long are you searching for? I will also point out that Pokémon Center food is free for trainers and their Pokémon if that’s all you’re worried about.))
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pokémon Center:
“ She’s in league with Aidrelas, ” Mina reminded bluntly…and then after the words had left her mouth recalled that she wasn’t really  reminding  most of the people here, as she’d heard that from Salerdia herself and no one else who was here had been present for that. She’d told Mark, but the turnover rate of their little group meant he was the only one who had heard it, at least from her. 
 

Less looked perturbed.  "Aidrelas? I have heard the name before, but I had thought it a legend?"  Less said.  "I suppose it stands to reason, given that the legends of Salerdia reference him."  Even more reason to oppose Bandra, Less supposed, though he didn't like the thought of ancient boogymen come to life, crawling out of the shadows.

If Less was counting correctly, then they had four going to Skybreak in the morning, himself, the girl whose name he hadn't quite caught, Mark, and Akio. Pinklady hadn't said anything, and it seemed that Matt wasn't interested in a repeat trip.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ To the  entrance  yes, ” Mina corrected. “ Otherwise we’re liable to get arrested. ” Mina had been specifically warned about doing that. She’d be willing to do it in an emergency, but not just to skip the security that was, after all, there for a perfectly understandable reason. 
 

 "Well yes, of course. That's what I meant. I remembered curfew."  Mark said, holding up one finger.  "For once I remembered something that could come back to bite us if I forgot."  ... Was he becoming self-aware? If he was, then Mark was becoming far more dangerous than Bandra could possibly imagine.

 "Oh and speaking of remembering things..."  He turns his head to look at Mina and casually says, " "If anyone can find someone with a Surf HM or some other way to teach the move, let me know. Helping Fisher learn that would be great. I already asked Wain, but the copy the rangers had was taken by Bandra."  Looking back to Less, he adds,  "I'll also be available for a bit of work in the afternoon, if you needed a hand with something, but after the chairs job I'll be busy for a bit. A member of the Starlight Squad is helping me evolve my onyx, and I'd rather not miss that meeting."  A meeting he would be sending a message to Lijan to confirm the time at that exact moment.
WindStruck
Flotsam might attempt to search for some tropical fruits for an hour or two at most. Then she remembers that the pokemon center actually has free food. She doesn't know where exactly they get it, or why they just give it away for free, but she's happy to take some freebies if available.
Kareeah_Indaga
Everyone but Flotsam:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Aidrelas? I have heard the name before, but I had thought it a legend?"  
 

Mina laughed bitterly, stifling it when she realized she was probably coming off as crazy or rude or both. “ I wish! ” She was still coming off as crazy or rude. She should probably turn in soon and hope her temperament improved in the morning. “ Sorry. Just…we’d all have been better off if he  were  just a legend. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If anyone can find someone with a Surf HM or some other way to teach the move, let me know. Helping Fisher learn that would be great. I already asked Wain, but the copy the rangers had was taken by Bandra."  
 

“ I haven’t seen anything but I’ll keep an eye open, ” Mina promised.

----------------

Flotsam:

You get lucky early on and find a single Tropical Fruit, but nothing after that, and make it back to the Pokémon Center about 10:30 PM. The Center kitchen is empty as it’s very late, although it looks like someone set up a pot of coffee for morning.
Feathersnow
Akio listens but chooses not to interject, before going to bed early for the day tomorrow.  Maybe he can get in some training before the others wake up....
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Looking back to Less, he adds,  "I'll also be available for a bit of work in the afternoon, if you needed a hand with something, but after the chairs job I'll be busy for a bit. A member of the Starlight Squad is helping me evolve my onyx, and I'd rather not miss that meeting."  A meeting he would be sending a message to Lijan to confirm the time at that exact moment. 
 

Less nodded. He wasn't sure if there was anything the young man could help with, but that might depend on how the conversation went.  "I appreciate the offer." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina laughed bitterly, stifling it when she realized she was probably coming off as crazy or rude or both. “ I wish! ” She was still coming off as crazy or rude. She should probably turn in soon and hope her temperament improved in the morning. “ Sorry. Just…we’d all have been better off if he  were  just a legend. ” 
 

That was disturbing, if true. It seemed like the young woman might not be all there, but then again, Mark hadn't contradicted her on any particular. Perhaps it was stress. If she had been fighting Bandra, Less didn't blame her. Fighting a war was traumatic at the best of times, and fighting a losing war even more so. Best to give her the benefit of the doubt, for now.  "I'll have to revisit some literature then, to look at it with a new eye, if what you say is true." 
 "But with that, I hope you will excuse me. I need to make sure my Pokemon are all fed, and prepare to retire for the night. Tomorrow will likely be long, and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the morning."  Less said. Then he went about accomplishing just that, getting Pokefood from Nurse Joy, and using the opportunity to introduce Connie to the rest of the team.

Less will inquire how Connie feels about her Pokeball, and tell her that they'll be able to have a more in depth conversation tomorrow, if she's willing accept the help of another Pokemon for translation. After that, Less will wait until Leo returns, make sure the little frog Pokemon is fed, and then retire to his room.
Gnomes2169
Mark bid the other two trainers goodnight as they went off, and waited a bit to make sure the lobby was mostly empty before pulling out his journal and looking at Mina, Matt and Pinklady.  "So. I've got the plan outlined, and after talking with Wain I've figured out that we are going to want more people with us. What do you guys think about those two?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

You set your alarm sufficiently early to have time for training before the trip to Skybreak City tomorrow. It goes off, as expected, at 3 AM; the sun has yet to rise and the halls of the Pokémon Center are nearly deserted as you leave to find a spot to train.

Two hours later, Akitsu has shown some progress and you have just enough time to grab something to eat before the agreed-upon meetup time of 5:20 AM.

 
 Spoiler: Akitsu 

Pokemon: Trapinch (Akitsu)
Type: Ground
Ability: Arena Trap
Gender: Male
Level: 21
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 56
Attack: 53
Def: 30 +8
Sp. Attack: 30
Sp. Def: 30 +8
Speed: 15
Moves:
Bite
Sand Attack
Faint Attack

No new attacks.
 


----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "But with that, I hope you will excuse me. I need to make sure my Pokemon are all fed, and prepare to retire for the night. Tomorrow will likely be long, and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the morning."   
 

“ See you in the morning! ” The girl with the badly-dyed blue hair responds.

Connie’s answer to your questioning about Pokéballs is mostly squawking, with an interjection of “ The house of every one is to him as his Castle and Fortress as well for defense against injury and violence. ”

Leo wanders back to you about 10:30 PM; he doesn’t seem particularly distressed or concerned, so presumably nothing terrible happened while he was out.

You are able to sleep without issue and awaken in time for the 5:20 meetup, to find that Akio is already up and awake.

----------------

Mark, Mina, Matt, Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "So. I've got the plan outlined, and after talking with Wain I've figured out that we are going to want more people with us. What do you guys think about those two?"  
 

“ The older gentleman seemed eloquent, ” Mina opined. Naturally she hadn’t seen any of the battling, and couldn’t comment on that. “ …and was the armor that other man was wearing  real , because I’m feeling kind of under-dressed now. ” Half of Helnith ran around in cloaks, Mina did not discount the possibility. Also, until Natu had learned Wish Mina herself had been wrapped in bandages courtesy of a Graveler exploding at her, actual armor didn’t sound like a bad idea, either.
Lord Ruby34
(Before Leaving)

Less gave an acknowledging wave to Mina before leaving the room.


----------------

(In his room at night)

 "I hope that means it makes you feel safe, Connie."  Less said, sighing. Buck rumbled his disagreement, but Dancer was nodding both her heads. One of his hands drifted to Buck's head, while the other  very carefully  stroked Hero, who had made her way into his lap.  "We're all going to have to get stronger in the coming days, and quickly."  Less took a moment to fully fill Connie in on the situation with Emilia.  "My only lead is that she is likely in the south, being pursued by a Bandra Officer named Ray. I can only hope those two we captured earlier might have a real lead, and that I can convince these others to help."  Except for Matt, they were all so young. Not children, but barely removed. It was always the young who suffered the brunt of the costs of war.

Less recalled all his Pokemon except Buck, and laid down for the night. Sleep didn't come easily, though it rarely did anymore. Eventually, with the comforting weight of Buck's head on his chest, Less managed to doze off, waking before the dawn.


----------------
(In the morning)

After grabbing a cup of coffee, Less stepped into the hall and saw Akio already waiting.  "Hello,"  Less said.  "Akio, I had wanted to mention that you and your Pokemon performed valintly against the shadowed flock, and to express my thanks for helping carry the shadowed Pokemon back here, but I did not get the chance yesterday. I appreciate both." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark, Mina, Matt, Pinklady:

“ The older gentleman seemed eloquent, ” Mina opined. Naturally she hadn’t seen any of the battling, and couldn’t comment on that. “ …and was the armor that other man was wearing  real , because I’m feeling kind of under-dressed now. ” Half of Helnith ran around in cloaks, Mina did not discount the possibility. Also, until Natu had learned Wish Mina herself had been wrapped in bandages courtesy of a Graveler exploding at her, actual armor didn’t sound like a bad idea, either. 
 

He nodded along.  "The samuri guy might just be a dork or cosplayer, but... well, if he isn't then he might be nice to have around. And Less seems like he'd be reliable. Should I bring them into the plan tomorrow?"  He paused for a second, then his eyes glanced at Mina's injured side and he asked,  "Also... how are you doing?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He nodded along.  "The samuri guy might just be a dork or cosplayer, but... well, if he isn't then he might be nice to have around. And Less seems like he'd be reliable. Should I bring them into the plan tomorrow?"  
 

Mina shrugged, though she figured that question was aimed more at Pinklady and Matt anyway: she had only interacted with the potential new recruits for maybe an hour or so total. Not really enough time to get an idea if they were competent or trustworthy. “ What did Tattersail think? ” If any of them had been lying about their motives or otherwise hiding something, Mina would have expected the emotion-sensing Psychic type to have noticed.

She fully intended to text Ranger Wain or maybe Mindy to see if any of the possible newbies had links to Bandra  regardless , but no sense in not checking with the Psychic type first.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Also... how are you doing?"  
 

It took Mina a moment to figure out what Mark was talking about. “ Hmm? Oh! ” She rolled up her sleeve to show part of the old injury. “ Much better now. ” The wounds might scar, but thanks to Natu they weren’t in danger of breaking open and bleeding every time she needed to do something strenuous any more. ((DM note: humans don’t generally heal as well or as quickly as Pokémon, even with the help of moves like Wish and so on.))
gorman
 "Well there's no time like the present for potentially traumatizing adventures, the more the merrier."  Speaking of which, I should probably swap Pyrofyl and Taillow out for healthy pokemon if we're going traveling... Let's grab Weepinbell and Poliwhirl out of storage in exchange. Hopefully they'll be better after...uh....however long this excursion takes.
WindStruck
Flotsam returns to the Pokémon Center rather late, and with it feeling kind of empty, and deserted. Of course, the nurse was probably there, somewhere, maybe in the back sleeping by this point too, but there wasn't food in the kitchen either.

Flotsam looked to her flock of Pokémon, wondering what to do. She shrugged and said,  "Seems kinda dull in here,"  her voice quietly low, as if not wanting to disturb anyone that could be sleeping.

She wandered back outside and said,  "It's a beautiful night. We can camp out here."  Though she didn't actually have tents, sleeping bags, or other camping supplies. And she might have wanted to be out and about, regardless of the weather, too. This was the norm for Flotsam anyway. They find a nook between some trees, nestled under some shrubs. Flotsam shares the singular tropical fruit she found with everyone, and offers to put each of her water Pokémon in Pokéballs if that's how they preferred to spend the night.

As for the wild Luxio, if it still chose to hang around, it understandably already slept normally without going into a Pokéball at night. Eventually, after gazing at the stars, Flotsam drifted off to sleep with a warm breeze caressing her skin.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
+1 tropical fruit from the previous post.  Aaaaand it's gone!
 
Gnomes2169
He took Matt's comment as a confirmation on bringing Less and Akio into the mission. Excellent.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ What did Tattersail think? ” 
 

Well, that was a good idea. Glancing back at Tattersail, he asked his psychic type,  "Well, what did you get from them?"  He relayed her response to the others word-for-word.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 It took Mina a moment to figure out what Mark was talking about. “ Hmm? Oh! ” She rolled up her sleeve to show part of the old injury. “ Much better now. ” The wounds might scar, but thanks to Natu they weren’t in danger of breaking open and bleeding every time she needed to do something strenuous any more. 
 

There's visible relief on Mark's face as he gets that brief look at her injury, and he lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  "That's a relief. I'd worried that running around in the rain might have... well. It's good to know it's finally healed."  She'd been in a hospital bed enough already. He... didn't want to see her in another one any time soon.  "... Maybe we  should  look into buying armor. Though, maybe not for missions where we're sailing. Hard to swim while wearing metal." 
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 (In the morning)

After grabbing a cup of coffee, Less stepped into the hall and saw Akio already waiting.  "Hello,"  Less said.  "Akio, I had wanted to mention that you and your Pokemon performed valintly against the shadowed flock, and to express my thanks for helping carry the shadowed Pokemon back here, but I did not get the chance yesterday. I appreciate both."  
 

"Thank you, I appreciate it.  I want to help in any way I can." Akio seems sincere, but distracted.   He's not entirely used to being thanked, in part because he's not used to doing things to be thanked for, as a rich nerd.
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded again. If the young man was distracted Less was willing to put it down to the early hour.  "A fine sentiment." 

There was only a little bit left to do before the day, so Less started double checking his bag to make sure he had everything important. it would be embarrassing to realize he had forgotten an essential, like his money. His money was there, but what he found momentarily surprised him. He still had the Pokeballs with the Bandra Pokemon in them, rattling around in the bottom of his bag. With everything going on last night he had completely forgotten they were there. Less took out one of the Pokeballs and looked around for Nurse Joy. Perhaps she would know what to do with them? Buck had decided that sniffing them was the appropriate action, though Less didn't imagine that would particularly help him make a decision.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
LordRuby forgot that Less had these until I did a quick reread to see what Less had been thinking about. Whoops!
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt, Mark, Pinklady, Mina:

((Swapped out Pyropyl and Taillow. Also fair warning, because of the stasis thing I mentioned in the OoC, you’re going to need them in your party at least part of each day to keep making progress toward them getting to be back to 100% health.))


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "... Maybe we  should  look into buying armor. Though, maybe not for missions where we're sailing. Hard to swim while wearing metal."  
 

“ True, but on that subject we might want to consider borrowing some life jackets for those missions. ” Mina could swim, but not especially well, and it was one thing to dog paddle across the school pool and  quite another  to try to do the same across five literal miles of seawater.

----------------

Flotsam:

((-1 Tropical Fruit, 0 remaining))

It might not be raining anymore, but it’s still quite wet outside, so both Flotsam and all her Pokémon wake up covered liberally in mud, bits of grass and weeds, about 7 AM. Flotsam also notices a number of fresh bug bites after her night outdoors, but the Luxio’s Intimidating presence means she wasn’t bothered by any wild Pokémon during the night.

----------------

Akio and Less:

((Yes you definitely want to take care of that  before  going through security…  

But part of that is my fault; I should have added them to your inventory. Feel free to call me out if I forget that sort of thing in the future.))

Less finds the nurse in short order. When he questions her about what to do with the Bandra Pokéballs, she takes them immediately and then disappears into the back.

A few minutes later Less gets a phone call. The number looks close to Ranger Wain’s but a few digits are different.
Lord Ruby34
Given the hour, and Nurse Joy's recent taking of the Bandra Pokeballs, it was likely someone from the Ranger's office. A good enough reason to answer, though Less wasn't sure whether he was about to be yelled at for forgetting in the first place or commended for turning the Pokeballs in.  "Hello" , Less answered.
essCee
Pinklady suddenly sat up. She had nodded out a bit from the earlier exhaustion and from listening to the others talk - especially since the talk was without much she wanted to interject on, mostly just stuff for her to pay attention to.

 "Ah! Right, sorry. Those two, I don't know much about the armor or its wearer. But Less has been great! Especially in the whole battling and planning and befriending trifecta." 

She smiled.

 "Plus... I'm pretty sure he'll be working against Bandra, with or without us. So with would be better. Definitely better." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Akio:

 
 Spoiler: Less’ Phone Call 

“ Hello Less, this is Viola, ” says the voice on the other end - and now that’s she’s spoken you can recognize her voice from Jon’s call the day before. “ Jon’s not available but we got a report from the Rieva nurse you brought in some Pokemon you said were Bandra’s? ” She gives you a chance to respond before continuing. “ I just wanted to warn you to be careful doing that. Since we have their trainers in custody this time, we can confirm that pretty easily, but we don’t have every Bandra agent on file and it’s not out of the question that if they had gotten away they could come back out of uniform and press charges for Pokémon theft. Jon said you were planning to come to Skybreak anyway, if you’re going to be making a habit of this I’m going to recommend you stop by our Ranger Base there and apply for a Bounty Hunting license, that will give you some legal protection. And if you’re still hanging out with Matt and his young friends, Jon gave some of them an App for the Pokédex that will detect if a Pokéball has been scraped - by which I mean someone stole it and wiped the original trainer’s information. Either way, take care! ”
 


----------------

Mark, Pinklady, Matt, Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well, what did you get from them?"  
 

&lt; The old man was in pain. &gt; Being mentally linked Mark could tell she meant emotional pain, not physical. &lt; He’s looking for someone or something of a personal nature. He was sincere in his dislike for Bandra. The boy in armor is uncertain and wants to prove himself. &gt; ((Feathersnow yell if this is inaccurate or if the mind reader should have noticed anything else.))


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Plus... I'm pretty sure he'll be working against Bandra, with or without us. So with would be better. Definitely better."  
 

“ All right, so it sounds like Less is in ” Mina privately hoped she was attaching the right name to the right person and hadn’t gotten them switched around “ assuming he wants anything to do with us. ” Mina was still going to bug the Ranger about him, of course. Being paranoid was practically her job at this point.
Lord Ruby34
Akio hears Less's end of the conversation, as the older man isn't particularly inclined take privacy precautions.
 

"It's nice to meet you, Viola."   A pause.  "Indeed."  A longer pause  "A troubling thought. I'll do both of those, thank you, Viola." 

With that Less sat and waited for the others. It looked like there would be more paperwork than expected today, but he'd prefer not to get sued if he could avoid it.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark, Pinklady, Matt, Mina:
“ All right, so it sounds like Less is in ” Mina privately hoped she was attaching the right name to the right person and hadn’t gotten them switched around “ assuming he wants anything to do with us. ” Mina was still going to bug the Ranger about him, of course. Being paranoid was practically her job at this point. 
 

After relaying Tattersail's impressions, he would nod at this and say,  "If Less is in, then we should probably bring in Akio too. That way we can split into two groups of three, one for the north the other for the south."  Rubbing at his chin, he says,  "Uh. If one of them has a water type that can carry multiple people, at least. Or a ditto. Fisher could probably hold three of us comfortably."  Well, as comfortably as a coral-like shell can be, at least.  "And yeah, we should bring along life jackets, and extra fresh water to drink while we're sailing. It can get hot and weirdly dry while you're surfing... someone having a heat stroke in transit would kinda defeat the point."  Yes, he's remembering when that happened a few days ago.  "Anything else we can think of before we go to bed?" 
gorman
*yawning*  "If not there's always time to think in the morning before we leave. Think I'll go to bed now though." 
Kareeah_Indaga
“ I should probably warn you lot that I haven’t had any luck finding Ganlon or Apicot Berries so the best Poffin we’ll be able to make will still be Attack/Speed - and if we’re picking up more people we might need to pick and choose whose Pokémon get them, we aren’t going to have enough for all of them. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
 *yawning*  "If not there's always time to think in the morning before we leave. Think I'll go to bed now though."  
 

Mark waved at Matt as he left.  "Sleep well man. See you tomorrow."  He should probably go to bed soon too... but there was still some more planning to do.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I should probably warn you lot that I haven’t had any luck finding Ganlon or Apicot Berries so the best Poffin we’ll be able to make will still be Attack/Speed - and if we’re picking up more people we might need to pick and choose whose Pokémon get them, we aren’t going to have enough for all of them. ” 
 

 "If possible, we should prioritize a pokemon with a multi-target physical move. See if one of our allies has a pokemon with rockslide or something."  Marick would be able to learn that eventually but wasn't there yet. Watching Matt walking away, Mark paused and then looked at Mina.  "Mina? Could I... ask you a favor?"  Assuming she said yes, he asked,  "If you feel unsafe or think we should pull back, tell me. I'm not... comfortable risking you. Or- or, uh, anyone else either."  Yeah, totally saved it. Definitely didn't just call out that you were talking about Mina  specifically  there, Mark.  "I just... haven't had the best record of assessing danger recently, and I want to make sure someone is around to keep me from being... well, basically a blind and reckless kid, I guess." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

You head off to bed.

As you are  not  one of the people trying to get into Skybreak tomorrow morning, your sleep is mostly undisturbed barring a few bad dreams involving a Dragon Pokémon with a skull-like head sinking the Shrine of Light, and you awaken about 7 AM.

----------------

Mark, Pinklady, Mina:

Mina waved good night to Matt.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If possible, we should prioritize a pokemon with a multi-target physical move. See if one of our allies has a pokemon with rockslide or something."  
 

That seemed sensible enough so Mina just nodded.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina? Could I... ask you a favor?"  
 

Mina was herself feeling too tired to be terribly wordy, so she just responded with, “ Sure. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If you feel unsafe or think we should pull back, tell me. I'm not... comfortable risking you. Or- or, uh, anyone else either. I just... haven't had the best record of assessing danger recently, and I want to make sure someone is around to keep me from being... well, basically a blind and reckless kid, I guess."  
 

Mina was likewise too tired to pay attention to Mark’s slip.

She considered the question, and then considered a way to answer tactfully. It hadn’t been the charging into the mountains she’d had a problem with last time so much as the pointless endangerment of the Pokémon they’d gone to rescue. That Caterpie could have been killed, and some of the other Pokémon  had  been. “ …we should probably have more than one escape route. We don’t have to hammer the details out tonight, ” And  couldn’t  hammer them out tonight in any case, until they had a better idea of how many people were going and what their capabilities were “ but we need to think about it. We’re going to be crossing five miles of water to get there, we can’t depend on having the Teleporters up and able after we hit the town, and the rest of that area is Bandra-controlled. ” And as she said that she recalled they’d sort-of had this conversation before, but as they hadn’t had an answer then it warranted repeating.
gorman
*wakes up visibly sweating*  "What...the actual....crap..."  Oh good lord.... what do I DO!? Was this just a bad dream?!? Did it occur?!?! Can I make a quick run to the Shrine of Light to see if it WAS just a dream!? Oh god....😦
Lord Ruby34
Less spent the time between finishing his call and the rest of the group arriving for their early morning meeting scrounging up food for his team, and the others, if possible, while Buck trailed behind him, eating anything that fell on the floor.
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded along with what Mina was saying, and he let out a slow sigh.  "Yeah... we'll need to see what options we have tomorrow. We'll think of something."  Lifting his organic hand up, he rubbed at his eyes and said,  "Let's get to bed so that we can wake up at  five in the freaking morning. "  Why had he agreed to that? They could have left later. The chairs thing wasn't until around noon, he could have gotten so much more sleep!  "Sleep well, Mina." 

With that, he set an alarm for himself and finally went to bed.


 


((In the morning))

Some days hurt more than others.

At 4 in the morning, an hour before his alarm was supposed to wake him, Mark's rest was broken by sharp, lancing pain shooting from his shoulder into his chest. As he had gotten into the habit of doing, he had made sure to remove his prosthetic from its socket, which he was happy about today as it would have been left twitching uncontrollably if it were attached and would have made all kinds of noise with its mechanical spasms. As it was, outside of a sharp whimper as he woke, he managed to keep from making much noise by clenching his jaw and curling around his core.   I will get through it,   he promised himself, and forced himself to believe it until the pain did fade to a dull pulsing throb. By that point, there was no chance to go back to sleep before the alarm went off.

With a trembling hand he silenced the alarm, then forced himself out of bed as a sheer act of will. Sending out Tattersail to help him, he picked out clothes for the day, packed his arm in his bag, and staggered into the pokemon center kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. When he met up with Less, Mark would be one-armed, more pale than usual, and glance at him with bloodshot eyes... but he still attempted a tired grin and mumbled,  "Hey there old man. How's it going for you?" 
essCee
 "Seeya, Mark!"  Pinklady waves her companion good-night. After he's away, she visibly remembers something, and refers to Mina.  "Oh! I think asking Less about our Berry wants could prove..."  - a giggle -  "Fruitful! Him being native to here AND a teacher means he probably knows that sort of thing." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  When he met up with Less, Mark would be one-armed, more pale than usual, and glance at him with bloodshot eyes... but he still attempted a tired grin and mumbled,  "Hey there old man. How's it going for you?"  
 

Less looked over at the young man, trying to keep the concern from his eyes.  "Mmm. I've been worse."  Less grunted noncommittally, while preparing a cup of coffee and handing it to the young man. Frankly the young man looked hungover, though Less didn't smell any alcohol on him. Less quickly dismissed the thought. The lad was young enough he probably wouldn't feel much in the way of ill effects even if he had been drinking. Far more likely that something else was bothering him.

 "I take it sleep did not come easily last night?"  Less asked. He continued preparing food for everyone as he spoke. Toast, mostly, so that they could eat while moving.
WindStruck
Flotsam wakes and rubs at her eyes, which inadvertently smears a bit more mud on her face. And she scratches at the bug bites a bit, which were a slightly annoying but ultimately didn't bother her too much if she ignored them.

Wow, she was absolutely filthy. And she didn't have a care in the world, regardless. Stretching and yawning, she bids good morning to each of her Pokémon and asks how they feel, and if they are too dry or not. They could probably spray each other with their water gun abilities if they really wanted to, but it was probably best if they simply found some body of water.

The girl's stomach rumbled, but she didn't think she'd be welcome dragging a bunch of mud into the Pokémon center. Hm, well. Perhaps they could wander through the wilds a bit further south and see what they could find. Some food? A river or pond? Trouble!?
Gnomes2169
Mark took the coffee that was offered and muttered,  "Thank you."  He didn't really have time to sit down and enjoy it, but he could at least add a little bit of cream and sugar before they went- Oh. Less had asked him a question. Stirring in the additives on the countertop, he explained,  "My arm hurts."  With a small whirring of motors from the empty socket, he left it at that and sipped at his drink. Oh coffee, sweet nectar of the gods, revive him...
Lord Ruby34
Less glanced down where Mark's arm should be.  "Ah."  Nothing for it then. Still, based on the previous night the young man seemed to be the leader of his little group. If Less wanted to earn his trust, he likely needed to bring him into his plan.  "Pinklady and I captured a pair of Bandra goons yesterday. Would you like to come with me when I interrogate them?" 
Gnomes2169
Mark considered the offer for a bit, sipping at his coffee to give himself a bit more time to think, before finally saying,  "I don't have an appointment, so I'm not sure I would be allowed into... wherever they are. If I am, then, sure. I didn't have anything planned for the morning, so that works for me."  He wasn't sure exactly how useful information from the grunts would be, but hey, talking never hurt, right?
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded in response.  They might not know anything, but any information is better than no information."  Less futzed with the food for a bit before his face twisted in an expression of remembrance.  "Ah, I was also told there were some Pokedex applications you might be able to share with me. Something about being able to tell when a Pokeball has been stolen?" 

Before Mark had a chance to answer, Less looked back out into the lobby.  "Akio, did you want some coffee and toast?" 
Gnomes2169
It took a while for Mark to process what Less meant, but when he remembered the ap that Wain had given him he said,  "Oh, right! The scraped ball one."  This isn't what the app was called  at all,  but Mark knew what the older man was talking about. His motors whirred a bit as he tried to reach into his bag with the arm he didn't have, making him squint at his own fuzzy-headed stupidity, then he set down his coffee and went one-handed fishing for his pokedex. With a link cable, he could just transfer this right on over to Less' device  and  get the older man's contact information.  "Oh. And we should probably exchange phone numbers, while we're here. You know... in case we need to find each other in the city."  A plausible excuse if anyone was listening in on them at this ungodly early hour.
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded, and slid his Pokedex across the counter to the young man while Less continued cooking.  "A fine idea."  Less privately hoped that he could figure out how to work the dang thing after it was installed. A fight for another day.
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

Checking in with the nurse, it seems it was just a bad dream - or at least, if the Shrine of Light  did  sink into the ocean (a feat in and of itself, given its location in the mountains) or get attacked by any Dragon Pokémon, skull-headed or otherwise, she doesn’t know about it.

----------------

Mark, Mina, Pinklady (night before):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Sleep well, Mina."  
 


Mina was dimly aware there were a few things she still needed to fill the group in on, but she was also aware that she was tired, everyone else was tired, and potentially half the people she needed to tell had already gone to bed. It could probably wait, as long as she brought it up before their next mission.

So she replied with: “ You too Mark! ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh! I think asking Less about our Berry wants could prove...Fruitful! Him being native to here AND a teacher means he probably knows that sort of thing."  
 


Mina’s mouth twitched in amusement at the joke. “ I will do that. Tomorrow though! Good night Pinklady! ”

And with that Mina went to bed for the night too. ((essCee I’m assuming Pinklady is going to sleep around this time too, but if you’ve got anything last-minute for her before bed let me know.))

----------------

Pinklady (morning):

As you are also not one of the people making their way to Skybreak, you are able to sleep in until the nice, sane hour of 7 AM.

----------------

Mina (morning):

Mina actually set her alarm a little earlier than necessary so she could squeeze in another Teleport-and-watering spree, since she wasn’t going to be able to tend the Berries while she was in Skybreak.

((Wild Plots:
+3 Ebet Berries (8 total)
+3 Qualot Berries (5 - 2 eaten by wild Pokémon) (5 total)
Occa growing taller
Shuca growing taller

Planters:
Petaya still in bloom
Grepa sprouted
Salac not sprouted yet
Liechi not sprouted yet
+3 Ekon Berries (4 total)
Nilla growing taller))

The Ebet plant had been nibbled on by something, and some of the Qualot Berries had been eaten right off the plant, but there wasn’t much Mina could do about it right now.

She replaced the Ebet and Qualot plants with Sitrus. Their growth time was long enough they weren’t going to bear fruit (and probably get eaten too) while she was in town today, they were useful, and if something happened that she couldn’t get to them before the Pokémon did when they bore fruit tomorrow she had more.

One of the new Qualot went into the newly-harvested Planter, so she could keep a better eye on it this time.

((Sitrus planted in Wild Plots #3 and #4, Day 27 5 AM
Qualot planted in Planter, Day 27 5 AM

All watered.))

She reappeared in the Pokémon Center lobby afterwards with her Natu on her shoulder, and wandered into the kitchen while Mark was getting Less set up with the Pokéball Scrape-Checker App. She dug a cup out of one of the cupboards and started to make herself some tea.

----------------

Flotsam:

Your Pokémon are all hungry, as far as you can tell. The Luxio in particular is complaining loudly in Pokéspeak as you travel south, though as the land is no longer slick with rain and most of your Pokémon don’t have feet the rest of them are getting visibly more miserable as you travel, and the ones with the temperaments to do so start complaining as well as the hours pass.

You do not, however, find much in the way of water beyond a few lingering puddles from yesterday’s rain, this area being grassland with only scattered trees and boulders that gradually rises into mountains to the west. As with the rest of the region it’s also rather barren of both fruit and Pokémon; you only find a single piece of fruit in the first two hours despite your best efforts. Around 9:30 AM you technically find a little more, but it’s being munched on by a small herd of four little antelope-like Pokémon – Helnith-native Twiggin.

 
 Spoiler: Twiggin 

 
 


They stamp their feet and shake their horns at you when you approach, warning you away.

----------------

Mark, Less, Mina, Akio:

After a moment Less’ Pokédex displays the message:

 Pokéball Scrape-Checker Protocol Download Complete! 

Mina peers over. “ Oh, good idea. Here, you should have my number too. ” ((Unless Less objects I’m adding Mina to his phonebook and vice-versa.))
Gnomes2169
Mark had zoned out, not even noticing that Mina arrived as he became entirely entranced by the progress bar on the download screen between the 'dexes. When she walks up behind him and talks, therefore, he physically left the ground with a startled yelp and then turned around, breathing a bit hard.  "Oh! Mina! Arceus, you scared me. Whoo. I didn't hear you come in."  Letting out one long breath, he settles a bit and says,  "Uhhh... good morning. Things going well before the crack of dawn on your end?" 
Lord Ruby34
 Scrape Checker. Hmm.  Less spent a brief moment ideally wondering what stealing a Pokeball had to do with scraping something before deciding he wasn't going to figure it out without the internet. With a few last motions, Less finished up cooking the very simple breakfast he had prepared for everyone and their Pokemon.

Less went around the room, making sure everyone had a quick bite to eat and swapping numbers with Mina. His contact list hadn't had this many new additions in such a short period of time since the first time he got a contacts list. He still remembered the days when he had to commit each number to memory. This was undoubtedly easier. Buck trailed behind, making eyes at anyone who didn't immediately start eating their toast.

After everyone had a moment to wolf down their food, or use Buck as a handy excuse for a garbage disposal, Less addressed the room.  "I have Pokechow prepared, but we should expect at least some wait once we arrive in the city. Is everyone ready to depart?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Less, Mina, Akio:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Uhhh... good morning. Things going well before the crack of dawn on your end?"  
 

“ Something’s eating the Berries I planted out in the wild. Other than that yes. And you? ” Mina had noticed he was minus his mechanical arm this morning, but also knew from previous association it was prone to acting up, so she didn't comment.

Mina took some toast from Less with thanks once their numbers were in each other’s Pokédex. Natu squawked indignantly when she made to give the last of her crust to the begging Arcanine, so she split it in half and gave a piece to each Pokémon.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I have Pokechow prepared, but we should expect at least some wait once we arrive in the city. Is everyone ready to depart?"  
 

“ I’m ready. Are we Teleporting or going the slow way? ”
Gnomes2169
He looked at her with his bleary eyes at the question, blinked, and had to struggle not to lift an eyebrow. Well, if Mina was going to be polite and not notice how terribly he was doing, Mark wasn't going to bring it up.  "Nothing I can't get through."  At least, nothing he couldn't force his way through... without painkillers, since those made him extremely loopy and he wanted to be useful today.

Refilling his coffee and taking his backpack back from Tattersail, Mark said,  "Ready to go whenever you all are." 
gorman
I'll pull out my phone and text message Ranger Wain about weird dreams, skull headed pokemon dragons, what it could mean, and explain the dream in great detail before looking around more confused than usual.
Lord Ruby34
 "Let's teleport."  Less sighed. If he was going to do this, it was time, no matter how uncomfortable it made him. The process probably didn't involve killing him and putting a new Less back together.

Probably.
Feathersnow
Akio finishes his tea and toast before going to the teleporter.  "One life, one meeting!  They say teleportation kills you to be reborn again in a new place.  But, really, that's all travel."
WindStruck
Flotsom sighs as the morning hours drag on. It was growing warmer, and hotter, and drier. She didn't mind this weather either, as it was also perfect for the way she was dressed.. but her poor Pokémon!

 "Well, I guess that's it, everyone..  No water, no rain. No food! Ugh. We should head back north, to that Pokémon center. But in the mean time-" 

As she's talking they stumble upon more fruit! But it's being eaten by Twiggin. Well, Flotsam didn't want to start a fight unnecessarily.

 "Whoa! It's okay,"  Flotsam said. Funnily enough, she may have looked a bit like a Pokémon herself, until she started talking. Backing up a bit, she addresses her Pokémon  "Probably not worth fighting over that. Anyway, I was going to say, I guess I should keep you in your Pokéballs for now. I can see you're miserable.." 

She sighs as Rascal protests.  "You too, Rascal. I don't want you to get sick. But I'll call you out at the first sign of trouble, okay?" 

Backing away from the Twiggin some more to give them distance, that just left Flotsam and the Luxio. She sat down on the grass, then laid down and sprawled out to rest, with a deep sigh. Not a sad sigh, not quite a contented sigh either, but a little weary. She tilted her head to the side and looked at the Luxio.  "Welp. These are the ups and downs of traveling with me..." 

She closes her eyes, her muddied up skin soaking the sunlight. Flotsam was a really thin girl, and now it was very understandable why. Traveling alone, with little to nothing, subsiding off of the freebies what was left of civilization in this war-torn region had to offer. It was rather amazing that Pokémon centers were still even able to offer free food. She was very used to being hungry, to say the least.

She says,  "I'll be honest. It's not the first time I've befriended other Pokémon.. I just really didn't expect for you to stick with me this far. I.. I was kind of hoping you wouldn't..." 
 "Not that I have anything against you and all. I'm really glad you stayed to help with the Murkrows. I'm just sorry if we don't feel the same about each other."  She opened her eyes to look at the electrical cat.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I don't mind making new friends, although...

I did want Flotsam to remain a "water specialist", if that wasn't clear by now.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Less, Akio, Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Nothing I can't get through."  
 

Mina impulsively hugged Mark. “ If you need a rest or something, just say so. ” Mina wasn’t sure what the space availability was at the Skybreak City Pokémon Center, but it was probably better during the day than overnight. And she was sure there would be other odd jobs, if he was worried about money.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Let's teleport."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "One life, one meeting!  They say teleportation kills you to be reborn again in a new place.  But, really, that's all travel." 
 

Mina hadn’t actually heard that before - one of the perils of growing up in an itty bitty town and not going out on a Pokémon journey ‘on time’ at age ten, she supposed - but the way the man in armor had put it was…very poetic. Positively uplifting, even!

Which was good, because now that she  had  heard it, it helped squash the irrational spurt of paranoia she felt. She’d Teleported before, blast it, she knew very well it would be fine!

“ Okay. Natu can only manage two at a time right now, so Mark, I was thinking to have Natu bring Tattersail on the first round so she knows where to go, then the Pokémon can come back and grab the rest of you. ”

(Skybreak entrance: )

For those of you who had not Teleported before, the experience felt a little like missing a step going down stairs, but at the same time everything around you changed - walls became grassland, the air conditioned atmosphere of the Pokemon Center swapped out for the smells of grass and dirt. Massive buildings - presumably Skybreak City - rise into the air nearby, and it really does look like the whole place is a giant fracture in the dome that is the sky.

You appear not far from the entrance: there are guards stationed and security checkpoints set up, rather like an airport, but as it isn’t 6 AM yet they aren’t letting anyone through.

Even now there are a tiny handful of people in line or on their way from Trainer Hill to join it: refugees, insomniacs, or other people both travel-savvy and willing to get up early to skip the worst of the line.

((You’ve got about a half-an-hour to chat in line, or I can skip ahead to 6 AM if you lot prefer. Or we can be in two places at once, and do both. What is everyone’s preference?))

----------------

Matt:

The Ranger texts you back in short order; even with the limits of the medium you can tell he’s confused.

  Ranger Wain sent you a message! 
Weird dreams? I’m not a psychic or an oneirologist, I’m not sure why you’re asking me. Do you have any Psychic Pokémon? Do visions run in your family? 

----------------

Flotsam:

The Twiggin don’t follow and go back to their meal, though if Flotsam watches for any length of time she can see that they’re still keeping a wary eye on her for as long as she’s in their sight.


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "I'll be honest. It's not the first time I've befriended other Pokémon.. I just really didn't expect for you to stick with me this far. I.. I was kind of hoping you wouldn't..." 
 "Not that I have anything against you and all. I'm really glad you stayed to help with the Murkrows. I'm just sorry if we don't feel the same about each other."  
 

The Luxio’s fur gives off a few irritated sparks and she trots away, growling under her breath. She disappears into the grass in short order.

On your way back to town, a huge shadow blocks out the sun briefly. You hear a screech a split second before a pair of massive Fearow dive at you.

Fearow A: 88/88
Fearow B: 88/88
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 A "One life, one meeting!  They say teleportation kills you to be reborn again in a new place.  But, really, that's all travel." 
 

Less had to credit that as a practical, optimistic philosophy. It didn't manage to bring him any comfort though, as he felt the ground lurch beneath him. The experience was sickening, one place, then another. Less was grateful to his cane as more than a memento, as he leaned on it while the world came back into focus. Without the sturdy piece of oak he would have fallen. As it was, he had to take several deep breaths to keep from vomiting.

That . . . would be difficult to get used to.

After a moment to gather his composure, Less let out a deep breath, and began passing out the Pokechow he had prepared along with the toast. Buck, of course, insisted on the first portion. After that, Less was able to pass out the rest to the group of trainers so they could feed their own Pokemon.

As the group waited in line, Less took the opportunity to venture a question.  "How long has your group known each other?"  Less asked, looking at Mark and Mina. Buck turned to listen as well, and Less absentmindedly started scratching behind the large Pokemon's ears while the group chatted.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

My preference would be a split timeline.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina impulsively hugged Mark. “ If you need a rest or something, just say so. ” Mina wasn’t sure what the space availability was at the Skybreak City Pokémon Center, but it was probably better during the day than overnight. And she was sure there would be other odd jobs, if he was worried about money. 
 

There was clear shock on his face at the hug, but he had  just  enough presence of mind to not instinctively loop his arm around her because... well, he was  still  holding a cup of fresh and hot coffee. A bit awkward, he did still tap the mug on her shoulder carefully to try and return the embrace safely, and he said,  "Yeah, I'll make sure." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: Shrinking for Space 
Mina hadn’t actually heard that before - one of the perils of growing up in an itty bitty town and not going out on a Pokémon journey ‘on time’ at age ten, she supposed - but the way the man in armor had put it was…very poetic. Positively uplifting, even!

Which was good, because now that she  had  heard it, it helped squash the irrational spurt of paranoia she felt. She’d Teleported before, blast it, she knew very well it would be fine!

“ Okay. Natu can only manage two at a time right now, so Mark, I was thinking to have Natu bring Tattersail on the first round so she knows where to go, then the Pokémon can come back and grab the rest of you. ”
 
 
 

For his part, Mark hadn't ever been afraid of teleporting. Honestly, much like a roller coaster, he'd always viewed it with a bit of thrill. A short thrill, sure, but that momentary sense of weightlessness around him still managed to wake him up a bit more.  "That's what I was thinking."  He said when Mina made her suggestion.  "'Sail could probably just take the whole group at once, so that should make travel a bit quicker. By the way... is Natu's wing almost healed? Being able to evolve her could be really helpful... in the future."  The very near future.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 You appear not far from the entrance: there are guards stationed and security checkpoints set up, rather like an airport, but as it isn’t 6 AM yet they aren’t letting anyone through.

Even now there are a tiny handful of people in line or on their way from Trainer Hill to join it: refugees, insomniacs, or other people both travel-savvy and willing to get up early to skip the worst of the line.

((You’ve got about a half-an-hour to chat in line, or I can skip ahead to 6 AM if you lot prefer. Or we can be in two places at once, and do both. What is everyone’s preference?)) 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 As the group waited in line, Less took the opportunity to venture a question.  "How long has your group known each other?"  Less asked, looking at Mark and Mina. Buck turned to listen as well, and Less absentmindedly started scratching behind the large Pokemon's ears while the group chatted. 
 

Having an easier time of the teleportation, he'd done it  repeatedly  in the last day alone, after all, so he was pretty well adjusted to the sensation, Mark continued sipping at his second cup of coffee and he glanced between Less and Mina.  "Well... honestly, it hasn't been too long. I came here looking for someone,"  who he now knew was super dead,  "and I met up with Mina... what? A little over two weeks ago? Three? Maaaaybe four?"  He asked, looking back at Tattersail for confirmation. He almost pulled out his phone to check the dates of their messages, but that would have required him to set down the sweet elixir of life that he was sipping on, and they hadn't exchanged numbers the first few days they had known each other.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I'll vote for a split timeline, too.
 
gorman
*sighs and messages back*  "I simply figured that you're the man with connections to others fighting for what's right around the area and thought you might have heard of something if the Shrine was attacked or if Bandra's leader was on the move is all. Sorry." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center (Mark, Less, Akio, Mina):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "By the way... is Natu's wing almost healed? Being able to evolve her could be really helpful... in the future."  
 

“ The nurse gave him a clean bill of health, yes. ” Mina scritched the bird in question, who smooshed his tiny body up against her hand in response. “ I’m going to try and find a Silk Scarf for him so he can have Graceful Dance when he evolves. ”

((And it occurred to me I hadn’t actually put the explanation for what the Non-Typical Abilities  do  on the tab for same, so that has been updated.))

----------------

Skybreak (waiting in line - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina):

The Pokémon that were out of their balls ate quickly and nervously.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; We aren’t staying here for very long, are we? &gt; Tattersail asked privately.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "How long has your group known each other?"  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well... honestly, it hasn't been too long. I came here looking for someone, and I met up with Mina... what? A little over two weeks ago? Three? Maaaaybe four?"  
 

Mina thought back. “ Closer to three. It couldn’t have been four. ” Mina herself hadn’t been here that long, and while she was pretty sure Dove and Fate were still running around the northeastern part of the region, most of the group from that time had vanished, died, or otherwise dropped out, and Mark was  relatively  new…and still the second-longest lasting member of the group from her perspective.

Wow that was depressing.

----------------

Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina):

Security is reasonably brisk (and Mina is able to note, less miserable than they were the day previous) and don’t find anything suspicious on the group, so they are allowed to pass through with little fanfare.

((Skybreak City points of interest:

Pokémon Center
Department Store
Silph Co. Helnith Headquarters
Gym
Newspaper
Hall of Elders
University of Helnith
-University Library
-University Museum
-University Science Department
Police Station
Fire Department
Ranger Station
Human Hospital
Park with a playground
Gas Station))

“ I was going to run over to the Department Store and see if they have any more useful Berries. I can sign us all up for the chairs thing afterwards if you guys want. Did you need me for anything else before that? ”

----------------


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "I simply figured that you're the man with connections to others fighting for what's right around the area and thought you might have heard of something if the Shrine was attacked or if Bandra's leader was on the move is all. Sorry."  
 

  Ranger Wain sent you a message! 
I haven’t heard of anything about the Shrine being attacked. I’ll let you know if that changes. 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Closer to three. It couldn’t have been four. ” 
 

Three weeks and some change. That sparked a memory.  "Did you come through Siltis Villiage?"  Less asked the two young trainers.

----------------
Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina):

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I was going to run over to the Department Store and see if they have any more useful Berries. I can sign us all up for the chairs thing afterwards if you guys want. Did you need me for anything else before that? ” 
 

Less shook his head.  "Not unless you would care to join us at the ranger station."  The older man turned to the young samurai.  "Akio, what are your plans for the morning?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ The nurse gave him a clean bill of health, yes. ” Mina scritched the bird in question, who smooshed his tiny body up against her hand in response. “ I’m going to try and find a Silk Scarf for him so he can have Graceful Dance when he evolves. ” 
 

((Still in the center))

Mark had no idea what that ability would do... he would have to look it up on his pokedex later. That said, he tells her,  "I'll be sure to keep my eye out for one."  And then Tattersail teleported him (and everyone else) to the line.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; We aren’t staying here for very long, are we? &gt; Tattersail asked privately.
 


Mina thought back. “ Closer to three. It couldn’t have been four. ” Mina herself hadn’t been here that long, and while she was pretty sure Dove and Fate were still running around the northeastern part of the region, most of the group from that time had vanished, died, or otherwise dropped out, and Mark was  relatively  new…and still the second-longest lasting member of the group from her perspective.

Wow that was depressing. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Three weeks and some change. That sparked a memory.  "Did you come through Siltis Villiage?"  Less asked the two young trainers. 
 

((In Line))

 
 Spoiler: Talking to Tattersail 
That wasn't a good sign. &lt; We were planning to spend a few hours here at least. Why are all of you so riled up? &gt;
 


The glance he was giving to his psychic type was growing ever more concerned, so he would be a bit distracted when he said,  "Yeah. About three weeks... and is that in the north? I arrived on the north coast, though I arrived... pretty much alone."  What with everything that had happened, even things that occurred less than a month ago were a bit blurry. It's one of the reasons why he keeps that art journal.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina):

Security is reasonably brisk (and Mina is able to note, less miserable than they were the day previous) and don’t find anything suspicious on the group, so they are allowed to pass through with little fanfare.

“ I was going to run over to the Department Store and see if they have any more useful Berries. I can sign us all up for the chairs thing afterwards if you guys want. Did you need me for anything else before that? ” 
 

((Inside Skybreak, around 6am))

By this time looking a bit less haggard, though still clearly not at 100%, Mark shook his head at Mina's question, responding,  "I'll be good, thank you. See you soon, Mina!"  And with that, he waited for Less to lead the way to the Ranger's station... or wherever the grunts were being held again.
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak (in line - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Did you come through Siltis Villiage?"  
 

Puzzled, Mina replied, “ I did, yes. ” Mina wondered if she should be suspicious, but then, there were a finite number of coastal towns she  could  have come through that weren’t Bandra controlled.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; Something doesn’t want us here. I can’t tell what. &gt;
 


----------------

Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina):

“ Okay, then I’ll take off and meet you lot at the park around 10 AM. Later guys! ” Mina waved goodbye and took off for the Department Store. If she was quick she might even be able to squeeze in some more research at the library, now that she had a name to cross-reference…
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Yeah. About three weeks... and is that in the north? I arrived on the north coast, though I arrived... pretty much alone."   
 

 
"It's in the northeast corner of the region. Aitel Island is the only place further north than Siltis."  Less said. The young man seemed reluctant to talk about it, and Less was reluctant to push. If he had been in the group that Aquai had organized it would have been obvious.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 :

“ I did, yes. ” 
 

 "A group of young trainers came through about a month ago, as I recall."  Less himself hadn't talked to any of the young trainers at that time. He and Aquai had fought over the idea, and with the news of his daughter's disappearance so fresh he hadn't been in a state fit to interact with anyone. If Mark hadn't been part of that group, and Pinklady hadn't come through at the time, then Less thought it was unlikely that Mina was a part of it either.

 "Were you part of that group?" 

----------------

Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina)

Less shot a quick text message to Viola, who had proven to already be awake this morning, seeking clarification about whether the Bandra goons were at the Police Station or the Ranger Station, before heading to the right area.

 "I was hoping,"  Less said to the young man walking with him,  "to talk to each of the two individually, and perhaps play them off of each other. There's some information about a specific Bandra officer I'm hoping to find, but if they don't have it then I'm hoping that they might know the location of a nearby base where that information might be kept."  After a moment, Less added,  "or anything else useful, I suppose." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC Question 

Is Skybreak the nearest (non-bandra controlled) city to Siltis that has a human hospital?

Also, do you mind if I give Less some knowledge of what brought the group together? I figure that Siltis is a small enough place that everything gets around quickly, and Less would have likely opposed the idea of sending out letters to young trainers to begin with.
 
WindStruck
Flotsam felt  really bad  about hurting that Luxio's feelings. Maybe she should have just.. said nothing? But then again, it seemed like it would have been difficult to take care of her too. She probably would have had to put her in a pokeball too? Either way Flotasm still felt a bit sad as she wandered back north, wondering if she should have simply done things differently. She was just a dumb, silly kid living an incredibly simple life..

Then suddenly, a shadow, and a screech!  Two fearows were divebombing down at her!

Flotsam gasped and tried to leap to the side, out of the way, and she rolled further along the ground trying to dodge the attacks.

 "Leave me alone! I am not food!"  she says.

She reaches for her pokeballs.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; Something doesn’t want us here. I can’t tell what. &gt;
 
 
 

((In line))

... Oh that wasn't good. Mark detached from the conversation between the other trainers as he gave his psychic type his undivided attention.

 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Can you tell if it's just a pokemon thing, or if it's a general 'no one should be here' kinda thing?  &gt;
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 [COLOR="#0000CD"]Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio, Mina)

Less shot a quick text message to Viola, who had proven to already be awake this morning, seeking clarification about whether the Bandra goons were at the Police Station or the Ranger Station, before heading to the right area.

 "I was hoping,"  Less said to the young man walking with him,  "to talk to each of the two individually, and perhaps play them off of each other. There's some information about a specific Bandra officer I'm hoping to find, but if they don't have it then I'm hoping that they might know the location of a nearby base where that information might be kept."  After a moment, Less added,  "or anything else useful, I suppose."  
 

((In Skybreak, 6 am))

Mark nodded along with what Less was saying.  "Well, I don't have anything that I wanted to ask some random grunts off the top of my head, but I'll still listen in and give you the back-up that I can. Anything I should know about what you wanted to know before we get into it?"  It would be easier to interrogate the goons if he knew what they were looking for.
gorman
I guess I can head over to trainer hill to do... training...stuff.
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam:

((Waiting on your Pokémon selection.))

----------------

Skybreak (in line):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Were you part of that group?"  
 

Getting suspicious now, Mina nodded.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Can you tell if it's just a pokemon thing, or if it's a general 'no one should be here' kinda thing?  &gt;
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; None of you humans have noticed, &gt; she pointed out. &lt; Hmm? &gt;

From his perch on his trainer, Mina’s Natu had perked up. He didn’t say anything out loud, but he gave Tattersail the intense stare his species was known for, and there was bit of a pause before Tattersail spoke again.

&lt; Oh. The bird says it was like this yesterday, and the Pokémon already here have been noticing it too. &gt;
 


----------------

Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio)

Viola responds back that your captured goons are at the police station. It being relatively early most of the lineup outside hasn't made it into the city yet, nor have the people who stayed overnight trickled out in any great numbers, so the streets of Skybreak are fairly empty except of police patrols - these being accompanied by trainers without uniforms, and a more eclectic collection of Pokémon than would usually be associated with the police. The Pokémon all seem on edge, but no one actually  stops  you, and you make it to the police station in short order.

----------------

Matt:

You head over to Trainer Hill, arriving around noon.

 
 Spoiler: Challenge Reminder 

 Normal  – one on one battle with three Pokémon each.
 Roulette  – same as Normal battle, except the battlefield will be affected by random weather, Trick Room, or other environmental effects.
 Double  – battle with a partner.

 
  Participants are allowed three Pokémon, which must be selected at the beginning of the challenge. 
  All Pokémon selected must be within five levels of each other. 
  Held items are fine, but the trainer can’t use any items on the Pokémon during the challenge (no Potions etc.) 
 
 Pokémon are not automatically healed after each fight.  Participants can choose to have their Pokémon healed between matches, but this will incur a 1-round penalty.

BP rewards for each battle type are as follows:

Normal:
 Lose   |   Win Match 1:   0     |     0
Match 2:   0     |     0
Match 3:   0     |     1
Match 4:   1     |     2

Roulette or Double:
 Lose   |   Win Match 1:   0     |     0
Match 2:   0     |     1
Match 3:   1     |     2
Match 4:   2     |     3


Trainer Hill will also award bonus points for fast completion:
+3 points for winning all four matches in 5 rounds or less
+2 points for 5-8 rounds
+1 for 8-10 rounds.

Additionally, management will occasionally award additional points for trainers who pull off something impressive, at their discretion.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; None of you humans have noticed, &gt; she pointed out. &lt; Hmm? &gt;

From his perch on his trainer, Mina’s Natu had perked up. He didn’t say anything out loud, but he gave Tattersail the intense stare his species was known for, and there was bit of a pause before Tattersail spoke again.

&lt; Oh. The bird says it was like this yesterday, and the Pokémon already here have been noticing it too. &gt;
 
 
 

((In line))

 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Well, humans don't normally have magic mind powers or connection to elemental forces and stuff, so... just because we aren't feeling anything doesn't mean there isn't something to feel. We're kinda dumb about these things.  &gt; He thought about the conversation between Tattersail and natu for a second, then asked, &lt;  Actually. Question. It is possible for us to share more that just conversational thoughts? For example, when you're chatting with other pokemon, could I listen to both sides? And could I feel what you guys are feeling?  &gt;
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Skybreak (6 AM - Mark, Less, Akio)

Viola responds back that your captured goons are at the police station. It being relatively early most of the lineup outside hasn't made it into the city yet, nor have the people who stayed overnight trickled out in any great numbers, so the streets of Skybreak are fairly empty except of police patrols - these being accompanied by trainers without uniforms, and a more eclectic collection of Pokémon than would usually be associated with the police. The Pokémon all seem on edge, but no one actually  stops  you, and you make it to the police station in short order. 
 

((Skybreak, 6am))

This was the first time Mark had been in a police station, so he looked around curiously at everything and everyone. Were there officer Jennys here too? He'd seen pretty diverse groups of people out on the streets, so maybe the Jenny police family hadn't extended all the way out here...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yes I will make jokes about the anime as if they are canon. You cannot stop me. I'll get Mark a trusty frying pan that can turn into a handy drying pan, too! 😛
 
Lord Ruby34
 In Line 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Getting suspicious now, Mina nodded. 
 

 "Ah."  Less had almost convinced himself that the young woman couldn't have been part of Aquai's group. Her companions weren't. Less felt his stomach turn, though he tried to fight the nausea down. Just because Mina wasn't with the others, that didn't mean they were dead. It didn't have to. A voice echoed in the back of his head.  You should have warned them. You should have stopped Aquai. You should have scared them away. 

Less had to know.  "I don't mean to pry,"  Less started. It wasn't a question that he wanted to ask. He had to know. " But I remember that when your group came through Siltis there were more of you. Are they . . ."  Less knew he was fumbling the words.  "safe, somewhere else? I had meant to talk to your group when you arrived."  Less finished, his voice trailing off. He had meant to talk to them. But he had just gotten the new that Emilia had disappeared. He hadn't left his house. He tramped down the familiar rising fear that he was too late to help his daughter, too.

 Useless. 

----------------

 In Skybreak 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark nodded along with what Less was saying.  "Well, I don't have anything that I wanted to ask some random grunts off the top of my head, but I'll still listen in and give you the back-up that I can. Anything I should know about what you wanted to know before we get into it?"  It would be easier to interrogate the goons if he knew what they were looking for. 
 

While walking to the police station, Less's mind was racing. Was it time to trust the young man fully? If he was going to find Emilia then Less would need to find help. Anything that could force her into hiding was more than he could handle on his own. Less knew that logically. At the same time, it was his responsibility to find her. To save his daughter if he could. It felt  wrong  to confess his problems, to ask for help. He had already failed so many young trainers by failing to properly prepare them for the horrors of the region. To say his mood was black would be an understatement. No. This was his problem. He needed to solve this alone, after all. He wouldn't -- before Less could finish the thought, Buck headbutted him in the side with enough force to send Less stumbling half a step.

The large canine Pokemon was looking at him. Buck's big brown eyes conveyed more than words could. He wasn't alone. Less took a moment to nod to the Arcanine before answering Mark's question. Emilia's safety was more important than his pride, or his fears.  "My daughter, Emilia, is missing. The last news I heard from her was that she was in the south, being chased by a Bandra Officer named Ray. I need to know anything that might help me find her."  Less paused . "These two might specfically be involved in forcibly shadowing Pokemon."  There. That was as much detail as Less could manage at the moment. Less was internally forced to admit that it was far more likely that these two would have more knowledge about the second problem than the first, though this was exactly the kind of situation that Emilia would have looked to intervene in.

Less was immediately was thankful that any more questions would be made inconvenient by their arrival at the police station. Less entered without waiting, and approached the front desk.  "Hello. I was one of a pair of trainers who captured some Bandra grunts the other day. My companion and I were hoping to speak with them." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  In Skybreak 
 "My daughter, Emilia, is missing. The last news I heard from her was that she was in the south, being chased by a Bandra Officer named Ray. I need to know anything that might help me find her."  Less paused . "These two might specfically be involved in forcibly shadowing Pokemon." 

Less was immediately was thankful that any more questions would be made inconvenient by their arrival at the police station. Less entered without waiting, and approached the front desk.  "Hello. I was one of a pair of trainers who captured some Bandra grunts the other day. My companion and I were hoping to speak with them."  
 

((Skybreak, Mark and Less, a bit after 6am))

Oh. Another person looking for a loved one in this country. That was... well, Mark rubbed at his face a bit and he sighed. Yeah, he was going to help this older man as much as he could. He'd failed to find Zelg in time, a fact that was going to hang over his head for a long, long time, so if he could somehow help Less find his daughter, especially if he could bring her back alive, then Mark was going to do that without any question.

Before he could say this, though, they'd arrived and Less was talking to the receptionist, so the young trainer held back and just let the older man talk.
WindStruck
Reaching for her pokéballs, Flotsam brings out Rascal, Gypsy, and Hilda.

(I think three is fair).

 "We - er, I'm under attack! Look out!" 
Feathersnow
Akio decides to go to the Library and learn more about history and local politics.   It is clear there is much he does not understand.
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak (in line):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Actually. Question. It is possible for us to share more that just conversational thoughts? For example, when you're chatting with other pokemon, could I listen to both sides? And could I feel what you guys are feeling?  &gt;
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; I can pass it on to you, yes. &gt; You can clearly feel the pity she’s projecting for your pitifully lacking human senses. Also a stab of jealously – which you can tell is being passed on from Natu – that  his  human can’t hear him yet.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less had to know.  "I don't mean to pry,"  Less started. It wasn't a question that he wanted to ask. He had to know. " But I remember that when your group came through Siltis there were more of you. Are they . . ."  Less knew he was fumbling the words.  "safe, somewhere else? I had meant to talk to your group when you arrived."  
 

Mina was feeling really cagey now. “ I don’t know. ” That wasn’t  completely  true; she was  reasonably  sure at this point that Misty was dead. But Draloed? Vanished some time around the Ternai attack. Max? Disappeared before they even fought Altros. Omega and that girl whose name she’d never gotten had made it to the Battle Festival, but must have taken off because they were both gone by the time Bandra attacked. Stacey had stuck around for longer than most, but Mina hadn’t heard back from her in some time either.

And that wasn’t even counting Lyra (passed out from heatstroke, never saw her again), Zelgius (dead), Christian (she was at least pretty sure he was still alive), Brona, Zack…quite a few people who had joined after the group had left Siltis.

She could only really comfort herself that most of them  might  have just come to their senses about the whole, ‘fight a war to save the region’ thing and either went home or found some place to hole up until it was over.

----------------

Police Station:

Mark doesn’t see many Jennies in the flesh, but near the entrance is a memorial wall and most of the photos there are of Jennies, with only a small proportion of the photos being non-Jennies.

Right next to them is a ‘Most Wanted’ poster (with a whopping 400,000 PD bounty!) for Bandra Officer Darrin, and the ‘wanted for’ section goes on for some length but includes the murder of Elite Four Tethys (and theft of all of his Pokémon) as well as the murder of multiple police departments.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

What makes you think they’re not? 😛 Though fair warning, that’s only true up through Diamond and Pearl, and in more of a broad strokes fashion, since it’s been ages since I watched the anime.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Hello. I was one of a pair of trainers who captured some Bandra grunts the other day. My companion and I were hoping to speak with them."  
 

The receptionist nods. “Ah, yes. The Ranger Union said to expect you. Sign in here please.”

A number of other forms follow, as well as a few short lectures on what you are and are not allowed to do and what to expect. You are warned you will be allowed no more than thirty minutes with each prisoner. You are also required to submit to a pat-down and leave your Pokémon and Pokéballs at the front desk while you are speaking with the prisoners.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

You do have the option of backing out if you don’t want to do those things.
 


----------------

Flotsam:

Your Pokémon come out ready to fight – and wait, and wait, and wait for some kind of instruction to act upon.

The Fearow have no such restraint, and just redirect their attacks to the new, more threatening targets.

Fearow A uses Leer!
Defense of all allied Pokémon falls!

Fearow B uses Fury Attack!
Rascal is hit for 15 damage!
Rascal is hit for 15 damage!
Hit 2 times!


Rascal: 46/76 (Defense down 1 level)
Gypsy: 59/59 (Defense down 1 level)
Hilda: 52/52 (Defense down 1 level)

Fearow A: 88/88
Fearow B: 88/88

----------------

Akio:

The library is sparsely populated at this hour – mostly by college students judging by the notebooks, university-branded clothes, and copious number of coffee cups they have nearby. Apparently there had been a power outage the day before, because a pair of students with larger-than-average stacks of books nearby are griping about it in library-appropriate voices as you pass.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

What do you want to look up first?
 
Lord Ruby34
 In line 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I don’t know. ” 
 

Less tried to convince himself that the phrase was good news. But by Mina's stiffness, he was afraid it meant that she found the memories too painful to share. That probably meant that the young trainers had been killed or captured.   "I'm sorry."  Less said.  "I told Aquai that asking your group here was a mistake, that he was going to get young trainers killed . . . I should have convinced him. I should have talked with you and your friends, convinced you to leave before anything had happened."  Less managed to get through the sentence without his voice breaking, but only just. There was more he needed to say, but he couldn't bring his mouth to open again, he couldn't manage to offer more apology than that, not without disgracing himself in front of people he had only just met.

Perhaps that was what he deserved.
----------------
 At the Police Station 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The receptionist nods. “Ah, yes. The Ranger Union said to expect you. Sign in here please.”

A number of other forms follow, as well as a few short lectures on what you are and are not allowed to do and what to expect. You are warned you will be allowed no more than thirty minutes with each prisoner. You are also required to submit to a pat-down and leave your Pokémon and Pokéballs at the front desk while you are speaking with the prisoners. 
 

Less had hoped to have Buck with him. The large-fire type's presence would have helped loosen lips. Still, if thirty minutes was all he could get, Less would take it. He submitted to the pat down, and left Buck to stand guard by the front desk while he went back, hoping to speak to the grunt first.
WindStruck
Flotsam points and yells,  "Hilda, clamp that one!" 

Pointing at the other, she says,  "Gypsy, bubble beam! And Rascal, Supersonic!" 

If possible, she'll bring out her last two pokemon.

 "It's a fight, King! Raindance!  Orion, watergun that one!"  She indicates the first one she wanted Hilda to clamp.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; I can pass it on to you, yes. &gt; You can clearly feel the pity she’s projecting for your pitifully lacking human senses. Also a stab of jealously – which you can tell is being passed on from Natu – that  his  human can’t hear him yet.
 
 
 

((Still in line))

Well  that  reply gets a massive eye roll, but he still doesn't say anything yet.

 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Oh har-dee-har, dumb and blind I might be, and you could certainly have picked a better trainer, but we're still bonded because you chose it, so you're stuck with me.  &gt; He says, the mental voice joking and good natured, if tinted with a bit of annoyance... though Tattersail would easily detect that annoyance was more from his general exhaustion and the dull pain in his side, rather than any actual anger at her. &lt;  But anyway, let me feel this... presence that wants us gone.  &gt; She might be wanting to protect him from the experience, but Mark was determined to feel just what was making every pokemon around so skittish, see if he could feel a direction or intent behind it.
 


Out loud, Mark suddenly jumped into the conversation that he'd stopped listening to for a while now and he asked,  "Hey Less, sorry to interrupt... but you're local, and even from around these parts. Do you know if there's something in Skybreak that unsettles pokemon? Some device or artifact that the city was built around...?"  Shouldn't hurt to ask.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Police Station:

Right next to them is a ‘Most Wanted’ poster (with a whopping 400,000 PD bounty!) for Bandra Officer Darrin, and the ‘wanted for’ section goes on for some length but includes the murder of Elite Four Tethys (and theft of all of his Pokémon) as well as the murder of multiple police departments.

The receptionist nods. “Ah, yes. The Ranger Union said to expect you. Sign in here please.”

A number of other forms follow, as well as a few short lectures on what you are and are not allowed to do and what to expect. You are warned you will be allowed no more than thirty minutes with each prisoner. You are also required to submit to a pat-down and leave your Pokémon and Pokéballs at the front desk while you are speaking with the prisoners. 
 

((Tidepath prison, morning))

...  Sweet Arceus  that was a huge bounty... which was proportional to the danger that this officer represented. Well that, and all the dead Jennies he was responsible for. Yeah, that was a man to avoid at all costs.

Mark left all of his items with Tattersail, though he took his arm back out and finally reconnected it to his body with a pained wince and a low groan. He would be sure to tell the officer that walked him through the procedure for this interrogation that he was psychically connected to the psychic type. He  also  mentioned that she was able to skim thoughts from people, just in case that would violate the law or something, though he was pretty sure she couldn't do it through him. If he's still let through, then he would walk beside Less into the room.  "So... dibs on bad cop? Or should we both be bad cops?"  He mumbled, the pain of connecting his arm awakening his frustration with Bandra and everything that they had taken from him.
Lord Ruby34
 In Line 

Less looked up, he hadn't been expecting an interruption, before he shook his head no. Buck, on the other hand, looked perturbed, and had barely touched his meal.

--------------

 Police Station 
 "Hmm?"  Mark's comment took Less by surprise again. Still,  "I see no reason to be particularly gentle with them, though I am willing to lie about possible rewards if that might motivate them."  Less said. No reason to stop the young man from helping however he wanted. Less hadn't done any interrogations for anything more serious than teenage drama in a long time. The young man might well know better than Less how to get these two to talk.
gorman
*walking into Trainer Hill to the desk where battle sign ups are*
  "Ah hello, I don't suppose I could put some work in? Battling that is. Training. Solo, just me, I don't want to be dragging anyone else down please and thank you." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak (in line):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'm sorry."  Less said.  "I told Aquai that asking your group here was a mistake, that he was going to get young trainers killed . . . I should have convinced him. I should have talked with you and your friends, convinced you to leave before anything had happened."  
 

“ It wouldn’t have made a difference. ”

Altros had first attacked them en route to Siltis, before Less would have had a chance to talk to them in person. And if a Bandra officer swooping out of the sky to kill them all hadn’t changed their minds, Mina doubted a well-meaning older gentleman politely telling them to leave would have done it either.

But aside from that, Misty, at bare minimum, probably would have taken the warning-off as  encouragement  and possibly gotten herself killed that much sooner.

Mina herself had privately figured after that first attack that if Bandra was willing to kill them just for  showing up  – no attempt at negotiation or trying to convince them to leave themselves –

- then they probably wouldn’t be willing to let them leave, period, and there was no sense in trying.

That alone had seemed like a good enough reason to fight them, although Mina hadn’t been in a very good position to do anything about it a month ago. She was in a better one now.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

You immediately get a feeling – like you’ve gone into someone’s house without permission and you’re not sure when they’ll be back. Or like a storm front is moving in. Over all it’s not  hostile  as such, just tense and stressful; a persistent feeling that you’re doing something you shouldn’t be and the consequences were going to come later, but they were going to be bad.
 


----------------

Police Station:

Mark is warned that anything his Gardevoir reads out of the suspects’ minds is not permissible in court without previous written permission from the suspects themselves (and ideally, their lawyer(s), although with the war in Helnith most of  those  have taken off). Furthermore, any tampering with of their minds will be considered destruction of evidence and prosecuted accordingly.

((Questioning the Grunt: ))

You’re both lead into a room that is divided into two halves, which are separated by a desk and a glass wall. There is a small opening over the desk itself – just tall enough to allow fingers through and wide enough for papers to exchange hands. You are also able to pick out a number of cameras in the ceiling, and a police officer on each side of the wall. Beyond that there are a couple of chairs on your side of the room.

On the other side, the Grunt is handcuffed to the desk. She looks sullen.

----------------

Flotsam:

Fearow A uses Leer!
Defense of all allied Pokémon falls!

Fearow B uses Aerial Ace!
Rascal is hit for 63 damage!
Rascal faints!

Orion uses Water Gun!
Fearow A is hit for 16 damage!

King uses Rain Dance!

A localized rainstorm begins to soak the area. As an added bonus, it’s washing most of the mud off!

Gypsy uses Bubblebeam!
Fearow B is hit for 33 damage!
Fearow B’s Speed falls!

Hilda uses Clamp!
Fearow A is hit for 12 damage!

Hilda latches on to the Fearow’s leg, holding on with surprising courage considering she’s usually hiding behind your ankles around strangers.

Fearow A was clamped by Hilda!
Fearow A takes 5 damage!


(Rain Dance in effect, 4 rounds remaining.)

 Rascal: 0/76 
Gypsy: 59/59 (Defense down 2 levels)
Hilda: 52/52 (Defense down 2 levels)
Orion: 57/57(Defense down 1 level)
King: 67/67 (Defense down 1 level)

Fearow A: 55/88
Fearow B: 55/88 (Speed down 1 level)

----------------

Akio:

After skimming a few books, you feel slightly more informed:

Helnith’s primary governing body is the Council of Elders. It has been in existence since at least the last war between Salerdia and Aidrelas, some 200 years ago. There is an Elder for each town, and each Elder usually holds the position for life or until they step down. Their official attire is a set of blue robes and a blue cloak. Each Elder speaks for their settlement in matters of law and justice, and their duties include arbitrating disputes within their towns (disputes between towns are handled by the entire Council if the Elders of those towns can’t work something out on their own). They can issue pardons for crimes committed within their territories. They are usually Pokémon trainers as some disputes within the Council are determined by Pokémon battle (and have been since ancient times), but it isn’t unusual for them to have a proxy battle for them instead, as battling isn’t their primary job. The Elder of Skybreak City is named Solan.

The information on Bandra is recent enough that most of it is in periodicals rather than history books. Bandra’s first appearance was about seven years ago, after a mysterious figure who eventually became known as Triple B (“Big Boss Bandra”) declared they would take complete control of the region. In the years that followed, Triple B attracted a number of powerful lieutenants and ousted, turned, and in some cases executed various Elders, Gym Leaders and other local authority figures, including at least two of the region's Elite Four (a third, Elite Four Emilia, has vanished, and the sole remaining Elite Four member Dream narrowly escaped execution a few weeks ago with the help of one of the "Heroes of Helnith"). The town of Greshil was completely depopulated, and (as far as you can tell from the newspapers) remains a ghost town to this day as a result. Bandra is also widely suspected to be responsible for the disappearance of the local Legendary Pokémon Salerdia (although a very recent newspaper on file reports that Salerdia has been spotted within the last month) and the subsequent Pokémon population plunge that followed.

There is also a local group called the “Starlight Squad” who opposes Bandra, but recently – within the last few weeks – their leader (a man named Elren, who was also the Elder of Stardust City) died after Triple B attacked Stardust City, and the Squad was split among his surviving lieutenants.

----------------

Matt:

“I can set you up for a solo challenge, did you want Normal or Roulette? And what Pokémon will you be using?”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

I’m assuming Normal but I’m double-checking anyway.
 
Lord Ruby34
 In Line 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ It wouldn’t have made a difference.  
 

Of course it could have. Less didn't say the thought aloud, but he knew that Mina was wrong. If he had been more persuasive, argued more logically, he could have stopped Aquai from having his son send out those letters in the first place. He had known that it was a terrible idea to recruit rookie trainers to fight a war. Or he could have shown the trainers how dangerous it was. Less would have thought of  something  had he only tried to talk to them then. And now . . . well, whatever had happened had happened. He wasn't going to push Mina to talk about it. Her curtness suggested that the memories were painful, and Less had no desire to dredge them up any further than he had.

Less shook his head without realizing it, and the let the conversation lapse into silence while the circular logic of his guilty conscious wracked his brain. Buck, unfortunately, was too preoccupied to notice his oldest friend's distress. The large Pokemon was staring off into the distance, before muttering something in Pokespeak.

----------------
 Questioning the Grunt 

Less moved over to the chain, making a subtle point to lean on his cane while he walked like he needed the device to move securely. It would be best to start with the easy questions, Less thought, as he settled in. He took his time, adjusting his seat while staring at the sullen goon. He had found that silence was a powerful weapon when trying to get someone to confess. That said, he was usually trying to get teenagers to confess about cutting class, not getting hardened criminals to spill their secrets.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Less is going to try staring at her for a few minutes, to see if he can get her off balance and willing to spit something out. That said, if Mark wants to ask the first question, Less certainly isn't going to stop him.
 
Gnomes2169
((In line))

 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Wow. That's... pretty disturbing, yeah.  &gt; He was getting the same feeling as that one time he'd opened up the beer cooler that Zelg had brought on one of their camping trips. &lt;  Yup. I hate that. And none of us know where it's coming from to check it out? Great. Let's not spend any more time here than we have to, then.  &gt;
 


Into the lull of the conversation, Mark said,  "Yup. Something spooky is going on here that the pokemon are all feeling. None of us are welcome here, the city might be haunted. And if this isn't a normal, every-day feature, then I think we should just get our things done today and go." 

 


((Police station))

Mark sat down beside Less, but unlike the older man he didn't just sit and stare at the prisoner. With his bloodshot eyes, a twitch on his cheek, and pain radiating from his arm, he  scowled  at the bandra goon and tapped his mechanical fingers against the tabletop.  Clinkclinkclinkclink,   "So. I've been causing trouble for you people for a bit now. And this is a pretty distinctive identifier."  His voice stayed low and neutral as he talked.  Clinkclinkclinkclink,   "Recognize me at all? I'm the kid who, with a ranger and some friends, ripped through your forces at the Shrine of Light, rescued the pokemon you people were murdering in it, and took the taskmaster there prisoner... the day  after  you fortified the area, because we captured a group of you grunts in your camp."   Clinkclinkclinkclink,   "All so I could get a pokemon you stole from me back." 
 Clinkclin-,  he stopped tapping his fingers on the table, and instead folded his hands in front of himself so he could lean forward, attempting to make direct eye contact with the grunt.  "I also knocked your helicopter out of the air. Knocked out the pilots flying it and melted its propellers to slag, because you people attacked my friend. After all this, I'm not exactly feeling patient or generous with Bandra, and I'm willing to do, oh, quite a lot to get what I need from you."  He broke eye contact with the prisoner to glance at one of the guards and nod to them, before a little bit of the rage he worked so hard to contain filtered into his voice and his eyes shifted back to the grunt.  "So. I suggest you tell my friend here whatever he wants to know, or as much as an expendable like you knows, anyway. We'll just end up figuring it out regardless, and it will work out better for everyone in the end if you choose to be... agreeable." 
gorman
 "Normal, with Gastly, Wythir, and Trappinch."  Though I can't help but wonder at Trappinch'es lack of moves if I shouldn't try and find a tutor first... Is it normal for them to only have 4 at level 25?
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady (morning):

As you are also not one of the people making their way to Skybreak, you are able to sleep in until the nice, sane hour of 7 AM. 
 

Pinklady slowly stirs at 7, then finally rises out of her bed a few minutes later. She pats the bed.

 Still weird.  she thinks.

She flops back into the bed and doesn't rise again for several minutes. The exhilarations of the past two days were catching up to her, and she takes the time to process it all.

Behind her excitement of meeting all those new people - Mark, Mina, Matt, Less - was a nervousness she had concealed. She wasn't all that used to people, when it came down to it. At least they all seemed receptive to her!

Yes, things were looking pretty good. She finally rolls out of bed and dresses herself. She fumbles a moment with tying her scarf. Her thoughts were still elsewhere - now she was occupied with thinking about how different Helnith was from her home. If it had been similar, she would have been happy to -

A slight discomfort of hunger, though far from a pang, interrupts her train of thought. She sets out to acquire whatever food the center provides. Yes, this was another difference - she couldn't just feed herself on nature's offerings here. Or at least, not to her knowledge.
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak (in line):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Yup. Something spooky is going on here that the pokemon are all feeling. None of us are welcome here, the city might be haunted. And if this isn't a normal, every-day feature, then I think we should just get our things done today and go."  
 

From his perch, Mina’s Natu bobbed up and down in agreement.

“ Spectacular. ” Mina deadpanned. And then a memory surfaced. “ One of the Starlight Squad lieutenants hadn’t wanted to come here. I wonder if that was why. ”

----------------

Police Station:

The Grunt did seem to be getting noticeably less comfortable as Less stared silently. Of course, she  didn’t  have a chair so that might be part of it.

“So are you going to talk to me or n—”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark sat down beside Less, but unlike the older man he didn't just sit and stare at the prisoner. With his bloodshot eyes, a twitch on his cheek, and pain radiating from his arm, he  scowled  at the bandra goon and tapped his mechanical fingers against the tabletop.  Clinkclinkclinkclink,   "So. I've been causing trouble for you people for a bit now. And this is a pretty distinctive identifier."  His voice stayed low and neutral as he talked.  Clinkclinkclinkclink,   "Recognize me at all? I'm the kid who, with a ranger and some friends, ripped through your forces at the Shrine of Light, rescued the pokemon you people were murdering in it, and took the taskmaster there prisoner... the day  after  you fortified the area, because we captured a group of you grunts in your camp."   Clinkclinkclinkclink,   "All so I could get a pokemon you stole from me back." 
 Clinkclin-,  he stopped tapping his fingers on the table, and instead folded his hands in front of himself so he could lean forward, attempting to make direct eye contact with the grunt.  "I also knocked your helicopter out of the air. Knocked out the pilots flying it and melted its propellers to slag, because you people attacked my friend. After all this, I'm not exactly feeling patient or generous with Bandra, and I'm willing to do, oh, quite a lot to get what I need from you."  He broke eye contact with the prisoner to glance at one of the guards and nod to them, before a little bit of the rage he worked so hard to contain filtered into his voice and his eyes shifted back to the grunt.  "So. I suggest you tell my friend here whatever he wants to know, or as much as an expendable like you knows, anyway. We'll just end up figuring it out regardless, and it will work out better for everyone in the end if you choose to be... agreeable."  
 

The guard Mark made eye contact with gave the smallest hint of a nod. Apparently he’s okay so far.

“You’re crazy,” the Grunt responded to Mark. She tried to back away, but of course she was still handcuffed to the desk.

----------------

Mina:

Mina made her way to the Department Store to check out today’s Berry selection at the Farmer’s Market.

  Still no Lum Berries.   And most of what they did have she didn’t need more of. But they had a few each of Nilla, Qualot, Hondew, and Grepa Berries, so Mina cleared them out of those, and added an Iapapa Berry to her purchase after she realized she didn’t actually have one of those yet. ((+1 Iapapa Berry (1 total, 3 remaining for sale), +3 Nilla Berries (6 total, 0 remaining for sale), +2 Qualot Berries (7 total, 0 remaining for sale), +3 Hondew Berries (7 total, 0 remaining for sale), +3 Grepa Berries (5 total, 0 remaining for sale), -950 PD, 260 PD remaining.))

She put away her purchases and made her way to the University to sign everyone up who had wanted in on the chair setup and takedown (haunted or no, she hadn’t had a chance to finish that river water sample job so she was going to have to come back at least once more), then headed off to the library to do some more research.

----------------

Matt:

The lady behind the desk starts signing you in but pauses when you start checking your Pokédex. It turns out that it is, in fact, perfectly normal for Trapinch and Pinchy isn’t going to learn anything new naturally until she’s almost ready to evolve ((Crunch at level 33, she can evolve at level 35)).

However…

The Pokédex does say she can be tutored with a more expansive moveset before she evolves. And you do recall seeing a Move Tutor right by the entrance…

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Did you want to tutor her before you do your challenge?
 


----------------

Pinklady:

There are a few trainers in the kitchen when you arrive, all of them digging through cupboards for food or dishes but no one actively cooking yet. Someone did top off the coffee pot recently and there’s a box of bottom-tier tea bags nearby too.

Following their lead you find standard Center fair. Eggs – with multiple Chansey working at the Center, they nearly always had eggs – and things that could keep for a long time, like cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, sugar, a jar of honey that would have been surprising if there wasn’t a field of Combee hives on the other side of town, a small assortment of canned goods, and finally in the fridge a couple loaves of bread, a half-empty jug of milk and some local fruits and veggies. As per usual, most of it is sourced from Helnith itself or has a long shelf life: presumably the same issues with the supply chain that the Marts are experiencing with Pokéballs, Revives and so on are plaguing imported foods.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

There are a few trainers in the kitchen when you arrive, all of them digging through cupboards for food or dishes but no one actively cooking yet. Someone did top off the coffee pot recently and there’s a box of bottom-tier tea bags nearby too.

Following their lead you find standard Center fair. Eggs – with multiple Chansey working at the Center, they nearly always had eggs – and things that could keep for a long time, like cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, sugar, a jar of honey that would have been surprising if there wasn’t a field of Combee hives on the other side of town, a small assortment of canned goods, and finally in the fridge a couple loaves of bread, a half-empty jug of milk and some local fruits and veggies. As per usual, most of it is sourced from Helnith itself or has a long shelf life: presumably the same issues with the supply chain that the Marts are experiencing with Pokéballs, Revives and so on are plaguing imported foods. 
 

Pinklady gives a small wave of greeting to the other trainers in the kitchen before focusing on her own food-picking efforts.

 What a variety!  Pinklady looks upon the array of options. Even without imported foods, it was still more choices than she was used to. She decides to try some of the local greens she isn't familiar with. Of course, their unfamiliarity presents a small problem...

 "Er, excuse me."  She asks the nearest trainer.  "I'm not from around here, do these..."  She indicates some of the local veggies she picked up.  "Need any sort of prep or peeling, or can I just."  She motions towards taking a bite of one of them.
Lord Ruby34
 In Line 

Buck ruffed his agreement. Less nodded as well. If the Pokemon didn't feel safe it would be best to minimize the time spent here. The thought occurred to him that whatever the Pokemon were feeling could be a side effect of some Bandra plot. Less dismissed the idea. Skybreak was about as safe as a city could be at the moment. If Bandra was launching some kind of plot, then it wasn't something he could help by worrying. At least not now. His thoughts were still in the past anyway, and the thought left as quickly as it had arrived.

---------------

 Police Station 

Despite himself, Less was impressed by the young man's list of accomplishments. Less wasn't sure if they were the truth or not, but they seemed to have managed to unnerve the Bandra grunt regardless. Best to keep up the momentum, and play on the woman's discomfort.

" No one is coming to free you. Your boss considers you expendable. But we don't have to."  Less paused to let the implications sink in. Best to get the information she was likely to have.  "You were searching for a shadowed Pokemon. One that unexpectedly went missing. Why?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

One of the trainers tells you that that particular vegetable is called a malanga and it needs to be cooked. She says you can basically treat it like you would a potato and you’ll be fine.

----------------

Police Station:

“Yeah the boss does consider me expendable,” the Grunt fires back, obviously nervous, “so what’ll you think will happen to me if I squeal?”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Skybreak (in line):

From his perch, Mina’s Natu bobbed up and down in agreement.

“ Spectacular. ” Mina deadpanned. And then a memory surfaced. “ One of the Starlight Squad lieutenants hadn’t wanted to come here. I wonder if that was why. ” 
 

((In line))

 "Kinda spacey guy, bonded to a Kadabra?"  Mark assumed it would be Lijan, since it would be weird to have more than one psychically sensitive lieutenant among the Starlight Squad. Speaking of, Mark needed to check if the older man had replied to his message for a meet-up time yet... so he finished off his coffee and tucked the cup away so he could pull out his phone to check.  "I should be meeting with him later today, actually, so that we can trade-evolve our pokemon. And... to discuss plans."  He looked meaningfully at Mina as he said that part, partially to see how she reacts.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Police Station:

“Yeah the boss does consider me expendable,” the Grunt fires back, obviously nervous, “so what’ll you think will happen to me if I squeal?” 
 

((Jail time))

 "To be blunt, I'm psychically connected to my gardevoir. And if rumor is true, you should know from one of your bosses  exactly  what that means for any secrets that you try to keep from us."  Mark told her, tapping his thumbs together impatiently.  "We're asking you because we're nice, and as a formality. We don't  need  you to be cooperative."  Even if all the papers he'd signed to get in here ensured he wouldn't follow through on the threat,  she  didn't need to know that.  "I'm sure you don't know much, though, right? So... just tell us what you  do  know, so that we don't have to waste time and effort ripping it out the hard way." 
Lord Ruby34
 In Line 

Less listens without speaking.

----------------

 Police Station: 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Yeah the boss does consider me expendable,” the Grunt fires back, obviously nervous, “so what’ll you think will happen to me if I squeal?” 
 

Less nodded while Mark spoke, then shrugged and added.  "I believe that the officers here were planning some kind of press release about how cooperative the recent batch of prisoners has been. There aren't many of your former teammates who will stick their neck out for you after that. But the police . . ."  Less lowered his voice to something calmer, more compassionate.  "They could keep you safe. If you can give them a reason."
 
gorman
 "I believe I was informed there's a move tutor around this area, I would like to meet this individual to see what sort of...forgotten talents I might discover for my pokemon."  I say to nobody in particular.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

One of the trainers tells you that that particular vegetable is called a malanga and it needs to be cooked. She says you can basically treat it like you would a potato and you’ll be fine. 
 


 "Thank you!"  Now she was back in her element. Rather than use whatever kitchen appliances are around, she heads outside to cook them in the way she's more familiar with - by making a small fire to roast them.

...of course, the surroundings here aren't as arboreal as she's used to. What's the surrounding area like?

(I'm also not not sure how Pinklady's timeframe lines up with Flotsam's, is there any bumping into eachother there?)
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak (in line):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Kinda spacey guy, bonded to a Kadabra?"  
 

 ”No, it was Dien, actually.”  Of course since he hadn’t made it back from their attempt to re-take Keida they couldn’t exactly call him up to confirm if that had been his reasoning or not.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I should be meeting with him later today, actually, so that we can trade-evolve our pokemon. And... to discuss plans."  
 

Mina didn’t really object to Mark talking over plans with the Starlight Squad lieutenant so she just nodded.  ”Tell him I said hi!” 

----------------

Police Station:

The Grunt is getting outright panicky now. “W-w-what did you want to know?”

----------------

Matt:


 
 Originally Posted by gorman 
  "I believe I was informed there's a move tutor around this area, I would like to meet this individual to see what sort of...forgotten talents I might discover for my pokemon."  I say to nobody in particular. 
 

“He’s over there,” the lady indicates the pair of monks off to the side in the lobby, one older, one younger. The older monk has a floor-length beard and is meditating quietly in the midst of several meditation mats and pillows, while the younger appears to be brewing tea. “Did you want to put off your Normal challenge then?”

----------------

Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Flotsam took off south almost immediately while you were noodling around in the kitchen, you’re good there.

Also, the area you’re in is mostly grassland, with a few scattered trees and boulders.
 
gorman
 "Yes sorry, I should be back shortly."  I say turning and heading over to the move tutor.  "Hello, are you the move tutor? Do you charge to teach moves or how does this work ?" 
essCee
 Still, this should work!  Pinklady heads over to the scant trees to collect some twigs. Didn't really seem like there were nearly enough trees for a proper, log-based fire, but this plus some of the smaller rocks should be good enough for a fire to cook the malanga.

It was especially times like these she wishes she had a fire-type friend. As she worked to start the fire, she muses if being able to start a fire means she's a fire-type in a way. After all, she wouldn't like to be hit by rocks or the ground, either...
Lord Ruby34
 In Line 


The names being discussed meant nothing to Less. Normally, he would ask, but as things stood he was only distantly listening to Mark and Mina's conversation.
----------------
 
Police Station 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Grunt is getting outright panicky now. “W-w-what did you want to know?” 
 

Less took a moment to look the young woman in the eyes.  "Tell me everything you know about what you were doing when you were captured. After that, I have more questions." 
Gnomes2169
((In line))

He nodded and said,  "Can do."  Then he yawned wider and rolled his shoulder.  "This is way too early..." 

((I think I'm good here.))


 


((Interrogation))

Mark... didn't really like this. The terror on this poor grunt's face didn't satisfy him or make him happy, all it did was make him feel mildly ill. So now that she was willing to spill, he would just keep scowling (more at himself than her), then look over at Less as if waiting for the older man to give him the signal. He'd let the Less ask his questions without interrupting now.
Feathersnow
Akio knows a little more than he did before.  Bandra were bandits and assassins, the worst scum imaginable.  He resolved he would see them stopped or due trying!  And these people might well be the heroes who had done the most damage to them!

First step, set up some chairs!  He returns to the rendezvous point.
WindStruck
Oh no! Not Rascal!  Poor Rascal, he seemed to be getting beat up a lot lately. What a brave Goldeen..

Flotsam gasps and recalls her fallen companion.

 "Oh no! Uh.. Gypsy, smokescreen them!" 
 "King, water pulse that one! And Orion, swift attack!"  She says, pointing at the Fearow that was still flying free.

 "Good job Hilda, don't let go!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

The younger monk speaks up as he glides over with a tray. “Yes, my master can instruct your Pokémon in any technique it is capable of learning naturally – of course your Pokémon must be at the appropriate level to handle the lesson he bestows. All he asks in return for this instruction is a Heart Scale for each technique.”

----------------

Pinklady:

Things aren’t as dry as they were before the storm yesterday, but with a bit of work you manage enough to fuel your fire. On the plus side, the soaking from yesterday does mean you can be less paranoid about sparks catching on the surroundings.

----------------

Police Station:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Tell me everything you know about what you were doing when you were captured. After that, I have more questions."  
 

“I-I was just supposed to take J-Janelle to g-go find a Pokémon that vanished off the s-scanner. As m-muscle, you know? Just g-go get it and come back. Just a H-Honchkrow, one of Tenma’s p-projects or maybe K-Kerry’s, I don’t remember. T-thought it was a good chance t-to get some brownie points, you know? Get p-promoted, stop worrying if they were g-going to take Rocky or Z-Zipzap next time they wanted a new test s-subject…”

----------------

Mina:

((Library: ))

Mina took advantage of the working electronic catalogue this time. (It did help that she had names and reference points to plug into it.)

‘Tome of Intersecting Life’ and variations on it didn’t bring up much; a couple of photos in old archeology books, a short mention in ‘Unsolved Archeological Mysteries’ that had photos of the ruins the museum plaque had mentioned, and not much else.

‘Book of Lines’ brought up a little more once Mina dredged through the several dozen art books that came up with the useful info. Oblivia got several mentions, there were a couple newspaper clippings about the book being dug up and put on display…and apparently there was a supposedly more recent copy of the book at the Canalave library up in Sinnoh, which was ‘only’ about a hundred years old. Mina had a cousin studying up there and toyed with the idea of calling him up to check it out, but from the sound of it no one had been able to get that one open  either  and she didn’t have his number in any case. She made a note to hunt it down and try to contact him if she hit a dead end here.

She was running low on time before the seminar setup, so she swung by the library bathrooms and watered her Berries. ((Nilla in bloom, Grepa growing taller.))

She also took a moment to shoot off a text to Ranger Wain, to see if he knew anything about their new potential comrades-in-arms that they needed to worry about, and sent another to Mindy to see if she had found anything in the Ranger Union records. She didn’t get an answer back from either by the time she had to take off for the chair setup, however, so she put it out of her mind for the time being.

((Park: ))

Mina arrived to see the man in the armor had beaten her there (Akio, she thought - or rather hoped, as that was the name she'd put down on the signup sheet), though she didn’t see Less or Mark yet. She waved to catch his attention.

----------------

Akio:

You make it to the park with time to spare. Already there’s a podium set up on one side of a large clear space, and a middle-aged man in the University’s colors with a clipboard and an extra pen behind his ear is overseeing the marking out of rows with string and wooden skewers. There is no sign of the chairs yet.

Not long after you arrive, the girl with the badly-dyed hair shows up. She waves at you.

----------------

Flotsam:

King uses Water Pulse!
Fearow B is hit for 23 damage!
Fearow B is confused!

The large bird flies in tight circles for a moment, screeching wildly.

Gypsy uses Smokescreen!
Fearow A’s Keen Eye prevents Accuracy loss!
Fearow B’s Keen Eye prevents Accuracy loss!

Fearow A uses Aerial Ace!
Gypsy is hit for 64 damage!
Gypsy faints!

Orion uses Swift!
Fearow A is hit for 15 damage!
Fearow B is hit for 15 damage!
Fearow B uses its held Chahal Berry to restore 20 HP!

Fearow B is confused!

The large bird takes a sudden dive at the ground, but misses all combatants by a wide margin.

It hurt itself in its confusion!
Fearow B takes 15 damage!

Hilda continues to grip her target as tightly as she can.

Fearow A was clamped by Hilda!
Fearow A takes 5 damage!


(Rain Dance in effect, 3 rounds remaining.)

 Rascal: 0/76 
 Gypsy: 0/59 
Hilda: 52/52 (Defense down 2 levels)
Orion: 57/57(Defense down 1 level)
King: 67/67 (Defense down 1 level)

Fearow A: 35/88 (Clamped)
Fearow B: 22/88 (Speed down 1 level, Confused 1 round)
WindStruck
 "Eep! Not you too, Gypsy! Come back..."  The poor Horsea gets taken back to its Pokéball, knocked out...

But maybe, just maybe they could pull through? Flotsam was beside herself, her entourage of water Pokémon dwindling quickly.

 "Okay, okay, maybe we can still... King, Orion, get the one that's clamped!"  Flotsam cries.

(repeating water pulse and swift attack).
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Matt:
“I-I was just supposed to take J-Janelle to g-go find a Pokémon that vanished off the s-scanner. As m-muscle, you know? Just g-go get it and come back. Just a H-Honchkrow, one of Tenma’s p-projects or maybe K-Kerry’s, I don’t remember. T-thought it was a good chance t-to get some brownie points, you know? Get p-promoted, stop worrying if they were g-going to take Rocky or Z-Zipzap next time they wanted a new test s-subject…” 
 

Less tried to force himself to not feel any pity for this woman. She chose Team Bandra. She had been willing to capture Connie in service of subjecting her to even more experiments. She was an enemy. He felt pity anyway.

 "Rocky and Zipzap are safe."  Less said, his voice soft.  "They won't be at risk of harm anymore, and they'll be returned to you when you leave here."  Actually, Less wasn't sure that was true, but he continued anyway, leaning forwards and continuing to speak in a soft, calming voice.  "The Honchkrow you were sent after was named Connie. Your bosses murdered her trainer and shadowed her. Tell me about the scanners. Tell me about Kerry and Tenma's projects. Tell me about the tests you were afraid of." Less sighed. "You don't want a world where Team Bandra can take any Pokemon they want, and do whatever they want to them, do you?" 
Gnomes2169
Mark held his tongue in the interrogation, keeping his hands folded in front of him as Less asked his questions, but when she mentioned that she'd been afraid of having her pokemon taken... there's a moment of pity, but then the gears in his head clicked again and he realized that she had been looking for a  promotion . His jaws clenched, and he growled,  "If you actually cared about keeping your pokemon safe, you would have knocked out the scientist when you were by yourselves and ran into town before any of Bandra knew. Maybe even turned coat and worked to bring Bandra down. Instead, you wanted a  promotion  from running odd jobs for the people constantly murdering trainers and their pokemon."  Looking at her again, he says,  "Stop fishing for pity, just answer the questions." 
gorman
 "Wow I think I actually have something like that... Ah, I was wondering what my Trappinch might be able to learn."  I say as I dig through my bag searching for Heart Scales.
Feathersnow
Akio waves. "Mina, is it?  I am Akio.  My surname is Matsubara.   I'm here to help, as best I can.  I just learned more about what's been going on in this region.  It seems I definitely came to a place that can use some help."
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam:


King uses Water Pulse!
Fearow A is hit for 26 damage!

Fearow A uses Aerial Ace!
King is hit for 67 damage! ((Bad luck there! ☹️))
King faints!

Orion uses Swift!
Fearow A is hit for 15 damage!
Fearow A faints!

The large bird falls out of the sky and crashes into the grass, sending up a cloud of feathers and bits of greenery.

Fearow B is hit for 13 damage!

Fearow B is confused!
Fearow B uses Aerial Ace!
Orion is hit for 66 damage!
Orion faints!

With her target KO’d, Hilda releases Clamp from the Fearow’s unconscious body. And being all alone against the remaining Fearow that just knocked out another one of her friends, she immediately clams up in fear.


(Rain Dance in effect, 2 rounds remaining.)

 Rascal: 0/76 
 Gypsy: 0/59 
Hilda: 52/52 (Defense down 2 levels)
 Orion: 0/57 
 King: 0/67 
 Fearow A: 0/88 
Fearow B: 9/88 (Speed down 1 level, Confused 2 rounds)

----------------

Police Station:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "The Honchkrow you were sent after was named Connie. Your bosses murdered her trainer and shadowed her. Tell me about the scanners. Tell me about Kerry and Tenma's projects. Tell me about the tests you were afraid of."  
 

The Grunt is calming down slightly, and stuttering less. “The s-scanners? Tenma made them to track the Pokémon he sent to the S-Spectral Dimension. There’s one built into the c-clock on the jeep. I’m not – not sure why. K-Kerry keeps taking Dark types we bring in, b-but I haven’t done any missions for him in a while, I d-don’t know why he wants them either.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "You don't want a world where Team Bandra can take any Pokemon they want, and do whatever they want to them, do you?"  
 

Proving once again that Grunts weren’t the brightest bulbs in the box, the Grunt replies, “As l-long as they’re not  my  Pokémon why would I care?” She sounds genuinely puzzled.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If you actually cared about keeping your pokemon safe, you would have knocked out the scientist when you were by yourselves and ran into town before any of Bandra knew. Maybe even turned coat and worked to bring Bandra down. Instead, you wanted a  promotion  from running odd jobs for the people constantly murdering trainers and their pokemon."  Looking at her again, he says,  "Stop fishing for pity, just answer the questions."  
 

The Grunt shrinks in on herself. “Y-y-yessir.”

----------------

Matt:

The younger monk explains the techniques his master can teach Pinchy.

(( Start from here  and you can use the Gen numbers to navigate, anything under Tutoring and anything in the level-up list up to Pinchy’s current level of 25 in any Generation. Lord Ruby also posted a pretty thorough listing in the OoC thread.

Respectfully, I am  not  going to list out every single possible attack for every Pokémon you want to tutor, some of those lists are quite lengthy when you can just look them up on the wiki.))

----------------

Park (Akio and Mina):

“ Nice to meet you! ” Mina smiled, mentally reminding herself to try and act like a sane person this time. The surname sounded vaguely familiar, but Mina didn’t follow celebrities, politics, or news about the upper crust of society in general, so she didn’t recognize it immediately. “ You just got here recently then? ”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Grunt is calming down slightly, and stuttering less. “The s-scanners? Tenma made them to track the Pokémon he sent to the S-Spectral Dimension. There’s one built into the c-clock on the jeep. I’m not – not sure why. K-Kerry keeps taking Dark types we bring in, b-but I haven’t done any missions for him in a while, I d-don’t know why he wants them either. 
 

Less kept his face neutral. Knowing that there was another scanner on the jeep was useful, but the grunt was quickly proving that she didn't know much about leadership's plans.



 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Proving once again that Grunts weren’t the brightest bulbs in the box, the Grunt replies, “As l-long as they’re not  my  Pokémon why would I care?” She sounds genuinely puzzled. 
 

There's a moment of silence, then Less spoke in the voice he kept reserved for particularly slow students,  "If they can take anyone's Pokemon and hurt them, they will inevitably hurt  your  Pokemon."   Honestly, he didn't know why he was explaining this to her. If she didn't understand that she could be victimized he found it unlikely that the idea would sink in within thirty minutes. He forced himself not to sigh, and asked his second round of questions.

 "Tell me about the base you came from, and where it is. Then tell me about the locations of the Bandra officers. Start with Officer Ray." 
Gnomes2169
Staring at her a bit longer, making sure she wasn't going to get comfortable in the time they had left, Mark stood up and walked back to stand beside the door. He could glower menacingly from back here while Less got the information he could from this grunt.
Kareeah_Indaga
Police Station:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Tell me about the base you came from, and where it is. Then tell me about the locations of the Bandra officers. Start with Officer Ray."  
 

“I was s-stationed in S-Stardust City. It’s in, um, it’s in Stardust City.” She glances over at Mark to see if she’s going to get yelled for stating the obvious. “And last I h-heard Officer Ray was still down south, b-bouncing around a lot. He hasn’t been up north in, in, I-I’m not sure how long exactly but it’s been a while, at least a few weeks…”
gorman
(OoC ~ Yes of course, that makes perfect sense my apologies I wasn't aware of what was going on in the OoC thread and didn't even think of using the tutor for other pokemon, was honestly only concerned with Trapinch as 4 moves seemed few when everyone else has 6 :P Then again in the actual games they would only have 4 naturally so... ah, anyway, sorry again. I also misread it at first thinking that the tutored moves had to be at a certain level for Trapinch as well so I was about to ask "where do you find the level requirements for tutored moves in the bulbapedia thing?!" It's been a long day... :'( )

 "Wonderful, I would like to obtain Bug Bite, Mud Slap, and Headbutt as well replacing Sand attack, please and thank you."  I say handing over 3 Heart Scales.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I was s-stationed in S-Stardust City. It’s in, um, it’s in Stardust City.” She glances over at Mark to see if she’s going to get yelled for stating the obvious. “And last I h-heard Officer Ray was still down south, b-bouncing around a lot. He hasn’t been up north in, in, I-I’m not sure how long exactly but it’s been a while, at least a few weeks…” 
 

Nothing useful. Less nodded once, to the young woman.  "You have been very cooperative. Thank you."  That was very nearly a waste of time. Less hoped the scientist would prove more useful.  "I believe we're done here,"  Less said to the guards.  "Would you be so kind as to take her back to her cell and return with the other prisoner?" 
Gnomes2169
Mark didn't object to the grunt's repeated statement, not wanting to interrupt any more, and when Less signaled that he was done asking questions the younger trainer nodded to the guards to signal that he was done too. To his companion Mark said,  "Less. We should talk outside while they set up... let the scientist stew for a bit without us watching them." 

Back in the hall, a little ways around the corner so that any prisoners who might be escorted through the station wouldn't see him, Mark pressed both of his hands in against his face, palms rubbing at his eyes while he took in a deep breath. The whirr of a servo in his false arm makes him pause, and he whips that limb down to his side while turning himself away from Less.  "I... don't think that I can do that again."  He says more to himself than his companion.  "Probably can't bully the scientist in that way, anyway. They'll be smarter, know that I'm bluffing and what their rights are when it comes to mind reading. So... how are we going to approach this one?" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark didn't object to the grunt's repeated statement, not wanting to interrupt any more, and when Less signaled that he was done asking questions the younger trainer nodded to the guards to signal that he was done too. To his companion Mark said,  "Less. We should talk outside while they set up... let the scientist stew for a bit without us watching them." 

Back in the hall, a little ways around the corner so that any prisoners who might be escorted through the station wouldn't see him, Mark pressed both of his hands in against his face, palms rubbing at his eyes while he took in a deep breath. The whirr of a servo in his false arm makes him pause, and he whips that limb down to his side while turning himself away from Less.  "I... don't think that I can do that again."  He says more to himself than his companion.  "Probably can't bully the scientist in that way, anyway. They'll be smarter, know that I'm bluffing and what their rights are when it comes to mind reading. So... how are we going to approach this one?"  
 

Less followed the young trainer down the hall. Letting the scientist wait wouldn't hurt much, and it seemed that the young man needed a break, and possibly a role that didn't require so much anger.  "The scientist's name is Janelle, based on what the grunt said. I believe we can use that. If we tell this Janelle that the grunt woman tried to sell her out we might be able to trick her into talking. We can tell Janelle that her friend told us she was a high ranking scientist, that these experiments were her idea. Hopefully, that will get her to divulge information to try and clear her name, at least somewhat." 
Feathersnow
 Park (Akio and Mina):

“ Nice to meet you! ” Mina smiled, mentally reminding herself to try and act like a sane person this time. The surname sounded vaguely familiar, but Mina didn’t follow celebrities, politics, or news about the upper crust of society in general, so she didn’t recognize it immediately. “ You just got here recently then? ” 

"Yes, I came from Johto quite recently.  My family thought it best I make my own fortune, as second sons of the nobility ought.  So I came where I heard that people needed help. I guess the first help they need is with chairs, but there is nobility in work, as the philosophers say."

Akio hoped he didn't sound pompous or crazy.  In retrospect, the cosplay armor was a mistake, but he was, technically, a real life samurai, and he would own it.
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

The younger monk takes your Heart Scales ((-3 Heart Scales, 1 remaining)) while the older monk stands and bids you to call out Pinchy. The younger monk brings out a mortar and pestle and grinds each Scale into fine powder, then mixes the resulting dust with a green powdery substance, which he gives to his master. The latter takes the powder, wets his finger with a little tea, then uses it to trace glyphs over Pinchy’s body – mostly her jaws – while talking to her in a low, soothing voice. After this he helps her position her body and go through different motions. After some time of this, he proclaims himself satisfied, and you can see she’s learned a few new attacks:

 
 Spoiler: Pinchy 

Pokemon: Trapinch (Pinchy)
Type: Ground
Ability: Arena Trap
Gender: Female
Level: 25
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 65
Attack: 62
Def: 35
Sp. Attack: 35
Sp. Def: 35
Speed: 17
Moves:
Bite
Mud Slap
Faint Attack
Sand Tomb
Bug Bite
Headbutt
 


----------------

Police Station:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Would you be so kind as to take her back to her cell and return with the other prisoner?"  
 

One of the guards nods, and the Grunt is unchained from the desk and escorted out. She looks relieved to go.

----------------

Park (Akio and Mina):


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Yes, I came from Johto quite recently." 
 

“ Oh nice. Where in Johto? ” Mina asked.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "My family thought it best I make my own fortune, as second sons of the nobility ought.  So I came where I heard that people needed help. I guess the first help they need is with chairs, but there is nobility in work, as the philosophers say." 
 

As far as she knew, Mina’s parents didn’t even know she was  here  – or at least, she hadn’t told them, and Quincy had said he wouldn’t when he dropped her off. Certainly she hadn’t gotten any phone calls or text messages from them since she’d arrived.

“ Well I wish you luck for the fortune bit; I don’t think you will need it for the chairs. ” Mina didn’t know much about the Johto nobility, but was pleased to hear they had a policy of staying useful. “ If you’re looking to fight Bandra, you’ll run into them sooner or later. ”

She reflected that Akio probably wouldn’t have much of a  choice  there, now that he was in the region, but she figured it was better to be here to fight on purpose rather than be one of the poor natives, caught in the crossfire whether they liked it or not.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less followed the young trainer down the hall. Letting the scientist wait wouldn't hurt much, and it seemed that the young man needed a break, and possibly a role that didn't require so much anger.  "The scientist's name is Janelle, based on what the grunt said. I believe we can use that. If we tell this Janelle that the grunt woman tried to sell her out we might be able to trick her into talking. We can tell Janelle that her friend told us she was a high ranking scientist, that these experiments were her idea. Hopefully, that will get her to divulge information to try and clear her name, at least somewhat."  
 

Mark nodded at the idea, looking up and saying,  "Yeah... yeah that will probably work. Boost her ego, maybe make her think we're just trying to understand her work, try to fish info out if she's receptive. Yeah. I think that could work... It'll take longer, though, so we probably shouldn't delay too much."  Rubbing at his face again with one hand, this time just clearing out his eyes, he lets out a long sigh and adds,  "So, just another minute or two, then we should be good to go back in there." 
gorman
 "Thank you so much!"  I say enthusiastically to the monk before getting back in line for matches. When I get back up to the receptionist I merely repeat the same team as before for regular battling and prepare for the queue.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark nodded at the idea, looking up and saying,  "Yeah... yeah that will probably work. Boost her ego, maybe make her think we're just trying to understand her work, try to fish info out if she's receptive. Yeah. I think that could work... It'll take longer, though, so we probably shouldn't delay too much."  Rubbing at his face again with one hand, this time just clearing out his eyes, he lets out a long sigh and adds,  "So, just another minute or two, then we should be good to go back in there."  
 

The young man appeared drained, Less thought. Hardly surprising, given how heavily he had laid on the intimidation with the grunt. Best, perhaps, to give him a moment to talk about other things.  "How much of what you told the grunt in there was true?"  Less asked.  "About your accomplishments against Bandra?" 

Maybe not the best change of topic, Less thought to himself after he asked, but it was important for him to know the nature of his new companions.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Things aren’t as dry as they were before the storm yesterday, but with a bit of work you manage enough to fuel your fire. On the plus side, the soaking from yesterday does mean you can be less paranoid about sparks catching on the surroundings. 
 

Once her food is starting to cook over her humble fire, Pinklady sends out her Pokemon to enjoy the open air.

Pinklady sits down and leans back, returning to her thinking as she watches the malanga roast.

 Where did everyone say they were going...  She had already been nodding off while they had the discussion last night.  Well, it can't be super important if I didn't have to come! This could be a good day to train.  She looks at Blast Bolt and Tress.  And get to know these two more, too! 
 "Hey, Leapsy!"  She shouts to Leapsy. who is currently flying up high in the sky, as she enjoys doing.  "Could you keep an eye out for anyone we know!" 

With that, she continues watching her food.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 The young man appeared drained, Less thought. Hardly surprising, given how heavily he had laid on the intimidation with the grunt. Best, perhaps, to give him a moment to talk about other things.  "How much of what you told the grunt in there was true?"  Less asked.  "About your accomplishments against Bandra?" 

Maybe not the best change of topic, Less thought to himself after he asked, but it was important for him to know the nature of his new companions. 
 

 "All of it."  Mark said after a second, his eyes flicking away from Less to look into the middle distance.  "There were other people attacking the helicopter, but I didn't see anyone else with psychic types or targeting the propeller. I also fought off a taskmaster inside of the contest hall in there, though I had a pokemon center's healing machine to help me with that. And the reason we went to the Shrine of Light was to rescue my stolen pokemon..." He became quiet for a bit before continuing, "We captured the taskmaster and rescued most of the pokemon that Bandra was planning to sacrifice that day in that raid. Bringing back news of what was happening at the Shrine is why other trainers attacked the shrine and kicked Bandra out for good."  They should have gone earlier. Mark should have been smarter when they did.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "All of it."  Mark said after a second, his eyes flicking away from Less to look into the middle distance.  "There were other people attacking the helicopter, but I didn't see anyone else with psychic types or targeting the propeller. I also fought off a taskmaster inside of the contest hall in there, though I had a pokemon center's healing machine to help me with that. And the reason we went to the Shrine of Light was to rescue my stolen pokemon..." He became quiet for a bit before continuing, "We captured the taskmaster and rescued most of the pokemon that Bandra was planning to sacrifice that day in that raid. Bringing back news of what was happening at the Shrine is why other trainers attacked the shrine and kicked Bandra out for good."  They should have gone earlier. Mark should have been smarter when they did. 
 

Less nodded.  "I didn't realize that was you and your friends."  He paused for a moment and continued.  "What you did at the shrine of light was an inspiration to a treat many people here. It inspired them to band together and show Bandra that there was still fight left in the region. That matters." 
Gnomes2169
Mark let the statement linger between them, his eyes blinking rapidly from surprise, and in a somewhat shaky voice he said,  "I... uh... Don't mention it. I'm h-happy to help."  Now why had that affected him so much? While he tried to figure that out, he took his glasses off so he could clean them quick and he said,  "But thank you, too. Mina and ranger Wain deserve it more than me but... thank you."  Maybe it was just nice to be recognized? Even if he didn't really feel like he deserved it, given what had happened in the Shrine of Light. Putting his glasses back on, Mark said,  "Anyway, we should probably get back in there. They should have the scientist inside by now." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark let the statement linger between them, his eyes blinking rapidly from surprise, and in a somewhat shaky voice he said,  "I... uh... Don't mention it. I'm h-happy to help."  Now why had that affected him so much? While he tried to figure that out, he took his glasses off so he could clean them quick and he said,  "But thank you, too. Mina and ranger Wain deserve it more than me but... thank you."  
 

Less reached out and squeezed the young man's shoulder.  "It was well done, by all of you. There is no need to thank me for telling you the truth." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Maybe it was just nice to be recognized? Even if he didn't really feel like he deserved it, given what had happened in the Shrine of Light. Putting his glasses back on, Mark said,  "Anyway, we should probably get back in there. They should have the scientist inside by now."  
 

Less stroked his mustache and nodded in agreement.  "I can take the lead this time. The questions are the same." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:


The lady gets you signed up for a Normal challenge, and the lift takes you to your first match. Your opponent is dressed in dark clothes with extremely spikey hair; for his first Pokémon he sends out a Koffing.


Koffing: 56/56

----------------

Police Station:

You head back into the room. It hasn’t changed much, except for its occupant. The scientist – apparently, ‘Janelle’ – manages to look bored despite her current circumstances.

----------------

Pinklady:

Just about the time your food is finished, Leapsy lets you know someone is approaching, although by the mild concern in her voice it’s not someone you know.

He screeches to a halt not far from your fire, and nearly trips over you. He’s in his mid-teens if that, wearing a hard hat with mining equipment hanging off his belt.

“Oh I’m sorry! I thought, I saw the smoke and thought there was a fire, and I guess there is a fire but I thought it was a fire that wasn’t supposed to be there, and yours is supposed to be there, or at least I guess it is because you’re cooking on it. Hi I’m Stef!”

He also very quickly proves himself to be a bit of a motormouth.
WindStruck
Two more Pokémon fainted. One scared and shaky pearl hiding in her shell, and another injured and confused bird.

 "Ack! Don't be scared, Hilda! I mean.. I'm scared too but.. we gotta fight it off or...!" 

Or what? Flotsam didn't know what would happen. Could she run away? She remembered seeing those bones at the Murkrow nest...

Flotsam recalls King and Orion and tries to find a rock or something to throw at the Fearow.

 "I - I won't leave you behind, Hilda! All it needs is one good hit with your water gun.. you can do this!" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Or maybe she can't because it's way too fast and Aerial Ace never misses and does tons of damage... I don't know!  Maybe confusion will save the day!
 
Gnomes2169
Mark had no answer for Less' words, having failed to consider that someone from the region might  actually  thank him for doing something selfish and dumb that had just... worked out. Silently nodding, he led the way back into the interrogation room and slipped inside. With his Markiest grin on his face while he looked at the Bandra scientist, Mark said,  "Hey there, Janelle, was it? Sorry to keep you waiting."  Sitting in the chair he had been last time, he gestured at Less and said,  "My friend here just has a few questions for you that we're hoping you can answer." 
gorman
Hmmm... well this is going to be bothersome... It likely has Levitate... Possibly self-destruct... My options feel limited though. I wonder why Mark and them enjoy coming here so much... Maybe this is why their pokemon have such peculiar moves to compensate for scenarios like this...

 "Trapinch come out, use Headbutt." 
Lord Ruby34
Less made sure the tapping of his cane echoed through the room as he moved to sit down. "So,  Taskmaster " Less sneered,  "your little minion just finished telling us about all the experiments you've been conducing on the Pokemon of the trainers you've murdered."  Less's accented voice retained an edge of disdain and disgust all the way through. He was inwardly thankful that he had been in charge of the school play for nearly thirty years, or he wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off the acting required.  "I hope you're enjoying the prison hospitality, because it sounds like you're about to become well acquainted with the inside of a cell." 
 Not too much at once , Less thought. It was better if he left a few dots for the woman to connect herself.
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam:

((One of the perils of turn based combat, yes. 😛))

The rock you find sails through the air and  plonks  off the remaining Fearow’s shoulder ((1 damage)). The big bird squawks in indignation and tries to aim its pointed beak at you instead of your Pokémon…but it misjudges its own speed and ends up tumbling over the ground, and lands at your feet unconscious.

Fearow B is confused!
It hurt itself in its confusion!
Fearow B takes 14 damage!
Fearow B faints!

Hilda peers out of her shell long enough to verify that the bird is down, then squirts it with water  anyway  before clamming up again.

Now that the fight is over, you can hear faint, harsh cheeping noises from a nearby tree.


(Rain Dance in effect, 1 round remaining.)

 Rascal: 0/76 
 Gypsy: 0/59 
Hilda: 52/52 (Defense down 2 levels)
 Orion: 0/57 
 King: 0/67 
 Fearow A: 0/88 
 Fearow B: 0/88 

----------------

Police Station:

Janelle looks you both up and down skeptically like you’re battered pieces of produce when all the good fruit has been taken. “Oh, so this is an interrogation.” She looks over her shoulder at the nearest guard. “I want my lawyer.”

“You’re allowed visitors. But if you’d rather sit in your cell until the war is over I can take you back right now.”

Janelle looks like she’s seriously considering it, then rolls her eyes and settles in as well as she can with no chair.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less made sure the tapping of his cane echoed through the room as he moved to sit down. "So,  Taskmaster " Less sneered,  "your little minion just finished telling us about all the experiments you've been conducing on the Pokemon of the trainers you've murdered."  Less's accented voice retained an edge of disdain and disgust all the way through. He was inwardly thankful that he had been in charge of the school play for nearly thirty years, or he wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off the acting required.  "I hope you're enjoying the prison hospitality, because it sounds like you're about to become well acquainted with the inside of a cell."   
 

Worryingly, she does not deny murdering trainers or experimenting on Pokémon. She does however roll her eyes again. “If you had, you’d know I’m not a  Taskmaster ,  old man .”

----------------

Matt:


Koffing uses Poison Gas!
Pinchy was Poisoned!

Pinchy uses Headbutt!
Koffing takes 19 damage!

Pinchy takes 8 damage from poison!


Pinchy: 57/65 (Poisoned)

Koffing: 37/56
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Janelle looks you both up and down skeptically like you’re battered pieces of produce when all the good fruit has been taken. “Oh, so this is an interrogation.” She looks over her shoulder at the nearest guard. “I want my lawyer.”

“You’re allowed visitors. But if you’d rather sit in your cell until the war is over I can take you back right now.”

Janelle looks like she’s seriously considering it, then rolls her eyes and settles in as well as she can with no chair.



Worryingly, she does not deny murdering trainers or experimenting on Pokémon. She does however roll her eyes again. “If you had, you’d know I’m not a  Taskmaster ,  old man .” 
 

Less shook his head sadly.  "That's not what your little friend told us,"  he said. His voice grew stern, the one he reserved for disobedient pupils,  "Lies won't help you here. However, if you give us useful information you might find our gratitude useful when it comes time for sentencing."  
WindStruck
Flotsam looks up at the trees, the harsh cheeping could have been the Faerow's babies for all she knew. Probably narrowly avoided being fed to them.

 "That's enough, Hilda. Good job,"  Flotsam says, leaning down to pat her shell. The summoned rain was beginning to let up.

 "I think we'd better get out of here. The others aren't doing well!" 

Flotsam recalls Hilda and continues heading northward back to the village!
Gnomes2169
 “As the guard mentioned,”  Mark followed up on Less’ statement,  “We’re kinda in the middle of a war here… and we  know  you are a war criminal. We also know how you treat your own prisoners. I witnessed it first-hand at the shrine.”  He let that linger for a bit, before saying,  “You’re a scientist, you’re smart. If you are relying on us to treat you better, then you’d be right. We’re just going to ask you questions, like civilized people. And if you don’t answer those questions then, like civilized people have been doing for centuries, we’ll put you in a little hole, isolated in solitary confinement for the safety of yourself and others, and we’ll forget about you until it’s convenient for us to try asking you questions again. You’re smart. I’m sure you’ve read a paper on the effects solitary has on someone.”  He flashes her another grin.

Still, something bothered him about her confidence… Telepathically he called out to Tattersail, who he was pretty sure was eavesdropping on what was going on in here anyway, and he asked her, &lt;  Is it possible for you to sense if someone else is connected to their psychic type?  &gt;
Kareeah_Indaga
Police Station:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less shook his head sadly.  "That's not what your little friend told us,"  he said. His voice grew stern, the one he reserved for disobedient pupils,  "Lies won't help you here. However, if you give us useful information you might find our gratitude useful when it comes time for sentencing."   
 

Less’ first clue that he screwed up is that one of the guards winces.

His second is that Janelle laughs in his face.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  “As the guard mentioned,”  Mark followed up on Less’ statement,  “We’re kinda in the middle of a war here… and we  know  you are a war criminal. We also know how you treat your own prisoners. I witnessed it first-hand at the shrine.”  He let that linger for a bit, before saying,  “You’re a scientist, you’re smart. If you are relying on us to treat you better, then you’d be right. We’re just going to ask you questions, like civilized people. And if you don’t answer those questions then, like civilized people have been doing for centuries, we’ll put you in a little hole, isolated in solitary confinement for the safety of yourself and others, and we’ll forget about you until it’s convenient for us to try asking you questions again. You’re smart. I’m sure you’ve read a paper on the effects solitary has on someone.”  He flashes her another grin. 
 

Janelle smirks. “You really don’t get it, do you? Then let me point out something you seem to have missed, you idiot cripple:  you’re losing this war.  It doesn’t  matter  if you lock me up and throw away the key, sooner or later Triple B will roll over you  and  your little friends  and  the rest of Helnith and when they do, I’ll be out again and  you  will be feeding the Murkrow with your corpse.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Still, something bothered him about her confidence… Telepathically he called out to Tattersail, who he was pretty sure was eavesdropping on what was going on in here anyway, and he asked her, &lt;  Is it possible for you to sense if someone else is connected to their psychic type?  &gt; 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
It transpires that Tattersail was  absolutely  eavesdropping.

 &lt;I am not eavesdropping, I am monitoring my trainer for his safety.&gt;  Mark can tell that Tattersail maintains there is a difference. Eavesdropping is for creatures of less refinement!  &lt;But yes.&gt;  Mark gets the sense that the answer is more complicated than that, and that the relative power levels as well as the Pokémon in question are both relevant factors, Tattersail is just confident that that isn't going to be an issue.
 


----------------

Flotsam:

You spot a Rhyhorn in the distance on your way back, but it doesn’t show much interest in you, and goes back to munching grass.

You arrive back in Rieva about 12:30 PM.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less’ first clue that he screwed up is that one of the guards winces.

His second is that Janelle laughs in his face.

Janelle smirks. “You really don’t get it, do you? Then let me point out something you seem to have missed, you idiot cripple:  you’re losing this war.  It doesn’t  matter  if you lock me up and throw away the key, sooner or later Triple B will roll over you  and  your little friends  and  the rest of Helnith and when they do, I’ll be out again and  you  will be feeding the Murkrow with your corpse.” 
 

 Foolish.  This woman wasn't like the other. She was smarter, crueler. Less had missed that. Maybe something else, too, but it was clear he wasn't going to trick her or bullrush her with the disappointed schoolteacher act. Getting anything out of her was probably hopeless, and there was no point in showing her anger. It would only vindicate her. Still . . .

 "Are we?"  Less said, his voice calm and questioning.  "I'm not so sure of that, child. Seven long years, and she controls maybe half the region, if you call fear and intimidation control. The people hate her. If she survives this war, and maintains anything resembling power, she will spend the rest of her life putting down rebellion after rebellion, until she meets the fate of tyrants. Someone will kill her, even if she wins. Probably one of her officers. After that, Bandra rule will collapse."  Less shook his head.  "You have not paid enough attention to history. Tyrants always fall. It's merely a matter of when."  He snorted. "And can you even imagine her actually ruling? Trying to conduct diplomacy with the other regions, arranging for trade, or developing civilian infrastructure." Less shook his head.  "It would be a disaster. Likely there would be another war, this time with a region that has a real military. Where will you be then? Your glorious leader actually winning her war would be the worst thing that could happen to you, personally, because you will have to live in the world she makes." 

Less scooted his chair back and moved to leave, though he was moving slowly enough to give Mark and Janelle plenty of time to respond.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Janelle smirks. “You really don’t get it, do you? Then let me point out something you seem to have missed, you idiot cripple:  you’re losing this war.  It doesn’t  matter  if you lock me up and throw away the key, sooner or later Triple B will roll over you  and  your little friends  and  the rest of Helnith and when they do, I’ll be out again and  you  will be feeding the Murkrow with your corpse.”

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
It transpires that Tattersail was  absolutely  eavesdropping.

 &lt;I am not eavesdropping, I am monitoring my trainer for his safety.&gt;  Mark can tell that Tattersail maintains there is a difference. Eavesdropping is for creatures of less refinement!  &lt;But yes.&gt;  Mark gets the sense that the answer is more complicated than that, and that the relative power levels as well as the Pokémon in question are both relevant factors, Tattersail is just confident that that isn't going to be an issue.
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Some more telepathy 
Well, she'd confirmed that she  could  do it, but... &lt;  So is she connected to a psychic type?  &gt;
 


Outside his own head, there was actually a moment of surprise, but he didn't rise to take the bait of her barbs and he asked,  "Wow. You don't get Bandra's current situation  at all,  do you? Janelle, Bandra isn't going to try to save you for a long, long time, if ever. Your leadership is off doing their own things, separate from one another, so much so that they couldn't even coordinate to take back the Shrine of Light since they lost it, what, almost a week ago? Let alone keep it from being taken in the first place. They have helicopters and teleportation, and they gave up their chance at getting a second legendary pokemon to assist them in their conquest at the first sign of any real resistance. They don't have the coordination or troops to hold what they have. The only counter-attack I've seen them repulse was the trap that they had to use a traitor on our side to coordinate. What in Arceus' name makes you think they have the resources to attack a city this large, with what, hundreds,  thousands  of trainers in it who will fight back, just to defend their homes? It's going to take months, if not years,  even more years , for them to drum up the courage and troops to do that." 
 "So if they do ever save you, and, let's be frank, they likely wouldn't even bother in the first place because you're just a scientist that they're willing to risk with field work, you will be worthless to them. Your knowledge and skills will be out of date, rusty. The stress disorders you'll be suffering will affect your every waking moment. You'll break down at some point, and they'll realize you're worthless. What does 'Tripple B' do to worthless people, Janelle?"  He looked her dead in the eyes as he asked that question.
gorman
 "Headbutt again."  I glance at the trainer across the field and pull out my pokedex to scan their pokemon's ability.
WindStruck
Flotsam sighs with some relief when she finally gets back to Rieva. She makes her way to the Pokémon Center and makes a beeline for the nurse, asking her to treat her Pokémon.

Then she heads to the shower (there was one somewhere) and rinses off. She brings each Pokémon out one at a time, allowing them to rinse off and enjoy the flow of water. And offers them an apology.

Next up, since she heard the Pokémon Center offers free Pokémon food, she asks about that. But her own stomach is still growling.
Kareeah_Indaga
Police Station:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Are we?"  Less said, his voice calm and questioning.  "I'm not so sure of that, child. Seven long years, and she controls maybe half the region, if you call fear and intimidation control. The people hate her. If she survives this war, and maintains anything resembling power, she will spend the rest of her life putting down rebellion after rebellion, until she meets the fate of tyrants. Someone will kill her, even if she wins. Probably one of her officers. After that, Bandra rule will collapse."  
 

“Two of the Elite Four dead, and the others soon to follow? Dream only  barely  escaped his execution, and Emilia hasn’t dared to show her face in weeks. How much longer do you think they’ll last?” Janelle taunts back. “Not a single trainer in this region can take Triple B one on one. Legendary Pokémon bend to her will! But go ahead and live in denial, you senile old man.”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  Less shook his head.  "You have not paid enough attention to history. Tyrants always fall. It's merely a matter of when."  He snorted. "And can you even imagine her actually ruling? Trying to conduct diplomacy with the other regions, arranging for trade, or developing civilian infrastructure." Less shook his head.  "It would be a disaster. Likely there would be another war, this time with a region that has a real military. Where will you be then? Your glorious leader actually winning her war would be the worst thing that could happen to you, personally, because you will have to live in the world she makes."  
 

Janelle laughs again. “If it helps you sleep at night, go ahead and fantasize about some other region swooping in to stop her. Bandra will crush them too if they try! But whatever happens, I  will  live to see it, which is more than I can say for  you. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: Some more telepathy 
Well, she'd confirmed that she  could  do it, but... &lt;  So is she connected to a psychic type?  &gt;
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
 &lt;She is not.&gt;  Tattersail assures.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Wow. You don't get Bandra's current situation  at all,  do you? Janelle, Bandra isn't going to try to save you for a long, long time, if ever. Your leadership is off doing their own things, separate from one another, so much so that they couldn't even coordinate to take back the Shrine of Light since they lost it, what, almost a week ago? Let alone keep it from being taken in the first place. They have helicopters and teleportation, and they gave up their chance at getting a second legendary pokemon to assist them in their conquest at the first sign of any real resistance. They don't have the coordination or troops to hold what they have. The only counter-attack I've seen them repulse was the trap that they had to use a traitor on our side to coordinate. What in Arceus' name makes you think they have the resources to attack a city this large, with what, hundreds,  thousands  of trainers in it who will fight back, just to defend their homes? It's going to take months, if not years,  even more years , for them to drum up the courage and troops to do that."  
 

“Don’t pretend you have the slightest idea how Bandra operates, you’re only embarrassing yourself. If you knew, you wouldn’t be here begging me for information.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "What does 'Tripple B' do to worthless people, Janelle?"  He looked her dead in the eyes as he asked that question. 
 

 That  seems to have hit home, though Janelle is hiding it reasonably well. “Nothing compared to what she does to the people who cross her.” Then with false reassurance, she adds, “But don’t worry, I’m sure the sight of your corpse impaled outside this city after she  executes  you will go a long way towards restoring my mental health, so you won’t have died in vain.”

One of the guards unobtrusively indicates the clock; you’ve got enough time for one more question (or one more exchange of fire in the verbal debate as the case may be).

----------------

Matt:

The Pokédex comes back with a thorough scan: it’s a male, with Levitate, and level 22.

Koffing uses Smokescreen!
Pinchy’s Accuracy falls!

Pinchy uses Headbutt!
Koffing takes 18 damage!
Koffing uses its held Oran Berry to restore 10 HP!

Pinchy takes 8 damage from poison!


Pinchy: 49/65 (Poisoned, Accuracy down 1 level)

Koffing: 29/56

----------------

Flotsam:

The nurse treats your Pokémon with a smile and returns them to you in short order.

You find the showers in the overnight section. While all of your Pokémon enjoy the water, and the meeker members of your party accept the apology with little fanfare, King at least is still quite obviously annoyed with you.

After your shower, you find one of the Chansey, who indicates for you to follow with a wave of her stubby little arm and then cheerfully waddles off to the kitchen. She shows you where the Pokéchow is stashed, and in the process also shows you where the human chow is located.
Gnomes2169
Of course, value was the only thing that she actually cared about. Between this scientist and the grunt, it was obvious that Bandra motivated their people through punishment and reward. Ignoring  all  of her barbs, making sure to sigh in boredom as she talks about his corpse yet again, he stands up from the chair.  "Yes, yes, you're very, very loyal to people who would throw you away without blinking. Got it. You've done all your calculations, tar my head when you get out, etcetera, etcetera... The only value you still have, to anyone, is the knowledge you still have in your head. And that is going to diminish the longer you hoard it." 

Stepping away from the table, he pushes his chair in to be polite to the officer or aid that had to reset in here.  "Especially when we capture another scientist who's less loyal than you. Then? Well, you'll be worthless to us too. Then we'll have no reason to keep you outside of the general population or to protect you from... anyone. Wonder how many people are in here just because they were driven to crime when Bandra took  everything  from them?"  That should be enough to get her imagination going. He shrugged, turned around and waved dismissively over his shoulder with his mechanical arm.  "Don't wait too long to break."  Then he walked away from her.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Two of the Elite Four dead, and the others soon to follow? Dream only  barely  escaped his execution, and Emilia hasn’t dared to show her face in weeks. How much longer do you think they’ll last?” Janelle taunts back. “Not a single trainer in this region can take Triple B one on one. Legendary Pokémon bend to her will! But go ahead and live in denial, you senile old man.” 
 

 There.  Emilia was alive. Less hadn't doubted his daughter, not really, but the reassurance he felt was like a drug. Stress he hadn't even realized he was carrying left his body. It wasn't new information, but a confirmation of the status quo was far more welcome than knowledge that it had changed. He wasn't even aware that he was smiling as the scientist spoke.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Janelle laughs again. “If it helps you sleep at night, go ahead and fantasize about some other region swooping in to stop her. Bandra will crush them too if they try! But whatever happens, I  will  live to see it, which is more than I can say for  you. ”

“Don’t pretend you have the slightest idea how Bandra operates, you’re only embarrassing yourself. If you knew, you wouldn’t be here begging me for information.”

 That  seems to have hit home, though Janelle is hiding it reasonably well. “Nothing compared to what she does to the people who cross her.” Then with false reassurance, she adds, “But don’t worry, I’m sure the sight of your corpse impaled outside this city after she  executes  you will go a long way towards restoring my mental health, so you won’t have died in vain.” 
 

Still smiling, Less shook his head.  "If you have any more information for us, child, let your jailers know. We'll return if we can find the time."  With that, Less thanked the guards and left the room, heading back to the front lobby to retrieve his Pokemon before stepping outside and waiting for Mark.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Question 

It's probably 7:30 - 8:00 for Less and Mark, right?
 
gorman
 "I concede, let's go get you healed up...." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Police Station:

Janelle rolls her eyes again at Mark’s theatrics, but when Less starts genuinely smiling she looks visibly unnerved, like she realizes she just gave something away and can’t figure out what.

But the nearest guard is indicating that your half hour is up, so you are both escorted out of the room.

((Outside the interrogation room: ))

The police take you both to the lobby and return your Pokémon. It’s a little after 8 AM and you can see the streets outside are getting busy as people have trickled out of their beds and into the city, trying to make the most of their day before curfew begins again.

----------------

Matt:

Even across the arena, you can see the confusion on your opponent’s face as you concede. The lift takes you back to the lobby and your Pokémon are healed.
Gnomes2169
Retrieving all of his pokemon and things from Tattersail, Mark thanked the officers for their time, stepped outside of the station, and then turned to Less and said,  "Well, that could have gone way better. Were you able to get anything that might help you from either of them?" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "Well, that could have gone way better. Were you able to get anything that might help you from either of them?"  
 

Less smiled.  "My daughter is alive."  Less shook his head, still smiling faintly.  "If she had been killed, that zealot would have rubbed our faces in it, I'm sure."  The older man's eyes grew a bit more serious.  "And one other useful piece of information. The jeep I acquired yesterday has a scanner. We might be able to use that to find more Pokemon Bandra has experimented on and free them, if I can get the contraption working." 
gorman
After getting Trapinch healed, I head outside and wander somewhat aimlessly towards the beach east of Trainer Hill. At the edge of the beach where the green grass meets the sand, I sit myself down and look out over the waves. Lost in thought to myself.
WindStruck
Flotsam is happy to get her Pokémon fed, and slightly even more happy to even get a meal for herself! She sits down with her Pokémon and they all have a nice meal together.

And after that, Flotsam gets up and wanders over to the desk again. She asks,  "Hey Nurse Joy, where does all the Pokéchow and food come from?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Police Station:

((Let me know when you guys need input from me. 🙂))

----------------

Matt:

The tide is going out, but you’re far enough east the remaining water is still deep enough for occasional boat traffic - nothing big, presently. There are a couple Wingull in the distance, scrabbling over something on the beach, and two or three people walking along the waves. All far enough away for it to be relatively quiet and peaceful.

----------------

Flotsam:

“Right now, most of it comes from relief organizations, some of it comes from local farms. The honey is from the nice older couple across town and the eggs are from the Chansey.”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less smiled.  "My daughter is alive."  Less shook his head, still smiling faintly.  "If she had been killed, that zealot would have rubbed our faces in it, I'm sure."  The older man's eyes grew a bit more serious.  "And one other useful piece of information. The jeep I acquired yesterday has a scanner. We might be able to use that to find more Pokemon Bandra has experimented on and free them, if I can get the contraption working."  
 

Oh, wow, yeah. He'd totally missed that.  "Well hey, that's great news, right?"  Mark said, giving a grin before he yawned and kneaded at his eyes.  "Mph... remind me to get more sleep if we're going to interrogate people again... Do you know if there's something wrong with the scanner, or...?"  Mark had been doing some mechanical maintenance on his arm recently, which clearly wasn't going to translate to this situation, but his sleepy mind was still coming down from the stress of an interrogation setting, so he was still curious about this device.
gorman
I'll have Trapinch and Wythir come out to spar /// train with each other for an hour.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Oh, wow, yeah. He'd totally missed that.  "Well hey, that's great news, right?"  Mark said, giving a grin before he yawned and kneaded at his eyes. 
 

 "It is,"  Less said, quietly,  "I know Emilia can take care of herself . . ."  The older trainer trailed off, and let the though finish in his head.  But this silence is unnerving. It really wasn't like Emilia to not call and check in.  She had to be on the run somewhere.  "But a father worries,"  Less finished instead. He didn't have any real proof of his ideas.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mph... remind me to get more sleep if we're going to interrogate people again...   
 

On the other hand, it sounded like the young man would be willing to work with him again in the future. Finding officer Ray was still probably his best shot at finding Emilia, and his best shot at finding that officer was getting information from a Bandra base. The only question was which one. Less gave Mark a slight smile.  "Even after all these years teaching, I still forget how much sleep you young ones need sometimes. I need to go to the Ranger Station and fill out some paperwork, but I believe there's a Pokemon Center around near here, if you want to lie down for a while?"
 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  Do you know if there's something wrong with the scanner, or...?"  Mark had been doing some mechanical maintenance on his arm recently, which clearly wasn't going to translate to this situation, but his sleepy mind was still coming down from the stress of an interrogation setting, so he was still curious about this device. 
 

Apparently possessed of a similar train of thought, Less glanced down at Mark's arm for a moment before answering.  "I have no idea. I didn't even realize it was there. I'm afraid I never really got the hang of these 'apps' and 'touch screens' that you kids use. Hopefully it uses radio waves. Those I understand." 
Gnomes2169
Mark had no answers for Less' hopes or concerns, as he was pretty much just an awkwardly tall kid himself and had no idea what being a father would be like. He just nods along to that, and instead focuses on the other offer that Less makes... a nap  would  be nice, however,  "I don't want to fall asleep for too long, and I should probably ask the ranger office if they have some idea where I could find a Surf HM..."  He'd asked Wain, but the ranger wasn't a secretary whose job was to keep track of this kind of thing.  "Mind if I tag along?" 
Lord Ruby34
 "Not at all."  Less said.  Surf could be useful for Princess, too. 

With that, Less made his way to the Ranger's office, Buck trotting happily by his side.
Gnomes2169
And so Mark joined Less on his way to the ranger's office, Tattersail falling in behind the two of them. Somehow, the psychic type held herself in such a way that it made Mark seem like her chauffer, rather than her trainer... might be something to do with the haughty way she turned up her head, or how gracefully she seemed to glide across the sidewalk (clearly abusing her psychic powers to partially levitate along the way, she was hardly afraid to cheat like that). Regardless, the two of them took in the sights of the city along the way, Mark so that his sleepy mind could take pictures of what he saw and meld them all together into his artistic rendition of what this city's essence was when he finally took the time to draw a bit later in the evening.

It would probably be something nonsensical, at this point. He was still  very  sleepy.
Kareeah_Indaga
Matt:

((As mentioned in the OoC, need a little clarification from you.))

----------------

Less and Mark:

You make your way to the Ranger Base. The streets are busier now, making the going somewhat slower, and there is a brief interruption as a Growlithe from one of the patrols bounds over to bark at Buck and trade sniffs - not an official trained police dog, as she seems to just be saying hello, and her trainer comes over a moment later to retrieve her apologizing profusely before returning to her patrol.

The Ranger Base is likewise busy, though with more of an air of having been that way for a while - the Rangers as well as the remaining police presumably being exempt from the curfew. You can hear numerous operators on calls to Rangers in the field, sometimes more than one Ranger at a time per operator, and the desks you see show signs of having more than one person crammed at each station - multiple headsets, name tags, and so on.

This includes the receptionists, but the blonde girl is on a call with someone already, so the black-haired man waves you forward instead. “Can I help you?”
WindStruck
Flotsam smiles demurely and says,  "Oh.. well, you can tell them thanks. Thanks a lot, please!" 

Well seeing as the Chansey was right here, Flotsam turned to wave and smile.

She goes back to rest and spend time with her Pokémon, and if they want, some more time in the shower! Unless that was frowned upon? Well maybe. That was probably considered 'wasting water'.. Maybe it was going to rain again soon? She looked outside one of the windows.
Lord Ruby34
Buck preens under the attention. It's fairly clear that he thinks he's setting an excellent example of Adulthood for the little Growlithe. Less used the opportunity to make some brief small talk with her trainer, but the encounter puts Buck in a better mood. He's moving with an obvious spring in his step as the reach the Ranger Station.

 "Yes. I was advised by Ranger Wain to apply for a Bounty Hunter's license. I was hoping to get that done today, if possible." 
Gnomes2169
Mark was about to ask his question, when Less brought up the license... and his eyes grew wide as he realized that  oh right he should probably get one of those!  Pointing his mechanical hand at the older man, Mark said,  "Uh, yeah, can a seventeen-year-old get one of those too? Because I should probably apply for one of them too." 
gorman
 "Gastly come out, we'll get you an hour training too."  If each takes one hour to level up I'm fine with that. Unless we've got places to do and Bandra to beat up before that time has passed.
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam:

The sky through the window remains clear and sunny. You recall that is its normal state; it’s probably too much to hope for another borderline-unnatural storm right on the heels of the last one.

No one says a word about you wasting water although one of the Chansey does waddle in after about an hour to check on you.

Most of your Pokémon enjoy the shower, but King remains unmoved. He’s still mad at you.

----------------

Less and Mark:

To Mark, the receptionist says, “I can’t exactly  recommend  it but you can drive and you can drink, it’s legal. Here’s the form.” He picks a pair of stapled stacks of papers out of their holder and hands one to each of you as well as giving each of you a pen.

 
 Spoiler: Bounty Hunting Form 

Any criminal background for either Mark or Less?
 

 
 Spoiler: Bounty Hunting Overview 

There exist criminals that have behaved poorly enough that someone – be it the authorities, bereaved loved ones, or the general public – want them gone, and are willing to pay to make it happen.

 Rules: 
 
 Unless their Bounty specifies otherwise, anyone you want to collect on needs to still be alive when you bring them in (per the paperwork, ‘you are a Bounty Hunter not an assassin’). 
 They do not have to be completely unharmed but torture will get your license revoked. 
 If more than one Bounty Hunter brings in a target the bounty will be split between them. 
 
You also get access to the Bounty Hunting App. You can use this to look for targets, or see if any of the Bandra goons you’ve already apprehended have a cash reward for their capture.
 


----------------

Matt:

(( Two  hours I said. Gorman, training rules are in the first post of the OoC thread. Please reread them.))
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: License application 
Shockingly, Mark wasn't a wanted criminal himself, and while he had a single instance of curfew violation on his Johto record, that was from when he was 14... and of course it never went to trial because  that's not even a crime.  It's just a way to keep kids from wandering around, making noise at inconvenient times. It barely even qualified as a regulation!
 


As he filled out the application, Mark asked the receptionist a few questions.  "So I know that this bounty hunter gig is mostly for trainers and criminals and stuff, but is there an outstanding bounty for things like shadowed wild pokemon? Oh! And on that subject, I know that rangers are working to try and cure shadowed pokemon in the region. If we have a device that can track down tagged pokemon shadowed and released into the wild by Bandra, should we coordinate with you guys on that?" 

Pausing as he was writing, he remembered the reason why he was here and asked,  Also, do you know if anyone has the Surf HM anywhere around here?"  Then he signed the paper, and had a  different  realization.  "Wait. This is a license. It probably has registration and processing fees."  Mark didn't exactly have the most money at this current moment.
Lord Ruby34
Less filled out the application alongside Mark, though with fewer questions. He grimaced as he got to the criminal history section. More than forty years of driving had left him with a few infractions, and Less dutifully noted down all his stops for speeding, broken taillights, and parking tickets.  A hospital really should have more patient friendly parking.  It amounted to perhaps a half dozen tickets over the course of his lifetime. Remembering the dates and places was honestly the more difficult part.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio and Mina:

The conversation is interrupted when the man with the clipboard, looking quite cross, throws the clipboard at the ground, shouting, “ —and where are my chairs?! ”

The people marking out rows look startled and try to unobtrusively edge away.

Mina spares a glance in that direction before turning back to Akio. “ …We should probably deal with that. Come on, ” she motions in the direction of the raging collegiate man before trotting over.

“ Hello? ” It’s clear she’s trying to be polite, but she almost comes off as timid. “ We’re here to help with the chairs. ”

“There are no chairs! Useless, lazy students haven’t brought them yet!”

“ Ah. Where are they? The chairs, I mean. ”

“In storage, back at the college,” he rambles off directions, finishing with “unless those lazy students got lost on the way here.”

“ Okay, I’ll go see what’s happening. Akio, do you want to come with? ”

----------------

Mark and Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 As he filled out the application, Mark asked the receptionist a few questions.  "So I know that this bounty hunter gig is mostly for trainers and criminals and stuff, but is there an outstanding bounty for things like shadowed wild pokemon?"  
 

“Yes, but it’s a little different for Pokémon. Any trainer can catch a wild Pokémon, so you don’t need a Bounty Hunter license for that. We  do  list them from time to time, but they generally aren’t listed only in the Bounty Hunting App. Bounties for Pokémon are usually because someone stole it, or it went missing, and someone wants it back.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  Oh! And on that subject, I know that rangers are working to try and cure shadowed pokemon in the region. If we have a device that can track down tagged pokemon shadowed and released into the wild by Bandra, should we coordinate with you guys on that?"  
 

The receptionist blinks, and his blonde compatriot is apparently paying enough attention to stop dead in her conversation. (She starts up again with some prompting from the person on the other end of her headset.) “Yes, yes that would be helpful.” He starts, then glances at Mark’s prosthesis as though just seeing it. “Oh, you’re the trainers Wain mentioned!”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  Also, do you know if anyone has the Surf HM anywhere around here?"  
 

“In Skybreak? No, but I heard there’s a trainer on the coast south of here – surfer, I don’t know his name - who has offered it up to anyone who can beat him in a Water Pokémon battle. I hear he’s been really obnoxious about it, actually.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Wait. This is a license. It probably has registration and processing fees."  
 

“If you really the trainers Wain mentioned, I’m sure we can waive the fee. We’ll need a few hours to process your application anyway, I’ll make a note to check that too.” He scribbles on a couple post-its, which he sticks onto the forms once the two of you turn them in.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Yes, but it’s a little different for Pokémon. Any trainer can catch a wild Pokémon, so you don’t need a Bounty Hunter license for that. We  do  list them from time to time, but they generally aren’t listed only in the Bounty Hunting App. Bounties for Pokémon are usually because someone stole it, or it went missing, and someone wants it back.” 
 

Less nodded.  "Anything for a Honchkrow nicknamed Connie?"  Given what the flying type had told him about her capture, Less doubted there would be. Still, there was always a chance her trainer had escaped without Connie's knowledge. A small one.




 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The receptionist blinks, and his blonde compatriot is apparently paying enough attention to stop dead in her conversation. (She starts up again with some prompting from the person on the other end of her headset.) “Yes, yes that would be helpful.” He starts, then glances at Mark’s prosthesis as though just seeing it. “Oh, you’re the trainers Wain mentioned!” 
 

Less nodded.  "We acquired it alongside a Bandra jeep. Ranger Wain advised me to drop by here if I intended to make a habit of catching Bandra goons."  

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “In Skybreak? No, but I heard there’s a trainer on the coast south of here – surfer, I don’t know his name - who has offered it up to anyone who can beat him in a Water Pokémon battle. I hear he’s been really obnoxious about it, actually.” 
 

Less doubted he could manage it. Princess was only one Pokemon, and he didn't like her odds against a whole team. An idea hit.  "Mark, do you remember that girl who was at the Pokemon Center yesterday? Floatsom, I believe? Her whole team was water type Pokemon, from what I remember." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “If you really the trainers Wain mentioned, I’m sure we can waive the fee. We’ll need a few hours to process your application anyway, I’ll make a note to check that too.” He scribbles on a couple post-its, which he sticks onto the forms once the two of you turn them in. 
 

Less nods, and confirms again that they are the trainers that Wain mentioned.  "I helped bring in a Bandra scientist and a grunt yesterday, with Wain. Did there happen to be any bounty's on either of their capture?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Yes, but it’s a little different for Pokémon. Any trainer can catch a wild Pokémon, so you don’t need a Bounty Hunter license for that. We  do  list them from time to time, but they generally aren’t listed only in the Bounty Hunting App. Bounties for Pokémon are usually because someone stole it, or it went missing, and someone wants it back.” 
 

Well, that made sense. Even if it was a little disappointing, since Mark suspected he'd be fighting  a few  shadowed pokemon in the near future... assuming they survived the coming raid, at least. Still, he nodded along as the receptionist spoke, and filed that away under information to use later.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The receptionist blinks, and his blonde compatriot is apparently paying enough attention to stop dead in her conversation. (She starts up again with some prompting from the person on the other end of her headset.) “Yes, yes that would be helpful.” He starts, then glances at Mark’s prosthesis as though just seeing it. “Oh, you’re the trainers Wain mentioned!” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded.  "We acquired it alongside a Bandra jeep. Ranger Wain advised me to drop by here if I intended to make a habit of catching Bandra goons."   
 

 "Uh, yeah, I'm one of them. Hi. I'm Mark. Hopefully he hasn't told you all  too  many bad things about me."  He said, looking off to the side a bit sheepishly and rubbing at his organic shoulder. Turns out his arm  is  pretty distinctive. That was going to be... awkward, at points.  "But yeah, we've learned that it's part of the jeep. Haven't figured out how to turn it on just yet, but the device is how the captured scientist and grunt were checking in on the shadowed pokemon that Less here rescued." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “In Skybreak? No, but I heard there’s a trainer on the coast south of here – surfer, I don’t know his name - who has offered it up to anyone who can beat him in a Water Pokémon battle. I hear he’s been really obnoxious about it, actually.” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less doubted he could manage it. Princess was only one Pokemon, and he didn't like her odds against a whole team. An idea hit.  "Mark, do you remember that girl who was at the Pokemon Center yesterday? Floatsom, I believe? Her whole team was water type Pokemon, from what I remember."  
 

Hmmm... Mark had a couple water types himself, but if they could get the girl to help out with a  full team  instead...  "Yeah, I remember her. Maybe we should stop back in that town and talk to her. I'm sure that she'd be able to put the HM to good use, too." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “If you really the trainers Wain mentioned, I’m sure we can waive the fee. We’ll need a few hours to process your application anyway, I’ll make a note to check that too.” He scribbles on a couple post-its, which he sticks onto the forms once the two of you turn them in. 
 

Well, hey. That was a perk of his growing infamy. Mark turned in his form, thanking the receptionist before adding,  "Oh, and I still owe Wain for all his help and the Shrine... I won't be available for the next couple of days, but after that I'm happy to help however I can."  And hey, if that tag tracker in the jeep worked, that would  probably  be a good way to help the ranger out!
WindStruck
 "Oh, King... I know you're still mad. But what am I supposed to do!"  Flotsam exclaims.

She seriously thought about that for a minute, but it all seemed like negative thoughts and bad prospects. Get eaten by wild Pokémon? Go back to that village she grew up in, where no one really cared about her?

 "I think, maybe we shouldn't have come so far inland. Who's idea was that anyway? Mine?"  Flotsam sighed.

 "Maybe next time it rains we should head north again. Or would you rather go now?" 
Feathersnow
 “In storage, back at the college,” he rambles off directions, finishing with “unless those lazy students got lost on the way here.”

“Okay, I’ll go see what’s happening. Akio, do you want to come with?” 

"Of course! Glad to help."  This wasn't what he had in mind as a great Samurai, but it was at least honest work....

Who knew, maybe the students actually needed help, and weren't just being lazy.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Anything for a Honchkrow nicknamed Connie?"  
 

“Hold on, I’ll check…” he types and clicks for a few moments. “No, we don’t have a Pokémon by that name on the list.”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "We acquired it alongside a Bandra jeep. Ranger Wain advised me to drop by here if I intended to make a habit of catching Bandra goons."   
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "But yeah, we've learned that it's part of the jeep. Haven't figured out how to turn it on just yet, but the device is how the captured scientist and grunt were checking in on the shadowed pokemon that Less here rescued."  
 

“That reminds me.” He pulls out another packet of papers and hands them to Less. “Wain got the paperwork switched over on the vehicle, but it needs a signature.”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I helped bring in a Bandra scientist and a grunt yesterday, with Wain. Did there happen to be any bounty's on either of their capture?"  
 

More typing and clicking. “It doesn’t look like it. Grunts usually have to do something notable to get on the list, and the facemasks make identifying them difficult when they do.“


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Oh, and I still owe Wain for all his help and the Shrine... I won't be available for the next couple of days, but after that I'm happy to help however I can."  
 

“Great! I’ll let him know.” Scribble, scribble, and another post-it joins the first on Mark’s form.

----------------

Flotsam:

King just looks sullen, and doesn’t answer.

----------------

Akio and Mina:

The pair of you follow the university man’s directions, but only make it halfway there before discovering the problem.

Four people in their late teens to early twenties - presumably the students - are gathered around a wheeled rack filled with folding chairs. A second rack is sitting behind the first, unattended. As you watch, they push and pull and there’s a  screech  of metal on concrete: one of the wheels has come off.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Hold on, I’ll check…” he types and clicks for a few moments. “No, we don’t have a Pokémon by that name on the list.”


“That reminds me.” He pulls out another packet of papers and hands them to Less. “Wain got the paperwork switched over on the vehicle, but it needs a signature.”

More typing and clicking. “It doesn’t look like it. Grunts usually have to do something notable to get on the list, and the facemasks make identifying them difficult when they do.“ 
 

No surprises about Connie or the grunts. The paperwork for the jeep though . . . Less couldn't help but be impressed by Ranger Wain's diligence. Having all of the right paperwork prepared and ready to go showed a commitment that Less found commendable.  "Please pass my thanks onto Ranger Wain,"  Less said while he signed the vehicle paperwork and put the finishing touches on his application.

That done, Less stepped back and petted Buck while Mark asked any further questions. If the young man was already busy for the next few days he probably wouldn't be up for helping him raid a Bandra facility anytime soon. Which might be for the best. The fight against Connie and her flock had shown Less that his team probably wasn't in ideal fighting shape. He needed time to train, money for SMs, and heart scales. Years ago, Emilia had told him about a teacher who would accept them as currency for teaching Pokemon new moves, though he couldn't quite remember where she had said that person was. Or if that person was still in Helnith at all, given the war.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

What time is it now? I don't think I have anything else planned for Less in the morning, but if we still have a couple hours Less might train Princess for a bit.
 
Gnomes2169
Mark, for the most part, was done with the important questions, though he  did  suppose that he should ask,  "Do you know if we're going to have another one of those heckstorms tomorrow?"  Sailing when there was a monsoon going on didn't sound like a great idea, with or without surf. Once he got the answer for that, he thanked the receptionist and made his farewells.

Outside the ranger's offices, he would look at Less and ask,  "So, want to do a bit of training and then go to the chairs thing? I could help with training one of your pokemon, if you wanted to do two at once."   If  this old man was up to assisting him and Mina, like Mark hoped, then squeaking out all the strength that they could before tomorrow would be a good idea, and Mark was willing to put in the work for that.
Feathersnow
"Okay, okay here what we do, some of us go on to unload the first rack of chairs.   Then, once it's empty, come back with that rack and we switch them over. Unless one of you knows how to fix this?"

Akio certainly didn't, but he figured they could carry the broken rack the hard way once it was empty.
Lord Ruby34
Less thanked the receptionist, and left the ranger station with the younger man. Mark's offer was very kind, helping to train Less's Pokemon when he had time to train his own was very generous . . . then again, if the young man was one of the Heroes of Helnith that he had seen in the newspaper, then it stood to reason that his team was probably far stronger than Less's own.

 "I would be grateful. Thank you."  Less scanned the area, looking for a place that they could train without inconveniencing the rest of the city.

As the pair walked towards their training destination, Less couldn't help but remember the extremely expensive Pokemon training weights that he had bought Emilia for her thirteenth birthday. She always had specfic goals, too. Maybe Princess could practice that interception maneuver that she had pulled when fighting the Murkrow?


Once a suitable location was found, Less released Princess from her Pokeball. The little Corphish narrowed her eyes at Mark, then looked around with suspicion.  "No one to fight today, Princess. We're going to get some training in."   The little water type clicked her pincers menacingly. She had never particularly enjoyed training, and it was clear that she was about to throw a fit before Buck rumbled something in Pokespeak. Princess replied back, but was cut off by the large fire type. She let out a resigned "Phiiish" before snipping her pincers together again, signaling that she was ready. Buck, for his part, was happily wagging his tail as he settled in to watch the training session.

 
 Spoiler: Pokespeak Translation 

Buck rumbled, low and deep in his chest. "We agreed, Princess, no complaining." The little water type began let out her signature whine "I don't waaant to --" Before being cut off by the large fire type. "We agreed for Emilia, and for Less. We have to save her, and you need to be as strong as possible so that can happen." With a dissolute sigh, Princess agreed. "Fiiine." She snapped her pincers together again. If they were going to do this it might as well be done sooner.
 


Less shook his head. He was lucky that Buck was so good at motivating his team. He turned his attention back to Mark, and asked  "Do you have any specific equipment or techniques that you use to train? I was hoping to focus Princess on intercepting attacks for her teammates with her Protect ability." 
 
 Spoiler: Training 

If having two trainers reduces the time to train, then I'd like to focus entirely on Princess. If it just allows us to train more Pokemon at the same time, then I'll bring out Leo as well.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Mark (Ranger Base):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "Please pass my thanks onto Ranger Wain,"  Less said while he signed the vehicle paperwork and put the finishing touches on his application.  
 

“Will do!” The receptionist scribbled on another post-it, but this time stuck it to his desk next to a small mound of paperwork and half-a-dozen other post-its.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Do you know if we're going to have another one of those heckstorms tomorrow?"  
 

“No idea, they usually come out of nowhere when they come. Having two so close together would be unusual though. Err,  more  unusual.”

----------------

Akio and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Okay, okay here what we do, some of us go on to unload the first rack of chairs.   Then, once it's empty, come back with that rack and we switch them over. Unless one of you knows how to fix this?" 
 

One of the students, a lady with curly green hair who was nearly in tears prior to your arrival, just nods her head yes, and then shakes it no, and with the extra help the assembled students manage to get the working rack off the sidewalk, past the broken one and back onto the sidewalk without too much disruption of traffic. Three of them take off with the working rack, the fourth staying behind to stand guard over the broken one.

Mina, sizing up the broken rack, removes a chair and discovers that individually they aren’t very heavy at all, though she’s glad her Natu had Wished away most of her Slashpeak injuries before she needed to do this.

Reasoning to herself that there was no reason to head back empty-handed she pulls another one off, managing one under each arm; the burden is awkward but not unbearably so. “ All right, I think that’s all we can do here for now. Let’s head back then. ”

----------------

Skybreak Park (Less, Mark, Akio Mina):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 If having two trainers reduces the time to train, then I'd like to focus entirely on Princess. If it just allows us to train more Pokemon at the same time, then I'll bring out Leo as well. 
 

Sorry, no time reduction for extra people. I’ll make a note that your Pokémon are halfway to the next training level though, since you don’t have time for a full level. Gnomes, who are you training?
 


Less and Mark find a place in the park to train. Their Pokémon are just starting to get warmed up when 10 AM rolls around, and Princess (still looking for a legitimate reason to slack off) gets Less’ attention as a trio of students roll in a big wheeled rack holding lots of folding chairs. A middle-aged man with a clipboard stomps over to them and starts yelling about being late, being interrupted as the three break into a confused babble, something about a broken wheel.

A moment later Akio and Mina arrive on the scene. Mina brightens when she sees Less and Mark, though she doesn’t wave – there’s a folding chair under each arm. “ Hello! Nice to see you again. Do either of you have a screwdriver? There’s another rack of chairs a way back that way, ” as both her arms are occupied, Mina tosses her head to indicate the way she and Akio came from, “ but it lost a wheel. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I'll give Leo some training, get him up 1/2 of the way to a level too. Make the next level come in faster.

Also, I don't have anything else for the ranger base, so I'm defaulting to Mark having already said farewell and moving on to the training.
 


To be fair, Mark was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to get a full level in on any of his current party,  and  he wanted to see a few of the members on Less' team.  "Don't mention it. I'm happy to help."  He'd respond, then get into the training effort. While doing a bit of training, he sent a message to Lijan reading,  &lt; Hey, it's Mark. Going to be busy until around 2 pm, let me know when you have time for the trade and talk! &gt; 

When Mina approached, Tattersail, who Mark was basically just going to keep out all the time now, prodded him in the side to get his attention and sending him a telepathic tease that made his face absolutely scarlet for some reason. Clearing his throat, kind of choking a bit and covering it up with some coughs, he holds up a finger and says,  "I'm fine, I'm fine... hey Mina. How's... oh. Yeah, I have a few."  Fishing into his backpack, he pulled out the repair kit for his arm and asked,  "What gauge of screw are we talking about here? Flat-head, hex or Allan wrench? Load bearing or- you know what? Let's just get over there. I'll check it out and see if one of these work for it."  Who knew that losing one of your hands could be so  handy  in the right circumstances?
Lord Ruby34
Less was surprised by how much he was enjoying the training with Princess. It had been years since he had worked with any of his Pokemon like this, but he found it coming back to him with surprising ease. Princess was even mostly compliant, which was unusual. Less gave the credit to Buck, who was rumbling out what sounded like encouragement from the sidelines. Still, the session ended before Less had hoped. He had almost forgotten that he had agreed to help move the chairs.

Still, when the group of students arrived Less reluctantly stopped training and waved hello to Mina and Akio. He felt his face go hot with guilt at seeing Mina again. He should have dissuaded her and her friends a month ago. But he couldn't change the past. He would simply have to take steps to protect her, Mark, and the rest of the young people. That they were almost certainly more capable than him in a Pokemon battle didn't matter, not really. He would still shoulder the risk if possible.

Less recalled all his Pokemon, except for Buck, and trotted towards the young trainers. He was certainly the oldest person here helping to move chairs. He was certainly going to have his work cut out for him to fit in. " Good to see the both of you as well."  Less said, by way of greeting, before continuing onto the stranded chairs. Buck echoed the greeting with a bark of his own before trotting off after his trainer.

 "Now, let's see this missing wheel. Did it pop off, or snap?"   Less said, looking at the rack and at Mark, who seemed to have come well prepared with his tools. Hopefully those would fix it up, but if they couldn't he and Buck could probably manage. It wouldn't be the first piece of spot welding he and Buck had done in their lives.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Less training:

Leo stares at Mark for a long time, before Buck says something brief but stern and then he gets on with it.

Part way through Mark gets a response back to his text.

 
 Spoiler: Text for Mark 

  Lijan sent you a message! 
I’ll be waiting at the Ceris Pokémon Center any time between 2 and 5 this afternoon. Good luck on your endeavors until then. 
 


----------------

Skybreak Park (Less, Mark, Akio Mina):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "What gauge of screw are we talking about here? Flat-head, hex or Allan wrench? Load bearing or- you know what? Let's just get over there. I'll check it out and see if one of these work for it."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Now, let's see this missing wheel. Did it pop off, or snap?"   
 

“ Not this rack, ” Mina clarifies, “ A different one got stuck about halfway to the campus. I didn’t get a good look at the screw type, sorry. One sec. ” She takes a moment to unfold the chairs she is carrying and adds them to a row that is starting to form with the chairs already present. “ Okay, this way, I’ll show you. ”

She motions for Mark and Less to follow and backtracks to the stranded rack. Another working rack is being detoured around the broken one, to the annoyance of the local traffic patterns.

On inspection the broken wheel is (was) held in place by a fairly standard Phillips-head screw, but it came loose somehow (there’s no sign of a washer or nut but it’s unclear if one had been there before the breakage or if it just got lost along the way) and the students’ previous attempts to move it without the wheel have warped the frame enough that it doesn’t fit like it should – the wheel sticks out at an angle instead of touching the ground.
Lord Ruby34
 "It appears someone got a mite overeager in their pushing."  Less takes a moment to look at the damage from where he's standing, then continues.  "It's probably going to need to come off the ground before it can be fixed. Mark, you've go the tools, so why don't you see what you can do while the rest of us lift this up?"   With a flash of light, Leo reappears from his Pokeball.  "If you have any Pokemon with hands, or who are good at bearing weight, they can help too. All the metal here suggests this thing is going to be heavy."  

The older man attempts to direct Mina, Akio, their Pokemon and the student standing guard to help him lift the whole apparatus a few inches off the ground so Mark can get a better look at the damage.
Gnomes2169
Mark arrived, surveyed the scene, took a look at the wheel bearing... and shook his head.  "Going to take more than just unscrewing it and screwing it back in here. The joint itself has been kinda broken... Wait."  Yeah, this was probably going to be heavy, but,  "Tattersail, you lifted like, 30 pokemon at the same time with nothing but your mind back at the Shrine. Think you could levitate this over to the field for us, so we can get the chairs there for the presentation? We could fix the wheel after things get set up." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park (Less, Mark, Akio, Mina):

Mina had just been thinking it was a shame she couldn’t just have Natu Teleport the whole thing where it needed to go. She berated herself that she shouldn’t be using that as the solution to  everything  in any case and called out Sandshrew to help lift the rack. She wondered if she should suggest taking the chairs off the thing first (there wasn’t a lot of space to do so, and they’d either need to put them back on afterwards or carry them individually to the park but they weren’t exactly secure) when the whole thing glowed faintly and started floating a few inches into the air and drifting sedately in the direction of the park.

Mina felt a stab of jealousy that Natu couldn’t do that yet. But all she said aloud was, “ That works. ”

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; Whatever would you do without me? &gt;
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Just about the time your food is finished, Leapsy lets you know someone is approaching, although by the mild concern in her voice it’s not someone you know.

He screeches to a halt not far from your fire, and nearly trips over you. He’s in his mid-teens if that, wearing a hard hat with mining equipment hanging off his belt.

“Oh I’m sorry! I thought, I saw the smoke and thought there was a fire, and I guess there is a fire but I thought it was a fire that wasn’t supposed to be there, and yours is supposed to be there, or at least I guess it is because you’re cooking on it. Hi I’m Stef!”

He also very quickly proves himself to be a bit of a motormouth. 
 


Pinklady smiles and waves.  "Hi there, Stef! It is an intentional fire, though now that you mention it, I wonder if I really am supposed to make a fire here... maybe there's some sort of... city ord..."  She looks momentarily lost, repeating the "ord" a few times quietly.  "Ord-nance! That's it."  She gets the feeling that's not quite it.  "But, nobody else has come to stop me, so maybe not! Wanna malanga?"  She offers him one of the roasting vegetables she thinks is done.
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
Perhaps it was a sign of what he'd gone through that his first thought was that they probably just wouldn't have gotten away from the Shrine of Light. Still, he followed that up with a wry, &lt;  Probably be stuck on this sidewalk with a broken cart instead of going to the domain of the bellowing event tyrant.  &gt; Helnith certainly had its share of  colorful  people...
 


Outside of his own head, Mark would look off into space for a second and then snap back into focus, flashing Mina two thumbs up and a grin.  "We're good to go! Now then... let's go make some easy PD."  Looking over at Less, Mark said,  "When we get to work, if you wanted to talk to that honchkrow of yours, let me know. 'Sail and I can help translate."  Even if the psychic type wasn't able to detect the dark type's thoughts, as they'd discovered when she couldn't sense Sengar when he was wild a week or so back, she'd be able to translate any pokespeak for him quickly and accurately... in theory. Unless Connie spoke some kind of different dialect. Were there different pokemon languages?

These are the kinds of thoughts that filled Mark's mind as he made his way back to the park.
Lord Ruby34
That did, indeed, work. Less stood up awkwardly from his squatting position and nodded to Tattersail. That psychic type was powerful. Less followed the others back to the park, answering Mark along the way.  "I appreciate it. Go, Connie!"  The large bird appeared in a flash of light, and Less was careful to brace himself against the nearest solid object.

 "Connie, this is Mark, a friend of mine. His Gardivor, Tattersail, can translate for us. I know we were able to talk yesterday, but I figured this would be easier. Does that sound like something you want to do?" 
WindStruck
Flotsam gives King a belly rub for some time, as the fish was at least partial to that.

But in any case, she'll hang around the Pokémon center and the rest of Rieva Village for the rest of the day. Since it's not wet out and her Pokémon are rather uncomfortable, she'll opt to put them back in their Pokéballs until conditions improve.

Even Rascal! Unless he is particularly stubborn about staying out.

  Hmm.. Maybe I could visit those beekeepers,   Flotsam thinks.  Maybe it would be nice to say hello and thank them for the honey and things they donated!

And so, Flotsam will try and do exactly that.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

“Oh thank you!” Stef takes the malanga, then juggles the hot veggie from hand to hand while he speaks. “I’m sure it’s okay, I mean, someone would have come to yell at you by now if it wasn’t okay, and there isn’t anyone here except me, and I’m not here to yell at you, I’m going to the Shrine of Light to go digging!” His face brightens with excitement. “We haven’t been able to go digging in the mountains for a long time, because of Bandra, we had to go digging in the high tide zones, and that gets wet, a lot, and it’s never at a good time. But now we can go to the mountains again! But only around the Shrine of Light, and most of the Club didn’t want to go because the high tide zones are still safer, but I missed the mountains, so I’m going!” He stops momentarily to take a bite of the malanga. “Do you go digging? You don’t look like you do, but I don’t look like I do either when I don’t have my Kit with me.”

----------------

Skybreak Park (Less, Mark, Akio, Mina):

Being telepathic Tattersail of course notices the initial direction of Mark’s thoughts, and pats his shoulder reassuringly.

The trip back is mostly uneventful, and the group arrive to see the first rack is almost empty and the rows are gradually forming.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Connie, this is Mark, a friend of mine. His Gardivor, Tattersail, can translate for us. I know we were able to talk yesterday, but I figured this would be easier. Does that sound like something you want to do?"  
 

No movie quotes this time, Connie caws, and nods very obviously.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; She says that’s fine, &gt; Tattersail translates unnecessarily.
 


The man with the clipboard stomps over. “About time! Get started on the east half. You’re not getting paid to stand around!” And then just as quickly he gets distracted by some of the other work in progress and stomps off again. “No! No! No! You call that a straight line?! I’m going to have  words  with your calc teacher!”

----------------

Flotsam:

Rascal is, indeed, stubborn about being left out, but the others go back into their Pokeballs without complaint.

You step inside and find yourself in a quaint little shop, with an older lady tending the cash register and an older man dusting and arranging items on shelves. The signs are hand-painted and the air smells sharp and leafy but with undertones of wax and honey, and there’s a section near the front with jars of honey lining the shelves – most of the rest being filled with bags and canisters of herbs. This is definitely the right place.

The older woman greets you immediately. “Take a look around, dearie, let us know if there’s anything you would like.”

 Pokeball: 200 PD
Honey: 100 PD
Heal Powder: 450 PD
Energy Powder: 500 PD
Energy Root: 800 PD – Only 1 in stock!
 Revival Herb: 2800 PD  – OUT OF STOCK 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

“Oh thank you!” Stef takes the malanga, then juggles the hot veggie from hand to hand while he speaks. “I’m sure it’s okay, I mean, someone would have come to yell at you by now if it wasn’t okay, and there isn’t anyone here except me, and I’m not here to yell at you, I’m going to the Shrine of Light to go digging!” His face brightens with excitement. “We haven’t been able to go digging in the mountains for a long time, because of Bandra, we had to go digging in the high tide zones, and that gets wet, a lot, and it’s never at a good time. But now we can go to the mountains again! But only around the Shrine of Light, and most of the Club didn’t want to go because the high tide zones are still safer, but I missed the mountains, so I’m going!” He stops momentarily to take a bite of the malanga. “Do you go digging? You don’t look like you do, but I don’t look like I do either when I don’t have my Kit with me.” 
 

 "Digging, huh? Well, technically digging for roots is digging, but I think your digging is pretty different..."  She laughs and gestures to his tools.  "You don't happen to have a spare set or anything, do you? I know a good opportunity to expand my horizons when I see one! Besides, if there is still some risk, better for both of us to be there than just you, right?" 
Gnomes2169
Directing Tattersail to set the chairs down beside the other rack, Mark nodded along and said,  "Well, pretty sure you don't need that translated, but yeah. Connie is happy to talk like this."  And with that, he started picking up chairs as well. Nice, even rows, now. Nice, eeeeeven rows, so that the angry man with the clipboard doesn't notice  him...  Mark's calc teachers weren't here, -heck he didn't even  have  one- but he was certain that this organizer (professor?) would somehow find a way to contact them and make his disappointment clear.
Lord Ruby34
Less shook his head at the event organizer.  "Too little to do that really matters."  He began working on putting the chairs straight in their rows while he considered his first real question.

 "We talked about how you were captured. You said it was a Tyranitar that ambushed you and your trainer. Can you tell me more about that day?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I don't want to hold anyone up by having this conversation. If no one else has anything to do while putting these chairs in place, could we be in two places at once?
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Digging, huh? Well, technically digging for roots is digging, but I think your digging is pretty different..."  She laughs and gestures to his tools.  "You don't happen to have a spare set or anything, do you? I know a good opportunity to expand my horizons when I see one! Besides, if there is still some risk, better for both of us to be there than just you, right?"  
 

Stef gets, if anything, even more excited. “Oh yes, I have extra tools! I brought some in case some broke in the mountains, since I was going by myself, but you can have them if you want to come!” He digs through his pack with the hand not holding the malanga and plops them in your lap.

((+1 Mining Kit))

“You said you dig for roots, is that where you got these? Do you find lots of roots often? What are your favorites?” Stef continues babbling enthusiastically while you eat.

----------------

Skybreak Park:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Patience! We’ve got a little more to do before we can jump ahead.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "We talked about how you were captured. You said it was a Tyranitar that ambushed you and your trainer. Can you tell me more about that day?"  
 

Connie mostly sticks to Pokéspeak, though at one point she makes mechanical breathing sounds ala Darth Vader and another breaks out into “ You shall not pass! ” Tattersail also has to question her aloud at a few points to clarify.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
Mark can feel Tattersail’s annoyance that she can’t just pluck the details out of the Dark type’s head and has to do this the slow way. &lt; She says they weren’t ambushed, as such. She and her human were in Stardust City, and it was attacked by a human female with a Tyranitar &gt; Darth Vader breathing noises &lt; and a huge flock – flock? &gt; Connie nods, then squawks. &lt; - fine, ‘flock’ of Bandra. Apparently they flew in. The female with the Tyranitar got into a fight with the Town Elder. &gt; “ You shall not pass! ” &lt; Connie’s human wanted to get out at first, but there was a lot of sand in the air and they got turned around. Then Salerdia flew by overhead - &gt; Tattersail pauses for an exchange of Pokéspeak &lt; - Connie didn’t see what happened, but Salerdia was injured when she left again, and Bandra didn’t leave.

Connie and her trainer tried getting out again after that. He sent her off to look for a safe route but Bandra found him while she was gone. The last she saw him the female had one of her flock break his neck – you said it was a Machoke? &gt; More squawking. &lt; Okay, you  didn’t  say it was a Machoke, but it  was  a Machoke. &gt; Mark gets a distinct feeling of ‘whatever!’ &lt; Anyway, she tried to get to him but got knocked out, and when she woke up she was in a cage. &gt;
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Stef gets, if anything, even more excited. “Oh yes, I have extra tools! I brought some in case some broke in the mountains, since I was going by myself, but you can have them if you want to come!” He digs through his pack with the hand not holding the malanga and plops them in your lap.

((+1 Mining Kit))

“You said you dig for roots, is that where you got these? Do you find lots of roots often? What are your favorites?” Stef continues babbling enthusiastically while you eat. 
 

 "Oh, thank you!"  Pinklady immediately gets to happily checking out the various tools in the kit while the conversation continues.

 "Nope, I got these from the Pokecenter! I didn't even know for sure these were roots, but that does make sense..."  She turns over one of the still-cooking ones.  The other person said they were like potatoes, after all.   "Back home, though, I did find roots pretty often! But I haven't gone digging here yet, I don't really know this place yet. I mean Helnith as a whole, I came all the way from over at Unova. Back there, my favourites had to have been burdock, and cattails! I wish I had some now to show you what burdock's like, especially. Oh, and of course, it's important to eat the roots. Just the roots. Wait, do you know if either of those grow anywhere here?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: Mark 
Mark can feel Tattersail’s annoyance that she can’t just pluck the details out of the Dark type’s head and has to do this the slow way. &lt; She says they weren’t ambushed, as such. She and her human were in Stardust City, and it was attacked by a human female with a Tyranitar &gt; Darth Vader breathing noises &lt; and a huge flock – flock? &gt; Connie nods, then squawks. &lt; - fine, ‘flock’ of Bandra. Apparently they flew in. The female with the Tyranitar got into a fight with the Town Elder. &gt; “ You shall not pass! ” &lt; Connie’s human wanted to get out at first, but there was a lot of sand in the air and they got turned around. Then Salerdia flew by overhead - &gt; Tattersail pauses for an exchange of Pokéspeak &lt; - Connie didn’t see what happened, but Salerdia was injured when she left again, and Bandra didn’t leave.

Connie and her trainer tried getting out again after that. He sent her off to look for a safe route but Bandra found him while she was gone. The last she saw him the female had one of her flock break his neck – you said it was a Machoke? &gt; More squawking. &lt; Okay, you  didn’t  say it was a Machoke, but it  was  a Machoke. &gt; Mark gets a distinct feeling of ‘whatever!’ &lt; Anyway, she tried to get to him but got knocked out, and when she woke up she was in a cage. &gt;
 
 
 

Mark tried to relate the story as it went along, playing a game of psychic telephone and translating the translation by saying,  "It seems like Connie was captured a while ago, before Bandra took Stardust City, and she and her trainer were trapped in the attack. A woman with a tyranitar,"  likely one of the officers,  "and a large group of goons came in via air, and the tyranitar created a sandstorm that lowered everyone's visibility and gave Bandra cover for the attack. Connie and her trainer wanted to leave, but the sandstorm turned them around, and they hid until the attack was over instead. When things settled down, Connie was sent out to find an escape route, but when she came back her trainer had already been found and was killed by a machoke before she could protect him. She was captured by Bandra shortly after. Um... It also seems like Salerdia was driven off and injured during the attack? Though this was a while ago, I think." 

He looked at the dark type, his expression asking if he'd gotten the core of it down.
Lord Ruby34
Less broke off his work for a moment to softly pet Connie, if the large flying type allowed it.  "I'm sorry that happened to you and your trainer. I promise Bandra, and their leader, will answer for their crimes."  Less paused for a moment, and then continued, a little quieter.  "What was your trainer's name?"  Less paused his questioning for a moment and waited for the answer while he returned to moving chairs.

After Connie responded, and Mark and Tattersail translated, Less continued on to his next question.  "What happened after you woke up? Do you know where you were?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

What is this word "patience" you speak of. I do not believe I know it. 😛

More seriously, I just hate the idea of making people wait on me. But if we have stuff to do, then stuff we shall do!
 
Feathersnow
Akio listens, trying to get a picture of what happened.  Psychic types that could communicate with Humans in words were a wonder!
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Back home, though, I did find roots pretty often! But I haven't gone digging here yet, I don't really know this place yet. I mean Helnith as a whole, I came all the way from over at Unova. Back there, my favourites had to have been burdock, and cattails! I wish I had some now to show you what burdock's like, especially. Oh, and of course, it's important to eat the roots. Just the roots. Wait, do you know if either of those grow anywhere here?"  
 

“We have cattails here, but they aren’t roots they’re reeds!” Stef responds cheerfully, apparently not as well acquainted with botany as you are. “Are they roots in Unova? And you can eat them? What do they taste like, are they good? I don’t know what burdock is, so I don’t know if we have those or not, what do they look like?”

----------------

Skybreak Park:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "It seems like Connie was captured a while ago, before Bandra took Stardust City, and she and her trainer were trapped in the attack. A woman with a tyranitar,"  likely one of the officers,  "and a large group of goons came in via air, and the tyranitar created a sandstorm that lowered everyone's visibility and gave Bandra cover for the attack. Connie and her trainer wanted to leave, but the sandstorm turned them around, and they hid until the attack was over instead. When things settled down, Connie was sent out to find an escape route, but when she came back her trainer had already been found and was killed by a machoke before she could protect him. She was captured by Bandra shortly after. Um... It also seems like Salerdia was driven off and injured during the attack? Though this was a while ago, I think." 

He looked at the dark type, his expression asking if he'd gotten the core of it down. 
 

Connie nodded.

“That sounds like the attack right before we met up with Elren and the Starlight Squad in the Shrine of Light,” Mina remarked. Or rather,  she’d  met Elren et al in the Shrine of Light, everyone else here was newer than that. But it almost had to have been the same attack if Salerdia had shown up, unless it was multiple years ago…

…Come to that, hadn’t Elren  said  Salerdia had been injured? So probably the same attack.

 
 Spoiler: Less 

Elren was the name of the Town Elder for Stardust City, in addition to being the leader of the Starlight Squad. According to scuttlebutt and the local newspapers, he died during Bandra’s most recent attack on Ternai Town. Foul play was suspected.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less broke off his work for a moment to softly pet Connie, if the large flying type allowed it.  "I'm sorry that happened to you and your trainer. I promise Bandra, and their leader, will answer for their crimes."  Less paused for a moment, and then continued, a little quieter.  "What was your trainer's name?"  Less paused his questioning for a moment and waited for the answer while he returned to moving chairs. 
 

Connie accepted the petting and preened Less’ hair in return before squawking an answer.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt;  She said his name was ‘Hangi.’ &gt;
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "What happened after you woke up? Do you know where you were?"  
 

Squawking. “ Red wires green wires stuck 'em right through me! ” More squawking, and a shudder.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; She’s pretty sure it was a lab. She’s not sure exactly where, but she thinks it might have been in Stardust or maybe Moontear. It was on the coast, but she wasn’t there long before they put her through a portal to the Spectral Dimension. She remembers an especially unpleasant human there with a cough, who had a Smeargle and seemed to be in charge. &gt;
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

“We have cattails here, but they aren’t roots they’re reeds!” Stef responds cheerfully, apparently not as well acquainted with botany as you are. “Are they roots in Unova? And you can eat them? What do they taste like, are they good? I don’t know what burdock is, so I don’t know if we have those or not, what do they look like?” 
 

 "They don't have roots here...?"  Pinklady wonders aloud, being not well acquainted with the fact he is not well acquainted with botany and, as a result, misunderstanding his contradiction.  "They do have roots in Unova! I wonder how they grow here without roots... but yeah, they're good! A little bit bitter, but it's got a nice feel to it, and the bitterness isn't really much of a problem. Especially if you can eat it with some berries. As for burdock, it's got some really nice looking, sometimes really big leaves, grows about..."  She indicates a height not particularly high above the ground.  "...and it's most distinctive thing is some pink and white prickly bulbs! I should be keeping an eye out for them, just been a bit too busy here so far to pay all that much attention..." 
Gnomes2169
Nodding along with what the other trainers were saying, but only half-listening since he was trying to set up chairs and still listening to the mental transcript that Tattersail was feeding him, Mark said,  "Her previous trainer's name was Hangi."  He had no idea if anyone on the team knew that name.  "The lab they held her in was on the coast, maybe Stardust City or Moontear, but while they ran some experiments, they took her out of there pretty quickly and then sent her into a portal to the Spectral dimension... I'm pretty sure that's how Connie ended up becoming shadowed. The person running the lab was a male with a cough, who owned a Smeargle."  He didn't add the part about the man being unpleasant because in Bandra, that was kinda going to be a given for their officers and taskmasters.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that,” Stef replies sadly. Then he brightens. “If we see any on the way to the Shrine will you show me? It sounds like lots of fun looking for plants, like looking for fossils but without digging!”

 
 Spoiler: Clarification from the DM 

Near as I can tell from Google it exists in the appropriate climate, so it exists in Helnith. However, Stef doesn’t have the appropriate expertise to recognize it/have noticed it.
 


----------------

Skybreak Park:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Her previous trainer's name was Hangi."  
 

Mina didn’t know that name, but wasn’t surprised; she figured she’d have recognized Connie (or vice-versa) if the Dark type had belonged to someone she knew.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The person running the lab was a male with a cough, who owned a Smeargle."  
 

“ Tenma. ” Mina said flatly. There  had  to be a finite number of scientists in Bandra with Smeargle. “ We ran into him outside the Shrine of Light, about the same time as Elren. ” Protecting the latter from the former. Given the amount of friendly fire involved in that fight, Mina was still kind of surprised they’d made it out alive.
Lord Ruby34
 Hangi.  Not a name that Less knew, though he made a mental note to look the young man up later. If he had family they needed to be notified, if they weren't already.

As for the rest, it was unfortunate, but understandable, that Connie didn't know where she was being held. Neither of those locations sounded easy to infiltrate either. The information about shadowing could be useful though. It confirmed that Bandra wasn't able to shadow Pokemon on command, or at least that they hadn't used such a machine on Connie, which was the best that could be hoped for under the circumstances.

Less nodded along with Mina's identification.  "I've heard of him only by name and reputation, and nothing pleasant."  Less turned to Connie once more.  "Do you remember anything else after being shadowed? Or anything else that could help us find the person who killed Hangi?" 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that,” Stef replies sadly. Then he brightens. “If we see any on the way to the Shrine will you show me? It sounds like lots of fun looking for plants, like looking for fossils but without digging!”

 
 Spoiler: Clarification from the DM 

Near as I can tell from Google it exists in the appropriate climate, so it exists in Helnith. However, Stef doesn’t have the appropriate expertise to recognize it/have noticed it.
 
 
 

 "Of course!"  Pinklady nods quickly.  "I can't think of the last time someone's asked me about plant identifications... hopefully they do grow around here and we don't end up empty-handed!" 

She figures the next malanga is done and begins eating it herself.  "Mm! I wonder if it'd be safe to grow these in the forest back home.." 
 
 Spoiler 

Got it, thank you! Pinklady will definitely keep an eye out for it going forward.
By the way, unrelatedly, I believe an error was made updating post #452 - seems you copied #461 into it.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Do you remember anything else after being shadowed? Or anything else that could help us find the person who killed Hangi?"  
 

Connie considers this for a moment, then squawks some more. “ Dem bones dem bones dem dryyyy bones! ”

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; She thinks she remembers some Bug Pokémon that changed shape in the sun, and what might have been Cubone. An important rock, or rocky Pokémon, she isn’t sure which – she was Shadowed by that point and everything was pretty nightmarish. Some weird vegetation – plants with heads like giant mops. Goat Pokémon that turned into fish. Clear skies and bits of the fight the old man found her in. &gt;
 


----------------

Pinklady:

((Anything else you want to chat with Stef about or should I move this along?))
WindStruck
Flotsam does try to carry Rascal around a bit, so he doesn't have to flop around on dry ground (or mud?) and grass.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Though looking at weights, he's probably pretty heavy for her...
 


She finds the shop with the elderly couple and looks around. Smiling she says,  "Oh, hi! Thanks." 

She awkwardly looks around, taking in the sights and smells, though she straightens up her composure a bit, remembering the reasons she had came here.  "So.. I don't think I was going to buy anything. I just wanted to thank you for the donations you make.. um. Do you need any help with anything?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Skybreak Park:

Connie considers this for a moment, then squawks some more. “ Dem bones dem bones dem dryyyy bones! ”

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; She thinks she remembers some Bug Pokémon that changed shape in the sun, and what might have been Cubone. An important rock, or rocky Pokémon, she isn’t sure which – she was Shadowed by that point and everything was pretty nightmarish. Some weird vegetation – plants with heads like giant mops. Goat Pokémon that turned into fish. Clear skies and bits of the fight the old man found her in. &gt;
 
 
 

... Okay. He had no idea how to interpret that, so he was just going to say,  "It was hard for Connie to remember much after becoming shadowed. She remembers a bug pokemon that changed shape in sunlight, a boney pokemon that could have been a Cubone, something to do with either a shiny rock or rocky pokemon, maybe a shiny rock type? Then... plants with heads like mops, goat pokemon that turned into fish, clear skies, and bits of the fight with the old man- er, with Less."  It honestly sounded like she had been loopy on some  horrible  pain killers... which he had experience with himself, given the loss of his arm and all the pain he'd gone through in order to get the neural-linked prosthetic. The description was giving him flashbacks to his time in the hospital.

 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Is that what shadowing is like? Lethargy punctuated by scenes of surreal hyper-reality, pain, extreme emotion and then misty fog again?  &gt;
 
Lord Ruby34
Unfortunately, that description was a little too scattered to be of much real help, though Less had the sinking feeling he'd find out what each of those things meant once it was too late to prepare for them.

 "Thank you, Connie."  Less said,  "I imagine that was difficult to try and remember, but you did very well. Was there anything you wanted to tell me that would be easier with Mark and Tattersail here?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

You finish up your meal and then you and Stef head in the direction of the Shrine of Light.

You do find a burdock plant a few hours into your journey, although it’s stunted and weak compared to what you’re used to.

 
 Spoiler: Note from the DM 

Google says it likes good soil, which is in short supply in this part of Helnith.
 


You make it to the Shrine without issue about 2:30 PM, but once you’re within sight of the complex a handful of trainers step out of their hiding spots to stop you, gripping Pokéballs.

“Hold it right there. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

----------------

Flotsam:


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "So.. I don't think I was going to buy anything. I just wanted to thank you for the donations you make.. um. Do you need any help with anything?"  
 

“Why thank you dearie, it’s no trouble we just had a bit of good fortune getting our Beatrice back recently, and thought we should share. We don’t need anything badly right now, another young trainer is getting a replacement part for us and we expect she’ll be back soon. We did get an order for some Purging Herb, so if you find any bring it in dearie, we’ll pay you for your trouble.”

----------------

Skybreak Park:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "It was hard for Connie to remember much after becoming shadowed. She remembers a bug pokemon that changed shape in sunlight, a boney pokemon that could have been a Cubone, something to do with either a shiny rock or rocky pokemon, maybe a shiny rock type? Then... plants with heads like mops, goat pokemon that turned into fish, clear skies, and bits of the fight with the old man- er, with Less."  
 

None of that sounded familiar to Mina, so she said nothing.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Is that what shadowing is like? Lethargy punctuated by scenes of surreal hyper-reality, pain, extreme emotion and then misty fog again?  &gt;
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; It feels like a waking nightmare. &gt;Tattersail’s response has a strong undercurrent of ‘and I didn’t investigate any farther.’
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Thank you, Connie."  Less said,  "I imagine that was difficult to try and remember, but you did very well. Was there anything you wanted to tell me that would be easier with Mark and Tattersail here?"  
 

Connie’s reply is solemn. And short; Tattersail has to question her in Pokéspeak to make sense of it.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; ‘Tell the parkour boy to stay home’? &gt; Some Pokéspeak back and forth. &lt; Oh. She says her trainer had a friend from overseas he wrote to, she’s not sure of his name, who will want to know he died. &gt;
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

You finish up your meal and then you and Stef head in the direction of the Shrine of Light.

You do find a burdock plant a few hours into your journey, although it’s stunted and weak compared to what you’re used to.

 
 Spoiler: Note from the DM 

Google says it likes good soil, which is in short supply in this part of Helnith.
 


You make it to the Shrine without issue about 2:30 PM, but once you’re within sight of the complex a handful of trainers step out of their hiding spots to stop you, gripping Pokéballs.

“Hold it right there. Who are you and what are you doing here?” 
 

Pinklady makes sure to point out the burdock along the way.  "Although, it doesn't look as robust as those back home... must be the climate. Or maybe a sister species?"  She speculates aloud.

 
 Spoiler 

I do quite enjoy these DM notes, love the insight into your decisions with this kind of thing!
 


Pinklady gives a friendly wave.  "Hi there! S-sso, are these fellows from your club?"  She asks Stef. She quickly realises just before she says Stef's name that maybe she shouldn't call him by name before identifying who these people are. Even if they aren't visibly Bandra, Stef did mention there still being some danger!
Gnomes2169
 "Well, it seems like Hangi had a friend in another region, though Connie doesn't remember his name... Just called him 'Parkour Boy'. Still, if we could tell him about what happened to Hangi, your pokemon would appreciate it."  Mark said, looking at Less and then shrugging.  "No idea how you'd figure that out, though. Maybe Hangi had some kind of online profile or something?" 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded thoughtfully. He'd have to search TrainerBook or whatever it was the kids were using these days. He could probably figure out how to do that. Or ask one of the others.  "I appreciate you taking the time to translate, Mark, Tattersail."  Less inclined his head at each of them in turn as he returned to stacking chairs. He realized he had stopped for a bit while talking to Connie.

 "Connie, do you want to stay out for a bit and stretch your wings?"  Less asked. Based on his past experience, he didn't need a translator for that. Buck woofed something encouraging in response. Less assumed that it was an invitation for Connie to chat. Less was content to let them. He had plenty to think through based on what Connie had told him today and yesterday.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady gives a friendly wave.  "Hi there! S-sso, are these fellows from your club?"  
 

“No, I couldn’t get anyone from the Club to come with me,” Stef replies. He also waves to the unknown trainers. “Hi! I’m Stef, and this is” he uncharacteristically pauses before the verbal spigot turns back on “I don’t think I ever got her name but she’s from Unova and she’s very nice, she was showing me what burdock looks like and also told me you can eat cattails!”

The unknown trainers relax a bit, and the one in the lead waves the other three back into hiding. “Oh, you’re that kid from the Geology Club. Alvin said you were coming, although he didn’t say anything about your friend…”

----------------

Skybreak Park:

Mina unobtrusively taps Mark, and wordlessly motions in the direction of the others. She raises an eyebrow.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; Mina wants to know if you’re going to ask them to join the next mission now. &gt;
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Connie, do you want to stay out for a bit and stretch your wings?"  
 

Connie nods enthusiastically in response before taking flight; she and Buck are shortly engaged in an impromptu game of catch utilizing a stick, out of the way of the chair setup.
Gnomes2169
Mark nods, having figured that this was the perfect time to do so, and he glanced about to make sure no one else was close enough to be listening in on them, and having Tattersail do a quick once-over to see if anyone was giving the group undue attention. As long as the coast was clear, Mark said,  "So Less, Akio. Last night we talked a bit about Bandra's long-term plans, with their breeding program and the poffin farms. You don't seem to like Bandra that much and want to help keep this region free of their influence, so are you interested in joining me and Mina in a bit of... sabotage?"  He glanced between the two of them and then back to Mina to see if there was anything she wanted to add.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

“No, I couldn’t get anyone from the Club to come with me,” Stef replies. He also waves to the unknown trainers. “Hi! I’m Stef, and this is” he uncharacteristically pauses before the verbal spigot turns back on “I don’t think I ever got her name but she’s from Unova and she’s very nice, she was showing me what burdock looks like and also told me you can eat cattails!”

The unknown trainers relax a bit, and the one in the lead waves the other three back into hiding. “Oh, you’re that kid from the Geology Club. Alvin said you were coming, although he didn’t say anything about your friend…” 
 

 "No way you would've heard about me, Stef and I just met! Everything he said about me is true, though! But who's this Alvin?"  She asks, looking at both the lead unknown trainer and to Stef.
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark nods, having figured that this was the perfect time to do so, and he glanced about to make sure no one else was close enough to be listening in on them, and having Tattersail do a quick once-over to see if anyone was giving the group undue attention. As long as the coast was clear, Mark said,  "So Less, Akio. Last night we talked a bit about Bandra's long-term plans, with their breeding program and the poffin farms. You don't seem to like Bandra that much and want to help keep this region free of their influence, so are you interested in joining me and Mina in a bit of... sabotage?"  He glanced between the two of them and then back to Mina to see if there was anything she wanted to add. 
 

Akio tries to look solemn, but the fires of his need fir adventure are not completely dimmed...

"It would be an honor and a privilege "
Lord Ruby34
Less took startled moment to respond. He had been considering asking the two of them something similar. It wasn't that he was surprised that the Heroes of Helnith were going to fight Bandra, but he was surprised that they would want his help. He far from a Pokemon expert. Everything he knew about Pokemon he had learned from his daughter, or researching enough so that he could be her sparring partner when she was younger.

 "I . . . would be certainly not be opposed."  Less paused for a moment to compose himself then continued with a more usual sternness.  "Though I suppose I would want to know the specifics before committing to assisting. My first priority remains finding my daughter. I cannot commit to anything that would unduly endanger that goal."  Though most plans, he admitted to himself, would bring him closer to finding Emilia then he was now. Anything short of a suicide mission, really.

 And if a suicide mission was what it took to find her?  Less asked himself. The thought passed in a moment. He already knew the answer.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef is happy to fill you in. “Oh, Alvin is in the Geology Club with me! He shouldn’t be here though, he was still in Tidepath when I left unless he–“

The lead trainer cuts him off before he can get started again. “Alvin called ahead, he didn’t think you were going to make it here but to keep an eye out for you. You kids realize there are still Bandra in these mountains? And lots of powerful Pokémon too?”

----------------

Skybreak Park:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "So Less, Akio. Last night we talked a bit about Bandra's long-term plans, with their breeding program and the poffin farms. You don't seem to like Bandra that much and want to help keep this region free of their influence, so are you interested in joining me and Mina in a bit of... sabotage?"  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "It would be an honor and a privilege " 
 

“ You’re  sure?  ” Mina’s gaze could have pierced steel and her voice was deadly serious. “ Because if you come with us for this, you’re going to be on Bandra’s hit list. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I . . . would be certainly not be opposed."  Less paused for a moment to compose himself then continued with a more usual sternness.  "Though I suppose I would want to know the specifics before committing to assisting. My first priority remains finding my daughter. I cannot commit to anything that would unduly endanger that goal."  
 

“ Wait, daughter? ” Mina asked, momentarily distracted. She knew she hadn’t been giving the meeting last night as much attention as it deserved but she didn’t remember Less saying anything about a daughter. ((And she took off before the conversation in Skybreak got to that subject.))
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ You’re  sure?  ” Mina’s gaze could have pierced steel and her voice was deadly serious. “ Because if you come with us for this, you’re going to be on Bandra’s hit list."  
 

"I am a Samurai.  This is what I was born for.  If I die for it, that is simply fate."  Akio pauses. He sounded  cool. 

"Posturing aside, I want to help. There's nothing for me back in Johto, but, here, I can make a difference."
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Stef is happy to fill you in. “Oh, Alvin is in the Geology Club with me! He shouldn’t be here though, he was still in Tidepath when I left unless he–“

The lead trainer cuts him off before he can get started again. “Alvin called ahead, he didn’t think you were going to make it here but to keep an eye out for you. You kids realize there are still Bandra in these mountains? And lots of powerful Pokémon too?” 
 

 "Don't worry, we realise that! But I've got some pretty good Pokemon of my own, and what's more, the sense of when to run!"  She hadn't actually had to run yet, but she felt pretty sure she would be able to recognize things going south if they were to.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ You’re  sure?  ” Mina’s gaze could have pierced steel and her voice was deadly serious. “ Because if you come with us for this, you’re going to be on Bandra’s hit list. ” 
 

Passages from some of his favorite books raced through Less's thoughts, alongside his own guilt. Some of them, he imagined, conveyed his feelings towards death reasonably well. Ever since Georgia had passed the thought of his own demise gave him little pause. Instead of sharing any of the passages, or what he was thinking, Less simply nodded, and said  "Yes." 

“ Wait, daughter? ” Mina asked, momentarily distracted. She knew she hadn’t been giving the meeting last night as much attention as it deserved but she didn’t remember Less saying anything about a daughter. ((And she took off before the conversation in Skybreak got to that subject.))[/QUOTE]

 "Hmm? Oh, I supposed I only mentioned Emilia to Mark."  Less paused for a moment and looked around. He continued only once he was sure that no one other than the group was listening.  "My daughter has been fighting Bandra since the war began. Recently, I lost contact with her. The last I heard she was in southern Helnith, being pursued by a Bandra officer named Ray."  Less's voice was cold and distant. It never got easier to speak about.  "If I'm going to help with your plan, I would ask your assistance in turn. I need to find this Bandra Officer." 
WindStruck
Flotsam begins to scratch her head before stopping. She asks,  "Hm. Purging herb? What does that look like?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park:


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "I am a Samurai.  This is what I was born for.  If I die for it, that is simply fate."  Akio pauses. He sounded  cool. 

"Posturing aside, I want to help. There's nothing for me back in Johto, but, here, I can make a difference." 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Yes."  
 

“ All right, just remember you’ve been warned. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Hmm? Oh, I supposed I only mentioned Emilia to Mark."  Less paused for a moment and looked around. He continued only once he was sure that no one other than the group was listening.  "My daughter has been fighting Bandra since the war began. Recently, I lost contact with her. The last I heard she was in southern Helnith, being pursued by a Bandra officer named Ray."  Less's voice was cold and distant. It never got easier to speak about.  "If I'm going to help with your plan, I would ask your assistance in turn. I need to find this Bandra Officer."  
 

Mina shrugged. “ Sure, that’s fair. ”   And we’re going to have to hunt down all the Bandra Officers at some point anyway.   “ We should get together later to go over the plan. Somewhere more private. ” She could see the university man bearing down on them.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Okay, NOW we can split the timeline, or just jump ahead if you lot want.
 


----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Don't worry, we realise that! But I've got some pretty good Pokemon of my own, and what's more, the sense of when to run!"  
 

The lead trainer looks like he’s not sure whether to believe you or not. “Fine, just stay out of trouble.”

Stef nods excitedly and the other trainer goes back into his hiding spot with the rest of them.

Stef turns to you. “Did you want to see the Shrine first or go digging?”

 
 Spoiler: Mining Minigame Reminder 

The mining minigame can be played whenever you’re in a place suitable for digging (EX: mountains, caves). You use the radar included in the Mining Kit to detect spots where treasure is hidden. After you locate a spot, you may proceed with a round of digging.

The game itself works a bit like a cross between the Pokéwalker Dowsing Machine game and digging in the Underground: I give you a row of fifteen numbers ranging from 1 to 3. That’s the depth of your stone. You have 10 ‘hits’ before the spot you work on collapses, destroying any unexcavated treasure.

As in D/P/Pt, you have two tools, the mallet and the pick. You choose which tool you’re using and which slots you’re hitting with it. Both the mallet and the pick subtract a certain amount from the ‘stone’ and the number of ‘hits’ you have left, which break down as follows:

Mallet: -2 ‘hits’ per use, Pattern (-1/2, -1, -1, -1/2)
Pick: -1 ‘hit’ per use, Pattern (-1/2, -1, -1/2)

Your goal is to get the stone numbers down to 0 before you run out of ‘hits’ and ideally find treasure, so choose your hits wisely. Item sizes range from 1 to 3 slots.

Please note that you can’t choose to distribute the hit over a pattern other than the one specified. (EX: Hitting slots 1-4 with the mallet on one swing is fine; hitting slots 1, 5, 7, and 10 on one swing is not.) Also note, you’re free to switch between the two tools between hits.

Mining takes 1 hour for every round of the minigame you play.
 


----------------

Flotsam:

“It has leaves that grow out of its center, they’re about as long as my hand or a little longer. They’re mostly very dark, dearie, except where they come out of the plant where they’re mottled in bright colors, very pretty. Sometimes they have a bit of white fuzz on them. And they have toothed edges, like a chestnut leaf, but much bigger teeth and of course they’re a ground plant, not a tree. Be careful not to let your Pokémon eat it, they’ll be sick for a week.”
Lord Ruby34
 "Thank you."   Less looked at Mark, just to check to make sure the young man agreed as well, and continued stacking chairs.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I don't have anything else I wanted to do during setup.

If the group is going to get lunch or something during the break then Less will go with, otherwise he'll train his Pokemon some more, starting with Princess until she levels up and then attempting to give Leo an hour of training as well.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The lead trainer looks like he’s not sure whether to believe you or not. “Fine, just stay out of trouble.”

Stef nods excitedly and the other trainer goes back into his hiding spot with the rest of them.

Stef turns to you. “Did you want to see the Shrine first or go digging?” 
 

 "Digging, definitely! Not that the Shrine doesn't sound interesting, too, but I'm eager to get to that!" 
 
 Spoiler 

Thank you for the reminder! Quick question: can the mallet be used when there's only one "hit" left you can do, or do there need to be at least two hits remaining to use it? Also, in doing the minigame, will it be a quick I choose a hit -&gt; you respond with results -&gt; I choose my next hit, or shall I be "batching" some hits together to prevent it from being drawn out so much?
 
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded at Akio and Less in turn, and he told them,  "We'll go over the plans at the pokemon center tonight... I will say, Less, if you can find Flotsam and get that HM by high tide tomorrow, that would be... convenient."  The window of the attack  might  be able to be delayed by a day, but if they could keep to their timeline... well, it would be convenient.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I'd be happy to do my trade if we're going to do a split timeline.
 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded and turned to Akio.  "There's a surfer,"  Less started by way of explanation,  "that has apparently offered to give out the Surf HM to anyone who can beat him in a water Pokemon battle. We thought this might be a way that Floatsom could safely help."  Less paused for a moment.  "You two entered together last night. You may well be better suited for the task of seeking her aid than I." 
Feathersnow
"I definitely can ask her when I see her. And my Ditto can help if she manages to secure a pokémon to copy."

Akio relaxes a bit. Networking is a little more what his upbringing in the Matsubara household actually prepared him for, his semi-mythical ancestry aside
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded and turned to Akio.  "There's a surfer,"  Less started by way of explanation,  "that has apparently offered to give out the Surf HM to anyone who can beat him in a water Pokemon battle. We thought this might be a way that Floatsom could safely help."  Less paused for a moment.  "You two entered together last night. You may well be better suited for the task of seeking her aid than I."  
 

Mina had to think back to who Flotsam was, and then remembered the young trainer with the parade of Water types around her. Mina had honestly gotten the impression the kid had showed up at the meeting by mistake, but there probably wasn’t any harm in asking her.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "I definitely can ask her when I see her. And my Ditto can help if she manages to secure a pokémon to copy." 
 

Mina still said nothing, although internally she reflected sadly on Tiara (or “Dubba”, whichever); she had no idea what had happened to the little shapeshifter after Misty got herself killed. She never should have given the poor Pokémon to the crazy redhead. Who knew what had happened to the poor thing?

((After chairs: ))

After a great deal of labor the chairs were in place, and the people meant to sit in them started trickling into the area. A younger man took his place behind the podium set up at the front, fiddling with his notes.

The university man scowled as he handed everyone their payment. Then he turned to watch the younger man start his lecture and beamed; there was a definite family resemblance.

((+2,000 PD Less (6,100 total)
+2,000 PD Akio (4,550 total)
+2,000 PD Mark (2,750 total)
+2,000 PD Mina (2,260 total)))

Once the money was collected Mina bid the others a temporary goodbye. “ I’ve got something I need to do at the Gym; I’ll see you guys in two hours for the cleanup, ” Mina said, waving on her way out.

----------------

Less (after chair setup):

You just manage to squeeze in enough training for Princess and Leo to level up once each before it’s time to put the chairs away again, despite Princess’ reluctance.

 
 Spoiler: Level-ups for Princess and Leo 

No new moves for either of them.

Pokemon: Corphish (Princess)
Type: Water
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 68 +1
Attack: 56 +10
Def: 48 +10
Sp. Attack: 40
Sp. Def: 32
Speed: 32
Moves:
Knock Off
Harden
ViceGrip
Leer
Bubblebeam
Protect

Pokemon: Croagunk (Leo)
Type: Poison/Fighting
Ability: Dry Skin
Gender: Male
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 69
Attack: 44 +20
Def: 33
Sp. Attack: 44
Sp. Def: 33
Speed: 39
Moves:
Poison Sting
Taunt
Pursuit
Faint Attack
Revenge
Swagger
 


----------------

Mark (after chair setup):

 You make it out of Skybreak (on foot, at least until you get out of the city, as it transpires the various patrols have Pokémon in them that prevent you just Teleporting out directly, to Tattersail’s annoyance) and over to Ceris.

It takes a while to locate Lijan. Belatedly, you remember you told him to meet you around 2 PM and it’s just before noon, so he doesn’t know you’re coming just yet. But you do eventually find him in the Ceris Pokémon Center, in the midst of making a sandwich.

“Mark?” His eyes have a faraway look as is typical, but he frowns slightly. “You’re early. Is everything all right?" 

----------------

Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Questions answered in the OoC! Let me know if you need anything else clarified. 🙂
 


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Digging, definitely! Not that the Shrine doesn't sound interesting, too, but I'm eager to get to that!"   
 

“Okay good! Let me show you how to work the finder…” He pulls out the item in question from his Mining Kit and walks you through how to work it, then gives you a brief overview on what to do when you find something.

Stef apparently knows his work; within ten minutes he’s found a likely spot to start digging, not far into the mountains, and offers it to you. “Do you want to try first? Some people like trying it by themselves first, but some people like having help, do you like having help or do you want to do it by yourself first?”
WindStruck
Flotsam tries to remember the description of the plant given and nods.  "Okay! Well, I guess I'll keep a look out for it!"  After saying goodbye, she steps outside wondering what to do.

 "What do you think, Rascal? Do you want to try looking for that plant for the nice people? I won't go too far from town..." 
Lord Ruby34
Less waived goodbye to Mark and Mina, and went to look for a place to train. Briefly, he considered staying to hear the lecture. In a more peaceful time, Less probably would have prioritized the presentation, but if he was going to join the others in some kind of raid against Bandra he needed to prioritize his team.

If it looked like Akio didn't have anything to occupy himself with for two hours, Less invited him along.

Regardless of whether Akio joins him, Less spent the next two hours working with his whole team, but focusing on Princess and Leo in turn. He had Princess run drills where she would try to intercept "attacks" made at Buck by Leo and Dancer, who tried to touch the large fire-type while he ran around the training area, chasing after Connie and Hero in turn. When it was time to focus on Leo, Less had the little fighting type focus on dodging out of the way of Princess's bubblebeam, hoping to increase his reflexes.

After training, Less headed back to the area and got ready to help with tear down.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Princess's EV is +1 HP
Leo's EV is +1 Speed.

(Would you be able to make a note to assign Princess's future EV's into HP until she has 10 HP EVs, and assign Leo's EV's into speed until he was twenty speed EVs?)
 
Gnomes2169
Mark waved as Mina left and said,  "I'll see you soon! Um... let me know if you want to go get food when you're done!"  Their previous attempts at small talk had been awkward as heck, but hey, maybe they'd actually get to have a normal conversation if they kept trying? Probably not. They're both massive dorks.

If she was able to get her thing done quickly enough, then Mark would wait for Mina to be ready before going to eat. Otherwise, he just went to the pokemon center, where he got lunch (and some more coffee), then sat down to draw a bit and train Tattersail before returning to help tear down for the presentation.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
If no Mina, then Mark will train Tattersail for 2 hours to get her 2/3 of the way to that next sweet, sweet level-up
 
Feathersnow
Akio begins to train, also.  He brings out his two highest level companions, Daisho and Ronin, then runs drills with Ronin, taking the form of various of Less' and His own pokemon and dueling with his starter.  As a finale, he has the Crobat dogfight her own doppelganger...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

This training is for Ronin, helping them use different movesets against a superior target. Two hours should raise them 1 one level
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Flotsam:


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  "What do you think, Rascal? Do you want to try looking for that plant for the nice people? I won't go too far from town..."  
 

Rascal’s response is relatively long, and completely in Pokéspeak.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Windstruck,  what do you want to do?  You’ve made it clear you have no interest in loot or new Pokémon. You said you wanted hard mode and then decided not to leave town after one fight. What do you want to do?
 


----------------

Less and Akio:

The Pokémon remain nervous, but nothing exciting interrupts your training. A few passerby even stop to watch, and a couple of nearby picnickers cheer as Ronin pulls off an impressive reversal on Daisho.

 
 Spoiler: Leo and Princess, now with more EVs! 

Done! Let me know if anything looks off.

Pokémon: Corphish (Princess)
Type: Water
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 68 +2
Attack: 56 +10
Def: 48 +10
Sp. Attack: 40
Sp. Def: 32
Speed: 32
Moves:
Knock Off
Harden
ViceGrip
Leer
Bubblebeam
Protect

Pokémon: Croagunk (Leo)
Type: Poison/Fighting
Ability: Dry Skin
Gender: Male
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 69
Attack: 44 +20
Def: 33
Sp. Attack: 44
Sp. Def: 33
Speed: 39 +1
Moves:
Poison Sting
Taunt
Pursuit
Faint Attack
Revenge
Swagger
 

 
 Spoiler: Ronin 

Sticking with the EVs being allocated as evenly as possible since that was noted. Yell if that needs to change.

Pokémon: Ditto (Ronin)
Type: Normal
Ability: Limber
Gender: Indeterminate
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 69 +4
Attack: 38 +4
Def: 38 +4
Sp. Attack: 38 +3
Sp. Def: 38 +3
Speed: 38 +3
Moves:
Transform
 


----------------

Mark (redux):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'll see you soon! Um... let me know if you want to go get food when you're done!"  
 

Mina shakes her head ‘no.’ “ Sorry, I don’t know how long this is going to take! ”

When you get to the Pokémon Center, it seems every trainer in the city has had the same idea. An unpleasant surprise: the food here is rationed – you and your Pokémon get enough to eat, but exactly that and no more, and the fare is even more boring than is usual for a Pokémon Center. They do have coffee however.

Training goes without incident, except for Tattersail looking over her shoulder a great deal.

----------------

Mina:

Mina also swung by the Pokémon Center, but in her case it was to swap Serranix with Houndoom. She considered swapping someone else out for the little Shadowed Riolu she’d caught during her sabotage of Keida, but she was sketchy on if she’d have time to apply Scents to both of them before she had to go back for the chair tear-down, and was a little nervous about having a third of her team Shadowed at once in any case.

She was at the Gym entrance (the front entrance, this time – not wanting another near-death experience at the hands of the Gym Leader) and wondering if she should track down Gabrielle or if just any random Gym member would do when she realized she didn’t really  need  a sparring partner this time – her Vivid Scent should be enough to clear Houndoom up without a battle.

So she just found an empty training room to apply the Scent in. (She did call out Oodramer and Gyarados to protect her while she applied it though. She wasn’t feeling suicidal today.)

Her new Gyarados had to sit on her Shadowed Fire type to keep him still enough to apply the Scent, and Mina was fairly sure more of it was ending up on her clothes and the floor than Houndoom. But apparently enough of it did; when the bottle was empty, Houndoom’s eyes had regained their sanity. ((-1 Vivid Scent, 0 remaining.)) He seemed a little timid, but whether that was an aftereffect from being Shadowed or because there was a very intimidating twenty-one foot sea monster glaring suspiciously over her shoulder at him, Mina wasn’t sure.

“ Welcome back, my dear, ” Mina said warmly, scratching behind his horns. He relaxed a little, and his tail wagged.

He did seem warmer than he should, though, so Mina scanned him with her Pokédex.

 
 Spoiler: Houndoom post-Shadowing 

Pokémon: Houndoom
Type: Dark/Fire
Ability: Blazing Heart
Gender: Male
Level: 31
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 97  +3 
Attack: 70 +17  +15 
Def: 45
Sp. Attack: 82
Sp. Def: 64
Speed: 73 +9  +3 
Moves:
Ember
Bite
Smog
Odor Sleuth
Rock Smash (HM)
Beat Up
 

  Wait, what?   That was not Flash Fire. What had happened to her dog?…then Mina thought back to the moment when her Shadowed dog had evaporated all the Water attacks aimed at him and realized she should have seen this coming.

She dug a little further, still absently petting Houndoom while her Gyarados watched in curiosity.

  Blazing Heart :
Flash Fire + Steam Engine + the Pokémon’s Fire attacks ignore the effects of rain and Water Sport. 
  Great, so what does Steam Engine do?   Mina mentally grumbled at whoever decided it was a good idea to make her look up the definition of the definition.

  Steam Engine 
When the Pokémon is hit by a Fire- or Water-type move, its Speed stat is increased by six stages. Helps Eggs hatch faster. 
  Okay so no Water immunity to go with the stat boost. Which means he’d have to take a super-effective move for it to do anyth—wait, Fire too?   That…could be worse. Mina could even push her paranoia down sufficiently to say it might even be  useful .

Whether it was worth her poor Houndoom having to go through the trauma of being Shadowed remained to be seen, of course…

Mina got kicked out of the training room not long after. She recalled her Pokémon and headed back to tear the chairs down.

----------------

Skybreak Park (tear-down):

You all arrive in good time, although it appears there was some form of excitement while you were away: several rows of chairs have been thrown about, there are papers and various writing utensils scattered around in the grass, and no one is loitering around afterwards to talk to the presenter or discuss what they heard with one another. On the plus side, there are also no dead bodies, obvious bloodstains, police, or emergency vehicles about.
Lord Ruby34
Less strode back into the area for the expected tear down reasonably happy. Everyone but Buck and Connie had opted to go back into their Pokeballs, which was odd, and his Pokemon were upset, was reason enough to leave soon, but the training had gone well. Akio had even joined him. Less had always preferred working in groups to working alone. That mode didn't evaporate when he saw that their nice, neat rows of chairs had been completely displaced, but he fail to choke down a short burst of irritation.

Less stomped over to the nearest person who looked like they might have seen what happened and asked, his voice harsh but restrained,  "What manner of bedlam occurred in the last two hours?" 

Well, perhaps his voice hadn't been that restrained.
Gnomes2169
As they trained, Mark mentally assured Tattersail that they were going to be gone soon. The city spooking her made him nervous as well, but they'd committed to tear down as well and they  really  could use the money for a restock after how much medicine they'd spent at the Shrine of Light. So they had to go back to the park and...

 "Huh. Presentations get a lot more heated here than I remember back in Johto."  He mumbled, looking at all of the carnage wrought on those poor chairs. Scratching at his head and making his way over to one of the chair wracks, he asks a student that he's  pretty  sure brought their own lunch,  "What the heck happened here?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park (tear-down):

The eye-witness reports conflict a bit.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "What manner of bedlam occurred in the last two hours?"  
 

The onlooker looks up from his phone screen to reply. “Someone in the audience was making fun of the presenter and Professor Jonah took issue.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "What the heck happened here?"  
 

The student has to pull one of her earbuds out and ask you to repeat the question before replying. “Someone tried to attack one of the university staff and he fought back.”
Lord Ruby34
This probably wasn't his problem. Less immediately amended the thought. It probably shouldn't be his problem.  If Professor Jonah was the man arranging the job . . . 
 
"Was the professor a middle aged man, clipboard in hand?"  Less asked, fearing he already knew the answer, and simultaneously scanning the crowd for their temporary employer.  "Was anyone arrested?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park (tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"Was the professor a middle aged man, clipboard in hand?"  Less asked, fearing he already knew the answer, and simultaneously scanning the crowd for their temporary employer. 
 

“Yeah. He’s over there,” the onlooker waves vaguely to one end of the seminar setup and, indeed, there is the angry university man – except now he’s got an ice pack in one hand instead of the clipboard, numerous visible bruises, and by the scowl on his face his temper hasn’t improved. The clipboard is now in the hands of one of the other volunteers, who doesn’t look much happier.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Was anyone arrested?"  
 

“Yes, or, well, the police took someone away. One of his buddies was trailing along after him and looked upset though. That can’t be good.”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Questions answered in the OoC! Let me know if you need anything else clarified. 🙂
 




“Okay good! Let me show you how to work the finder…” He pulls out the item in question from his Mining Kit and walks you through how to work it, then gives you a brief overview on what to do when you find something.

Stef apparently knows his work; within ten minutes he’s found a likely spot to start digging, not far into the mountains, and offers it to you. “Do you want to try first? Some people like trying it by themselves first, but some people like having help, do you like having help or do you want to do it by yourself first?” 
 

 "Sure, I'll give it a shot by myself! Maybe I'll be a natural!"  She says as she puts away her finder.
Gnomes2169
Scanning over the area, Mark spotted the bruised event coordinator and he said,  Huh. Do you know  why  they fought?"  Looking back at Mina he added,  "Hey Mina, do you have Natu with you? That guy could probably use a bit of healing." 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded. The police and the university could probably sort this out, and the sooner he and the rest managed to finish with the chairs the sooner he could leave Skybreak. Still . . .  "Thank you, son."  

Less called out to the newest member of his team,  "Connie, can you get a view of the police and the man tailing them and let us know if it looks like there's violence about to break out?"  Hopefully, there wouldn't be any need to intervene.

((If Connie agrees)) Less headed over to the student with the clipboard and prepared to get to work putting the chairs back on their racks.
Feathersnow
Akio really has no idea what is going on, and is embarrassed to involve himself.   He moves to help straighten up the chairs.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Two items detected!

 3   3   1   1   1   3   3   3   2   3   3   3   3   1   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 10

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Don’t forget to let me know what tool you’re using!
 


----------------

Skybreak Park (tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Scanning over the area, Mark spotted the bruised event coordinator and he said,  Huh. Do you know  why  they fought?"  
 

“Somebody in the audience started, like, making fun of the lecturer. The university guy – that’s him over there - got mad and the guy in the audience said it wasn’t him. The guy doing the lecture was totally chill and almost smoothed things over, but then a bunch of glowing balls came flying out and hit the university guy! So the university guy called out one of his Pokémon and had it attack back, and everybody scattered out of the way, and that’s about when security showed up.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Looking back at Mina he added,  "Hey Mina, do you have Natu with you? That guy could probably use a bit of healing."  
 

Mina nodded, and headed over to do just that. A moment later the group can hear the professor complaining loudly “And what do  you  want, can’t you see I’m busy?” followed by “I’m not paying you extra for this!” and more grumbling. Then Natu does his thing followed by “And what was  that  supposed to do?” Then the Wish visibly takes effect, there is some more grumbling the group can’t quite make out ending with “…now get back to work!” The professor chucks the ice pack over his shoulder and yanks back the clipboard, to the other volunteer’s obvious relief.

Mina comes back after that, Natu on her shoulder and looking annoyed. Natu turns around momentarily so he’s backwards from the group’s perspective and chatters something that sounds rude back at the professor before turning around and fluffing his feathers.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Connie, can you get a view of the police and the man tailing them and let us know if it looks like there's violence about to break out?"  
 

Connie looks hesitant for a moment but Buck rumbles something that must be reassuring, because she nods and takes off afterwards.

----------------

Skybreak Park (post-tear-down):

Connie comes back about halfway through, looking unconcerned, and the rest of the tear-down goes without issue. The group collects their paychecks about 2 PM.

((+2,000 PD Less (8,100 total)
+2,000 PD Akio (6,550 total)
+2,000 PD Mark (4,750 total)
+2,000 PD Mina (4,260 total)))
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Two items detected!

 3   3   1   1   1   3   3   3   2   3   3   3   3   1   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 10

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Don’t forget to let me know what tool you’re using!
 
 
 

Pinklady immediately goes for the great cluster, striking centered at L/M with the mallet thrice.
Lord Ruby34
Less smiled as Connie flew away. It was important that she was able to trust him, and that she was able to work through some likely trauma. Better that she was able to do it with minimal prodding. Hopefully she could avoid developing a stress reaction about leaving him behind to go and scout. Less made sure to give her plenty of praise when she returned, along with a few friendly feather ruffles.

For the next hour, Less toiled away rather contentedly, while Buck took the opportunity to doze in the midday sun. Less's mind was occupied going over some of the training advice from the books he had gotten for Emilia when she was younger. The most important step would be expanding the repertoire of moves that his team had access to. Not only would more powerful moves be useful on their own merits, but it would make his team less predictable in combat. The easiest way to fix that would be by SM, or by similar imported machines, though those would likely be extremely difficult to acquire given the severe lack of trade in Helnith. The next easiest way would be a move tutor of some kind. Less vaguely remembered Emilia saying one existed, though he couldn't remember where. One of his companions would likely know, assuming that there still was a move tutor in Helnith somewhere.

When the work wrapped up, Less approached the rest of the group.  "Is there anything the rest of you are planning on doing in town today? I intend to go to the department store and see if I can purchase a few SMs. Other than that, I believe I've accomplished my aims in this place." 
Gnomes2169
((At the lecture))
Huh... To Mark, that  sounded  like a shapeshifting pokemon doing some pranks. Maybe a psychic type... or a Zoroark. After she finished telling him what she saw, Mark asked the student,  "The balls just came out of nowhere? The student that got taken away didn't give his pokemon any commands?"  And, on the off chance that his hunch  might  be right,  "Did he even have his pokemon out at all?" 

When Mina came back, Mark shot her a sympathetic glance and mouthed the words,  "Thank you"  to her. The professor was clearly not popular for a reason if he was  always  like this...


 

((After cleanup))
Collecting his pay, Mark waved goodbye to everyone and said,  "I'm going to go meet with Lijan now. I should be able to meet up a few hours after that, though I'm not sure  exactly  how long that is going to take, so... I'll let you guys know when I'm available."  With that, he bids everyone goodbye and makes his way out of town so he can teleport to the Starlight Squad lieutenant. Time to evolve some pokemon...
WindStruck
Flotsam takes Rascal's really long string of pokespeak to be weighing pros and cons of everything and ultimately leaving it up to her to make a choice, because he's okay with whatever. She hugs Rascal and says,  "Okay, we'll look around a bit, and be back by dark I guess." 

So she decides trying to go northeast a while, making a long circle that goes east, then southeast, south, southwest, until she reaches the road to follow north again. Depending on the terrain, she might try keeping the town of Rieva in sight if it's all flat, however if hills and trees block sight, she will just have to risk getting lost!
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Sorry for the wait guys! Had a bunch of real life things pile on at once.
 


Pinklady:

 3   3   1   1   1   3   3   3   2   3   1.5    X    0   0   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

You can make out part of the curve of an Oval Stone in the area you’ve uncovered ((column L)). It’s about half uncovered.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Those decimal numbers are not playing nicely with the formatting. 🤢 L has treasure, M and N are at the bottom and have nothing.

essCee, once we're done with this set would it screw you up terribly if we did 1-6 for the next game? Assuming you want to keep digging after this, of course.
 


Hits remaining: 4

----------------

Skybreak Park (tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Huh... To Mark, that  sounded  like a shapeshifting pokemon doing some pranks. Maybe a psychic type... or a Zoroark. After she finished telling him what she saw, Mark asked the student,  "The balls just came out of nowhere? The student that got taken away didn't give his pokemon any commands?"  And, on the off chance that his hunch  might  be right,  "Did he even have his pokemon out at all?"  
 

“The balls came out of the crowd, everyone saw it. I couldn’t see the Pokémon, I wasn’t sitting that close. I guess it could have been someone else’s, but there was definitely something there because it scared away a bird.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 When Mina came back, Mark shot her a sympathetic glance and mouthed the words,  "Thank you"  to her. The professor was clearly not popular for a reason if he was  always  like this... 
 

Mina manages a smile back, and a thumbs-up.

----------------

Skybreak Park (post-tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Is there anything the rest of you are planning on doing in town today? I intend to go to the department store and see if I can purchase a few SMs. Other than that, I believe I've accomplished my aims in this place."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Collecting his pay, Mark waved goodbye to everyone and said,  "I'm going to go meet with Lijan now. I should be able to meet up a few hours after that, though I'm not sure  exactly  how long that is going to take, so... I'll let you guys know when I'm available."  With that, he bids everyone goodbye and makes his way out of town so he can teleport to the Starlight Squad lieutenant. Time to evolve some pokemon... 
 

“ I’m done with my shopping for the day, ” Mina replied, “ But I’ve got a number of other things I should do. I’ll stick around so you and Akio can get back to town in a reasonable amount of time, just text me when you’re ready to go and I’ll meet you where we came in. ”   Note to self: remember most of the party doesn’t have Pokémon with Teleport. Stranding them would be rude.   “ Just don’t forget about curfew or we’ll be stuck here overnight. ”

----------------

Mark:

You make it out of Skybreak and Teleport to Ceris. There you find Lijan waiting for you outside the Pokémon Center. It’s about 2:30 PM.

“Hello Mark,” he greets you. His gaze as usual seems distant, but he smiles. “I obtained the item I was looking for. I am ready if you are.”

----------------

Flotsam:

((Pausing this while we clarify a few things in the OoC.))
Gnomes2169
((Pre-teardown))

Huh. Yeah, there was still something that felt  weird  to Mark about that whole situation... but he was also  not  an investigator or a member of the police force, and he'd promised Tattersail that he wasn't going to hang around here longer than needed. Even though he still wanted to dig a bit more, he would drop this mystery for now.  "Well, that's weird. Buuuuut we should probably get to work before he notices us. Thanks for letting me know what happened!"  Mark said, waving goodbye to the student before moving to help Mina with teardown since the freshly healed professor had resumed his dictatorial direction  full force  now that his face was repaired.

When they had a moment, Mark would mutter to Mina,  "Next time I ask you to do that guy a favor, I'll make sure you have backup. I think I'm starting to understand why someone decked him in the face..."  Well, a pokemon had done that, but the sentiment still stood.

((Pre-trade))

Mark waved to Lijan when he arrived, greeting the starlight squad member with a,  "Hey there Lijan! Sorry it took a bit, they don't let you teleport  out  of that city."  He could understand the ban on warping in, but jumping out seemed a tad excessive. Making sure his onyx was still holding the Metal Coat, Mark asked,  "I am curious, though... what  is  the item you wanted to pick up? I... haven't done much with this kind of evolution, so is it some kind of item to give your alakazam a different ability?" 
Lord Ruby34
 "The offer is appreciated. But please don't feel like you need to wait for me if you finish what you need to do today. Buck and I can make our own way back if needed."
  Less said with a small smile.

After a polite goodbye, Less headed to the local department store.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Particularly interested in SMs and held items.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: OoC 
Sorry for the wait guys! Had a bunch of real life things pile on at once.
 


Pinklady:

 3   3   1   1   1   3   3   3   2   3   1.5    X    0   0   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

You can make out part of the curve of an Oval Stone in the area you’ve uncovered ((column L)). It’s about half uncovered.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Those decimal numbers are not playing nicely with the formatting. 🤢 L has treasure, M and N are at the bottom and have nothing.

essCee, once we're done with this set would it screw you up terribly if we did 1-6 for the next game? Assuming you want to keep digging after this, of course.
 


Hits remaining: 4 
 

After a moment of thinking about it, Pinklady puts down the mallet to use the pick instead and strikes J three times.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Oh no! Maybe the 1/2 character would help? Like so:
 3   3   1   1   1   3   3   3   2   3   1½ X    0   0   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 
Still not perfect, but easier to understand I reckon

And sure thing, no problem! Do you mean the future ones would be harder or that the strength of the tools would be doubled too, so that everything can be integral? All good either way.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park (tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 When they had a moment, Mark would mutter to Mina,  "Next time I ask you to do that guy a favor, I'll make sure you have backup. I think I'm starting to understand why someone decked him in the face..."  
 

Mina wanted to say that she’d been through worse, but while she  had , somehow saying it out loud seemed inappropriate. “ Thank you, I appreciate it, ” she said instead.

----------------

Skybreak Park (post-tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "The offer is appreciated. But please don't feel like you need to wait for me if you finish what you need to do today. Buck and I can make our own way back if needed."
  Less said with a small smile. 
 

“ You’re sure? It’s no trouble, ” Mina assured the older man. Her wild plot Berries could use some tending and she needed to get that water sample but on the flip side, more research wasn’t a bad thing and she could work on de-Shadowing that poor little Riolu currently sitting in Box Storage if she stayed in town.

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark waved to Lijan when he arrived, greeting the starlight squad member with a,  "Hey there Lijan! Sorry it took a bit, they don't let you teleport  out  of that city."  He could understand the ban on warping in, but jumping out seemed a tad excessive. Making sure his onyx was still holding the Metal Coat, Mark asked,  "I am curious, though... what  is  the item you wanted to pick up? I... haven't done much with this kind of evolution, so is it some kind of item to give your alakazam a different ability?"  
 

“Yes.” Lijan fiddles with the Spectral Ball in his hand – presumably his Kadabra’s – and momentarily extracts what looks at first glance a bit like quartz, but the Pokédex identifies as a Cloudy Crystal. “Dien was kind enough to give me a Kadabra with Iron Mind; I would like for my Pokémon to complete the journey down that path.”

 
 Spoiler: Pokédex Info on the relevant item and Abilities 

 Cloudy Crystal  - Held item. Increases the duration of Fog Maze from 5 rounds to 8.

 Iron Mind 
 Inner Focus + immunity to Attract and Confusion.
Obtained: Pokémon's pre-evolution holds an Iron Amulet while evolving. 
 Diamond Mind 
 Iron Mind + immunity to Sleep.
Obtained: Pokémon's pre-evolution holds a Cloudy Crystal while evolving. 
 


----------------

Less:

You make your way out of the park and to the Department Store without notable incident.

 
 Spoiler: Floor Summary 

Floor 1 – Information and Food Court
Floor 2 – Trainer Goods
Floor 3 – Health and Fitness
Floor 4 – Furniture and Kitchenware
Floor 5 – Jewelry and Geology
Floor 6 – Electronics (where you are now)
Floor 7 – Rooftop Lounge
 


You make your way to the sixth floor, and the SM section therein. Its selection is scantier than it was before the war, but still better than any other shop in Helnith.

 
 Spoiler: SM Selection 

SM 16 – Natural Gift – 2,000 PD
SM 19 – Weather Ball – 3,000 PD
SM 23 – Hail – 2,000 PD
SM 24 – Fog Maze* – 2,000 PD
SM 29 – Ice Beam – 3,000 PD
SM 30 – Flamethrower – 3,000 PD
SM 35 – Taunt – 1,500 PD
SM 36 – Mimic – 3,000 PD
SM 37 – U-Turn – 3,000 PD
SM 40 – Brick Break – 3,000 PD
SM 41 – Earthquake – 7,500 PD
SM 50 – Giga Impact – 7,500 PD
SM 51 – Hyper Beam – 7,500 PD
SM 57 – Psychic – 3,000 PD
SM 60 – Protect – 2,000 PD
SM 63 – Double Team – 2,000 PD
SM 70 – Dream Eater – 3,000 PD
SM 72 – Night Terror* – 5,000 PD
SM 75 – Explosion – 7,500 PD
SM 80 – Thief – 2,000 PD
SM 83 – Sun Lamp* – 2,000 PD
SM 89 – Chomp* – 3,000 PD

Fog Maze – weather move. Makes it foggy for 5 rounds.
Night Terror – Ghost type, Special damage, does recoil to the user and they have to be asleep to use it.
Sun Lamp – Fire, Special damage, x2 damage during Sunny Weather. Pokémon with Chlorophyll are immune to damage, and receive the Speed boost they would get from Sunny weather for one round afterwards if it was not already applied (if it's not Sunny weather, in other words).
Chomp – Dragon, Physical damage, 10% chance to lower the target's Defense by one level.
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You’re going to have to be more specific regarding Held Items, because that category is…somewhat broad. (EX: Berries would be in the Food Court while the Power Items are in Health and Fitness, Jewelry and Geology would have things like Soft Sand or Hard Stones, etc.)
 


----------------

Pinklady:

 3   3   1   1   1   3   3   3   ½   0    X   X    0   0   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 1

You successfully extract the Oval Stone ((+1 Oval Stone, normal variant)). The edge of the last dig spot ((column I)) obviously has something shiny under it, although Stef (who has been watching over your shoulder with uncharacteristic quiet up to this point, obviously trying not to interrupt your concentration) gives his opinion that by the shape of the rock over it, whatever it is is probably too big to extract before the section of mountainside you’re hammering on collapses.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Strength of the tools will be doubled too, no worries there! This would just make everything integers so that half value isn’t screwing up the format.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 3   3   1   1   1   3   3   3   ½   0    X   X    0   0   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 1

You successfully extract the Oval Stone ((+1 Oval Stone, normal variant)). The edge of the last dig spot ((column I)) obviously has something shiny under it, although Stef (who has been watching over your shoulder with uncharacteristic quiet up to this point, obviously trying not to interrupt your concentration) gives his opinion that by the shape of the rock over it, whatever it is is probably too big to extract before the section of mountainside you’re hammering on collapses.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Strength of the tools will be doubled too, no worries there! This would just make everything integers so that half value isn’t screwing up the format.
 
 
 

 "Aw... oh well! This bit seems almost finished, maybe I can try for..."  She gives one final hit to D with the mallet, just in case it reveals something she can snatch before it all comes down.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Sounds good! Also, forgot to mention it last post, but no problem re:the wait, glad you were able to tackle those real life things!
 
Lord Ruby34
 In the Park 
Less paused,  "If it really isn't any trouble, I certainly wouldn't mind getting a lift."  Less paused.  "I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of the day though. I might not be headed straight back to the Pokemon Center." 

---------------------------------------
 At the Store 

Less hemmed and hawed over the SM's for a few moments. Natural gift could potentially be extremely useful, but only if he could find the right berries. Less headed back down to the food court to see what he could find before deciding on any particular purchase. On the way down, he stopped and looked at various items on the other floors.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Shopping questions follow.

What's the power and accuracy for the following moves:
Night Terror
Sun Lamp
Chomp

Can I assume that if a Pokemon could learn any of the other moves by TM, they can use the SM?

Can I see what the inventory is on floors 5, 3, 2, and 1. Only looking for Pokemon related items and potentially rope, if available.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Sadly nothing shows itself and the wall collapses shortly thereafter. Stef, however, is optimistic. “That was really good! Do you want to dig some more?”

It’s been about an hour since you started, and the time is now about 3:30 PM.

----------------

Skybreak Park (post-tear-down):

Mina hmm’d. “ Okay, I’ll – wait, Less, you have my number. ” She facepalmed as she realized she'd been about to make this a lot more complicated than it needed to be. “ How about this: if you need or want me to Teleport you back, text me and let me know and then meet me  outside  the entrance to the city before curfew. ” If he didn’t make it out before curfew, he wouldn’t be allowed out, period, and her presence or absence at the city entrance wouldn’t make a difference. “ Does that work? And Akio, do you have my number? ” There was no reason whatsoever to assume Less and Akio would both be sticking to the same schedule.

----------------

Less (Department Store):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Yes, if they can learn it via TM they can learn it via SM, they are functionally identical except the SMs are single use.
 

 
 Spoiler: Sun Lamp 

Type: Fire (Special)
Power: 50
Accuracy: 100%
PP: 20 (max 32)
Makes contact: No

x2 damage during Sunny Weather. Pokémon with Chlorophyll are immune to damage, and receive the Speed boost they would get from Sunny weather for one round afterwards if it was not already applied (if it's not Sunny weather, in other words).
 

 
 Spoiler: Night Terror 

Type: Ghost (Special)
Power: 120
Accuracy: 100%
PP: 15 (max. 24)
Makes contact: No

Only usable when the user is Asleep. Recoil damage dealt to the user equal to 1/4 damage dealt to the target.
 

 
 Spoiler: Chomp 

Type: Dragon (Physical)
Power: 70
Accuracy: 100%
PP: 15 (max 24)

Deals damage. 10% chance to lower the target's Defense by one level.
 


You head down the building floor by floor towards the Food Court and the Farmer’s Market you remember from previous visits to the city.

Floor five is filled with spotless glass cases, whose contents are mostly decorative. This includes Contest Accessories in an astounding variety of colors, and some non-jewelry sets of rings and bracelets that the signs inform you are intended for Mega Stones.

But alongside the jewelry you find a case full of Evolutionary Stones, Gems of the attack boosting variety in multiple types, and one case which has a single item all to itself that looks like a ball a little bigger than your fist which is labeled ‘Unova Fossil’ – there’s a small placard with a little more information beside it.

Off to the side there’s also a relatively plain display – “Brought to you by the Geology Club – help support our new headquarters!” declares a sign – and in it is a wide variety of weather stones ((Heat Rock, Damp Rock, Cloudy Crystal* etc.)), a few different varieties of Oval Stone, an Iron Ball, an Iron Amulet*, a couple different types of clay ((Light Clay, Molding Clay*)), an Everstone, a small pyramid of stacked Float Stones, a handful of Unown Tiles*, and a single Heart Scale among other things. As is typical for a jewelry store, most of the prices aren’t displayed.

You skip past floor four to floor three, which is largely dominated by health supplements and exercise equipment. There is a sizable section of each dedicated to Pokémon:

 
 Spoiler: Pokémon Medication 

Potion: 300 PD
Super Potion: 700 PD
Hyper Potion: 1200 PD
Max Potion: OUT OF STOCK!
Antidote: 100 PD
Burn Heal: 250 PD
Ice Heal: 250 PD
Awakening: 250 PD
Paralyze Heal: 200 PD
Full Heal: 600 PD
Full Restore: OUT OF STOCK!
Revive: OUT OF STOCK!
 

 
 Spoiler: Vitamin Selection 

HP Up: 9800 PD - Increases HP by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Protein: 9800 PD - Increases Attack by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Iron: 9800 PD - Increases Defense by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Calcium: 9800 PD - Increases Special Attack by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Zinc: 9800 PD - Increases Special Defense by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
Carbos: 9800 PD - Increases Speed by 1 (max +10 per Pokémon)
PP Up: OUT OF STOCK!
PP Max: OUT OF STOCK!
 

 
 Spoiler: Power Item Selection 

Macho Brace: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s choice of stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Bracer: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Attack stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Lens: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Special Attack stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Anklet: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Speed stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Belt: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Defense stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Band: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s Special Defense stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
Power Weight: 39200 PD – Held Item. Lowers the user’s Speed, increases user’s HP stat gain (max +20 per Pokémon)
 


Floor two is where you find the Pokéballs:

 
 Spoiler: Pokéball Selection 

Pokéball – 200 PD – Standard ball, normal catch rate
Great Ball – 600 PD – Improved catch rate over the standard Pokéball
Ultra Ball – 1200 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 2 per customer – Improved catch rate over the Great Ball
Net Ball – 1000 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 1 per customer – Works better on Water or Bug Pokémon
Nest Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on lower-level Pokémon
Timer Ball – 1000 PD – Works better the longer the battle has been going on
Luxury Ball – 1000 PD – Normal catch rate, doubles the rate at which Friendship increases
Dive Ball – 1000 PD – Works better while underwater
Dusk Ball – 1000 PD – Works better at night or in dark conditions
Heal Ball – 300 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 3 per customer – Normal catch rate, fully restores HP, PP, and status of the captured Pokémon ((DM note: Not stat damage or Shadowing))
Quick Ball – 1000 PD – Works best if used the first turn of battle
Glitter Ball – 600 PD – Normal catch rate, increases Contest stats
Glamour Ball – 1200 PD – Great Ball catch rate, increases Contest stats
Gleam Ball – 600 PD – Normal catch rate, increases the chance any Pokémon offspring will be Shiny
Venom Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Poison types or Pokémon that have been Poisoned
Scorch Ball – 1000 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 1 per customer – Works better on Fire types or Pokémon that have been Burned
Jolt Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Electric types or Pokémon that have been Paralyzed
Spectral Ball – 2000 PD – LIMITED STOCK! Limit 2 per customer – Works better on Spectral types, or Pokémon that have been Shadowed, and Pokémon with a major status effect ((EX: Burn, Paralyze, Sleep…))
Storm Ball – 1000 PD – Works better when weather conditions are in effect
Creep Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on slow Pokémon (Base Speed 40 or lower)) and Pokémon that are trapped
Facet Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Pokémon that evolve with any kind of Evolutionary Stone ((DM note: barring the Bandra-made Link stone))
Vacuum Ball – 1000 PD – Works better on Pokémon that are light weight
 


There are also Pokémon grooming supplies, and buried in the camping section you find Rope:

Rope - 550 PD ((And just in case I need to clarify – unlike the handhelds it’s just rope, it won’t warp you out of caves or anything like that.))

You finally reach the first floor and make your way to the Farmer’s Market. This time of day it’s been picked over rather thoroughly, but some of the more common (and less universally useful) Berries remain:

 
 Spoiler: Berry Selection 

Razz: 20 PD (12 available)
Bluk: 20 PD (15 available)
Nanab: 20 PD (9 available)
Wepear: 20 PD (14 available)
Pinap: 20 PD (11 available)
Cornn: 55 PD (17 available)
Magost: 55 PD (16 available)
Rabuta: 55 PD (20 available)
Nomel: 55 PD (15 available)
Spelon: 95 PD (26 available)
Pamtre: 95 PD (28 available)
Watmel: 95 PD (22 available)
Durin: 95 PD (24 available)
Belue: 95 PD (25 available)
Niptir*: 30 PD (3 available)
Figy: 60 PD (2 available)
Iapapa: 60 PD (3 available)
Rawst: 80 PD (2 available)
Leppa: 80 PD (1 available)
 


You recall Mina had said she was going to check this out when everyone first arrived in Skybreak; it’s possible the selection had been better then.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

* - denotes a Helnith-specific item.

Also if you’re looking for a particular item and not seeing it on any of the lists, let me know – I don’t promise it will be there but I don’t promise that it won’t be there, either. 😉
 
Lord Ruby34
 The Park 
 "I appreciate it."  Less said with a smile.  "I'll text you if I need a lift or if I decide to leave the city on my own."  Less paused for a moment.  "What are the rest of your plans for the day?"  Less turned his head as he asked, directing the question to both Mina and Akio.  "I have task that needs doing sooner rather than later, and it could be dangerous, if you're both free and willing. Bandra has set loose some Shadowed Pokemon as part of an experiment of some kind, and I see little reason to let them continue collecting data." 
-----------------------------------
 Department Store 

While in the Jewelry section Less stopped to take a closer look at the contest accessories, just to see if there was anything that could be unexpectedly useful. Next is a quick scan to see if there's a moon stone available for purchase among the evolutionary stones. If there is, Less will inquire about the price.

Less smiled at the fossil from back home and read the placard, though he had little doubt it would be beyond his price range. He also inquired about the price of the heart scale. If the price is 900PD or less, Less will purchase it without further comment. If the price is higher, Less will stop and talk with the seller.

After completing his time on the jewelry store, Less headed down a few levels, where he purchased a pair of antidotes and a pair of potions.

On the next floor down, Less purchased the rope and perused the grooming supplies, again looking for anything that might be unexpectedly useful. Several of the Pokeballs seemed like they could be useful, though it would be hard to control the conditions for some of them. He decided to wait before purchasing any Pokeballs, and decided to come back if he had some extra PD to spare.

On the first floor, Less purchased one Pinap, Magost, Watmel, Durin, Belue, and Niptur berry before heading back up to the SM section and purchasing the Natural Gift SM.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Stopping shopping here to see what's what about the potential moon stone and heart scale, as well as looking for any of the items below.

Leftovers
Zoom Lens
Scope Lens/Razor Claw
Wide Lens
Assault Vest
Rocky Helmet
Bright Powder/Lax Incense
Charcoal/Mystic Water/Blackglasses
Expert Belt
Life Orb
Covert Cloak
Ability Patch
(You did tell me to ask :p)

Also, is this a place where Less could sell some of the items he found? If so, he'll sell the lone earring and two pieces of beach glass. He'll also inquire about the sale price of the Rare Bone.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark:

“Yes.” Lijan fiddles with the Spectral Ball in his hand – presumably his Kadabra’s – and momentarily extracts what looks at first glance a bit like quartz, but the Pokédex identifies as a Cloudy Crystal. “Dien was kind enough to give me a Kadabra with Iron Mind; I would like for my Pokémon to complete the journey down that path.”

 
 Spoiler: Pokédex Info on the relevant item and Abilities 

 Cloudy Crystal  - Held item. Increases the duration of Fog Maze from 5 rounds to 8.

 Iron Mind 
 Inner Focus + immunity to Attract and Confusion.
Obtained: Pokémon's pre-evolution holds an Iron Amulet while evolving. 
 Diamond Mind 
 Iron Mind + immunity to Sleep.
Obtained: Pokémon's pre-evolution holds a Cloudy Crystal while evolving. 
 
 
 

Mark checked out the abilities that the item could give on his phone and... Huh.  "Well that's neat. I can totally see why you'd want that on an Alakazam."  Putting an ability that let your pokemon avoid a  slew  of attack-canceling conditions would be super useful on a fragile pokemon that wanted to have all of its attacks hit.  "I should look into a few of those myself. I think long-term shadowing might influence a pokemon's abilities too, my umbreon is-"  Realizing that he was rambling a bit, Mark said,  "Uh, regardless. We should get this trade done, then find somewhere for our... talk." 
Feathersnow
Akio takes Mina's number.  "Thank you.  I'm going to get some food, but I'll be in touch."

Akio wanders off, looking for some regional street food and otherwise playing tourist...
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Park (post-tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "What are the rest of your plans for the day?"  Less turned his head as he asked, directing the question to both Mina and Akio.  "I have task that needs doing sooner rather than later, and it could be dangerous, if you're both free and willing. Bandra has set loose some Shadowed Pokemon as part of an experiment of some kind, and I see little reason to let them continue collecting data."  
 

Mina mentally weighed her options. Strictly speaking,  everything  on her to-do list was lower priority that messing up Bandra’s plans. “ I’m a little flexible. What’s the time frame on this? I know you said you were going shopping first. ”

----------------

Less (Department Store):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 While in the Jewelry section Less stopped to take a closer look at the contest accessories, just to see if there was anything that could be unexpectedly useful. 
 

The Contest Accessories are divided by category and color.

 
 Spoiler: Contest Accessories 

 
 Spoiler: Note from the DM 

Assume any Accessories you buy come with anything you would need to use them. I got tired of writing ‘and it comes with glue!’ or variations thereon for every item. 😛
 

 Available Colors: 
Base colors - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black, White, Gray – items in these colors are 35 PD apiece or 3 for 100 PD
Silver – 45 PD apiece
Gold – 55 PD apiece

 Any Category: 
Contest Dye – a tube of brightly colored dye, also comes with a bottle of concentrated dye-remover (mix with water). Pokémon-safe, biodegradable, non-washable except with the bottle of cleaner, can be applied to almost anything. Won’t wash or flake off if the Pokémon uses attacks, wears off normally over the course of about a week.

 Beauty: 
Beads – A string of colorful beads.
Charm – A small charm on a nearly-invisible string.
Crystal – A fake gemstone of the sort used for costumes. Comes with glue.
Flower – A fake ornamental flower with a clip on the back to hold it in place.
Glitter – A small container of glitter. Comes with glue and a tiny brush to apply it with.

 Cool: 
Smoke – A packet of pellets that give off colored smoke when wet. Comes with a little plastic dispenser that can be hung off a Pokémon.
Glow – A small plastic container containing a liquid substance that glows faintly.
Spike – A decorative body spike.
Flame – A tiny device with a light and miniscule fan that blows bits of fabric, resembling fire.
Gel – Used to keep hair, fur, feathers or similar materials in place. Comes with remover.

 Tough: 
Claw – A set of costume claws with non-toxic adhesive to hold them in place.
Horn – A fake horn with durable yet unobtrusive straps allowing it to be worn.
Scale – A scale resembling those of a large lizard.
Decal – A cross between a sticker and a temporary tattoo, it looks like ink but can be removed and reused.
Chain – A lightweight chain with thick links.

 Smart: 
Cord – A finely braided cord.
Leaf – A leaf made of fabric. There’s a clip on the back.
Light – A tiny light. The back has adhesive on it.
Shell – A pretty shell with a clip to hold it in place.
Button – An unusual button.

 Cute: 
Fluff – A wad of cotton-like fluff and a tube of non-toxic adhesive.
Bow – A big fabric bow with an elastic band to hold it in place.
Feather – A large feather, brightly dyed.
Bubble – A tiny vial of liquid connected to an even tinier motor that blows bubbles.
Bell – A small bell that rings softly.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Next is a quick scan to see if there's a moon stone available for purchase among the evolutionary stones. If there is, Less will inquire about the price. 
 

Looking through the appropriate case, you do indeed see a Moon Stone. The man behind the case, sensing a sale, veers in like a Pidgeot on the hunt. “Can I help you sir?” You ask him for the price. “6,300 PD for the Moon Stone sir.”

 
 Spoiler: Note from the DM 

For Helnith I bumped up the prices of the rarer Evolutionary Stones, precisely because they’re rarer. Which is to say that’s a normal price for a Moon Stone.

Fire/Water/Thunder/Leaf: Buy 2100 PD - Sell 1050 PD
Sun/Moon: Buy 6300 PD - Sell 3150 PD
Shiny/Dusk/Dawn: Buy 10500 PD - Sell 5250 PD
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less smiled at the fossil from back home and read the placard, though he had little doubt it would be beyond his price range. 
 

   Species:  Unknown
 Origin:  Unova

Originally thought to be an heirloom of an ancient Unovan noble family, this fossil’s true nature was discovered after it was shipped to the University of Helnith for study and the university researchers tested it for DNA.  
And yes, even just going by the tiny bit of price tag that you can see sticking out, there are a  lot  more zeros on it than you can afford right now.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 He also inquired about the price of the heart scale. If the price is 900PD or less, Less will purchase it without further comment. If the price is higher, Less will stop and talk with the seller.   
 

“100 PD sir.” You purchase the Heart Scale and the man places a little sign reading ‘SOLD OUT’ in its spot the case. ((+1 Heart Scale, 3 total. -100 PD, 8,000 remaining.)) “Was there anything else you needed?”

Asking if you can sell the beach glass and lone earring yields an affirmative, so you do. ((-2 Beach Glass, 1 remaining, -1 Lone Earring, 0 remaining. +1,100 PD, 9,100 PD total.)) “One of our artisans along the coast makes jewelry with the glass. Very unique. I can show you a few pieces if you’d like?” When asked he also offers you 5,000 PD for the Rare Bone.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 After completing his time on the jewelry store, Less headed down a few levels, where he purchased a pair of antidotes and a pair of potions.  
 

You make your purchases without issue. ((+2 Antidotes (2 total), +2 Potions (2 total). -800 PD, 8,300 PD remaining.))


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 On the next floor down, Less purchased the rope and perused the grooming supplies, again looking for anything that might be unexpectedly useful. 
 

You’re briefly stuck in line behind a woman with a small child, and the latter pulls his finger out of his nose to wave at you before the woman picks him up and hurries off. The cashier checks you out with speed and efficiency but not a lot of small talk. ((+1 Rope. –550 PD, 7,750 PD remaining.))

The grooming supplies range from blow dryers to skin and scale creams to a portable grooming kit. You also find the Cologne section – it’s behind the register and thoroughly locked up. A sign at the top reads, “TO BETTER SERVE ALL OUR CUSTOMERS, NO MORE THAN TWO SCENTS MAY BE PURCHASED PER PERSON PER DAY.” Even with that restriction, the shelves are only maybe a third full.

 
 Spoiler: Cologne 

600 PD - Joy Scent: A slightly pleasing scent.
800 PD - Excite Scent: A moderately pleasing scent.
1200 PD - Vivid Scent: A greatly pleasing scent.
900 PD - Relax Scent: A plain, clear-colored scent that reminds you of nothing at all.
900 PD - Clear Scent: A liquid scent that makes things come into sharper focus.
900 PD - Sticky Scent: Bright green, it has a consistency like honey.
900 PD - Damp Scent: A watery-looking scent that makes you think of fog.
900 PD - Warm Scent: A scent that makes you feel warm from the inside out. It smells of woodsmoke and cinnamon.
900 PD - Bright Scent: This scent makes you feel energized and enthusiastic. The ripples on its surface look like tiny sparks.
900 PD - Sneak Scent: A dark-colored scent, not entirely unpleasant, that nonetheless makes you feel chilled.
900 PD - Deep Scent: This scent is bronzy-brown, thick, and flows sluggishly.
900 PD - Down Scent: A cloudy scent that reminds you of cool breezes.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 On the first floor, Less purchased one Pinap, Magost, Watmel, Durin, Belue, and Niptur berry before heading back up to the SM section and purchasing the Natural Gift SM.  
 

You collect your purchases uneventfully. ((+1 Pinap, +1 Magost, +1 Watmel, +1 Durin, +1 Belue, and +1 Niptir Berry, +1 SM 16 – Natural Gift. 1 total of each. –2,390 PD, 5,360 PD total remaining.))

During the course of your shopping spree, various Department Store employees are able to direct you to some of the items you were looking for.

A lady running a stall in the Food Court looks puzzled, but offers to sell you some Leftovers for 500 PD.

An employee in Trainer Goods informs you, sadly, that the Incense maker whose stock they used to sell is in Quibir, which has been under Bandra control for a while and as a result they haven’t been able to get  any  Incenses in for some time. Most of the rest of the held items you ask after are out of stock or otherwise unavailable, but he is able to locate the Mystic Water ((Cost: 3000 PD)), the Black Glasses ((Cost: 3000 PD)) and the Covert Cloak which for some reason was in the human section ((Cost: 20,000 PD)). He also tells you that Trainer Hill usually carries similar items to the rest of your list on their prize board – with the warning that the prize board rewards shift on a regular basis, and they charge Battle Points which you have to earn rather than money.

A cashier on the Health and Fitness floor scratches her head in confusion and has to do an internet search on the Ability Patch in addition to an inventory check, and finally has to check with her manager, who at last tells you they haven’t been stocking those but to check with the University of Helnith, as they occasionally get some smuggled in for research purposes and might have one or two they could spare.

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Uh, regardless. We should get this trade done, then find somewhere for our... talk."  
 

“Of course.” Lijan calls out his Kadabra to reassure it (to no obvious effect as it just glares at everyone and everything around it) and return the Cloudy Crystal to it before recalling it.

Both balls go into the trade machine, which requests your Pokédex and asks you to confirm the trade. Once that is confirmed Onix’s Glitter Ball disappears, to be replaced by the Spectral Ball. Both spill out their contents (the room is suddenly very crowded with the 28 foot plus rock snake in it) and both Pokémon begin to glow and change.

 
 Spoiler: Steelix 

Pokemon: Steelix
Type: Steel/Ground
Ability: Sturdy
Gender: Male
Level: 30
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 94
Attack: 65 +15
Def: 134 +10
Sp. Attack: 47
Sp. Def: 53
Speed: 32
Moves:
Bind
Harden
Screech
Rock Tomb
Slam
Rock Polish
 


((-1 Metal Coat, 0 remaining))

----------------

Akio:

There are not nearly as many food stalls as would be expected in a city this size, but you do find an ice cream cart on the edge of the park, as well as another selling drinks and a third selling coconut fritters and fried bananas. They’re doing brisk business at the moment and the lines are moderate.

 
 Spoiler: Skybreak City Points of Interest 

Pokémon Center
Department Store
Silph Co. Helnith Headquarters
Gym
Newspaper
Hall of Elders
University of Helnith
-University Library
-University Museum
-University Science Department
Police Station
Fire Department
Ranger Station
Human Hospital
Park with a playground ((You are here))
Gas Station

Anything particular you want to see first?
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Sadly nothing shows itself and the wall collapses shortly thereafter. Stef, however, is optimistic. “That was really good! Do you want to dig some more?”

It’s been about an hour since you started, and the time is now about 3:30 PM. 
 

 "Yeah, definitely! I definitely could've done a bit better, I think... got any pointers before I start again?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

“Oh, oh, umm…” It’s clear Stef has never really found himself in a mentorship position before because he pauses for a long time before he speaks again. “You saw how it was shiny, there on the side? There are lots of things you can see like that, when you get close but haven’t unburied the whole thing, especially if they’re shiny, or brightly colored, things that are rock colored will be harder to see.” The way he peeks at your face after this bit of advice suggests he’s not sure if it was good.

 
 Spoiler: Note from the DM 

If you’ve play Pokémon Platinum (full disclosure, I don’t know if it carried over into the later generation remakes), you know how in the Underground the graphic for the very last layer of dirt has a tiny hole in the middle that you can see through? It’s like that.
 


Stef’s luck must be rubbing off on you, or maybe this is just a treasure-rich area, because about ten minutes after you start searching again the Mining Kit pings another likely spot.

Two items detected!

 1   3   5   4   1   6   1   4   1   1   6   2   6   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 10
Feathersnow
Akio tries the coconut fritters then wanders off to the museum!  After a hard day of training and labor, he deserves a break!
Lord Ruby34
 Park 
 I'm not entirely certain,"  Less replied.  "I haven't explored the Pokemon sections of the Department store before, and I should probably buy some gasoline as well. The tracker for the shadowed Pokemon is built into a jeep. I would hope to start soon after that." 

----------------------------------
 Department Store 

That moon stone was expensive. Not unduly so, but enough that Less had to make some tough choices. If he bought the moon stone it would take most of his remaining funds, leaving him less flexible if something came up. On the other hand, it would help Hero immensely. She would learn more powerful moves, and be able to contribute more immediately.

Still, it would probably still be here in a few days.  "Perhaps another day. Thank you." 

Less made a mental note to come back and investigate the fossil again when he had more time. Seeing a relic from his homeland was intriguing, but not immediately pertinent. Still, the older trainer was left idly wondering what kind of Pokemon could make such a fossil.

Less responded to the woman who sold him the heart scale with a smile.  "Yes. Do you know when you might have more heart scales for sale?" 

Less declined to see the jewelry, but did sell the bone after some debate. It was possible that he could find a better price elsewhere, but he didn't expect to encounter a dedicated collector anytime soon.

Less waved back to the child as his mother swept him away, and purchased a pair of Excite scents. If he was going to be confronting shadow Pokemon he should probably have a way to de-shadow them.

Less thanked the employees for helping him locate the items he requested. Unfortunately the cloak was out of his price range, and he would have to come back for the mystic water and blackglasses. He made a mental note to visit the University on a day when he had time, and to check out the Battle Tower. Maybe one of his new companions had been there before and could teleport him.

Less purchased the Leftovers and giving them to Buck as a held item, purchasing a Dusk Ball. Night was probably the condition he could best control, though it still was far from guaranteed. He really needed a Pokemon was capable of reliably inflicting status conditions. Then Less purchased the Protect and U-Turn SM's to complete his trip.

Then he headed to the gas station, hoping to purchase a bit of gas and a canister.

 
 Spoiler: Summary 

Sold Rare Bone +5000
Bought SM for U-Turn and Protect -5000
Bought Two Exicite Scent -1600
Bought Leftovers -500
Bought Dusk Ball -1000

Total should be 2260 remaining?
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

“Oh, oh, umm…” It’s clear Stef has never really found himself in a mentorship position before because he pauses for a long time before he speaks again. “You saw how it was shiny, there on the side? There are lots of things you can see like that, when you get close but haven’t unburied the whole thing, especially if they’re shiny, or brightly colored, things that are rock colored will be harder to see.” The way he peeks at your face after this bit of advice suggests he’s not sure if it was good.

 
 Spoiler: Note from the DM 

If you’ve play Pokémon Platinum (full disclosure, I don’t know if it carried over into the later generation remakes), you know how in the Underground the graphic for the very last layer of dirt has a tiny hole in the middle that you can see through? It’s like that.
 


Stef’s luck must be rubbing off on you, or maybe this is just a treasure-rich area, because about ten minutes after you start searching again the Mining Kit pings another likely spot.

Two items detected!

 1   3   5   4   1   6   1   4   1   1   6   2   6   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 10 
 

 
 Spoiler: Reply to note 

Oh, neat, I didn't know about that! It did not carry over to the remakes D:
 

 "Oh, I see! I'll make sure to keep an eye out for that, that's a big help!  She grins.
 Hmm... if they're usually pretty visible when there's only a bit left, then that's a couple places there probably isn't anything, where it's already pretty little... and bringing out the big guns early last time didn't help a ton... so I should... 
Pinklady, after studying the wall somewhat more than she did the last one, brings out the smaller tool and strikes  C  twice.
Gnomes2169
Yup, that  certainly  was a giant freaking rock snake that turned into a massive freaking metal snake, so the trade had worked! Giving the steelix a pat on the snout he said,  "Uh, careful there big guy. Told you we'd bulk you up, though."  

Remembering that Lijan was psychically connected to this Alakazam, Mark asked,  "So, how are you two doing? Connection still strong and working there?"  He didn't  think  a trade would break that, but he wanted to make sure for the future.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

The coconut fritters are chewy and just a little sweet. ((-100 PD, 6450 PD remaining.))

The museum isn’t enormous, but it has a handful of other visitors, and there’s a wide variety of displays:

 
 A case that takes up most of a wall – a large sign declares the contents “Common Minerals and Artifacts of Helnith.” 
 A smaller case nearby, “Minerals from Foreign Shores” 
 An old book that seems to be bound shut with leather straps – there are strange markings carved into the cover and three blank clay disks holding the bindings in place. 
 A single feather, light gray and shiny, whose tip splits off to either side. It’s about the size of your hand. 
 A very old looking crown. It’s dark and looks heavy. 
 Numerous jade statuettes of various Pokémon. They are bolted on to sturdy shelves and a sign says you’re allowed to touch them. 
 Another wall-devouring display: a bunch of old wooden beams and equally old metal tools, including an anchor – taken together it looks like half a shipwreck. A number of students with sketchbooks are drawing parts of it. 
 A “History of Pokéballs” display that contains smooth pebbles in various colors, plus some old dried out Apricorns, and Pokéball models of various ages. 
 

There are small informational signs by most of them.

----------------

Skybreak Park (post-tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  I'm not entirely certain,"  Less replied.  "I haven't explored the Pokemon sections of the Department store before, and I should probably buy some gasoline as well. The tracker for the shadowed Pokemon is built into a jeep. I would hope to start soon after that."  
 

“ Fair enough. I’ll keep an eye on my ‘dex. ”   Excellent.   Mina probably had time to squeeze in a few things…probably not de-Shadowing the little Riolu, because that had way too many ways to go wrong and eat up the entire afternoon, but she could water the wild Berry plots…getting that river water sample would probably be pushing it though. Maybe she’d stop by Ceris, take a look at the Blenders there and see what they would need to do to disable them. Find some more duct tape. And maybe she could get some leads for Apicot and/or Ganlon Berries off of Elder Rashel…

----------------

Less (Department Store):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

*double checks math* Yep, that checks out! 🙂
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Yes. Do you know when you might have more heart scales for sale?"  
 

“Unfortunately we only get them in when someone from the Geology Club brings more, sir, and they usually sell out quickly.”

The rest of your shopping completes as expected, and you make your way to the gas station on the edge of the city.

Gas prices in Helnith have unsurprisingly gone up since the war started, and are currently sitting around 5,000 PD per gallon. The manager, however, recognizes you as his son’s teacher back when the latter was still in school (the son in question is now a teenager, and also running the register – he waves when his father points you out) and gives you a gas canister and a gallon of gas on the house.

 
 Spoiler: DM note about the jeep 

I’m going to say it has a 15 gallon gas tank and gets roughly 20 miles per gallon, so 300 miles on a full tank. You have a quarter tank remaining so 75 miles. +20 to that with the extra gallon.

Also fair warning: not every settlement in Helnith has a gas station.
 


----------------

Pinklady:

You notice the rock peeking through your chosen spot is a little paler than the surrounding stone - a good sign? And there’s a different spot ((Column J)) where the dirt is shaking loose a little more freely than the rest of the area, though you don’t see any meaningful difference in color or shininess.

 1   1   1   2   1   6   1   4   1   1   6   2   6   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 8

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Giving the steelix a pat on the snout he said,  "Uh, careful there big guy. Told you we'd bulk you up, though."   
 

Your new Steelix mostly looks bewildered, and still not terribly confident.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Remembering that Lijan was psychically connected to this Alakazam, Mark asked,  "So, how are you two doing? Connection still strong and working there?"  He didn't think a trade would break that, but he wanted to make sure for the future. 
 

Lijan's Alakazam is looking pleased with itself, borderline smug. Lijan himself on the other hand seems momentarily more out of it than usual. “I…give me a moment.” He seats himself awkwardly. “I think we’re both fine, that was just very disorienting.” He puts his head in his hands and takes a few deep breaths. When he looks up again his eyes are closer to their normal level of spaciness. “I think I should sit down for the return trade,” he says conversationally.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

You notice the rock peeking through your chosen spot is a little paler than the surrounding stone - a good sign? And there’s a different spot ((Column J)) where the dirt is shaking loose a little more freely than the rest of the area, though you don’t see any meaningful difference in color or shininess.

 1   1   1   2   1   6   1   4   1   1   6   2   6   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 8 
 

 "Oh! Like that?"  Pinklady indicates the pale section to Stef. While he potentially gives it a look, she decides to get at the shifting area before she forgets, and hits  K  with the small tool.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef takes a few minutes to get back to you, as he’d wandered off to find a dig spot of his own. But when he does he peers at the spot you indicate.

“It looks like a rock,” he opines. “But it might be a nice rock, like a Hard Stone or a Float Stone or a Smooth Rock or that Oval Stone you dug up…or it could be—” He continues to babble on happily about all the possibilities while you take a swing with the pick.

 1   1   1   2   1   6   1   4   1    X    4   1   6   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 7

The stone that tumbles out of the J spot is completely unremarkable…until it lands on its side, where you can see definite streaks in yellow and brown. ((+1 Cat's Eye))

Stef is enthusiastic. “Oh, that’s a Cat’s Eye! They have little bands of light that follow you if they’re cut and polished, and the Gym Badges here use them!”
essCee
 "Oh, cool!"  Pinklady marvels at her find as Stef praises it, trying to catch a glint of light from its unpolished form.
 "Well, get ready to find out what rock the other spot is!"  She carefully strikes at  D , just in case it's a somewhat larger rock than just the particular spot she was working at would suggest.
Lord Ruby34
 The Park 

Less nodded. Young or not, these trainers were clearly dedicated to bringing the fight to Bandra. Frankly, he also felt more comfortable fighting against shadowed Pokemon with another trainer. As far as actual battling went he knew he was still relatively green.

 "I appreciate your willingness to help. I'll message you as soon as I've finished my errands."  Less said. With that, Less headed out to get his shopping completed.

----------------------------
 Department Store 
 "Do you have an emailing list for when such items come back in stock?"  Less asked the salesperson.

----------------------------
 Gas Station 

Less made small talk for a few minutes with the owner after sincerely thanking him for the gas. Less knew that the war had inflated the price of gas, but 5000 PD a gallon was massive. He'd have to save the jeep specifically for hunting down Bandra shadowed Pokemon and emergencies.

After leaving, Less began typing out a text to Mina on the Pokedex.

  Completed my shopping. Ready to head out when you are. Less.  

After a moment's consideration Less texted Mark as well.

  Mina and I are going to confront some shadowed Pokemon. Meet at Reiva if you are free and would like to join us. Less.  

He would have texted Akio, Matt, and Pinklady as well, but Less realized that he didn't have their numbers.

While waiting for a response, Less fiddled with his Pokedex, trying to see if his bounty hunting license had been approved and if the app was working.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Your new Steelix mostly looks bewildered, and still not terribly confident.

Lijan's Alakazam is looking pleased with itself, borderline smug. Lijan himself on the other hand seems momentarily more out of it than usual. “I…give me a moment.” He seats himself awkwardly. “I think we’re both fine, that was just very disorienting.” He puts his head in his hands and takes a few deep breaths. When he looks up again his eyes are closer to their normal level of spaciness. “I think I should sit down for the return trade,” he says conversationally. 
 

Well, the steelix should become a bit more confident as time went on... he just needed the chance to get used to his new body, and a bit of time with a move tutor to get a steel move. Gyro Ball was on the move list, if Mark recalled correctly, and would go  excellently  with the steel type's new speed stat... but first, Lijan.

Looking at the starlight squad leader, Mark was struck for a moment by just how...  awkward  the man was. It almost felt like he was in the presence of a kindred spirit, though more of a spacey one than just a naturally shy kid put in the position of being a leader. He was also glad to see that the effects of the trade were not  too  dramatic.  "Yeah, sitting would probably be a good idea."  He agreed out loud, holding up the Alakazam's ball for a moment before musing,  "I wonder, though..." 

Sending out his gardevoir, Mark asked Lijan,  "So, Tattersail and I are psychically connected as well. I'm not  exactly  sure if it will work, but I'm wondering if, while I have possession of your psychic type, our links could... I don't know, merge a bit? Maybe let us communicate directly, mind-to-mind? I'm... pretty new to this thing, so I'm not  sure  if this will work, but... it might be something worth testing out, right?"  He gestured vaguely at the pokemon and his fellow trainer, so that he could get their thoughts on his impromptu experiment.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   Mina and I are going to confront some shadowed Pokemon. Meet at Reiva if you are free and would like to join us. Less.   
 

When he got the message, Mark pulled out his phone and he considered if he should be paranoid, since no code words had been sent in that message... but then he realizes that no one had told Less  about  their codewords, so he quickly typed back,   Give me just a moment, but I'd be happy to join you and help you out.   He and Mina would have to talk to Less on the road later...
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

That proves to be a good call and the Petosky Stone comes free without further fuss. ((+1 Petosky Stone.))

 
 Spoiler: Petosky Stone 
Held item. Powers up moves when held by a Fossil Pokemon.
 

 1   1    X   X    0   6   1   4   1    X    4   1   6   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining:  6  – All items found!

Stef congratulates you enthusiastically and then excuses himself to go find some rocks of his own to hit. It’s now about 4 PM. ((Do you want to look for another dig spot?))

----------------

Skybreak Park (post-tear-down):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I appreciate your willingness to help. I'll message you as soon as I've finished my errands."  Less said. With that, Less headed out to get his shopping completed.  
 

Mina nodded, then bid Less goodbye and made a beeline for the exit. She wasn’t sure how much time she had so she’d better be quick!

----------------

Less (Department Store):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Do you have an emailing list for when such items come back in stock?"  Less asked the salesperson. 
 

“We do,” he replies, “but it’s entirely likely we’ll sell out of them before you get here, especially if you’re out of Skybreak when they come in. I can put you on our mailing list, but you might have better luck talking to the Geology Club directly. They’re in Tidepath.”

(Gas Station: )


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   Completed my shopping. Ready to head out when you are. Less.   
 

A few minutes pass before you get a response from Mina.

  Mina sent you a message! 
 :thumbsup: I’ll be there in a bit.  

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 While waiting for a response, Less fiddled with his Pokedex, trying to see if his bounty hunting license had been approved and if the app was working. 
 

Lo and behold, it does seem to be working, and of course the first thing to pop up when you open it is a lengthy EULA.

Mark’s response comes a moment later.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   Give me just a moment, but I'd be happy to join you and help you out.   
 

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Yeah, sitting would probably be a good idea."  He agreed out loud, holding up the Alakazam's ball for a moment before musing,  "I wonder, though..." 

Sending out his gardevoir, Mark asked Lijan,  "So, Tattersail and I are psychically connected as well. I'm not  exactly  sure if it will work, but I'm wondering if, while I have possession of your psychic type, our links could... I don't know, merge a bit? Maybe let us communicate directly, mind-to-mind? I'm... pretty new to this thing, so I'm not  sure  if this will work, but... it might be something worth testing out, right?"  He gestured vaguely at the pokemon and his fellow trainer, so that he could get their thoughts on his impromptu experiment. 
 

The Alakazam’s eyes glow with sufficient hostility that Tattersail interposes herself between you and the other Psychic type, projecting alarm.

&lt; Someone’s feeling prickly. Let’s not, &gt; she suggests.

Lijan visibly winces. “I’m sorry, but my Pokémon isn’t very friendly with others.”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

That proves to be a good call and the Petosky Stone comes free without further fuss. ((+1 Petosky Stone.))

 
 Spoiler: Petosky Stone 
Held item. Powers up moves when held by a Fossil Pokemon.
 

 1   1    X   X    0   6   1   4   1    X    4   1   6   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining:  6  – All items found!

Stef congratulates you enthusiastically and then excuses himself to go find some rocks of his own to hit. It’s now about 4 PM. ((Do you want to look for another dig spot?)) 
 

 "Woohoo! Thanks for the help, Stef!"  Pinklady marvels at her new finds a moment before beginning her search for a new dig spot.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Your new acquisition is a smooth rock with roughly hex-shaped marks all over it, and at the center of each is a darker spot.

About an hour later you locate another likely spot.

Two items detected!

 2   2   4   3   6   5   5   3   1   3   6   4   5   6   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

There doesn’t appear to be anything obvious in column I.

Hits remaining: 10
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Your new acquisition is a smooth rock with roughly hex-shaped marks all over it, and at the center of each is a darker spot.

About an hour later you locate another likely spot.

Two items detected!

 2   2   4   3   6   5   5   3   1   3   6   4   5   6   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

There doesn’t appear to be anything obvious in column I.

Hits remaining: 10 
 

 If I go for the sturdier spots, then that'll really help if anything is under them... but if I go for the lighter spots, I can get more area uncovered...  Pinklady studies the spot for a minute, now putting on her serious face. Finally, she makes her decision. She pulls out the pick and strikes a few different spots -   B ,  H , and then - that one twice -  N .
Lord Ruby34
 Department Store 
 "Sign me up for the mailing list, please."  Less said, and then provided the man his email address. Silently, Less added talking to the Tidepath Geology Club to his ever mental task list. And then added another mental note to turn that task list into a physical document at some point, lest he forget something.

----------------
 Gas Station 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
   Mina sent you a message! 
 :thumbsup: I’ll be there in a bit.   
 

 Received. Headed to the front gate. Less. 

Less made good on his text message. He and Buck began walking to the front gate. Less continued fiddling with his Pokedex while the large fire type guaranteed him a safe path.  "Back in our day contracts we things you could actually read."  Less complained to Buck while walking.  "None of this fifty pages on a five inch screen nonsense."   As the older trainer was scrolling accept the EULA he recieved Mark's text.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   Mark sent you a message! 
 Give me just a moment, but I'd be happy to join you and help you out.   
 

  Received. Headed to the front gate to meet Mina. Teleporting soon. Less.  

When he managed to swap back away from the messaging app, the EULA was back at the top. "Infernal machine." Less muttered as he walked, scrolling down once more and finally managing to click accept.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Alakazam’s eyes glow with sufficient hostility that Tattersail interposes herself between you and the other Psychic type, projecting alarm.

&lt; Someone’s feeling prickly. Let’s not, &gt; she suggests.

Lijan visibly winces. “I’m sorry, but my Pokémon isn’t very friendly with others.” 
 

Well  nevermind doing any kind of science, then.  Recalling the psychic type Mark said,  "I get it, I have an Ariados that has a similar temperament."  Letting out a sigh, kinda disappointed that he wasn't going to experiment with being part of a  real  psychic circle, -it would have been  so cool , and yes that's the reason why he wanted to try it out- he scratched at the back of his head and asked,  Well then, are you ready to trade back?"  Hopefully that would go a bit more smoothly than the first trade. It should just [i]strengthen[i] the bond instead of stressing it, he'd think.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   Received. Headed to the front gate to meet Mina. Teleporting soon. Less.   
 

((Assuming this is after the meeting he's going to have with Lijan, since shopping takes a while))

Mark took the message and tucked his phone away, then had Tattersail teleport him over to Reiva. He reflected that moving around with her like this was certainly much,  much  more convenient than walking everywhere. Upon arrival at the town, he gives his gardevoir a  squint .  "Yes, yes, I would be lost like a little baby in the woods without you to pick up my slack, I know. And I'm  not  going to get fat, I've been walking all day!"  He says at the feeling of  smug  that emanated from his psychic type.
Feathersnow
Akio enjoys learning about interesting rocks and the history of Pokéballs!
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 1    X    3   3   6   5   4   1   0   3   6   4   3   2   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

In column B you can see what looks like the dark imprint of a stem on a lighter background. It continues off into the dirt on either side. The other uncovered or shallow spots don’t appear to have anything of interest.

Hits remaining: 6

----------------

Mina:

Mina got out of Skybreak in short order, and proceeded to tend to all her Berries, both in the wild plots and planters.

 
 Spoiler: Berry summary 

In the Planters:
+5 Petaya Berries
Grepa growing taller
Salac not sprouted yet
Liechi not sprouted yet
Qualot sprouted
+4 Nilla Berries (9 total)

In the wild plots:
Occa growing taller
Shuca growing taller
Sitrus sprouted
Sitrus sprouted

Planted Petaya and Liechi in Planters Day 27, 2 PM no Mulch.
 


She’d have sworn she’d seen something get startled and run off when she appeared out of nowhere at one patch, but there wasn’t much she could do about it…wait, she had money now. She made a mental note to get some more Repel. She needed to head back to town anyway.

She had Natu take her to Ceris, and tracked down Elder Rashel.

She found the Elder in the Contest Hall, working with her Pokémon – a fluffy little dog-like creature the Pokédex identified as a Pompuff.

 
 Spoiler: Pompuff 
 
 


It looked, to Mina’s admittedly untrained eye, a bit mussed.

“ No,  Galileo,  no.  Try it again! Wait,” the Elder had noticed Mina. (The Pompuff, having just started its next maneuver, tried to stop with just one foot on the ground and unsurprisingly fell on its face.) “Hello child. Have you come to set another of my Blenders on fire?”

Mina ducked her head, embarrassed. “ In a little bit, ” she replied with more truth than she expected the Elder suspected. “ But first I wanted to ask: do you know where I could find some Ganlon or Apicot Berries? ”

“Those are rare varieties, child, are you sure you need them?”

“ As sure as I can be, ” Mina replied. They were the most potent Dry Berries she knew of so far.

“Have you been finding what you’re looking for aside from those?” Elder Rashel gave Mina a  look  as she asked this.

Mina felt very on the spot all of a sudden. “ I think so, ” she answered carefully.

Elder Rashel sighed, abruptly, and sat down. The Pompuff got up and trotted over to sit in her lap and she started rubbing its head. “I know what you  meant  to ask: no, I don’t have either of those Berries myself. As I said they are rare, and there is competition over the Berries that exist, for their utility.”

“ But you know who has them, ” Mina ventured.

“A Coordinator did come through town the other day. Tall, thin, dark hat and sunglasses, white scarf. If I’m not mistaken he goes by Miles, and he was a finalist in the last Contest – in both the Beauty and Tough categories,” the Elder added meaningfully.

“ Ah. ”

“He has been leaving town often, I assume to practice, and he may have moved on. I cannot be  certain  if he has what you’re looking for of course. He did not confide in me, and he looks down his nose at non-Coordinators, much like I used to–“ the Elder’s voice turned melancholy ”–I suppose Elren would have told you of that?”

Mina could honestly say no, so she shook her head to indicate as much. The little time she’d spent in that man’s presence had been  very busy  trying to keep everyone alive and get them out of the Shrine of Light, after all.

“Then never mind. Your only other real option, that  I  am aware of, is to speak with the trainers around Trainer Hill, and hope that one of them has a spare they would be willing to part with. Was there anything else you needed?”

“ A Silk Scarf? ” Mina asked. “ And I really do need to set fire to a Blender, or find some other way to disable it permanently. Not the ones here, though, ” she added as it looked like she was about to get a verbal lashing, and the Elder subsided into looking merely puzzled.

“Check in the salvage bin for your Scarf, child, there might be something in there. As for the other thing, ask the front desk for the toolbox, and tell them I said you could make free of it.”

Mina nodded and thanked the Elder before taking her leave.

(Later: )

An hour and a half later Mina had indeed found her Silk Scarf (badly stained, with a few threads trailing from it, but serviceable) and it was currently in Natu’s possesion, the Everstone he had been holding going back into her pack. She’d also taken the time to teach him the U-Turn SM; it wasn’t doing anyone any good sitting in her pack, but she hoped she wasn’t going to miss Miracle Eye. ((+Silk Scarf, -SM 37 – U-Turn))

She hadn’t seen any sign of the Coordinator that the Elder had mentioned, so most of the remaining time before she got Less’ text had been spent poking and proding a Blender and looking up their blueprints online. They were unfortunately sturdy things (probably because it was so easy to set their contents on fire), the Ceris Blenders at least were bolted to the floor, and the access hatches were tricky enough Mina was thinking their best bet would be to have the Pokémon attack the Quibir Blenders and hope that was enough. Or do like Mark had done with that safe, and just unbolt the things and cart them away, but that would take time Mina doubted they would have.

That said, the toolbox had had a spare screwdriver and Rashel had said she could make free, so Mina grabbed it, just in case. ((+Screwdriver))

And there was one more thing she needed to do before she met up with the rest…

She texted Ranger Wain, and afterwards Dove and Fate, to see if any of them had any relevant background she and the others needed to know about their newest friends – more specifically if they were who they said they were, and did they have any ties to Bandra…

That was all she had time for, however, as that was when she got Less’ text.

----------------

Less (Department Store):

The store employee nods and fiddles with the computer behind the counter. A moment later you get a confirmation e-mail.

(Meet-up: )

There are a couple near-misses with pedestrian traffic, averted thanks to Buck, and you arrive at the entrance to the city in good time. Mina is waiting for you; she waves. A moment later Mark arrives too, scolding his Gardevoir.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Upon arrival at the town, he gives his gardevoir a  squint .  "Yes, yes, I would be lost like a little baby in the woods without you to pick up my slack, I know. And I'm  not  going to get fat, I've been walking all day!"  
 

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  Well then, are you ready to trade back?"  
 

There’s a pause as Lijan takes another deep breath, then drags a chair over to the machine to sit in before he nods. He recalls Steelix, puts the ball back in the machine, and the process proceeds much as it did before – minus both Pokémon evolving, of course.

Lijan doesn’t seem as bad off this time; he’s able to stand without issue almost immediately afterwards. “Thank you, Mark. That needed to be done, I only wish I had done it sooner. If I had Elren might still be alive.” His eyes dip to the floor momentarily, then he looks up again. “Was there anything else you needed?”

(Meet-up):

Less and Mina are already here; Mina’s Natu is on her shoulder.

----------------

Akio:

The display for “Common Minerals and Artifacts of Helnith” is centered by a ring of Gems, one of each type. (Judging by the faint outlines behind them, someone had to add one or two recently and no one has gotten around to repainting yet.) Wedges of color are painted on the wall behind them, separating everything into categories, and small shelves hold most of the rest of the items on display as well as informational cards.

Under the subsection ‘Wealth of the Land’ there are three shelves that catch your attention.

The first shelf holds a handful of Cat’s Eye in various colors, mostly uncut but a couple have obviously gone through a tumbler to take the worst of the rough edges off and one is cut into a cabochon like would be set into jewelry.

     CAT’S EYES  A stone commonly found in Helnith, Cymophane or ‘Cat’s Eye’ was the first gemstone officially discovered in the region. In recognition of this, the Pokémon League standard for Helnith is that all Forge of Heaven Conference Badges be set with a small piece of Cat’s Eye.
   
The second shelf in the same section has a small gold Nugget and a few samples of gold dust.

     GOLD  Gold has existed in the mountains of Helnith since before Salerdia pulled most of the region’s land mass out of the sea. But unlike some more populated regions, gold has never enjoyed extensive commercial popularity in Helnith, the industry for it quickly having been supplanted by archaeological and paleontological interests.
   
The third shelf has an Everstone, a King’s Rock, and small chips of Evolutionary Stones - labels indicate one each of Fire, Water, Leaf, Thunder, Sun, Moon, and a tiny sliver each of Dusk, Dawn, and Shiny. The latter two glow ever-so-faintly with their own internal light, like tiny mis-matched eyes.

     EVOLUTIONARY STONES  Helnith is home to all the common Evolutionary Stones found in Hoenn, Kanto, Johto, and other neighboring regions. Extensive deposits of these stones were discovered up in the northeastern tip of Helnith, but mining operations in that area were shut down due to safety and environmental concerns. However, smaller deposits exist throughout the region.
   
The subsection ‘Bones of the Land’ has an entry for Fossils and another for ‘Stones and Minerals.’

The Fossils shelf has a complete Helix Fossil, a couple of Petosky Stones* as well as some other bits and pieces of other Fossils too small to identify easily. An old rusty pick and hammer are bolted to the wall on either side of this shelf, and there are also photographs surrounding the whole thing - an Old Amber is pictured next to some kind of Fossilized Egg* and other Fossils you can’t identify, as well as lots of people with mining equipment. One photo includes Steven Stone.

     FOSSILS  Due to the unique circumstances of its creation, Helnith has one of the largest and most diverse Fossil records in the world. Hundreds of fossilized remains that would normally have remained buried in the sea floor until the plate subducted were brought to the surface where they remain to this day, waiting for patient paleantologists to dig them up.
   
The heading for ‘Stones and Minerals’ actually covers more than one shelf, and as if to balance this has a fairly scanty informational blurb. Displayed is a Hard Stone, a Float Stone, some Soft Sand, an Oval Stone with an unusual green tint, a Starpiece, a Revive, and then on the next shelf down a Smooth Stone, a Damp Stone, a Heat Stone, an Icy Rock, a Cloudy Crystal*, a Shadowy Stone*, and on the shelf under that is a lump of Light Clay and another of Molding Clay*.

     STONES AND MINERALS  In the early search for gold and later, fossils, prospectors traveled far and wide and dug up many of the items displayed here. While most are not as valuable or appealing as gold, most have found use in the Pokémon battle circuit.
   
‘History of the Land’ has the most variety.

Shelf one holds a trio of Unown Tiles - A, B, and C – which sit next to another informational card:

     UNOWN TILES  Found all over Helnith and popular with modern collectors in the same way that stamps or coins are collected, in ancient times these artifacts were often used in conjunction with blood sacrifices. They are made of Helnith-native clay, and spectrographic analysis has discovered traces of bone dust and powdered cymophane.
   
The next shelf has an old bracelet, a single gold coin, and two copper coins of similar make.

     RELIC COINS  While found in small quantities all over Helnith, analysis of the markings and materials has shown these coins were not minted in the region itself. They are thought to have been used for trade by merchants who passed through the region, and some of them date back to before the region existed as more than an island chain.
   
The third shelf holds an unusual set of items – an old, worn-out Flute, a string of beads that make you feel uncomfortable if you look at them for too long, and a pendant that is as soothing to look at as the beads are uncomfortable. The labels identify them as, respectively, a Time Flute, Horrible Beads,* and a Sacred Talisman.*

     CULTS OF SALERDIA AND AIDRELAS  Back in the days when Legendary Pokémon were near-universally revered as gods, naturally sects for the local Legendary Pokémon sprang up. These items are said to channel the powers of those Pokémon.
   
The last shelf in the display has an assortment of tools and bric-a-brac: a decorative piece of iron (the label says ‘Iron Amulet’*), a large metal ball with a bit of rust on it (‘Iron Ball’), a necklace with marks like those you would see on an ancient tomb (‘Funerary Necklace’*), bands that look like they’re intended to be worn if the old straps are any indication (‘Armored Bands’*), and a glyph on a solid piece of stone that looks positively alien (‘Ancient Glyph’*).

     TOOLS AND TRINKETS  Centuries of civilization naturally lead to centuries of lost tools and broken items. While these things are of interest to archeologists, care must be taken not to deliberately clutter the world with them, as the existence of items like these proves that remnants of all kinds can persist for ages afterwards.
   
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
* = indicates a Helnith-specific item.

The next displays are coming in a day or so, this was just getting lengthy.
 
Lord Ruby34
 "I appreciate both of you joining me."  Less started. After making sure the three of them were alone, he continued.  "Based on what we've learned, Bandra has shadowed a number of Pokemon for research purposes. Each of those Pokemon has a physical device that sends out an electronic signal, readable by Bandra, and now partially readable by us. The jeep Pinklady and I acquired yesterday can track those signals, and lead us to those Pokemon. Ideally, we'll take those Pokemon somewhere they can be deshadowed, but simply destroying the trackers is a success."  

Less paused a moment for questioning, before continuing, his voice steady and informative.  "Bandra may already be waiting. After we knocked out a signal yesterday Bandra sent out a team to investigate within two hours. That team did not return. They may send out similar teams in response to what we're doing today. They may also be lying in wait, though that seems less probable. They shouldn't be able to track the jeep itself. Ranger Wain removed the tracker on it yesterday. It's also not completely impossible they had a redundant back up somewhere in the guts of the thing, though I'd also consider that less than probable." 
 "These Pokemon likely belonged to murdered trainers. Connie was eager for revenge when she was deshadowed. These others might feel the same way. They could potentially be allies against Bandra if we can manage to deshadow them. I brought some rope in case we need to knock them out and tie them up, but that has its own dangers."  Less's voice continued strong until the end, though he privately felt like he was being absurd. He wasn't a general, or even a sergent briefing troops, he was a schoolteacher. There should be someone else here. Someone competent, who understood the actual risks he was asking these children to take better than his uninformed guess. Less corrected himself. Mark and Mina weren't children. They were young, but they had more experience fighting Bandra than he did.

 "Any questions?"  Less asked,  "Anything that you noticed that I missed?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio con’t:

The foreign minerals display isn’t nearly as big or as wordy, mostly consisting of labels naming the minerals and their region of origin, with arrows pointing from the minerals to dots on a map.

   MINERALS FROM FOREIGN SHORES  
  ICE STONE  
   Origin: Alola   
  RED SPHERE  
   Origin: Sinnoh   
  GREEN SPHERE   
   Origin: Sinnoh   
  BLUE SPHERE  
   Origin: Sinnoh   
  PRISM SPHERE  
   Origin: Sinnoh   
  PALE SPHERE  
   Origin: Sinnoh   
  ACHONDRITE  
   Origin: Hoenn   
  CHONDRITE  
   Origin: Hoenn   
  BLACK AUGERITE  
   Origin: Sinnoh   
  PETRIFIED PEAT MOSS  
   Origin: Sinnoh   
  ARMORITE  
   Origin: Sinnoh   
 
As you wander between exhibits one of the art students shrieks and starts babbling; you can hear her friends blow her off and she gradually settles down. A couple younger children start hanging off the statuette display before tearing off down the hallway in a game of tag. A woman in her thirties half-heartedly calls them back and tells them to stop messing around.

    HISTORY OF POKÉBALLS  
Long ago in the earliest days of human history, the relationship between humans and Pokemon was quite different. Ancient Pokémon were either revered or feared with very little in-between. There were, however, enough positive interactions between the two that while Pokéballs themselves are a relatively recent invention, the basic concept - call a Pokémon to your side immediately - has shown up several times at different time periods and in different cultures.  
Between paragraphs is a map of the world with tiny flags picking out particular areas.

   The very, very oldest of these devices, and by far the most common, were whistles, bells, drums, and other items capable of being heard over a long distance, the same as would have summoned the human inhabitants when the need arose. These devices were simple to make, easy to use, and worked for humans and Pokémon alike, with the result that some ancient cultures never used anything more complicated throughout their entire existences.    
Here a couple examples of ancient whistles are displayed, plus photographs of old bells and a drum being excavated.

   But there have been several outliers. The long lost civilization of Pokémopolis was said to be able to trap spirits inside mundane objects much like a modern Pokéball would. In Oblivia there exist monuments carved with symbols that locals claim could summon specific Pokémon. In Helnith ancient priests tried to conjure up armies of Pokémon with ritual and blood sacrifice.    
A number of photos and sketches of said monuments follow; each symbol is made of a single unbroken line, and most but not all are angular. There is also an illustration of a priest standing by an altar and holding a knife above a congregation.

   But to date the earliest known Pokémon-summoning that could truly be considered a Pokéball was crafted from ancient Apricorns. Devices of this sort were first found in ancient Johto, where they quickly spread to regions as far as Galar and Alola. High quality glass was difficult for ancient cultures to make, so highly polished stones called Tumblestones were used in place of modern mirrors, and heavier metals were used in their construction.    
A couple extremely old, withered Apricorns are being held in place next to a clear box of polished stones in multiple colors, and an ancient Pokéball with some sort of vent at the top.

   The modern incarnation of the Pokéball didn’t come into existence until 1925, and it wasn’t until large corporations like Silph Co. and the Devon Corporation began mass producing them that they became ubiquitous. Today,  many varieties of Pokéball can be found for sale all over the world, customized for every possible situation and purpose.    
Below this sits an arch of modern Apricorn Balls over a modern Pokéball, with pictures of several other varieties including a Master Ball.

----------------

Less, Mark, Mina:

Mina considered this. “ I guess if you already ambushed one team there probably isn’t much point in using the trackers as bait. ”

She also had a sudden, intense desire to go check on the little Shadowed Riolu currently sitting in her Box Storage, but suspected mentioning that would be less helpful.

  Ooh, I’m going to need more Pokeballs for this aren’t I? And some more Scents too.  

And then a different thought struck that made her straighten up. “ I almost forgot! I found out Spectral Pokémon can control Shadowed Pokémon, a little. Not during a Rage and not if they’re more powerful. But I have Oodramer with me, so that might be an option, depending on what we run into. ”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 1    X    3   3   6   5   4   1   0   3   6   4   3   2   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

In column B you can see what looks like the dark imprint of a stem on a lighter background. It continues off into the dirt on either side. The other uncovered or shallow spots don’t appear to have anything of interest.

Hits remaining: 6 
 

 Bingo!  With the stem-looking thing coming uncovered, Pinklady carefully taps  B  with the pick to shake off some of the dirt left on it. Hopefully not actually dinging this... imprint? And then she takes the mallet and hits  D/E  with it to hopefully finish uncovering whatever it is. This seems to be getting close to collapsing, though...
Lord Ruby34
 "Oodramer is a spectral type, then?"  Less asked, though the context made it seem obvious. Still, it wasn't a Pokemon he had heard of before, and he wanted to make sure.  "If so, that sounds like an excellent idea. We could get the trackers off and get away quickly enough that we could accomplish more in a day, and more before there's a Bandra response." 

Assuming Less knows that the group is still waiting for Akio, then he'll take the time to teach Buck Protect, forgetting Flame Wheel, and attempt to teach Connie U-Turn, over Twister. Less hung onto the Natural Gift SM. He had several Pokemon that could benefit, and only one copy of the SM.
Gnomes2169
((With Lijan))

Collecting up his new Steelix and recalling the metal snake, Mark glanced around the pokemon center and he said,  "We still need to talk, but..."  Gesturing with a jerk of his head towards the back rooms, he made his way to somewhere private, where he could close the door, and he telepathically told Tattersail, &lt;  Let us know if someone is listening in on us.  &gt;

Once he was certain that his conversation with the Starlight Squad lieutenant was private, Mark took a breath and explained,  "So, I told you that I would keep you in the loop on my current plans... Bandra is starting to ramp up their breeding programs for egg moves, and they have begun producing poffins to boost the pokemon they currently have. Mina and I have gotten a group together to strike at one of their poffin production facilities, the contest hall in Quibir, tomorrow. We were planning to sail from Tidepath on the backs of my lapras and other larger water types, to strike at it from the coast, and were going to cut the town's power before we hit them by taking out their power lines to the north and south. After knocking out Bandra's poffin production, we plan to evacuate the local population that we can using our teleporters." 

And there it was, the plan as they'd come up with it. So, as for why Mark had brought this up to the squad leader...  "So, while we have a good number of strong pokemon in our team, I wanted to see if you knew anything about the area. If you knew about how many grunts Bandra had in the area, if there are any locals in the area fighting back against Bandra, or if you had any squad members that were willing to join us, I would be grateful for any assistance you could give." 

((At the meetup))

 "If Bandra is so focused on this project that they respond almost  immediately  to it being disrupted, then I think that's even  more  of a reason to hit these sites."  Mark said, rubbing at his chin.  "Perhaps they're trying to experiment with controlling wild shadowed pokemon with their spectral types,"  and THAT was definitely a thing that Mark was going to remember, because that could be  terrible  for them in so many situations,  or perhaps it's just meant to make problems for everyone else in the region. Either way, we should do our best to rescue as many of these pokemon as we can."  Also, it was just the right thing to do, but that went without saying.

To Mina, Mark asked,  "Are you going to take your Oodromere with us, then? I have a Cosmas, but I haven't spent the same time training my spectral type so I'm not sure it will help if we encounter something as strong as Connie out there. Also, uh... where did you learn about that?"  Spectral types having that bit of utility was some neat trivia.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

Once you have investigated the museum to your satisfaction, you contact Mina to come pick you up. She texts back that she’s coming, then while you are en route to the rendezvous texts again:

  Mina sent you a message! 
 Our other friends are ready too, we were going to do that thing we talked about once everyone was gathered. Did you want in or did you want a lift back to town instead?  

After you respond she replies:

  Mina sent you a message! 
 Okay, I’ll let everyone know. Meet you there.  

----------------

Pinklady:

  X   X    1   1   4   4   4   1   0   3   6   4   3   2   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 3

The object doesn’t appear to have been damaged after you hit it, and now you can make out what looks a bit like a flattened cup or flower: obviously a Fossil of some kind. The right edge is still a little buried, however. ((Unless I did my math wrong, in which case let me know!))

----------------

Mark (with Lijan):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 &lt;  Let us know if someone is listening in on us.  &gt; 
 

&lt; There isn’t anyone around except the nurses and the Chansey, and they’re busy working, &gt; Tattersail informs you.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "So, I told you that I would keep you in the loop on my current plans... Bandra is starting to ramp up their breeding programs for egg moves, and they have begun producing poffins to boost the pokemon they currently have. Mina and I have gotten a group together to strike at one of their poffin production facilities, the contest hall in Quibir, tomorrow. We were planning to sail from Tidepath on the backs of my lapras and other larger water types, to strike at it from the coast, and were going to cut the town's power before we hit them by taking out their power lines to the north and south. After knocking out Bandra's poffin production, we plan to evacuate the local population that we can using our teleporters." 

And there it was, the plan as they'd come up with it. So, as for why Mark had brought this up to the squad leader...  "So, while we have a good number of strong pokemon in our team, I wanted to see if you knew anything about the area. If you knew about how many grunts Bandra had in the area, if there are any locals in the area fighting back against Bandra, or if you had any squad members that were willing to join us, I would be grateful for any assistance you could give."  
 

“My information network isn’t as good as it was, since the Squad was split, but I’ll tell you what I can.” He pulls out his Pokédex and points to Quibir on the map. “The area is not far from Mount Everburn and the Safari Zone and is frequently covered in ash. Depending on the weather this may affect your visibility.

My last report was that the settlement wasn’t the most fortified, but it wasn’t abandoned either. The Bandra Officer in charge of the area was Noren last I heard, but he was up in Seapoint. If you move quickly, I don’t believe you’ll have any trouble from him. You likely  will  run into a Taskmaster in the town itself, I believe the one stationed in Quibir is a man named Tory, but I’m sorry I don’t know what his Pokémon are. Do be careful.

I should also warn you that there is – or at least was, I don’t know if Bandra has driven them out - a wild Pokémon species in the area called Wehld. They aren’t naturally aggressive, but they will explode if seriously injured.

And I don’t know if anyone would be willing to join you on your mission but I’ll make some quiet inquiries this evening.”

----------------

Meet-up (Less, Mark, Mina, and now Akio):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Oodramer is a spectral type, then?"  
 

Mina nodded. “ Although I guess I should wait until Akio gets here to go over all this…wait, there he is! ” Mina waved to the samurai boy to make sure he saw them.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Also, uh... where did you learn about that?"  Spectral types having that bit of utility was some neat trivia. 
 

“ The Skybreak Gym is Spectral type. Make sure you go in the front door if you visit, the Gym Leader’s a bit prickly, ” Mina replied. “ I  should  bring Cosmas too… ” The little helmet creature would probably be more useful in this instance than her Gyarados, who at the moment would only really be able to contribute by sitting around, looking intimidating. “ …Also does everyone here have everyone else’s number? ” It hadn’t occurred to Mina until Akio had contacted her that while she’d given him her number the reverse was not true and a non-zero part of her had worried that his text had been from Bandra until he actually showed up.

((-SM 37 – U-Turn and -SM 60 – Protect for Less, 0 remaining.))

 
 Spoiler: Buck and Connie move updates 

Pokemon: Arcanine (Buck)
Type: Fire
Ability: Intimidate
Gender: Male
Level: 30
Held Item: Leftovers
Stats--
HP: 103
Attack: 80 +5
Def: 62 +15
Sp. Attack: 74
Sp. Def: 62
Speed: 71 +5
Moves:
Bite
Roar
Leer
Odor Sleuth
Protect
Fire Fang

Pokemon: Honchkrow (Connie)
Type: Dark/Flying
Ability: Super Luck
Gender: Female
Level: 36
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 129
Attack: 106
Def: 53
Sp. Attack: 91 +15
Sp. Def: 53
Speed: 67 +16
Moves:
Snarl (SM)
Swift (tutor)
U-Turn
Nasty Plot
Swagger
Wing Attack
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

  X   X    1   1   4   4   4   1   0   3   6   4   3   2   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 3

The object doesn’t appear to have been damaged after you hit it, and now you can make out what looks a bit like a flattened cup or flower: obviously a Fossil of some kind. The right edge is still a little buried, however. ((Unless I did my math wrong, in which case let me know!)) 
 

((Math is right! Which is unfortunate for me, since I made a mistake in my choices! 😛 Fortunately it translates to a realistic mistake for Pinklady to have made))

Pinklady gives  D  one more tap, this time with the pick. Without much left to do without collapsing the wall, Pinklady takes two last pick strikes to  M , just in case.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina nodded. “ Although I guess I should wait until Akio gets here to go over all this…wait, there he is! ” Mina waved to the samurai boy to make sure he saw them.

“ The Skybreak Gym is Spectral type. Make sure you go in the front door if you visit, the Gym Leader’s a bit prickly, ” Mina replied. “ I  should  bring Cosmas too… ” The little helmet creature would probably be more useful in this instance than her Gyarados, who at the moment would only really be able to contribute by sitting around, looking intimidating. “ …Also does everyone here have everyone else’s number? ” It hadn’t occurred to Mina until Akio had contacted her that while she’d given him her number the reverse was not true and a non-zero part of her had worried that his text had been from Bandra until he actually showed up. 
 

 "Akio, I don't believe I have your number, or you mine."  Less said.  "Here."  Less proffered his Pokedex to the young man.  "If we're going to be fighting together we should be able to reach each other." 

While Akio entered his contact, Less mused aloud  "I suppose it makes sense that spectral types would be able to influence shadowed Pokemon. If spectral energy is what causes shadowing, and spectral Pokemon can use that energy to shadow other Pokemon, it makes sense that shadowing another Pokemon would be something that was beneficial to them. Without some ability to influence a shadowed Pokemon, the spectral type would merely have created a ball of aggression, which would be detrimental to the survival of the shadower in the wild . . . but the with ability to influence the actions of shadowed Pokemon, that detriment becomes a boon. Spectral types could shadow other Pokemon, and then use them as lookouts, or to protect their homes. " 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

  X   X   X    0   3   4   4   1   0   3   6   2   0   0   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 0

You manage to extract the Fossil, but you don’t find anything else before the wall collapses. ((+Root Fossil))

Checking the time, it’s about 5:30 PM. ((Keep going?))

----------------

Meet-up (Less, Mark, Mina, and now Akio):

“ Or just make them leave, ” Mina agreed.

She was pretty sure everyone here had her number already but Mina offered it around anyway.

((Does anyone NOT want their number shared or everyone else’s number shared with them?))
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

  X   X   X    0   3   4   4   1   0   3   6   2   0   0   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 0

You manage to extract the Fossil, but you don’t find anything else before the wall collapses. ((+Root Fossil))

Checking the time, it’s about 5:30 PM. ((Keep going?)) 
 

 "Woohoo!"  Pinklady makes sure to show Stef her newest find before continuing to look for another good excavation spot. ((Yeah!))
Feathersnow
Akio answers the call. "I'll come to you." He then joins the meet-up after a relaxing afternoon as a tourist.


Meeting up with the others, Akio shares his number out.
He then learns about Spectral types.  "So they are like medieval warriors, suborning common Pokémon and putting them to work, with the Shadower as an overlord.  It is a violation of the natural order!  The strong should protect the weak, not use them as disposable tools!"
Gnomes2169
((Lijan))
 "Anyone who could join us we'd be  most  thankful for."  Mark said, nodding along with the lieutenant as he went through the list.  "Especially if they have a pokemon who knows surf. I have a lapras to help with transportation, and we know about a trainer who has the HM, but we already have five people to stick on my water type... which is already too many." 

As for the town itself...  "Lowered visibility is actually something we are hoping to take advantage of, if we can. Hitting Bandra in their own territory will go best if we can pick off a few grunts before we know we're there. Actually, do you know if it's been active or is supposed to be active sometime soon? And how do the Wehld react to ashfalls?"  Mark made a note to check with one of the rangers about this taskmaster Tory. Knowing what the most threatening pokemon at the town were couldn't be anything but useful.

((Meetup))
Mark got out his phone to take Akio's number, since he'd already had everyone else, and glanced up at Akio's little rant about the right and proper way to go about things.  "Well, I mean... the pokemon they shadow don't exactly  choose  that either, so I think it shouldn't exactly be surprising that the meaner spectral pokemon aren't exactly nice to the pokemon they control? Though I think most of them just use it as a deterrent, like Mina said." 

To Less, Mark said,  "So, you figured out how to turn the tracker on? Great. Let's get there, then... and Mina, maybe you should have your pikachu check the jeep for small electronic devices. Oh, and we should pull out the radio, if we can. Er... there could be listening devices and stuff."  Mina's paranoia would rub off on him before this was over.

((OoC: I'd like to not give Mina my number, she seems grumpy. 😛 Mark will give his number to everyone.))
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded along with Mina's addition.  "Most likely." 

As for Akio, the sentiment was hardly wrong, though even Less would be hard pressed to call it anything other than old fashioned, and perhaps overly idealistic about the past. Instead Less just nodded and said.  "The world would be a better place if everyone thought as you did, Akio." 

Less turned back to Mark.  "Not exactly. I haven't actually been back to Reiva since this morning. But if that Bandra grunt we talked to could figure it out, how hard could it be to use? She didn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed." 
 
"It couldn't hurt to be paranoid, I suppose. Though try not to damage the jeep too much. Selling it is my best current plan for quickly getting a reasonable amount of money." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Twenty minutes later, you find another likely spot.

1 item detected!

 2   1   5   4   2   5   2   4   5   1   6   6   5   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 10

Nothing obviously interesting is peeking through the shallow spots.

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Anyone who could join us we'd be  most  thankful for."  Mark said, nodding along with the lieutenant as he went through the list.  "Especially if they have a pokemon who knows surf. I have a lapras to help with transportation, and we know about a trainer who has the HM, but we already have five people to stick on my water type... which is already too many."  
 

“I will see what I can arrange,” Lijan promises.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 As for the town itself...  "Lowered visibility is actually something we are hoping to take advantage of, if we can. Hitting Bandra in their own territory will go best if we can pick off a few grunts before we know we're there. Actually, do you know if it's been active or is supposed to be active sometime soon? And how do the Wehld react to ashfalls?"  
 

“The volcano? It puffs ash and smoke regularly. I’m told it’s actually safer that way, to a point, but it does tend to make a mess of one’s clothes. The ashfall or lack thereof on Quibir and its surrounds has more to do with the direction of the wind. As for the Wehld, they live in the area, so I assume it doesn’t bother them terribly.”

----------------

Meet-up:


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
  "So they are like medieval warriors, suborning common Pokémon and putting them to work, with the Shadower as an overlord.  It is a violation of the natural order!  The strong should protect the weak, not use them as disposable tools!" 
 

Mina opened her mouth to defend Oodramer (who after all had done nothing to deserve such slander), but then remembered Pryath trying to enslave those Shadowed Gastly back in the Spectral Dimension, and shut it again.  Her  Pokémon were perfectly nice creatures, but she couldn’t really speak for the type as a whole, given how rarely they showed up.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 To Less, Mark said,  "So, you figured out how to turn the tracker on? Great. Let's get there, then... and Mina, maybe you should have your pikachu check the jeep for small electronic devices. Oh, and we should pull out the radio, if we can. Er... there could be listening devices and stuff."  Mina's paranoia would rub off on him before this was over. 
 

“ I’ll have to get her first, but I can do that, sure. ”   Looks like I’m going to need to swap out my entire team at this rate. Though she doesn’t get a lot of battle practice anyway with all the Geodude in Bandra, maybe this will be a good mission to keep her in.   “ If everyone’s all set here, let’s head back to Rieva. ”

((And if you’re not I’ll split the timeline. Teleporting in 3…2…1…))

(Rieva: )

The group appears outside the Pokémon Center; it’s about 6 PM. Rieva is small enough it can’t really be said to be  busy , but the restaurant appears to be doing good business right now.

Mina excuses herself to go switch Pokémon ((swapping Gyarados and Sandshrew for Cosmas and Pikachu)) and returns shortly thereafter.
Lord Ruby34
Less made his way over to the jeep and started it up. After that, the older gentleman did his best to find the shadowed Pokemon scanner and get it working.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Twenty minutes later, you find another likely spot.

1 item detected!

 2   1   5   4   2   5   2   4   5   1   6   6   5   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 10

Nothing obviously interesting is peeking through the shallow spots. 
 

 This looks hard...  Pinklady thought to herself as she looked over the new spot.  Though just having one item should help! 

She takes out the pick and begins her tactic of digging at a range of areas again, by picking at
 D  twice and  I  twice.
Gnomes2169
((With Lijan))

 "Wear something that I don't care about getting dirty, got'cha."  He said with a nod. None of the local pokemon were likely to run and hide when a light ashfall began to drop, given they were used to it, so their group would likely have to deal with random encounters, and would have to be careful of shadowed pokemon given Bandra's recent activity with those.  "Honestly, though, that's about all I had to ask about. Oh! And I think you should probably know that Bandra is purposefully shadowing well leveled pokemon and releasing them with tags into the wild. Some of my acquaintances managed to capture a Bandra vehicle equipped with one of their trackers, along with a scientist and grunt who had been inside of it. We were planning to do something about that before Bandra has a chance to really respond."

"So... uh... I've been talking a bit. Do you have any questions for me?" 

((At the meet-up))
Mark didn't have much to add, so he would just join the group as they teleported over to Rieva to get Less' jeep. Leaning on the side of the vehicle while Mina swapped out her team and the older man dug through it and looked for the tracker's activation switch. Watching the restaurant for a minute, Mark drummed his fingers against the vehicle's frame, whistled slightly off-tune, then asked,  "Sooooo, Less. You were married, and stuff. How, uh, hoooooow do you ask a girl out?"  Ah, right, Mark was an awkward teenage boy.  "Because I... uh... cough,  have never...  done that... cough...  "   very  awkward teenage boy.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 2   1   3   0   0   5   2   2   1   0   6   6   5   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 6

Still no signs of treasure.

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Honestly, though, that's about all I had to ask about. Oh! And I think you should probably know that Bandra is purposefully shadowing well leveled pokemon and releasing them with tags into the wild."  
 

“That  is  concerning,” Lijan agreed. “I don’t know if it will do any good, but it seems I will have to try and reach out to Sesh again.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "Some of my acquaintances managed to capture a Bandra vehicle equipped with one of their trackers, along with a scientist and grunt who had been inside of it. We were planning to do something about that before Bandra has a chance to really respond."  
 

“Do be careful, Shadow Pokémon are quite dangerous, as I’m sure you’re aware. In fact,” Lijan digs into a pocket for a moment and extracts a Vivid Scent, which he then hands to you “take this. I daresay you will have more need of it than I.” ((+1 Vivid Scent, 1 total.))


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "So... uh... I've been talking a bit. Do you have any questions for me?"  
 

“I do, actually. You said you were planning to evacuate the townspeople. What were you planning to do with them afterwards? Where are you planning to take them?”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

It takes about a half an hour of messing with menus, but Less is able to locate the scanner – buried several options deep, but with an icon that’s obviously a mismatched placeholder no one bothered to update, in contrast to the legitimate items in the menu. Once accessed, the interface spits out a number of errors – most of them along the lines of ‘unable to determine your location’ but there  is  a map with dots on it, most of them being around Keida Village, Tetherburn Springs, and some going almost as far as Ternai Town.

((I’ll let you guys chat for a bit before Mina gets back.))
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 2   1   3   0   0   5   2   2   1   0   6   6   5   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 6

Still no signs of treasure. 
 

 This might end up as the first time I'd not get anything...  Pinklady takes a moment to evaluate the wall, look a bit closer, and rub the pick's handle to make sure her grip on it is good.  Well, it won't get found just waiting...  She picks at  L  three times.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 2   1   3   0   0   5   2   2   1   0   3   0   2   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 3

Still nothing gleams back at you.
Lord Ruby34
 Stupid touch screen nonsense  Less thought to himself.  This should have a solid nob, or a button . . .  Less was knee deep in his mental grumblings when Mark started talking.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Sooooo, Less. You were married, and stuff.   
 

 "For thirty-four wonderful years." Less responded, wistfully. 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  How, uh, hoooooow do you ask a girl out?"   "Because I... uh... cough,  have never...  done that... cough...  "  
 

Well, that was endearing. Flattering too, that Mark would come to him for advice.

Less looked over at the Pokemon Center that Mina had just gone into and back at Mark, and raised an eyebrow.  "Well."  Less paused for a moment, thoughtful. It had been a long time since he'd had to ask a woman dancing without knowing the answer beforehand.  "That depends more on the young lady, and on you, than anything else. Do you think she's looking for something serious, or for something fun? When I asked Georgia out, I bought flowers and showed up on her doorstep. But with some of the girls before that it was as simple as asking if she wanted to go dancing, or out to the rodeo." 

Less looked up at the young man.  "Now, there are a few other things. Make sure that wherever you invite her it's someplace she actually would want to go, and that you'd enjoy too. Something that you don't get to do every day, but nothing too fancy for a first date."  Less stopped working for a moment and looked Mark directly in the eyes, and gave the young man some of the advice his father had given him. Based on the way the young man had asked him this question, he probably needed it.  "Now, this is important. Make sure you're not too far in your own head. If you're a sweating, stuttering fool about it, chances are that the young lady's going to decline your invitation. No one wants to spend an evening trying to hold a conversation with someone who can't get their tongue untwisted."  Less softened his voice.  "But make sure you come off as yourself. If this young woman is interested in you the same way you're interested in her, that's who she wants to see, son." 

Less cleared his throat, and turned back to futzing with the controls. It had been a while since he'd given fatherly advice. With Emilia's focus on Pokemon, and with the war breaking out, he'd had to give that speech to her over the phone. It was nice to give it in person.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 2   1   3   0   0   5   2   2   1   0   3   0   2   5   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 3

Still nothing gleams back at you. 
 

Pinklady begins to sweat in nervousness. There's still two main spots to check and still no luck...

She decides to get it over with and taps  N  once, hoping that it may reveal some gleaming at  M ... otherwise she will need to turn to pure chance.  Is there some way I could've done it better? Am I just unlucky this time? 
Gnomes2169
((With Lijan))


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I do, actually. You said you were planning to evacuate the townspeople. What were you planning to do with them afterwards? Where are you planning to take them?” 
 

 "We were planning to teleport them to Tidepath, since that's the closest place in friendly territory and my gardevoir, and Mina's Xatu once we evolve her, should be able to reach it. We haven't warned anyone about these plans yet, mostly because secrecy is  incredibly  important in a mission like this, and after what happened in Ternai... I don't want to give Bandra the chance to set another trap."  Expression becoming serious and contemplative, he said,  "If you were willing to give them a heads-up that there might be some refugees coming their way after we've had a chance to hit the town, say around dinner time, that could help make it easier on the local authorities... Though, how large is the population of Quibir anyway?"  It couldn't be  that  big, right? They didn't even have a pokemon center or a mart of Arceus' sake!


 


((At the jeep))


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less looked over at the Pokemon Center that Mina had just gone into and back at Mark, and raised an eyebrow.  "Well."  Less paused for a moment, thoughtful. It had been a long time since he'd had to ask a woman dancing without knowing the answer beforehand.  "That depends more on the young lady, and on you, than anything else. Do you think she's looking for something serious, or for something fun? When I asked Georgia out, I bought flowers and showed up on her doorstep. But with some of the girls before that it was as simple as asking if she wanted to go dancing, or out to the rodeo." 

Less looked up at the young man.  "Now, there are a few other things. Make sure that wherever you invite her it's someplace she actually would want to go, and that you'd enjoy too. Something that you don't get to do every day, but nothing too fancy for a first date."  Less stopped working for a moment and looked Mark directly in the eyes, and gave the young man some of the advice his father had given him. Based on the way the young man had asked him this question, he probably needed it.  "Now, this is important. Make sure you're not too far in your own head. If you're a sweating, stuttering fool about it, chances are that the young lady's going to decline your invitation. No one wants to spend an evening trying to hold a conversation with someone who can't get their tongue untwisted."  Less softened his voice.  "But make sure you come off as yourself. If this young woman is interested in you the same way you're interested in her, that's who she wants to see, son."  
 

Mark's face became flush as Less  pretty easily  deduces just who Mark wanted to ask out, and the anxious part of his brain began screaming that if it was  that  obvious then Mina already knew and he should  PANIC.  But he squashed that screaming monkey part of his brain (and Tattersail's mental cackling at his fluster) and dutifully listened to Less' advice. Do something both of them liked... well, they'd had fun with karaoke night, but those weren't exactly common, and for the most part everything else had been discussions over meals to plan how they were going to fight Bandra or track down smugglers, or just him visiting Mina in the hospital. Oh, hey, that's another thing he knew she liked! Not being injured. He also liked not being injured.

... He couldn't really do anything with that.

He'd figure out something else that they would both enjoy on the road, probably. Maybe there were movies going on in Helnith? If they had contests going despite the war, hey, it was possible other forms of televised entertainment were happening too! Dinner and a movie did seem like the easiest things... they  did  require money, though. Maybe he'd have to take a few more odd jobs.  "Alright, confidence, have a plan for something to do, have fun. Got it."  He said out loud. He could be confident. He was already working on that anyway, so hey, hopefully that would work out!

 "Er... Also, Less, let me take a look at this thing..."  He added before opening up the passenger-side door and leaning in to help the older man investigate the tracking device. Okay, it was clearly a touch screen, so that's why grandpa here was so confused, but what exactly was the tracking app hiding behind? Was there some kind of keycard or password encrypting it...? Mark had never owned a car, so he had no idea what the typical apps were in an electronic vehicle's dashboard, so he wasn't actually much help in this situation despite being a little bit less tech-illiterate than Less. So when Mina got back, she'd find both of them in there, poking at the screen and trying to get the darn tracker to do its thing. ((Mark used help! It's not very effective, still takes 30 minutes to figure this out. 😛))

When she joined them, Mark looked up and flashed Mina a grin before saying,  "Hey Mina! We're getting there, I think... mind having Pikachu do the sweep while we finish up here?" 

Once the tracker was properly on, Mark scratched his head at all the errors and asked,  "Um... that's weird. Wait. This looks like the kind of errors you'd get if you were trying to use a map app or pokedex habitats without any wireless signal. Did you pull the GPS out of the jeep?" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 (  "Alright, confidence, have a plan for something to do, have fun. Got it."  
 

 "You've got it, son. Just remember, you've fought Bandra before, and they wanted to do much worse to you than saying no to a date."  Less regretted the advice almost immediately, when he belatedly remembered that Mark was a teenage boy. They had a tendency to believe they were immortal. Rejection probably  did  scare the lad more than death.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Er... Also, Less, let me take a look at this thing..."  
 

 "Be my guest."  Less said, relieved. If the young man wanted to figure out how the fancy little do-dad worked he was more than welcome to it.

By this point Buck had found a comfortable spot in the back of the jeep and curled up, snoring contentedly as the humans worried about their technology.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "Um... that's weird. Wait. This looks like the kind of errors you'd get if you were trying to use a map app or pokedex habitats without any wireless signal. Did you pull the GPS out of the jeep?"  
 

 

"Hmm. Ranger Wain knocked the tracking device off. That could have been a GPS. Do those usually look like rear view mirrors?"  Still . . .  "It shouldn't matter much anyway. We know we're in Reiva, so we should be able to navigate just fine with a paper map. Or no map. I've been around the area before."  Less took a moment to look at the display, and formulate a plan.

Ideally, they'd want to do a couple of these tonight, but also keep a safe path to retreat. If they were to hit all of them, some kind of arc starting at Ternai or the Springs would probably be the most efficient, and the springs were closer in case they needed to beat a hasty retreat.  "Looks like those dots at Tetherburn Springs are the closest."  Less said.  "I suggest we make for these, and then see where we stand." 

Less looked at the group to see if there were any questions or objections. If none presented themselves, Less woke Buck up so that the human members of the group could pile in, and got the jeep headed in the direction of Tetherburn Springs.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

If there are questions or objections, then ignore that last sentence.

Also, Less is going to keep that gallon of gas in the canister for now, but the canister can be stored in the jeep.
 
Feathersnow
"Tetherburn springs it is!  May the Legendaries and ancestors watch over us as we fight fir justice!" Akio prays, having nothing more material to add.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 2   1   3   0   0   5   2   2   1   0   3   0   1   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 2

Still nothing.

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We were planning to teleport them to Tidepath, since that's the closest place in friendly territory and my gardevoir, and Mina's Xatu once we evolve her, should be able to reach it. We haven't warned anyone about these plans yet, mostly because secrecy is  incredibly  important in a mission like this, and after what happened in Ternai... I don't want to give Bandra the chance to set another trap."  Expression becoming serious and contemplative, he said,  "If you were willing to give them a heads-up that there might be some refugees coming their way after we've had a chance to hit the town, say around dinner time, that could help make it easier on the local authorities...    
 

Lijan looks relieved. “I can do that.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  Though, how large is the population of Quibir anyway?"  
 

“At last report, there were about fifteen people left in Quibir who hadn’t fled already or pledged allegiance to Bandra. You may need to travel outside the main center of town and knock on a few doors to find all of them, we don’t have communications open to most of the civilians.” He does know where the houses are, however, and takes a moment to show you on the map.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Er... Also, Less, let me take a look at this thing..."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Be my guest."  
 

It’s at this point that Mina exists the Pokémon Center (Tattersail congratulates Mark on his excellent timing) and subsequently has her Pikachu go over the vehicle. The Electric type doesn’t find anything but by the puzzled tilt of her ears and the confused little  chu s she makes it’s obvious she’s not entirely clear on what it is Mina’s asking her to find. Mina pats her on the head anyway once she’s finished, although she doesn’t look terribly confident about the result either.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Tetherburn springs it is!  May the Legendaries and ancestors watch over us as we fight fir justice!" Akio prays, having nothing more material to add. 
 

“ Hold on! ” Mina’s voice came out less an exclamation and more an order, as she dug through her pack and extracted some Sitrus Berries. “ Take some of these first. ” ((-9 Sitrus Berries for Mina which puts her at 5 not counting the ones being held or planted, and +3 Sitrus Berries each for Mark (4 total), Less (3 total), and Akio (3 total))) “ And double-check to make sure you have the Pokémon you’re going to need, we’re going into Bandra territory and they can track Teleports, so we can’t just be warping back to town if you’ve forgotten something. Oh, and I grabbed us some food for the road while I was inside, since it looks like we’re going to be out for a while. ” Said food was mostly granola bars and Pokéchow, and Mina tossed these into the back seat where they would hopefully be reachable but out of the way. “ And I got some more duct tape from the nurse in case we need it. ”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

And yes, I know the only one who could realistically switch out Pokémon at this point is Mark, but Mina doesn’t. 😉

I do need to know from  everyone  what Pokémon, if any, you have out for the drive.

Lord Ruby I’m assuming Buck is staying out, and Mina is going to have her Pidgey flying alongside.
 
Lord Ruby34
 "Thank you, Mina."  Less said as he took the berries. After a quick peek on his Pokedex, Less confirmed that yes, these were the berries that healed Pokemon. More than a potion, even. Very useful. His first instinct was to give one to Connie, Princess, and Leo, but he held off. Hopefully the danger would be minimal, but Princess or Leo could still easily take a blow that reduced them to half HP or more without there being any serious danger. Better to save those berries for something truly dangerous. Still.

Less called out Connie, and showed the large Honchkrow the berry.  "Would you mind carrying this around Connie, and using it if you end up seriously hurt?"  After Connie hopefully takes the berry, Less continues.  "We're going to try and find and help some of the other Pokemon that Bandra shadowed. If you see any of Hangi's Pokemon, can you let me know? I'll make it a point to immediately unshadow them so you can talk."  After she answers, Less continues.  "We're planning on taking the jeep. If you can keep up with it, I'd like to have you stay out of your ball. I imagine this is important for you." 

Frankly, Less had reservations about keeping both of his most powerful Pokemon out of their balls. Still, there were enough reasons to keep both of them out that it was worth doing, and not all of them were tactical.

Afterwards Less turned to Mina.  "I don't have any Pokemon to swap out, but thank you for the consideration. And the food."  Less grabbed a granola bar on the way to the driver's seat, and offered half of it to Connie and the other half to Buck. He could wait for a bit longer before eating.

 "Does anyone else know how to drive, just in case? If not, whoever wants to learn should sit up front with me. I'll give you the verbal run down as we go." 
 
 Spoiler: Summary 

Have Connie hold a Sitrus Berry.
Keep Buck and Connie out, if Connie wants to. Buck can run next to the jeep.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 2   1   3   0   0   5   2   2   1   0   3   0   1   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 2

Still nothing. 
 

 Well, here goes!  Pinklady strikes  G/H  with the mallet.
Feathersnow
Akio thanks Mina for the berries.   "Thank you,  these will be very useful."


"Daisho! Ronin! Follow us!"  Akio releases his Crobat and Ditto to follow the Jeep, and gives them eqch  a sitrus berry. Ronin takes the form of the Honchkrow.  "I know how to drive,  so, if you are giving lessons, I'll stay in the back seat."


He then releases his Mawile, Endo, and hands off the third berry before returning him to his pokeball.
Gnomes2169
((With Lijan))


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Lijan looks relieved. “I can do that.”

“At last report, there were about fifteen people left in Quibir who hadn’t fled already or pledged allegiance to Bandra. You may need to travel outside the main center of town and knock on a few doors to find all of them, we don’t have communications open to most of the civilians.” He does know where the houses are, however, and takes a moment to show you on the map. 
 

Mark rubbed at his chin considering those numbers, yeah this place was  tiny.  and he says,  "We'll see if any of the locals can vouch for their neighbors, maybe rescue a few people who were forced to give their allegiance... but a group that size shouldn't be  too  hard to get to safety."  Heck, Tattersail could get all of them out of there in three teleportation loops by herself.  "We were also going to be going through the flute maker's shop,"  or at least their ruins,  "so that we can get her equipment back to her, which should help supply our side with more tools to cure status conditions."  Maybe even get more time flutes to help cure shadowing.  "While we're doing that, we'll gather the townsfolk together and get them to Tidepath." 

That part of the plan more set in stone, now, Mark let out a sigh and stretched an arm above his head.  "Anything else you feel we should cover today?" 

 


((The great shadow pokemon hunt))


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "You've got it, son. Just remember, you've fought Bandra before, and they wanted to do much worse to you than saying no to a date."  Less regretted the advice almost immediately, when he belatedly remembered that Mark was a teenage boy. They had a tendency to believe they were immortal. Rejection probably  did  scare the lad more than death. 
 

Mark glanced at his missing arm before he grunted,  "Huh, I guess you have a point there..."  Maybe this teen's belief in his own mortality was just a little bit more developed than his peers, due to other events that had happened in his life. He  was  still super anxious about this, though, so Less' calming words and advice were greatly appreciated.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Hmm. Ranger Wain knocked the tracking device off. That could have been a GPS. Do those usually look like rear view mirrors?"  Still . . .  "It shouldn't matter much anyway. We know we're in Reiva, so we should be able to navigate just fine with a paper map. Or no map. I've been around the area before."  Less took a moment to look at the display, and formulate a plan.

Ideally, they'd want to do a couple of these tonight, but also keep a safe path to retreat. If they were to hit all of them, some kind of arc starting at Ternai or the Springs would probably be the most efficient, and the springs were closer in case they needed to beat a hasty retreat.  "Looks like those dots at Tetherburn Springs are the closest."  Less said.  "I suggest we make for these, and then see where we stand."  
 

 "Iiiiii... Don't think they look like that? I think the GPS is usually inside of the... is it the hood or the dashboard?"  Alan Lorend had tried to teach him about cars at one point, but it had been when Mark was much younger and obsessed with drawing  dinosaur  pokemon fighting  robots,  so the serious terms and all of the item categorization had gone in one ear and out the other.  "Uh, either way, usually it doesn't look like a rear-view mirror. Especially if it is the rear-view mirror. I think that was just where they were hiding the tracker." 

At the mention of using a physical map, one would be able to  hear  the dial-up tones from Mark's brain as he tries to process just how to do that. His military friends had known, since they'd been trained in that sort of stuff, but he was totally a kid that relied on his technology. It's why he had an  actual  phone instead of just his pokedex. He would just be relying on Less to handle the navigation today... though Mark would probably have to learn about old-fashioned map reading one of these days if he wanted to keep working with the rangers and leading raids against Bandra.

((Also, speaking of Mark's military friends (who I looked up again), it's 11 years later and I'm still waiting for Jason to show up as the surprise villain of the week. 😛))


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 It’s at this point that Mina exists the Pokémon Center (Tattersail congratulates Mark on his excellent timing) and subsequently has her Pikachu go over the vehicle. The Electric type doesn’t find anything but by the puzzled tilt of her ears and the confused little  chu s she makes it’s obvious she’s not entirely clear on what it is Mina’s asking her to find. Mina pats her on the head anyway once she’s finished, although she doesn’t look terribly confident about the result either.

“ Hold on! Take some of these first. ” ((-9 Sitrus Berries for Mina which puts her at 5 not counting the ones being held or planted, and +3 Sitrus Berries each for Mark (4 total), Less (3 total), and Akio (3 total))) “ And double-check to make sure you have the Pokémon you’re going to need, we’re going into Bandra territory and they can track Teleports, so we can’t just be warping back to town if you’ve forgotten something. Oh, and I grabbed us some food for the road while I was inside, since it looks like we’re going to be out for a while. ” Said food was mostly granola bars and Pokéchow, and Mina tossed these into the back seat where they would hopefully be reachable but out of the way. “ And I got some more duct tape from the nurse in case we need it. ” 
 

 "Thanks Mina!"  He said, distributing his berries to Tattersail, Fisher and...  "Iiiiiii should go grab my skarmory quick."  While the new steelix would be a great addition to the team, his moveset wasn't yet optimized for a fight like this. The flying/steel type would also be good for scouting up above like Connie.  "Also grabbing some more coffee so I don't pass out while we drive. Be right back!" 

With that, Mark went back to the pokemon center, swapped out steelix for Tarr, gave the last two of his Sitrus berries to his skarmory and Marick, grabbed some more sweet, bitter,  free  pokemon center coffee, and made his way back to the jeep. Upon his return, he hopped into the back seat and said,  "Oh. And I'm too sleepy and fuzzy headed to really learn anything right now. I'll let someone else take shotgun."  Mark really needed to get himself a full 8 hours tonight...
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Nothing is revealed before the sheet of stone and dirt crumbles. ((☹️))

It is now about 7 PM and getting dark, although you do find a light in the Mining Kit. ((Keep going?))

----------------

Mark:

“I believe I have no other concerns,” Lijan replies. “Take care of yourselves.”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Does anyone else know how to drive, just in case? If not, whoever wants to learn should sit up front with me. I'll give you the verbal run down as we go."  
 

“ I can drive, ” Mina replies.

Connie takes the Sitrus Berry with dignity. She doesn’t seem to mind staying out, but later as the group travels Less notices she doesn’t stray from the jeep at all, circling overhead as tightly as she can manage.

Preparations complete, the group sets off into the darkening dusk.

 
 Spoiler: Pokémon out of their balls: 

Buck
Connie
Pidgey
Daisho
Ronin
Tarr
 


Between Buck’s intimidating presence and Pidgey’s keen eyes, the group is able to avoid hostile wild Pokémon en route to the springs. The trip also goes much faster in the jeep than it would have on foot: perhaps twenty minutes have passed by the time Less determines the springs are close, and around 7:30 PM the springs themselves become visible to the northwest: there are lights on, though it’s sufficiently distant you can’t tell if there are other signs of activity with normal sight alone. More worryingly, there are other lights patrolling the area, the closest being to the west.

The Shadow Pokémon tracker still has no idea where the vehicle is, but it indicates there are three Shadow Pokémon in the vicinity: one east of the springs, one southwest, and one north by northwest.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
((OOC: Posting on mobile,  I'll edit with color, etc. later) )

Edited
 


Assuming that the kids couldn't drive had probably been overly paternalistic. Still, it made for an easier drive that he didn't have to teach anyone what to do. The quick, quiet drive allowed Less to focus on his newest Pokemon. He was hardly surprised that Connie was sticking close to him. Losing a trainer had to be one of the most traumatic experiences a Pokemon could go through, and she might be extra protective of him as a result. It was hardly the worst trait in a traveling companion, but it did leave Less to worry about Connie's ability to scout in the future. He might have to do some call and return exercises with her at some point. He probably  also  needed to set aside some time to bond with her, and give his Pokemon some rest. If the last few days were anything to go by he would be pushing them, and himself, hard for the foreseeable future.

 "I suggest the southernmost dot. It should be closest to us right now. Either way, we should expect to deal with a Bandra patrol after we engage the shadowed Pokemon."  Less suggested.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Nothing is revealed before the sheet of stone and dirt crumbles. ((☹️))

It is now about 7 PM and getting dark, although you do find a light in the Mining Kit. ((Keep going?)) 
 

Pinklady lets out a cry of dismay, with a bit of frustration to it.  "Argh!"  She then calls out to Stef,  "Hey, Stef, it's not too unusual to fail to get anything from a spot, right?"  Meanwhile, she messes with the light to figure how to turn it on.  I haven't gotten any communications from the group about when we're getting back together again tonight, or if we even are... no harm in continuing. Hopefully. 
Gnomes2169
((With Lijan))

This meeting done, Mark thanked the starlight squad leader for his time and the trade and bid him farewell so that he could go meet up with Mina and Less.

((Shadowed pokemon hunt))

Mark sipped at his coffee, frowning at the lights as they drove closer to the wild shadow pokemon area, and he said,  "If we can see them, they can probably see us... we're definitely going to have to deal with a Bandra patrol sooner rather than later."  After a bit more thought he would suggest,  "I have a pair of binoculars. I could give them to one of you for tonight, and while we still have light we can scout out the shadowed pokemon. If you think you could handle them without me, I can hang back and try to intercept any Bandra groups that try to interfere with us. If I can find some cover near the shadowed pokemon habitat, then my skarmory, umbreon, froslass and gardevoir might be able to hit the grunts before they even know I'm there."  And if nothing else, his team had enough members with bulk to take a few hits and buy everyone time to finish with the shadowed pokemon before they had to deal with a host of trainers on top.
Lord Ruby34
Less furrowed his brow at Mark's suggestion.  "That would put you, personally, at a large risk. Do you have a way to signal us if something goes wrong? We might very easily miss a text message or call if we're in a battle of our own."  Mark's idea put the young man at more risk that Less preferred, but sitting here and debating tactical options had enough of it's own risks that Less was willing to agree, provided that Mark had a way of signaling them if things went belly up.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

You find the switch and the light comes on without issue.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Argh!"  She then calls out to Stef,  "Hey, Stef, it's not too unusual to fail to get anything from a spot, right?"  
 

It takes a bit to find Stef, as he’s concentrating on his own dig spot. But after a moment you get his attention and he looks up.

“Hmm? Oh don’t worry that happens to everyone sooner or later, sometimes the finder locates things that are really deep or really small or both at the same time and you can’t find it before everything collapses. It’s like Pokémon battling! Even the best trainers lose some battles and even the best diggers lose treasure. I think losing the treasure is sadder because you can get a rematch with a battle most of the time, but it’s normal and not something you need to worry about unless it’s happening a lot. It’s not happening a lot is it?” He peers at you somewhat anxiously now. “Because you did really good on that first spot, I didn’t think you would have a lot of trouble.”

----------------


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I suggest the southernmost dot. It should be closest to us right now. Either way, we should expect to deal with a Bandra patrol after we engage the shadowed Pokemon."  Less suggested. 
 

“ Do we want to take out the Grunts  first?  ” Mina asked.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark sipped at his coffee, frowning at the lights as they drove closer to the wild shadow pokemon area, and he said,  "If we can see them, they can probably see us... we're definitely going to have to deal with a Bandra patrol sooner rather than later."  After a bit more thought he would suggest,  "I have a pair of binoculars. I could give them to one of you for tonight, and while we still have light we can scout out the shadowed pokemon. If you think you could handle them without me, I can hang back and try to intercept any Bandra groups that try to interfere with us. If I can find some cover near the shadowed pokemon habitat, then my skarmory, umbreon, froslass and gardevoir might be able to hit the grunts before they even know I'm there."  And if nothing else, his team had enough members with bulk to take a few hits and buy everyone time to finish with the shadowed pokemon before they had to deal with a host of trainers on top. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "That would put you, personally, at a large risk. Do you have a way to signal us if something goes wrong? We might very easily miss a text message or call if we're in a battle of our own."  
 

“ Would it be better to split up into two groups of two? I think Mark has the right idea, and I think we’re going to have to consider dealing with the Grunts and the Shadow Pokémon all at once, whether we do it together or separately, because it’s going to attract attention no matter which we hit first. ” Mina considered the problem. “ Last time I had Pidgey lure the Shadow Pokémon  into  the Grunts, but if they’re out  looking  for the Shadow Pokémon that feels like a bad idea. ”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

You find the switch and the light comes on without issue.



It takes a bit to find Stef, as he’s concentrating on his own dig spot. But after a moment you get his attention and he looks up.

“Hmm? Oh don’t worry that happens to everyone sooner or later, sometimes the finder locates things that are really deep or really small or both at the same time and you can’t find it before everything collapses. It’s like Pokémon battling! Even the best trainers lose some battles and even the best diggers lose treasure. I think losing the treasure is sadder because you can get a rematch with a battle most of the time, but it’s normal and not something you need to worry about unless it’s happening a lot. It’s not happening a lot is it?” He peers at you somewhat anxiously now. “Because you did really good on that first spot, I didn’t think you would have a lot of trouble.” 
 

 "Oh, not a lot at all! Just this one spot that just had one thing in it. Thanks, Stef!"  The sudden lightening of her mood is clear both in her tone of voice and in her posture.  "Oh, and before I go look for another spot..."  ((I would like to go for another))  "Do you Pokemon battle too? Or was that analogy more like, secondhand experience?" 
Lord Ruby34
Less listened carefully to both of Mina's proposed plans. Both had merit, and potential pitfalls. After a moment's consideration, Less spoke.  "I believe that any of the proposed plans could lead to success. It follows, then, that we should pick the plan that best mitigates our risk."

"I believe that attacking the patrol to the west first, together, best accomplishes the goal of mitigating our risk. If we stick together we can better react to anything that goes unexpectedly wrong. We are also more likely to figure out whether the patrol we attack has attempted to call reinforcements, and if our presence has become widely known. Any plan that involves splitting up increases the chance that someone is defeated without allies around to aid them. No engagement is without its risks, but a sudden and direct offensive, without calling forth any additional Pokemon that could give us away, gives us a good chance to sweep the patrol without anyone the wiser."  Less realized he had fallen into the tone he used when he was lecturing, and continued more delicately.  "I also fear that the longer we sit here and discuss plans, the more likely it is that we fall victim to accidental discovery. If we lose our surprise this endeavor will become increasingly difficult."  
Gnomes2169
Mark listened to Less' arguments, rubbing at his chin for a bit, before shaking his head.  "Our goal isn't to take Bandra on in this area, it's to handle the shadowed pokemon. If we directly confront a Bandra patrol, that patrol will call for help and  all  of them will be drawn to us. Then we'll have to fight them, and we don't know how many of them there are. There might be too many for us to handle, and even if there aren't they could make us too weak to go after our real targets. Besides..."  Gesturing at one of the lights, he says,  "We can see where they are and what direction they are coming from. That lets our ambushing group set up a trap for them, and my gardevoir and Mina's natu are able to hit drivers and passengers in their vehicles, Mina's houndoom can melt a tire, my lairon can smash their engine with a rock throw, my umbreon and frosslass will be able to sneak up on a patrol easier the darker it gets, etcetera. If we can cause a crash and knock out and disable Bandra's goons without a fight at all, we can avoid a mass confrontation and have a better chance at clearing this whole zone. We should go for the closest shadowed pokemon and split up." 
Lord Ruby34
 "There are risks no matter what plan we choose. If we attempt to sneak past the patrol and fight the shadowed Pokemon there's a chance that they could call for backup before getting into your ambush range. It's likely that if we engage with the shadowed Pokemon some of our Pokemon moves will be seen from far away. Even if we avoid any move that's too bright, there's no guarantee the shadow Pokemon will do the same."  Less said, tugging on the end of his mustache.  "Even if we do split up, Natu and Tattersail need to be with different groups, just in case something goes wrong and we have to retreat to Reiva. Connie is able to rip apart a group from ambush fairly well, if the need arises."  
 
"Either way, we need to make a decision quickly. Mina, Akio, what do you think?"  The older trainer asked.
Feathersnow
"Striking fast and hard is a valid strategy in most situations, but I confess to being a novice. I bow to your superior experience."

Akio wasn't sure what was best.  He was the rookie, after all.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

(With Stef: )

“I battle sometimes too!” Stef pats his belt and you realize there are at least two Pokéballs on it. “But I like digging more because some people get mad if you win and some people aren’t nice when  they  win and the Pokémon get hurt sometimes and I like digging more.”

(After Stef: )

2 items detected!
 
4   5   5   5   6   5   4   4   6   2   3   5   4   5   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 10

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina thought it over. She was really wishing she’d grabbed the Bandra uniform she’d nabbed on her last sabotage mission; that might have let her fool the Bandra forces patrolling at least long enough to get the Shadow Pokémon and get out. Though she wasn’t sure what everyone else would do in that hypothetical situation given that she only had the one…and it was possible Bandra had figured out some counter-measure since she’d tried to light their operations in Keida on fire. Still.

She  didn’t  have it with her and it was too late to go back for it, so the point was moot.

“ The Grunt patrols usually have a radio, I think it’s likely they’ll call for help if we don’t take that out quickly. I don’t know that we need all four of us for that, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt if something goes wrong. ”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

(With Stef: )

“I battle sometimes too!” Stef pats his belt and you realize there are at least two Pokéballs on it. “But I like digging more because some people get mad if you win and some people aren’t nice when  they  win and the Pokémon get hurt sometimes and I like digging more.” 
 

 "Oh, ok! That makes sense! Well, if you feel like one anyways after we're done here, I won't be a sore loser or winner, at least!" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

(After Stef: )

2 items detected!
 
4   5   5   5   6   5   4   4   6   2   3   5   4   5   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 10 
 

 I've gotta get at least one of the two this time...  Pinklady chips away at the edges first, using the pick on  B  twice and  M  twice to start off.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "There are risks no matter what plan we choose. If we attempt to sneak past the patrol and fight the shadowed Pokemon there's a chance that they could call for backup before getting into your ambush range. It's likely that if we engage with the shadowed Pokemon some of our Pokemon moves will be seen from far away. Even if we avoid any move that's too bright, there's no guarantee the shadow Pokemon will do the same."  Less said, tugging on the end of his mustache.  "Even if we do split up, Natu and Tattersail need to be with different groups, just in case something goes wrong and we have to retreat to Reiva. Connie is able to rip apart a group from ambush fairly well, if the need arises."   
 

 "There are still wild pokemon in the area, just seeing flashes from attacks shouldn't make them all swarm to the spot... also, we have three teleporters."  Having remembered a comment made in their previous conversation, Mark looked over at Akio and said,  "You said you have a ditto, right? Copy my gardevoir when we get out of the car. That way, we'll make sure nearly everyone has the chance to teleport out. Each ambusher should have a pokemon that can teleport, since we'd be most likely to get separated, while anyone going after the shadowed pokemon can piggy-back on the third teleporter if we need to get away  fast. "  Plus, having a second Tattersail would be  useful . To Less again, he said,  "We'll also decide if we should split up  after  scouting out the shadow pokemon and identifying what it is. Alright? Now, just get us in quick walking distance of this first pokemon, somewhere we can tuck the jeep away in brush if possible..."  As Less was saying, there was a time limit on this discussion.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

(With Stef: )

“Oh sure! We can battle later then!” And then Stef succumbs to the siren song of his dig spot.

(After Stef: )

 
2   1   3   5   6   5   4   4   6   2   3   3   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 6

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "There are still wild pokemon in the area, just seeing flashes from attacks shouldn't make them all swarm to the spot... also, we have three teleporters."  Having remembered a comment made in their previous conversation, Mark looked over at Akio and said,  "You said you have a ditto, right? Copy my gardevoir when we get out of the car. That way, we'll make sure nearly everyone has the chance to teleport out. Each ambusher should have a pokemon that can teleport, since we'd be most likely to get separated, while anyone going after the shadowed pokemon can piggy-back on the third teleporter if we need to get away  fast. "  Plus, having a second Tattersail would be  useful . To Less again, he said,  "We'll also decide if we should split up  after  scouting out the shadow pokemon and identifying what it is. Alright? Now, just get us in quick walking distance of this first pokemon, somewhere we can tuck the jeep away in brush if possible..."  As Less was saying, there was a time limit on this discussion. 
 

“ Mark, ” Mina’s tone was faintly exasperated. She’d allow that maybe he’d missed the little shapeshifter transforming into a duplicate Honchkrow before they got here, however… “ You said you brought binoculars. Can’t you scout from here? ”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

(After Stef: )

 
2   1   3   5   6   5   4   4   6   2   3   3   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 6 
 

 Please don't happen again...  She picks at  D  twice.
Gnomes2169
Glancing at Mina, he looked over to the lights at the springs and says,  "Not sure how much I'll be able to see from here but... I'll check it out."  Setting his coffee cup to the side, fleshy hand jittering a little bit from all the caffeine he's been chugging over the course of the day, he gets out the binoculars and sits up to get the best view he can of the springs as a whole.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 
2   1   1   1   4   5   4   4   6   2   3   3   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 4

Nothing yet.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

Through the binoculars you can tell that those patrols are definitely on foot, not in vehicles. There are two, maybe three humans in the nearest patrol, not more than that. You can’t tell if they have any Pokémon out with them.

The hotspring portion of the area is mostly blocked off by privacy fencing but the main building has big windows: the lights are on inside and you can see slices of an expansive lobby, plush couches, and of course Bandra Grunts. Unfortunately you can’t tell exactly how many are inside. The ones you  do  see appear to be lounging around, snacking and watching television.

Lit by the last rays of the sun there is also a trail of what looked like more steam at first, but with the magnification you can see it’s darker and farther off - probably smoke. It seems to be coming from north of the hotsprings.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 
2   1   1   1   4   5   4   4   6   2   3   3   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 4

Nothing yet. 
 

 Oh no...  Next she strikes  K , with her hand trembling.
Gnomes2169
Taking it all in for a bit, actually silent for almost two minutes, Mark made sure he was seeing what he was seeing, and then pulled the binoculars down while he considered what that meant.  "Well, I can't see any shadowed pokemon from here, but I  can  see a number of Bandra grunts... and a building. Maybe it's a research station or a private resort that they took over, but it looks like they've been here for a while. I don't think they're here just because of us. The patrols don't seem to be too thick, and most of them are only two or three grunts and on foot, so I don't think they've started increasing security around here yet. Without vehicles, they'll be relatively slow in their response times if we hit them..."  Maybe they didn't know about the captured jeep and tracker? Or maybe they just hadn't thought about it. Handing the binoculars to Mina, he pointed to the north and asked,  "There's a lot of smoke coming from over there, think it's from a fire?" 
Lord Ruby34
As Mark scouted with the binoculars, Less was growing increasingly impatient. They had cover where they were sitting, but even stationary it was only a matter of time before someone saw them. Still, Less listened carefully to Mark's observations, even as his heart was thundering in his ears, urging him to act.

 "Let's move quickly then. If they see us this will get dangerous."   Less said as he put the jeep back into drive. He started taking the jeep southwest, towards the blip on the radar indicating a shadow Pokemon, but more importantly around the lights of the patrol to the west. Less's goals were to stay in the treeline, far enough away from the patrol that they wouldn't hear or see the jeep, and get the setting sun behind the jeep and into the eyes of the grunts if they were looking.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Checking to make sure those actions makes sense, and generally work.

I think OOC, and Less IC, that we have a group agreement to hit the patrol from ambush? But I'm not actually sure.

If we get into position without detection, Less will drive the jeep towards the goons with the sun at our backs for a surprise attack, but only if we have a group agreement to attack. Posting this here instead of the main body because I'm not sufficiently clear on that last part.
 
Feathersnow
"Ronin, form of Gardevoir!  Warp behind them on the signal! Daisho, use the sun against them, come from above."  Having changed his Pokémon to a teleporter, Akio gets ready to strike...   Ronin readies to flank the enemy once they hear a whistle,  while Daisho flies from out if the sun above the rest of the party...
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 
2   1   1   1   4   5   4   4   6   1   1   2   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 3

At last you see something gleaming in column K, and there’s a pale bit of something in J peaking through as well.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

((Commentary in the OoC thread. Give me some clarification on what you’re doing guys!))
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Ronin, form of Gardevoir!  Warp behind them on the signal! Daisho, use the sun against them, come from above."  Having changed his Pokémon to a teleporter, Akio gets ready to strike...   Ronin readies to flank the enemy once they hear a whistle,  while Daisho flies from out if the sun above the rest of the party... 
 

As Akio spoke, Mark's eyes grew wide and he quickly corrected,  "No, no, do not teleport offensively! Bandra has ways to detect that. The whole point of the ambush is to  not  get noticed by them. Only teleport  away  in the case of an emergency retreat." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 
2   1   1   1   4   5   4   4   6   1   1   2   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 3

At last you see something gleaming in column K, and there’s a pale bit of something in J peaking through as well. 
 

Pinklady almost drops her pick in relief at seeing the gleaming. She picks at  I  twice with a trembling hand.
Lord Ruby34
Less parked the jeep behind a patch of trees fairly close to the location of the patrol, and looked over his Pokemon. Buck was panting gently, seemingly invigorated from the exercise. Connie had perched on the jeep and was looking at him expectantly.  "I believe the same plan as the last time we fought Bandra is appropriate. We're going to sneak up, using the sun as cover. Connie, as soon as their in range hit everything with a snarl. Buck, if any Bandra trainer is still standing after that, hit them with Fire Fang. Hit a Pokemon instead if the Bandra grunts are all down."  Less said. After giving some time for the rest of the group to give orders, Less started towards the grunts, keeping low and approaching from the direction of the setting sun.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:
 
2   1   1   1   4   5   4   2   2   X   1   2   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 1

You can see about half an Everstone peeking out of column J and curling back under column I. Whatever is in K must be something else.

The wall of rock is getting increasingly unstable. You can almost swear you can hear the stone crumbling inside the mountain’s face.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

You manage to hide the jeep, although there’s a tense moment when one of the Grunts seems to see or hear something and gestures for the others to pause. They hold still for a moment, shining their flashlights around, before cautiously resuming their patrol.

A stray gust of wind while the group is repositioning also brings with it a trace of something extremely foul-smelling.

((Last call for any additional instructions for your Pokémon, or teammates, or adjustments you want to make!))
Gnomes2169
Mark waited until the lights have turned away, then he instructs Tarr to use agility three times and gets out his psychic type for Akio to copy.  "Tarr, when we begin the attack, use Swift on any radios that they have. Tattersail, if you can detect the minds of any pokemon, tell me where."  It wouldn't work if one of the grunts had a dark type out, but they tended to have more rock, fighting, ground and Wispaferyn types.  If you detect a rock or ground type, hit them with magical leaf. Otherwise, attack a grunt."  For a moment he considered having her use double team, but the thought of a grunt spotting one of the mirror images keeps him from doing so.

He doesn't send any other pokemon out just yet.
Lord Ruby34
Less briefly considered changing his orders to his team after hearing Mark's example. Having Connie use Nasty Plot a few times would be hugely beneficial if an actual battle broke out, but even an unboosted snarl had knocked out the two grunts yesterday. Having Connie take time to increase her power might actually make her attacks dangerous enough to kill the Bandra grunts outright.

Even so, Less still considered ordering Connie to Nasty Plot. Bandra had enough death on its doorstep that Less wasn't inclined to pity. But to give those orders to Connie without actually knowing if he was ordering her to kill . . . and more importantly to have his Pokemon take such action. No. If he had to make such a decision than he would do it with his own hands. He wouldn't order his Pokemon to kill for him. Not if he could avoid it.

Less nodded to the other members of the group, and started to move, though his knees complained about the bent posture. He stalked forward with his cane clutched in one hand like a club, Buck low beside him on his right, and Connie flying low to the ground on his left. Deep breaths, in, and out. The same feeling from yesterday was starting to rise in him. Excitement. Exhilaration. Against all reason, he was starting to have fun.

 
 Spoiler: Rules Question for the Future 

If Connie did use Nasty Plot, would that also increase the number of targets she could hit with Snarl/Swift?
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:
 
2   1   1   1   4   5   4   2   2   X   1   2   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Hits remaining: 1

You can see about half an Everstone peeking out of column J and curling back under column I. Whatever is in K must be something else.

The wall of rock is getting increasingly unstable. You can almost swear you can hear the stone crumbling inside the mountain’s face. 
 

(Thank you for the fix!)

Pinklady tenses up. In one hand, the mallet; her other hand is ready to grab the Everstone and quickly try to get at whatever's at  K , just in case it happens to be small enough that digging up  L  won't be needed. Once she's mentally prepared herself, she swings the mallet centered at  I/J  and goes for the grab right after.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 
2   1   1   1   4   5   4   1   X   X   X   2   0   3   2
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O 

Fortune is with you: the other item is indeed small. There are loud cracks and rumbles coming from the rock face as you hastily rescue the Everstone and a Heart Scale from the collapsing face. ((+1 Everstone, +1 Heart Scale (2 total))) The collapsing stone nips your fingers and buries your shoes, but once it’s clear you can see there’s a tunnel behind it. Not a big one – you wouldn’t be able to fit yourself down it – but a tunnel nonetheless.

And rapidly pulling itself backwards out of sight is something roundish and pale…

Wild Dunsparce appeared!

 

Dunsparce: 96/96

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

((Waiting on Feathersnow – Feathersnow any last alterations or additions you want to make before the attack?))
essCee
 "Yow!"  Pinklady shakes her nipped hand. When she notices the Dunsparce's movement, she momentarily forgets about the treasures she got and kneels down.

 "Oh, hey there, little guy! Sorry if I messed up your home!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

The Dunsparce backs up the Pokémon equivalent of a step, flattens briefly, then gaining courage goes forward again and flutters its tiny wings, yowling something at you in Pokéspeak.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

((Earlier, forgot to respond to this, sorry!))


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "There's a lot of smoke coming from over there, think it's from a fire?"  
 

Mina tried to locate what Mark was indicating, succeeding after a moment. “ Could be. From a patrol maybe?...but they’ve got buildings to shelter in. ” She mulled this over; she wanted to check it out but they  were  already on a mission and switching goals part way through seemed unwise. So instead she said, “ It looks far enough away that we can get out of here if it spreads in our direction, as long as we don’t drag our feet too much. ”

((Ambush time: ))

((I’m going to wait until afternoon Wednesday for word from Feathersnow, if I don’t hear anything by then we’ll proceed.))
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

The Dunsparce backs up the Pokémon equivalent of a step, flattens briefly, then gaining courage goes forward again and flutters its tiny wings, yowling something at you in Pokéspeak. 
 

 "Huh? One moment..."  Unsure of just what the Dunsparce means, Pinklady sends out Croaky (Poliwhirl) to serve as an intermediary.
Feathersnow
Akio looks abashed and goes with the new plan.  "Oh, I didn't realize..."
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

The Dunsparce completely misinterprets this gesture, and charges Croaky with a Rollout!

((You have enough time to react.))

Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 96/96

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina instructs her Pidgey to pick off anything that doesn’t fall right away with Quick Attack, opting not to call anything else out and risk drawing attention with the light from the Pokéball.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; I’m not sensing anything nearby. And Wispaferyn isn’t a type! &gt;
 


And with that the party follows Less, ready for the ambush.

The sun continues to set. The distance between the party and the Grunts shrinks.

Then the Grunt patrol’s radio squawks to life: from the sound of it, some other patrol has run into trouble. Whoever is on the other end sounds panicky. The Grunt with the radio starts to answer back, but then Tarr – Agility having boosted the Steel type to phenomenal speeds – fires it out of his hand with a multitude of glowing stars. The party can just make out the last few words - “ Patrol C! Patrol C, come in! What’s your—?! ” before the barrage of stars knocks it to pieces.

Before the Grunts can react to this, out of the last rays of the sun comes Daisho, swooping in at speed and clonking the nearest Grunt soundly. Connie follows up immediately with Snarl, knocking all three of them off their feet. None of them get back up.

One of the Grunts manages to call out a Pokémon – a Sandslash – before going down, but the Ground type takes one look at the knocked out Grunts and makes a dash for freedom into the brush, Pidgey and Buck chasing after it. Neither hits quite hard enough to knock it out, but they do knock the feet out from under it long enough for Tattersail to mow it down with a Magical Leaf.

Then everything is very quiet.

Mina still has Mark’s binoculars; she looks through them in the direction of the building before handing them back to him. “ They’re mobalizing. I think they’re headed east – east from the building, ” she clarifies.  “ If we hurry we might be able to get the Shadow Pokémon we were going for while they’re distracted. ”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

It is now dark.
 
Lord Ruby34
"Good job." Less addressed his Pokemon, giving them both a quick pat of praise.

 "One thing first."  Less said, this time addressing Mina and the rest of the group, as he jogged over towards the knocked out grunt with the Sandslash. After a brief look around to make sure no one was watching, Less recalled the knocked out Sandslash, and then stood standing over the grunt's unconscious form for a moment before speaking.

 "We should take their Pokemon from them and head back to the jeep. The grunts will be inflict less harm without their Pokemon, and the Pokemon themselves will be in less danger if they aren't used serious fighting."  Less said, his voice coming out clear despite the inner turmoil. Taking these Pokemon away from their trainers simply felt wrong. Less thought back to the young woman from earlier in the morning. She had been a fool, but she had truly loved her Pokemon. But she had also used them to perpetrate abuses on other Pokemon, and on other trainers. Less didn't see any way to arrest them with their Pokemon, given the space in the jeep and what Mark had said about teleportation.

 "I don't see another quick and safe way of dealing with them." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

The Dunsparce completely misinterprets this gesture, and charges Croaky with a Rollout!

((You have enough time to react.))

Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 96/96 
 

 "Oh! Croaky, pacify it with Hypnosis!" 
Gnomes2169
Mark reacted similarly to Less, but he prioritized looking over the grunts for their pocketbooks and items that they had, calling over to Mina,  "Mina, still got that duct tape?"  It might not be the best material for binding, but a groggy grunt should still be secured if their arms and legs were bound.  "We can stick these three in the jeep, and as long as we're quick we can have one of you drive to the center and the rest of us teleport back. Once we're done, teleporting  out  is perfectly fine, we just don't want to let Bandra know we're here while there are shadowed pokemon to save."  He said to Less as he finished patting the last grunt down.

Looking up at the twilight sky, he glared out there and thought for a second, then observed in general,  "North is on fire and the grunts are converging north-east... someone or some thing  is hitting Bandra hard enough to pull them all out of here. Mina, are there any grunts still  inside  the complex?"  Maybe if it was empty, they could get in that facility and- no. No they shouldn't get distracted, the grunts would come back eventually unless they all got wiped out, and if they  did  get wiped out then Mark and his friends didn't want to be close to anything Bandra-aligned when the thing that handled all of the security arrived.  "If it's mostly empty, then we don't need to worry as much about being quiet or less flashy and we can move  faster. " 
Lord Ruby34
Less took a moment to glance at the fire. Maybe they should abandon the mission and hit Bandra, attack them while they were distracted.  Could it be Emilia, attacking them?  The thought disappeared in a moment. She was likely south, and would choose a form of attack that didn't cause quite so much pollution.  Unless she didn't have any other choice . . .   Less shook his head. They needed to rescue the shadow Pokemon, and walking into a completely unknown situation was too dangerous.
 

"I'll grab the jeep. Someone should mark this spot so we can find our way back if we need to." 

Less took the grunt's Pokeballs, tossed them in his pack, and then hitched a ride on Buck back to the jeep before bringing the vehicle back to their current position to get the group going to the next position.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I'm assuming we're leaving the grunts here for reasons of jeep capacity, with a plan to return later and teleport the goons.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "We should take their Pokemon from them and head back to the jeep. The grunts will be inflict less harm without their Pokemon, and the Pokemon themselves will be in less danger if they aren't used serious fighting."   
 

“ One condition. ” Mina’s voice was very serious and brooked no argument. “ Once we’re done here, the Grunt Pokemon go to the police or the Ranger Union. They’re not ours. ”

Robbing the Grunts of their money and usable items was admittedly illegal too, as far as she knew, but they  were  in a war zone and Bandra would happily rob the group of their  lives  so Mina was fine with it. But while Pokéballs didn’t care who carried them, Pokémon definitely  did .

She couldn’t argue that separating them wasn’t expedient, because it absolutely was, but she didn’t have to  like  it.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina, still got that duct tape?"  
 

Mina had already extracted the tape from her pack. “ Way ahead of you. ”

She taped the Grunts’ wrists together behind their backs, taped their ankles together and put a piece over each of their mouths for good measure – taping them up wouldn’t do any good if the Grunts woke up and started calling for help.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We can stick these three in the jeep, and as long as we're quick we can have one of you drive to the center and the rest of us teleport back."  
 

“ Are we putting the Grunts in the jeep or their Pokéballs? Call me paranoid, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to hold both of those in the same spot. ” Mina was not  that  confident of her duct tape job.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Looking up at the twilight sky, he glared out there and thought for a second, then observed in general,  "North is on fire and the grunts are converging north-east... someone or some thing  is hitting Bandra hard enough to pull them all out of here. Mina, are there any grunts still  inside  the complex?"  Maybe if it was empty, they could get in that facility and- no. No they shouldn't get distracted, the grunts would come back eventually unless they all got wiped out, and if they  did  get wiped out then Mark and his friends didn't want to be close to anything Bandra-aligned when the thing that handled all of the security arrived.  "If it's mostly empty, then we don't need to worry as much about being quiet or less flashy and we can move  faster. "  
 

Having already given the binoculars back, Mina had to get them from Mark again to check. And then give them back  again , somewhat frustrated. “ I can’t tell from this angle. ”

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

You find 1000 PD (total from all Grunts) ((1000 + 4,750 = 5,750 PD total)) and an unused Spectral Ball on each of them (so 3 total). Plus an old, folded up photo in one Grunt’s pocket of himself out of uniform drinking and making faces at the camera with a girl.
 


Less made it to the jeep and back without running into any patrols. But by the time he returned the entire group could tell there was definitely something going on east of the compound: Grunts calling to one another and flashlights shining around the area.

 
 Spoiler: Less 

A change in the wind en route does bring another gust of stink with it, however.

Also Grunt 'mon:
4 Wispaferyn
2 Graveler
1 Sandslash
1 Primeape
2 Machoke
1 Twiggin
1 Magnemite

These will be listed on your inventory tab not your Pokémon tab.
 


----------------

Pinklady:

Croaky uses Hypnosis!
Dunsparce falls Asleep!

The Dunsparce shakes from some vivid dream, but doesn’t quite wake.


Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 96/96 (Asleep 1 round)
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ One condition. ” Mina’s voice was very serious and brooked no argument. “ Once we’re done here, the Grunt Pokemon go to the police or the Ranger Union. They’re not ours. ” 
 

 "I'll call Ranger Wain when we get back, or in the morning if the hour makes it impracticable."  Less agreed, relaxing. The idea bothered him too. The Grunts didn't deserve much in the way of mercy or pity, but their Pokemon hadn't made any such choices, and if they had the Ranger Union was better suited to dealing with it than he was.
 
"Let's leave the humans here. If we find a way to mark this position we can move quickly without having to keep them steady and secure in the jeep, and return to arrest them when we leave." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Croaky uses Hypnosis!
Dunsparce falls Asleep!

The Dunsparce shakes from some vivid dream, but doesn’t quite wake.


Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 96/96 (Asleep 1 round) 
 

 "Good work! Now get it with a Bodyslam!" 
Gnomes2169
Mark hadn't thought about riding in the jeep through the zone until Less brought up the idea of driving it here, but the moment the older man brought the vehicle up his sleepy brain clicked together "not needing to worry about light and noise" and "use the off-road vroomvroom" and he audibly says,  "Ohhhh, right. Tattersail, remember this location. We'll pick these grunts up once we've finished in the area."  He knew he didnt need to tell her, but he said it for the benefit of the other trainers who might not be aware of this fact. When he was just with Mina and Akio, and putting his binoculars away, he said,  "We'll take their pokemon with us, and if they  somehow  wake up and get out of the tape before we're done here, we can still deliver those balls and their trainer information to the rangers and police."  Their wallets should have enough information in them to create a bounty sheet, and a trio of grunts without any pokemon were kinda useless to Bandra.

Once Less and the jeep arrived, Mark let Tattersail get into the jeep first (making the back seat a bit more crowded, but allowing her to stay out) and he handed out a spectral ball to both Mina and Less. While checking out the balls in his pokedex to see if these would work more effectively with  just  spectral types, or if they were more effective on shadowed pokemon too, he said,  "Here, the grunts were carrying these with them. They might be useful out there."  The money (and any wallets, and the picture) he would put into a cup holder next to him for now, intent on dividing it between everyone once they knew what the total pot was going to be.  "Tattersail, stay alert for shadowed pokemon as we drive around. We'll have the jeep's radar, but it won't be as accurate as you."  As he said it he realized that if there were any dark types among the shadowed pokemon then she wouldn't sense them, and some part of his foggy mind was vaguely uneasy because of something he only half-remembered, -the grunt had said something about the taskmaster or officer in charge of this project having an  interest  in dark types, hadn't she?- but the psychic type would still be useful if there  weren't  dark types out there.
Lord Ruby34
Less thanked Mark for the ball, and once the rest of the group is ready to go, Less will drive to the location of the nearest shadow Pokemon. Buck continued loping beside the jeep while Connie flew tight circles overhead.
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'll call Ranger Wain when we get back, or in the morning if the hour makes it impracticable."  Less agreed, relaxing. The idea bothered him too. The Grunts didn't deserve much in the way of mercy or pity, but their Pokemon hadn't made any such choices, and if they had the Ranger Union was better suited to dealing with it than he was.
 
"Let's leave the humans here. If we find a way to mark this position we can move quickly without having to keep them steady and secure in the jeep, and return to arrest them when we leave."  
 

“ Works for me, ” Mina replied to both points, relaxing slightly.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "Ohhhh, right. Tattersail, remember this location. We'll pick these grunts up once we've finished in the area."  
 

Tattersail sent Mark a feeling of wordless assent.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We'll take their pokemon with us, and if they  somehow  wake up and get out of the tape before we're done here, we can still deliver those balls and their trainer information to the rangers and police."  Their wallets should have enough information in them to create a bounty sheet, and a trio of grunts without any pokemon were kinda useless to Bandra. 
 

Mina just nodded, and then realized that wasn’t terribly visible in the dark and said aloud, “ Sounds good. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Once Less and the jeep arrived, Mark let Tattersail get into the jeep first (making the back seat a bit more crowded, but allowing her to stay out) and he handed out a spectral ball to both Mina and Less. 
 

Mina said a quiet thank you to Mark and put the ball away for now.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 While checking out the balls in his pokedex to see if these would work more effectively with  just  spectral types, or if they were more effective on shadowed pokemon too, he said,  "Here, the grunts were carrying these with them. They might be useful out there."  The money (and any wallets, and the picture) he would put into a cup holder next to him for now, intent on dividing it between everyone once they knew what the total pot was going to be. 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Moving 1 Spectral Ball to Less and 1 to Mina, 1 remaining for Mark.
1,000 PD and a creased photo now in the jeep. (4,750 PD remaining for Mark)

Spectral Ball:
x4 catch rate for Spectral Pokémon and Pokémon that have been Shadowed. (For comparison, the Ultra Ball has a x2 catch rate.)  Note from the DM:  That means they are completely Shadowed, not just Shadow Gauge &gt; 0.
Effectiveness is quadrupled if the target is affected by a major Status effect (so Sleep, Paralysis, Poison, Burn but NOT Confusion, Attract). This is in addition to the normal bonus to capture provided by those statuses.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Tattersail, stay alert for shadowed pokemon as we drive around. We'll have the jeep's radar, but it won't be as accurate as you."  As he said it he realized that if there were any dark types among the shadowed pokemon then she wouldn't sense them, and some part of his foggy mind was vaguely uneasy because of something he only half-remembered, -the grunt had said something about the taskmaster or officer in charge of this project having an  interest  in dark types, hadn't she?- but the psychic type would still be useful if there  weren't  dark types out there. 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; I’m still not sensing anything. &gt;
 


(Once everyone is done here: )

The group takes off into the night. The radar doesn’t prove as helpful as it should: since it still doesn’t know where the jeep is, it can’t tell the group how far away the nearest Shadow Pokémon is relative to the jeep, and it’s dark enough now that it’s hard to make out landmarks to use as a reference. Tattersail still isn’t detecting anything.

But after a little driving around the group notices the stink is back, and getting stronger.

Then something small and dark races out of the brush right under Buck’s nose and rams the jeep, knocking it momentarily onto two wheels. Mina’s hasty scan with the Pokédex reveals it to be a Stunky.


Buck: 103/103
Connie: 129/129

Pidgey: 76/76

Daisho: 100/100
Ronin: 73/73 (form of  a bucket of water  Gardevoir)

Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)
Tattersail: 98/98

Stunky: 81/81 (  Shadowed: 37%  )

----------------

Pinklady:

Croaky uses Body Slam!
Dunsparce is hit for 22 damage!

Dunsparce still sleeps!


Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 74/96 (Asleep 2 rounds)
Lord Ruby34
After the initial shock of confusion, Less nearly sighed in relief. He had been worried that they wouldn't be able to even find a shadow Pokemon.  "Connie, is this one of Hangi's Pokemon?"  If not, Less had little interest in personally capturing the little poison type. His team already had more poison types than he needed. Still, best to weaken it in case one of the others wanted to capture the creature.

 "Buck, try to flinch it with a bite. Connie, hit it with a Snarl!"  Less commanded. The resisted attacks should hurt but not faint the creature, and both secondary effects could be useful.
Gnomes2169
As the jeep rocked, Mark clung to the wall, served as a pillow for Tattersail to THUMP against, and he let out a loud yelp. Welp, that was a point in the 'probably all dark types' theory...  "Tattersail, Lucky Chant. Tarr, peck them."  While he remembered trying to catch a skuntank once upon a time, he wasn't the most interested in the opportunity this time... a poison/ dark pokemon wouldn't exactly fill any holes in his team at this moment.
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina didn’t need another Dark type either, and had very little affinity for Poison types, but the rest of the group seemed to have damage covered so she just had Pidgey use Sand Attack.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Connie, is this one of Hangi's Pokemon?"  
 

Connie squawks followed by “ Negative, negative! ”

((Waiting on Feathersnow. 🙂))
Feathersnow
"Ronin, get out of there!

Eto! I choose you!

Daisho, use confuse Ray!"

Akio has his temporarily psychic Ditto retreat from the dark type, sends out his steel type champion, and has his starter confuse the enemy!
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Croaky uses Body Slam!
Dunsparce is hit for 22 damage!

Dunsparce still sleeps!


Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 74/96 (Asleep 2 rounds) 
 

 "Keep it up! Another Body Slam!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Stunky is Intimidated!

Tarr uses Peck!
Stunky is hit for 20 damage!

Daisho uses Confuse Ray!
Stunky is confused!

Connie uses Snarl!
It’s not very effective…
Stunky is hit for 41 damage!
Stunky’s Special Attack falls!

Buck uses Bite!
It’s not very effective…
Stunky is hit for 16 damage!

Tattersail uses Lucky Chant!
The Lucky Chant shields allies from critical hits!

Pidgey uses Sand Attack!
Stunky’s Accuracy falls!

Stunky is confused!

The Dark type let out an unholy screech and charged at the nearest moving object…which turned out to be a branch. That might not have been a problem if not for the large rock behind it.  CRACK! 

It hurt itself in its confusion!
Stunky takes 13 damage!
Stunky faints!

A huge cloud of stink engulfed the unconscious Dark type, so strong that it could burn eyes and skin, but luckily none of the party’s Pokémon were close enough to get a face full of it.

“ …I hope nobody wanted to catch that one, ” Mina ((who can’t read the narrative text 😛)) remarked aloud. “ But now what? I don’t think I can tape this thing up, and if it wakes up it’ll probably try to kill us all. But if we leave it here and it wakes up it’ll wander off and we’ll have to do this all over again. And that’s assuming Bandra doesn’t find it. ”


(Lucky Chant in effect)

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 129/129

Pidgey: 76/76

Daisho: 100/100
Ronin: 73/73 (recalled)
Eto: 83/83

Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)
Tattersail: 98/98

 Stunky: 0/81 (  Shadowed: 37%  ) 

----------------

Pinklady:

Croaky uses Body Slam!
Dunsparce is hit for 22 damage!

Dunsparce still sleeps!


Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 52/96 (Asleep 3 rounds)
Lord Ruby34
It was a good thing that the Stunky wasn't one of Hangi's Pokemon, because Connie had hit the little poison type far harder than Less had expected. That had been a resisted hit, and still did about half the Pokemon's health in one blow. Less shook his head. That would certainly be useful in the future, though it made Connie less than ideal for trying to catch other Pokemon. In fact, if she had actually used a nasty plot she might have taken the Stunky down in one blow.

 
"Good job, everyone."  Less said, as he reached out to pet Connie and Buck.  "Does anyone have a scent that will be more effective than an excite scent? If no one is interested in trying to tame the creature we should take the opportunity to deshadow it, take it elsewhere, and let it loose."   

While talking, Less went over to the unconscious Pokemon and looked for the tracker before removing the device from the Stunky without tampering with the battery. Hopefully Bandra would think the Stunky had gone to sleep. It wouldn't deceive them forever, but hopefully it would hold long enough to for them to accomplish what they needed to do. There were still at least two more shadow Pokemon in the area.

 
 Spoiler: Dice Rolls 

KI, are we allowed to look at the dice rolls? I've generally been doing it when it's not hidden information for Less specifically, but I wanted to double check.

I mention it because I think you missed Connie's disobey chance, as well as Super Luck.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina dug through her pack to double-check, but she’d spent too much time earlier prodding at the Berry Blenders to take the time to go shopping, and was at last forced to conclude: “ …no. I have a Down Scent and a Clear Scent and that’s it. ” Neither of which would help a Dark/Poison type much. “ But even if someone else has something stronger we’d need to use a Sacred Talisman with it to completely Purify this one, plus the time to rub it on. ” ((And the DM reminds: only one Scent per day per Pokémon!)) “ Unless one of you has a Time Flute? ”

 
 Spoiler: Less 

The tracker – a band around the Stunky’s neck, this time - comes off without too much trouble, but there’s something slightly sticky on the inside rim where it had been sitting against the Pokémon's neck – dead fur and dirt and bits of leaf are stuck to it, and traces of paper like what would be left behind after tearing off a label incompletely – no words or ink are left on it. It smells like sap.
 
Gnomes2169
After settling for a bit, and checking on the poor little stinker that was laying belly-up on the ground, he checked in his bag and said,  "No, I... don't have anything that works specifically for dark or poison. Got a generic vivid scent and an excite scent, but I used the one for dark types on my umbreon."  He glanced back at the jeep's trunk, then the stunky.  "... No, that wouldn't work. There isn't much space in there, and the stench upon opening it would be lethal. Drat."  If they had the time flute that Matt had in his bag, this wouldn't be a problem... alas, but Mark doesn't have meta knowledge about the thoughts and activities of players and the other characters either. He and Mina share this fatal flaw.  "Mina, did those spectral-type trainers have a special method of de-shadowing pokemon?" 
Lord Ruby34
Less harrumphed in disappointment. He had hoped he'd stumbled upon an easy solution. He had forgotten about the talisman that Ranger Wain and Matt had used to help deshadow Connie.  "I have rope."  Less mumbled. Not the best solution, but potentially workable in pinch. Less frowned and tugged on the corner of his mustache. There was something about this collar, something sticky, like adhesive, on the inside that felt important.

 
"Buck, does this smell like anything you remember? Or like there would be a trail here?"  Less asked his friend, holding out the tracker to the large Pokemon for his olfactory inspection. Buck's Oder Sleuth had come in handy before, and it was possible Buck would remember something that he hadn't.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Crap. Both in and out of character forgot about the one scent per day limit. There goes that plan. 🫤
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Croaky uses Body Slam!
Dunsparce is hit for 22 damage!

Dunsparce still sleeps!


Croaky: 75/75

Dunsparce: 52/96 (Asleep 3 rounds) 
 

 "One more should be good! Another slam!"  Pinklady takes out an empty Pokeball, preparing to throw it.  This is going great! 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina, did those spectral-type trainers have a special method of de-shadowing pokemon?"  
 

“ They just let me borrow a Sacred Talisman while I was there. I asked; I wasn’t allowed to take it with me. I don’t know of any reason they wouldn’t let us borrow it again  if  we could get the Pokémon to the Gym. ” And of course that was half the problem.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I have rope."  
 

“ That’s probably better than taping the poor thing up. ” Removing duct tape from fur was bound to be problematic.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"Buck, does this smell like anything you remember? Or like there would be a trail here?"   
 

Buck sniffed the device thoroughly, then rumbled something in response.

 
 Spoiler: Mark, because Tattersail has no reason not to interject 

&lt; He says he’s never smelled a plant like that anywhere in Helnith before. &gt;
 

----------------

Pinklady:

Croaky uses Body Slam!
Critical hit!
Dunsparce is hit for 44 damage!

Dunsparce wakes up!
Dunsparce uses Yawn!
Dunsparce made Croaky drowsy!


Croaky: 75/75 (Drowsy)

Dunsparce: 8/96
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ They just let me borrow a Sacred Talisman while I was there. I asked; I wasn’t allowed to take it with me. I don’t know of any reason they wouldn’t let us borrow it again  if  we could get the Pokémon to the Gym. ” And of course that was half the problem.

“ That’s probably better than taping the poor thing up. ” Removing duct tape from fur was bound to be problematic. 
 

Less snapped his fingers suddenly. " You mentioned that spectral types can control shadowed Pokemon. If we tie this guy up until he wakes, can one of your spectral types keep him calm until we can get him situated in the morning?"   Less asked, sounding somewhat triumphant at the idea.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Buck sniffed the device thoroughly, then rumbled something in response. 
 

Less waited patiently for the translation, though that rumble sounded unfortunately like a no to him.
Gnomes2169
 "Whatever the adhesive is made of, it isn't a type of plant that Buck has smelled in the region before."  Mark translated, figuring that everyone in the party would just be relying upon him for pokemon interactions going on into the future.  "If we were willing to put up with a little stinkiness, one of us could ride Buck around and leave the little guy in the back seat while we continue searching for shadowed pokemon in the area?"  Not a perfect solution, but they did have multiple people who could drive, and Buck  was  an Arcanine, and thus able to run more than fast enough to keep up with the jeep.
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less snapped his fingers suddenly. " You mentioned that spectral types can control shadowed Pokemon. If we tie this guy up until he wakes, can one of your spectral types keep him calm until we can get him situated in the morning?"   Less asked, sounding somewhat triumphant at the idea. 
 

Mina hmm’d, scanning the Shadowed Dark type with her Pokédex. “ I think so. It would have to be Oodramer. ” Cosmas wasn’t quite powerful enough. “ I know Pokémon can still enter a Rage while under control though. Does anyone have a Pokémon with Sleep Powder or Sweet Scent or something, as backup? Sing would probably draw more attention than we like. ” And Fisher wouldn’t fit in the jeep anyway.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If we were willing to put up with a little stinkiness, one of us could ride Buck around and leave the little guy in the back seat while we continue searching for shadowed pokemon in the area?"  
 

“ I’m less concerned about the stink and more concerned about it waking up and trying to kill us all. Other than that I don’t object. ” It wasn’t like they were going to come all the way here just to leave the poor thing for Bandra…
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Croaky uses Body Slam!
Critical hit!
Dunsparce is hit for 44 damage!

Dunsparce wakes up!
Dunsparce uses Yawn!
Dunsparce made Croaky drowsy!


Croaky: 75/75 (Drowsy)

Dunsparce: 8/96 
 

 "Alright, Croaky! Just try and get them to sleep before you go down yourself, and we'll get 'em for sure! Use Hypnosis! 
Lord Ruby34
Hmm. Something that Buck hadn't smelled before. Honestly, if Buck hadn't smelled it in the region there was a pretty solid chance it wasn't native. Perhaps some kind of import?   "I reckon Bandra might be getting these trackers from outside the region. They may be acquiring some of their war supplies by import?"  Less mused aloud. Either way, it wasn't immediately actionable, though attacking their shipping could prove valuable later. Less put the tracking collar back on the ground.

Meanwhile, Buck was looking at Mark with an expression of disapproval, and said something low and annoyed in Pokespeak.

 
 Spoiler: Pokespeak Translation 

Buck: I am not a beast of burden, pup. Only Less and Emilia may ride me.
 


Less didn't need the translation to understand the source of the offense.  "He meant no harm Buck. " Less said, placating the large Fire type. After a moment Buck's ruffled fur flattened down. The Arcanine sat on his haunches and sniffed once, before seeming to settle down and letting his tongue loll out again, offense seemingly forgiven. Buck had never been one for holding grudges.

It had been a few decades since Less had an occasion to practice his knot tying skills, but the basics came back quickly, and Less had the little Stunky trussed up like a prized pig within a minute.  "None of my team knows sweet scent or the like."  Less replied to Mina's query. He'd never had the same affinity for grass types that Emilia did, but it was hard to deny something like a Vileploom or even a Butterfree would be useful right about now.

 "This one should be small enough to fit in the back seat even with all four of us in the jeep,"  Less mused,  "but when we get the next one we should probably catch it, for storage reasons if nothing else. Pinklady was kind enough to remind me yesterday that we can always release them later. If anyone wants the next Pokemon we encounter they should speak up, and we should be careful not to KO them immediately. We have so many Pokemon here that it would be easy to take it down all at once if we don't coordinate." 

With that, Less deposited the little poison type in the middle of the back seat, and sat back down in the drivers chair. The map would actually be fairly useful right now, as they should be right on top of the Stunky's old dot. Less started doing some mental geography to get them towards the next closest dot.
 
"Everyone ready to go?" 
Gnomes2169
 "Who... would trade with  Bandra,  though?"  Mark mused, before Buck began grumbling at him and he held out his fleshy hand in a warding gesture. Tattersail moved in the way, trilling in a warning manner as she translates for her trainer.

 "Uhhh... Sorry Buck. I should have specified that  Less  would be the one riding you, especially since he's your trainer and you should be kept together for when we get into another fight."  Whether it was Bandra or the next shadow pokemon, there  would  be more fights tonight.  "And I was going to suggest it because I'd wanted to keep Tattersail out, so that we could have a warning for future encounters... but I'm starting to think that might not be useful. Because I think I know what Bandra is doing with their shadowing experiments." 

Scanning Connie to check something quickly, he nods and says,  "So, when we were interviewing that grunt,"  a gentle way to put that intimidation and interrogation,  "she mentioned that her boss was really focused on dark types. I'm pretty sure his interest comes from how dark types react to entering a Shadow Rage... Look. Connie has an ability that isn't normal for a honchkrow, Sengar similarly gained insomnia on top of his Moonchild after entering a shadow rage, I'm willing to bet that Mina's Houndoom  also  picked up a new ability... er, if he ever entered a rage. I think that's an important part for this whole thing. But it's only something I've noticed for dark types, I'm not sure it happens with any others." 
 "So we're probably only going to find dark types out here, and I can recall Tattersail to make space for the pokemon we knock out instead of catching. That said..."  Turning his pokedex to scan the stunky, Mark checked the move set and ability on the dark/poison type. If this little skunk hadn't been given a flamethrower SM, he adds,  "I think that I could just have Tarr carry this little guy. The steel typing will give him a lot of protection from all of the moves on it, and Tarr should be more than fast enough to keep up with us."  Especially with how buffed the skarmory's speed had become.  "I wouldn't want to have him  fight  while he's carrying the stunky, but while we're moving there shouldn't be too much risk to us, and as long as Tarr doesn't fly too high there shouldn't be too much danger to the little guy if he manages to wake up and squirm out of Tarr's grip." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Who... would trade with  Bandra,  though?"  
 

An excellent question.  "Some corporations. Perhaps a few foreign governments. If Bandra is willing to pay there are enough people in this world willing to swallow their scruples and sell."  The general answer was simple, but the specific answer to that question was probably quite interesting, and they had no way of knowing without further investigation.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Uhhh... Sorry Buck. I should have specified that  Less  would be the one riding you, especially since he's your trainer and you should be kept together for when we get into another fight."  
 

Buck inclined his head graciously, the matter apparently forgiven.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And I was going to suggest it because I'd wanted to keep Tattersail out, so that we could have a warning for future encounters... but I'm starting to think that might not be useful. Because I think I know what Bandra is doing with their shadowing experiments." 
 "So, when we were interviewing that grunt,"   "she mentioned that her boss was really focused on dark types. I'm pretty sure his interest comes from how dark types react to entering a Shadow Rage... Look. Connie has an ability that isn't normal for a honchkrow, Sengar similarly gained insomnia on top of his Moonchild after entering a shadow rage, I'm willing to bet that Mina's Houndoom  also  picked up a new ability... er, if he ever entered a rage. I think that's an important part for this whole thing. But it's only something I've noticed for dark types, I'm not sure it happens with any others."  
 

 "Connie's ability is normal for her species . . .  but you may well be correct about the rest. One of the Murkrow that was with her, maybe the one that entered a rage, had some kind of odd ability as well. And Connie never entered a rage when she was shadowed. Not that I saw, anyway."  Less remarked, frowning. He hadn't thought to check which of the Murkrow had the odd ability at the time. He looked to Connie for confirmation.

Still, what Mark was saying made a lot of sense.  "The only way to be sure is with more information." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "So we're probably only going to find dark types out here, and I can recall Tattersail to make space for the pokemon we knock out instead of catching. That said..."   "I think that I could just have Tarr carry this little guy. The steel typing will give him a lot of protection from all of the moves on it, and Tarr should be more than fast enough to keep up with us."  Especially with how buffed the skarmory's speed had become.  "I wouldn't want to have him  fight  while he's carrying the stunky, but while we're moving there shouldn't be too much risk to us, and as long as Tarr doesn't fly too high there shouldn't be too much danger to the little guy if he manages to wake up and squirm out of Tarr's grip."  
 

Less nodded.  "A sound idea." 
Feathersnow
Akio has Endo guard the group, perhaps unnecessarily, not wanting to touch the foul if victimized 'mon
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Croaky uses Hypnosis!
Dunsparce falls Asleep!

Dunsparce still sleeps!

Croaky falls Asleep!


Croaky: 75/75 (Asleep 1 round)

Dunsparce: 8/96 (Asleep 1 round)

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "This one should be small enough to fit in the back seat even with all four of us in the jeep,"  Less mused,  "but when we get the next one we should probably catch it, for storage reasons if nothing else. Pinklady was kind enough to remind me yesterday that we can always release them later."  
 

Mina privately reflected that that was all well and good if you didn’t latch onto the Pokémon you caught like your life depended on them (which to be fair, hers frequently did). She still occasionally felt pangs over the Onix and the Poliwag she’d entrusted to Spencer after the Battle Festival – and those had been rentals, not even properly  hers , and she’d done it to return them to their proper owners before leaping into another dimension: arguably for their own good! She doubted she’d be able to dump a Pokémon she actually  caught  with anything resembling ease.

Drat, she’d been lucky so far – what was she going to do if she caught something she really  wanted  that didn’t want her for a trainer???


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Scanning Connie to check something quickly, he nods and says,  "So, when we were interviewing that grunt,"  a gentle way to put that intimidation and interrogation,  "she mentioned that her boss was really focused on dark types. I'm pretty sure his interest comes from how dark types react to entering a Shadow Rage... Look. Connie has an ability that isn't normal for a honchkrow, Sengar similarly gained insomnia on top of his Moonchild after entering a shadow rage, I'm willing to bet that Mina's Houndoom  also  picked up a new ability... er, if he ever entered a rage."  
 

This was true as far as it went for Houndoom, so Mina nodded.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "I think that's an important part for this whole thing. But it's only something I've noticed for dark types, I'm not sure it happens with any others."  
 

Mina couldn’t really argue with that, although the number of Pokémon she’d seen enter a Rage up to this point was fairly short all things considered. There had been Elder Saha’s Raichu, during the battle with Altros…which she had no idea if it had ended up with a weird Ability after that or not, she hadn’t seen it Purified. Matt’s Pokémon had been most of the ones Shadowed in the last fight and he’d Purified them without any of them entering a Rage, so far as she knew. The Phantasea  she’d  Shadowed she hadn’t seen enter a Rage  or  be Purified. Jack’s Rattata…had been part Dark, which wasn’t normal for the species as far as she knew so she couldn’t really say it was  still  normal after the Rage. And of course her Houndoom.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Turning his pokedex to scan the stunky, Mark checked the move set and ability on the dark/poison type. 
 

The Pokédex had to scan a little longer than usual to get a read through the Shadowing.

 
 Spoiler: Stunky’s Stats 

Pokémon: Stunky (  Shadowed: 37%  )
Type: Poison/Dark
Ability: Aftermath
Gender: Male
Level: 28
Held Item: None
Stats—
HP: 81
Attack: 48
Def: 40
Sp. Attack: 36
Sp. Def: 36
Speed: 55
Moves:
Feint
Focus Energy	
Screech	
Smokescreen	
Toxic	
Slash
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I think that I could just have Tarr carry this little guy. The steel typing will give him a lot of protection from all of the moves on it, and Tarr should be more than fast enough to keep up with us."  Especially with how buffed the skarmory's speed had become.  "I wouldn't want to have him  fight  while he's carrying the stunky, but while we're moving there shouldn't be too much risk to us, and as long as Tarr doesn't fly too high there shouldn't be too much danger to the little guy if he manages to wake up and squirm out of Tarr's grip."  
 

“ Oodramer is going to need to be out for this too, ” Mina reminded. And there was no way her  incredibly slow  Fossil ooze monster was going to be keeping up with the jeep on his own.

Speaking of, she started looking for a sheltered spot to call him out without the Pokéball light broadcasting their location.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Connie's ability is normal for her species . . .  but you may well be correct about the rest. One of the Murkrow that was with her, maybe the one that entered a rage, had some kind of odd ability as well. And Connie never entered a rage when she was shadowed. Not that I saw, anyway."  Less remarked, frowning. He hadn't thought to check which of the Murkrow had the odd ability at the time. He looked to Connie for confirmation. 
 

Connie just looked politely puzzled, before scratching at the grass to dig up a grub.

With the sun well and truly down now, Akio and his Pokémon (and anyone else who cared to look) could see the flashlights of Grunt patrols organizing east of the complex. And even without Mark’s binoculars, reddish-orange flames were obviously spreading to the northwest of the building.

 
 Spoiler: List of Pokémon that will be out and group plan 

Buck
Connie

Pidgey
Oodramer

Tarr

Daisho
Eto
Endo

Shadow Stunky

Less has tied the Stunky up, and Tarr is going to be carrying the Stunky after Oodramer mind-controls it with his creepy Spectral energies. Am I missing anything relevant? Does anyone have anything else they want to add?
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Croaky uses Hypnosis!
Dunsparce falls Asleep!

Dunsparce still sleeps!

Croaky falls Asleep!


Croaky: 75/75 (Asleep 1 round)

Dunsparce: 8/96 (Asleep 1 round) 
 

Pinklady giggles at both combatants ending up asleep at the same time and then throws the Pokeball she prepared.
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded to Mina, telling his skarmory,  "Tarr, make sure you stay close to the jeep so that Oodramer stays in range. Tattersail, we're going to keep you in your pokeball for now so that Oodramer can sit next to me."  Nodding at her as he yawned a bit, Mark recalled his psychic pokemon and set her on his belt, then returned to the jeep.

Looking at the fire and the lights from bandra patrols, Mark got out his binoculars and began looking around to see if the building was abandoned (It was a resort, so a lot of the walls he'd seen before had quite large windows), and also if there were any signs of Bandra's goons to the east getting involved in battles or just vanishing unexpectedly.  "Let's try finding the next shadow pokemon, I'll keep an eye out on Bandra as much as I can. If one of the signals is closer to the fire, we should go there next to be safe."  He was pretty sure the signals weren't all too close to the fire, but wildfires like that one could move  fast.  Also, he hoped that he wouldn't lose sight of Bandra too often because of hills and changing angles.  "Less, Buck and Connie have a great sense of smell and night vision respectively, so they might be our best option for finding the shadowed pokemon once we get close. Since you wanted to sell this jeep eventually... we should keep them on guard duty so that the other shadow pokemon don't try flipping it."  The stunky had been strong enough to lift the vehicle with his attack and wasn't a particularly powerful pokemon over-all. The jeep  probably  couldn't take hits like that all night without breaking down.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Only thing I would add is to have Buck and Connie actively looking for shadowed pokemon once we're in the area of one of the signals, so that we can fight them without having a game of bumper cars first. 😛
 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded along with Mark's additions. Keeping this thing in gas would cost a fortune, and they had other ways to get around. Still, as long as it had access to the shadow Pokemon radar it was invaluable. " Buck, keep your nose peeled for other Pokemon. Connie, try to watch for anything moving towards us quickly. If either of you see or smell anything let us know and move to intercept." 
 "I suggest for the first round of the engagement we stick to weak attacks, breaking the tracking device, and disabling moves, unless the Pokemon is obviously incredibly strong. If anyone wants to capture it they can call out, otherwise I can attempt to catch the next one so we don't have a repeat of this situation."  Less gestured to the trussed up Stunky in Tarr's talons.

Once the group was situated Less started driving to the dot, using the logic Mark suggested but staying generally near the springs.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Agreed on the plan, but clarifying that we're not waiting for the Stunky to wake up before leaving. Oodramer can hit it with the whamy once it actually wakes up, unless he can do it with the Stunky KO'd.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

((-1 Pokéball, 2 remaining.))

The ball shakes once…twice…thrice…

 DING! 

Dunsparce was caught!

 
 Spoiler: Dunsparce Stats 

Pokémon: Dunsparce
Type: Normal
Ability: Run Away
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Held Item: None
Stats—
HP: 96
Attack: 49
Def: 49
Sp. Attack: 46
Sp. Def: 46
Speed: 36
Moves:
Defense Curl
Yawn	
Glare	
Rollout	
Spite	
Pursuit
 


Would you like to give a nickname to Dunsparce? ((Either way she warps off to Box Storage.))

It is now about 8:30 PM. Stef drops by to tell you in his motor-mouth way that he’s going back to the Shrine for the night, and to be careful if you’re planning to stay out in the dark.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded along with Mark's additions. Keeping this thing in gas would cost a fortune, and they had other ways to get around. Still, as long as it had access to the shadow Pokemon radar it was invaluable. " Buck, keep your nose peeled for other Pokemon. Connie, try to watch for anything moving towards us quickly. If either of you see or smell anything let us know and move to intercept."  
 

“ Pidgey, you too! ” Mina instructs.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "I suggest for the first round of the engagement we stick to weak attacks, breaking the tracking device, and disabling moves, unless the Pokemon is obviously incredibly strong. If anyone wants to capture it they can call out, otherwise I can attempt to catch the next one so we don't have a repeat of this situation."  
 

“ No objections here. ”

Mina finds a spot to call out Oodramer – a somewhat serpentine creature with two arms, a fish-like tail and a vaguely dragon-like head, made of ooze – and instructs the Spectral type to keep the Stunky calm and nearby. Oodramer spits a tiny jot of energy at the Stunky ((Stunky’s Shadow Gauge: 38%)) but as the latter is still unconscious there is no immediately obvious effect.

Tattersail is recalled (she seems slightly miffed that Mark has decided she’s of no use) and Mina loads Oodramer into the jeep while Tarr picks up the Stunky. Akio’s non-flying Pokémon load in with the humans (the jeep is slightly crowded) and the group is off once again. The extra weight is slowing Tarr down, but with the speed boosts he’s still able to keep up.

Examining the map the group quickly realizes that the dot that  had  been east of the complex is now up near Moontear…and shortly after noticing this it vanishes entirely. One of the dots near Ternai Town is gone too. Of the seven that had been present when the group first set out, four remain aside from the Stunky’s removed tracker. ((The one you’re headed to, two by Keida and one by Ternai.))

The Grunts to the east of the complex appear to have gathered together as their flashlights are visible in an oblong clump gradually making their way north and west. The good news being that the Grunts are mostly in one place (or perhaps two – there is still activity in the building) and the group doesn’t have to dodge patrols…but trying to get to the last Tetherburn Springs dot the group quickly discovers the fire has in fact spread far enough to get in the way.
Feathersnow
Akio agrees to follow the plan, his experience being green at best.  "Understood.  I didn't realize it would hurt itself so much when I confused it."
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio agrees to follow the plan, his experience being green at best.  "Understood.  I didn't realize it would hurt itself so much when I confused it." 
 

 "It's my fault more than any others. I didn't realize Connie's attack would do quite so much damage." 

------------------------------

That the dots were disappearing was deeply disturbing. The most innocent answer was that the batteries on those trackers were dying, but Less thought that overly optimistic.  "The dots are going dark. I think Bandra's doing something to these Pokemon right now!"  Less yelled over the rushing wind, as he continued driving. That meant no more stops for discussion. Additionally Less tried to commit the locations of the remaining dots to memory.

As the fire rushed into view, Less made a decision. He wasn't going to let Bandra succeed at anything because he had been too timid, to scared again. All the years of sitting at home with Georgia, hoping for good news. He should have been out there fighting, but he had stayed home instead. And Bandra had continued to win, continued to kill and maim, and destroy his adopted home. A small, rational part of his brain was screaming that his thoughts weren't rational, that one more middle aged man who had never been an exceptional trainer wouldn't have made a difference. The larger part didn't care. It was screaming at him to take action.

 "I'm driving through! Use anything you've got to dampen the fire! Water, wind, earth! Whatever you can!"  Less yelled while pushing the jeep's acceleration.

 "Buck! Use protect and push through ahead of the jeep. Clear a path! Connie, fly above and beat the fire back with your wings if you can do it safely!"  Less yelled. He considered trying to fish out Princess's pokeball and have her use bubblebeam, but attempting to drive through the conflagration one handed was too risky, even for his mental state at the moment. He was going to have to rely on the others.
Gnomes2169
Mark noted the group of grunts gathering and moving in the direction of the fire, and he saw the trackers moving out of the scanner area and into towns, and a rational part of his brain said,   We don't know if they are being taken there, if they are simply getting in fights that are frying the trackers, or if someone caught them. We shouldn't make any assumptions right now . 

Unfortunately the rational voice was drowned out by the sudden acceleration of the jeep, which draw Mark's gaze from the grunts to the direction that the car was driving... and the wall of fire they were driving towards as well.  "Less, Less wait! Mina and I have pokemon with water type moves, and Fisher knows Rain Dance, do  not  drive us directly into the fire!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters (earlier):


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Understood.  I didn't realize it would hurt itself so much when I confused it." 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "It's my fault more than any others. I didn't realize Connie's attack would do quite so much damage."  
 

“ It’s no one’s  fault.  We don’t usually try catching individual Pokémon as a group. ” Mina said. Normally catching a single Pokémon was a single-trainer activity, and  normally  Mina would feel bad for ganging up on the Pokémon like they were…but this was for the individual Pokémon’s well-being as well as the good of the region as a whole, by messing with Bandra’s plans. “ There was no permanent harm done, we’ll make adjustments going forward. ”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (riding through the flames):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "The dots are going dark. I think Bandra's doing something to these Pokemon right now!"  Less yelled over the rushing wind, as he continued driving. 
 

“ Makes sense! ” Mina replied in kind, while also maintaining a tight grip on the jeep during the rough cross-country ride. “ I’ve never seen Grunts with Spectral Balls before this! ” Those things were expensive and hard to find, and Mina had never gotten the impression that Bandra kept their Grunts particularly well-equipped.

Seeing the fire they were headed right towards, Mina called for Oodramer to use Bubblebeam, privately glad he was already out. The Spectral type slithered carefully past Less (sliming the latter’s arm) to aim a stream of bubbles in front of the jeep.
Lord Ruby34
 Earlier 
 "Well said."  Less replied. Working with a group sometimes could be more difficult that working alone. While many hands could lighten a load working with new people opened you up to stepping on each others toes, especially if you didn't know the people you were working with well.  "We can practice our teamwork later, if the need arises." 

------------------------------------------

 Through the Fire and Flames 

Less nodded tightly. That was more support for his hypothesis. Those were balls for catching shadowed Pokemon. This might well be a response to his actions yesterday. If so, that made these next few moments even more critical.

 "Too late! If you have a useful move use it now and stay low!"  Less yelled. As someone whose closest companion had been a fire type his entire life, he had learned a lot about fire safety over the last five decades. The short answer was that fire wasn't safe, especially a spreading fire like this one. As a fire expanded it didn't necessarily expand linearly. As long as the fire had fuel it could expanded rapidly over an area. Raging flames were especially hard to put out, if a true inferno started it would take concentrated, prolonged exposure to water to abate the blaze, and they didn't have that kind of time. But if they could protect themselves for just a moment, the jeep could traverse the dangerous terrain far faster than they could on foot, minimizing the danger. (Though Less couldn't delude himself into pretending what he was doing was safe.) Of course, there was no time to convey any of that logic to Mark as the jeep barrelled towards the flames.

Still, there was a brief moment where he almost heeded Mark's advice. While he had been willing to brave the danger he realized he shouldn't be forcing the others into it. Then Mina ordered her ooze Pokemon forward, and Less shook his head. They had all known this could be dangerous.

He hoped that Oodramer's slime was the fire resistant kind, rather than the kind that would insure his arm was scalded, but there was no time to do anything about it now. Still, the Oodramer's presence in the front seat made him rethink his earlier decision, because now princess had a place to perch. Moving quickly, Less pressed the release on Princess's ball without taking it off his belt.  "Princess, hold onto that spectral type! Use your bubblebeam on the fire too!" 

Less continued jamming his foot onto the acceleration, trusting Buck to make sure there was no debris that would upset the jeep.
Gnomes2169
They... were going to drive into the fire. Oh. Oh this was a   horrible   idea. But with Less and Mina  both  in support of this lunacy, there was nothing that Mark could do to stop it. There also wasn't much he could do to contribute to the fire fighting, since most of his pokemon would be too big to fit in the crowded jeep, too slow to keep up, not have any moves that would help... or they were carrying a shadowed pokemon and couldn't effectively contribute.

Wait, Tarr was a steel type. This raging inferno was a  fire.  There was also no way that the efforts of the other pokemon would protect him or the stunky he was holding from the fire, Mark doubted there would be even a bubble for the jeep to fit, so he shouted to his flying type,  "Tarr, fly back and wait for us to come out! If the stunky wakes up, peck it back unconscious!"  With his defense and typing advantage, Tarr should be able to win any battle of attrition with the little skunk pokemon, and if the shadowed pokemon had enough time to wake up and heal Tarr would have had the time to do so as well. That was really all Mark could do to plan before they were in the fire.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

((-1 Pokéball, 2 remaining.))

The ball shakes once…twice…thrice…

 DING! 

Dunsparce was caught!

 
 Spoiler: Dunsparce Stats 

Pokémon: Dunsparce
Type: Normal
Ability: Run Away
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Held Item: None
Stats—
HP: 96
Attack: 49
Def: 49
Sp. Attack: 46
Sp. Def: 46
Speed: 36
Moves:
Defense Curl
Yawn	
Glare	
Rollout	
Spite	
Pursuit
 


Would you like to give a nickname to Dunsparce? ((Either way she warps off to Box Storage.))

It is now about 8:30 PM. Stef drops by to tell you in his motor-mouth way that he’s going back to the Shrine for the night, and to be careful if you’re planning to stay out in the dark. 
 

 "Yeah! Welcome to the team, Dundundun!"  Pinklady says before she is warped away.

 "Alright, you stay safe too! Thank you so much for getting me into digging!"   I'll go for just one more spot, then head back to the Center... or maybe join him at the Shrine! Probably the latter. 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Dundundun warps off to Box Storage and Stef bids you good night.

Less than ten minutes later you find a likely patch of rock:

3 items detected!
 
1   4   4   2   6   6   5   4   5   5   6   6   5   2   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 10

Nothing obvious glints out at you from the single shallow spot.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Tarr screeches acknowledgment and veers away with his burden. Oodramer gargles in surprise before Mina reassures the Spectral type that the lobster monster latching on is friendly, then both Pokémon aim a stream of bubbles at the ground in front of the vehicle.

The jeep makes it through the outer ring of flame, past which most of the vegetation has been reduced to smoldering embers or outright ash apart from a few patches of burning bush and shrub.

The exception is one point in the distance: not only is it still burning brightly but it flares sporadically, obscured only by copious amounts of smoke.

This seems like an obvious destination, but Less soon finds he has to fight the steering wheel to keep the vehicle going straight: despite counter-measures by the Pokémon at least one of the tires on the passenger side did  not  like rolling through an inferno, and it is failing, causing the jeep to veer sharply to the right. At the current speeds the vehicle seems about to roll, or at least throw out passengers.
Gnomes2169
Mark didn't have much to do as they drove into the fire, so he shrinked away from the doorway until they were past the fire and made sure he was still buckled in, but when they entered the ash he would immediately shift around again to pull his shirt up over his face so that he didn't inhale  too  much ash and smoke. That was something they should get before going to Quibir, masks! Something cloth or fabric could be good. Keep Mina from getting sent to the hospital again for smoke inhalation from kicking up all that volcanic ash-

Wait. They were tilting. That... was awful. Leaning away from the door of the jeep again, his mechanical arm pulling to his side and then audibly  clicking  as all of the joints on its fingers and sockets locked, fist clenched and elbow bent in order to hopefully prevent any single piece from getting caught on something and twisting irreparably, Mark tried to curl in on himself and duck down  just in case . That was supposed to help in a wreck, right? Making yourself smaller instead of spreading out. He'd read that somewhere, probably. Or maybe he was just panicking. When he shouted,  "Tattersail, use your psychic whatever to lift the front of the car!"  there was certainly more than a little note of mania in his voice. Which was especially clear, since he was giving his command to a ditto sitting next to him and not the psychic type that he'd recalled earlier.
Lord Ruby34
They were through! Less's momentary elation was brutally wrenched back to reality by the sound of the tire popping, and the whole vehicle trying to wrench itself right.  Oh no.  Less thought. His first instinct was to correct left, but he fought it down. He been driving for over forty years, and teaching drivers education for twenty five! He was  not  going to let this vehicle roll! A turn to the left or right would certainly flip the jeep. Hitting the brake would have the same effect, but more dramatic. So Less took a deep breath, fought down the instinctual terror of crushing death, and began executing the steps he'd taught his kids every year for twenty five years.

He kept the wheel straight and gave the jeep a little more gas. They'd need strong momentum to keep the jeep from flipping in the next few seconds. A little extra speed right now would help maintain control of the jeep, as long as he avoided panicking. Which he was doing, mostly by virtue of pure adrenaline. The popped tire should be naturally slowing the vehicle down, in spite of the gas. The most important thing was staying in control in the first few seconds.

Once he regained control, Less began letting off the gas and letting the vehicle slow itself. Once the speedometer had them below twenty five miles per hour, only then Less started hitting the brake.

Buck, for his part, had taken to running at top speed on the passenger side of the jeep, ready to shoulder check the vehicle if Less needed a little extra force to keep the jeep going straight.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Going to a family wedding for the rest of the day, so I wanted to go ahead and post.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Dundundun warps off to Box Storage and Stef bids you good night.

Less than ten minutes later you find a likely patch of rock:

3 items detected!
 
1   4   4   2   6   6   5   4   5   5   6   6   5   2   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 10

Nothing obvious glints out at you from the single shallow spot. 
 

 I wonder if I can get two of them...  Pinklady begins by using the pick on  C  and on  M .
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:
 
1   3   2   1   6   6   5   4   5   5   6   5   3   1   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
There’s something pale peeking out of column N.

Hits remaining: 8

----------------

 Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina, not having any Pokémon out that could help, just grabs on to Oodramer and the studiest piece of vehicle she can manage and prays hard.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "Tattersail, use your psychic whatever to lift the front of the car!"  
 

Mark realizes too late that not only was Tattersail recalled, so was Akio’s Ditto Ronin during the dogpile onto the Shadowed Stunky, and the figure seated next to him is Akio’s Scizor, Eto.

The latter doesn’t realize Mark’s command is intended for her, but doesn’t have any Psychic powers with which to right the vehicle anyway, so it matters little.

Mark can feel Tattersail’s Pokéball shaking wildly in response to her trainer’s sudden distress though.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 They were through! Less's momentary elation was brutally wrenched back to reality by the sound of the tire popping, and the whole vehicle trying to wrench itself right.  Oh no.  Less thought. His first instinct was to correct left, but he fought it down. He been driving for over forty years, and teaching drivers education for twenty five! He was  not  going to let this vehicle roll! A turn to the left or right would certainly flip the jeep. Hitting the brake would have the same effect, but more dramatic. So Less took a deep breath, fought down the instinctual terror of crushing death, and began executing the steps he'd taught his kids every year for twenty five years.

He kept the wheel straight and gave the jeep a little more gas. They'd need strong momentum to keep the jeep from flipping in the next few seconds. A little extra speed right now would help maintain control of the jeep, as long as he avoided panicking. Which he was doing, mostly by virtue of pure adrenaline. The popped tire should be naturally slowing the vehicle down, in spite of the gas. The most important thing was staying in control in the first few seconds.

Once he regained control, Less began letting off the gas and letting the vehicle slow itself. Once the speedometer had them below twenty five miles per hour, only then Less started hitting the brake.

Buck, for his part, had taken to running at top speed on the passenger side of the jeep, ready to shoulder check the vehicle if Less needed a little extra force to keep the jeep going straight.  
 

Less starts to get control of the vehicle, but not quite fast enough given its prexisting speed and the rough terrain. Buck lends a shoulder, stopping the jeep from rolling, but the resulting rough ride is still enough to knock the Pokémon inside loose.

Mina’s Oodramer is in a precarious enough position that the Spectral type is thrown from the vehicle, Mina’s grip on him failing entirely thanks to his slimy body. ((-22 HP for Oodramer)) On the way out his tail clocks Less soundly enough to make the latter see stars, interfering somewhat with the attempt to bring the jeep back under control. ((Less doesn’t have HP but consider yourself minorly injured.))

Princess slides off Oodramer in the process, but fortunately for her falls off  into  the jeep rather than out of it. Eto very nearly gets thrown as well, but manages to get a good grip on the front seats that saves her at the last moment – at the expense of both front seats getting matching Scizor claw marks. Endo tumbles off the back seat but likewise remains in the vehicle, the crowded quarters keeping the Steel type from being thrown.

The vehicle gradually curves to a stop. No sooner has it stopped moving than Mina has unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the vehicle, shouting “  Oodramer!  ” and dashing back along the jeep’s trail.
Lord Ruby34
The world was spinning ever so slightly as Less let the jeep roll to a stop.  "Worse. That was worse. Could have been."  Less said, his words coming out sluggish. Half a second later he had the realization that that hadn't been the right order. Why was his head hurting? Right, the Ooze Pokemon had clocked him. When it fell out. Less turned to check on the Pokemon and realized that he was still buckled in. Inadvertently his hand came up to his right temple and came away sticky with blood. Still, the world was starting to make sense again, and Less realized that he  probably  wasn't concussed. Less shifted the jeep into park and stopped the engine. It was probably still driveable with a damaged wheel, but not at anything resembling speed. His hand left bloody fingerprints on the keys and the gear shaft.

 "Is everyone okay?"  Less asked, finally managing to unbuckle himself and step outside the jeep to look around for Mina's Pokemon and the fire in the distance alternatively. He was relived to see that, of the humans, he had apparently gotten the worst of it. Buck had already made his way over and was sitting next to Less, offering silent support, and looking at the still bleeding head wound with obvious concern. He barked something that Less took to be well deserved chastisement. Princess had also managed to right herself, and was perched on the hood, peering at the fire. Less scanned the skies for Connie, hoping to see the Flying Type safe and sound.

He still couldn't believe that tire had blown. It was his fault, of course. He should have checked the jeep to make sure everything was in good condition before today. Jeeps were practically made to be driven off road, a blown tire meant that it hadn't been safe in the first place, and the fire had made it give out entirely. His thoughts were interrupted by an immediate sense of urgency. The whole reason that he had taken the risk of driving through was because they were running out of time!

((What does Less see?))
Gnomes2169
Before the car had even stopped Mark was pulling out Fisher's pokeball and he sent out his water-type dinosaur the moment the jeep was parked. Calling for a rain dance to cool down the jeep's tires and frame, and also put out the embers and coals that were hiding under the ash, followed by a mist to hopefully dampen and clear some of the ash and smoke kicked up by the vehicle's sudden stop, he unbuckled and opened up his door. He tried to point at Less with his mechanical arm, but while he was able to turn it slightly away from the position against his stomach and side the locks at all of the joints were still deployed and he had to stare at it and concentrate for a few seconds to disengage them.

That gave him a bit of time to cool down and send out Tattersail and Jessia one-handed before he shouted,  "Dumb! That was  incredibly  dumb! Just because it could have been worse doesn't make it any less dumb! Reckless, poorly thought out, could have gotten us all killed!"  Rubbing at his face with the hand that worked, displacing his glasses for just a second, he takes a deep breath, chokes on a bit of the ash and throws both of his hands up in front of him as he rapidly says,  "So welcome to the club! You, me and Matt are in it, it's very exclusive, your paper crown will be delivered in the mail in three to five weeks. See if there are any bandages or pads and gauze in the glovebox, your head is leaking! Jessia, make sure Mina stays safe. Tattersail, lift the front of the jeep so we can look at the damage and get that popped wheel off."  Fortunately, being off-road vehicles, most jeeps came standard with at least one spare that decorated the outside of the trunk, so as long as no one had gotten rid of  that  they should be able to at least make their one way of transporting shadowed dark types functional.
Lord Ruby34
Less shook his head in frustration, which unfortunately caused a fresh wave of wooziness. He didn't have time to argue at the moment, or the words to properly explain. The whole point of driving through that wall of fire had been because there wasn't time, and his gut was telling him that something was deeply, horribly  wrong.   "Bandra's doing something right now Mark! Look!"  Less pointed at the conflagration in the distance, and then back at the read out in the jeep.

Princess on the hood was practically vibrating with excitement. Her pincers were clacking together, and she had a look in her eyes that promised violence.  "Princess, if you've got energy right now, use it to harden until we manage to get going."  Less said with a sigh. He needed her soon, and if he pulled her away now she would be sulky for days.
Gnomes2169
 "Bandra is always doing something. That's why we're here. To disrupt a bit of what they are doing. Yes. But if it gets one of us injured or killed then disrupting one of their side projects a bit more than we already have  is not worth it. "  Mark responded, voice still tinted with frustration but more moderated than before.  "We didn't die and I don't think anyone or our pokemon were hurt, this time, but there's another problem with driving a car directly into a raging inferno." 

With his mechanical arm he points at the jeep.  "If that can't drive, then we can't rescue any dark types we failed to catch. Psychic pokemon cannot teleport dark types outside of poke balls, and we are  not  going to walk back the miles between here and any friendly territory, at night, while a brushfire is raging, through Arceus knows how many Bandra patrols. I am not sending Tarr back on his own, through Bandra territory, holding a shadowed pokemon, at night. We also aren't going to walk through the  wall of fire  ringing this place, if the jeep cannot drive us out then we are teleporting out of here and  that  will alert Bandra to our presence, which means we cannot wait for the stunky to wake up so we can try to catch him again."  Taking a deep breath of that misty, sooty air and coughing again, Mark took a second to recover and left his elbow covering his mouth and nose to hopefully strain out a little bit of the smoke while walked to the passenger side of the vehicle.  "So let's hope we can get this thing running again, otherwise this night could end up having been pointless." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:
 
1   3   2   1   6   6   5   4   5   5   6   5   3   1   3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
There’s something pale peeking out of column N.

Hits remaining: 8 
 

Pinklady next picks at  M . She almost picks directly at it again, but decides to pick at  L  instead.  I might be getting pretty good at judging this! 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Less can see the flaring spot still in the distance and, now that the group is inside it, it’s clear that the wall of fire you drove through is actually a  ring , fencing you off from the rest of Helnith. Most of the rest of the interior is dark, as everything that could burn has done so already. This means there is also no immediate sign of Mina’s Oodramer, nor Mina herself even so shortly after she takes off. Connie, however, is occasionally visible as she’s still circling tightly overhead.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "So welcome to the club! You, me and Matt are in it, it's very exclusive, your paper crown will be delivered in the mail in three to five weeks. See if there are any bandages or pads and gauze in the glovebox, your head is leaking! Jessia, make sure Mina stays safe. Tattersail, lift the front of the jeep so we can look at the damage and get that popped wheel off."  Fortunately, being off-road vehicles, most jeeps came standard with at least one spare that decorated the outside of the trunk, so as long as no one had gotten rid of  that  they should be able to at least make their one way of transporting shadowed dark types functional. 
 

Fisher comes out and starts the localized rain; bits of the ground hiss and steam and shortly thereafter the immediate area is ember-free. Jessia floats off into the darkness, quickly disappearing from sight as Fisher follows up with Mist and Tattersail lifts the affected end of the vehicle off the ground. Princess manages to get a Harden in but the Mist interferes with more than that.

 
 Spoiler: Pokémon Out Update 

Rain in effect, Mist in effect.

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 129/129
Princess: 70/70 (Defense up 1 level)

Pidgey: 76/76
Oodramer: 66/88

Tarr: 88/88 (unavailable) (Speed up 6 levels)
Fisher: 134/134
Tattersail: 98/98
Jessia: 99/99

Daisho: 100/100
Eto: 83/83
Endo: 67/67

 Stunky: 0/81(unavailable) (  Shadowed: 38%  )  
 


On inspection the jeep does, in fact, still have its spare tire. Both passenger side wheels are showing damage – scorch marks and melted rubber in addition to cracks from simple age – but only the front tire has outright failed. It’s clear that the rear wheel isn’t going to be able to take much abuse, however, and there’s only one spare tire.

----------------

Pinklady:

 
1   3   2   1   6   6   5   4   5   5   5   2    X   X    3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 

Now that it’s clear, you can see a bit of a Big Root peeking out in column M, and half of another Everstone in column N.

Hits remaining: 6
Lord Ruby34
Less visibly deflated. He had been running off adrenaline since they ambushed the first patrol, and the sharp shock of the cold water that Fisher had conjured finally snapped hm back into something resembling reality. He  had  been acting recklessly. Yes, if the jeep had been maintained properly the tire probably wouldn't have busted, but breaking through the fire had still been foolish. If there had been something large and solid just beyond the flames he wouldn't have seen it, or been able to avoid it. If he had even heard of one of his students trying a similar stunt he would have given them a tongue lashing they would've remembered for the rest of their lives. Mark's criticisms were entirely deserved.

Still, that didn't make the boy correct on all the particulars. Stopping Bandra was worth any cost, even his life. Especially his life, if he could manage to save even a few other people. And he would pay any cost at all to make sure Emilia was safe. And Bandra needed to be fought constantly. If everyone had stood together seven years ago, had focused on taking Selene in, then so much death could have been avoided. If he had  done something  years ago, then maybe his daughter wouldn't be missing. Maybe the local hospitals wouldn't have had medication and equipment shortages. Maybe Georgia would still be alive. Maybe all those poor kids that Aquai roped into this would still be safe in their beds. A small, rational part of his brain whispered that the war wasn't his fault, wasn't his responsibility. Less ignored it. He renewed his promise to himself: He'd never fail to act again.

Buck made a soft sound of distress, and Less abruptly realized he had been standing quietly in the rain for a good twenty seconds.  "Right."  He said, softly.  "Right. You're right, that was reckless and foolish."  Less's voice grew more confident by the syllable. He reached down to ruffle Buck's fur.  "My apologies." 

Right. Less let out a deep breath. They had a list of immediate problems, and those needed to be solved. The gash on his head could probably wait, the rain was doing a passable job of cleaning it out, and getting the bleeding to stop would be a bear anyway.  "Mark can Tattersail keep the car lifted while I change the tire?"  Less addressed the question to Pokemon and trainer both.  "Buck, please help support the weight."  Less would hardly call himself a qualified mechanic, but he knew how to change a tire.  "Don't try putting out any flames yet. Bandra will see a gap in the wall of fire and know we're here if you do, and it looks like the shadow Pokemon we're hunting is at the center of the blaze. I'll get this tire on and we can go straight away. I still think Bandra might be there right now, but it'll still be faster to fix the wheel and drive than try to hoof it here and back."   Less said, headed to the back of the jeep to rummage around the storage compartment.  There had better be a toolkit here.  Less thought.  "Princess, help me get the old wheel off. Be careful not to damage the nuts."  His Corphish made a sound that long experience had told him was a whine.  "The faster we do it, the faster you can help fight whatever started this fire." 
 
"Akio, why don't you and your Crobat go see if you can't find Mina and her Pokemon? The sooner we're all together the sooner we can get going."  Less realized he had slipped into giving orders, and almost apologized again. Discussion could wait until they were somewhere safer.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Edit 

I figure Princess can help with the mechanics work because she has Vice Grip. Let me know if I'm wrong.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 
1   3   2   1   6   6   5   4   5   5   5   2    X   X    3
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 

Now that it’s clear, you can see a bit of a Big Root peeking out in column M, and half of another Everstone in column N.

Hits remaining: 6 
 

 "Yes!"  Pinklady wastes no time in picking  K  and  O  twice each.
Gnomes2169
 "I said 'welcome to the club' for a reason, Less. My stupid, reckless thing was the  entirety  of the Shrine of Light and everything involved with it."  Mark said, waving off the old man's apology to signal that it could have been worse.  "We've just gotta be better about thinking before we act in the future. Now, let's fix this thing..."  He didn't bother answering Less' question about Tattersail's assistance, she was still holding the car in the air, after all. Instead, Mark pulled out his phone to turn on its flashlight for Less to use. It wasn't much, but it was more light to work with than what the somewhat distant fire provided.

Mark also sent out Sengar, and he told the dark type,  "Keep an eye out for anything coming at us. And Sengar...  do not  attack Mina if you see her."  When the dark type's ears flatten at that command and the umbreon looks off to the side in a surly manner, Mark finally asked,  "Why don't you like her anyway? Talk to me about it. Tattersail can translate for you." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Sure, why not? 🙂
 


Locating the toolbox takes longer than expected; Less eventually finds it under one of the seats, and half the tools are missing.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Why don't you like her anyway? Talk to me about it. Tattersail can translate for you."  
 

The two Pokémon converse, Sengar obviously in a bad mood.

 
 Spoiler: Tattersail Translation 

&lt; He said she killed his human. &gt; Tattersail says something out loud in Pokéspeak, which she also translates for Mark. &lt; I know very well that’s not true; she said she didn’t, and I would have been able to tell if she were lying. What really happened? &gt; Sengar yowls back, fur standing up, hostile. &lt; He says she did, that she left his human behind in Ternai for the man with the big dragon to kill. &gt;
 


----------------

Pinklady:

 
1   3   2   1   6   6   5   4   5   5   1    X   X   X   X 
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 

The Everstone comes free and you can tell there’s just a little more of the Big Root stuck under K. ((+1 Everstone, 2 total))

Hits remaining: 2
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I said 'welcome to the club' for a reason, Less. My stupid, reckless thing was the  entirety  of the Shrine of Light and everything involved with it."  
 

And that had turned out better than driving through the fire, Less thought, though he didn't argue.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We've just gotta be better about thinking before we act in the future. Now, let's fix this thing..."  
 

 "Indeed. Keep that light steady and we should be done soon."  Less said. He pointedly didn't mention that Mark's panicked order could have easily flipped the jeep if Tattersail had actually been out. No sense in burdening the lad with some extra guilt. Frankly, as Less started work the whole situation reminded Less of trying to fix things with his own father, expect this time he was the one bent over the broken tire and Mark was holding the flashlight. He had always tried to teach Emilia by doing instead, but there wasn't time for that know, so Less got to work after he found the tools, which took far longer than expected, and produced a bout of muttering about the general incompetence of Bandra grunts and mechanics. By the time Less had stared Princess already had gotten the first tire most of the way off, and all he had to do was throw the broken tire in the back of the jeep and get the new one on.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark also sent out Sengar, and he told the dark type,  "Keep an eye out for anything coming at us. And Sengar...  do not  attack Mina if you see her."  When the dark type's ears flatten at that command and the umbreon looks off to the side in a surly manner, Mark finally asked,  "Why don't you like her anyway? Talk to me about it. Tattersail can translate for you."  
 

Less felt a mild surge of disappointment when he realized the answer to that question was going to be silent. It wasn't  really  relevant to anything that he had been doing, but Mark's question to his Umbreon had managed to provoke Less's curiosity.

Where was Mina anyway? Her Pokemon hadn't tumbled out  that  far back, had it?
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 
1   3   2   1   6   6   5   4   5   5   1    X   X   X   X 
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 

The Everstone comes free and you can tell there’s just a little more of the Big Root stuck under K. ((+1 Everstone, 2 total))

Hits remaining: 2 
 

Pinklady picks at  K  one last time, and then, after pulling out the Big Root, decides she might as well hit  C . Maybe there could be something really small there!
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

You manage to successfully extract the Big Root; nothing else reveals itself before the span of rock collapses. ((+1 Big Root)) It is now about 9:30 PM.
essCee
 "Well, that's probably enough for today!"  Pinklady says to nobody but herself. After making sure her gear was well-secured, she headed the way Stef went.
(I don't have a firm grasp of the local topography, was the location of the Shrine itself clear to her when she arrived earlier?)
Gnomes2169
((Reread the section with Misty... god she had the biggest death wish of all time. Mina was always right to JUDGE her. 😛 ))

Mark would have watched Less working with interest, he hadn't gotten to do much in his life with big machinery and he'd found a mild fascination with mechanical parts since his body was partially functional thanks to it, but the discussion with Sengar took almost all of his attention.  "Wait... you mean your trainer was in Ternai when it was attacked? And you blame Mina for... not taking her into the trap that was the attack on Keida?"  He asked the dark type, clearly confused.  "The squad attacking Keida was kept smaller and limited mostly to volunteers, if your trainer wasn't with us then it's because she chose not to volunteer?"  The dark type's logic wasn't exactly tracking in Mark's head here.
Lord Ruby34
(Once the tire is changed)

Aaaand there. One changed tire. Honestly the process had been quicker than expected. Not having to spend time futzing with the jack helped immensely, and Princess had moved like a demon on those lug nuts. Frankly, there hadn't been that much for Less to actually do expect move the tires into place.

Still, Less didn't announce his victory, other than to praise Princess and thank Tattersail for her help. Mina still wasn't back, and Mark seemed to be having an important conversation with his Umbreon. Instead, Less crossed his arms, stood up, and started searching for a strip of cloth or gauze. He might as well take care of that injury now that he wasn't doing anything else.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

So, I watched a Youtube video on changing a tire to refresh myself, and man, not needing a jack does make than a less than five minute job. Probably could do it in two while barely hurrying.

Edit: Fixed a timing issue.
 
Feathersnow
Akio and Daisho begin looking for Mina. Endo and Eto keep guard on Akio as the Crobat runs a search pattern around him, who himself travels in a tighter circle around where Mina was last reported.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Yup! You know where you are in relation to the Shrine. 🙂
 


You make your way to the Shrine of Light. Another sentry stops you, briefly, but lets you through once he realizes you came in with Stef – it helps that you’re covered with dirt from your lengthy evening spent digging.

The first room is a wide chamber – the stonework here is very old, but scarred with signs of recent conflict. Four oversized bronze bowls sit at each corner, and it also contains an egg-shaped, moderately-sized pool with an unfamiliar mark inset in the bottom. There’s also an exit to the rest of the Shrine. A handful of the Shrine's volunteers are sitting around a large camp stove by the pool, on which is cooking a big pot of soup and another of coffee. The cooking smells nearly mask the much fainter and less savory scents of dried blood and roadkill left out in the sun too long. Despite this the atmosphere is thick and quiet; even the low chatter of the volunteers gives the place the feel of a church or temple.

You see Stef sitting nearby, slightly apart from most of the volunteers, nursing a mug of soup and looking a little green and oddly subdued.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Mark, Less):

Less doesn’t find much in the way of medical supplies, just a couple of bandaids of the sort used for minor cuts and a little pocket bottle of hand sanitizer in the glove compartment.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Wait... you mean your trainer was in Ternai when it was attacked? And you blame Mina for... not taking her into the trap that was the attack on Keida?"  
 

Sengar nods, tone decisive.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; ’Yes.  She  lived and  my  human didn’t, so it couldn’t have been much of a trap.’ &gt; Sengar turns and starts licking a paw, wordlessly dismissing the whole fiasco at Keida as unimportant.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The squad attacking Keida was kept smaller and limited mostly to volunteers, if your trainer wasn't with us then it's because she chose not to volunteer?"  
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

Sengar pauses his personal grooming. &lt; ’She should have brought her anyway! She knew something bad was going to happen to my human if my human stayed behind. And she did it anyway! That makes it her fault.’ &gt;
 


Following this exchange Tattersail looks briefly distracted. Then alarmed.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; Mark, the Grunts have found us! &gt;
 


Overhead, Connie squawks a warning. “ Intruder alert! Intruder alert!  before the Mist lights up with green and thickens with smoke. Something hits her and she squawks again, this time with pain.

Wispaferyn A uses Silver Wind!
Connie is hit for 24 damage!

Wispaferyn B uses Silver Wind!
It’s super effective!
Tattersail is hit for 32 damage!

Tattersail drops the jeep once she’s hit, but luckily Buck manages to squirm out from under it before it comes down on him.

Wispaferyn C uses Smokescreen!
Mist prevents allies' stats from being lowered!

Wispaferyn E uses Smokescreen!
Mist prevents allies' stats from being lowered!

Wispaferyn G uses Smokescreen!
Mist prevents allies' stats from being lowered!

The glow from the nearest section of the wall of fire vanishes with a rumble. Flashlights shine in your direction, and though the Mist and smoke are cutting down visibility both ways you can tell there are humanoid figures approaching, and presumably the reverse is true too.

“See?” The speaker sounds a little out of breath. “I told you I heard shouting over here!”

Buck takes a protective stance in front of Less and the jeep, doing his best to look intimidating.


(Rain in effect 1 round remaining, Mist in effect 2 rounds remaining.)

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129
Princess: 70/70 (Defense up 1 level)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 134/134
Tattersail: 66/98
 Jessia: 99/99  - (unavailable)

Wispaferyn A: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn B: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn C: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn E: 41/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn G: 62/83 (Intimidated)

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Akio and Mina are two rounds away. The rest of the Grunt force is  one  round away.  
 


----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Akio, Mina (and Jessia)):

Mina, meanwhile, was stumbling through the dark to avoid her Pokédex light giving her away to anyone watching, calling for Oodramer as softly as she dared. She mentally winced at the conversation back at the jeep; she couldn’t make out most of the words, but the fact that she could hear it at all meant that anyone nearby could too.

(Admittedly, she hadn’t helped yelling for Oodramer as soon as the jeep stopped, and the near-crash might have been noisy or otherwise attention-grabbing enough by itself that it didn’t matter anyway. That didn’t make her feel better though.)

After a much longer search than she would have liked, Pidgey was able to direct her over to her missing Spectral type: Oodramer was some distance off the jeep’s track, his slimy body so covered with ash and soot that he looked like part of the landscape, except for his eyes. Mina was quite sure she wouldn’t have ever found him in the dark without her starter’s help.

“ Hello my dear. Are you all right? ” Mina checked him over as best she could, getting her hands slimy and covered in ash in the process. As far as she could tell his injuries were minor: nothing the Pokémon Center couldn’t fix up.

But something cold was creeping up behind her. Mina spun fast enough to lose her balance and land on her rump, but it was only Jessia.

“ Oh, hi Jessia. Are Mark and the others coming? ” Maybe they were going after the next Shadow Pokémon on foot? Mina would be perfectly happy at that moment to never ride in a car  ever again .

But if Mina was reading the Ice type’s expression correctly (admittedly not a guarantee) that look was just puzzled.

“ Guess not. ”

About then Daisho swooped by overhead.

Mina waved at the six foot Flying type, wondering briefly why half the party Pokémon were following her before realizing: oh right, she had in fact  run off by herself in the middle of enemy territory.    I am in so much trouble after this…  

And there was Akio and some of his other Pokémon come to fetch her back (or at least, she thought it was him – it was still dark, but there weren’t that many Scizor and Mawile around). She waved to Akio too, then tried to figure out how to get Oodramer back to the jeep without recalling him and sending a bright red signal to any Bandra in the area – most of the cover had burned away.

And (she realized as she took a moment to look around) she couldn’t actually  see  the jeep anymore. Maybe it was behind that big cloud of smoke?…she could make out the flaring spot more clearly though, it looked like more than one Fire Pokémon was in a  very  bad mood…

“ I found Oodramer, I’m on my way back now, ” she told Akio.

And then off in the distance there was a rumble and a large section of the ring of fire went out all at once.
Lord Ruby34
Less was contemplating putting three bandaids on his head and seeing if that would stop the bleeding when he heard Connie's panicked squawks. The old teacher turned, only to be confronted with a squad of flying bug Pokemon and the sound of Connie's pain. Buck snarled out something that was a mixture of panic and anger before taking a defensive position, and Less barely managed to gather his wits fast enough to realize they were being attacked. Someone must have heard them arguing.  Stupid. So stupid.  This time Less didn't put all the blame on himself. None of them had remembered they needed to be quiet.

 "We have to hold them here! Push up!"  Less yelled. Mina and Akio didn't have another way back. Through the rising adrenaline, Less also realized that they probably couldn't safely get away in the jeep anyway, there were too many goons coming.

Less almost ordered Connie to Nasty Plot before remembering that the Mist was still on the field. He needed to call out anyone who would be remotely effective now, push them back as hard and fast as he could.  I should have made a decision on that Natural Gift SM! 
 "Go, Dancer!"  Less cried, as he released the catch on the little Dodou's ball.  "Connie, snarl! Buck, Bite the one on the left((A))! Princess, Bubblebeam that one on the right ((G))! Dancer, Peck the hurt one ((E)). If your targets fall before you can reach them hit most damaged ones still fighting!  There was no time for stat reduction moves. The bug types looked fragile, and there were more coming quickly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

 
 Spoiler: Buck Translation 

Yelling "Tattersail!" With a mixture of surprise, worry, and anger.
 

Action Summary:
Send out Dancer, next to Buck between the jeep and Bandra.
Connie: Snarl on as many targets as she can hit. All five of the Wispaferyn. The goons if she can hit them through the Pokemon, and five more targets in the order they hit the field if new Pokemon are sent out before she can act.
Buck: Bite Wispaferyn A.
Dancer: Peck Wispaferyn E
Princess: Bubblebeam Wispaferyn G

Everyone but Connie should attempt to redirect attacks to the targets with the lowest remaining HP if their other targets have fainted.
 
Gnomes2169
Mark had been about to respond to Sengar's obstinate and  terrible  logic, because the dark fox pokemon was just being stubborn about his grudge, but then something  much more important  came up. Fortunately the grunts hadn't seen the mist and so a lot of their attacks had been wasted on trying their standard Bandra smokescreen technique, but the arrival of so many hostiles was definitly a bad sign. How could the group have gotten to them so quickly? Sure they'd been moving towards the fire, but what kind of idiots  jumped into a fire  without some kind of protection?

 "We'll continue this later, Tattersail use Lucky Chant and hide behind the jeep."  If the vehicle was hit or if that brought her out of range, so be it. He couldn't afford to let her get knocked out since it might knock  him  out and it would cause them to lose their emergency escape route. Sending out Marick as well, which meant his entire team was present at the moment, he called out,  "Sengar, use helping hand on Less' Murkrow, Marick use Headbutt on that one (Wispaferen A), Fisher use Sing on the healthiest hostile pokemon standing when it gets to you, or on the grunts if there isn't anything left."  The water type would potentially have a target-rich environment, but there was a chance that a lot of the current ones would be down before he managed to get his turn.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Yup! You know where you are in relation to the Shrine. 🙂
 


You make your way to the Shrine of Light. Another sentry stops you, briefly, but lets you through once he realizes you came in with Stef – it helps that you’re covered with dirt from your lengthy evening spent digging.

The first room is a wide chamber – the stonework here is very old, but scarred with signs of recent conflict. Four oversized bronze bowls sit at each corner, and it also contains an egg-shaped, moderately-sized pool with an unfamiliar mark inset in the bottom. There’s also an exit to the rest of the Shrine. A handful of the Shrine's volunteers are sitting around a large camp stove by the pool, on which is cooking a big pot of soup and another of coffee. The cooking smells nearly mask the much fainter and less savory scents of dried blood and roadkill left out in the sun too long. Despite this the atmosphere is thick and quiet; even the low chatter of the volunteers gives the place the feel of a church or temple.

You see Stef sitting nearby, slightly apart from most of the volunteers, nursing a mug of soup and looking a little green and oddly subdued. 
 

Pinklady takes a seat next to Stef, leaning back on her hands. She looks around the room and takes a deep breath that is exhaled in a calm sigh. She turns her head to Stef and smiles.
 "It's pretty cool I only spent the way I just did thanks to you... thank you for inviting me here!" 
Her voice was not appropriately lowered like everyone else's is.
Feathersnow
"Uh!?  What is this, should we run or fight!?"  Akio is very alarmed, not least because his steel types are being exposed to fire!
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Mark, Less):

Sengar uses Helping Hand!
Sengar is ready to help out!

Connie uses Snarl!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 66 damage!
Wispaferyn A’s Special Attack falls!
Wispaferyn B is hit for 72 damage!
Wispaferyn B’s Special Attack falls!
Wispaferyn C is hit for 72 damage!
Wispaferyn C’s Special Attack falls!
Wispaferyn E is hit for 72 damage! ((The dice were feeling repetitive today. 😛))
Wispaferyn E faints!
Attack missed Wispaferyn G!

Buck uses Bite!
Critical hit!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 64 damage!
Wispaferyn A faints!

Tattersail uses Lucky Chant!
Allied Pokémon are protected from crits!

Tattersail takes cover, ducking behind the vehicle and covering her head with her arms.

Dancer uses Peck!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn C is hit for 42 damage!
Wispaferyn C faints!

Wispaferyn B uses Silver Wind!
Princess is hit for 28 damage!

Wispaferyn G uses Will-O-Wisp!
Fisher is Burned!

Fisher uses Sing!
Attack missed Wispaferyn B!
Attack missed Wispaferyn G!

The Grunts, unfortunately, seem to be out of range – you can see them coming with the next wave of Pokémon thanks to the flashlights, some distance away. It seems they sent the Wispaferyn on ahead while they cleared themselves a path through the ring of fire.

Marick uses Headbutt!
Attack missed due to target KO!

Princess uses Bubblebeam!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn G is hit for 54 damage!

Fisher is hurt by Burn!
Fisher loses 16 HP!

(Mist:1 round remaining
Lucky Chant: 4 rounds remaining)

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129
Princess: 42/70 (Defense up 1 level)
Dancer: 60/60

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 118/134 (Burned)
Tattersail: 66/98
Sengar: 109/109
Marick: 100/100
 Jessia: 99/99  - (unavailable)

 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
Wispaferyn B: 11/83 (Intimidated, Special Attack down 1 level)
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/83 
Wispaferyn G: 8/83 (Intimidated)

The rain patters to a stop just as the rest of the Bandra force arrives.

Bandra forces send out Gravelers A-F, Machoke A-D, Sandslash A and B, Magnemite A and B, Magneton, Twiggin A-C, Primeape A and B, Rhyhorn A and B, Wingull, Pineco, Flaaffy, Gloom, Butterfree, Raticate, Vigoroth, Breloom, and Arbok!

The Arbok flares its hood in Buck’s direction, making itself as intimidating as it can. A quick Pokédex scan also reveals a few of the opposing Pokémon have Poffin boosts.

Buck: 103/103 (Intimidated)
Connie: 105/129 (Intimidated)
Princess: 42/70 (Intimidated, Defense up 1 level)
Dancer: 60/60 (Intimidated)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 118/134 (Intimidated, Burned)
Tattersail: 66/98 (Intimidated)
Sengar: 109/109 (Intimidated)
Marick: 100/100 (Intimidated)
 Jessia: 99/99  - (unavailable)

 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
Wispaferyn B: 11/83 (Intimidated, Special Attack down 1 level)
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/83 
Wispaferyn G: 8/83 (Intimidated)
Graveler A: 70/70 (Intimidated)
Graveler B: 17/70 (Intimidated)
Graveler C: 35/70 (Intimidated)
Graveler D: 52/70 (Intimidated)
Graveler E: 70/70 (Intimidated)
Graveler F: 35/70 (Intimidated)
Machoke A: 45/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke B: 46/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke C: 45/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke D: 91/91
Sandslash A: 80/80 (Intimidated)
Sandslash B: 80/80 (Intimidated)
Magnemite A: 55/55 (Intimidated)
Magnemite B: 41/55 (Intimidated)
Magneton: 79/79
Twiggin A: 85/85 (Intimidated)
Twiggin B: 42/85 (Intimidated)
Twiggin C: 29/119 (Intimidated)
Primeape A: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Primeape B: 117/117 (Intimidated)
Rhyhorn A: 79/79 (Intimidated)
Rhyhorn B: 59/79 (Intimidated)
Wingull: 58/58 (Intimidated)
Pineco: 84/113
Flaaffy: 109/109 (Intimidated)
Gloom: 96/96 (Intimidated)
Butterfree: 75/75 (Intimidated)
Raticate: 97/97 (Intimidated)
Vigoroth: 85/85 (Intimidated)
Breloom: 50/67 (Intimidated)
Arbok: 65/65 (Intimidated)

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "It's pretty cool I only spent the way I just did thanks to you... thank you for inviting me here!"  
 

He looks up from his soup and manages a watery smile. “I’m glad you liked it. Thank you for showing me what burdock is.”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Akio, Mina (and Jessia)):


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Uh!?  What is this, should we run or fight!?" 
 

Mina squinted in the direction of the smoke cloud: flashlights shone through it sporadically, briefly illuminating silhouettes within. The flaring spot was still there in the distance, the Pokémon involved apparently still conscious. But what she could see of the building was a lot more active now, flashlights pouring out in their general direction, and she didn’t have Mark’s binoculars to look closer. She listened hard; she could hear the sounds of combat but not much else.

“ I don’t hear the jeep, which means Mark and Less are still back there. ” Mina indicated the smoke cloud. “ On the other hand, it looks like Bandra knows we’re here now, and I can’t tell if the ones coming from the building are headed for them or the Shadow Pokémon.  ” Mina peered at the building again. They might be splitting up? “ …it might be both. I’m going to head back to help Less and Mark, but I won’t stop you if you want to try something else. There might not be time to go after the Shadow Pokémon after this. ”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

FYI I’ll give you another post to decide, but IC you’re on a time crunch here, so any more than that I’m going to start penalizing your arrival time.

Also since Jessia is here, Gnomes feel free to have her give some input if you want.
 
Gnomes2169
((Pokemon fight))

Mark immediately pulled out a burn heal and applied it to Fisher while calling out his next orders.  "Sengar, helping hand Connie again. Marick, intercept attacks for Connie. Fisher, use ice shard on the most damaged Twiggin."  For now he held Tattersail back (he'd used the burn heal for her activation anyway) and he called to Less,  "They have a lot of already injured pokemon, try to take them down first."  As long as they could reduce target saturation, this hold-out would become a lot more manageable.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Are we about to see a mess of Lightning Rod fails with all of these electric types? 😛
 


((With Akio and Mina))

Jessia floated beside Mina for a bit, drifting through the ash and smoke with a bit of water dripping down her brow thanks to her ice typing, but that passive following would stop the moment combat became obvious. With a trill, she charged in the direction of the fighting, quickly leaving the trainers behind. The ice/ghost pokemon had already lost one trainer, she was not keen on the idea of losing another.

 
 Spoiler: OoC again 
If possible, Jessia would use Double Team on the approach... but I'm not sure if she's covered by mist and able to act without Mark's commands
 
Lord Ruby34
Less was briefly emboldened by the success of team's attacks, and then his hopes were dashed again as the Bandra grunts released a small army of Pokemon to fight them. A part of his brain began screaming  Too many! Too many!  while another part of him was drowning in the rising tide of excitement. He'd never been in a situation this dangerous before, and his body was reacting by flooding his brain with endorphins. In front of him, Buck was roaring his defiance after taking down the bug Pokemon, dancer was hopping nervously from foot to foot, and Princess was clacking her claws with obvious menace. It was hard to see exactly what Connie was doing through the smoke, but Less could only hope for her trust.

He tried to remember what Emilia had taught him about predicting opponents, but in this case it seemed impossible to predict anything with the sheer number of combatants. He forced himself to think. The enemy should try and prioritize neutralizing Connie, she was doing the most damage. After that, Buck's sheer physical presence was a problem, most of the enemy Pokemon were physical attackers. Finally, they had a lot of Pokemon who were weak to water, which meant that Princess and Fisher were appealing targets. That was if the goons were going to make tactial decisions, which there was no guarantee of. Still, keeping Connie up and fighting was his top priority, and making sure Buck could continue to intimidate the opposition was his second, and it seemed that Mark was on the same page.  "Agreed!"  Less shouted. He didn't have anything else to add to the tactics that Mark hadn't already said. They had to hold.

 "Go Leo! Go Hero!"  Less yelled as he sent his last two Pokemon into the fray.  "Connie, that was astounding. Hit them again! Snarl that Wispaferyn ((B)),"  Less commanded while pointing out targets with his cane as he went,  "that group of Gravler (A, B, C, D, F), that Machoke (A), the wounded Rhyhorn (B), the Flaffy, the Wingull, and that Pineco!"   Less could feel himself running short on breath, but he had to give orders to the rest of his team.  "Buck, Princess, use Protect! Dancer, Quick Attack that Wispaferyn ((G)), Leo use Revenge on that Magnemite ((B)), and Hero, intercept any attacks at Connie that the Lairon can't!" 

Less was left hoping that he and Mark had a solid defensive plan, and that Mina and Akio would be close behind. The enemy numbers would overwhelm them if they didn't get backup soon, solid plan or no plan.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



He looks up from his soup and manages a watery smile. “I’m glad you liked it. Thank you for showing me what burdock is.” 
 

 "Happy to share it! Maybe it'll even save your life someday, you'll never know!" 

Pinklady takes a moment to really take in the surroundings. She notices the recent scarring she didn't notice when she first entered, and takes in the scents, both those of the food and those that are masked. With even more focus than on those, she listens - not so much for the hushed conversations - her largely arboreal lifestyle up till now didn't really hone her hearing for speech - but for any other sounds that may be about.
Feathersnow
"I was sent to find you, I'm sticking with you!"  This seemed obvious, maybe it wasn't, maybe he was making a mistake, but splitting the party seemed like a bad move!
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Mark, Less):

The two forces clash messily together. Mark manages to get the Burn Heal on to Fisher despite the incredibly chaotic battlefield, healing the Water type’s Burn. ((-1 Burn Heal for Mark, 1 remaining.))

Sengar uses Helping Hand!
Sengar is ready to help out!

Buck uses Protect!
Buck is protecting himself!

Princess uses Protect!
Princess is protecting herself!

Raticate uses Sucker Punch!

The Bandra Raticate slams its claw ineffectually into the shield of Buck’s Protect.

But it failed!

Dancer uses Quick Attack!
Wispaferyn G is hit for 22 damage!
Wispaferyn G faints!

Fisher uses Ice Shard!
It’s super effective!
Twiggin C is hit for 69 damage!
Twiggin C faints!

Breloom uses Mach Punch!
It’s super effective!
Fisher is hit for 22 damage!

Connie, seeing the Grunts in range, completely forgets herself and dives for one of them in a rage. ((Failed obedience roll! 😦)) Adding insult to injury, the Grunt Pokémon force her to veer off before she can take the man out.

Primeape B uses Karate Chop!
It’s super effective!
Fisher is hit for 39 damage!
Fisher uses held Sitrus Berry to restore 40 HP!

Primeape A uses Karate Chop!
It’s super effective!
Sengar is hit for 27 damage!

Vigoroth uses Encore!
Buck receives an Encore!

Wispaferyn B uses Silver Wind!
Sengar is hit for 24 damage!

Magneton uses Magnet Bomb!
Fisher is hit for 23 damage!

Twiggin A uses Magical Leaf!
Princess is protecting herself!

Twiggin B uses Magical Leaf!
It’s super effective!
Fisher is hit for 35 damage!

Wingull uses Supersonic!
Tattersail is confused!

Mark gets a strong sense of disorientation from his Psychic type.

Butterfree uses Sleep Powder!

As instructed, Marick leaps between Connie and the oncoming attack, taking a faceful of powder. After this he staggers back and forth a few steps before collapsing to the ground, snoring peacefully in the midst of the battlefield.

Arbok uses Acid!
Tattersail is hit for 3 damage!
Mist prevents Tattersail's stats from being lowered!

The Acid attack sprays over the jeep, although the bulk of the vehicle shields Tattersail somewhat.

Sengar is hit for 7 damage!
Dancer is hit for 17 damage!
Princess is protecting herself!

Sandslash A uses Rollout!
It’s super effective!
Dancer is hit for 21 damage!

Their comrades focused on the bigger threats, a number of the slower Bandra Pokémon roll past the jeep to attack Tattersail more directly.

Sandslash B uses Crush Claw!
Tattersail is hit for 14 damage!

Pineco uses Payback!
It’s super effective!
Tattersail is hit for 35 damage!
Tattersail uses held Sitrus Berry to restore 30 HP!

Machoke A uses Karate Chop!
It’s super effective!
Marick is hit for 38 damage!

Machoke B uses Seismic Toss!
Marick is hit for 28 damage!

Marick rolls on his back from the force, still asleep from the powder, but chews absently in his sleep.

Marick restores 30 HP from held Sitrus Berry!

Machoke C uses Karate Chop!
It’s super effective!
Sengar is hit for 23 damage!

Machoke D uses Seismic Toss!
Tattersail is hit for 28 damage!

Magnemite A uses Spark!
Spark was redirected by Lightning Rod!

Magnemite B uses Spark!
Spark was redirected by Lightning Rod!

Flaaffy uses Thundershock!
Thundershock was redirected by Lightning Rod!

All three Electric attacks redirect to Rhyhorn A, which looks somewhat bewildered in the brief flashing light. Some swearing and the start of an argument starts up among the Grunts.

Graveler A uses Rollout!
Buck is protecting himself!

Graveler B uses Defense Curl!
Graveler B’s Defense rises!

Graveler C uses Rollout!
Buck is protecting himself!

Graveler D uses Rollout!

Marick still being asleep and unable to act as a living shield, Hero steps up and intercepts the heavy Rock type.

Hero is hit for 12 damage!
Graveler D is poisoned by Poison Point!

Graveler E uses Defense Curl!
Graveler E’s Defense rises!

Graveler F uses Defense Curl!
Graveler F’s Defense rises!

Gloom uses Absorb!
Princess is protecting herself!

Rhyhorn A uses Scary Face!
Mist prevents Connie's stats from being lowered!

Rhyhorn B uses Scary Face!
Mist prevents Connie's stats from being lowered!

With Marick asleep, Hero tries desperately to intercept the Rhyhorn as they double-team Connie, but with surprising teamwork they both manage to land their Scary Faces…neither of which does anything because the last traces of Mist protect Connie anyway. The Grunt that called them out starts swearing very loudly, or maybe it’s his compatriots with the Electric types: there is enough noise and confusion it’s hard to tell.

Leo uses Revenge!
It’s super effective!
Magnemite B is hit for 62 damage!
Magnemite B faints!

Graveler D takes 8 damage from Poison!

(Lucky Chant: 3 rounds remaining)

Buck: 103/103 (Intimidated, Encore’d 1 round)
Connie: 105/129 (Intimidated)
Princess: 42/70 (Intimidated, Defense up 1 level)
Dancer: 22/60 (Intimidated)
Hero: 55/67 (Intimidated)
Leo: 69/69 (Intimidated)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 39/134 (Intimidated)
Tattersail: 16/98 (Intimidated, Confused 1 round)
Sengar: 28/109 (Intimidated)
Marick: 64/100 (Intimidated, Asleep 1 round)
 Jessia: 99/99  - (unavailable)

 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
Wispaferyn B: 11/83 (Intimidated, Special Attack down 1 level)
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn G: 0/83 
Graveler A: 70/70 (Intimidated)
Graveler B: 17/70 (Intimidated, Defense up 1 level)
Graveler C: 35/70 (Intimidated)
Graveler D: 44/70 (Intimidated, Poisoned)
Graveler E: 70/70 (Intimidated, Defense up 1 level)
Graveler F: 35/70 (Intimidated, Defense up 1 level)
Machoke A: 45/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke B: 46/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke C: 45/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke D: 91/91 (Intimidated)
Sandslash A: 80/80 (Intimidated)
Sandslash B: 80/80 (Intimidated)
Magnemite A: 55/55 (Intimidated)
 Magnemite B: 0/55 
Magneton: 79/79 (Intimidated)
Twiggin A: 85/85 (Intimidated)
Twiggin B: 42/85 (Intimidated)
 Twiggin C: 0/119 
Primeape A: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Primeape B: 117/117 (Intimidated)
Rhyhorn A: 79/79 (Intimidated)
Rhyhorn B: 59/79 (Intimidated)
Wingull: 58/58 (Intimidated)
Pineco: 84/113 (Intimidated)
Flaaffy: 109/109 (Intimidated)
Gloom: 96/96 (Intimidated)
Butterfree: 75/75 (Intimidated)
Raticate: 97/97 (Intimidated)
Vigoroth: 85/85 (Intimidated)
Breloom: 50/67 (Intimidated)
Arbok: 65/65 (Intimidated)


Just as the Mist fades, Mark can see Jessia returning – more specifically what looks like a small  army  of Jessia ((Evasion up 2 levels)) - along with a few less distinct figures.

((Reinforcements have arrived!))

----------------

Pinklady:

You can hear a couple Tauros outside, and what sound like wheels, but no engine to go with them. You’re pretty sure you can hear Murkrow squabbling too, but they’re farther away and fainter. There isn't much else in the way of Pokémon sounds.

Inside, apart from the low chatter and the quiet  clink  and  slurp  noises of people eating, you can hear some slow breathing, the occasional snore, and fast footsteps approaching from deeper in the Shrine.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Akio, Mina (and Jessia)):

“ All right, then let’s go! ”

Figuring they were already discovered, Mina recalled Oodramer to his ball for the run back and then bolted. Seeing Jessia split into duplicates, she called for Pidgey to use Agility ((Speed up 4 levels))  as she ran.

The smoke and mist had dissipated enough that Mina could make out some of the battlefield by the time they arrived: most of the Pokémon were still standing – on both sides – but Less and Mark were very outnumbered.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

You can hear a couple Tauros outside, and what sound like wheels, but no engine to go with them. You’re pretty sure you can hear Murkrow squabbling too, but they’re farther away and fainter. There isn't much else in the way of Pokémon sounds.

Inside, apart from the low chatter and the quiet  clink  and  slurp  noises of people eating, you can hear some slow breathing, the occasional snore, and fast footsteps approaching from deeper in the Shrine. 
 

Pinklady leans back, enjoying the sound of the Pokémon outside and thinking back to when she had last heard Tauros - it had been a travelling show of some sort from Orre, touring through Unova, even passing through Nacrene City. It had taken a bit of clarifying that it wasn't just what Bouffalant looked like in other regions...

 What could that running be... everyone here is so muted, that's unusual... 
 "I'm going to check out some more of the Shrine. Anything I should watch out for or is it all okay?"  She asks Stef as she gets back on her feet, ready to check out whatever's going on. It hadn't occurred to Pinklady yet, but even with the effort involved in digging, today has still been less active than she is used to, and she still feels pretty lively and looking for something to do.
Gnomes2169
Okay, okay good, reinforcements had arrived. But  ow  that round of attacks had hurt. He recalled Tattersail, who was confused currently anyway, and called out commands for his other pokemon.  "Alright, Jessia welcome back, use Icy Wind on the Breloom, Butterfree, Gloom, the Pineco, that Machoke (A), the healthy Twiggin and both Sandslash."  Okay, multi-target move out of the way...  "Sengar, use Helping Hand on Jessia."  Connie might be able to hit more pokemon, but the bird wasn't going to be as reliable with the commands given and Mark wanted to make sure the attack didn't go to waste. He also pulled out a super potion and used it on his dark type, forgoing giving Marick any commands this round.  "And Fisher, use Ice Shard on the last Twiggin standing (B)."  And that was his team.
Feathersnow
"Daisho! Air Cutter on the Butterfree!

"Eto! Metal Claw on the First Graveller!"

'Endo! Vice Grip on the Vigoroth!"

Akio enters the melee, targeting what he assumes are high priorities!
Lord Ruby34
 "Connie!"  Less yelled. He hadn't expected Connie to have such a violent reaction to the Bandra goons. It made sense, but it was certainly not a helpful development, locked as they were in pitched combat.  "You can't reach the trainers, focus on their Pokemon!"  Buck was also probably going to be locked into using protect, which wasn't ideal under the circumstances, but his intimidating presence was one of the few things that was keeping the opposing forces at bay. Without him there half of their Pokemon would have probably gone down, which precluded withdrawing him. Even if that was Akio and Mina coming out of the smoke, which Less fervently hoped was the case, Buck needed to stay out for at least one more round. Dancer had managed to stay up too, which was more than Less had hoped for. The little Dodou was very fragile.

Less was sweating as he gave his next round of orders. They needed this round to go better then the last had.  "Connie, hit them with your snarl! Target all the Gravelers, both Sandslashes, the Wingull, and that Arbok!"  Less ordered, trying to keep any frustration from his voice. He'd have to talk with Connie later, but now was not the time to have an in-depth conversation.  "Buck, if you can break through hit that Magneton with Fire Fang! Dancer, Quick Attack the last Wispaferyn! Princess, Bubblebeam that Rhyhorn ((B))! Leo, Revenge the other Magnimite! Hero, keep intercepting for Connie!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

A volunteer runs in and approaches someone sitting off in the shadows: you recognize the sentry who first stopped you when you arrived. The former whispers something, and the latter looks concerned.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I'm going to check out some more of the Shrine. Anything I should watch out for or is it all okay?"  
 

And that is all the prompting Stef needs to burst into tears. “It’s not okay, it’s not okay at all, they’re all dead!” He starts sobbing incoherently.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (all together now):

Mina calls out most of her Pokémon, instructing Houndoom to Ember the Magneton, Natu to U-Turn whichever Grass type had the most health, having Pidgey use Twister ((Graveler A, Graveler E, Sandslash A, Sandslash B, Flaaffy)), Oodramer Bubblebeam whichever Graveler or Sandslash had the most health, and Pikachu to Rock Smash Magnemite A.

Mark recalls Tattersail!

Mark uses Super Potion! ((-1 Super Potion, 4 remaining.))
Sengar regains 50 HP! ((78 HP total))

Endo takes an intimidating stance, causing a number of the weaker Bandra Pokémon to shrink back further. ((Also since the Mist is gone now, Arbok’s Intimidate is in effect on the party’s Pokémon too.))

Sengar uses Helping Hand!
Sengar is ready to help out Jessia!

Buck received an encore!
Buck uses Protect!
Buck is protecting himself!

Raticate uses Quick Attack!
Houndoom is hit for 4 damage!

Dancer uses Quick Attack!
Wispaferyn B is hit for 16 damage!
Wispaferyn B faints!

Fisher uses Ice Shard!
It’s super effective!
Twiggin B is hit for 45 damage!
Twiggin B faints!

Breloom uses Mach Punch!
It’s super effective!
Endo is hit for 22 damage!

Pidgey uses Twister!
Graveler A is hit for 17 damage!
Graveler E is hit for 18 damage!
Critical hit!
Sandslash A is hit for 32 damage!
Sandslash A flinched!
Sandslash B is hit for 14 damage!
Flaaffy is hit for 12 damage!

Daisho uses Air Cutter! ((For future reference this is a multi-target move. It runs off the Special Attack stat, so 5 targets for Daisho right now.))
Critical hit!
It’s super effective!
Butterfree is hit for 96 damage!
Butterfree faints!

Jessia uses Icy Wind!
It’s super effective!
Breloom is hit for 125 damage!
Breloom faints!
Attack missed Butterfree due to target KO!
It’s super effective!
Gloom is hit for 89 damage!
Gloom’s Speed falls!
Pineco is hit for 71 damage!
Pineco’s Speed falls!
Machoke A is hit for 56 damage!
Machoke A faints!
It’s super effective!
Twiggin A is hit for 111 damage!
Twiggin A faints!
It’s super effective!
Sandslash A is hit for 129 damage! ((Sorry Gnomes, but Jessia only has enough Special Attack for 7 targets, so you only get to hit one of the Sandslash!))
Sandslash A faints!

Houndoom uses Ember!
It’s super effective!
Magneton is hit for 54 damage!

It’s impossible to read Connie’s expression and whatever she says is lost in the chaos of the battle, but she circles around for a pass at the Pokémon Less indicated.

Connie uses Snarl!
Critical hit!
Graveler A is hit for 144 damage!
Graveler A faints!
Graveler B is hit for 83 damage!
Graveler B faints!
Graveler C is hit for 78 damage!
Graveler C faints!
Graveler D is hit for 84 damage!
Graveler D faints!
Graveler E is hit for 74 damage!
Graveler E faints!
Graveler F is hit for 82 damage!
Graveler F faints!
Attack missed Sandslash A due to target KO!
Sandslash B is hit for 65 damage! ((One HP left!))
Wingull is hit for 112 damage!
Wingull faints!
Arbok is hit for 58 damage!

The faster of the two Primeape jumps on top of the jeep’s hood in an attempt to go after Tattersail…which is foiled as she is recalled to her ball.

Primeape B uses Assurance!
Attack missed due to target recall!

Natu uses U-Turn!
It’s super effective!
Gloom is hit for 18 damage!
Gloom faints!
Natu went back to Mina!
Cosmas was called out!

Primeape A uses Karate Chop!
It’s super effective!
Sengar is hit for 23 damage!

Vigoroth uses Encore!
Princess receives an encore!

Princess jerks awkwardly, like a clockwork device that got jammed on something, and switches mid-manuver from one attack to another.

Princess uses Protect!
Princess is protecting herself!

Pikachu uses Rock Smash!
Critical hit!
Magnemite A is hit for 32 damage!

Magneton uses Magnet Bomb!

The Electric type’s attack flies unerringly past Jessia’s duplicates into the real thing.

It’s super effective!
Jessia is hit for 25 damage!

Eto uses Metal Claw!
Attack missed Graveler A due to target KO!

Arbok uses Acid!
Pidgey is hit for 10 damage!
Pikachu is hit for 14 damage!
It’s not very effective…
Cosmas is hit for 4 damage!
Buck is protecting himself!

Cosmas is just getting his bearings when the Acid attack smacks him in the face. He looks annoyed, but it doesn’t seem to have done much damage.

Sandslash B uses Rollout!
Buck is protecting himself!

Oodramer uses Bubblebeam!

The remaining Sandslash, already quite battered, is sent sprawling by the stream of bubbles.

Sandslash B faints!

Machoke B uses Seismic Toss!
Hero is hit for 28 damage!

Endo uses Vice Grip!
Vigoroth is hit for 12 damage!

Magnemite A uses Metal Sound!
Princess is protecting herself!

Flaaffy uses Cotton Spore!

Hero leaps between the enemy Electric type and Connie…and finds herself engulfed in cottony fluff.

Hero’s Speed falls sharply!

Meanwhile right behind her the Bandra Pineco panics and, ignoring its trainer’s instructions, begins to glow with energy.

Pineco uses Selfdestruct!
It’s not very effective…
Marick is hit for 3 damage!
Hero is hit for 30 damage!
Hero faints!
It’s not very effective…
Endo is hit for 14 damage!
Endo uses held Sitrus Berry to restore 30 HP!
Dancer is hit for 38 damage!
Dancer faints!
Raticate is hit for 40 damage!
Pineco faints!

Rhyhorn A uses Tail Whip!
Buck is protecting himself!
Princess is protecting herself!
Defense of all other allied Pokémon falls!

Rhyhorn B uses Tail Whip!
Buck is protecting himself!
Princess is protecting herself!
Defense of all other allied Pokémon falls!

Leo uses Revenge!
It’s super effective!
Magnemite A is hit for 39 damage!
Magnemite A faints!

Machoke C uses Vital Throw!
It’s super effective!
Oodramer is hit for 34 damage!
Slime Body halved the damage!
Oodramer uses held Sitrus Berry to restore 30 HP!

Machoke D uses Vital Throw!
It’s super effective!
Endo is hit for 73 damage!
Endo faints!

(Lucky Chant: 2 rounds remaining)

Buck: 103/103 (Intimidated, Encore’d 2 rounds)
Connie: 105/129 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (Intimidated, Defense up 1 level, Encore’d 1 round)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 39/134 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)
Tattersail: 16/98 (recalled)
Sengar: 55/109 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)
Marick: 61/100 (Intimidated, Asleep 2 rounds, Defense down 2 levels)
Jessia: 74/99 (Intimidated, Evasion up 2 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Intimidated, Speed up 4 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)
Pikachu: 45/59 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Intimidated, Defense down 2 levels)

 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn B: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn G: 0/83 
 Graveler A: 0/70 
 Graveler B: 0/70 
 Graveler C: 0/70 
 Graveler D: 0/70 
 Graveler E: 0/70 
 Graveler F: 0/70 
 Machoke A: 0/91 
Machoke B: 46/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke C: 45/91 (Intimidated)
Machoke D: 91/91 (Intimidated)
 Sandslash A: 0/80 
 Sandslash B: 0/80 
 Magnemite A: 0/55 
 Magnemite B: 0/55 
Magneton: 25/79 (Intimidated)
 Twiggin A: 0/85 
 Twiggin B: 0/85 
 Twiggin C: 0/119 
Primeape A: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Primeape B: 117/117 (Intimidated)
Rhyhorn A: 79/79 (Intimidated)
Rhyhorn B: 59/79 (Intimidated)
 Wingull: 0/58 
 Pineco: 0/113 
Flaaffy: 97/109 (Intimidated)
 Gloom: 0/96 
 Butterfree: 0/75 
Raticate: 57/97 (Intimidated)
Vigoroth: 73/85 (Intimidated)
 Breloom: 0/67 
Arbok: 7/65 (Intimidated, Special Attack down 1 level)

The Grunts are starting to rally, and anyone looking in the direction of the building can see why: reinforcements are coming, the majority headed right for the group, with a much smaller number headed for the flaring spot where the radar says a Shadow Pokémon is.

((3 rounds until the Bandra reinforcements arrive.))
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

A volunteer runs in and approaches someone sitting off in the shadows: you recognize the sentry who first stopped you when you arrived. The former whispers something, and the latter looks concerned.



And that is all the prompting Stef needs to burst into tears. “It’s not okay, it’s not okay at all, they’re all dead!” He starts sobbing incoherently. 
 

 "Wait - what?" 

Pinklady looks at the commotion of someone's arrival and whispering only a moment longer, and then she sits back down next to Stef again and, without hesitation, pulls him into a sideways hug, stroking his shoulder.  Something's definitely off. Maybe his outburst is directly connected, maybe not... but what's important now is him.  She stays silent as Stef goes through his sobbing - a practice she mostly had developed from comforting unfamiliar Pokémon she wouldn't necessarily understand anyways if she did try to communicate during a moment of distress. She feels a little worried, unsure if she should be saying something, but elects to maintain her silence, at least for the moment.
Lord Ruby34
Less recalled Hero and Dancer back to their Pokeballs with twin flashes of red light. That his two most fragile teammates had lasted this long had been a miracle, but it hurt to see them both go down to what was clearly a panicked Pokemon that didn't seem to have even intentionally chosen it's targets. But with Mina and Akio present, it looked like they would have a clean victory against the rest of the Bandra patrol. Still, the event absorbing most of his attention was the Primeape only a few feet from him. Less nearly tried to whack the creature with his cane before remembering exactly how bad of an idea that would be.

Hastily, he backed up while calling out commands to his team, and that was when he saw the flurry of activity in the distance that heralded more Bandra. that was very, very bad. Almost all the team Pokemon were looking a little battered. Another fight could be disastrous. That meant they had to finish this quickly.  "Princess, come back! Buck, Fire Fang this Primeape! Leo, Revenge that Vigoroth!"  The light from recalling Princess briefly illuminate the field, allowing Less to catch the barest glimpse of Connie. It had been impossible to hear her in the battle. Frankly, between the black night sky, the smoke, and Connie's own dark coloring it was difficult to even see her . . . Less suddenly had an idea, but they needed to wrap up the fight and take out the grunts this round to make it work.  "Connie, delay until you can hit any remaining enemy Pokemon and all of the grunts with Swift, and then let them have it!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

No idea if the order to Connie works. But then again, Less doesn't either.

Also, I think that the Bandra Pokemon are only intimidated 1x after the last move of the previous round.
 
Feathersnow
"Ronin, you know what to do!" Ronin quietly replaces Endo, taking  the form of Vigoroth!

"Daisho, Air Cutter on all the fighting types!" Daisho targets the Machokes and Primeapes!

"Eto, metal Claw on the second Rynhorn!"
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Woops, I thought I  did  only select 7 targets last time! Guess I counted those up wrong.
 


Mark nodded as reinforcements arrived, telling Mina and Akio,  "Glad to have you two back."  With the whole gang together, they  should  be able to wipe out this group of grunts... Wait, did he just hear Less right, and did the older man tell his dark type to wait on using a non-dark attack? What the heck? Well... maybe that would actually work well, come to think of it. Prevent a few of the grunts from running back to their compound for potential healing if it had a pokemon center device, at least.

Out loud he called to his team,  "Alright, rinse and repeat guys. Sengar, helping hand Jessia again. Jessia, icy wind the primeapes, the rhyhorns, the flaffy the raticate and the vigoroth."  Taking out another super potion and applying it to his lapras this time, again forgoing giving a command to his sleeping Lairon, Mark finished by ordering,  "Fisher, ice shard their arbok."  That should knock their intimidate stick out of the  equation before the rest of his side's physical attacks were really impacted.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Wait - what?"  
 

“The P-pokémon! Simon said B-bandra was taking them to hurt them b-but they weren’t they were  k-killing  them and they’re all  d-dead! ”

The sentry who first stopped you gets up but motions for his dinner companions to stay put. He then follows the newcomer out. His dinner companions hesitate, then seem to reach an internal compromise by attempting to inhale the remainder of their food as quickly as possible, shooting worried looks at the door.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina called out Natu once again, figuring time was of the essence, and ordered him to Nightshade the Magneton. She told Pidgey to wait for Jessia’s attack and then hit whatever was most battered after that with Twister, then called for Pikachu and Houndoom to wait for Natu’s attack and then Rock Smash whatever the  least  battered remaining Pokémon was, and had Oodramer do the same but with Bubblebeam. Cosmas she instructed to finish off whatever was the most battered with Faint Attack.

Mark uses Super Potion! ((-1 Super Potion, 3 remaining.))
Fisher regains 50 HP! ((89 HP total))

Less recalls Princess!

Mina sends out Natu!

Sengar uses Helping Hand!
Sengar is ready to help out Jessia!

Buck received an encore!
Buck uses Protect! ((Yes he’s still stuck with it.))
But it fails!

Raticate uses Sucker Punch!

The enemy Raticate slams through a number of duplicates before finally impacting the real Jessia.

It’s super effective!
Jessia is hit for 12 damage!

Fisher uses Ice Shard!
Arbok is hit for 17 damage!
Arbok faints!

All the allied Pokémon relax slightly. ((Intimidate gone on the friendly side!))

Daisho uses Air Cutter!
It’s super effective!
Machoke B is hit for 59 damage!
Machoke B faints!
It’s super effective!
Machoke C is hit for 59 damage!
Machoke C faints!
Critical hit!
It’s super effective!
Machoke D is hit for 118 damage! ((Oh nice! 🙂))
Machoke D faints!
It’s super effective!
Primeape A is hit for 55 damage!
It’s super effective!
Primeape B is hit for 48 damage!

Jessia uses Icy Wind!
Primeape A is hit for 35 damage!
Primeape A faints!
Primeape B is hit for 30 damage!
Primeape B’s Speed falls!
It’s super effective!
Rhyhorn A is hit for 121 damage!
Rhyhorn A faints!
It’s super effective!
Rhyhorn B is hit for 129 damage!
Rhyhorn B faints!
Flaaffy is hit for 30 damage!
Raticate is hit for 43 damage!
Vigoroth is hit for 42 damage!

Connie hovers in place, surveying the battlefield. Pidgey makes his move before she can make up her mind, though.

Pidgey uses Twister!
It’s not very effective…
Magneton is hit for 6 damage!
Primeape B is hit for 12 damage!
Flaaffy is hit for 12 damage!
Raticate is hit for 14 damage!
Raticate faints!
Vigoroth is hit for 16 damage!

Connie seems to have assured herself that yes, now  is  a good time, and unleashes her Swift.

Connie uses Swift!
It’s not very effective…
Magneton is hit for 19 damage!
Magneton faints!
Primeape B is hit for 41 damage!
Primeape B faints!
Flaaffy is hit for 32 damage!
Attack missed Raticate due to target KO!
Vigoroth is hit for 45 damage!
Vigoroth faints!

The remaining Grunts take the attack full blast, causing them to collapse screaming or clutching the body parts that were struck. One unfortunate individual takes the attack right in the face.

Less is able to see, however, that a few flashlights had already left the battlefield and are out of range. These are headed in the direction of the incoming forces.

Natu uses Nightshade!
Attack missed due to target KO!

Natu trills irritably before fluttering up to Mina’s shoulder to sulk and preen as Houndoom finishes off the Flaaffy. ((30 damage.))

 
 Spoiler: Pokéspeak 

“Kill stealer!”
 

The battlefield is suddenly much quieter, except for the screaming Grunts, of which a quick count turns up five. ((Not counting the ones who left before this.)) Ronin shape-shifts into the Vigoroth and wanders over to Akio.

Mina, meanwhile, is looking tense and peering in the direction of the building, then at both sets of the Bandra reinforcements, and at the flaring spot in the distance.

“ Is the jeep still working? If we leave right now, we  might  make it to the Shadow Pokémon in time to stop Bandra from getting them. One way or another I think we need to move, that big group of reinforcements is headed right for us. ”


(Lucky Chant: 1 rounds remaining
2 rounds until the Bandra reinforcements arrive.)

Buck: 103/103 (Encore’d 3 rounds)
Connie: 105/129 (Defense down 2 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (recalled)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (Defense down 2 levels)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 89/134 (Defense down 2 levels)
Tattersail: 16/98 (recalled)
Sengar: 55/109 (Defense down 2 levels)
Marick: 61/100 (Asleep 3 rounds, Defense down 2 levels)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 2 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (Defense down 2 levels)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Vigoroth)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 4 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (Defense down 2 levels)
Pikachu: 45/59 (Defense down 2 levels)
Natu: 73/73
Houndoom: 96/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense down 2 levels)

 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn B: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn G: 0/83 
 Graveler A: 0/70 
 Graveler B: 0/70 
 Graveler C: 0/70 
 Graveler D: 0/70 
 Graveler E: 0/70 
 Graveler F: 0/70 
 Machoke A: 0/91 
 Machoke B: 0/91 
 Machoke C: 0/91 
 Machoke D: 0/91 
 Sandslash A: 0/80 
 Sandslash B: 0/80 
 Magnemite A: 0/55 
 Magnemite B: 0/55 
 Magneton: 0/79 
 Twiggin A: 0/85 
 Twiggin B: 0/85 
 Twiggin C: 0/119 
 Primeape A: 0/83 
 Primeape B: 0/117 
 Rhyhorn A: 0/79 
 Rhyhorn B: 0/79 
 Wingull: 0/58 
 Pineco: 0/113 
 Flaaffy: 0/109 
 Gloom: 0/96 
 Butterfree: 0/75 
 Raticate: 0/97 
 Vigoroth: 0/85 
 Breloom: 0/67 
 Arbok: 0/65 
Lord Ruby34
Less winced at the screaming grunts. He had known that Swift would be more likely to cause injury than Snarl, but he hadn't been willing to risk missing. Still, some had gotten away. He had hoped to stop the two groups from meeting. That might have let them set up an ambush, but the ability of any of the grunts to talk about what just happened made it less likely he could have Connie sneak around behind them and blast them. Less shook his head. That was too risky now.

 "Good work everyone, those grunts won't be back in action anytime soon. Now, let's get a quick bit of rest in. There might be more fighting soon."  Less said to his team. Less recalled all of his Pokemon, handling Buck's battered old Pokeball for this first time since he had put it on his belt this morning.

 "The jeep is in working order, but the back tire is compromised. I'd like to try and save those Pokemon, but bringing these fools to justice might be a higher priority."  Less started talking low and fast as he got the jeep started and ready to go.  "Either way we could use some cover, anything to hide what we're doing from the incoming grunts." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

One vote for pressing on!
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



“The P-pokémon! Simon said B-bandra was taking them to hurt them b-but they weren’t they were  k-killing  them and they’re all  d-dead! ”

The sentry who first stopped you gets up but motions for his dinner companions to stay put. He then follows the newcomer out. His dinner companions hesitate, then seem to reach an internal compromise by attempting to inhale the remainder of their food as quickly as possible, shooting worried looks at the door. 
 

Pinklady lingers on silent reassurance a bit longer - in part to avoid vocally expressing her own dread at his report. She eventually breaks her silence with a quiet,  "I'm sorry."  She takes a deep breath, both to steady herself and because she realised she had stopped breathing regularly. Her hug and shoulder-stroking continues, having not abated.  "What Bandra's done, it's... brutal and nonsensical."   That's obvious, but it helps... hopefully... even to hear what you already know. 

Pinklady lets herself mentally draw back from total focus on Stef. He at least had passed, for the moment, the period of incoherence; and she was aware the commotion with the sentries continued.  Possible danger. Never let yourself become completely unaware.  She pays some attention to the door, alert for any sort of surprise.
Gnomes2169
He considered their options and made his way to the jeep.  "Let's go after the shadowed pokemon. We can use the corridor that Bandra opened up to escape once we're done." Mark called out to his pokemon,  "Sengar use Moonlight, Jessia use Double Team, Marick try to wake up bud, Fisher once everyone's pokemon are done with whatever orders they are given use Mist."  That should be enough to mask their escape route. As he got in the back seat again he would request,  "If anyone can spare a water move or two, target Fisher with them. He has water absorb, it'll heal him up for the tango with whatever nasties we run into." 

Once his allies had their chance to act, Mark recalled Sengar, Fisher and Marick, but he left Jessia out. The frosslass was faster than Connie, she should be able to keep up with the jeep and, once they left the mist radius, should be able to make up for her reduced defense by pumping her evasion up even farther before the team hit their next pocket of Bandra.
Feathersnow
Akio nods, "Understood." He returns Eto and Ronin to their Pokéballs, letting Daisho fly alongside them as they go further...
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded and sent Buck, Connie, and Princess back out. He felt an immediate wave of comfort wash over him. It had felt wrong having Buck inside his Pokeball, even for a moment. Evidently, Buck agreed, because he immediately gave Less a look of disapproval, and made a low grumbling noise that seemed to resonant from his chest.  "I know, my friend,"  Less said,  "But you were stuck in some kind of mental loop. It should be better now. But we have to move. Keep pace with the jeep. If Bandra tries to stop it, intercept the attack and let us know."  Less turned to address his other two Pokemon.  "Connie, follow at an altitude. Try to use three Nasty Plots while we fly. Princess, you're light enough to ride in the jeep. Bubblebeam that Lapras, then use harden as many times as you can while we drive." 

After everyone was safely in the jeep and had given their Pokemon their orders Less took off at speed towards the shadow Pokemon, keeping any cover that existed between the jeep and the Bandra patrol. They probably weren't going to be able to truly sneak past, but hopefully the efforts of the Pokemon could buy them a little time, and speed could buy them the rest. Hopefully, the wheel would hold.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

The plan is to go  around  any fire this time.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef manages a “Y-yes” of agreement but otherwise just continues crying wordlessly. Eventually the sobs peter off to regular breathing and you realize he’s cried himself to sleep.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Less and Mark’s Pokémon buff themselves and Marick manages to wake up. Mina just recalls all her Pokémon but Pidgey, looking twitchy and impatient.

The group only narrowly avoids the larger group of Bandra reinforcements, and then only because the latter are on foot. As Less drives the jeep away, the group can see the Bandra forces pick up the pace as the line of flashlights turns to pursue. The smaller group of Bandra are equally visible headed towards the flaring spot – they aren’t going as fast as the jeep, but then they also have less distance to travel.

Fortunately now that the group is inside the ring, there isn’t much fire to avoid, barring the odd patch of brush. But by the same token, there isn’t much cover, either, as most of it has burned to ash or is still on fire. Less manages to dodge the remaining flames and the wheels all hold for the time being.

As the group approaches the spot resolves itself into two smallish Fire Pokémon battling it out: a Vulpix and a Litwick, the former having no visible tracker and the latter wearing one like a headband. Both are Shadowed, and seem worn down by the extended conflict. The area is hot, the very air as warm a scorching summer day. A closer look also reveals a single Grunt perched on a large boulder nearby, surrounded by four Wispaferyn and a big cloud of smoke – all of them also look somewhat battered and you can hear the Grunt calling for help. An even closer look reveals the fallen bodies of Grunts and Pokémon scattered around nearby. The approaching Grunts aren’t paying any of their previous comrades much attention however, instead having their Pokémon – six fresh Wispaferyn and a pair of Graveler - encircle the battling Shadow Pokémon.

And it turns out the time spent buffing was the last bit of delay Bandra needed, because the group isn’t  quite  close enough to do anything when a Spectral Ball soars out of the smaller group of Grunts and engulfs the Vulpix.


Mist in effect – 2 rounds remaining.
Sunny Day in effect – 4 rounds remaining.
Bandra reinforcements arrive – 6 rounds.

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (Defense up 2 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 122/134 (recalled)
Tattersail: 16/98 (recalled)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 61/100 (recalled)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 3 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 4 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (recalled)

Litwick: 28/65 (  Shadowed: 27%  , Fire boost)

Wispaferyn A: 41/83 (Intimidated, Fire boost)
Wispaferyn B: 20/83 (Intimidated, Fire boost)
Wispaferyn C: 29/117 (Intimidated, Fire boost)
Wispaferyn D: 62/83 (Intimidated, Fire boost)

Wispaferyn E: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn F: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn G: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn H: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn I: 83/83 (Intimidated)
Wispaferyn J: 117/117 (Intimidated)
Graveler A: 104/104 (Intimidated)
Graveler B: 70/70 (Intimidated)
Lord Ruby34
Less couldn't really blame Mina for feeling impatient. He was feeling the same way. But after the fiasco with the fire, he was going to take at least some of Mark's advice to heart, and move a little more slowly. Still, that did feel like it had taken too long. By the time they had arrived one of the grunts had already snagged the Vulpix, and Less made a mental note to find the man and take that Pokeball away from him. Or her.

Still, that the two shadowed fire types had managed to cause this much chaos was impressive, in it's own way. Fire always had the potential to be destructive, but the inferno these two little ones had started had been widespread. That said, Less still wasn't interested in catching the Litwick, though seeing a Pokemon from back in Unova was a pleasant surprise. If no one else was interested, he would follow through with what he said and catch the little one, but only to cure and release the poor thing.

 "My Pokemon and I will do our best to handle the grunt Pokemon!"  Less yelled as he rolled the jeep to a stop, but didn't exit the vehicle. Time might be of the essence.  "Connie, Swift all the Wispaferyn! Buck, Princess, team up on the stronger Graveler! Fire Fang and Bubble Beam!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Not 100% sure I can hit both groups of bugs. If it's  really obvious  I can't, then I'll have Connie Snarl the group of six and both Gravelers instead, and order Buck adn Princess to finish off anything in that group still standing with Bite and Bubble Beam. If it's not really obvious, then the orders in the actual text stand.
 
Feathersnow
"Akitsu!  I choose you!  Bite the Litwick!"

Akio sends out his Trapinch! It tries to bite the ghost!

"Daisho!  Air Cutter! The Wispaferyn that are boosted and the big one!" (A,B, C, D, and J.)

His starter attacks a mob of local Pokémon with blades of air!
Gnomes2169
When they drew close enough, Mark sent out all of his pokemon besides Tattersail and considered his options. While he didn't exactly  regret  delaying to ensure they actually had a prepared party for the fight, it also made it all the more important that they  ensure  that none of these grunts managed to get away. After all, while the Litwick and Vulpix were shadowed, there was no way that  just  those two pokemon had done this much damage. The grunts either on the ground or surrounded by the wispaferyn had to have the rest, so Mark and his friends would have to make sure they took all of  these  grunts' filled pokeballs if they planned to help the shadowed-

Wait, which pokemon did Akio just target with bite?

Train of thought derailed, Mark pulled out his spectral ball and immediately threw it to try and capture the Litwick before Akio could knock the ghost out with his attack and he called to the rest of his team,  Sengar, helping hand Jessia. Jessia, icy wind all the healthy wispaferyn and the weaker graveler. Fisher, use sing on the grunts!"  Poor Marick was, once more, stuck not given a command, though this time it was because Mark just didn't have time in the chaos after considering his moves for as long as he had.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Stef manages a “Y-yes” of agreement but otherwise just continues crying wordlessly. Eventually the sobs peter off to regular breathing and you realize he’s cried himself to sleep. 
 

Once Stef is well and deeply asleep, Pinklady carefully extricates herself, gently setting him on the floor as not to disturb his newfound sleep.  Poor guy... never easy to lose Pokémon, even if your own aren't included. I don't even know if he lost any of his own...  She steps a few paces away, then sends out Whirlywhirly.

Whirlywhirly immediately begins looking over the area with a critical glare, lingering on staring at any of the sentries still present and at sleeping Stef.

Pinklady speaks in a low voice.  "Whirlywhirly, I'm going to investigate something further down here. If anything threatening approaches while I'm gone, I need you to wake him up -"   she gestures towards Stef.  "- and make sure he gets moving out of here. Give a call, too, so I can come regroup with you if I can. Is that okay?" 

Whirlywhirly stares at Stef, not having let up his glare. He finally nods and then curls up to be more comfortable while keeping watch.

 "Thanks a ton, Whirlywhirly."  She gives him a few petting strokes along his side, and he rumbles.  "Make sure to stay safe, yourself, too! 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Two questions -
First, are the sentries still there? I'd like to add a bit more to my post, but her next action depends on whether they've finished their hastened eating and left yet (assuming they're following), or not. (Although, I may wait for a further post from you anyways, given that there's a slight time jump anyways with waiting for him to be deep asleep. I defer to your judgment on whether I should. ^^)
Second, is the Shrine underground or in the open air? I've been assuming the former because the adjoined caves were, naturally, underground - but just now realised I'm not certain. (Sorry if it was mentioned one way or the other in a prior post! One mentioned Tauros being "outside" but that could go either way, really.)
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina calls for Twister on both Graveler and three of the Wispaferyn ((J, E, F)).

The group can see one of the Grunts shine a flashlight at something in their hand and push a few buttons. Then, with a flash like the Box Storage warp, but with a glitchy stutter and a slight difference in color, the Spectral Ball with the Vulpix disappears.

Meanwhile, Mark’s Spectral Ball goes soaring at the Litwick. ((-1 Spectral Ball, 0 remaining.)) The little candle Pokémon is engulfed and the ball shakes once…twice…thrice…

 DING!  Litwick was caught!

 
 Spoiler: Litwick’s Stats 

Pokemon: Litwick
Type: Ghost/Fire
Ability: Flash Fire
Gender: Female
Level: 24
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 65
Attack: 26
Def: 38
Sp. Attack: 43+19
Sp. Def: 38
Speed: 22
Moves:
Ember
Minimize
Fire Spin
Confuse Ray
Will-O-Wisp
Imprison
 


Do you want to give a nickname to Litwick?

((Either way, she warps off to Box Storage.))

Sengar uses Helping Hand!
Sengar is ready to help out Jessia!

Pidgey uses Twister!
Graveler A is hit for 16 damage!
Graveler A flinches!
Graveler B is hit for 17 damage!
Wispaferyn J is hit for 10 damage!
Wispaferyn J flinches!
Wispaferyn E is hit for 11 damage!
Wispaferyn F is hit for 12 damage!

Daisho uses Air Cutter!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 44 damage!
Wispaferyn A faints!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn B is hit for 48 damage!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn B faints!
Wispaferyn C is hit for 49 damage!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn C faints!
Wispaferyn D is hit for 46 damage!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn J is hit for 43 damage!

Jessia uses Icy Wind!
It’s not very effective…
Wispaferyn E is hit for 21 damage!
Wispaferyn E’s Speed falls!
It’s not very effective…
Wispaferyn F is hit for 20 damage!
Wispaferyn F’s Speed falls!
It’s not very effective…
Wispaferyn G is hit for 20 damage!
Wispaferyn G’s Speed falls!
It’s not very effective…
Wispaferyn H is hit for 22 damage!
Wispaferyn H’s Speed falls!
It’s not very effective…
Wispaferyn I is hit for 21 damage!
Wispaferyn I’s Speed falls!
It’s not very effective…
Wispaferyn J is hit for 21 damage!
Wispaferyn J’s Speed falls!
It’s super effective!
Graveler B is hit for 152 damage!
Graveler B faints!

Connie uses Swift!
Attack missed Wispaferyn A due to target KO!
Attack missed Wispaferyn B due to target KO!
Attack missed Wispaferyn C due to target KO!
Wispaferyn D is hit for 128 damage!
Wispaferyn D faints!
Wispaferyn E is hit for 135 damage!
Wispaferyn E faints!
Wispaferyn F is hit for 123 damage!
Wispaferyn F faints!
Wispaferyn G is hit for 127 damage!
Wispaferyn G faints!
Wispaferyn H is hit for 132 damage!
Wispaferyn H faints!
Wispaferyn I is hit for 134 damage!
Wispaferyn I faints!
Wispaferyn J is hit for 143 damage!
Wispaferyn J faints!

Buck uses Fire Fang!
It’s not very effective…
Graveler A is hit for 20 damage!

Even with the boost from the heat, Buck’s attack doesn’t seem to do much.

Fisher uses Sing!

The Grunt on the boulder – who’d been trying to climb down – topples to the ground asleep, as does one of the new arrivals. The other two manage to cover their ears before the attack can knock them out, however.

Princess uses Bubblebeam!
It’s super effective!
Graveler A is hit for 59 damage!

Being stunned, it is at first not clear if the last Graveler is unconscious or not, but the Pokédexes say it is still up.

Graveler A flinches!

Akitsu uses Bite!
Attack missed Litwick due to target capture!

The two remaining conscious Grunts share a look before apparently deciding to cut their losses and bolting into the dark.


(Mist in effect – 1 round remaining.
Sunny Day in effect – 3 rounds remaining.
Bandra reinforcements arrive – 5 rounds.)

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (Defense up 2 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 122/134 (recalled)
Tattersail: 16/98 (recalled)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 61/100 (recalled)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 3 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (recalled)
Akitsu: 56/56

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 4 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (recalled)

 Litwick: 28/65 (  Shadowed: 27%  )  – captured!

 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn B: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn C: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn D: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn F: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn G: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn H: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn I: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn J: 0/117 
Graveler A: 9/104 (Intimidated)
 Graveler B: 0/70 

----------------

Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

They are just about done with their food, but yes they’re still present. It didn’t take Stef long to nod off, he’s been mining for ~7 hours too you know! 😉

The Shrine is a large stone building complex. The buildings themselves are open air.
 


Stef doesn’t even stir in his sleep as you get him situated.

The volunteers, meanwhile, are obviously scraping the bottom of their bowls.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

They are just about done with their food, but yes they’re still present. It didn’t take Stef long to nod off, he’s been mining for ~7 hours too you know! 😉

The Shrine is a large stone building complex. The buildings themselves are open air.
 


Stef doesn’t even stir in his sleep as you get him situated.

The volunteers, meanwhile, are obviously scraping the bottom of their bowls. 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Thank you!
 


Pinklady approaches the volunteers and kneels to be closer to on-level with them sitting down.  "Do you know what's going on? I mean to follow them -"  She nods towards the door.  "- if it's anything I can help with." 
Gnomes2169
Oh, no, none of these grunts were getting away.  "Sengar, take those grunts out with Pursuit, return when they're down."  That would keep the dark type busy for a round or two.  "Fisher, rain dance to clear the sunny day up."  It wouldn't help all of their pokemon, but would again put out more embers and keep Bandra's fire bugs from getting a buff.

Looking at the abandoned rock/ground type, Mark sent out Tattersail and called out,  "You there, graveler, your trainer either abandoned you or is down, now is your best chance to escape. If they put a tracker on you, come here and I'll remove it. Otherwise,  run.  Tattersail."  Having said his psychic type's name, Mark tapped at the side of his head and telepathically told her, &lt;  If the graveler seems to still want to fight, hit them with Confusion. Otherwise, drink this.  &gt; He fished out a fresh water to give his injured psychic type, then blinked and pulled out the small gem necklace of mystic water that he'd had in there for... probably a  while  now. Same with a razor claw.  "Jessia, hold this."  He said, handing her the razor claw. What  else  did he have in here...? Oh, right, the Eviolite!  "Marick, hold this and when the mist drops begin using Iron Defense."  That would make the steel type even more tanky.

Still holding the mystic water, Mark called to the other trainers,  "If anyone has a water type with a multi-target move, you should give this to them. Otherwise, let's see what we can grab from these grunts. Less... think Connie and Jessia should ambush those grunts before they reach us?" 
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
No nickname for the Litwick right now. Also, once the mist drops, Mark will wait until two turns before Bandra gets to the group and then have the water type use Mist, just in case they send their Wispaferyn first again.
 
Lord Ruby34
 What!?  Less thought as the spectral ball was whisked away. He knew that Pokeballs could teleport, of course, though he'd never seen it before. But even he knew that whatever warping the ball did wasn't how Pokeballs were supposed to warp. That Vulpix was probably back in a lab somewhere. Less swore. Loudly. Of course Bandra had come up with some contraption to make stealing Pokemon easier.

 "Buck,"  Less ordered,  "Bite that Graveler if it tries to fight. Princess, keep hardening."  If he ordered Connie after the grunts her attacks would probably kill them, boosted as they were. Besides, Mark seemed to have it covered.

Less jumped out of the jeep and left it idling. While he used his Pokedex to get a better view of the area, and any unconscious combatants. Perhaps there were some unconscious Pokemon they could still save.  "I thought about that earlier. Some of the grunts escaped before. They might warn their comrades about our specific Pokemon. I think sending them ahead would be a significant risk to their health and safety." 

Less was shaking his head as he scanned.  "I've never seen a device like the one that teleported the Vulpix away. The Rangers and the Police will want that if it's still here. We should get ready to move again. I don't want to fight another horde of Bandra if we can help it."  Less paused, briefly.  "Unless anyone has any immediate thoughts beyond grabbing who and what we can and moving out." 
Feathersnow
Akio nods. "Understood. Ready when you are.  Akitsu, return!"  The now-blooded cosplayer readies himself to depart, taking the slow, larval pokemon he just released back to the safety of its capsule.

He messed up, but no one on his side was hurt, so hopefully things wouldn't be too bad....
Gnomes2169
 "Sounds good to me, though they might fan out to try and box us in this time..."  Mark responded to Less, before something clicked in his brain and he said,  "Wait. Akio, have your ditto copy Connie and use nasty plot a few times."  That would give them a second Connie, and this one wouldn't have any obedience issues. If the ditto could emulate what the dark bird had just accomplished in this last confrontation, then there would be  zero  issues with any small Bandra forces that the party might run into.
Feathersnow
"Ronin!  You know what to do!"  Ooh, sneaky.
.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

“We were just about to check on him. Tomas thought it was just another Bandra patrol testing our defenses, but you never know.”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

I just want to double-check before moving on…the consensus is to leave for the next Pokémon?
 

The Graveler peers around uncertainly, then rolls off into the dark as fast as it can go – notably, in the  opposite  direction of the oncoming Bandra force. Sengar prowls off to take care of the fleeing Grunts, and Fisher calls up rain – the temperature in the immediate vicinity drops almost immediately. Tattersail takes the Fresh Water gratefully while Mark allocates the rest of his items. ((-1 Fresh Water, 1 remaining for Mark. +50 HP for Tattersail, 66 total. Razor Claw to Jessia, Eviolite to Marick. +2 levels of Defense for Marick.))

Less doesn’t find any Shadow Pokémon among the unconscious Bandra forces, but while looking he is able to confiscate the contents of the Grunts’ pockets and their Pokéballs and recall some of the unconscious Pokémon scattered around. He also finds one Grunt gripping what looks like a Pokédex that got sat on by something – very battered (which is unusual in and of itself, seeing as they were build to withstand all the rigors of a Pokémon journey), with extra wires sticking out of it and obvious Frankensteinen modifications made to it. A name written on the back in big, childlike letters reads ‘KATIE.’

 
 Spoiler: Loot 

+2200 PD
+5 Spectral Balls
Student ID for the University of Helnith
Pocket pack of tissues
Modified Pokédex
 

 
 Spoiler: Grunt Pokéballs 

(And note that this includes some Pokémon that were unconscious before you got here, and does  not  include the Pokémon of the Grunts who ran off.)

Wispaferyn A, B, C, D, F
Graveler B, +2 more Graveler
+1 Sandshrew
+2 Mankey
+1 Magneton
+1 Spearow
+1 Twiggin
 


A few of the Wispaferyn ((E, G, and I)) don’t seem to have Pokéballs that match up with them on the nearby KO’d Grunts. ((Also +2 levels of Defense for Princess.))

Mina declines the Mystic Water, as Oodramer’s only Water moves are single target at the moment. Instead she has Pidgey use Agility again while she hastily duct tapes up the unconscious Grunts.

She’s just about done as Sengar returns from his errand. The Bandra reinforcements are coming closer.

(Rain in effect – 3 rounds remaining.
Bandra reinforcements arrive – 3 rounds.)

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (Defense up 4 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 122/134
Tattersail: 66/98 (recalled)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 61/100 (Defense up 2 levels)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 3 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 2 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (recalled)
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

“We were just about to check on him. Tomas thought it was just another Bandra patrol testing our defenses, but you never know.” 
 

 "Alright. Do you mind if at least one of you stays here? I have Whirlywhirly keeping an eye on him -"  Another nod, this time towards sleeping Stef.  "- but if something does happen here, having at least one other person here would be a big help." 

It occurs to Pinklady that she  could  stay herself, but... she and her Pokemon  do  need some experience directly confronting Bandra, and following would have better chances of that.  Plus, one of them staying would be more helpful if things went really south since they were more familiar with the area... but am I just making up justifications after the choice? 
Lord Ruby34
Less threw the filled Pokeballs into his pack as he recalled the Pokemon.  In for a penny, in for a pound.  There was nothing he could do for the Wispaferyn still on the ground, but he felt there presence vindicated his decision, as did the Graveler's retreat. If Bandra's regulars were so callous as to flee without even recalling their unconscious Pokemon, they didn't deserve the companionship of them. The student ID in particular made him curl up his nose in disgust. A waste of an education. Still, this grunt had the modified Pokedex, then they might know something actually important.  "We should bring this one, if we can. They might know enough about the modifications to this,"  Less said while gesturing at the modified Pokedex,  "to help the war effort."   Less ripped off the grunt's mask to cushion the device and put it in his pack as well. It wasn't much of a safeguard against breaking it further, but it was something. Buck, who was trotting by Less's side, started dragging the grunt towards the jeep by a heap of cloth, keeping pace with his trainer. Princess was clacking her claws towards the approaching enemy forces, which made Less start moving in a hurry, ordering Princess to follow him into the jeep.

 "Connie, keep a lookout for anyone trying to surround us."  Less said, as he started jogging over to the jeep. The older man tossed a pair of spectral balls to Akio, one to Mark, and one to Mina on the way. Everything else he threw in the back of the jeep with the loot from before. There didn't seem to be much point in staying. If they stood their ground against this force and won, which was far from a guarantee, there was no promise of a benefit. Perhaps taking this grunt force out would be enough to seriously weaken the forces here at the Spring, but there was no good way to actually follow through. The starlight squad was out of commission for the moment, and there wasn't another force available that could actually occupy the Spring even if they drove Bandra out. And if they lost? Death. No matter how much he was yearning to fight Bandra, this fight wasn't worth the risk.  "I don't see a compelling reason to remain here. Perhaps we might still have a chance to rescue another?" 

Less hopped back in the drivers seat and looked at the GPS. Perhaps there was another Pokemon they might have a chance to save?

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

My vote is to go, and look for another Shadow Pokemon if there's one in range. I'm half expecting the radar to be blank by this point.
 
Gnomes2169
Mark honestly felt like there was a good chance they could take out this Bandra squad as well, and with that (hopefully) a good core of the Bandra forces in this area since it seemed like they'd already encountered nearly as many grunts here as they had at the Shrine of Light... but any shadow pokemon that hadn't been captured yet would certainly be gone by the time everything with these grunts was cleaned up, and a  lot  of teleportation would have to be done to ferry this many unconscious and captured idiots, and there wasn't a guarantee that there would be space to hold them until proper authorities could come escort them to their cells. Even without that, the main reason to take out all of the grunts was to then assault the facility and flush Bandra  completely  out of the area and taking out all of these grunts didn't  ensure  that the spring house would be defenseless...

Mark recalled Marick and Sengar, told Jessia,  "We're moving out, use double team again and be ready to act if we need to punch our way through Bandra this time."  With that he stepped back into the jeep and got out Fisher's pokeball.  "We should go. I'll have Fisher use Mist again to give us cover, and then we go for the closest dot that  isn't  in the fire."  After letting anyone who had a pokemon they wanted to keep out and buff get off last second.

Still, while they weren't taking able to take  all  of the grunts prisoner... Mark asked Tattersail,  "And do you think you can get back to a friendly pokemon center in one trip?"  At this point Bandra had almost certainly reported they were here anyway, so having a bit of teleportation detected wasn't exactly the end of the world. If she could reach town, he would shoot off a test to Wain explaining they had five captured grunts and write a note on his phone for Tattersail to show to the nurse explaining how these grunts had been captured, then send her with five of the grunts back to the pokemon center. If she was  not  able to get back in a single round of teleportation, then he would just recall her instead.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yeah, let's try moving onto another shadow pokemon to rescue them if we can. Though hey,  maybe  we can properly capture a few grunts.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Alright. Do you mind if at least one of you stays here? I have Whirlywhirly keeping an eye on him -"  Another nod, this time towards sleeping Stef.  "- but if something does happen here, having at least one other person here would be a big help."  
 

The two exchange a look, then the volunteer on your left shrugs and his female companion nods. “Sure, I’ll stay here and keep watch,” she says. “And if it’s worse than Tomas thought, one of you can come get me.”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: New Bandra Pokémon Totals 

(Just in case I need to clarify, this is including the Pokémon from the first patrol.)

9 Wispaferyn
5 Graveler
1 Sandslash
1 Sandshrew
2 Mankey
1 Magneton
1 Spearow
2 Twiggin
1 Primeape
2 Machoke
1 Magnemite
 

 
 Spoiler: Loot distribution 

+2 Spectral Balls Akio
+1 Spectral Ball Mark
+1 Spectral Ball Mina, 2 total
+ Modified Pokédex Less
+ Bandra Grunt Mask Less

Added to Jeep:
+2200 PD (3200 total)
+1 Spectral Ball
+1 Bandra Grunt
+ Student ID
+ Pocket pack of tissues
 


Mina tells Less “ Thank you ” and puts the ball in her pack.

A look at the radar shows that, for the moment anyway, all three remaining blips are still present, although they’ve moved from their initial locations. The one that had been northwest of Keida has gone farther north and is now almost to the coast, while the one northeast of Keida has come farther south. Both are (as best anyone can tell since the GPS on the jeep is disabled) roughly equidistant, and outside the ring of fire. The one by Ternai has come a little farther west, but is still farther away than either of the other two and is noticeably zigzagging around.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark asked Tattersail,  "And do you think you can get back to a friendly pokemon center in one trip?"  
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; From here? Yes. But not much farther. &gt; You get the feeling Rieva is currently just at the edge of her range.
 
 Spoiler: OoC 

With the boost from being level 30, she can reach about 15 miles.
 

 


“ Don’t forget we left that patrol by where we found the Stunky, ” Mina reminds. She calls out Cosmas and has the little Dark type use Cosmic Power, having him sit on her lap afterwards so she could keep a hold on him.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Everyone let me know which Pokémon you're leaving out for the drive!
 



(Mist in effect – 4 rounds remaining (Less and Akio can still get their round of buffing in before the Mist takes effect)
Rain in effect – 2 rounds remaining.
Bandra reinforcements arrive – 2 rounds.)

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (Defense up 4 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 122/134
Tattersail: 66/98 (recalled)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 61/100 (recalled)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 4 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 2 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 1 level, Special Defense up 1 level)
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Oops. meant to grab that last Spectral Ball. Can I put the directly in my inventory real quick?

EDIT: Keeping out my three. Princess can hand out in the jeep.
 


As soon as everyone had gotten in the jeep (whether that includes waiting for a teleport or not), and the goon was unconscious in the back, Less started driving away with a quick glace at the fuel gauge.  "I suggest the one that used to be Northeast. It's not quite as far into Bandra territory. We couldalsostop for those grunts. We might not be able to come back. "  Less suggested, as he made to move around the goons and find the break in the ring of fire. The tires couldn't take anything else at this point anyway. Frankly, they had been lucky so far that they hadn't been intercepted by any goons on vehicles. and Less didn't want to be almost to the northern coast when someone in Bandra finally had that idea.
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded to Mina and edited his messages so that  nine  grunts would be expected.  “Right. Teleport five of the ones here to the pokemon center,”  the two sleepers and three of the unconscious injured grunts, which she should easily be able to telepathically yank to herself,  “and then teleport back to where we left the other grunts… but make sure you're in cover. If another patrol has found them then just teleport back to the center, but if they’re still undiscovered,”  which Mark expected they would be, since they hadn’t seen any patrol lights moving in that direction,  “then take that group to the center too. After that, help nurse Joy keep a handle on any of them that wake up… and use double team whenever you get an opportunity. I’ll let you know if we need you to come back and help.”  At that last part he taps the side of his head, more for the benefit of his allies than the psychic type.

With that, he recalls Fisher and responds to Less,  “North is deeper in Bandra territory, and we’re near the edge of Tattersail’s teleportation range. It’ll be safer to go after the pokemon closer to Reiva… So we should probably go for the one more southward now. Yeah. Regardless, though, once we get past the fire, we need to make sure my skarmory rejoins us. If he doesn’t catch up right away, could you have Connie swing back to find him?”  
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I actually checked out the formulas and math’d that out before my last post, along with the number of targets she’s limited to, while coming up with the plan! I’m learning, Kareeah, I’m learrrrrning! 😛 Just wasn’t sure if Reiva was within 15 miles.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: Fuel Gauge 

55 miles remaining.

And yes, that’s fine. Spectral Ball has now been moved to Less’ inventory. (2 total)
 


“ I think that’s the one Less was talking about. And I’ll send Pidgey instead, he’s faster at the moment. ”

Tattersail vanishes and the group takes off, Mina sending her Pidgey to retrieve Tarr. With the unconscious Grunt and numerous Pokémon, the jeep is quite crowded. ((I am going to give Feathersnow a bit more time to post before we move on.))

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
A few minutes later Mark hears back from his Psychic type.

&lt; Mark, one of the Grunts appears to have woken up and run off. I am taking the rest to the Pokémon Center as you asked. &gt;

Other than that you don’t hear anything particularly concerning from her.
 



Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (Defense up 4 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

 Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)  - (unavailable)
Fisher: 122/134 (recalled)
Tattersail: 66/98 (Rieva)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 61/100 (recalled)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 4 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 2 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 1 level, Special Defense up 1 level)
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

The two exchange a look, then the volunteer on your left shrugs and his female companion nods. “Sure, I’ll stay here and keep watch,” she says. “And if it’s worse than Tomas thought, one of you can come get me.” 
 

 "Thank you, and good idea, we'll do that."  Pinklady nods, then turns to the volunteer on her left.  "Ready to go?" 
Feathersnow
Akio goes along with the plan as he understands it, being the newbie.  Coordinating with Psychic Types and using teleportation strategically is outside his practical experience..
Gnomes2169
Squished into the back seat, trying to keep the unconscious grunt from drooling on his shoulder, Mark kept a look-out for any grunts that might be getting in the way before tilting his head slightly.  "Looks like one of the grunts from the first group got away."  He'd tell the group, expression getting distant and his organic hand losing its caffeine tremble while he responded. When he came back, he pulled out his pokedex and began typing out a message.

 
 Spoiler: Telepathy and message 
&lt;  Thanks for letting me know, 'Sail. Tell me if any of them are giving you trouble at the center. Oh, and can you type out for the nurse... wait. Actually, I can just send a message to my own phone, can't I?  &gt; His pokedex would get it too, since they shared the same number and everything, but the fact that he had  two  communication devices made it a little more convenient to communicate with people that his psychic type was talking to  miles  away. &lt;  Let her hold on to my phone for a sec, I'll send her a message or two here quick...  &gt;

And with that, he typed out and sent, -  Hey Nurse Joy! Sorry to drop more grunts on you late at night again, we honestly aren't trying to run into them I swear. We're out hunting for shadowed pokemon that Bandra released into the hills, and it seems like Bandra is trying to grab them before we can. We're going after one more, should be back within the next hour or two. My gardevoir was told to help you keep a handle on the grunts if any of them wake up and cause problems in the meantime, though she might teleport away unexpectedly if we run into more trouble.  -
 
Lord Ruby34
Princess keeps hardening as Less drives the car out of the ring of flame, while Buck ran alongside the car. Frankly, it looked like the big dog Pokemon's earlier enthusiasm had started to subside. He still wasn't able to go quite at top speed, but he had been running on and off for a while now. It had stopped being quite so much fun, and started being a little more actual work. Still, the Arcanine wasn't complaining as he jogged alongside the jeep. Connie continued to fly above the vehicle, though Less wasn't yet familiar enough with her to tell exactly what she was thinking.

Unfortunately, one of the grunts from the first group had managed to escape. Another mark against them that the goon had simply left his companions. Still, the goon wouldn't be able to do much without their Pokemon. At least the fuel was going at the expected rate. With how poorly maintained the rest of the jeep was, Less had half been expecting the fuel to have taken an unexpected nosedive.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

The volunteer nods, and the two of you take off into the Shrine. He introduces himself as Troff and leads you down a hall and then through a few turns; as you travel the dried blood and roadkill smells get stronger.

Finally you come out on one end of a large, rectangular room. The doorway you entered is at the top of a dais, from which you can see (in the lights of an eclectic mix of lanterns, flashlights and a few carefully placed candles) several doors leading off of the chamber, and murals of Salerdia creating Helnith which cover the walls. These are overshadowed somewhat by old signs of battle, and moreso by the altar perched on top of the dais which is surrounded by ‘ CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS ’ tape in a wide enough radius that you have to hug the wall to get around it. You can see the altar is liberally splattered with old blood.

Troff doesn’t stop here, however, and when you listen for it you can hear the sounds of distant combat outside. The two of you travel through a few more doorways to see Tomas and a couple sentries fighting a Bandra patrol: the former’s Kingler washes away a pair of Graveler and the Grunts flee.

The carrion scent out here is overpowering. Looking around you can see, even in the spotty lighting of electric lamps, that there is an  enormous  pile of Pokémon corpses piled up against the complex walls: it easily comes up to your head, wraps around the building out of sight, and from the dried blood splatters on the walls it used to be at least twice the height it is now. Most of the bodies are of common Pokémon - Caterpie, Rattata, Wiliter and so on.

Tomas, meanwhile, waves the sentries back to their posts and strides over to you and Troff. “I told you two I’d take care of it!”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina likewise has her Cosmas continue to use Cosmic Power during the drive. Tarr and Pidgey return after a few minutes, but Tarr is obviously starting to strain with the extra forty-plus pounds of weight. The stench from the Shadowed Stunky is probably not helping.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: Telepathy and message 
&lt;  Thanks for letting me know, 'Sail. Tell me if any of them are giving you trouble at the center. Oh, and can you type out for the nurse...  &gt;
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; I will. And no, I  can’t  type out anything, writing and letters are a human thing. &gt;
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: Telepathy and message 
And with that, he typed out and sent, -  Hey Nurse Joy! Sorry to drop more grunts on you late at night again, we honestly aren't trying to run into them I swear. We're out hunting for shadowed pokemon that Bandra released into the hills, and it seems like Bandra is trying to grab them before we can. We're going after one more, should be back within the next hour or two. My gardevoir was told to help you keep a handle on the grunts if any of them wake up and cause problems in the meantime, though she might teleport away unexpectedly if we run into more trouble.  -
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
There is no immediate response, but Tattersail informs you the nurse is currently swamped by the sudden influx of Grunts and the need to contact the Ranger Union and/or the police to deal with them, and therefore is not checking the Center phone system.
 


The group drives on; to the north the lights of Bandra-occupied Keida become visible. The map says there’s a road going through this area, and the Pokémon you’re targeting is just off it on the north side. On the other hand, flashlights from two or three patrols are visible going in an unnaturally straight line east-to-west and back – presumably the road. A fourth patrol is visible a little farther off, on the other side of the road and not far from where the map says the Shadow Pokémon is, meandering vaguely southward.


 
 Spoiler: Pokémon 

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 42/70 (Defense up 6 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)(carrying Stunky)
Fisher: 122/134 (recalled)
Tattersail: 66/98 (Rieva)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 61/100 (recalled)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 4 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 6 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 6 levels, Special Defense up 6 levels)

 Stunky: 0/81 (  Shadowed: 38%  )  
 
essCee
On the way, Pinklady shares her name with Troff in return. She is also quite drawn in by the murals they pass by - though she doesn't slow down to appreciate them. That can come later.

When they arrive at their destination, she is momentarily stunned by the sheer scale of the corpses. She wasn't a complete stranger to seeing death, and she had been ready to possibly see some corpses after Stef's wailing, but this was far beyond what she had expected. Tomas's admonition nearly passes without her notice, and she only catches onto the latter half of it.

When she processes it, she momentarily flushes, both from an immediate spike of displeasure due to being admonished and from a bit of shame.  Shame? I wasn't told to stay behind. I needed personal experience.  Exactly that line of thought almost escapes her lips.  Personal experience...  Despite Tomas's immediate presence, her attention returns to the gut-wrenching corpse piles. Ultimately, she is wordless, partially due to being sure Troff was capable of explaining the situation to him while she processes the horrific scene she has been introduced to.
Lord Ruby34
Less slowed the jeep to a stop for a moment to watch the flashlights. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.  "There are four patrols. One is isolated, and may be near the shadow Pokemon. I say we drive over and attack them immediately, and then attempt to catch the shadow Pokemon and flee. With those machines they have, time is not our ally. A delay to sneak over has an unacceptably high chance to result in the capture of our our quarry by the enemy." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

“It’s fine! We left Crest and the kid from the Geology Club to stand guard,” Troff replies placatingly, blithely omitting the fact that Stef was asleep when you left.

Tomas does a double-take in your direction. “Oh, you’re the  other  kid from earlier.” He seems to notice the direction of your gaze, and his tone turns sympathetic. “Yeah those Bandra” he uses a word not fit for polite company “went on a real killing spree in the measly two weeks they had the Shrine.” He turns his gaze to Troff. “Which is why it’s important not to leave one of the main entrances completely unguarded! The next time those” and that word was  also  not fit for polite company “try to take over, it could be  your  Pokémon going on that pile!”

Troff ducks his head, but seems used to this attitude. “Which is why it’s not unguarded! Anyway, they’ve all been fought off so far. And you didn't even need extra help! What is that, three patrols today?”

“That we’ve seen,” Tomas agrees, kicking a pebble to vent obvious frustration. “Too many and too close together; they must have a camp somewhere nearby.”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "There are four patrols. One is isolated, and may be near the shadow Pokemon. I say we drive over and attack them immediately, and then attempt to catch the shadow Pokemon and flee. With those machines they have, time is not our ally. A delay to sneak over has an unacceptably high chance to result in the capture of our our quarry by the enemy."  
 

“ Do we  need  to fight? ” Mina asked, eyeing the multiple patrols warily. “ If our goal is just to catch the Shadow Pokémon, it seems to me all we  need  to do is find it first and throw Pokéballs ” or more likely Spectral Balls “ at it until it’s captured, then drive off. We might need to have the Pokémon run interference on the way, but those patrols look like they’re on foot.  ” At the very least there were no headlights, and they weren’t moving very fast. “ I can have Pidgey go scout for it. ”
Lord Ruby34
Less paused for a moment, and then nodded.  "If we can avoid fighting, so much the better. I fear it may be unavoidable, but that's no reason not to try. Let's be ready to follow your Pidgey." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Tomas does a double-take in your direction. “Oh, you’re the  other  kid from earlier.” He seems to notice the direction of your gaze, and his tone turns sympathetic. “Yeah those Bandra” he uses a word not fit for polite company “went on a real killing spree in the measly two weeks they had the Shrine.” 
 

Pinklady's expression hardens as Tomas explains the corpses.  How could anyone do something so horrible...  In her life so far, she had sometimes witnessed the negative effects on Pokemon due to human negligence and carelessness, but killing them en masse intentionally was far beyond anything she had encountered.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Troff ducks his head, but seems used to this attitude. “Which is why it’s not unguarded! Anyway, they’ve all been fought off so far. And you didn't even need extra help! What is that, three patrols today?”

“That we’ve seen,” Tomas agrees, kicking a pebble to vent obvious frustration. “Too many and too close together; they must have a camp somewhere nearby.” 
 

Pinklady finally comes out of her contemplation and wordless disgust as Tomas mentions the possible camp. She finds her voice again and asks, "It's too risky to chase fleeing Bandra to try to find the camp, isn't it? Or at least, not enough people to spare to send on a chase?"

She feels a bit of surprise at her own line of questioning. She didn't have any previous experience working with other people... it's only been a couple of days and the considerations of working as part of a team had already rubbed off on her, it seems.
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
There's a certain level of smugness in his thoughts when he asks, &lt;  What, the omnipotent psychic type never learned how to read or write?  &gt; After all the sass and ego he'd been getting from her, he was going to take a moment to enjoy having [i]some[i] kind of win over Tattersail. &lt;  Actually, that would mean that you'd rely on me to read stuff and translate text for you if we stumble across ancient lore and stuff, huh? Wait... On that train of thought, I know we've been experimenting with transmitting conversations, impressions, emotions, etcetera from you to me, but are we able to share something as complex as sight yet?  &gt; There was no doubt that it would happen eventually, but he wanted to know just how long it would take to reach that level.
 


After zoning out a bit again, Mark returned to the world of the jeep, re-shifted the unconscious grunt's face, and noticed that Tarr had rejoined the party. Seeing how the steel bird was struggling with his burden, he'd call up,  "Hey Tarr, just hang in there a bit longer. When we stop or that stunky wakes up, we'll relieve you of the burden and you'll get a chance to rest!" 

Tuning in to the conversation between Mina and Less, he'd add in,  "There might be more than one pokemon that's been shadowed by the blip on our radar, so we might have some we need to catch beyond just the one with the tracker."  That had likely been why the ones in the fire had done so much damage to the grunts before their group arrived, there had just been a bunch of pokemon shadowed and traveling in a pack that the grunts had to fight all at once.  "So be ready to use your balls right off the bat. Shadowed pokemon with higher catch rates probably won't even need to be weakened before we try catching them, and the trickier ones I can target with Fisher's sing to improve our odds a bit.

"Um... also, Less? I know that you were planning to sell this, but between the fire and smoke damage, I think you'll need a tune-up before we can really do that. If the stunky has not woken up by the time we're done with the shadowed pokemon, we need to put him in the trunk. It'll stink the jeep up, but my skarmory can only hold him for so long, and we need Connie available to fight at a moment's notice."  He didn't want to exhaust the flying/ steel type to the point of injury and Mark suspected that lugging around a burden that heavy all the way back to Reiva would be more than pushing that limit.
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded along to what Mark was saying. There might well be a small pack of shadowed Pokemon running amok, though the lack of chaos suggested that this particular blip was  likely  only one Pokemon.

The jeep though . . . Less looked over at the damaged tire, then the Scizor marks in the back of the seat. It would need a little more than a tune up, frankly, especially given that Bandra hadn't exactly maintained the vehicle with diligence themselves.  "You're likely correct. After the jeep is a little less crowded it shouldn't be an issue."  Less said, forcing himself to give up on his dreams of ever selling the jeep for anything resembling fair market value.
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Hearing no protests, Mina sent her Pidgey off to look for the Shadow Pokémon.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
There's a certain level of smugness in his thoughts when he asks, &lt;  What, the omnipotent psychic type never learned how to read or write?  &gt;
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; You’re confusing  omnipotence  with  omniscience.[i]&gt; Tattersail wanted to make it clear that there was no doubt as to her worth and intelligence just because she never bothered to learn what arbitrary human marks were for. That was, after all, for  peasants  humans.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
&lt;  Wait... On that train of thought, I know we've been experimenting with transmitting conversations, impressions, emotions, etcetera from you to me, but are we able to share something as complex as sight yet?  &gt; There was no doubt that it would happen eventually, but he wanted to know just how long it would take to reach that level.
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
&lt; No. &gt; Mark could feel a sense of gentle regret that her chosen human had no psychic powers of his own and would remain powerless and weak forever. &lt; We are about halfway there. &gt; ((Special Attack has to be a combined total of 200 between both parties. Since Mark has no telepathy of his own, Tattersail has to reach the 200 limit on her own.))
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hey Tarr, just hang in there a bit longer. When we stop or that stunky wakes up, we'll relieve you of the burden and you'll get a chance to rest!"  
 

Tarr bobbed in the air in acknowledgement.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Tuning in to the conversation between Mina and Less, he'd add in,  "There might be more than one pokemon that's been shadowed by the blip on our radar, so we might have some we need to catch beyond just the one with the tracker."  That had likely been why the ones in the fire had done so much damage to the grunts before their group arrived, there had just been a bunch of pokemon shadowed and traveling in a pack that the grunts had to fight all at once.  "So be ready to use your balls right off the bat. Shadowed pokemon with higher catch rates probably won't even need to be weakened before we try catching them, and the trickier ones I can target with Fisher's sing to improve our odds a bit."  
 

“ I can have Pikachu on standby with Thunder Wave too, ” Mina chimed in.

----------------


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 "It's too risky to chase fleeing Bandra to try to find the camp, isn't it? Or at least, not enough people to spare to send on a chase?"  
 

“Some of both,” Tomas agrees. “We have enough volunteers who can fight to hold the Shrine but it’s easy to fortify. The mountains aren’t, and it’d be easy to get ambushed. If we sent out one, two people and they ran into trouble? They’re SOL, we wouldn’t have enough people to get them out of it again. And then the Shrine is undermanned. And we definitely don’t want to let this,” he nods at the massive mound of corpses “happen again.”
Lord Ruby34
Less applied a potion to Princess while he waited for Pidgey to return from his scouting trip.
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Some of Princess’ wounds close. ((+20 HP for Princess, 62 total. -1 Potion for Less, 1 remaining.))
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
He mentally chuckles at her insistence on never learning how to read, noting, &lt;  You know, with the whole intellectual aristocrat vibe you've got going on, learning how to read at least could really sell it. Sitting down with a book in your lap  always  makes a person look more impressive... er...  &gt; Remembering they were still on a mission, Mark added, &lt;  Anyway, I should probably pay attention again, Mina's pidgey could be back at any moment. Remember to use double team whenever you get the chance, just in case we need you to come in and save the day again!  &gt;
 


Having faded out for another moment, Mark sat up straighter in his seat and pulled out his binoculars to scout around again. This time trying to count about how many grunts were in each patrol, just in case they  did  end up having to fight, he asked,  "So people up front, about how close would you estimate we are based on the tracker? And anyone want to put some money on Bandra teleporting the shadowed 'mon they've recaptured directly into the Spectral dimension?"  It would explain why that teleportation had been so weird, and also why the tracker signal just disappeared  entirely  when Bandra did snag them.
Lord Ruby34
 "Difficult to tell without a functioning GPS."  Less said, as he focused on the flashlights. They were probably far enough away to be safe from a stray beam of light, but every time a light pointed even vaguely in their direction Less tensed up, sure that the light was going to reflect off the metal of the jeep and give them away. Mark's thoughts about the spectral realm weren't helping. In Less's mind it was a dark place, full of shadow and terror. Imagining any creature sent there . . . he forced himself to answer logically.  "Possibly. But I think it's more likely that they're sending the Pokemon to a Bandra lab somewhere so they can study the results of the shadowing, using some kind of bastardized version of the PC box." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Some of both,” Tomas agrees. “We have enough volunteers who can fight to hold the Shrine but it’s easy to fortify. The mountains aren’t, and it’d be easy to get ambushed. If we sent out one, two people and they ran into trouble? They’re SOL, we wouldn’t have enough people to get them out of it again. And then the Shrine is undermanned. And we definitely don’t want to let this,” he nods at the massive mound of corpses “happen again.” 
 

Pinklady nods.  "Absolutely. I'm glad you're all here."  She sighs, looking at the mound again.  "Hopefully they'll give up on here or need to move away soon..." 
 I should reach out to the rest of the group to see if we can spare the time to deal with them... seems like there's already been a bunch to do, so I shouldn't make any promises. 
 "Have you gotten any idea of how many there are in the camp? And is there anything I can do tonight to help? I have a handful of supplies I can share, too." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

((Giving Feathersnow until Friday evening to chime in, then we’ll move on.))

 
 Spoiler: Mark 
As far as Mark can tell, the patrols are about the same size as the previous ones – about three Grunts each, although it’s impossible to say for sure in the dark and the individuals in each group don’t all have flashlights.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And anyone want to put some money on Bandra teleporting the shadowed 'mon they've recaptured directly into the Spectral dimension?"  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Possibly. But I think it's more likely that they're sending the Pokemon to a Bandra lab somewhere so they can study the results of the shadowing, using some kind of bastardized version of the PC box."  
 

“ I’m with Less; we already saw one of the blips hop over to Moontear first, before it disappeared. ” Mina wanted to say she couldn’t think of any benefit to Bandra in throwing already Shadowed Pokémon back into the Spectral Dimension…but given that she’d seen Pyrath trying to enslave those Shadow Gastly, plus what she now knew about Spectral Pokémon controlling Shadow ‘mon and of course Aidrelas himself…she realized she couldn’t actually say that with certainty. And furthermore she wasn’t a scientist with no morals – even if she couldn’t think of a reason, it didn’t follow that there wasn’t one.

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Have you gotten any idea of how many there are in the camp?"  
 

“At least ten? We’re fairly sure there’s no Officer on site but we’re not so sure if there’s a Taskmaster there or not.”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "And is there anything I can do tonight to help? I have a handful of supplies I can share, too."  
 

“We could use some Revives, if you’ve dug any up. Or if you want to help stand watch for a few hours, I won’t say no. We’re done with counting corpses until morning.”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



“At least ten? We’re fairly sure there’s no Officer on site but we’re not so sure if there’s a Taskmaster there or not.” 
 

Pinklady nods and takes mental note. Would that be too many? She figures she should ask the rest of the group later about their battles with Bandra so far, to get a better idea of what both the group and Bandra is capable of... surely not every Bandra encounter will be as easy as hers and Less's encounter the previous day.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “We could use some Revives, if you’ve dug any up. Or if you want to help stand watch for a few hours, I won’t say no. We’re done with counting corpses until morning.” 
 

 "I don't have any Revives, but I'll probably do some more digging in the morning, so I'll share any I find then. Would a couple of Super Potions be of any help? I'll be happy to help keep watch, too. Preferably where I was earlier, if it doesn't make that much of a difference, so I can regroup with Whirly." 
Gnomes2169
 "Hmmm... yeah, Moontear could make sense too, though how the ball warped was  weird.  Maybe Bandra created its own PC transfer system and it's not fully stable?"  He'd hazard as a theory, mostly convinced they weren't sending them directly to the Spectral dimension. As for another off-the-cuff theory,  "The pokemon we've encountered so far were relatively low on their shadow meters, so I think Bandra might be collecting them for results  and  to refresh the shadowing... They honestly might not have known we captured the jeep and planned to go on this rescue mission."  Weird as the thought was, Bandra [i]was[i] kinda careless about this stuff. Or they might have thought their grunt and scientist got killed out in the field before they could report back in and just not cared about it... Bandra were kinda sociopaths.

Pulling his binoculars down, Mark did some quick math and estimates in his head and he told the group,  "I'm pretty sure there's between twelve and sixteen grunts out there, the closer group isn't any larger than the three farther out. Not all of them have flashlights, but I'm pretty sure  most  of them do."  Bandra seemed to be kinda low-tech for the most part, only the people in charge and scientists had anything fancy, but...

 "Uh, that said, we might not see everyone out here. Night vision goggles and stuff exists, and if they didn't want to spook the shadowed pokemon they  could  have some elite grunts sneaking around with that while the flashlight groups were out being obvious distractions... You know. If Bandra isn't being cheap and lazy about this whole thing."  It didn't seem likely, given how Bandra had been operating so far tonight, but it  was  something to consider... Dark types should still have better night vision, though, and Connie and Ronin were keeping watch above, so hopefully Mark's growing paranoia wouldn't be relevant anyway.
Feathersnow
"This might be a bad idea, but Daisho is fast and can see in the dark...  she maybe could scout ahead.  Your psychic type could debrief her, and she's fast enough she should be relatively safe?"
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hmmm... yeah, Moontear could make sense too, though how the ball warped was  weird.  Maybe Bandra created its own PC transfer system and it's not fully stable?"  
 

Less nodded. That was along the lines of his own thinking.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The pokemon we've encountered so far were relatively low on their shadow meters, so I think Bandra might be collecting them for results  and  to refresh the shadowing... They honestly might not have known we captured the jeep and planned to go on this rescue mission."  
 

 "Perhaps."  Less replied, unconvinced.  "They may have sent a second group to investigate the disappearance of the jeep and found the GPS tracker had been removed. That could have prompted action."  There was nothing he would have done differently at the time . . . but it still stung to think that he could have been the one to put Bandra on alert.



 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm pretty sure there's between twelve and sixteen grunts out there, the closer group isn't any larger than the three farther out. Not all of them have flashlights, but I'm pretty sure  most  of them do." 
 "Uh, that said, we might not see everyone out here. Night vision goggles and stuff exists, and if they didn't want to spook the shadowed pokemon they  could  have some elite grunts sneaking around with that while the flashlight groups were out being obvious distractions... You know. If Bandra isn't being cheap and lazy about this whole thing."  
 

 "I doubt it. We likely would likely have seen any high tech gear already, if the grunts possessed it. No. My concern is that they might have an officer or taskmaster coordinating their end of the mission, who is waiting for us to show our faces again so that they can teleport on top of us."  Less said. It was a troublesome thought. If they could use teleportation to their advantage, Bandra could as well, and their only real protection was stealth.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "This might be a bad idea, but Daisho is fast and can see in the dark...  she maybe could scout ahead.  Your psychic type could debrief her, and she's fast enough she should be relatively safe?" 
 

Less nodded along. Pidgey was already scouting, but another scout out close couldn't hurt.  "Mina's Pidgey should be back soon, but a second scout to observe Bandra specifically wouldn't be remiss. But she'll have to be fast. I wold like to move as soon as we know where our quarry is." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I don't have any Revives, but I'll probably do some more digging in the morning, so I'll share any I find then. Would a couple of Super Potions be of any help? I'll be happy to help keep watch, too. Preferably where I was earlier, if it doesn't make that much of a difference, so I can regroup with Whirly."  
 

“Keep your Potions, we’re stocked up there. But since you volunteered, sure, you and  this  clown” he indicates Troff “can go tell Crest and the Geology Club kid they’re relieved, and you two can take over for the next watch. Someone will relieve you about 2 AM ((it’s about 10 PM right now)). And you can help yourself to the coffee and the soup if you haven’t already.”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "The pokemon we've encountered so far were relatively low on their shadow meters, so I think Bandra might be collecting them for results  and  to refresh the shadowing... They honestly might not have known we captured the jeep and planned to go on this rescue mission."  
 

“ It  was  kind of a last minute thing on our part, I’d have been more worried if they  did  know we were coming, ” Mina replied. She considered the possibility further: that would have required a spy in their immediate vicinity or a mind reader or something equally worrying. Given his untested status prior to this, Mina  probably  should have been a little leery of Less’ last minute mission…but so far, so good.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm pretty sure there's between twelve and sixteen grunts out there, the closer group isn't any larger than the three farther out. Not all of them have flashlights, but I'm pretty sure  most  of them do."  
 

“ So all of them together, about the size of the last big group? ” Mina was hoping they wouldn‘t have to fight them – they’d managed so far, but it was late and their Pokémon were somewhat battered – but if it came to it, that almost sounded manageable.

As long as it was just Grunts. If Hannah was back in Keida, they were doomed. Come to that, if there was a Taskmaster in the vicinity, she didn't like their odds.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Uh, that said, we might not see everyone out here. Night vision goggles and stuff exists, and if they didn't want to spook the shadowed pokemon they  could  have some elite grunts sneaking around with that while the flashlight groups were out being obvious distractions... You know. If Bandra isn't being cheap and lazy about this whole thing."  
 

“ They’ve mostly had a Spectral Ball apiece on them, ” Mina reminded. That was, admittedly, not a lot. But it was a good deal more investment than Bandra usually put in their Grunts:  one  Spectral Ball was literally ten times what a vanilla Pokéball cost.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "This might be a bad idea, but Daisho is fast and can see in the dark...  she maybe could scout ahead.  Your psychic type could debrief her, and she's fast enough she should be relatively safe?" 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded along. Pidgey was already scouting, but another scout out close couldn't hurt.  "Mina's Pidgey should be back soon, but a second scout to observe Bandra specifically wouldn't be remiss. But she'll have to be fast. I wold like to move as soon as we know where our quarry is."  
 

“ Fine by me, ” Mina agreed.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



“Keep your Potions, we’re stocked up there. But since you volunteered, sure, you and  this  clown” he indicates Troff “can go tell Crest and the Geology Club kid they’re relieved, and you two can take over for the next watch. Someone will relieve you about 2 AM ((it’s about 10 PM right now)). And you can help yourself to the coffee and the soup if you haven’t already.” 
 

Pinklady nods.  "Keeping watch there until 2, got it."  Without anything else to say, she waits to follow Troff back to where they were earlier.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "This might be a bad idea, but Daisho is fast and can see in the dark...  she maybe could scout ahead.  Your psychic type could debrief her, and she's fast enough she should be relatively safe?" 
 

Mark considered it, then shook his head.  "Tattersail's currently in Reiva, and I don't want her teleporting here if it isn't necessary. The more we do that, the more likely it is that it gets detected and Bandra's troops in the area beeline for our exact location. I can keep her informed about what's going on here, but she can't use me as a hub for telepathic communication with people  around  me,"  Yet,  "so she won't be able to tell your pokemon what's going on. I'm... also not sure we should send out another scout right now. Mina's pidgey has been gone for a bit. If they return before your pokemon comes back, we'd be stuck waiting for Daisho to return before we could move to confront the shadowed pokemon."  He hadn't been willing to leave Tarr behind, and he wasn't going to ask Akio to risk needing to do the same because the party couldn't afford to wait.  "Scouting for Bandra or other potential hazards once pidgey comes  back,  though, would be super helpful."  He added, agreeing with Less.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I doubt it. We likely would likely have seen any high tech gear already, if the grunts possessed it. No. My concern is that they might have an officer or taskmaster coordinating their end of the mission, who is waiting for us to show our faces again so that they can teleport on top of us."  Less said. It was a troublesome thought. If they could use teleportation to their advantage, Bandra could as well, and their only real protection was stealth. 
 

 "Fortunately, that isn't how teleportation works."  Mark said,  "You can only teleport to a location that you've visited before, and you have to  know  that it's the location you want to go to. That's why you tend to teleport to landmarks like pokemon centers. Tattersail, because of our psychic connection, can treat  me  as a landmark, she doesn't have to visit the place I'm currently at in order to teleport there. We're in the wilderness, off the side of the road. Even  if  the grunts called for teleporting backup, the psychic type wouldn't know what part of the wilderness, off of what stretch of the road, to teleport to without some  extremely  notable landmarks around to guide them. They  could  break down areas on a map into quadrants, I guess, but expecting a grunt to know what quadrant they're in, at night, in the middle of a battle, isn't something I'm exactly worried about. Bigger risk would be if there's a taskmaster or officer  already  in the group." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ They’ve mostly had a Spectral Ball apiece on them, ” Mina reminded. That was, admittedly, not a lot. But it was a good deal more investment than Bandra usually put in their Grunts:  one  Spectral Ball was literally ten times what a vanilla Pokéball cost. 
 

 "I'd file that under 'scientist funding,' since they've been given a tool to help the scientists with their projects. Bandra has a heck of a lot more disposable grunts than they have scientists who know what they're doing, after all."  But just with how valuable those balls were, Mark considered attacking the smaller group of grunts  just  to take the spectral balls they were carrying.  "The grunts still haven't been given potions or status healing items, so it seems like they're skimping on costs for things that they don't  think  they're going to need. So still being cheap." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

You make it back to the opposite entrance ((where you came in)). Stef is still sound asleep; Troff catches Crest’s attention and waves, then walks over to explain things to her. After a short conversation she bids you both good night and heads over to a cot to sleep with some of the other volunteers.

((Any preparation you want to make before your watch?))

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Not long afterwards, Mina’s Pidgey returned and perched on the back of a seat, cooing quietly but excitedly.

“ Did you find it? ” Mina asked. Pidgey bobbed up and down on his feet, a whole body nod, and pointed with his beak. Mina peered; it did indeed look like the Shadow Pokémon was near the fourth patrol.

She frowned, concerned. “ Has Bandra found it yet? ”

Pidgey shook his head ‘no.’

Mina relaxed. “ Awesome. ” She turned to Akio. “ Were you going to have Daisho keep an eye out for Bandra? ” Less and Mark had brought it up, and Mina realized that Akio hadn't actually agreed to the modification to his suggestion, and didn't want to accidentally mess up the mission just because she hadn't asked.

And then to everyone else she added, “ And is there anything else we need or want to do? What is our plan? Are we just going to drive through those patrols at top speed and hope we get lucky with Spectral Balls? Set up a distraction? Attack them and try to overpower them? And Mark, are you going to make poor Tarr keep lugging that Stunky around? If you were going to drop it in the trunk or whatever, now is probably the time. ” Mina was not looking forward to putting up with the stink for however long it took, but Tarr had been putting up with it for longer at this point…

 
 Spoiler: Pokémon 

Anything that looks inaccurate, now is the time to say something!

Buck: 103/103
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 62/70 (Defense up 6 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)(carrying Stunky)
Fisher: 122/134 (recalled)
Tattersail: 66/98 (Rieva, Evasion up 6 levels)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 61/100 (recalled)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 6 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 6 levels, Special Defense up 6 levels)

 Stunky: 0/81 (  Shadowed: 38%  )  
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Tattersail's currently in Reiva, and I don't want her teleporting here if it isn't necessary. The more we do that, the more likely it is that it gets detected and Bandra's troops in the area beeline for our exact location. I can keep her informed about what's going on here, but she can't use me as a hub for telepathic communication with people  around  me,"   "so she won't be able to tell your pokemon what's going on. I'm... also not sure we should send out another scout right now. Mina's pidgey has been gone for a bit. If they return before your pokemon comes back, we'd be stuck waiting for Daisho to return before we could move to confront the shadowed pokemon."   "Scouting for Bandra or other potential hazards once pidgey comes  back,  though, would be super helpful."  
 

Less privately disagreed, if they were going to send another Pokemon out to scout, then it made the most sense to have them both scout at the same time. There wouldn't be as much of a delay between gaining the information and having both Pokemon return, but the point was moot. Less could see the little flying type was already returning. The old trainer took a moment to rub his tired eyes, and realized that he still had crusted blood over the entire right side of his face. It wasn't important enough to take care of immediately, but he probably looked quite a sight.

 "At this point, I think we have all the intelligence we're going to get. The patrols have flashlights, and may be aware that we are in the area. Spending more time scouting now will likely just give them more time to find the Pokemon." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Fortunately, that isn't how teleportation works."  Mark said,  "You can only teleport to a location that you've visited before, and you have to  know  that it's the location you want to go to. That's why you tend to teleport to landmarks like pokemon centers. Tattersail, because of our psychic connection, can treat  me  as a landmark, she doesn't have to visit the place I'm currently at in order to teleport there. We're in the wilderness, off the side of the road. Even  if  the grunts called for teleporting backup, the psychic type wouldn't know what part of the wilderness, off of what stretch of the road, to teleport to without some  extremely  notable landmarks around to guide them. They  could  break down areas on a map into quadrants, I guess, but expecting a grunt to know what quadrant they're in, at night, in the middle of a battle, isn't something I'm exactly worried about. Bigger risk would be if there's a taskmaster or officer  already  in the group."  
 

That was helpful information, but Less still had a major concern.  "Is there anyone else Tattersail could treat as a landmark?  Less asked,  "I'm worried that a competent officer could have their Psychic type familiarize themselves with all the grunts under their command, so they could respond to individual calls for aid." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina relaxed. “ Awesome. ” She turned to Akio. “ Were you going to have Daisho keep an eye out for Bandra? ” Less and Mark had brought it up, and Mina realized that Akio hadn't actually agreed to the modification to his suggestion, and didn't want to accidentally mess up the mission just because she hadn't asked.

And then to everyone else she added, “ And is there anything else we need or want to do? What is our plan? Are we just going to drive through those patrols at top speed and hope we get lucky with Spectral Balls? Set up a distraction? Attack them and try to overpower them? And Mark, are you going to make poor Tarr keep lugging that Stunky around? If you were going to drop it in the trunk or whatever, now is probably the time. ”  
 

Leaving the jeep behind probably wasn't an option. It was carrying too much of value to risk sneaking around without it and being forced to teleport away. A distraction though . . .  "I have an idea for a distraction, though I'm open to alternatives. Buck could Roar to draw Bandra's attention away, and then run back to a rendevous spot. They won't be able to catch up with him."  Less paused,  "but I worry about the danger. I'd like to find a safer alternative. Alternatively, we could try to speed blitz them. Hit the patrol closest to the shadowed Pokemon as hard as we can, hopefully take the trainers down without a real fight, and then capture the shadowed Pokemon and drive away. " 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

You make it back to the opposite entrance ((where you came in)). Stef is still sound asleep; Troff catches Crest’s attention and waves, then walks over to explain things to her. After a short conversation she bids you both good night and heads over to a cot to sleep with some of the other volunteers.

((Any preparation you want to make before your watch?)) 
 

On their return, Pinklady immediately heads to Whirlywhirly.  "Thanks for keeping an eye out, Whirly."  She sits down besides him and gives him a rub behind his antennae.  "It was very brave of you to accept that responsibility. Now, me and -"  She turns to indicate Troff, and takes the moment to bid Crest good-night.  "- are keeping watch for awhile. Want to stay out and with us or return to your ball?" 

She holds out Whirlywhirly's Pokéball. He stands up from his curled-up position, looks around the room again, and then walks closer to the entrance, gazing outside. Pinklady puts his ball away, gets up, and stands next to him.  "You've got it." 

She briefly considers spending some of the watch-time training, but ultimately decides that it would probably make too much of a commotion and make whoever she's currently training too much of an obvious target. Besides, it wouldn't do to be exhausted right when you might need to spring into action.

((Ready for the watch now!))
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I have an idea for a distraction, though I'm open to alternatives. Buck could Roar to draw Bandra's attention away, and then run back to a rendevous spot. They won't be able to catch up with him."  Less paused,  "but I worry about the danger. I'd like to find a safer alternative. Alternatively, we could try to speed blitz them. Hit the patrol closest to the shadowed Pokemon as hard as we can, hopefully take the trainers down without a real fight, and then capture the shadowed Pokemon and drive away. "  
 

Mina considered this. “ Question: if you just want to hit the one patrol, how are we getting the jeep across the road without being noticed by the patrols on it? ”

----------------

Pinklady:

It’s worryingly quiet. At one point you think you see eyes in the dark, some time later you hear rocks sliding like someone slipped. Far in the distance you hear a loud roar.

But 2 AM finally rolls around and Crest comes to relieve you and no Bandra have shown themselves.
Feathersnow
"Daisho, you heard the man, look out for Bandra!  Do us proud!"
Akio, realizing he had just been nodding along, clarifies that he is fine with his beloved partner guarding the group...
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

It’s worryingly quiet. At one point you think you see eyes in the dark, some time later you hear rocks sliding like someone slipped. Far in the distance you hear a loud roar.

But 2 AM finally rolls around and Crest comes to relieve you and no Bandra have shown themselves. 
 

By the time the shift ends, Pinklady has finally grown tired. It was nice to close out the day with a familiar task - just listening and watching. She had done it often back home, and now, it gave her plenty of time to think of home. Every day here had been really different so far, while the days before somewhat blurred together. Even with the horrible things she had heard about and seen so far, she knew she made the right choice coming here. This region needed all the help it could get.

She dozes off shortly afterwards, lying against the wall. Whirlywhirly curls up and falls asleep as well.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina considered this. “ Question: if you just want to hit the one patrol, how are we getting the jeep across the road without being noticed by the patrols on it? ” 
 

 
"We'd have to go around the patrols, to the west, past the limits of their hearing."  Less replied.  "Frankly, I don't know how far sound carries out here, but the detour would probably take less than two minutes at a moderate speed. Or we create that distraction."  
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 And then to everyone else she added, “ And is there anything else we need or want to do? What is our plan? Are we just going to drive through those patrols at top speed and hope we get lucky with Spectral Balls? Set up a distraction? Attack them and try to overpower them? And Mark, are you going to make poor Tarr keep lugging that Stunky around? If you were going to drop it in the trunk or whatever, now is probably the time. ” Mina was not looking forward to putting up with the stink for however long it took, but Tarr had been putting up with it for longer at this point… 
 

Mark sighed at the question, having hoped that the stunky would have woken up before Pidgey came back... alas. Didn't seem like that was going to happen.  "Tarr, go ahead and drop the stunky back here."  He told the flying type, leaning over and patting the back of his seat (which was also just one of the walls of the trunk). Honestly, his biggest concern wasn't the stench, but that the stunky would wake up while they were driving and attack him or Akio, since they were the humans closest to the unconscious pokemon's storage space.  "I'll make sure to keep an eye on them while we're moving..." 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 That was helpful information, but Less still had a major concern.  "Is there anyone else Tattersail could treat as a landmark?  Less asked,  "I'm worried that a competent officer could have their Psychic type familiarize themselves with all the grunts under their command, so they could respond to individual calls for aid."  
 

Mark's trepidation with the wild shadowed pokemon was interrupted by a bit of humor at that idea, and he says,  "Hah! ... Oh wait, you're serious. Uh, no, that's not a concern at all. Tattersail can teleport to me because she's psychically linked to me, which is  way  more than just familiarity. A part of her basically lives in my head, and a part of me lives in hers. It's deep enough that it's actually kinda dangerous, since we share each other's pain and the feedback from 'Sail getting knocked out is... well, it's not as bad as losing a limb,"  Mark would know,  "but it's a  lot,  and can easily knock a trainer out. I have no idea if it's even  possible  for a pokemon to bond with multiple people, but even if it is, there is  zero  chance that an officer or task master is going to risk a feedback loop by linking to a disposable grunt that they're throwing into danger." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina considered this. “ Question: if you just want to hit the one patrol, how are we getting the jeep across the road without being noticed by the patrols on it? ” 
 

 "The patrols on the road don't seem to have vehicles."  Mark reminded.  "We should be able to stay ahead of them like we did in the fire as long as we keep moving... especially if we use the distraction that Less proposed. Don't try to hide our move against the one group and have Buck roar near the three on the road to make them thing they're being attacked at multiple angles. Could lead to those three groups falling back together for safety, giving us more time to handle the shadowed pokemon and then get out."  It was risky, of course, but was the best plan a sleepy and slowly crashing Mark could come up with at the moment.
Lord Ruby34
The Stunky being dropped in the back of the jeep wasn't thrilling. Less couldn't fault the poor creature for being what it was, but that didn't mean he was particularly pleased by the stench it was letting off. Still, there was nothing for it. Mark's Skarmory was looking positively exhausted.

Less considered Mark's statements about teleportation. It wasn't something that he knew anything about, other than from movies and science fiction stories. Honestly, it was kind of disconcerting to know that there was a chance Mark might faint if his Gardevor did. Still, Less put the thought to the side and focused on what was important.  "So teleporting to a person requires more than just familiarity, it requires one of these bonds?"  Less asked.  "Tattersail couldn't teleport to Mina, then, for example?" 

After giving the lad a moment to respond, Less continued to think about the plan. Frankly, he wasn't thrilled with the idea of having Buck make a distraction, even if it had been his plan. Buck was sitting next to the jeep, looking up at his trainer and waiting for a decision. In that moment Less envied the connection Mark had with Tattersail. It would be comforting to be able to talk to his oldest friend, to get his opinion and advice, and help plan. After many long years the two could usually understand each other fairly well, even without Buck being able to talk. But that last little bit of missing connection suddenly  stung . He knew Buck understood that this distraction could be risky, and that he was willing to take that risk. The Arcanine had a look in his eyes that seemed determined, steady. . . . Less realized that this discomfort was more his own than Buck's. But that didn't mean that he had to continue with the plan as he had laid it out before. They could make it a little safer.

 "Alright."  Less said, then turned to Buck.  "Buck, I want you to head slightly northeast. Stay out of sight of the patrols. When you get there, let out your most fearsome roar, then turn around and run at top speed back here, before following the scent trail that the Stunky leaves. We're going to go northwest in the jeep, and hit that last patrol or catch the shadow Pokemon. Whichever opportunity presents itself first."  Less paused for a moment. He knew his friend had a prideful streak.  "Be safe my friend. Don't take any unnecessary risks."  Less paused. Ordering Buck into any kind of danger without being there himself seemed fundamentally  wrong , but they hadn't come up with any better ideas for a distraction, and he wasn't going to ask any of the others to take a similar risk with their own Pokemon. Asking his friend to do this hurt. But they had a duty to these Pokemon, because they were the ones who were here. Because they were the only ones who could protect them now. That didn't make taking this risk, hopefull small as it was, any easier, but it did make it necessary.

Suddenly, Less felt very old. His head hurt where he hit the steering wheel, his brain was throbbing from a headache that was half the injury and half the fact that he hadn't eaten since this morning, he was tired, and his fingers were throbbing in discomfort from the early stages of his arthritis. Right now, that last one was bothering him more acutely than usual. This would be easier if he was twenty again, back in fighting shape and without the terrible knowledge that bad luck alone could result in failure.  "And run like the wind. Cut loose like you did when we were young." 

Buck trotted forward in response, and said something low and soft in Pokespeak, before licking Less's face. Less gave his friend a quick pet on his graying snout, and then Buck dashed off northeast, as requested.   "On his signal, we go."  Less said, his voice soft.
Gnomes2169
 "If she knew  exactly  where Mina was, say if Mina was in line of sight, then 'Sail could teleport to her... Otherwise, no. They aren't connected, so she wouldn't be able to go directly to her. Even a normal landmark would only get her within the approximate location, like teleporting to the Reiva pokemon center lobby, or what have you."  Mark explained, yawning a bit after he does so, and rubbing at his eyes.

He grabs one of the granola bars that Mina had brought from the Pokemon Center to munch upon, holding his breath as much as he could to avoid the Stunky stink, and lets Less have his moment with the old fire type. He knew this was a risky plan, for all of them, he just hoped that it would work out alright in the end. Best way to ensure that was to actually eat and drink  water  so that his mind was clear enough to function. No more dirty bean juice. He'd had too much coffee today.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Naturally, almost as soon as you’re able to nod off, you’re awoken by a rumble and the sounds of combat outside.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Daisho takes off to keep an eye on Bandra and Buck leaves to cause his distraction.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Anything else before we move on?
 
essCee
Pinklady shakes her head and gets back on her feet. She wasn't exactly unused to needing to get up quickly while falling asleep, but that was usually at twilight, not in the middle of night. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she called out,  "Whirlywhirly! I hope you're ready to fight!" 

Fortunately, her companion had had a much less active day, and has no trouble unfurling himself and running ahead towards the sounds of battle, with Pinklady scrambling to follow him.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

There’s enough artificial light you can barely make out what is happening: a few Grunts – two, three? – have sent out a Graveler and a pair of Wispaferyn, the Grunt Pokémon are still standing but the Graveler is quite battered. There’s smoke in the air and loose rubble from the earlier quake. Stef is recalling his Diglett and Crest her Horsea – both have been KO’d and they send out (respectively) a Baltoy and a Wooper.

 Diglett: 0/43 
Baltoy: 50/50

 Horsea: 0/52 
Wooper: 55/55

Graveler: 1/89
Wispaferyn A: 130/130
Wispaferyn B: 96/96

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

((Gonna give Feathersnow another day or so to chime in.))
Feathersnow
Akio fidgets nervously as Daisho leaves, but tries to keep a brave face.
"Ancestors and Legendaries watch over you." He prays under his breath.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

There’s enough artificial light you can barely make out what is happening: a few Grunts – two, three? – have sent out a Graveler and a pair of Wispaferyn, the Grunt Pokémon are still standing but the Graveler is quite battered. There’s smoke in the air and loose rubble from the earlier quake. Stef is recalling his Diglett and Crest her Horsea – both have been KO’d and they send out (respectively) a Baltoy and a Wooper.

 Diglett: 0/43 
Baltoy: 50/50

 Horsea: 0/52 
Wooper: 55/55

Graveler: 1/89
Wispaferyn A: 130/130
Wispaferyn B: 96/96 
 

Pinklady didn't recognize the Wispaferyn, but she was sure that the current combatants would finish off the Graveler, so she commands,  "Whirlywhirly! Rollout on that Pokémon!"  And pointed at Wispaferyn A. As Whirlywhirly launches himself into combat, she pulls out her Pokédex to scan the unfamiliar opponent.
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Several slow moments pass. Crickets chirp. The Grunt groans. On the radar, the group can see the blip up by the coast hop over to Moontear and then vanish. The one near Ternai zags slightly closer. The blip the group is actually targeting doesn’t move.

Then in the distance:

 “  AROOOOOO!!!  ” 

Most of the forces on the road charge east immediately, though the tail end seem to hesitate before following. Regardless, the group is able to get across the road without being directly spotted.

Once across, it’s clear that the fourth patrol hasn’t taken the bait: their flashlights are still in about the same area they had been, shining around in the brush and tree cover. Neither Buck nor Daisho have returned yet.

----------------

Pinklady:

The Pokédex informs you that the Helnith-native Wispaferyn are Fire/Bug types, being the evolved form of Pupawisp.

 
 Spoiler: Wispaferyn 

 
 This Pokémon flies using its flame glands to produce small amounts of steam. Its wings are completely useless, and are rumored to be vestiges of an ancient age. 
 


The sturdier of the two ((Wispaferyn A)) appears to have Poffin boosts. The Pokédex also informs you that there’s a  sizable gap  of around ten levels between your current allies’ Pokémon and the Bandra Pokémon.

Though after seeing the next exchange of attacks, you realize you didn’t really need the Pokédex to tell you that.

Whirlywhirly uses Rollout!
Attack missed Wispaferyn A!

Wispaferyn A uses Fire Spin!
It’s super effective!
Whirlywhirly is hit for 24 damage!
Whirlywhirly is trapped by the fiery vortex!

Wispaferyn B uses Silver Wind!
It’s super effective!
Baltoy is hit for 87 damage!
Baltoy faints!

Graveler uses Earthquake!
Whirlywhirly is hit for 53 damage!
Attack missed Wispaferyn A due to Wisp Body!
Attack missed Wispaferyn B due to Wisp Body!
Attack missed Baltoy due to target KO!

The little Ground type’s unconscious form bobs over the shaking earth as though floating on an invisible wave before Stef recalls it.

Wooper is hit for 105 damage!
Wooper faints!

Whirlywhirly takes 5 damage from the fiery vortex!

Stef sends out Anorith!
Crest sends out Biscooti!

Crest’s Pokémon is a light tan, like pale sand, with a body split into segments which each have at least one eye – it looks a little like a sand dollar.

Stef looks upset and Crest looks very nervous.

Whirlywhirly: 8/90

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 63/63

Graveler: 1/89
Wispaferyn A: 130/130
Wispaferyn B: 96/96
essCee
Pinklady is shocked out of any tiredness she still had as her group's team went down so quickly. That Graveler needs to go down, and she saw Whirlywhirly was faster than it.   "Everyone, Whirly's got the Graveler! Whirlywhirly, you just need to finish it off, hit it with Poison Tail!" 
She winces knowing that Whirlywhirly might get knocked out as a result... she hadn't actually battled all that often, and she wasn't very used to the damage sustained by combatants yet.
Lord Ruby34
 "We hit them now."  Less whispered.  "They're not looking anywhere higher than tree level. Connie, Pidgey, and Jessica should be able to approach unnoticed from above, and use their multi-taget moves to disable them from above without a fight."   Less would have included Daisho too, if she wasn't gone scouting.

More than just his desire to disable the group of grunts, Less wasn't willing to leave them potentially in Buck's path of return. If the grunts had to hurt a little to make sure of that, Less wasn't going to lose any sleep over it.

 "That distraction won't last long. They should go now."  Less whispered again. They had a little time to plan, but the window to avoid fighting the entirety of the Bandra forces was closing fast.
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded in agreement, a part of him nervous about sending most of the pokemon they had protecting the jeep out to get a first strike... but there wasn't any visible Bandra in the area. It  should  be safe.  "Jessia, move ahead and use Icy Wind on as many ground types, grass types and bandra grunts as you can."  He told the ice type, certain that this group would have at least  some  of their pokemon out to protect them, but not certain what those pokemon would be. Those targets  should  be able to put the hurt on any sandshrew or graveler that Bandra seemed so fond of, though, and should also cover the odd twiggin that kept popping up.

 
 Spoiler: Telepathy 
Mark also mentally signalled for Tattersail to stand by, because they might have another group of grunts for her to start teleporting to the center in a few moments. He also made sure to ask, &lt;  Have the rangers or any law enforcement arrived yet?  &gt; Or hospital employees... some of those grunts had been roughed up by shadowed fire types, after all.
 
Lord Ruby34
Less hmmed in affirmation before telling Connie,  "You've been doing very well tonight. I have just a little more to ask of you. Lead the other Pokemon up and past the flashlights, you can probably see better than them. When you're above, let Jessica hit first, then taking anything left standing down with your Swift. We'll be watching. If there's even a hint of something going wrong, we'll be right there to back you up." 

Less had the distinctive feeling that he was forgetting something, but his tired mind dismissed it as unimportant. Princess had perched herself on one of the doors, clearly watching the departing Pokemon with jealously.
Feathersnow
Akio nods, "okay, if that's the plan."  Attacking without his first companion seemed dangerous, but it also seemed necessary...
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Everyone, Whirly's got the Graveler! Whirlywhirly, you just need to finish it off, hit it with Poison Tail!"  
 

Crest nods and has her Pokémon target the beefier of the Wispaferyn. Meanwhile Stef’s Anorith protects him as he runs over to Whirlywhirly and applies a Super Potion. As the latter is still surrounded by flames, there are minor burns on his hands afterwards but Whirlywhirly looks much better ((+50 HP, 58 total)).

Whirlywhirly uses Poison Tail!

Whirlywhirly slams into the Graveler, knocking it out on contact and sending it flying back at the Grunts. They manage to dodge it just in time, and one of them recalls it.

Graveler faints!

Wispaferyn A uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of all allied Pokémon falls!

Wispaferyn B uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of all allied Pokémon falls!

Biscooti uses Water Spike!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 35 damage!

The Pokédex spits out a little data about the attack.

 
 Spoiler: Water Spike 

Type: Water (Physical)
Power: Varies; see text.
Accuracy: 100%
PP: 10 (max 16)

Does more damage the stronger the foe is compared to the user.

If the foe’s Attack is:
X4 the user’s or greater – power 120
X2 to x4 – power 90
X1 to x2 - power 60
Same or below - power 40
 


Whirlywhirly takes 5 damage from the fiery vortex!

Bandra forces send out Machoke!


Whirlywhirly: 53/90 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 63/63 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 95/130
Wispaferyn B: 96/96
Machoke: 103/103

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Connie nodded. Mina also nodded and sent Pidgey off with the other Pokémon, with instructions to use Twister, and to keep using it until she got there if the Grunts didn’t go down right away.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

&lt; Not yet. The nurse has them all strapped to gurneys, someone from the Ranger Union is supposed to arrive shortly. &gt;

Mark gathers a little more detail from the undercurrents of Tattersail’s telepathy: namely that the words ‘smoke inhalation’ had come up a few times and that Tattersail had gotten the sense from the nurse that while one or two of the Grunts were likely to head to the hospital rather than prison, for most of them that was just the best the nurse could do to restrain them under the circumstances.
 


The designated Pokémon take off into the night.

Moments later, there’s a fair amount of commotion around the patrol – wind whipping, Grunts shouting, the tiny flashes of Swift stars – and then silence. The flashlights fall to the ground, their beams shining off into the brush unmoving.

Mina listened for a moment before venturing: “ I think they— ”

And then she’s interrupted as Daisho returns from the east, looking agitated. The Crobat hovers awkwardly in front of her trainer, trying to gesture back the way she came.

From the south, the group can hear Buck Roar again, but it cuts off part way with a yelp:

 “  AROO--  arp!” 

“ Drat it, and we don’t have the Shadow Pokémon yet! ”
Lord Ruby34
Less swore internally. Buck was supposed to roar once and run, he wasn't supposed to fight! Images of horror flashed in front of Less's eyes, as he began to turn the jeep. Less didn't deliberate, he just made a decision.  "One of you, jump out and get the shadow Pokemon! The rest of us of are going for Buck!"  Buck was okay. Less needed Buck to be okay. He couldn't live with himself otherwise.

 "CONNIE!"  Less yelled as he started to turn the jeep, he wasn't waiting for argument. Not with his friend in danger.  "REGROUP!"  
essCee
 "Thank you, Stef!"  Pinklady feels a little embarrassed she hadn't thought to use a potion, herself, though maybe it would have been somewhat infeasible to do that and be sure Whirlywhirly could maneuver to take down the Graveler.  "Whirlywhirly, we're going to need to make it count if you try to hit them now! Curl up to prepare to go for another Rollout! And try to defend Stef as you do so!"  Obviously, it would be terrible for Stef to get stranded so close, and she was sure his Anorith could do something useful that turn.

Even with Whirlywhirly getting healed, Pinklady didn't like the added unreliability of her side all getting blinded by smokescreen. She sends out Croaky... hopefully she can add some reliability.

 
 Spoiler: Battle Options EDIT: All answered in OoC yay 

Using Defense Curl, to be clear, to get that sweet x2 Rollout damage. :)

Just making sure I understand the houserule stuff correctly; Stef's Anorith was doing the Intercept option, which can be done in addition to a regular action (in this case, item use), right?
And that, similarly, what I chose for Whirlywhirly - Defense Curl + Intercept for Stef - is perfectly fine? (And that the Defense Curl and the Intercept both have a half chance to fail? (And and that it'll be even worse intercept chance if multiple attacks go after Stef?))

Ooone more thing, there's nothing preventing Pinklady from sending out another Pokemon right now, correct? Just that doing so carries the risk that enemy multi-hit moves will have 4 instead of 3 victims, level allowing? If it is fine, Pinklady will also be sending out Croaky. (Poliwhirl)
 
Gnomes2169
Mark watched the attack go off, certain that  something  would go wrong... so when Daisho comes back and Buck's awoo of distress sounds out, the trainer isn't exactly surprised that their plan had a wrinkle, just the  direction  that had come from.

Less didn't need to justify anything, and Mark wasn't going to try talking the older trainer out of rushing directly into danger.  "Got it! I'll make sure Connie and Pidgey are right behind you."  Hopping out of the jeep while it was slowly rolling around, Mark called to Mina,  "Toss me a spectral ball in case there's more than one!" 

As the jeep rolled away, Mark telepathically called Tattersail to his side and sent out Sengar and Marick. He told the steel type to use Iron Defense and the dark type to use Howl as he hurried into the clearing with all the taken down grunts.  "Connie, Pidgey, your trainers are turning back to fight Bandra, get to the jeep! Jessia, Sengar, we're looking for shadowed pokemon, you have the best night vision and senses, see if you can find anything. Tarr, Marick, Tattersail, stay alert."  The grunts had been waiting around here for a reason... maybe for backup before taking on the shadowed pokemon nest? The tracker hadn't been moving, after all. Maybe they were sleeping nearby?
Feathersnow
"Daisho, be ready to Confuse Ray whatever is coming!"  Unless it was a normal type, that was probably a safe bet...
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

You send out Croaky!

Croaky looks to you for orders while the rest of the Pokémon do battle.

Whirlywhirly uses Defense Curl!
Whirlywhirly’s Defense rises!

Wispaferyn A uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of all allied Pokémon falls!

Wispaferyn B uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of all allied Pokémon falls!

Biscooti uses Water Spike!
Attack missed Wispaferyn A!

Anorith uses Water Gun!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn B is hit for 8 damage!

Machoke uses Submission!
It’s not very effective…
Whirlywhirly is hit for 6 damage!
Machoke takes 1 recoil damage!


Whirlywhirly: 47/90 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)
Croaky: 75/75 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 63/63 (Accuracy down 4 levels)

 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 95/130
Wispaferyn B: 88/96
Machoke: 102/103

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina just manages to get a Spectral Ball out and throw it to Mark before the jeep barrels out of range. ((-1 Spectral Ball Mina, 1 remaining. +1 Spectral Ball Mark, 2 total.)) Pidgey and Connie catch up with the jeep in short order and the main group drives south, towards the ruckus Buck had made.

----------------

Mark:

Tattersail appears, and to the uninitiated observer it looks like an entire entourage of Gardevoir have materialized out of thin air. Sengar and Marick buff themselves before you and your Pokémon set out to search, but it ends up being Tattersail who finally finds it when the hyper-aggressive Shadow Pokémon leaps from its hiding spot – a particularly dense bush – to collide with one of her duplicates.

The Pokédex says it’s a Skorupi.

 


Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)
Fisher: 122/134 (recalled)
Tattersail: 66/98 (Evasion up 6 levels)
Sengar: 109/109 (Attack up 1 level)
Marick: 61/100 (Defense up 2 levels)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Skorupi: 62/62 (  Shadowed: 40%  )

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (sans Mark):

You rumble through the brush and trees as fast as the jeep can manage. The road comes into sight in short order, the Bandra flashlights soon thereafter, a little south of it. Most of them are trained on Buck, who is definitely down for the count, but the group can see a half-a-dozen Wispaferyn floating overhead and a couple burly Machoke. The Grunts are milling around, uncertain.

The speed the jeep is going, coupled with the fact the vehicle is driving directly to Bandra with no attempt to stay in cover means the group doesn’t get much of a jump on them, but Daisho is fast enough to hit one of the Machoke with Confuse Ray anyway.


 Buck: 0/103 
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 62/70 (Defense up 6 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69 (recalled)

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 6 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (recalled)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 6 levels, Special Defense up 6 levels)

 Stunky: 0/81 (  Shadowed: 38%  )  

Wispaferyn A: 83/83
Wispaferyn B: 117/117
Wispaferyn C: 83/83
Wispaferyn D: 83/83
Wispaferyn E: 117/117
Wispaferyn F: 83/83
Machoke A: 91/91 (Confused 1 round)
Machoke B: 91/91
Lord Ruby34
Less's breathing was coming fast and hard as he rocketed the jeep through the undergrowth. He had already lost Georgia, and Emilia was missing. He couldn't lose Buck too. He just couldn't.

When the Bandra group came into view, Less continued driving, approaching fast before slamming on the brakes and throwing the jeep into park. He came out with Buck's battered Pokeball in hand, and immediately recalled his friend. He would find out what happened later, but for now he was simply going to punish the responsible parties.

With flash of light, Leo materialized.

 "Connie, hit them all with Snarl! Princess, Bubblebeam the Pokemon with the most health remaining! Leo, use Faint attack on the most battered Wispaferyn!"  Less yelled his orders quickly, his voice tight with fear and anger.
essCee
 "Croaky, let's power up what we've got! Do a rain dance!"   It's unfortunate those Wisp Pokemon are still smokescreening, but at least this would hurt their fire attacks, too...   "Whirlywhirly, I know it's hard, but try to hit the stronger one with a Rollout!"  It wasn't likely at all to hit multiple times in a row, but Pinklady figured even one shot should be pretty effective... as long as that may take.

(Is the bit about Croaky an indication that I could've given her an attack or is it just flavor? I thought sending em out without it being a switch for a knocked-out 'mon made them wait a turn, so whoops if the former! Can at least be blamed on battle inexperience. 😛 )
Gnomes2169
That... wasn't a pokemon he'd encountered before, despite the traveling he'd done with his military buddies. So Mark scanned it with the pokedex and... Huh. That was it? He looked over the little scorpion pokemon to see if he could spot a tracker while he sent out Fisher and gave a few commands.  "Tar, use peck. Sengar, Howl again and Marick, use Iron Defense. Fisher, use Sing."  Maybe there were more shadowed pokemon out here... or maybe this was it and he would have to book it back to help with Bandra. Either way, it couldn't hurt to have his pokemon buffing themselves up, right?
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Is the bit about Croaky an indication that I could've given her an attack or is it just flavor? 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
The former; it’s not a world-ending thing but for future reference. 🙂
 


Whirlywhirly uses Rollout!
Attack missed Wispaferyn A!

Wispferyn A uses Fire Spin!
Whirlywhirly is hit for 25 damage!

Wispaferyn B uses Will-O-Wisp!
Whirlywhirly is Burned!

Croaky uses Rain Dance!
It begins to rain!

Biscooti uses Water Spike!
Attack missed Wispafern A!

Anorith uses Harden!
Anorith’s Defense rises!

Machoke uses Seismic Toss!
Whirlywhirly is hit for 32 damage!
Whirlywhirly faints!

(Rain: 4 rounds remaining)

 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
Croaky: 75/75 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 63/63 (Accuracy down 4 levels)

 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 95/130
Wispaferyn B: 88/96
Machoke: 102/103

----------------

Mark:

On closer inspection, the tracker appears to be wrapped around the Skorupi’s tail.

You send out Fisher!

Tarr uses Peck!
It’s super effective!
Skorupi is hit for 36 damage!

Jessia and Tattersail surround the Shadow Pokémon with their duplicates, creating the illusion that escape is blocked off.

Sengar uses Howl!
Sengar’s Attack rises!

Fisher uses Sing!
Skorupi falls Asleep!

Skorupi sleeps!

Marick uses Iron Defense!
Marick’s Defense rises sharply!

Skorupi’s Shadow Gauge falls 2%!


Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)
Fisher: 122/134
Tattersail: 66/98 (Evasion up 6 levels)
Sengar: 109/109 (Attack up 2 levels)
Marick: 61/100 (Defense up 4 levels)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

Skorupi: 26/62 (  Shadowed: 38%  , Asleep 1 round)

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (sans Mark):

((Waiting on Feathersnow.))
essCee
 "Oh no! Whirlywhirly!"  Pinklady quickly recalls her knocked-out companion. That Machoke was going to be a problem even with rain... it's a bit desperate and might backfire, but, scrambling for options, she sends out the two remaining Pokémon she was familiar with - Leapsy and Bigbug.  "Alright! Croaky, let's extinguish that fire even more! Use Water Sport!"  Pinklady glances between the stronger Wispaferyn and the Machoke for a moment, then goes with her gut so she doesn't lose out on another opportunity to attack.  "Leapsy, put that -"  - she points at Wispaferyn A - "- one to sleep! Bigbug, use Gust on the Machoke!" 
Gnomes2169
... Well. Huh. This really was just going to be easy, wasn't it? For a moment, Mark considered just using one of his normal pokeballs to try and catch this Skorupi, -it didn't exactly exude all that much power and it was asleep at the moment,- but he decided against that and used a spectral ball instead. His friends and allies were fighting, and he didn't want to delay any possible help he could give to them just because he was being frugal. No kill like overkill, apparently...  "Marick, one more Iron Defense bud. Sengar, another howl."  That should get his team pretty close to fully powered up, so if Fisher needed to use Mist again it wouldn't neuter his own team's effectiveness.
Feathersnow
"Daisho! Use Air Cutter on the Machoke and the toughest Wispaferyns. Ronin! Use Snarl on as many of the others as you can hit!"
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters (sans Mark):

Mina watched the radar as they drove; the blip closest to Ternai vanished, briefly, but then reappeared – she supposed it could have been a graphical glitch or technical issue, and in any case they were going the wrong way to do anything about it regardless, but it made her uneasy.

But then the Bandra patrol – patrol s  – came into sight and she had other things to worry about. She had been holding her Pokémon back for the most part since they didn’t seem to be needed, and she didn’t want any of them to get left behind if they had to drive off in a hurry, but with Mark absent and the attrition in the rest of the group she decided now was a good time to send everybody out.

“ Pidgey, wait for Connie and Ronin and then Gust whatever’s still standing and least injured! Oodramer, Pikachu, same, but with Bubblebeam and Thundershock! ” For once there weren’t copious numbers of Ground Pokémon on the field! “ Houndoom, intercept any Fire moves! Cosmas, Pursuit anything that tries to flee! ” Well, okay, everybody but Natu – she still wanted their emergency escape route conscious, especially since Tattersail wasn’t here.

Less sends out Leo!

Mina sends out Oodramer, Pikachu, and Houndoom!

Daisho uses Air Cutter!
It’s super effective!
Machoke A is hit for 53 damage!
It’s super effective!
Machoke B is hit for 56 damage!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn B is hit for 44 damage!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn E is hit for 48 damage!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 46 damage!

Connie uses Snarl!
Critical hit!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 170 damage!
Wispaferyn A faints!
Wispaferyn B is hit for 194 damage!
Wispaferyn B faints!
Wispaferyn C is hit for 170 damage!
Wispaferyn C faints!
Wispaferyn D is hit for 179 damage!
Wispaferyn D faints!
Wispaferyn E is hit for 179 damage!
Wispaferyn E faints!
Wispaferyn F is hit for 196 damage
Wispaferyn F faints!
Critical hit!
It’s not very effective…
Machoke A is hit for 230 damage!
Machoke A faints!
It’s not very effective…
Machoke B is hit for 121 damage!
Machoke B faints!

  I guess I didn’t need to send out any more Pokémon after all.  

Connie mowed the opposing Pokémon down effortlessly. The Grunts stared in shock at their newly-unconscious Pokémon - at least the faces that had enough illumination to make out their expressions. One turned to bolt, only to be taken down by Mina’s Cosmas. This seemed to jar the rest into calling out replacements, but there was a definite edge of desperation to the commands they called out.

Bandra forces call out Magneton A and B, Sandslash A-D, and Graveler A and B!

 Buck: 0/103 
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 62/70 (Defense up 6 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (Defense down 2 levels)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 6 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56 (recalled)

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88
Pikachu: 45/59
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 6 levels, Special Defense up 6 levels)

 Stunky: 0/81 (  Shadowed: 38%  )  
 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn B: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn D: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn F: 0/83 
 Machoke A: 0/91 
 Machoke B: 0/91 
Magneton A: 79/79
Magneton B: 79/79
Sandslash A: 114/114
Sandslash B: 80/80
Sandslash C: 114/114
Sandslash D: 80/80
Graveler A: 70/70
Graveler B: 70/70

----------------

Pinklady:

Wispferyn A uses Silver Wind!
Leapsy is hit for 49 damage!

Leapsy uses Sleep Powder!
Wispaferyn A sleeps!

Wispaferyn B uses Will-O-Wisp!
Attack misses Biscooti!

Croaky uses Water Sport!
Fire’s power was weakened!

Biscooti uses Water Spike!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 51 damage!

Bigbug uses Gust!
It’s super effective!
Machoke is hit for 18 damage!

Anorith uses Water Gun!
It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn A is hit for 12 damage!
Wispaferyn A uses held Chahal Berry to restore 26 HP!

Machoke uses Seismic Toss!
Bigbug is hit for 32 damage!


(Rain: 3 rounds remaining.
Water Sport in effect.)

 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
Croaky: 75/75 (Accuracy down 2 levels)
Leapsy: 23/72
Bigbug: 40/72

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 63/63 (Accuracy down 4 levels)

 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 58/130 (Asleep 1 round)
Wispaferyn B: 88/96
Machoke: 84/103

“I got it!” Stef somewhat anxiously extracts another Super Potion and moves to apply it to Leapsy. Meanwhile the sleeping Wispaferyn is recalled, to be replaced with a Sandslash. ((Sandslash: 102/102 - and no move for Sandslash this round since that was a switch.))

----------------

Mark:

You use a Spectral Ball! ((-1 Spectral Ball, 1 remaining.))

Shake…shake…shake… DING! 
 
 Spoiler: Skorupi 

Pokémon: Skorupi (Shadowed 38%)
Type: Poison/Bug
Ability: Battle Armor
Gender: Male
Level: 25
Held Item: None
Stats—
HP: 62
Attack: 37
Def: 57
Sp. Attack: 27
Sp. Def: 40
Speed: 45
Moves:
Bite
Poison Sting
Leer
Pin Missile
Acupressure
Knock Off
 

((Marick +2 levels of Defense, Sengar +1 level of Attack.))

And the Pokédex is doing its usual do-you-want-to-give-a-nickname spiel…

…when what looks like a flock of flying  something  slams into Tattersail and all her duplicates.

Desparat uses Crunch!
It’s super effective!
Tattersail is hit for  655  damage!
Tattersail faints!

She goes flying into a tree and slides to the ground. You are momentarily swamped by the mental backlash; you can feel bones breaking, and probably would have heard them too if not for the psychic fallout taking up most of your attention.

But once your vision clears – you  still  can’t make out much except that her attacker has wings, what with it being dark. The Pokédex has a picture however: dark red, bat-like demon wings, a lizard-like snout and spines on its back like a porcupine or hedgehog.

 
 Spoiler: Desparat 

 
 The eternal archenemies of Angerazms, Desparats have long sewn despair in the hearts of humans and Pokémon alike. It feeds off the darkness in human souls. 
 


Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)
Fisher: 122/134
 Tattersail: 0/98 
Sengar: 109/109 (Attack up 3 levels)
Marick: 61/100 (Defense up 6 levels)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

 Skorupi: 26/62 (  Shadowed: 38%  , Asleep 1 round)  – caught!

Desparat: 143/143 (Attack up 6 levels, Accuracy up 6 levels, Evasion up 6 levels)
Lord Ruby34
 "Excellent showing, Connie! Give them another Snarl!"  Less ordered, his mood turning upwards. If they could take this group down, Mark and Tattersail could probably take these goons back to the Pokemon center for arrest as well. That might start to be a real inconvenience to Bandra. Still, he was slightly worried about the electric types. Still, most of their Pokemon should be faster than the slow steel types. They might not be able to act before being taken down . . . still he didn't want to risk Connie taking any hits from electric moves. Their advantage was more tenuous than it appeared.  "Leo, interecept for Connie. Princess, hit the weakest target still standing with your Bubblebeam!" 
Feathersnow
"Ronin! Another Snarl!  Prioritize whoever Connie doesn't hit!"

Akio uses the same move, it being so effective!


"Daisho, get out of there!"

"Akitsu, I choose you!"

Akio swaps out his Crobat for Trapinch!
Gnomes2169
Oh, joy, broken bones. What a horrifyingly familiar and agonizing variety of pain to be feeling again. Staggering as he looked at his pokedex on this attacker, specifically looking for any markers on it being owned by a trainer, a few things clicked into place through the pain. This wasn't a shadowed pokemon. This pokemon was buffed up, like his were. It must have used Double Team and Hone Claws to get that buff loadout. Someone would only use those moves if they expected to fight, and with that thing's hit points and target selection... This pokemon was probably from an officer or a taskmaster, either sent here to attack anyone who went for the Skorupi or as the vanguard for the trainer themselves.

Regardless, there was no way his team was going to be able to take this pokemon out with its evasiveness and attack so high. His team wasn't going to be able to  hit  the thing, and it would blow through pretty much everyone except for Marick and Tarr. But he  could  try...  "Marick, use Roar."  If this pokemon was owned by a trainer, that should force it back into its ball. If this was just some random wild and insanely buffed pokemon, then that would just drive it away long enough for Mark and his team to  run.  Either way, it would always hit... if his steel type was still standing. To that end, Mark applied one of his Super Potions to Marick and thought about the hostile pokemon's most likely next target.  "Jessia, use Protection."  One of his strongest pokemon would be injured and need time to recover, he didn't need another one to get utterly destroyed by a super effective bite that couldn't miss.

Stumbling to the side of his fallen psychic type, Mark pulled out his last revive and commanded,  "Tarr, intercept any attacks from that thing targeting me or Tattersail."  Then he applied the medicine to his bonded partner. Injured though she might be a teleport from the gardevoir was the best option for him to get out of here before whoever owned that Desarat showed up to kick the  rest  of his team's asses into the stone age. Fisher and Sengar he would leave to their own devices this time, there was too much pain and things he needed to  urgently  get done for him to worry about commanding them just yet.
essCee
 "Thanks again, Stef, I owe you!"  The Sandslash could be a problem... a couple members of her team were somewhat vulnerable to it.  "Leapsy, put that Sandslash to sleep, too! Croaky, try to put the remaining Wispaferyn to sleep with Hypnosis! Bigbug, follow up on the Machoke with a Psybeam!"  Good thing the attacker that did such a heavy blow to Leapsy was somewhat out of commission now, and that Leapsy was about to be healed back up... hopefully some more opposing Pokémon can be disabled before they take down anyone more.
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters (sans Mark):

Mina called for Houndoom to Ember the nearest Magneton ((A)), Oodramer to Bubblebeam anything left standing and for the rest of her Pokémon out to stop any other Grunts that tried to flee.

Akio recalls Daisho!
Akio sends out Akitsu!

Houndoom uses Ember!
It’s super effective!
Magneton A is hit for 49 damage!
Magneton A is Burned!

Connie uses Snarl!
It’s not very effective…
Magneton A is hit for 101 damage!
Magneton A faints!
It’s not very effective…
Magneton B is hit for 92 damage!
Magneton B held on with 1 HP due to Ability Sturdy!
Magneton B’s Special Attack falls!
Sandslash A is hit for 203 damage!
Sandslash A faints!
Sandslash B is hit for 248 damage!
Sandslash B faints!
Sandslash C is hit for 174 damage!
Sandslash C faints!
Sandslash D is hit for 266 damage!
Sandslash D faints!
Critical hit
Graveler A is hit for 568 damage!
Graveler A held on with 1 HP due to Ability Sturdy!
Graveler A’s Special Attack falls!
Critical hit!
Graveler B is hit for 644 damage!
Graveler B faints!

Ronin finished off the last two Grunt Pokémon ((with  another  crit on Graveler A)) before the next wave was sent out. A roar sounded from the north, but while one or two of them flinched this time none of the Grunts tried to flee.

Bandra forces call out Graveler C - F and Primeape A – D!

 Buck: 0/103 
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 62/70 (Defense up 6 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (recalled)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 6 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88
Pikachu: 45/59
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 6 levels, Special Defense up 6 levels)

 Stunky: 0/81 (  Shadowed: 38%  )  
 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn B: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn D: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn F: 0/83 
 Machoke A: 0/91 
 Machoke B: 0/91 
 Magneton A: 0/79 
 Magneton B: 0/79 
 Sandslash A: 0/114 
 Sandslash B: 0/80 
 Sandslash C: 0/114 
 Sandslash D: 0/80 
 Graveler A: 0/70  (critical injury)
 Graveler B: 0/70 
Graveler C: 70/70
Graveler D: 104/104
Graveler E: 104/104
Graveler F: 104/104
Primeape A: 83/83
Primeape B: 83/83
Primeape C: 83/83
Primeape D: 83/83

----------------

Mark:

The Pokémon does indeed register as being owned, and has Poffin boosts to boot.

You use a Super Potion! ((-1 Super Potion, 2 remaining.))
Marick regains 39 HP!

You use a Revive! ((-1 Revive, 0 remaining))
Tattersail was revived with 49 HP!

&lt; M-m-mark? &gt; Tattersail’s telepathy is jittery and indistinct; you can tell she can’t remember how she got this way but that she’s in a lot of pain. Major movement is accompanied by a stream of agony down her spine, and breathing hurts a  lot . The readout from the Pokédex is less personal but still quite bad ((-30% Defense in stat damage, Speed down 1 level)).

Jessia uses Protect!
Jessia is protecting herself!

Desparat uses Crunch!
Jessia is protecting herself!

The flying demon porcupine scrapes its long jaws against Jessia’s shield of energy, then smacks it with its claws in frustration.

Marick uses Roar!

Your Lairon unleashes a great deal of noise, but the Pokémon he aimed at turns out to be one of the many duplicates.

Attack missed!

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Sorry Gnomes, but the accuracy bypass doesn’t come into play until Gen VI!
 


Tarr: 88/88 (Speed up 6 levels)
Fisher: 122/134
Tattersail: 49/98 (Speed down 1 level from injuries, Defense down 30% from injuries)
Sengar: 109/109 (Attack up 3 levels)
Marick: 100/100 (Defense up 6 levels)
Jessia: 62/99 (Evasion up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)

 Skorupi: 26/62 (  Shadowed: 38%  , Asleep 1 round)  – caught!

Desparat: 143/143 (Attack up 6 levels, Accuracy up 6 levels, Evasion up 6 levels)

----------------

Pinklady:

((Question for you in the OoC.))
Lord Ruby34
The massive Power of Connie and Ronin's snarl's the Bandra goons were falling like wheat before the scythe. Princess was practically pouting. Clearly, she had wanted to hit something.
 
"They can't stop you Connie, keep it up! Another Snarl! Leo, intercept for Connie, Princess, use your Bubblebeam on the enemy Pokemon with the most remaining health!"  Less ordered. Hopefully, this was their last batch of Pokemon, and they could get that last shadow Pokemon and get out. This whole adventure had involved more fighting than Less had realized it would.

Just how many grunts did Bandra have?

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

KI, I think you missed that Connie critically hit both Gravlers last round (Super Luck), not that it has much of an effect when they were already being hit for 300+ damage each.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Bulbapedia's "Move at a glance" summary  lied  to me. 😩 It did say there were different versions, but the only difference I noticed between gen 1-5 was the addition of a "Stronger pokemon might not run" formula, just thought gen 6 made that more complicated because  oh my god  that gen 6 formula is some kind of intro to trigonometry level of math. Didn't see gen 6 is where they removed the accuracy component too because my eyes glazed over.

Also; I STILL ONLY MISSED BY 1, ARGH! 😡
 


Yup, that settled it. With that thing still attacking constantly and no  good  way to deal with it, Mark wasn't going to stick around and try to fight this one out. There were three flashes of red light as he recalls Sengar, Jessia and Fisher and calls to his steel types,  "'Sail, read my mind. Marick, Tarr, come to me! Marick, lay down in front of me, with your tail touching Tattersail's legs. Tarr, land on top of him and cover me and 'Sail with your wings."  Making sure to touch his foot against Marick's leg as well, to form another point of contact with the impromptu wall of steel types, he adds,  "Block any attacks coming at us, guys."  It might not be necessary to say that, but Mark might be freaking out a little bit here.

As he spoke, he crouched down to make sure that his blocking pokemon would be able to cover him fully and mentally responded to Tattersail. First, he told her, &lt;  A Bandra officer's pokemon found us and hit you, hard. You're hurt, and we are leaving. Teleport all of us back to the pokemon center once Marick and Tarr are in contact.  &gt; She wasn't strong enough to teleport people and pokemon remotely yet, which is why Mark was being so careful to make sure that his steel types were in contact with him, Tattersail and each other. He slipped his robotic arm around her shoulders and the back of her neck, doing his best to give her head and torso firm support so that she wouldn't collapse the moment the tree she'd been thrown against wasn't there to hold her up. He also tried not to squeeze too much. It felt like she had broken ribs and a damaged spine, he didn't want to jiggle or compress her down more than necessary, but he also didn't want her to flop over and get  more  injured by the fall. His organic hand found one of hers and gently squeezed.

The second thing he sent her telepathically was a technique to think and function through pain that he'd used back when he was still in the hospital: Finding the edges of the pain, the parts of her that were actually injured, so that she could know what  actually  hurt and build mental walls around it from the parts that were fine. It didn't stop the pain at all, but it had been better than feeling like every single part of him was dying back then, and he hoped it would help her just a little bit now.
Feathersnow
"Akitsu, bite the weakest Graveler!  Ronin! Snarl at whoever has the most health!"

They were dealing with type advantage.   Akio considered sending Daisho back out to deal with the Primeapes, but decided against it.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef uses Super Potion!
Leapsy regains 49 HP! ((Back to full!))

Leapsy uses Sleep Powder!
Sandslash falls Asleep!

The Sandslash, still getting its bearings after being called out, topples over and starts to snore softly.

Wispaferyn B uses Silver Wind!
Leapsy is hit for 41 damage!

Croaky uses Hypnosis!
Wispaferyn B falls Asleep!

Biscooti uses Water Spike!
Despite the smoke in its many eyes, Crest’s Pokémon manages to land a very solid hit.

It’s super effective!
Wispaferyn B is hit for 48 damage!

The Sandslash sleeps, sucking on a claw while the battle rages around it.

Bigbug uses Psybeam!
Critical hit!
It’s super effective!
Machoke uses held Payapa Berry to halve the damage!
Machoke is hit for 30 damage!

Machoke uses Seismic Toss!
Bigbug is hit for 32 damage!

Stef pulls out another Super Potion and runs to apply it to Bigbug this time. ((This is for next round.)) There is some swearing on the Grunt’s side and the Wispaferyn and the Sandslash are both recalled, to be replaced with a pair of Magneton.

(Rain: 2 rounds remaining.
Water Sport in effect.)

 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
Croaky: 75/75 (Accuracy down 2 levels)
Leapsy: 31/72
Bigbug: 8/72

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 32/63 (Accuracy down 4 levels)

 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 58/130 (Asleep 2 rounds, recalled)
Wispaferyn B: 40/96 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Machoke: 54/103
Sandslash: 102/102 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Magneton A: 79/79
Magneton B: 113/113

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (sans Mark):

Mina wasn’t sure if there was even a point in having her Pokémon attack, so she figured they might as well buff. “ Pidgey, wait until after the Snarls and then hit whatever’s left with Twister! Oodramer, Veneer! Pikachu, Double Team! Houndoom, Odor Sleuth! ” She really needed a meaningfully buff move for her dog. “ Cosmas, Pursuit anything that tries to flee! ”

The Primeapes stood protectively in front of the Gravelers, blocking the first round of Snarl. Even with the type resistance, they all fell to a single blow.

Then Ronin blasted the previously-sheltered Gravelers. Two of those held on with Sturdy, but Pidgey finished them off. ((Evasion up 1 level for Oodramer and Pikachu, Odor Sleuth in effect for Houndoom.)) Still the Grunts didn’t flee, although that might have been due to seeing their fellow knocked to the ground previously.

Mina frowned.   What are they doing?   Grunts didn’t usually have this level of coordination. “ Something’s up. ”

Bandra forces send out Twiggin A – F, Machop, Magnemite, and Geodude!


 Buck: 0/103 
Connie: 105/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 62/70 (Defense up 6 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 69/69

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (recalled)
Ronin: 73/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 6 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56

Pidgey: 66/76 (Speed up 6 levels, Defense down 2 levels)
Oodramer: 62/88 (Evasion up 1 level)
Pikachu: 45/59 (Evasion up 1 level)
Natu: 73/73 (recalled)
Houndoom: 96/100 (Odor Sleuth)
Cosmas: 62/66 (Defense up 6 levels, Special Defense up 6 levels)

 Stunky: 0/81 (  Shadowed: 38%  )  
 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn B: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn D: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn F: 0/83 
 Machoke A: 0/91 
 Machoke B: 0/91 
 Magneton A: 0/79 
 Magneton B: 0/79 
 Sandslash A: 0/114 
 Sandslash B: 0/80 
 Sandslash C: 0/114 
 Sandslash D: 0/80 
 Graveler A: 0/70  (critical injury)
 Graveler B: 0/70 
 Graveler C: 0/70 
 Graveler D: 0/104 
 Graveler E: 0/104 
 Graveler F: 0/104 
 Primeape A: 0/83 
 Primeape B: 0/83 
 Primeape C: 0/83 
 Primeape D: 0/83 
Twiggin A: 85/85
Twiggin B: 85/85
Twiggin C: 85/85
Twiggin D: 119/119
Twiggin E: 85/85
Twiggin F: 119/119
Machop: 83/83
Magnemite: 62/62
Geodude: 94/94

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  &lt;  A Bandra officer's pokemon found us and hit you, hard. You're hurt, and we are leaving. Teleport all of us back to the pokemon center once Marick and Tarr are in contact.  &gt; 
 

&lt; I-I’ll…try… &gt;


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 The second thing he sent her telepathically was a technique to think and function through pain that he'd used back when he was still in the hospital: Finding the edges of the pain, the parts of her that were actually injured, so that she could know what  actually  hurt and build mental walls around it from the parts that were fine. It didn't stop the pain at all, but it had been better than feeling like every single part of him was dying back then, and he hoped it would help her just a little bit now. 
 

The mental exercises seem to help, very slightly.

Meanwhile the Steel types scramble to you as fast as they can, and with the Speed boosts that means Tarr is the one to get between Tattersail and the demon porcupine first.

Desparat uses Crunch!
It’s not very effective…
Tarr is hit for 96 damage!
Tarr holds on with 1 HP due to Ability Sturdy!
Tarr uses held Sitrus Berry to restore 30 HP!

As a result Tarr slams ungracefully into the ground a few feet away. He flops awkwardly the last few feet, but he makes it.

Marick closes in while the flock of Desperat copies wheels around for another attack. To the east you can make out something approaching at high speed, and as it gets closer you can tell it’s a Wythir, like Matt has, but stronger. Something is on it’s back – revealed to be a some one  as a Pokéball release light briefly illuminates the field – you can make out a Taskmaster vest as the light starts to form into something about a foot shorter than Tattersail –

– Then Marick makes it to you and you can feel Tattersail sigh and suddenly your eyes have to adjust to the light, as you find yourself in the Pokémon Center lobby. A number of Grunts – some of whom are conscious now, all of whom are strapped to gurneys – are lined up against the wall, while a pair of Rangers (neither of whom is Wain) appear to be discussing something with the Nurse Joy. A clipboard is involved, and it falls to the floor as the three of them jump back, surprised.

“My goodness!” exclaims the nurse.


Tarr: 31/88 (Speed up 6 levels)
Fisher: 122/134 (recalled)
Tattersail: 49/98 (Speed down 1 level from injuries, Defense down 30% from injuries)
Sengar: 109/109 (recalled)
Marick: 100/100 (Defense up 6 levels)
Jessia: 62/99 (recalled)

 Skorupi: 26/62 (  Shadowed: 38%  , Asleep 1 round)  – caught!

 Desparat: 143/143 (Attack up 6 levels, Accuracy up 6 levels, Evasion up 6 levels)  – out of range
essCee
 "Thanks again! Bigbug, follow up with another Psybeam, you're doing great! "  The new switch-ins were concerning... they were pretty effective against both Leapsy and Croaky, and, seeing how often that unfamiliar Pokémon on her side was using a water attack, probably good against them too... looks like it was time to take a risk again!  "Leapsy, Croaky, both of you try putting the stronger-looking Magnemite to sleep!"  (Magnemite B). It felt bad that the remaining Magnemite might take down one of them, but she didn't want to push her luck too far and rely on just one of them to stop a dangerous opponent.
Lord Ruby34
Machops and Geodudes. That was odd, several of them had previously sent out Machokes and Gravelers. They must be running low on Pokemon.  "These look like they might be their last, Connie. One more Snarl! Leo keep ready to intercept for her. Princess, Bubblebeam any of them left standing. If there's a moment without an enemy Pokemon out, hit one of the grunts instead!"  Less ordered.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina frowned.   What are they doing?   Grunts didn’t usually have this level of coordination. “ Something’s up. ” 
 

 "What do you --"  They had taken a purely defensive approach last round despite that giving them no chance of winning a long fight, and they hadn't run despite not having had a Pokemon successfully even use a move yet.  "They're stalling for something."  Less said, realizing as he spoke. But what?

 "Mina, call Mark,"  Less said.  "Let them know that Bandra's trying to keep us here. We might need his help sooner than we think."   There could be a horde of goons bearing down on this position, or perhaps something stronger, but they couldn't easily disengage with the Bandra grunts still having Pokemon available to hit them from behind if they ran. They needed to finish this and regroup.
Gnomes2169
Barely seeing the oncoming taskmaster through the steel curtain of Tarr's wingtips, Mark's anxieties became  slightly  less tense, it wasn't an officer after all... but he still almost broke down from relief when all that vanished and the soft light of the pokemon center stabbed into his eyes. Immediately recalling Tattersail so that she didn't need to lay on the lobby floor in pain, a soot-covered, sweaty and anxiety-ridden Mark popped up out of Tarr's protective shroud.  "Thanks guys, we're safe now. Relax."  He muttered to his steel types, before immediately marching over to nurse Joy.

 "Tattersail is hurt and needs your help as soon as you can get it."  He told her while handing the nurse that ball with his robotic limb. His voice was tinted with continued feedback from that pain through their psychic connection, and he wasn't devoting much mental effort to try to hide it.  "Her chest and spine are where it's worst, a taskmaster's Desparat hit her,  hard,  and threw her into a tree."  Turning to the rangers Mark said,  "I'll answer your questions as soon as I can, I need to warn my friends first."  Even while he was saying that, he had his pokedex out and was scrolling to his most recent contacts, which consisted of... Mina. Pretty much just Mina, only those calls with Matt and Wain to break up his calls to her. Maybe he should take the time to call his other Helnith contacts...

He didn't think about that as he selected Mina's name and called her. Stepping away from the rangers to pace as he waited for her to pick up, the moment he managed to get a hold of her he quickly said,  "Mina, you need to get out of there, now. Bandra left the shadowed pokemon as a trap, a taskmaster just attacked me and Tattersail is hurt. Bad."  His voice had been colored by the pain earlier, and now there was a note of the growing concern he had for his psychic type now that they were out of the immediate line of fire.  "He has some demon hedgehog thing called a Desparat waiting in the trees, with fully buffed attack, accuracy, evasion... he was ready for us, and he's flying around on a Whythir. I think he was sending out a pokemon to keep me from running away when Tattersail teleported us back, but I couldn't get a good look at it."  Mark hadn't even thought about scanning that third pokemon until just now, but it was probably for the best since it likely had Shadow Tag or something like that to prevent escape.  "He'll be coming for you since I got away, so you  need to go  or be ready for a fight like we had at the Shrine of Light." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef uses a Super Potion!
Bigbug regains 50 HP! ((58 total))

Leapsy uses Sleep Powder!
Magneton B falls Asleep!

Croaky uses Hypnosis!
Magneton B is already asleep!

Biscooti uses Water Spike!
Machoke is hit for 31 damage!

Both Electric types are orienting themselves on the battlefield.

Bigbug uses Psybeam!
It’s super effective!
Machoke is hit for 28 damage!
Machoke faints!

Bandra forces recall Magnemite B!
Bandra forces send out Twiggin A and B!

Stef runs towards Leapsy with another Super Potion.

(Rain: 1 round remaining.
Water Sport in effect.)

 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
Croaky: 75/75 (Accuracy down 2 levels)
Leapsy: 31/72
Bigbug: 58/72

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 32/63 (Accuracy down 4 levels)

 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 58/130 (Asleep 2 rounds, recalled)
Wispaferyn B: 40/96 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
 Machoke: 0/103 
Sandslash: 102/102 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Magneton A: 79/79
Magneton B: 113/113 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Twiggin A: 99/99
Twiggin B: 99/99

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (sans Mark):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Mina, call Mark,"  Less said.  "Let them know that Bandra's trying to keep us here. We might need his help sooner than we think."   
 

Mina was just getting her Pokédex out to do that when it rang in her hand.

She frowned at it and accepted the call. “ Mark? We’re— ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina, you need to get out of there, now. Bandra left the shadowed pokemon as a trap, a taskmaster just attacked me and Tattersail is hurt. Bad."  His voice had been colored by the pain earlier, and now there was a note of the growing concern he had for his psychic type now that they were out of the immediate line of fire.  "He has some demon hedgehog thing called a Desparat waiting in the trees, with fully buffed attack, accuracy, evasion... he was ready for us, and he's flying around on a Whythir. I think he was sending out a pokemon to keep me from running away when Tattersail teleported us back, but I couldn't get a good look at it."  Mark hadn't even thought about scanning that third pokemon until just now, but it was probably for the best since it likely had Shadow Tag or something like that to prevent escape.  "He'll be coming for you since I got away, so you  need to go  or be ready for a fight like we had at the Shrine of Light."  
 

Mina wasn’t sure how well Less and Akio could hear that, so she repeated the relevant bits aloud. “ Mark says there’s a Taskmaster coming with a buffed up Desparat and a Wythir and at least one other Pokémon. He says Tattersail is hurt and we need to leave now. Natu can only take two at a time, ” she added. Another level or two and he’d probably be able to manage three, but they weren’t there yet. The brush and trees were thick enough here Mina did  not  give them good odds of just driving away before the Taskmaster arrived – not when at least one of said Taskmaster’s Pokémon could fly. And they still had the unconscious Stunky  and  the knocked out Grunt to deal with. Between the two Mina would rather leave the Grunt, but the Stunky was a Dark type and she’d overwritten Miracle Eye because she was apparently an  idiot …

  Wait a minute, I have Revives!  

She’d burned BP for them at Trainer Hill. She’d intended to save them for emergencies, but an incoming Taskmaster definitely counted!

She started digging into her pack to retrieve one. “ Who wants the Stunky? Get a Spectral Ball ready. ” She’d take it herself if no one else volunteered, she just wasn’t sure what she’d do with it.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
And bear in mind you don’t have unlimited time to discuss any of this.  
 


----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Thanks guys, we're safe now. Relax."  
 

Both Steel types slump to the floor. Tarr in particular looks exhausted.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Tattersail is hurt and needs your help as soon as you can get it."  He told her while handing the nurse that ball with his robotic limb. His voice was tinted with continued feedback from that pain through their psychic connection, and he wasn't devoting much mental effort to try to hide it.  "Her chest and spine are where it's worst, a taskmaster's Desparat hit her,  hard,  and threw her into a tree."  
 

“Oh my! I’ll start her treatment right away!” The nurse plucks Tattersail’s ball out of your hand immediately and vanishes into the back with it.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Turning to the rangers Mark said,  "I'll answer your questions as soon as I can, I need to warn my friends first."  
 

The two Rangers look at each other, shrug, and one of them picks up the clipboard to page through it.

Mina picks up almost as soon as you dial. “  Mark? We’re—  ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina, you need to get out of there, now. Bandra left the shadowed pokemon as a trap, a taskmaster just attacked me and Tattersail is hurt. Bad."  His voice had been colored by the pain earlier, and now there was a note of the growing concern he had for his psychic type now that they were out of the immediate line of fire.  "He has some demon hedgehog thing called a Desparat waiting in the trees, with fully buffed attack, accuracy, evasion... he was ready for us, and he's flying around on a Whythir. I think he was sending out a pokemon to keep me from running away when Tattersail teleported us back, but I couldn't get a good look at it."  Mark hadn't even thought about scanning that third pokemon until just now, but it was probably for the best since it likely had Shadow Tag or something like that to prevent escape.  "He'll be coming for you since I got away, so you  need to go  or be ready for a fight like we had at the Shrine of Light."  
 

You can faintly hear Mina relay this to the rest of the group, finishing with, “  Natu can only take two at a time.  ” There’s sounds of fabric rustling and Pokémon fighting in the background. Quite a lot of Pokémon fighting in the background. “  Who wants the Stunky? Get a Spectral Ball ready.  ”
essCee
 "Great work, everyone!"   Things are looking much better... but when will their forces end!   "Leapsy, Croaky, do that again with the remaining Magnemite! Bigbug, hit that-"  She points at Twiggins A.  "- with a Gust!"  Pinklady nearly asks her teammates if they have anything more to switch to, now that it looked like pressing the offense wasn't as necessary anymore... but she catches herself as she looks at Stef, thinking about how she and he were cautious with their names earlier in the day. If they were to answer, the grunts might be able to get an advantage from knowing it... she just had to trust that her co-combatants knew what they were doing. That was easy, at least!
Feathersnow
Akio says "I'll take the Stunky if no one objects.  I always wanted a dark type..."

They were running!  This wasn't good .
Gnomes2169
When she brought up Natu's limitations on targets, warning bells rang in Mark's head. Shouting a bit in order to make sure he was heard over combat and his allies, Mark said,  "Mina! Natu won't be able to reach the pokemon center in one teleport,"  It had been at the edge of Tattersail's teleportation range and Natu wasn't nearly as strong as his psychic type.  "You'll need to use multiple trips to get everyone out anyway, so buy yourselves some more time by teleporting back along the path we took to get there first. The taskmaster will be coming for the jeep, if you aren't there when he arrives then he has to find you before he's a real threat. Teleport yourself and the grunt first, then send natu back to grab Less and Akio. If the taskmaster reaches the jeep before everyone can get out, Connie and Ronin will have the best shot of fighting him and winning. Actually... one second. I'm calling Less. I'll keep in contact with him and make sure it's safe for natu to come back." 

With that, Mark found his phone and used it to call Less. It was an advantage of having multiple communication devices on one person that they hadn't had to use before, but Mark was happy to leverage it now.
Lord Ruby34
Blast. Less hated the idea of running and leaving the jeep, but there wasn't much to do for it. Without Mark there and with Buck already down he didn't particularly want to try fighting a Bandra lieutenant that had already forced Mark to run once.
 
"My Pokemon and I will handle the goons then. Mina, Akio, grab as much as you can from the back of the jeep, and then empty the gas in the canister over the back after you get that Stunky in a ball. With luck we can leave them a nasty surprise."  Luckily, he was only a few steps from the driver's door of the running vehicle, and Bandra was out of fire types. If only they had something heavy . . . Less grabbed his cane from where it was lying next to the driver's seat, just to make sure he didn't lose it.

Less took a half second to look around for a heavy rock while he answered the Pokedex.  "Mark." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef uses a Super Potion!
Leapsy regains 41 HP! ((Full health))

Leapsy uses Sleep Powder!
Attack missed Magneton A!

Twiggin A is still looking around, but Twiggin B is ready to leap into battle with all four hooves and starts to hum a tune.

Twiggin B uses Grasswhistle!
Attack missed Leapsy!

Croaky uses Hypnosis!
Magneton A falls Asleep!

Biscooti uses Water Spike!
Attack missed Magneton A!

Magneton A wakes up! ((🤢))
Magneton A uses Thundershock!
It’s super effective!
Croaky is hit for 82 damage!
Croaky faints!

Bigbug uses Gust!
It’s super effective!
Twiggin A is hit for 20 damage!

The rain slows and finally stops.


 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
 Croaky: 0/75 
Leapsy: 72/72
Bigbug: 58/72

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 54/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
Biscooti: 32/63 (Accuracy down 4 levels)

 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 58/130 (Asleep 2 rounds, recalled)
Wispaferyn B: 40/96 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
 Machoke: 0/103 
Sandslash: 102/102 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Magneton A: 79/79
Magneton B: 113/113 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Twiggin A: 79/99
Twiggin B: 99/99

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (sans Mark):


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "I'll take the Stunky if no one objects.  I always wanted a dark type..." 
 

And Mina had found a Revive. “ All yours then! ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina! Natu won't be able to reach the pokemon center in one teleport,"  
 

“ I know! ” Mina replied. He acted like she’d never had Natu chain Teleports before! “ We don’t  need  to get to the Center, just away from  here!  ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "You'll need to use multiple trips to get everyone out anyway, so buy yourselves some more time by teleporting back along the path we took to get there first. The taskmaster will be coming for the jeep, if you aren't there when he arrives then he has to find you before he's a real threat. Teleport yourself and the grunt first, then send natu back to grab Less and Akio. If the taskmaster reaches the jeep before everyone can get out, Connie and Ronin will have the best shot of fighting him and winning."  
 

Mina checked to see if anyone on her side objected to this, and not hearing anything responded with, “ Sure, once the Stunky’s taken care of we’ll do that. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Actually... one second. I'm calling Less. I'll keep in contact with him and make sure it's safe for natu to come back."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "My Pokemon and I will handle the goons then. Mina, Akio, grab as much as you can from the back of the jeep, and then empty the gas in the canister over the back after you get that Stunky in a ball. With luck we can leave them a nasty surprise."  
 

“ Right, ” Mina agreed.

Mina called back all her Pokémon but Pikachu – just in case the Spectral Ball didn’t work and they needed to keep the Shadow Pokémon from escaping - and sent out Natu, explaining the plan to him while she applied the Revive.

Mina uses a Revive! ((-1 Revive, 2 remaining))
Stunky regains 40 HP!

Akio uses a Spectral Ball! ((-1 Spectral Ball, 1 remaining))

The ball  DING s in short order.

 
 Spoiler: Shadow Stunky 

Pokémon: Stunky (  Shadowed: 38%  )
Type: Poison/Dark
Ability: Aftermath
Gender: Male
Level: 28
Held Item: None
Stats—
HP: 81
Attack: 48
Def: 40
Sp. Attack: 36
Sp. Def: 36
Speed: 55
Moves:
Feint
Focus Energy	
Screech	
Smokescreen	
Toxic	
Slash
 


Do you want to give a nickname to Stunky? ((And he does  not  go in to Box Storage, Akio now officially has six Pokémon! 😁))

Twiggin A uses Quick Attack!
Leo intercepts for Connie!
Leo is hit for 11 damage!

Twiggin B uses Quick Attack!
Leo tries to intercept for Connie, but it fails!
Connie is hit for 10 damage!

Twiggin C uses Quick Attack!
Ronin is hit for 9 damage!
 
Twiggin D uses Quick Attack!
Leo tries to intercept for Connie, but it fails!
Connie is hit for 10 damage!

Twiggin E uses Quick Attack!
Ronin is hit for 11 damage!

Twiggin F uses Quick Attack!
Leo tries to intercept for Connie, but it fails!
Connie is hit for 10 damage!

Connie retailiated with a Snarl that wiped out everything but the Geodude ((Sturdy)). Ronin was still waiting for instruction, which meant that Princess  finally  got to hit something! She KO’d the Geodude and did a little dance in place.

 Buck: 0/103 
Connie: 75/129 (Special Attack up 6 levels)
Princess: 62/70 (Defense up 6 levels)
 Dancer: 0/60 
 Hero: 0/67 
Leo: 58/69

Eto: 83/83 (recalled)
 Endo: 0/67 
Daisho: 100/100 (recalled)
Ronin: 53/73 (form of Connie, Special Attack up 6 levels)
Akitsu: 56/56

Pidgey: 66/76 (recalled)
Oodramer: 62/88 (recalled)
Pikachu: 45/59 (Evasion up 1 level)
Natu: 73/73
Houndoom: 96/100 (recalled)
Cosmas: 62/66 (recalled)

Stunky: 40/81 (  Shadowed: 38%  ) – caught!

 Wispaferyn A: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn B: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn C: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn D: 0/83 
 Wispaferyn E: 0/117 
 Wispaferyn F: 0/83 
 Machoke A: 0/91 
 Machoke B: 0/91 
 Magneton A: 0/79 
 Magneton B: 0/79 
 Sandslash A: 0/114 
 Sandslash B: 0/80 
 Sandslash C: 0/114 
 Sandslash D: 0/80 
 Graveler A: 0/70  (critical injury)
 Graveler B: 0/70 
 Graveler C: 0/70 
 Graveler D: 0/104 
 Graveler E: 0/104 
 Graveler F: 0/104 
 Primeape A: 0/83 
 Primeape B: 0/83 
 Primeape C: 0/83 
 Primeape D: 0/83 
 Twiggin A: 0/85 
 Twiggin B: 0/85 
 Twiggin C: 0/85 
 Twiggin D: 0/119 
 Twiggin E: 0/85 
 Twiggin F: 0/119 
 Machop: 0/83 
 Magnemite: 0/62 
 Geodude: 0/94 

The Grunts began to flee. Mina recalled Pikachu, tossed one of her Revives to Less ((-1 Revive Mina, 1 remaining. +1 Revive Less, 1 total)), then uncapped the gas can and knocked it over so it would empty itself. Finally she grabbed the Grunt and gave Natu the order to Teleport. ((I’ll leave the jeep looting to Akio so Feathersnow can do something.)) They promptly vanished.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less took a half second to look around for a heavy rock while he answered the Pokedex. 
 

After a quick look around, Less noticed a decent-sized boulder nearby – about knee high and just as wide, though its base was buried in the dirt.
essCee
 "You did great, Croaky!"  Pinklady withdraws Croaky.  Two of my usual down, two left... maybe it's safe to bring out the new ones now?   "Alright! Time for action, Blast Bolt!"  She tosses her recent Luxray's ball. Fortunately, she was already somewhat familiar with the species, so she didn't hesitate with her command.  "Show them what you've got and rattle them with a Leer! Leapsy, try again with putting the Magnemite to sleep! And keep up the gust on your current target, Bigbug!"  Once the commands are out, she uses her Pokédex to scan Blast Bolt. She really should've done this much earlier, but she wasn't really used to using the 'dex.

((Am I right in assuming that this is how trainers know their new Pokémons' moves? I'm not sure if I saw that come up here before or if I'm thinking of some other fan thing that made that explanation 😛 ))
Lord Ruby34
The grunts should have been trying to use quick attacks from the beginning. If they were clever about the order they had sent out their Pokemon they might have worn Connie down. Still, Bandra grunts weren't exactly known for being the sharpest tools in the shed.

It was a shame that there wasn't time to take the grunts into custody, but Connie might still be able to do something to keep them out of the field for awhile.  "Good showing Connie. Give them a Swift to the backs of their legs as they retreat, if you please."  If injuries kept them from the field for a few weeks, so much the better, though Less would still prefer not to kill them if he could avoid it.

Less caught the revive and nodded to Mina in thanks. Hopefully he would be able to return it in a few moments, but it was comforting knowing that Buck was an item use away if he needed him.

Meanwhile, Less ordered Leo to break off a head sized piece of the protruding rock. While Leo was about his task and Less put the jeep in drive and aimed in back in the direction they had come from. If the taskmaster had ambushed Mark, and they had come straight from where they left him, then  Another order had Princess standing next to him, looking out into the darkness to make sure her trainer wouldn't be ambushed by an unseen attacker. After the jeep was aimed, Less put it back in park, but kept his hand on the gear.

 "Still clear,"  Less said into his Pokedex.  "I'm going to set up a nasty surprise for our taskmaster friend." 
 
 Spoiler: If Leo can break the rock, Connie obeys, and we haven't seen the taskmaster yet. Otherwise ignore everything in here. 

Less thanked the little frog Pokemon and recalled him before taking off his coat. It was matted with blood all the way down the right side, and the fabric was probably beyond saving. Less let it stretch out so the back half was sitting in the gasoline, and quickly wedged the rock over the gas petal, locking it pressed in place. Immediately, the jeep, still in park, started a producing a distinctly terrible grinding noise as the machine was torn between the fully pressed gas petal and the fact that it was stuck in park. Still keeping an eye out for the taskmaster, Less popped out the cigarette lighter and tossed it to Akio.  "Get ready to set the coat on fire on my signal. I don't think setting this on fire will blow the jeep up, but it'll certainly give him something to think about if we manage to aim it at him." Less said to the young man, and to the Pokedex. Less kept his hand on the gear, ready to let the car shoot forward if he saw anything resembling the Bandra Taskmaster Mark and Mina had described. Hopefully the distraction would as least buy them enough time to teleport out, and stop Bandra from recapturing the jeep. 
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I know! ” Mina replied. He acted like she’d never had Natu chain Teleports before! “ We don’t  need  to get to the Center, just away from  here!  ” 
 

On his end, Mark nodded and explained,  "I know you know. I want to make sure Akio and Less do too."  He was pretty sure they'd never done teleport skipping before, and Less in particular seemed to know pretty much nothing about teleportation. Plus, he was letting the rangers in here know that there would be more people coming in via teleportation soon. He wasn't talking to them directly just yet, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to keep them in the loop. Speaking of keeping people on the same page, though...  "Less, don't do anything  too  crazy... maybe see if you can send the jeep driving off on its own as a distraction?"  He didn't know the older man's plans with the vehicle, but he was pretty sure he'd heard about spilling gas tanks at  some  point in there and that had him concerned.

With his phone at his face, Mark waited for Mina to give him confirmation she'd completed her teleportation and asked Less,  "Mina's ready, are you still clear?"  If they were, he relayed that to Mina... and if they weren't, he warned her about that too.
Feathersnow
Akio holds his sixth and final partner's pokeball.  "You shall be... Akechi!"

With that, Akio recalls his other partners and begins rooting through the Jeep for anything of value before being whisked away...
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

You send out Blast Bolt!

Leapsy uses Sleep Powder!
Magneton A falls Asleep!

Twiggin A uses Magical Leaf!
It’s super effective!
Biscooti is hit for 129 damage!
Biscooti faints!

Crest recalls her Biscooti and runs back into the Shrine, apparently out of Pokémon.

Twiggin B uses Grasswhistle!
Attack missed!

Blast Bolt uses Leer!
Defense of all foes falls!

Magneton A wakes up!

Apparently that Grunt is in the habit of giving his Pokémon lots of caffeine, because the Electric type awakens  again  with a jolt – quite literally:

Magneton A uses Thundershock!
Anorith is hit for 38 damage!

Bigbug uses Gust!
It’s super effective!
Twiggin A is hit for 21 damage!

Anorith uses Scratch!
Twiggin B is hit for 16 damage!


 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
 Croaky: 0/75 
Leapsy: 72/72
Bigbug: 58/72
Blast Bolt: 97/97

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 16/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
 Biscooti: 0/63 
 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 58/130 (Asleep 2 rounds, recalled)
Wispaferyn B: 40/96 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
 Machoke: 0/103 
Sandslash: 102/102 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Magneton A: 79/79 (Defense down 1 level)
Magneton B: 113/113 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Twiggin A: 58/99 (Defense down 1 level)
Twiggin B: 83/99 (Defense down 1 level)

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Mark and Mina listening in via phone call):

Connie gleefully chases after the Grunts, shooting bright stars; yells and screams quickly fill the air from their direction.

There isn’t much in the jeep, so Akio is able to empty the small amount of cash and items stashed in it with relative speed.

 
 Spoiler: Loot summary – moved to Akio’s inventory 

Gas Canister (empty)
Granola bars
Pokéchow
3,200 PD
Creased Grunt Photo
3 Grunt Wallets and ID
Student ID
Pocket pack of tissues
 


Meanwhile, Mina checks in to see if it’s safe to send Natu back, which Mark relays and responds with an affirmative. The little Psychic type appears nearby and watches Leo knock a good sized chunk off the boulder while Less positions the jeep, then flutters over to hop onto Akio once the latter is done looting.

While Less is getting the rock situated on the gas peddle, Connie swoops back calling “ Intruder alert! Intruder alert! ” Princess dances excitedly and Natu starts to kick up a ruckus. The humans still can’t see anything – no flashlights or other obvious signs of the Taskmaster.
essCee
 That would explain why she didn't do any switching out...  Pinklady starts to feel a bit overwhelmed as she considers the situation at whole, considers what to command her Pokémon to do, and also slowly silently read out to herself what Blast Bolt's moves were. She recognizes most of their names immediately but gets hung up on a couple.  "Uh - same thing again, everyone!"  Leapsy might go down next if the Magnemite still keeps waking up, and she didn't see besides how they'd take it down besides chipping away at it... and it's not like their switched-out sleeping Pokemon were actually knocked out, either.
Lord Ruby34
Less closed his ears to the grunts screams. Leaving them free to rampage would have been worse then forcing them to suffer now. Instead he forced himself to respond to Mark in as calm a voice as he could manage.  "That's basically the plan." 

When Connie called out Less immediately yelled in turn,  "Akio, light it!"  He wasn't inclined to wait around for the man to enter visual range. As soon as Akio had the jacket ablaze Less recalled his Pokemon, pulled the gear into drive, and sent the jeep rumbling out in the general direction they had come from. The treadmarks at least made that easy to identify.

His distraction completed, Less reached out and grabbed the young Samurai by the shoulder so that that Mina's Natu could whisk them away.
Gnomes2169
The 'basically' part of Less' assurances is what worried Mark the most, especially accompanied by the distant screams of bandra grunts and the command to 'light it,' but there really wasn't anything he could do about it.  "Mina, let me know when Natu gets back to you."  He said, not having too much else to add at this point.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Leapsy uses Sleep Powder!
Magenton A falls asleep!

Twiggin A uses Grasswhistle!
Leapsy falls asleep!

Twiggin B uses Grasswhistle!
Bigbug falls asleep!

It is apparently nap time as half the Pokémon on the field drop to the ground to sleep.

Blast Bolt uses Leer!
Defense of all foes falls!

Magneton A still sleeps!

Bigbug still sleeps!

Anorith uses Water Gun!
Attack misses Magneton A!

The Grunts call the Magneton back, and send out another Sandslash! ((Sandslash B, the first one will now be referred to as Sandslash A)) Stef pulls out an Awakening and moves towards Leapsy.


 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
 Croaky: 0/75 
Leapsy: 72/72 (Asleep 1 round)
Bigbug: 58/72 (Asleep 1 round)
Blast Bolt: 97/97

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
Anorith: 16/54 (Accuracy down 4 levels, Defense up 1 level)

 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
 Biscooti: 0/63 
 Graveler: 0/89 
Wispaferyn A: 58/130 (Asleep 2 rounds, recalled)
Wispaferyn B: 40/96 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
 Machoke: 0/103 
Sandslash A: 102/102 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Sandslash B: 102/102
Magneton A: 79/79 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Magneton B: 113/113 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)
Twiggin A: 58/99 (Defense down 2 levels)
Twiggin B: 83/99 (Defense down 2 levels)

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters (Mark and Mina listening in via phone call):

((Waiting on Feathersnow. And anything anyone else wants to squeeze in, do it now!))
essCee
 Oh, they have another... there goes the leering on the Magnemite. Still, at least it was switched out...   "Blast Bolt, time to start taking them out! Bite the weakened one!"  (Twiggin A) She joins Stef in running ahead, in her case to use a Full Heal on Bigbug and to instruct Leapsy as soon as she is awakened.  "Hope you've still got some more left in you, Leapsy! Put that new Sandslash to sleep too!"  She barely had time to think of the moves she had finally finished reading off her Pokédex - Swagger might be useful to try to heap more incapacitation on important targets.
Feathersnow
Akio lights the jeep as it slowly drives away, then looks around for the oncoming threat!
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef uses an Awakening!
Leapsy wakes up!

You uses a Full Heal! ((-1 Full Heal, 1 remaining))
Bigbug wakes up!

Leapsy uses Sleep Powder!
Sandslash B falls Asleep!

Twiggin A uses Magical Leaf!
Anorith is hit for 38 damage!
Anorith faints!

Twiggin B uses Grasswhistle!
Leapsy falls Asleep!

The new Sandslash is still snoozing. Also, this one apparently doesn't suck its claw in its sleep.

Blast Bolt uses Bite!
Twiggin A is hit for 71 damage!
Twiggin A faints!


 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
 Croaky: 0/75 
Leapsy: 72/72 (Asleep 1 round)
Bigbug: 58/72
Blast Bolt: 97/97

 Diglett: 0/43 
 Baltoy: 0/50 
 Anorith: 0/54 
 Horsea: 0/52 
 Wooper: 0/55 
 Biscooti: 0/63 
  Graveler: 0/89    - fled
 Wispaferyn A: 58/130 (Asleep 2 rounds, recalled)   - fled
 Wispaferyn B: 40/96 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)   - fled
   Machoke: 0/103    - fled
 Sandslash A: 102/102 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)   - fled
 Sandslash B: 102/102 (Asleep 1 round)  - fled
 Magneton A: 79/79 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)   - fled
 Magneton B: 113/113 (Asleep 1 round, recalled)   - fled
  Twiggin A: 0/99   - fled
 Twiggin B: 83/99 (Defense down 2 levels)  - fled

The Bandra trainers recall their sleeping and unconscious Pokémon and look ready to send out replacements when you hear loud grunts and thundering hooves. The Grunts look around in confusion, then recall their Pokémon and bolt as a pair of angry Tauros come crashing onto the battlefield, followed by a very burly man in loose clothes and carrying a crop on his belt with his Pokéballs. A moment later Tomas appears from behind you, breathing heavily and trailed by Crest.

He swears. “Sorry that took so long, we had another attack on the other side at the same time. You kids all right?”

Stef nods, looking a bit pale as he pets his unconscious Anorith.

 
 Spoiler: XP time! 

+1 level for Croaky, Leapsy and Bigbug! No new attacks at this time.

Pokémon: Skiploom (Leapsy)
Type: Grass/Flying
Ability: Chlorophyll
Gender: Female
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 75
Attack: 37
Def: 40 +4
Sp. Attack: 37
Sp. Def: 48
Speed: 56 +16
Moves:
Poison Powder
Stun Spore
Bullet Seed
Synthesis
Tackle
Sleep Powder

Pokémon: Dustox (Bigbug)
Type: Bug/Poison
Ability: Compoundeyes
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 75
Attack: 39
Def: 49
Sp. Attack: 39 +12
Sp. Def: 59 +4
Speed: 46 +4
Moves:
Poison Sting
Gust
Psybeam
Protect
Moonlight
Harden

Pokémon: Poliwhirl (Croaky)
Type: Water
Ability: Water Absorb
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 77
Attack: 46 +12
Def: 46
Sp. Attack: 39 +4
Sp. Def: 39
Speed: 59 +4
Moves:
Bubblebeam
Body Slam
Rain Dance
Hypnosis
Water Sport
Double Slap
 



----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Last call for any final actions!

And I haven’t forgotten about XP for you guys, just waiting for everyone to be clear of enemy territory before I allocate the level-ups. 😉
 
Lord Ruby34
After the jeep went thundering off ((assuming that worked)), and Less had taken hold of Akio's shoulder, he protectively cradled Mina's Natu to his chest. If that little bird went down, they were all doomed.
essCee
Pinklady nods as well.  "Yeah! We're fine. Now you're here."  She quickly sinks down to sit and then, to her active and awake Pokemon,  "Great job, everyone! You all did great under some tough-"  She yawns.  -"tough circumstances."  She recalls Blast Bolt and Bigbug, leaving Leapsy out so she can sleep out her enemy-induced sleep.

For her own part, she takes Leapsy into her arms and gently strokes her while she sleeps, and looks up at the burly man. She feels herself calming down already from the excitement of the fight, and begins to feel tiredness creep back in already.  "Was that - both sides' Grunts - all of them or is it still risky to sleep out here?"  She felt like she already knew the answer, but it wouldn't hurt to grasp at a slight possibility.

((Edited in the second half when I felt like the post was incomplete without it))
Kareeah_Indaga
Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

The Pokémon are recalled, the gasoline in the jeep set alight, and –

– and then Less and Akio can see the flock of demon porcupine copies in the light of the burning jeep. They attack the vehicle first and the windshield smashes, sending bits of glass everywhere –

– and then both Less and Akio vanish with Mina’s Natu, reappearing next to Mina some distance away. Mina tells Natu to take them back to the Pokémon Center without further ado, and a heartbeat later the two of them disappear  again  to reappear back in the Rieva Pokémon Center. Natu then Teleports away to grab his trainer and the final Grunt prisoner, and all three appear a moment later.

 
 Spoiler: XP! 

Breakdown for all participants:
Level 26 – 30: +1 level
Level 20 – 25: +2 levels
 Lower than level 20: +3 levels  – on closer inspection no party Pokémon are under level 20. 😛
 
 Spoiler: Mark 

Pokemon: Lapras (Fisher)
Type: Water/Ice
Ability: Water Absorb
Gender: Male
Level: 31
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 131 +8
Attack: 67
Def: 64
Sp. Attack: 67 +17
Sp. Def: 73
Speed: 51
Moves:
Water Pulse
Sing
Mist
Confuse Ray
Ice Shard
Rain Dance

Pokemon: Umbreon (Sengar)
Type: Dark
Ability: Sleepless Moon
Gender: Male
Level: 31
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 109 +3
Attack: 54 +9
Def: 82 +2
Sp. Attack: 51 +3
Sp. Def: 95
Speed: 54 +9
Moves:
Moonlight
Helping Hand
Quick Attack
Sand Attack
Howl
Pursuit

Pokemon: Froslass (Jessia)
Type: Ice/Ghost
Ability: Snow Cloak
Gender: Female
Level: 31
Held Item: Razor Claw
Stats--
HP: 94  +8 
Attack: 64
Def: 58
Sp. Attack: 64 +12  +2 
Sp. Def: 58 +3  +6 
Speed: 82 +11
Moves:  AT SIX DROP ONE! 
Powder Snow
Ominous Wind
Double Team
Bite
Icy Wind
Protect
 Captivate 

Pokemon: Skarmory (Tarr)
Type: Flying/Steel
Ability: Sturdy
Gender: Male
Level: 29
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 85 +5
Attack: 60 +4
Def: 95
Sp. Attack: 37
Sp. Def: 54
Speed: 54 +15
Moves:
Spikes
Peck
Sand Attack
Swift
Agility
Air Cutter
 

 
 Spoiler: Less 

Pokemon: Arcanine (Buck)
Type: Fire
Ability: Intimidate
Gender: Male
Level: 31
Held Item: Leftovers
Stats--
HP: 106
Attack: 82 +5
Def: 64 +15
Sp. Attack: 76
Sp. Def: 64
Speed: 73 +5
Moves:
Bite
Roar
Leer
Odor Sleuth
Protect
Fire Fang

Pokemon: Corphish (Princess)
Type: Water
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 28
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 70 +3
Attack: 58 +10
Def: 50 +10
Sp. Attack: 41
Sp. Def: 33
Speed: 33
Moves:
Knock Off
Harden
ViceGrip
Leer
Bubblebeam
Protect

Pokemon: Doduo (Dancer)
Type: Normal/Flying
Ability: Early Bird
Gender: Female
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 64
Attack: 59 +10
Def: 37
Sp. Attack: 32
Sp. Def: 32
Speed: 53 +10
Moves:
Peck
Growl
Quick Attack
Rage
Fury Attack
Pursuit

Pokemon: Croagunk (Leo)
Type: Poison/Fighting
Ability: Dry Skin
Gender: Male
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 71
Attack: 46 +20
Def: 34
Sp. Attack: 46
Sp. Def: 34
Speed: 40 +2
Moves:
Poison Sting
Taunt
Pursuit
Faint Attack
Revenge
Swagger

Pokemon: Nidorina (Hero)
Type: Poison
Ability: Poison Point
Gender: Female
Level: 23
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 72 +1
Attack: 40
Def: 42 +5
Sp. Attack: 37
Sp. Def: 37 +10
Speed: 37
Moves:  AT SIX DROP ONE! 
Growl
Scratch
Tail Whip
Double Kick
Poison Sting
Fury Swipes
 Bite 
 

 
 Spoiler: Akio 

Pokemon: Crobat (Daisho)
Type: Poison/Flying
Ability: Inner Focus
Gender: Female
Level: 31
Held Item: Sitrus Berry
Stats--
HP: 103
Attack: 70 +16
Def: 64 +5
Sp. Attack: 58
Sp. Def: 64 +5
Speed: 95
Moves:
Cross Poison
Leech Life
Astonish
Bite
Confuse Ray
Air Cutter

Pokemon: Ditto (Ronin)
Type: Normal
Ability: Limber
Gender: Indeterminate
Level: 27
Held Item: Sitrus Berry
Stats--
HP: 71 +4
Attack: 39 +4
Def: 39 +4
Sp. Attack: 39 +4
Sp. Def: 39 +3
Speed: 39 +3
Moves:
Transform

Pokemon: Scizor (Eto)
Type: Bug/Steel
Ability: Technician
Gender: Female
Level: 28
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 85
Attack: 86
Def: 69 +7
Sp. Attack: 44
Sp. Def: 58 +16
Speed: 50
Moves:
Quick Attack
Focus Energy
Pursuit
False Swipe
Metal Claw
Fury Cutter

Pokemon: Mawile (Endo)
Type: Steel
Ability: Intimidate
Gender: Male
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 72
Attack: 59 +22
Def: 59
Sp. Attack: 43
Sp. Def: 43
Speed: 40
Moves:
Astonish
Fake Tears
Bite
Sweet Scent
Vice Grip
 Faint Attack 

Pokemon: Trapinch (Akitsu)
Type: Ground
Ability: Arena Trap
Gender: Male
Level: 23
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 60
Attack: 58
Def: 32 +9
Sp. Attack: 32
Sp. Def: 32 +9
Speed: 16
Moves:
Bite
Sand Attack
Faint Attack
 

 
 Spoiler: Mina 

Pokemon: Oodramer
Type: Spectral/Normal
Ability: Slime Body
Gender: Indeterminate
Level: 30
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 91
Attack: 20
Def: 56
Sp. Attack: 50 +17
Sp. Def: 56
Speed: 32 +8
Moves:
Vortex*
Façade
Bubblebeam
Veneer*
Aqua Tail
Quagmire*

Pokemon: Natu
Type: Psychic/Flying
Ability: Synchronize
Gender: Male
Level: 31
Held Item: Silk Scarf
Stats--
HP: 75
Attack: 45  +15 
Def: 42
Sp. Attack: 58
Sp. Def: 42
Speed: 58 +26
Moves:
Wish
Nightshade
Teleport
U-Turn
Me First
Confuse Ray

Pokemon: Pikachu
Type: Electric
Ability: Voltage
Gender: Female
Level: 24
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 58 +2  +3 
Attack: 38 +2
Def: 26
Sp. Attack: 36 +8
Sp. Def: 31
Speed: 55 +7  +3 
Moves:
Encore
Thundershock
Thunder Wave
Quick Attack
Rock Smash (HM)
Double Team

Pokemon: Cosmas
Type: Dark/Spectral
Ability: Magic Guard
Gender: Male
Level: 28
Held Item: Sitrus Berry
Stats--
HP: 69
Attack: 47 +9
Def: 36 +8
Sp. Attack: 44
Sp. Def: 41 +6
Speed: 47
Moves:  AT SIX DROP ONE! 
Tail Whip
Bash*
Pursuit
Flash
Faint Attack
Cosmic Power
 Spectral Bolt* 
 
 Spoiler: Spectral Bolt 

Spectral Bolt
Type: Spectral (Physical)
Power: 60 (120 in the Spectral Dimension)
Accuracy: 100%
PP: 20 (max 32)

The user rushes forward to strike the target. Increased priority. 10% chance of causing the target to flinch. Raises Shadow Gauge of non-Spectral Pokemon by 4-6%.
 

 

 


----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Was that - both sides' Grunts - all of them or is it still risky to sleep out here?"  She felt like she already knew the answer, but it wouldn't hurt to grasp at a slight possibility. 
 

“You don’t want to sleep out here,” Tomas answers, “even if there aren’t any more Grunt attacks – which I wouldn’t bet on - some of the wild Pokémon here are very powerful and they haven’t taken kindly to humans in general after the mess those” that man  really  has a dirty mouth “in Bandra made. You’d be safer inside, and we’ve got some extra cots.”
essCee
 "I hadn't thought of that... poor things. I'll gladly accept that offer, then."  She stands back up again, still holding and petting the snoozing Leapsy.  "Thanks again for saving us. I didn't know if we could see it through, and I think I have a lot of practice with battling to do..."  She begins to shuffle on back to the Shrine, where rest finally awaits her.
Lord Ruby34
That had been far, far closer than comfort allowed. If that creature had hit the jeep while he was driving he would have been dead. Suddenly, Less found it difficult to be upset at the loss of the vehicle. In his distress Less barely managed to be aware of the terrible missed step feeling that teleport brought him. But they were safe, back in Rieva, and mostly without injury, though his head was aching terribly. Still, Less's first thoughts weren't of himself. He strode up to the nurse, hoping that she would be able to heal his Pokemon so he could bring Buck back out. Buck was always distressed when he was in his Pokeball.

 
 Spoiler: EVs 
Buck and Dancer get +1 speed, and Hero gets +1 HP.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
We'll drop Powder Snow for Captivate,  since powder snow is just icy wind, but with less attack power and slightly more uses.  Also, let's focus all of Jessia's future EV's in Special Attack.

We'll also put all future EV's for Tarr in Attack.  Just gotta be able to hit people  harder  at this point, we've got plenty of speed here. 

Also, also, also, what time is it by now IC, and is Mark still getting pain backlash while Tattersail is in her pokeball/ being tended to by nurse Joy?
 

When the sound of the jeep being smashed came over his phone, Mark unconsciously stopped breathing. Had anyone been in there? Mina's immediate command to Natu to teleport Akio and Less to the center didn't assuage the worst-case scenarios running through his head. When the older man and the young samurai arrived, Mark took in a sharp breath, and when Mina made it back as well a few moments later he let it back out in an obvious sigh of relief. He hung up both his phone and his pokedex, tucking the devices away while saying,  "Welcome back, guys. That could have gone better... it also could have gone way worse." 

He rubbed at his face for a bit, noticed just how much soot and ash he'd picked up from even that short amount of time in the burn zone, and looked down at his clothes.  "... We should probably clean up before really talking, but I think our plans have to change. Tattersail isn't going to be available for a while. A lot of bones broke, and she might have some nerve damage. She'll need time to recover."  He also wasn't certain what his own mental state would be over the next few days, especially if Nurse Joy was giving his bonded pokemon pain killers.  "We also blew through a decent amount of medicine that we should restock... Someone should call Pinklady and Matt and make sure they're aware of the situation, and I'll make sure to talk to Lijan."  If they weren't attacking the town of ash tomorrow, the squad leader didn't need to send the timed message to Tidepath City and he'd have a few more days to put out his feelers.

There's a moment of hesitation as he looks everyone over, then he says,  "I'm glad that all of you are alright. I... uh, promised to talk to the rangers once everyone got back. Answer their questions and stuff. Sooooo, I'm just gonna go..."  Gesturing with his thumb to the pair, he made his way over to the rangers to do just that. Good ol' Mark, exactly as charismatic and awkward as usual.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Everyone bids you good night and you find a cot to sleep on.

You manage to sleep until about 9 AM, when the sounds of other people preparing for the day and the smell of cooking oatmeal wakes you up. Your arms are very sore from so much digging the day before, but it’s a stretchy-hurt rather than a tore-something hurt, and you gather from the mid-morning chatter you managed to sleep through another Bandra attack some time in the night.

Stef is nowhere to be seen and you see that Tomas is zonked out on a cot nearby.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

All your Pokémon have been fully restored by the night’s rest! 🙂
 


You also realize you got a message from Mina some time last night…or rather very early this morning, judging by the time on the message. It looks like you weren’t the only one up at an unreasonable hour.

  Mina sent you a message! 
 Had some setbacks. Need to discuss plans. Call me.  

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

And I think I’m going to replace Bash with Spectral Bolt on Cosmas.

Lord Ruby: Hero’s got one more EV to allocate, where do you want it?

Gnomes: The Pokéball deadens the link a  lot  but Mark can still feel her while her ball is nearby – we’ll call it a foot for every ten points in Special Attack, so within ten feet or so.

Also reminder: since Tattersail is in intensive care, she can’t be switched out until she recovers enough for Mark to get her back.
 


The nurse was still in the back with Tattersail (Mark could feel the latter’s pain fade with distance, then come back when the nurse apparently called her out. That lasted until the nurse applied some form of sedative at which point the feeling of Tattersail in the back of his head faded away again), but some of the Chansey had been sent to the front to take Pokéballs and run them through the machine, which they did.

Except for Tattersail, everyone got their Pokémon back fully healed in short order.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Welcome back, guys. That could have gone better... it also could have gone way worse."  
 

Mina nodded. Now that they were back in friendly territory and the adrenaline was wearing off, she was having trouble focusing…and no wonder, she realized when she looked at the clock, it was after 2 AM!


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "... We should probably clean up before really talking, but I think our plans have to change. Tattersail isn't going to be available for a while. A lot of bones broke, and she might have some nerve damage. She'll need time to recover."  
 

“ I vote we wait until tomorrow...err, after a good night's sleep ” she amended as her tired brain caught up with her mouth with the reminder that it  was  tomorrow “ before we discuss anything in detail, ” Mina opined. “ We can talk over breakfast, or maybe afterwards. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We also blew through a decent amount of medicine that we should restock... Someone should call Pinklady and Matt and make sure they're aware of the situation, and I'll make sure to talk to Lijan."  
 

“ I’ll contact Matt and Pinklady, ” Mina volunteered.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm glad that all of you are alright. I... uh, promised to talk to the rangers once everyone got back. Answer their questions and stuff. Sooooo, I'm just gonna go..."  Gesturing with his thumb to the pair, he made his way over to the rangers to do just that. Good ol' Mark, exactly as charismatic and awkward as usual. 
 

Mina nodded again. “ Less, Akio, do you still have the Grunt IDs and stuff? The Rangers might need those. ” Once that was settled ((unless someone stops her)), Mina found a private corner to make a few calls and send a few texts.

There was a police van outside: its lights flashed but there were no sirens. The Rangers had already handcuffed the latest Grunt and shoved him into it, and one by one were doing the same with the earlier prisoners – the Grunts looked surly. One of the Rangers broke off from this task to talk to Mark, paging through the clipboard.

“If you’ve got time now we’d like to know what happened.”
essCee
 Ah! Been awhile since my arms have done this. Guess I won't be leaning on my arms any time soon...  Pinklady stretches, and lets out her Pokémon so they can do the same. (If there's enough room to comfortably do so, she sends out all of them; if not she'll do a rotation with sending out Blast Bolt, Croaky, and Bigbug first.) It's after her streching and looking around for Stef and making a mental note to find him to pay him back for all the healing items she used for her Pokémon that she finally checks her phone.  "Setbacks... dis-cuss..."  she quietly says as she reads it.

When she finishes, she doesn't hesitate to navigate her 'dex to call Mina.  "Hello, hello!"  she says into it just after hitting call, even without Mina picking up.
Lord Ruby34
As soon as Buck's Pokeball was returned to him Less let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realized that he had been holding in. With a flash of light, Buck reappeared on the floor of the Pokemon center, his coat bristling with hostility. After a second the old fire type realized where he was and calmed down, and Less embraced him. The pair stayed like that for a moment, as time seemed to fall away. They could talk about what happened later, right now it was enough that they were both safe.

Eventually, Less and Buck made their way into the Pokemon center lobby in time for Less to nod along with Mark and Mina's conversation. He chimed in briefly with his agreement when Mina mentioned waiting until morning to talk. They had been up for more than twenty hours at this point. Even Less, famous early bird that he was, was looking forward to some sleep. But there wasn't quite time for that yet. Less busied himself getting Pokechow ready for everyone's team so that the Pokemon could have a very delayed dinner.

After getting everyone started on their meal, Less returned to the main room and deposited the various confiscated Pokemon with the rangers, along with the modified Pokedex.  "Bandra used this to send a captured Pokemon somewhere, likely a lab of some kind. We found it on that one,"  Less said, pointing out the relevent grunt,  "and they might know more about it's purpose or function." 

With that, Less found a nearby corner. He was ready to back Mark up if he needed someone to help him talk, but Less doubted the lad would actually need his help. It simply felt wrong to leave him to answer all the questions on his own.
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded thankfully as Less came over and provided a bit of moral support, and he used the short break provided by the older trainer's explanation to formulate how he wanted to answer the question.  "So. Yesterday, no, wait, it's two in the morning... two days ago my companion Less here,"  He gestured with his robotic hand,  "And another companion named Pinklady managed to capture a Bandra scientist and grunt, along with the jeep that they had been riding in. That jeep had a device that allowed them to locate a number of trackers attached to shadowed pokemon in the surrounding area. Pokemon that we're certain Bandra took from trainers, shadowed, -likely by pushing them into the Spectral dimension portal in the north,- and then released out into the wild for... some nefarious reason. We wanted to try rescuing those pokemon before Bandra could do anything to them in response to us getting the jeep, so we went out in the evening towards the nearest signal, and ended up in the Tetherburn Springs area, which seems to be their base of operation for this experiment." 

He'd give a rough description of the building they'd seen the grunts lounging around in before things really went sideways.  "We'd planned to avoid Bandra as much as possible, but... well, I had an old military friend who said a plan is only good until you actually try to do it."  Actually, Captain Maxwell had been far more vulgar and used the 'punched in the face' variant, but it was a common enough colloquialism that Mark was sure it got the point across.  "We got the drop on the first patrol and were able to secure the shadowed Stunky that they'd been hunting for, so that was a good first step, but then we decided to drive towards the signals that were closer to a brush fire raging in the area and..."  Glancing at Less for a moment, Mark said,  "We decided to risk going into it. Things... were a bit rough in there. There were a  lot  more Bandra grunts throughout it, but there was also a larger group of shadowed pokemon that was keeping a good number of them distracted. A lot of the grunts in that area were actually injured by the shadowed pokemon, only one member of their initial group was standing when we got there, and we were able to clean up the reinforcements and teleport the first group of five grunts we captured from there to here. It's also where we first had actual fights with Bandra, but with the jeep we were able to keep just out of reach of their largest patrol. We were only able to rescue one of the fire types, a Litwick that I have in my storage." 
 "After that, we drove out of the fire and made our way to the last signal left that didn't take us into deeper Bandra territory, but I think that one was a trap. There was a single Skorupi right next to a group of grunts that would have been able to capture it easily. We managed to ambush those grunts successfully, but we'd used Less' arcanine to try and draw the other patrols in the area off of the road. That plan had worked, but they were somehow able to catch up to the old dog,"  Honestly, he still wasn't exactly sure how that had happened,  "So Less, Mina and Akio went off to rescue him while I caught the skorupi. The reason I suspect it was a trap is because the taskmaster in charge of the Springs area was close enough to send out a pokemon to intercept and attack me the moment I'd captured the bug, with orders to attack my psychic type,"  Well, probably any psychic type, but Mark's was the one that had been hurt so he was taking it personally,  "to make sure we couldn't teleport away, and he was following on his wythir just a few rounds behind it. I managed to get back by using a revive on my gardevoir and... I'm pretty sure you overheard the rest." 

After a moment's consideration, he adds,  "Um... Between the grunts injured in the brush fire, and the ones we captured or injured ourselves, I'd guess that maybe twenty...  maybe  twenty-five percent of the Tetherburn Springs grunts are out of commission at the moment? Oh. And I'm pretty sure the jeep is  pretty much  destroyed. And that's it."  He glanced over at Less to see if he had anything to add.
Lord Ruby34
Less wasn't sure exactly how they had caught up with Buck either. but at the moment he was too grateful for his friend's safety to give it much thought.  "That about sums it up."  Less said.  "We had to leave the jeep behind, but Akio and I made sure it won't be of much use to anyone anymore."  Less shook his head.  "Frankly, I didn't think they would be out in such numbers, or already looking for the shadowed Pokemon." 
Feathersnow
Akio mutely offers Mina what he looted from the car that might be of use in identifying the grunts.


Akio holds Akechi's Pokeball.  "What do I do with this little guy?  I need to purify him.  I don't know how that works."

Akio had taken a responsibility to restore the shadowed Stunky and help him.  Wasn't there some kind of flute or something that helped with that?  Akio was out if his depth.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Mina picks up after a couple rings.

“  Pinklady?  ” Mina doesn’t sound like she slept well last night, and you can hear running water in the background - a sink or a shower.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

Mina thanked Less and called out the rest of her Pokémon to eat before returning to her text messaging. (Natu was already gleefully chowing down.)

 
 Spoiler: Mina 

Mina noticed she’d gotten a message from Fate, and another message from Ranger Wain. She shot off a couple texts to Pinklady and Matt first before cracking the messages open – said texts were a bit terse and not very detailed, Mina told herself it was because they hadn’t let either of them in on the password but mostly she was just too tired to be eloquent.

Then she went through the answering machine to hear what Fate and Ranger Wain had to say.

Fate’s message was first. “ Hi Mina, glad to hear you’re still fighting the good fight! I don’t know Akio personally, but Less was a teacher here in Siltis for a long time. He got into an argument with my dad about bringing everyone in to Helnith, but he’s not a Bandra supporter, you can trust him. ” Mina could hear a voice in the background; she couldn’t make out the words but she was fairly sure it was Dove. “ Sorry I can’t talk more, gotta go! ” Mina could almost hear the blush in his voice.

Well that hadn’t been much, but it was good to know. Mina clicked the message from Wain.

“ Mina, this is Ranger Wain. ” He sounded worryingly serious and Mina felt her stomach drop; they’d already had a mission together with the new people, how much trouble were she and Mark in? “ I have news about your friend Matt. ”

  Wait, what?  

“ We have reason to believe he was abducted by Team Rocket— ” Mina had been seated on the floor prior to this; heart pounding she stood up and was halfway through plotting how to best go after the Bandra forces in question when the words caught up to her:  Team  Rocket .  As if one evil criminal organization wasn’t enough!

“ —and lost in a fight between them and Bandra forces patrolling the Helnith coast. We have a report from some eyewitnesses that he was at the beach earlier this afternoon when a couple of trainers saw a submarine with a big red ‘R’ come out of the water and at least half-a-dozen trainers with similar markings on their clothes exited the sub. According to the eyewitnesses, they overpowered Matt and his Pokémon and dragged him back to the sub. We’re fairly sure they were after him, specifically. I don’t know if he told you but he had worked with Team Rocket previously— ”

“  WHAT?!!  ” Of course one of the people she  didn’t  ask for a background check on turned out to be a hardened criminal!

As the recording obviously couldn’t hear Mina, it continued: “ —I can’t give you too much detail for privacy reasons, but there was some blackmail involved.

Anyway, a few hours later we got a report that Bandra Officer Darrin and a sizable Bandra patrol encountered the sub and fighting broke out. We’re in contact with our counterparts outside Helnith to keep an eye out, but I don’t want to give you false hope: so far there’s been no sign the sub escaped, or any clue of where it went if it did…there was a lot of debris reported in the area.

We did find some of his things at the scene of the abduction. We’ve got everything we can get from them evidence-wise, and if he is dead, I think he’d want your group to have them, so I’m going to stop by Rieva tomorrow to drop them off. I’ll be at the Pokémon Center around noon. If we’re wrong and he turns up later, the Ranger Union will reimburse him.

One last thing. The background checks on your new friends came up clean. I’m sorry the rest of the news isn’t better. Wain out. ”
 

 
 Spoiler: Inventory updates 

Akio:
- Creased Grunt Photo
- 3 Grunt Wallets and ID
- Student ID

Less:
- Modified Pokédex
- 9 Wispaferyn
- 5 Graveler
- Sandslash
- Sandshrew
- 2 Mankey
- Primeape
- 2 Machoke
- 2 Twiggin
- Magnemite
- Magneton
- Spearow
 


The Ranger with the clipboard took the IDs with grave thanks. The Pokeballs caused a raised eyebrow, the Modified Pokédex a look of concern.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Bandra used this to send a captured Pokemon somewhere, likely a lab of some kind. We found it on that one,"  Less said, pointing out the relevent grunt,  "and they might know more about it's purpose or function."  
 

The Ranger with the clipboard nodded. “We’ll see if we can get anything out of him back at the station,” he assured.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We were only able to rescue one of the fire types, a Litwick that I have in my storage."  
 

The Ranger with the clipboard, who up until this point had mostly limited himself to nods and monosyllabic encouragement, spoke up. “At some point we’re going to want to take a look at the Shadow Pokémon, in case they were stolen from someone else.”

“  WHAT?!!  ”

The Ranger looked over to Mina, presumably to retort, before obviously realizing she was on the phone and not talking to him, at which point he returned his attention to Mark.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "That about sums it up."  Less said.  "We had to leave the jeep behind, but Akio and I made sure it won't be of much use to anyone anymore."  Less shook his head.  "Frankly, I didn't think they would be out in such numbers, or already looking for the shadowed Pokemon."  
 

The Ranger made a few more notes on the clipboard. “I will need the license plate number and registration information of the jeep – whatever you remember, I understand you don’t have it with you. And I’ll also need to see everyone’s Pokédex or some other form of ID.”

The Ranger asked a few more questions – what other Pokémon did the Taskmaster have, what attacks did they use, could you describe the Taskmaster in question if you saw him, and a few other miscellaneous things before he finally declared: “This is more or less in order, we’ll just call in the morning if we need anything else.”

By this point most of the Grunts had been locked up in the van – the few the nurse had deemed to need the human hospital having already been picked up – and the Rangers, having wrapped up their duties here, got into the van and left.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio holds Akechi's Pokeball.  "What do I do with this little guy?  I need to purify him.  I don't know how that works." 
 

Mina paced, obviously stressed out after her texting spree, while she waited for the Ranger’s questioning to finish, and verbally leapt on the distraction Akio provided. “ There are a couple of ways. The simplest is to battle with them, but that can get dangerous because they might enter a Rage which makes them more powerful and dangerous while also making them completely uncontrollable. There were Purification Chambers that could completely purify Shadow Pokémon, and some magic Time Flutes that can do the same thing, but last I heard the first got destroyed the last time someone imported one and the second are ancient artifacts that are kind of hard to find.

Oh, and there are these massage Scent things - err, Cologne - you can rub on them once a day; those don’t help as much as the Flutes but they help a lot. I need to stop by the Scent stall by Trainer Hill to get some more of those anyway; remind me tomorrow and Natu and I will give you a lift. ”
essCee
 "Hey there, Mina! How was your day? Or do we need to go straight to plan discussion?"  On the flip side, Pinklady sounds as fresh and energetic as ever. Mostly thanks to a decent amount of sleep.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina thanked Less and called out the rest of her Pokémon to eat before returning to her text messaging. (Natu was already gleefully chowing down.) 
 

Less took the opportunity to return Mina's revive with thanks of his own. He hadn't needed it, but it could have been lifesaving if they hadn't managed to get away clean.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Ranger with the clipboard took the IDs with grave thanks. The Pokeballs caused a raised eyebrow, the Modified Pokédex a look of concern. The Ranger with the clipboard nodded. “We’ll see if we can get anything out of him back at the station,” he assured. 
 

Less nodded in gratitude. He was starting to feel a little too tired for conversation, and he definitely wasn't feeling up to another interrogation session at the jail. As the Rangers went on Less answered the questions about the jeep as best he could, produced his Pokedex, and differed information about the Taskmaster to Mark.

After the rangers left, Less leaned back in the seat. It seemed Mina was upset about something on her phone, but his mind was feeling a bit too muddled to properly inquire. Instead he gave the young woman a concerned look as she explained how to deshadow Pokemon to Akio. His ears perked up at the words trainer hill though. He remembered Emilia telling him it was a good place to work with Pokemon, and if being forced to flee from the taskmaster had shown him anything it was that he and his Pokemon needed to be better prepared for this fight.
 
"Do you mind if I come with you to the Hill? My daughter told me it was a good place to train, I wouldn't mind visiting if there's nothing pressing I can attend to."  Less asked.
Gnomes2169
Mark told the rangers what he could about the taskmaster, which admittedly wasn't very much, and he made sure they (still) had his contact information before bidding them good night (... morning? Whatever.) Turning around and beginning the process of removing his prosthetic arm, he walked over to Mina and asked,  "Anything I should know before I pass out?"  Honestly, with how little sleep he'd had, he was fading pretty hard at this point so a part of him hoped she would just say no... but Mina didn't shout like that about unimportant things.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

“  We lost Matt.  ” Mina’s voice is flat. “  Ranger Wain is swinging by Rieva to drop off some of his things around noon. Will you be there?  ”

A quick glance at the map tells you that even if you left right this instant, you wouldn’t make it to Rieva on time on foot.

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:

 
 Spoiler: Inventory update 

-1 Revive Less (0 remaining)
+1 Revive Mina (2 total)

I also realized I hadn’t removed the Bandra Jeep Keys, so those were taken out too, since you would have needed them in the ignition for the flaming jeep to drive off.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"Do you mind if I come with you to the Hill? My daughter told me it was a good place to train, I wouldn't mind visiting if there's nothing pressing I can attend to."  Less asked. 
 

“ Yeah. I mean, ” Mina amended as her very distracted and tired mind belatedly realized that could be misinterpreted, “ yeah, you can come too. Might need to make more than one trip, but it’s no problem. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Anything I should know before I pass out?"  
 

“ Matt’s gone. Ranger Wain said it was Team Rocket. ” Not even Bandra. Not even the people they were actively fighting. It was unfair. “ Wain said he was stopping by tomorrow to drop off some of his things. ”
essCee
 "Oh."  Her voice goes somber too.  Lost Matt? But - he was just with everyone the other day, did he...  She distracts herself from that line of thought by focusing on the question at hand. She checks the time and her map.  "How'd - I don't think I could make it there myself. Plus, I told someone here I'd help them a couple of hours, and I need to pay someone back... any chance you could teleport to me and then take me there when it's time? I'm at the Shrine of Light." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

“  The Shrine of Light? Umm,  ” Mina sounded temporarily taken aback. “  Not if you’re in the Shrine itself. Meet me, say, half a mile east of the east entrance? About fifteen minutes before noon. Then Natu and I can come get you.  ”
essCee
Pinklady nods, although that can't be seen over the phone. (Unless it's a video call but I've been assuming otherwise 😛 )  "Fifteen minutes before noon, got it. Anything else you want to talk about right now or would you rather continue face to face later?"  She hopes for the latter but doesn't say so in case there was something urgent.  Being there at fifteen before noon means I should go about fifteen minutes before then, just to be safe... so about two and a half hours. Seems like a good amount of time to find Stef and do some more digging... and hopefully not strain myself doing so! I should have exercised more during the trip to Helnith...  
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

There was a bit of a pause on the other end. “  …I don’t think there’s anything else that can’t wait.  ” Somewhat awkwardly, she added, “  Anything on your end?  ”
essCee
 "No, nothing urgent on my end. See you later."  Pinklady ends the call and sits down, watching her Pokémon stretch and play.  Matt... lost? If he could be found, then that would be something urgent Mina wouldn't wait to talk about, probably...  A lump forms in her throat. She was far from being accustomed to loss, especially of the permanent kind she already jumped to assume Matt was. She heads over to the group breakfasting. (All unfamiliar, I assume? Aside from Tomas being conked out nearby of course)  "Hey there, do any of - of you know where Stef is?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Matt’s gone. Ranger Wain said it was Team Rocket. ” Not even Bandra. Not even the people they were actively fighting. It was unfair. “ Wain said he was stopping by tomorrow to drop off some of his things. ” 
 

Mark just seemed... confused.  "I... what? That's... why would...?"  Taking off his glasses, he closed his eyes and shook his head.  "Too... t-too tired to think about this right now. Tomorrow. We'll deal with this tomorrow."  In a more than mild case of shock, Mark staggered off to the bedrooms in order to find some place to just collapse and pass out.

He'd forgotten entirely about wanting to take a shower, and also didn't change out of the sooty clothing... sorry Nurse Joy. That was something he would have to do in the morning.
Lord Ruby34
Less was almost as confused as Mark. Team Rocket? Weren't they in Kanto? Matt didn't seem like the type to be mixed up with them, though Less hadn't known the man well. Matt's bravery when the Murkrow had taken off with Floatsom's Pokemon had impressed him, and Less had thought that he was a good man. Either way, the news was shocking, but hardly devastating. Less truely hadn't known the man well.

Less took a moment to think, and then spoke in a low comforting tone.  "I'm sorry. I can tell he was a friend of yours. If you'd like to talk, I can listen."  
 
 Spoiler: If Mina doesn't want to talk right now (ignore if she does) 

Less left with a few more words of comfort and a promise to be available if the young woman wanted to talk later. Soon after, he had gotten himself somewhat cleaned off. (His face had looked just as horrible as he feared, and the wounded half was already turning a particularly ugly shade of mottled purple. The shirt had to go to, though luckily Less had packed another.)

Less then retreated to his room and called out all his Pokemon. He took some time to give each of them praise for how they had fought, and then recalled everyone but Buck for sleep, hopefully undisturbed until the sunrise woke him. Unfortunately, Less had always found it difficult to sleep much past dawn.
 
Feathersnow
"Thank you, I will take you up on that," says Akio in regard to the offer of transportation to the scent merchant.

Then, too soon, the news of Matt comes up.

Akio nodded gravely and said nothing at first.  He knew of Team Rocket, the Kanto criminals that launched a brief terror campaign in Johto before leaving as abruptly as they came.  He barely knew Matt, but he was a comrade who had fallen.

  "Ancestors welcome him, and may the Legendaries watch over his spirit." He whispers, mostly to himself.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

A sleepy-looking Troff waves to you, cradling a chipped mug of black coffee. The rest of the volunteers are unfamiliar to you. One hands you a bowl of oatmeal as you approach.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Hey there, do any of - of you know where Stef is?"  
 

There is some quick chatter:

“Who?”

“She means the kid from the Geology Club who came in yesterday. The one with the hardhat.”

“Oh, him.”

“Vi, you were on sentry this morning, did you see where he went?”

The one who is apparently ‘Vi’ turns to address you. “Last I saw he was leaving from the east entrance, then cut south into the mountains. That was maybe…” she visibly thinks “…half an hour ago?”

----------------

Shadow Pokémon Hunters:


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Thank you, I will take you up on that," says Akio in regard to the offer of transportation to the scent merchant. 
 

“ Tomorrow then. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark just seemed... confused.  "I... what? That's... why would...?"  Taking off his glasses, he closed his eyes and shook his head.  "Too... t-too tired to think about this right now. Tomorrow. We'll deal with this tomorrow."  In a more than mild case of shock, Mark staggered off to the bedrooms in order to find some place to just collapse and pass out. 
 

Mina was sufficiently out of it she  barely  managed to remember to tell him “ Good night. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less took a moment to think, and then spoke in a low comforting tone.  "I'm sorry. I can tell he was a friend of yours. If you'd like to talk, I can listen."   
 

“ N-no I…not right now. ” Mina didn’t really process anything else Less said, just bid everyone good night and made her dazed way to bed. She didn’t even recall her Pokémon, who trailed off after her with mixed amounts of sadness and concern – even the ones who had never met Matt could tell their human was upset.

----------------

Mina:

Mina did not sleep well. Too much adrenaline in too short a time period right before bed had shot most of her brainpower  and  made her too worked up to sleep.

On top of that, she had the door dream again, except this time in addition to the uncomfortable sense that someone was getting closer a somewhat screechy male voice was calling, “ Hey! Can you hear me now? ”

She finally woke up (and gave up going back to sleep) around 7:30 AM, only to find a bright yellow beak that had gone crooked in her face, and a familiar pair of eyes that were bigger than they’d been the day before staring at her upside-down.

 
 Spoiler: Xatu 

Pokémon: Xatu
Type: Psychic/Flying
Ability: Graceful Dance - Synchronize + Serene Grace - When the Pokémon is inflicted with a status condition (Burn, Paralyze...) the attacker that inflicted the condition is also inflicted with it. The chance of added effects on attacks are doubled.
Gender: Male
Level: 31
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 90
Attack: 61  +15 
Def: 58
Sp. Attack: 73
Sp. Def: 58
Speed: 73 +26
Moves:
Wish
Nightshade
Teleport
U-Turn
Me First
Confuse Ray
 


“ Oh, hey…you evolved. ” Mina was too groggy to manage more than that and a pat on the head for her new Xatu, but he looked quite pleased with himself anyway. He was still tiny by the standards of his species, which meant that when he hopped onto her shoulder he still fit, albeit barely, but was now tall enough to look over her head while perched there.

The rest of her Pokémon were still asleep, except for Oodramer who looked uncomfortable in his spot on the floor – it looked like the carpet had wicked away a lot of the moisture in his body, as he looked dry while there was a wide patch of damp carpet where he’d been sleeping.

 “ Sorry my dear, ” she rubbed his head – yes, he was definitely not as slimy as usual – and took him to the bathroom to ensconce him in a shower stall and turn the water on. She caught a look at her reflection – she still hadn’t washed the dye out of her hair, but that could wait. She did water her Planter Berries while she was there:

 
 Spoiler: Berry summary 

In the Planters:
Petaya not sprouted yet
Liechi 2 not sprouted yet
Liechi 1 sprouted
Salac sprouted
Grepa Berries (+3 Berries, 7 total)
Qualot in bloom
 


She needed to water the ones out in the wild too, but she was running off too little sleep and too little food to rush out and water those right now, maybe after breakfast. They needed to replan anyway.

She was too groggy to be hungry, but her Pokémon would be when they woke up, so she made her way to the kitchen – Xatu was still on her shoulder, surveying everything with his newly-evolved eyes. That reminded her of Matt and the time he’d made pizza – when Natu had snuck out of the nurse’s care to get some - and she felt a stabbing pain.

She pushed it to the back of her mind and set some tea to steep while she collected Pokéchow to take back to her team (minus Xatu, who left her shoulder just long enough to wolf down his ration), and as an afterthought some toast for herself.

She made it most of the way back to her room when she realized she’d forgotten her tea, backtracked for it, then set out food for her Pokémon still in the room. By now it was getting close to 8:30 and she still didn’t feel terribly awake, so she grabbed a change of clothes (along with the dye remover and Oodramer’s breakfast – she figured the nurse would object to food in the bathroom, but Mina was too tired to care right now) and went to go shower and otherwise prep for the day.

Naturally, the ‘dex rang while she was applying the remover.

Grumbling at people who called at the ridiculously early hour of – okay it was 9 AM, or thereabouts, never mind - Mina wondered if she could ignore it but the Pokédexes had thus far proven to be fairly immune to spam callers.

Sure enough it was Pinklady, and Mina reminded herself that not everyone had been up at 2 AM this morning ((😛)) before turning off the camera and picking up.

“ Pinklady? ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Hey there, Mina! How was your day? Or do we need to go straight to plan discussion?"  
 

That level of cheer seemed almost obscene after last night – early this morning – whatever – and Mina  really really really  wanted to go into agonizing detail about just  how  horrible the day in question had been, but that really wasn’t fair to the other girl. It still came out rather more terse than she intended, but Mina kept it straight and to the point: “ We lost Matt. Ranger Wain is swinging by Rieva to drop off some of his things around noon. Will you be there? ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh."  Her voice goes somber too.  Lost Matt? But - he was just with everyone the other day, did he...  She distracts herself from that line of thought by focusing on the question at hand. She checks the time and her map.  "How'd - I don't think I could make it there myself. Plus, I told someone here I'd help them a couple of hours, and I need to pay someone back... any chance you could teleport to me and then take me there when it's time? I'm at the Shrine of Light."  
 

“ The Shrine of Light? Umm. ” Of course the other girl’d managed to get herself to the only place Mina knew of that actively blocked teleportation. “ Not if you’re in the Shrine itself. Meet me, say, half a mile east of the east entrance? About fifteen minutes before noon. Then Natu and I can come get you. ” The words had already left her mouth when Mina realized, no wait, that should be  Xatu  not Natu. Oops.

She really needed more sleep for this conversation. Or more caffeine. Both would be lovely.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Fifteen minutes before noon, got it. Anything else you want to talk about right now or would you rather continue face to face later?"  
 

“ …I don’t think there’s anything else that can’t wait. Anything on your end? ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "No, nothing urgent on my end. See you later."  
 

Mina heard the line go dead and put the Pokédex away. Not long afterwards she finished washing the dye out of her hair, dressed and swung by her room to gather her Pokémon – all awake and fed now, Pidgey looking about anxiously – and then headed back to the kitchen for something a little more substantial than toast.

----------------

Less:

You wake up at 6 AM, having had a grand total of four hours of sleep. Most of the activity at this hour consists of the Center’s Chansey going about their duties.

----------------

Mark and Akio:

Nothing unexpected disturbs either of you, and you are able to sleep undisturbed until about 9 AM, when what passes for the breakfast crowd in this tiny settlement start trickling towards the restaurant.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
If either of you want to get up earlier than that, you can.
 
essCee
Pinklady waves back to Troff before re-engaging in the conversation.

 "Oh... alright, thank you. Any idea where he might have been heading, going that way? Is the Geology Club that way?" 

Trying to catch up half an hour behind through mountains would absolutely not end well... still, Pinklady wishes she could repay Stef and hopes he's alright. Maybe, she reasoned, if she could get a good idea where he's going, there might be time among the teleportations later to drop off replacement medicine for him.
Lord Ruby34
The sun, Less thought, was unusually hateful this morning. His sleep hadn't been quiet. He had dreamed of finding Buck lying in a pool of blood, of not being able to bring his friend safely back to him. He had dreamed of finding Emilia in a similar state. So when the sun crested the horizon, Less was not particularly inclined to greet it with charity. But childhood lessons and more than fifty years of habit had sunk deep, and Less rose with the sun nonetheless. Buck, who had no compunctions about sleeping while the day dawned, rolled over and let out a little snore.

Less let the old dog sleep. Just because his day was going to be rough didn't mean that Buck had to suffer too. Less made his way to the kitchen and got a pot of coffee going. While the bitter liquid was brewing, Less took a moment to find a piece of paper and a pencil. Once acquired, he wrote "To Do" in big letters across the top, then wrote "Find Emilia" underneath that. That would need subparts, so Less left the next bit of the page blank and continued on.

He also should try to get in touch with his brother. Less had sent Norris a letter when Georgia had passed, but there was no guarantee it had ever been delivered. Even if it had Norris's response could have never made it to him.

Then Less took a moment to think. He and his Pokemon all needed to be stronger, so he wrote Training as another heading, then put under that "evolve Princess". A moment's thought added a few other topics. "Learn Status Moves", get "New Items". He detoured again and made a note to return the department store when he had money, and to visit the university of Helnith at some point. He also wrote down to visit the Geology Club in Tidepath. He should probably find out a little bit more about Poffins.

He also needed to fulfill his promise to Connie, which would mean some time spent on the computer. Those were the pressing issues, so Less circled back to his first heading. To find Emilia he needed to find Ray, and to find Ray he needed to know more about Bandra operations. That probably meant getting access to a Bandra computer or capturing a Taskmaster and getting them to talk. Not easy feats.

Finally, Less went back and added two more things that had come to his mind. He needed to check the bounty hunting app, and he needed to check in with the rangers about the modified Pokedex, though it was likely too early in the morning to learn anything yet. Still, having a physical list made him feel better, and he could start accomplishing his goals. The coffee was ready, so Less took a moment to enjoy it with a couple of painkilers (his face was still hurting) before heading out into the morning air. He had always enjoyed the first cool breezes of the day.

In his youth, Less had been a bit of an athlete. As he had gotten older, he had slowly let himself fall out of shape, not that he had ever fully given up exercise. Less let out a long sigh, and then let Princess out of her ball. No sense in wasting time training alone when they could train together.  "Ready for some movement, old girl?"  Princess, still groggy, hissed with disapproval. She was certainly not a morning pokemon. Still, after a moment's cajoling, Princess was skittering alongside him as he started doing laps of the town. After forty minutes, and a considerable amount of sweating on Less's part, the old man switched to having Princess intercept and deflect thrown rocks with her Protect ability. Once they had made some notable progress, Less recalled her and then headed inside for a shower, and to collect Buck, who had finally dozed sufficiently to move around.

When nine a.m. rolled around, Less was in the Pokemon center lobby, having just finished supervising breakfast for his team, and checking the bounty hunting app over a second cup of coffee and some toast.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Make a to do list, jog for 45 minutes and train Princess for another hour 15 before heading inside and getting a shower and breakfast for everyone. Should be two hours of training total for Princess.
 
Gnomes2169
Mark woke at 9 at the noise, slowly curling on his front to form a caterpillar-like lump under his blanket, partially to reject the reality of himself waking up and partially because he'd slept at a weird angle so everything was sore, then pushed himself up with his arm. Blanket bundled onto his shoulders, he looked about blearily and tried to remember where he was.

Oh, right, the Rieva pokemon center. Oh, right, he didn't just hurt because of the weird angle, he also just got to sleep at butts o'clock last night. Oh right, his chest in particular was sore because Tattersail had been injured. Oh right, they'd barely rescued any new shadowed pokemon from Bandra's messed-up schemes. Oh right, they lost the jeep and he needed a shower because of the fire. Oh right, Matt was  gone. 

Oh right, his name is Mark and his life sucks.

Honestly, Mark was tempted to just not get out of bed all day, but he'd been through worse. He was tired of being through this meat grinder on his emotions, but his will hadn't been worn down and broken yet. Sliding out of bed and realizing that he'd forgotten to recall Marick and Tarr because the steel bird was resting on the floor next to him, Mark stretched and dropped the blanket back onto the mattress in a pile. His lairon wasn't in the room but that steel type wide, he wouldn't have been able to fit through the doors without damaging them. Mark had to go out to the lobby to find, apologize to and recall him.

If anyone in this small town had been wondering which trainer had left their pokemon in the lobby for a few hours, Mark probably made for quite the sight. One-armed, disheveled, still covered in ash, he wasn't exactly at his best... but he was working on fixing that! Once his team was back together, Mark returned to his room, picked a shirt from his pack and made his way immediately to the showers to become human again.

At around 9:30, Mark was cleaned, wearing new clothes (a pair of tan cargo shorts and his Take Me to your Leader shirt), he's re-attached his arm, and he has half a cup of coffee in his hand. He hasn't had anything to drink from it yet, in fact he was trying to drink a full glass of water first to try and ween himself off of the dependency he was developing to the bitter bean juice. He even adds some cream and sugar to the cup, something he'd avoided in the past to keep from diluting his drink!

Phone out he sent Lijan a message reading,   "Not sure what you've heard, but complications have come up. Let me know when you can talk."   While waiting for a response to that, he made his way to Nurse Joy so he could check up on how Tattersail was doing and how injured she actually was. He also kept an eye out for Mina, Less and Akio, since they needed to get together to talk about plans and things... wasn't Wain coming around this morning too?
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh... alright, thank you. Any idea where he might have been heading, going that way? Is the Geology Club that way?"  
 

“I figured he was just going to do some digging, he looked kind of glum. I guess he could be going back to the Club, but I’d have thought he’d take the road for that...”

----------------

Breakfast Club (Less, Mark, Mina):

 
 Spoiler: Princess 

Pokémon: Corphish (Princess)
Type: Water
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 29
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 72 +4
Attack: 60 +10
Def: 51 +10
Sp. Attack: 42
Sp. Def: 34
Speed: 34
Moves:
Knock Off
Harden
ViceGrip
Leer
Bubblebeam
Protect
 


Nothing particular jumps out at Less as he scrolls through the App. Mina wanders in a little after 9 AM, hair now black and carrying a couple hard boiled eggs and some juice. Mark shows up not long after with his coffee.

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

If Tattersail is conscious at the moment, it is only just barely. Her pain and grogginess from the drugs to fend it off are both low-level static in the back of your mind.

Not long after you send your message you get a text notification:

  Lijan sent you a message! 
I will be in Ceris today after 6 PM, I am currently looking for the thing you asked for during our last meeting. 
 


The nurse flags Mark down; she looks at least as bad as the group does as far as sleep deprivation.

“Your Gardevoir is going to be out of action for at least another two days. The good news is, her spine isn’t broken, but a number of her ribs are and there are some torn muscles. I’m going to need to keep her here until she recovers.”
essCee
 "Hmm... thank you. That helps a lot."   It wouldn't hurt to check if there's some easy-to-spot diggable caves just south...  if only I thought to check if he had a number to call!"  Pinklady finally notices the bowl of oatmeal she was handed which she took without actively noticing.  "Oh! And thank you. For this."  She sits down, crosslegged, to eat it a bit of it.  No good looking for someone or going digging on an empty stomach! Not making that sort of mistake again. 

What she won't eat herself is what is going to the members of her team who don't dislike food like oatmeal... and, of course, this was an opportunity to start figuring out her new members' tastes! She beckons and calls out Blast Bolt and Tress to come try some.
Lord Ruby34
Nothing lucrative or important enough to dedicate the day to. Hmm. Less closed the app as he finished his toast. He needed to remember to actually eat lunch today, but there was some time before anything important needed to be done. It seemed Mark and Mina had both made their way to the lobby. It took Less a moment to figure out what was different before he realized that Mina had undyed her hair.  Teenagers and their hair,  Less mused,  are always changing. 

Less couldn't help but listen in to Tattersail's condition. It sounded like a terrible injury, but hopefully Mark's psychic type would soon make a full recovery. Less let Mark talk to the nurse, and engaged Mina instead.  "Did you have any particular goals today, other than heading to trainer hill?"  Less asked.
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: Text messages 
After a few minutes, Mark sent back,   "My Gardevoir was injured, but Mina and I have been there. I'll see if I can get a teleport from her."   That would hopefully clue the Lieutenant in on what Mark had meant by 'complications,' and hey, maybe Mina's schedule would be open enough for her to join the meeting too. Mark would have to check.
 


Mark let out a long sigh of relief when the Nurse tells him that there isn't any spine or nerve damage, if there was going to be anything permanently debilitating it would probably have been from one of those sources.  "Alright. Leaving her here makes sense."  He could still feel 'sail's loopiness and dull pain, after all, he wasn't going to take her away from the medicine and pain killers in the center.  "Um... what long-term effects would you guess she'll have? Also, thank you nurse Joy. I appreciate the help, not just now, but all the time. If you need anything, let me know."  He's been running a few errands for the nurses at this point, he might as well keep up the good work while he's here.

As he talked to the nurse Mark noticed Less and Mina and he waved to them, then he blinked at seeing Mina with  normal colored hair.  Well, actually, he's pretty sure he's seen her normal hair color before, but the fact that she's washed the dye out already does take him by surprise. Maybe it was so she could get ready for a new disguise?
Feathersnow
Akio, in a rarity, sleeps in. Yesterday was one of the most significant days of his life- he battled warriors and destroyed property, then began to bond with a new pokemon!


He crawls out of bed, still overwhelmed, and gets breakfast
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Blast Bolt sniffs the oatmeal doubtfully, looking at best unenthusiastic about it. Tress looks slightly apprehensive too, at first, but gamely scoops a bit out of the bowl with one of her front two feet and munches on it. It seems to please her, as she scoops some more out afterwards with no hesitation.

----------------

Breakfast Club (Less, Mark, Mina and now Akio):

On entering the kitchen Akio runs into Mina on her way out; she offers a sleepy hello and heads in the direction of the lobby, where Akio is able to find the rest of the group.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Did you have any particular goals today, other than heading to trainer hill?"  Less asked. 
 

“ I’ve got to water the Berries I neglected yesterday, and I’ve got to pick up Pinklady before Ranger Wain gets here at noon. I’ve also got task from the U of H board I’ve been meaning to do, ”

 
 Spoiler: Less 
Mina is unknowingly advertising her status as a non-local with that comment; most of the people her age refer to the University as Uh-Oh.
 


“ and a machine part I promised to deliver. And at some point I need to track down an Apicot and a Ganlon Berry, but that might not be today. ”

 
 Spoiler: Mark 

  Lijan sent you a message! 
Understood. Please contact me with any updates. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Um... what long-term effects would you guess she'll have? "  
 

“I was able to treat her almost immediately after the injury, so there shouldn’t be any chest deformation. It's possible she’ll feel some aching in the bones that broke after this. You’re also going to need to run her through some gentle physical therapy for a few days after you get her back, or there will be some loss in her range of motion. Given her species and typing, it wouldn’t be crippling, even for battle, but we like our patients to make as full of a recovery as possible.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  Also, thank you nurse Joy. I appreciate the help, not just now, but all the time. If you need anything, let me know."  
 

The nurse smiles. “We try to do our best for all our patients. I’ll make sure to call you if we need help.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I’ve got to water the Berries I neglected yesterday, and I’ve got to pick up Pinklady before Ranger Wain gets here at noon. I’ve also got task from the U of H board I’ve been meaning to do, ” 
 

Less hmmed approvingly at Mina's list. It seemed like she knew how to keep herself busy. The older trainer didn't comment on the way Mina reffered to the local university. He already knew she wasn't a local.  "What task?"  He asked.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ and a machine part I promised to deliver. And at some point I need to track down an Apicot and a Ganlon Berry, but that might not be today. ” 
 

 "I assume you can't teleport to your delivery area? Buck and I can deliver it for you, if needed."  Less offered.  "Other than that, I have some research to do today, and I wanted to spend some time training. I'd prefer not to have to run from a taskmaster again." 

Buck had made his way over to the table and was eyeing Mina's boiled egg with a look of obvious longing.  "Don't beg."  Less chastised halfheartedly, though it didn't accomplish anything other than provoking an offended whine.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I was able to treat her almost immediately after the injury, so there shouldn’t be any chest deformation. It's possible she’ll feel some aching in the bones that broke after this. You’re also going to need to run her through some gentle physical therapy for a few days after you get her back, or there will be some loss in her range of motion. Given her species and typing, it wouldn’t be crippling, even for battle, but we like our patients to make as full of a recovery as possible.” 
 

Mark nodded along as the nurse spoke, tucking his phone back into his pocket while he listened.  "I'll make sure to ask you about those exercises when she's ready to be picked up."  He promised, then covered his mouth while he yawned widely. With just a little smile he jokes,  "... Hopefully we can both get some sleep in between now and then." 

Unless the nurse had something to add, he'd then bid her farewell and make his way over to the breakfast foods that the center had ready. Grabbing himself some toast, two eggs and a bit of fruity yoghurt, Mark finally joined Mina and Less and said,  "Good morning, guys."  It wasn't noon yet, he could call this morning.  "Anyone sleep well here? What are our plans looking like today?" 

He'd also begin cycling through his team to make sure they had breakfast too. After all, they'd put in a bit of work last night too, especially Tarr, so they deserved to get a little something in their bellies. When Jessia came out, he also made sure to give her all 4 of his Rich poffins. They might not be the most focused or highest quality treats, but the extra special attack and speed they would give her was still going to be remarkably useful for her and her multi-target moves.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

Blast Bolt sniffs the oatmeal doubtfully, looking at best unenthusiastic about it. Tress looks slightly apprehensive too, at first, but gamely scoops a bit out of the bowl with one of her front two feet and munches on it. It seems to please her, as she scoops some more out afterwards with no hesitation. 
 

Pinklady smiles as Tress eats up.  "There you go, Tress. Pretty good, right?"  She then looks, no less happy, at Blast Bolt.  "And don't worry, Blast Bolt, there'll be more, other, food later. If this isn't to your taste, it isn't."  Once she's satisfied Tress has had a good amount of the oatmeal, she calls over the longer-time members of her team she knows will like it as well.

Once the oatmeal is depleted, Pinklady gets up.  "Alright, time to go! Let's get you all recalled, lots of wild Pokémon on edge around here, I've been told."  She recalls her Pokémon, and then, to the volunteers,  "I'll be setting out, thanks for the help and food! I'll be back if I find any Revives while mining!"  If there's no particular response outside of acknowledgement or fare wells, Pinklady doesn't hesitate to head out of the Shrine to briefly check on the way Stef had gone.
Feathersnow
Akio gets oatmeal for himself and also decides to feed his team.  He knows what most of the team likes, but gingerly offers a few different things to Akechi to see if the shadowed Stunky likes any particular flavors. "There's a good boy..." He says if he stays calm and responds as hoped...
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "What task?"  He asked. 
 

“ I need to collect a water sample from the river south of Ceris. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I assume you can't teleport to your delivery area?"  
 

“ I could but it’s literally right across town, ” Mina replied, pointing in her best guess as to the direction of the herb shop. Then she shrugged. “ You can come anyway if you want. ” They were probably open by now, actually.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Buck had made his way over to the table and was eyeing Mina's boiled egg with a look of obvious longing.  "Don't beg."  Less chastised halfheartedly, though it didn't accomplish anything other than provoking an offended whine. 
 

Mouth twitching as she repressed a smile, Mina peeled out a yolk – she wasn’t keen on that part anyway, too chalky – and gave it to Buck.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Good morning, guys."  
 

“ Good morning. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Anyone sleep well here?"  
 

“ Definitely not, ” Mina answered ruefully.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "What are our plans looking like today?"  
 

“ Lots of errands for me. Also, I’ll be picking up Pinklady for the meeting with Wain at noon. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 When Jessia came out, he also made sure to give her all 4 of his Rich poffins. They might not be the most focused or highest quality treats, but the extra special attack and speed they would give her was still going to be remarkably useful for her and her multi-target moves. 
 

Mark’s remaining Pokémon chowed down on their food, Jessia accepting the dark green Poffins with grace.

 
 Spoiler: Jessia 

-4 Rich Poffin (+25 Dry, +13 Sweet, +13 Sour, +23 Feel), 0 remaining

Pokemon: Froslass (Jessia)
Type: Ice/Ghost
Ability: Snow Cloak
Gender: Female
Level: 31
Held Item: Razor Claw
Stats--
HP: 94  +21 
Attack: 64
Def: 58
Sp. Attack: 64 +12  +9 
Sp. Def: 58 +3  +9 
Speed: 82 +11  +3 
Moves:
Captivate
Ominous Wind
Double Team
Bite
Icy Wind
Protect
 


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio gets oatmeal for himself and also decides to feed his team.  He knows what most of the team likes, but gingerly offers a few different things to Akechi to see if the shadowed Stunky likes any particular flavors. 
 

Akechi’s fur raised in hostility despite his new trainer's careful movements, and the Shadowed Stunky literally tore into the offered food, sending much of it flying in all directions.

Mina winced at the mess, and extracted a spare napkin to help clean it up. “ Hopefully he’ll calm down once you get the Shadowing cleared. ”
	
----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I'll be setting out, thanks for the help and food! I'll be back if I find any Revives while mining!"  If there's no particular response outside of acknowledgement or fare wells, Pinklady doesn't hesitate to head out of the Shrine to briefly check on the way Stef had gone. 
 

The volunteers wave and wish you good luck with your digging, so you head out.

Stef doesn’t appear to have taken any steps to hide his trail and you’re able to locate him in relatively short order.

When you find him he’s staring at a stretch of mountainside, looking listless and depressed. His pick is in hand, and you can see the radar on his Mining Kit is picking up something in the wall in front of him, but he hasn’t taken a single swing yet and doesn’t look like he’s going to any time soon.
essCee
 "Hey, -"  Pinklady's call to Stef starts out animated. Even with the disappearance of Matt, Pinklady was planning to put out cheer. When she saw Stef's look, she felt like it was inappropriate and dropped to a more muted tone.  "Stef."  She hadn't really noticed Stef's disposition during or after the battle last night, but with how it went and his crying asleep before that, she didn't have much doubt as to the cause of his current look.

She walks up next to him and almost leans on the wall before jolting away from it, realising it could destabilise it. She's left just holding her hand against her right temple, elbow jutted away.  "I hope you know you've been great."  Despite her lowered tone of voice and own thoughts of the terrible things to happen recently, she doesn't let her voice waver - or at least, she puts in a lot of practiced effort not to.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I need to collect a water sample from the river south of Ceris. ” 
 

Less nodded. That fit with the general nature of the odd jobs that Mina and Mark had found so far.  "Let me know if you would like Buck and I to accomplish it instead. We're not as fast as a teleport, but Buck knows how to eat away the miles."
 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I could but it’s literally right across town, ” Mina replied, pointing in her best guess as to the direction of the herb shop. Then she shrugged. “ You can come anyway if you want.  
 

"If you'd like." Less replied. He hadn't thought it was quite so simple a delivery.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mouth twitching as she repressed a smile, Mina peeled out a yolk – she wasn’t keen on that part anyway, too chalky – and gave it to Buck. 
 

Buck deftly plucked it from the air with a happy woof, and Less couldn't help smile. Those big brown eyes rarely failed to get Buck an extra snack.  "You know you already had breakfast, right?"  Less asked. Buck woofed in agreement, as if to say "Yes. And now I've had snack too!", and laid down happily with his head on Less's lap, tongue lolling.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Good morning. ” 
 

Less made a similar greeting, but didn't complain about his lack of sleep. Nights where he slept well were in short supply lately.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Lots of errands for me. Also, I’ll be picking up Pinklady for the meeting with Wain at noon. ” 
 

 "I'm hoping to do some training today, as well as keep my promise to Connie."  Less replied.  "I imagine you would like to stay close to the center?"
 

Less winced upon witnessing Aketchi make a mess of breakfast, and Buck was staring at the little Stunky with a fair degree of vigilance.  "Perhaps we could attempt to de-shadow Aketchi soon? Mina, do you think your spectral types could use that technique you mentioned? It might give us an opportunity to rub some cologne in? 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mouth twitching as she repressed a smile, Mina peeled out a yolk – she wasn’t keen on that part anyway, too chalky – and gave it to Buck. 
 

While Less was chastising his mooching fire type, Mark tossed Buck one of his own egg yolks and he smiled innocently at the old man.  "Good dogs deserve to be pampered, what can I say?"  He said as an explanation.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Definitely not, ” Mina answered ruefully. 
 

He winced sympathetically and reached out with his organic hand to pat her shoulder and give her a little squeeze.  "Bad dreams, I take it?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Lots of errands for me. Also, I’ll be picking up Pinklady for the meeting with Wain at noon. ” 
 

 "I should join you for that meeting."  Mark said, his expression clearly showing how much he dreaded the idea, but it was important to know exactly what had happened and to meet with the ranger.  "And I can help you out with your other tasks today, but uh... I kinda need to bum a ride off of you too."  Wincing, he quickly adds,  "Though, mine will be closer to dinner time! I'm meeting with Lijan in Ceris at 6, and you should probably join us for that, honestly. I was trying to coordinate with the Starlight Squad through him, and you have a bit more experience working with the group than I do." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Akechi’s fur raised in hostility despite his new trainer's careful movements, and the Shadowed Stunky literally tore into the offered food, sending much of it flying in all directions. 
 

That little display causes Mark to reach down to his belt subconsciously for Tarr's pokeball with his robotic hand. If he needed to, he could send out his skarmory to sit on the shadowed skunk pokemon in just a few seconds.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I hope you know you've been great."  
 

Stef jumps and it’s clear he didn’t realize you were there until you spoke. “T-thank you,” he manages. “You’re very nice.”

----------------

Breakfast Club:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded. That fit with the general nature of the odd jobs that Mina and Mark had found so far.  "Let me know if you would like Buck and I to accomplish it instead. We're not as fast as a teleport, but Buck knows how to eat away the miles."
  
 

Mina shook her head no. “ I can handle it. ” Plus Mina would be getting paid for it, and was additionally signed up for the task; having to juggle the paperwork to swap it over to Less would probably be more trouble than just doing it herself. “ But if you could ask around Trainer Hill for the Apicot and Ganlon Berries, that would be a big help; I’ve been told if anyone has some it’s likely to be there. ”

A thought occurred. “ Speaking of, should I keep aiming for Poffin Berries? I know we're going to be a bit delayed for... ” Mina trailed off, unsure how much she should be saying in public - even if at the moment that public consisted of Nurse Joy and anyone passing by in this tiny, tiny town.

On the one hand, this gave her more time to grow enough Berries to make Poffin to hopefully boost a full team of six for everyone in the group. But on the other, there were other things she could be growing with more immediate use - more Sitrus Berries, for example.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Perhaps we could attempt to de-shadow Aketchi soon? Mina, do you think your spectral types could use that technique you mentioned? It might give us an opportunity to rub some cologne in?  
 

“ Yes, but I don’t know if you noticed, but it bumps up the Shadow Gauge a little each time, and Akio, correct me if I’m wrong but you don’t have any Cologne to use yet? And I don’t have any on me for Poison or Dark types. So unless he goes on a rampage in the next five minutes I’ll have Cosmas or Oodramer do that right before any Purification attempts, and he’ll just need to stay in his ball until then. ” Of course they could try to battle Aketchi's Shadow Gauge down too, but she figured Akio was perfectly capable of speaking up if that were the case.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Bad dreams, I take it?"  
 

“ Not the best, ” Mina agreed.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I should join you for that meeting."  
 

“ Sure. Do either of you want in too? ” Mina asked Less and Akio. ((To be clear, this is for the meeting where Wain drops off Matt's stuff.))


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And I can help you out with your other tasks today, but uh... I kinda need to bum a ride off of you too."  Wincing, he quickly adds,  "Though, mine will be closer to dinner time! I'm meeting with Lijan in Ceris at 6, and you should probably join us for that, honestly. I was trying to coordinate with the Starlight Squad through him, and you have a bit more experience working with the group than I do."  
 

“ All right, ” Mina replied, mentally resigning herself to being the group’s taxi until Tattersail recovered. More mobility for the rest of the party was something she felt would be useful; there weren’t a lot of Pokémon species that could teleport, but maybe they could look for Fly after they dug up Surf?

…were they even still planning to look for Surf after all this?

It didn’t really matter, if this last foray into Bandra territory had proven anything it was that they needed a little more redundancy as far as being able to escape quickly.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ But if you could ask around Trainer Hill for the Apicot and Ganlon Berries, that would be a big help; I’ve been told if anyone has some it’s likely to be there. ”

A thought occurred. “ Speaking of, should I keep aiming for Poffin Berries? I know we're going to be a bit delayed for... ” Mina trailed off, unsure how much she should be saying in public - even if at the moment that public consisted of Nurse Joy and anyone passing by in this tiny, tiny town. 
 

 "We probably should, yeah."  Mark said after considering it a moment.  "Even if we get too many of those, they are rare enough that I don't foresee any trouble trading them with berry growers for things like pecha or sitrus berries."  It was also probably a good idea to try and make a surplus so that they could help power-up trainers  outside  of their small group. Keeping the Starlight Squad at a similar level as Bandra's forces at the very least seemed like a good idea.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Yes, but I don’t know if you noticed, but it bumps up the Shadow Gauge a little each time, and Akio, correct me if I’m wrong but you don’t have any Cologne to use yet? And I don’t have any on me for Poison or Dark types. So unless he goes on a rampage in the next five minutes I’ll have Cosmas or Oodramer do that right before any Purification attempts, and he’ll just need to stay in his ball until then. ” Of course they could try to battle Aketchi's Shadow Gauge down too, but she figured Akio was perfectly capable of speaking up if that were the case. 
 

 "I have a vivid scent, but without the cleansing tag that Matt was holding we'd still need a few rounds of battle to fully clear the shadowing, and I have two other shadowed pokemon that..."  He rubbed at his eyes for a bit. Loosing that tag and the flute was a  big  blow. "Well. Looks like we have some things to work on, regardless of whatever plans we're postponing" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Not the best, ” Mina agreed. 
 

He winced sympathetically and told her,  "Let me know if you want to talk about it."  He didn't think to extend the same offer to Less, but that's because...well, Less is a fully grown adult. And old. He probably had things already put together and didn't need to get comfort from some kid that had, just yesterday, asked him for dating advice.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ All right, ” Mina replied, mentally resigning herself to being the group’s taxi until Tattersail recovered. More mobility for the rest of the party was something she felt would be useful; there weren’t a lot of Pokémon species that could teleport, but maybe they could look for Fly after they dug up Surf?

…were they even still planning to look for Surf after all this?

It didn’t really matter, if this last foray into Bandra territory had proven anything it was that they needed a little more redundancy as far as being able to escape quickly. 
 

 "Thank you, Mina. Not having Tattersail for a couple of days is going to be... rough."  Fortunately they had Mina's Natu to back them up here. But hey, someone else got to be the taxi for once!  "I should also probably visit a move tutor sometime today. Marick can learn Rockslide at his level, but he has to be taught it."  Giving the rock/steel pokemon a multi-target move was pretty high up on Mark's list of short-term priorities.

To Less he said,  "We should probably go find that surfer guy one of these days, too. How many water types do you have?"  Since the surfer who they  knew  had the HM was challenging people to a water-type battle, that would be a good thing to work out now. Mark only had his Lapras and Corphish which, while decently leveled, he wasn't certain would be enough to really challenge the surfer bro.  "And Mina! Has your magikarp evolved yet?"  A gyriados would be nice to have around in general.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2961 
 While Less was chastising his mooching fire type, Mark tossed Buck one of his own egg yolks and he smiled innocently at the old man. "Good dogs deserve to be pampered, what can I say?" He said as an explanation. 
 

Buck woofed in agreement, and Less snorted.  "Keep that attitude up and he'll be eating your dinner too." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina shook her head no. “ I can handle it. ” Plus Mina would be getting paid for it, and was additionally signed up for the task; having to juggle the paperwork to swap it over to Less would probably be more trouble than just doing it herself. “ But if you could ask around Trainer Hill for the Apicot and Ganlon Berries, that would be a big help; I’ve been told if anyone has some it’s likely to be there. ” 
 

 "I can certainly do that."  Less said.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 A thought occurred. “ Speaking of, should I keep aiming for Poffin Berries? I know we're going to be a bit delayed for... ” Mina trailed off, unsure how much she should be saying in public - even if at the moment that public consisted of Nurse Joy and anyone passing by in this tiny, tiny town. 
 

 
"Hmm. I imagine that those berries will help us more in the long run than other alternatives."  Less paused.  "Is there anything you need to grow the berries or make the poffins? I count myself a passable chef, and a quick study."
 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Yes, but I don’t know if you noticed, but it bumps up the Shadow Gauge a little each time, and Akio, correct me if I’m wrong but you don’t have any Cologne to use yet? And I don’t have any on me for Poison or Dark types. So unless he goes on a rampage in the next five minutes I’ll have Cosmas or Oodramer do that right before any Purification attempts, and he’ll just need to stay in his ball until then. ” Of course they could try to battle Aketchi's Shadow Gauge down too, but she figured Akio was perfectly capable of speaking up if that were the case. 
 

 "I have a generic scent, if that would help."  Less offered.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Sure. Do either of you want in too? ” Mina asked Less and Akio. 
 

 
"I'll be here." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 [COLOR="#008080"]
To Less he said,  "We should probably go find that surfer guy one of these days, too. How many water types do you have?"  Since the surfer who they  knew  had the HM was challenging people to a water-type battle, that would be a good thing to work out now. Mark only had his Lapras and Corphish which, while decently leveled, he wasn't certain would be enough to really challenge the surfer bro.  "And Mina! Has your magikarp evolved yet?"  A gyriados would be nice to have around in general. 
 

 
"Just Princess, though I have a bit of a trick I might be able to use to gain an advantage if it comes to that."  Less said. Still, he wouldn't want to try and take on a whole team of water types with just Princess, even if he could manage to teach her a grass move.
essCee
Pinklady lightly smiles.  "Thank you."  After a few seconds of silence, (I assume Stef doesn't soon break it quickly)  full of her thinking about what to say next, she decides to get to the point she originally sought him out for.  "During the battle last night..."  she sighs, both from her troubles from that fight and, sympathetically for Stef -  "The healing you did went a long way towards stopping them. A really long way. I'd like to pay you back the items you used up."  She withdraws her three super potions and full heal from her pouches and offers them to Stef.
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I can certainly do that."  Less said. 
 

“ Thank you, ” Mina replied.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We probably should, yeah."  Mark said after considering it a moment.  "Even if we get too many of those, they are rare enough that I don't foresee any trouble trading them with berry growers for things like pecha or sitrus berries."  
 

“ Realistically speaking I don’t think we  could  get too many, at least in the short term: they take over half a week to grow. ” Plus Mina really doubted anyone had that many extra lying around, seeing as there wasn’t a lot of good soil to plant in and most trainers would have other Berries they would need or want to grow rather than just growing and stockpiling the rare ones.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Hmm. I imagine that those berries will help us more in the long run than other alternatives."  Less paused.  "Is there anything you need to grow the berries or make the poffins? I count myself a passable chef, and a quick study."
  
 

“ I will probably be taking you up on that, the more people that are mixing the more Poffin are made. They’re like egg whites; the batter gets fluffier the more you beat them, ” Mina replied. “ As for the Berries, most of what I need is more space to plant them in. I can’t carry any more of these ” she motioned to the Planters hanging off her pack “ and still expect all of them to get enough light to grow. ”

Watering on time was a bit of a bottleneck too, but Mina suspected any time she wasn’t able to get water to her plants, it would be because they were up to their eyeballs in Bandra or because it was some crazy hour at night, and one else would be able to get to them  either  - and that was doubly true now that she had the only active teleporter. Mulch, either to speed up growth time or boost harvests or whatever else, she considered a nice-to-have not a need-to-have at this point. Even the pests eating her Berries could be worked around by showing up promptly when they were ready to harvest.

So space was her direst need right now. Even if she could get three volunteers to help her mix the Poffin, that was still only four Poffin per person, and it would take at least two Poffin per Pokemon. So three Berries to cover all six Pokémon per trainer, plus at least  two  one other trainer without Matt they needed to cover…and that was for  each  of the Salac, Liechi, Petaya, and currently unavailable Ganlon and Apicot Berries. And some of the Pokemon already had some of their Feel taken up and would need custom Poffin and -

Mina suppressed that line of thought before it could go further, she had enough to worry about right now.   One thing at a time!  

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I have a vivid scent, but without the cleansing tag that Matt was holding we'd still need a few rounds of battle to fully clear the shadowing, and I have two other shadowed pokemon that..."  He rubbed at his eyes for a bit. Loosing that tag and the flute was a  big  blow. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I have a generic scent, if that would help."  Less offered. 
 

“ Akio? Your call. I’m going to the Scent stall at Trainer Hill either way. ” It would delay said trip to Trainer Hill slightly, since Mina would need to be on hand with Oodramer or Cosmas, but not drastically so.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well. Looks like we have some things to work on, regardless of whatever plans we're postponing"  
 

“ Did you need a lift to Trainer Hill too? We can all stock up on Scents together. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He winced sympathetically and told her,  "Let me know if you want to talk about it."  
 

Mina shook her head ‘no.’ “ Honestly, it’s mostly an annoyance - it’s just been really persistent is all. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'll be here."  
 

“ All right then. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Thank you, Mina. Not having Tattersail for a couple of days is going to be... rough."  Fortunately they had Mina's Natu to back them up here. But hey, someone else got to be the taxi for once!  "I should also probably visit a move tutor sometime today. Marick can learn Rockslide at his level, but he has to be taught it."  
 

“ I need to retrain Xatu with Miracle Eye too. It would have been a lot easier for us to get out of that last mess if we hadn’t had to work around the type immunity to Teleport, and next time we might not be able to rescue the Dark types by shoving them in Pokeballs. ” Mina was still a little bitter about that, mostly because they’d only had that problem because of her own stupidity. It wasn’t like she didn’t know Dark types existed!


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And Mina! Has your magikarp evolved yet?"  
 

“ Yes, but her moveset right now is, umm,  lacking.  She’s going to need more training before she’s going to be able to meaningfully contribute. ”

----------------

Pinklady:

Stef perks up a little. “Oh thank you! But you don’t have to worry about that, Miss Crest got some out of storage for me, to replace them already, she said some of the towns sent Potions and stuff because they didn’t have any people to send.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I will probably be taking you up on that, the more people that are mixing the more Poffin are made. They’re like egg whites; the batter gets fluffier the more you beat them, ” Mina replied. “ As for the Berries, most of what I need is more space to plant them in. I can’t carry any more of these ” she motioned to the Planters hanging off her pack “ and still expect all of them to get enough light to grow. ” 
 

 "I might be able to solve that problem too, actually."  Less said, offhandedly.  "I know that Siltis is ways away, but Georgia had a garden that's been left fallow for a few years. If you can make your way to my house and you're willing to do some weeding the soil should be good for most plants." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Feel free to shoot this down as DM. I figure it makes sense but it's not really something we've earned in game.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I need to retrain Xatu with Miracle Eye too. It would have been a lot easier for us to get out of that last mess if we hadn’t had to work around the type immunity to Teleport, and next time we might not be able to rescue the Dark types by shoving them in Pokeballs. ” Mina was still a little bitter about that, mostly because they’d only had that problem because of her own stupidity. It wasn’t like she didn’t know Dark types existed!

“ Yes, but her moveset right now is, umm,  lacking.  She’s going to need more training before she’s going to be able to meaningfully contribute. ” 
 

 "Frankly, everyone in my team, save Connie, needs to see the move tutor."  Less grumbled.  "Do you think there's any chance we might be able to win some heart scales off other trainers at the Hill?"  Less asked, addressing his question to everyone present.
essCee
 "Oh! That's really great!"  Pinklady re-stashes her items.  "It's been great to see so many people working together, in so many different ways... back at my home, people were definitely nice, but it really shines through when there's something to really work together for..."  Pinklady thinks about how the biggest trouble she had ever heard of back home was when there was some folk campaigning for the release of all Pokémon... definitely a far cry from what Bandra had been doing here.  "Speaking of which, I don't think I've actually had the chance to watch you dig a whole wall, though you have taught me so much about how to do it! Mind if I watch you tackle this wall?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Realistically speaking I don’t think we  could  get too many, at least in the short term: they take over half a week to grow. ” Plus Mina really doubted anyone had that many extra lying around, seeing as there wasn’t a lot of good soil to plant in and most trainers would have other Berries they would need or want to grow rather than just growing and stockpiling the rare ones.

“ I will probably be taking you up on that, the more people that are mixing the more Poffin are made. They’re like egg whites; the batter gets fluffier the more you beat them, ” Mina replied. “ As for the Berries, most of what I need is more space to plant them in. I can’t carry any more of these ” she motioned to the Planters hanging off her pack “ and still expect all of them to get enough light to grow. ” 
 

 "I think, if we each get a planter, that we could squeeze out a  little  more efficiency with that."  Mark added to Less' offer of his home garden.  "I've got a few Bluk berries, which I'm pretty sure were only useful for poffins when we checked, and I also have a Grepa berry that I could use a handful of."  Because he'd made mistakes with his past EV's. What had Zelg even been trying to  do  with Marick? Same with his Hondew, Qualot and Pomeg berries... well, maybe not the Pomeg, those HP EV's were useful on everything, but he could use some resets. They were decent for poffins too, if he recalled correctly.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Did you need a lift to Trainer Hill too? We can all stock up on Scents together. ” 
 

 "I guess I could join you guys, though I'm going to save most of my money for potions and other medicine right now."  He  needed  to restock his supplies.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina shook her head ‘no.’ “ Honestly, it’s mostly an annoyance - it’s just been really persistent is all. ” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I need to retrain Xatu with Miracle Eye too. It would have been a lot easier for us to get out of that last mess if we hadn’t had to work around the type immunity to Teleport, and next time we might not be able to rescue the Dark types by shoving them in Pokeballs. ” Mina was still a little bitter about that, mostly because they’d only had that problem because of her own stupidity. It wasn’t like she didn’t know Dark types existed! 
 

 "Oh hey, Natu finally evolved? Awesome!"  Mark said, flashing an excited grin before it freezes in an 'error/ loading' way. Things clicked together and, frozen expression on his face, he wiggled his pointer finger in front of him like he was doing an equation and spoke quickly.  "So. Last time my gardevoir and your natu, who's a xatu now, spoke, they let me join in on their 'meeting of the minds' thing and... okay, doesn't matter how that works exactly, but what  matters  is that your pokemon was a bit jealous and wants to connect to  you  like Tattersail is connected to  me.  When she became strong enough, Tattersail tried sending me messages in my sleep but I'm too dumb to figure those out, so the psychic kid had to spell it out for me, but until I agreed to it and consciously agreed to connect with her I kept having  weird  dreams." 

Mark took in a breath and, done rambling since he'd added everything up, he said,  "I think the reoccurring dream might just be your Xatu trying to psychically link to you... which is great! But also, potentially scary and   risky.  "  If Mark had been knocked out when Tattersail was injured, he would likely be dead, or at least captured by Bandra right now.  "I don't have Tattersail to translate right now, but... maybe talk it over with your bird when you get the chance?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Yes, but her moveset right now is, umm,  lacking.  She’s going to need more training before she’s going to be able to meaningfully contribute. ” 
 

 "Well... that's unfortunate."  Mark said, rubbing at his chin a bit.  "Maybe we should start doing accuracy and other specialty training again with your Houndoom and my team. Would be a good opportunity to start training up your fish to get to better moves."  Heck, if the gyarados could get to a high enough level, they could have Houndoom ride the water/flying type instead of Tarr and leave Mina's team self-sufficient with that strategy.
Feathersnow
Akio recalls Akechi, a little perturbed by the Stunky's traumatized and frantic behavior.  "Whatever you think is best.  I was going to get some cologne at the store today, but I understand if there are more urgent matters."
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I might be able to solve that problem too, actually."  Less said, offhandedly.  "I know that Siltis is ways away, but Georgia had a garden that's been left fallow for a few years. If you can make your way to my house and you're willing to do some weeding the soil should be good for most plants."  
 

“ That  is  a bit of a trek, ” And Mina did not think she’d been up to Siltis or for that matter anywhere north of Dewdrop Forest since she caught her little teleporting bird, so it  would  be a trek. “ But Dewdrop Forest had some decent soil patches too, so it might be worth a detour. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Frankly, everyone in my team, save Connie, needs to see the move tutor."  Less grumbled.  "Do you think there's any chance we might be able to win some heart scales off other trainers at the Hill?"  Less asked, addressing his question to everyone present. 
 

Mina shrugged. “ It probably wouldn’t hurt to ask. ” Privately, Mina felt it was likely said trainers would  have  Heart Scales but be unwilling to  part  with them, seeing as that was were the Move Tutor was. “ I was thinking of seeing if the Geology Club had any extras they’d be willing to trade. And they come off Luvdisc don’t they? Maybe if all else fails, some beach combing is in order. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I think, if we each get a planter, that we could squeeze out a  little  more efficiency with that."  
 

“ The Department Store in Skybreak sells them. They’re about the price of an Ultra Ball. ” Mina had not considered that to be an outrageous price at the time, but she  had  noticed that up to this point most of the party – including everyone who had ever been part of it going back to her arrival in the region, with the sole exception of Misty - didn’t seem to have any inclination to go mucking around in the dirt to grow Berries in the first place, so she might be a little biased.

Regardless, money going towards more Planters would  not  be going towards more Pokéballs or anything else they would need, so Mina suspected there would need to be some balance there if they went that route.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I've got a few Bluk berries, which I'm pretty sure were only useful for poffins when we checked, and I also have a Grepa berry that I could use a handful of."  
 

“ If you have to pick between the two plant the Grepa Berries, I’ve been crunching the numbers and I don’t think we can get very potent Poffin out of the Bluk. ” Mina considered going into depth about her research and Poffin theories, but very likely no one else cared as long as it worked. “ And if I end up being wrong the Bluk grow very fast. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I guess I could join you guys, though I'm going to save most of my money for potions and other medicine right now."  
 

“ Up to you. Don’t let me pressure you if you’ve got other priorities. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Oh hey, Natu finally evolved? Awesome!"  Mark said, flashing an excited grin before it freezes in an 'error/ loading' way. Things clicked together and, frozen expression on his face, he wiggled his pointer finger in front of him like he was doing an equation and spoke quickly.  "So. Last time my gardevoir and your natu, who's a xatu now, spoke, they let me join in on their 'meeting of the minds' thing and... okay, doesn't matter how that works exactly, but what  matters  is that your pokemon was a bit jealous and wants to connect to  you  like Tattersail is connected to  me.  When she became strong enough, Tattersail tried sending me messages in my sleep but I'm too dumb to figure those out, so the psychic kid had to spell it out for me, but until I agreed to it and consciously agreed to connect with her I kept having  weird  dreams."  
 

“ Oh. ” Mina blinked and took Xatu’s Great Ball off her belt and gave it a stern look. “ So  you’re  the reason my sleep has been all screwed up. ” It made sense. Thinking back, some of the nights she  hadn’t  had the dream her Psychic bird had been out of commission.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark took in a breath and, done rambling since he'd added everything up, he said,  "I think the reoccurring dream might just be your Xatu trying to psychically link to you... which is great! But also, potentially scary and   risky.  "  If Mark had been knocked out when Tattersail was injured, he would likely be dead, or at least captured by Bandra right now.  "I don't have Tattersail to translate right now, but... maybe talk it over with your bird when you get the chance?"  
 

“ Yes. Yes that… ” Mina trailed off as her thoughts momentarily outstripped her mouth by a wide enough margin to preclude speech. “ …that could be very good or very bad. ” Very good  and  very bad at the same time; the translation thing was  useful , but was it useful enough to risk being knocked out in the middle of enemy territory?


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well... that's unfortunate."  Mark said, rubbing at his chin a bit.  "Maybe we should start doing accuracy and other specialty training again with your Houndoom and my team. Would be a good opportunity to start training up your fish to get to better moves."  
 

“ That will probably help, ” Mina pulled out her Pokédex and scrolled through the species stats for Gyarados. “ Let’s see, she gets Dragon Rage at 23…Leer at 26… ”   Yikes, no Water moves until level 35?!!   They said it took a lot of skill to train Gyarados; Mina had naively assumed they just meant the slow slog evolving the giant fish dragons up from Magikarp. Apparently not! “ I do still have the HM for Rock Smash, and she can learn that, which is better than nothing. Speaking of, if anyone wants to borrow it, you can, just bring it back when you’re done. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio recalls Akechi, a little perturbed by the Stunky's traumatized and frantic behavior.  "Whatever you think is best.  I was going to get some cologne at the store today, but I understand if there are more urgent matters." 
 

Since Less and Mark had both offered, Mina figured one or both of them should be the ones to hash it out with Akio, she didn’t really have anything else to add at this point.

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Speaking of which, I don't think I've actually had the chance to watch you dig a whole wall, though you have taught me so much about how to do it! Mind if I watch you tackle this wall?"  
 

“Oh! Um. Sure, you can, if you want to, I’ll show you how I do it?” Stef seemed more than a little flustered, but gripped his pick tighter and turned toward the wall.

3 items detected!
 
6   6   3   1   3   2   6   3   4   4   5   5   6   6   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 10

“Okay, here goes…”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ That  is  a bit of a trek, ” And Mina did not think she’d been up to Siltis or for that matter anywhere north of Dewdrop Forest since she caught her little teleporting bird, so it  would  be a trek. “ But Dewdrop Forest had some decent soil patches too, so it might be worth a detour. ” 
 

 "Let me know when you'd like to make it."  Less said,  "After last night I could probably stand to pick up another change of clothes." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina shrugged. “ It probably wouldn’t hurt to ask. ” Privately, Mina felt it was likely said trainers would  have  Heart Scales but be unwilling to  part  with them, seeing as that was were the Move Tutor was. “ I was thinking of seeing if the Geology Club had any extras they’d be willing to trade. And they come off Luvdisc don’t they? Maybe if all else fails, some beach combing is in order. ” 
 

Less nodded and stroked his mustache. He had never really wagered on the outcome of Pokemon battles, but from his admittedly limited knowledge many trainers were very willing to do so.  "I've also been meaning to visit them for the same reason, but it seems unlikely I'll manage to get down to Tidepath today, but Trainer hill is close to a beach, is it not?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ If you have to pick between the two plant the Grepa Berries, I’ve been crunching the numbers and I don’t think we can get very potent Poffin out of the Bluk. ” Mina considered going into depth about her research and Poffin theories, but very likely no one else cared as long as it worked. “ And if I end up being wrong the Bluk grow very fast. ” 
 

 "Is there a mathematical formula that determines Poffin effectiveness?"  Less asked, curious. It made some sense. Baking in general could be very mathematical, it stood to reason Poffin worked the same way as a cake, albeit with more fruit and less flour.
essCee
 "Yeah, I'd love to see!"  She watches Stef's work, making her own initial assessment of the wall, soon to be compared to how he goes about picking at it.  Around the middle seems like a good starting point... but then again, starting from the sides is important if anything is buried in those tougher-looking parts... 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ The Department Store in Skybreak sells them. They’re about the price of an Ultra Ball. ”

“ If you have to pick between the two plant the Grepa Berries, I’ve been crunching the numbers and I don’t think we can get very potent Poffin out of the Bluk. ” Mina considered going into depth about her research and Poffin theories, but very likely no one else cared as long as it worked. “ And if I end up being wrong the Bluk grow very fast. ” 
 

 "Ah. Skybreak... Looks like we have to go back there regardless of spookiness."  Mark said with a frown.  "At that price, I could probably afford two of them."  Costing as much as an ultra ball didn't matter if you weren't  buying  any ultra balls. He had a pretty solid team and still had a decent stash of balls to play with.  "How many berries can each planter grow, have you found?"  He asked, glancing at her pack. If he could get a few of the stat-adjusting berries growing at the same time, that could get his team adjusted to top-fighting condition that much quicker.  "I also had a Hondew, Qualot and Pomeg berry in there, if one of those would make the kinds of poffin we're looking for, I'll prioritize that one too." 

He didn't have anything to really say about the Bluk berries. He remembered hearing about poffins becoming more potent if you mixed different berries with shared flavors at some point, but his brain could just be making that up and Mina was their berry expert. And also backup taxi. And also functioning brain in the group. Honestly, Mark didn't contribute much without Tattersail to back him up, did he? That... was probably just his depression speaking, so he changed mental tracks instead of dwelling on his own stupidity.

 "That said... Mina."  He pulled out the spectral ball she'd given him last night and handed that over.  "Thanks for this, didn't end up needing it. They are expensive enough that it might be worth  selling  any that we have left. Speaking of loot, though, Less, Akio, what did we get from those grunts?"  He had  zero  issues with using the money taken from anyone Bandra related and using it to buy things to fight even more of Bandra.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Up to you. Don’t let me pressure you if you’ve got other priorities. ” 
 

 "Looks like I'll need to go to Trainer Hill anyway for the move tutor, so I'll still join you guys even if I don't end up buying any cologne."  He said with a shrug.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Oh. ” Mina blinked and took Xatu’s Great Ball off her belt and gave it a stern look. “ So  you’re  the reason my sleep has been all screwed up. ”

“ Yes. Yes that… ” Mina trailed off as her thoughts momentarily outstripped her mouth by a wide enough margin to preclude speech. “ …that could be very good or very bad. ” Very good  and  very bad at the same time; the translation thing was  useful , but was it useful enough to risk being knocked out in the middle of enemy territory? 
 

His eyes widened meaningfully, he nodded along as the realization took over her expression and said,  "I... honestly still don't understand everything that we might be capable of with this bond. Even without bonding your Natu- er, Xatu, -gonna take a bit to adjust- Tattersail was able to connect us enough for me to feel his jealousy and understand  why  he was jealous. The stronger she gets, the more we seem able to do... and I haven't had any chances to experiment with another bonded trainer/ pokemon pair, so there may be opportunities that we just aren't aware of that could come from that. But..."  He winced and held up his organic hand to gesture vaguely at the potential downsides as well.  "Just think through it carefully and have a serious discussion with your bird when you get there." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ That will probably help, ” Mina pulled out her Pokédex and scrolled through the species stats for Gyarados. “ Let’s see, she gets Dragon Rage at 23…Leer at 26… ”   Yikes, no Water moves until level 35?!!   They said it took a lot of skill to train Gyarados; Mina had naively assumed they just meant the slow slog evolving the giant fish dragons up from Magikarp. Apparently not! “ I do still have the HM for Rock Smash, and she can learn that, which is better than nothing. Speaking of, if anyone wants to borrow it, you can, just bring it back when you’re done. ” 
 

Mark didn't have a pokemon on his team that immediately screamed out for needing Rock Smash, so he didn't speak up on that, but he would keep that in mind... most of his physical attackers could use it, right? Hmmm... He'd have to see.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Since Less and Mark had both offered, Mina figured one or both of them should be the ones to hash it out with Akio, she didn’t really have anything else to add at this point. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio recalls Akechi, a little perturbed by the Stunky's traumatized and frantic behavior.  "Whatever you think is best.  I was going to get some cologne at the store today, but I understand if there are more urgent matters." 
 

 "We'll visit the cologne stand in Trainer Hill before worrying about deshadowing. We've got a lot of reasons to go there, so it would make sense to let you shop around for a bit."  Getting all the tools together  before  committing to work seemed like a smart plan.  "I should be able to help you out with some deshadowing after we finish meeting with Lijan."  He also had his own pokemon to work on, though the litwick was pretty close to cured anyway if he recalled correctly. Today was going to be a pretty busy day.
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Let me know when you'd like to make it."  Less said,  "After last night I could probably stand to pick up another change of clothes."  
 

“ I probably won’t be headed up there today, ” Mina warned. Her schedule for the day was already a bit crammed.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded and stroked his mustache. He had never really wagered on the outcome of Pokemon battles, but from his admittedly limited knowledge many trainers were very willing to do so.  "I've also been meaning to visit them for the same reason, but it seems unlikely I'll manage to get down to Tidepath today, but Trainer hill is close to a beach, is it not?"  
 

“ It’s only a mile or so away, yes. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Ah. Skybreak... Looks like we have to go back there regardless of spookiness."  Mark said with a frown.  "At that price, I could probably afford two of them."  
 

Mina shrugged. “ If you want to see if anywhere else sells them, we can ask around. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Is there a mathematical formula that determines Poffin effectiveness?"  Less asked, curious. It made some sense. Baking in general could be very mathematical, it stood to reason Poffin worked the same way as a cake, albeit with more fruit and less flour. 
 

“ I mean, maybe? I have a theory but I haven’t been able to test it yet. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I also had a Hondew, Qualot and Pomeg berry in there, if one of those would make the kinds of poffin we're looking for, I'll prioritize that one too."  
 

“ Any of those would make decent Poffin. ” Okay, maybe she  should  go a little more into detail. This could get ugly; Mina had been number crunching for days and wasn’t sure how well she could boil all that down into something simple and palatable. She pulled out her Pokédex to help her illustrate her points. “ I’ll try to explain.

You know how Pokémon have a ‘Feel’ and once that’s full they can’t get any more Poffin boosts? Some Berries contribute to the Feel more than others. So, and I need to stress that I  have not tested this,  my theory is that the best Poffin Berries are  not  the ones with the highest flavor overall, but the ones with the  lowest Feel  compared to the flavors they contribute. The Hondew, Qualot, Kelpsy, Grepa and Pomeg Berries all have Feel that is exactly equal to the flavors they contribute – the flavor numbers may look higher at first glance, but remember some of those flavors are cancelling out, they’re only  contributing  20 points of flavor against a Feel of 20. Now look at the stats for the Bluk Berry: it’s only contributing 10 points against a Feel of 20, because again some of the flavors are cancelled out.  Most  Berries are more skewed in favor of the Feel. The only Berries that I’ve found that are better than the EV Berries are Liechi and the other Berries in that family – Salac, Petaya, Apicot, and Ganlon. The super rare and slow-to-grow ones.

So for the Recipe for Disaster Poffin— ” Mina paused, as it occurred to her Less and Akio might not know that name “ —I mean, for the Poffin we’d need to make to max out every stat on a particular Pokémon, what we need to do is to make Poffin with five points of flavor for every point of Feel. There’s a little wiggle room, but that’s the gist of it.

The good news is that’s  total  – so if we make a Poffin with two flavors, as long as they have at least five points of flavor combined for each point of Feel, and we’re careful how the flavors overlap, we should be able to make it, and all the Berries I mentioned have two main flavors.  ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "How many berries can each planter grow, have you found?"  
 

“ At a time? ” Mina asked, not quite sure she understood what Mark was asking. “ Just one at a time, but the Planters are reusable. ” Mina kept the longer-growing Berries in the Planters for their security, because the shorter ones were more expendable if something ate them before she could get to them: from a travel and watering standpoint, it would probably be more optimal to do it the other way around.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "That said... Mina."  He pulled out the spectral ball she'd given him last night and handed that over.  "Thanks for this, didn't end up needing it. They are expensive enough that it might be worth  selling  any that we have left. Speaking of loot, though, Less, Akio, what did we get from those grunts?"  
 

Mina thanked Mark and put the Spectral Ball away. ((-1 Spectral Ball Mark, 0 remaining. +1 Spectral Ball Mina, 2 total.)) “ Don’t forget you only get half the value selling back to the Marts. ” That was still a fair chunk of cash, of course, but Mina figured she’d hold on to hers for now in case they ran into more wild Shadow Pokémon. She could always sell them later, if she needed the money before she needed the specialty balls.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "Looks like I'll need to go to Trainer Hill anyway for the move tutor, so I'll still join you guys even if I don't end up buying any cologne."  He said with a shrug. 
 

Mina nodded, understanding.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 His eyes widened meaningfully, he nodded along as the realization took over her expression and said,  "I... honestly still don't understand everything that we might be capable of with this bond. Even without bonding your Natu- er, Xatu, -gonna take a bit to adjust- Tattersail was able to connect us enough for me to feel his jealousy and understand  why  he was jealous. The stronger she gets, the more we seem able to do... and I haven't had any chances to experiment with another bonded trainer/ pokemon pair, so there may be opportunities that we just aren't aware of that could come from that. But..."  He winced and held up his organic hand to gesture vaguely at the potential downsides as well.  "Just think through it carefully and have a serious discussion with your bird when you get there."  
 

Mina nodded again. “ I will! ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "We'll visit the cologne stand in Trainer Hill before worrying about deshadowing. We've got a lot of reasons to go there, so it would make sense to let you shop around for a bit."  Getting all the tools together  before  committing to work seemed like a smart plan.  "I should be able to help you out with some deshadowing after we finish meeting with Lijan."  He also had his own pokemon to work on, though the litwick was pretty close to cured anyway if he recalled correctly. Today was going to be a pretty busy day. 
 

“ All right, then if no one has any objections, I’m going to scoot over to the herb shop and drop the part off while you guys finish breakfast, then we can head over to Trainer Hill after you’re all done eating. ”

----------------

Pinklady:

Stef starts to relax as he considers the rock wall. “So, um. First thing, Simon or at least I think it was Simon said to stay at least this far” he holds his fingers about a column width apart “away from the edges, because the finder knows the area the treasure is in and if you uncover any rock outside of the edges there isn’t going to be anything good under it.

If there are shallow spots and you can see anything shiny or bright colored you start with those, I think I told you that before already but this wall has a shiny spot right here,” he points to column D and indeed, something is gleaming faintly through the dirt in that spot “so I’m going to start near there.” He starts to swing his pick in that area ((Column C)), but pauses frequently as he talks, and occasionally motions with his hands to try to illustrate what he’s talking about.

“Simon said if you can see the treasure you should dig off to one side or the other, so if it’s a big thing you have a half chance of uncovering more of it, or uncovering something else if something else is right next to it.

Simon also said the goal is to find treasure, and not to take down all the rock. So he said if you don’t see anything right away, you should dig in one or two spots until you get as deep as you can go, and  then  see if you can see anything. Simon said you usually want at least this much distance between your spots” Stef pauses to measure out a width of about two or three columns “unless you know something is there.

You can still miss things that way, but you probably won’t miss any big things, and most of the good stuff is bigger, like Fossils and Evolutionary Stones. But not everything, because Alvin found a Relic Coin once and those are small. The biggest things I’ve ever found were like this,” Stef pauses his digging for a moment to mark out a length of about three columns. “Some things are maybe a third that size, some are between the two.”

It’s at this point the first bit of rock falls away from Column D and Stef nearly drops the pick. “Oh. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness!” Over his shoulder you can see half a sphere. It looks almost unnaturally smooth and perfectly clear, except for a glittering core that is pale and colorless. It looks like it will be about the size of your fist once it's uncovered.

 
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Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I probably won’t be headed up there today, ” Mina warned. Her schedule for the day was already a bit crammed. 
 

 "That seems reasonable. My clothes will hold for at least another day."  Less said with a smile.  "I'll probably make a point to go tomorrow whether or not you'd like to come with me." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ It’s only a mile or so away, yes. ” 
 

Less nodded.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I mean, maybe? I have a theory but I haven’t been able to test it yet. ”

“ Any of those would make decent Poffin. ” Okay, maybe she  should  go a little more into detail. This could get ugly; Mina had been number crunching for days and wasn’t sure how well she could boil all that down into something simple and palatable. She pulled out her Pokédex to help her illustrate her points. “ I’ll try to explain.

You know how Pokémon have a ‘Feel’ and once that’s full they can’t get any more Poffin boosts? Some Berries contribute to the Feel more than others. So, and I need to stress that I  have not tested this,  my theory is that the best Poffin Berries are  not  the ones with the highest flavor overall, but the ones with the  lowest Feel  compared to the flavors they contribute. The Hondew, Qualot, Kelpsy, Grepa and Pomeg Berries all have Feel that is exactly equal to the flavors they contribute – the flavor numbers may look higher at first glance, but remember some of those flavors are cancelling out, they’re only  contributing  20 points of flavor against a Feel of 20. Now look at the stats for the Bluk Berry: it’s only contributing 10 points against a Feel of 20, because again some of the flavors are cancelled out.  Most  Berries are more skewed in favor of the Feel. The only Berries that I’ve found that are better than the EV Berries are Liechi and the other Berries in that family – Salac, Petaya, Apicot, and Ganlon. The super rare and slow-to-grow ones.

So for the Recipe for Disaster Poffin— ” Mina paused, as it occurred to her Less and Akio might not know that name “ —I mean, for the Poffin we’d need to make to max out every stat on a particular Pokémon, what we need to do is to make Poffin with five points of flavor for every point of Feel. There’s a little wiggle room, but that’s the gist of it.

The good news is that’s  total  – so if we make a Poffin with two flavors, as long as they have at least five points of flavor combined for each point of Feel, and we’re careful how the flavors overlap, we should be able to make it, and all the Berries I mentioned have two main flavors.  ” 
 

Less listened carefully to Mina's theory. It sounded reasonable, but difficult to accomplish. Requiring specific berries in specific amounts, especially if those berries took a long time to grow . . .  "Is there anything that could have an effect on how Pokemon respond to Poffin, outside the specific recipe?"  There was something that Emilia had asked for once that was tumbling around in his head somewhere.  "Your theory seems mathematically sound. I need to spend some time on the computer later, I could see if anyone else has stumbled upon another way that might be more time efficient."
  

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ All right, then if no one has any objections, I’m going to scoot over to the herb shop and drop the part off while you guys finish breakfast, then we can head over to Trainer Hill after you’re all done eating. ” 
 

 "Isn't Ranger Wain coming here at noon?"  Less asked.  "We could spend the morning here and go to the Hill after meeting with Jon. That would save us a trip, would it not?" 
essCee
Pinklady is silent as she listens and nods along to Stef's instructions, though she does mirror the measurements he shows with her own hands. The sizes involved did seem to agree well with her own experiences so far... the bit about larger usually meaning better was new to her, though. She reflected that maybe she had been a bit too thorough and missed out on some opportunities as a result.

 "Huh? I haven't seen one of those before, but it sure looks really nice! You know what it is?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina shrugged. “ If you want to see if anywhere else sells them, we can ask around. ” 
 

He shook his head after a few seconds of thinking.  "No, we're going to want these planters as soon as possible, and you need to go there anyway for the jobs you picked up, let's just got it done."  He said. While being frugal could pay off long-term, they were going to be  busy  today and delaying berry production for an entire day in order to research and penny pinch just wouldn't be worth it. On top of that, the planters could be a source of free medicine if they decided to grow oran berries and the like, so he could justify it as a roundabout method of replenishing his supplies.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ For Disaster Poffin— ” Mina paused, as it occurred to her Less and Akio might not know that name “ —I mean, for the Poffin we’d need to make to max out every stat on a particular Pokémon, what we need to do is to make Poffin with five points of flavor for every point of Feel. There’s a little wiggle room, but that’s the gist of it.

The good news is that’s  total  – so if we make a Poffin with two flavors, as long as they have at least five points of flavor combined for each point of Feel, and we’re careful how the flavors overlap, we should be able to make it, and all the Berries I mentioned have two main flavors.  ” 
 

Hmm... He'd probably given some sub-par poffins to his frosslass in that case, but Bandra was enough of a presence in the area that getting any boosts would help with any encounters they had. He'd just have to make sure to finish strong and give her poffins to max out her special attack and get closer on her speed.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ At a time? ” Mina asked, not quite sure she understood what Mark was asking. “ Just one at a time, but the Planters are reusable. ” 
 

 He nodded along. In that case, he was definitely going to need multiple planters to hang on his pack. Less' house would also be very helpful for their berry farming purposes, especially if they could get some pots or planters for it or other indoor grow beds to ensure wild pokemon weren't munching on the berries.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ All right, then if no one has any objections, I’m going to scoot over to the herb shop and drop the part off while you guys finish breakfast, then we can head over to Trainer Hill after you’re all done eating. ” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Isn't Ranger Wain coming here at noon?"  Less asked.  "We could spend the morning here and go to the Hill after meeting with Jon. That would save us a trip, would it not?"  
 

He didn't have anything else to add, and no objections to air, so he said,  "Sounds good to me, see you soon!" 

To Less he said,  "We've got a  lot  to do today, the more we can get done before talking with Wain, the better, even if it means a  little  bit of backtracking." 
Feathersnow
Akio is distracted, but produces what he managed to loot from the Bandra grunts and adds it to the pile. He didn't remember it as being much noteworthy...

"Okay, so we are going to the perfumer before anything emse.  Sounds good."

He pats the 'ball containing Akechi. Let's get you well, little friend...
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "That seems reasonable. My clothes will hold for at least another day."  Less said with a smile.  "I'll probably make a point to go tomorrow whether or not you'd like to come with me."  
 

“ That works. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He shook his head after a few seconds of thinking.  "No, we're going to want these planters as soon as possible, and you need to go there anyway for the jobs you picked up, let's just got it done."  
 

That sounded reasonable. Mina nodded.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Is there anything that could have an effect on how Pokemon respond to Poffin, outside the specific recipe?"  There was something that Emilia had asked for once that was tumbling around in his head somewhere. 
 

“ I found some Extract that may help. ” Rest in peace, whoever’s purse that had been. “ But it’s single use and I’m not sure where to get more. I also have a Pin the Pokémon can hold that will boost the effectiveness of Sour Poffin they eat. ” Misty had had one for Dry Poffin; Mina regretted its loss, because of  course  most of their more powerful Pokémon would be Special Attackers and the rare Berries they were missing were the  Dry  flavored ones. “ I hope we won’t need them. ” For most of the Pokémon she didn’t think they would, as long as they didn’t burn the batter or spill too much of it.

She made a note to make any of her volunteers do a few practice runs mixing more common Berries before they tried any mix with the Salac, Liechi and so on.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Your theory seems mathematically sound. I need to spend some time on the computer later, I could see if anyone else has stumbled upon another way that might be more time efficient."  
 

“ Go for it. ” Mina had tried pestering Coordinators directly without much luck, but maybe the local set were just unusually prickly. And she certainly didn’t mind someone checking her work in this case – the Liechi and other Berries were  slow  to produce, and if there were faster growing Berries they could use for Poffin she was sure they could find a use for the ones they already had.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Isn't Ranger Wain coming here at noon?"  Less asked.  "We could spend the morning here and go to the Hill after meeting with Jon. That would save us a trip, would it not?"  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  He didn't have anything else to add, and no objections to air, so he said,  "Sounds good to me, see you soon!" 

To Less he said,  "We've got a  lot  to do today, the more we can get done before talking with Wain, the better, even if it means a  little  bit of backtracking."  
 

“ Either works, Xatu and I will need to jump around a lot either way. Back in a bit! ” And Mina stepped out.

 
 Spoiler: Loot from the Jeep 

Gas Canister (empty)
Granola bars
Pokéchow
3,200 PD
Pocket pack of tissues
 

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Huh? I haven't seen one of those before, but it sure looks really nice! You know what it is?"  
 

Stef uncharacteristically shushes you, then seems to get a little more of a grip on himself and looks sheepish. His hands are trembling. “Hold on, I need to concentrate, I don't want to lose it.”

A quick glance at the rock wall suggests his concern is overrated, as it doesn’t look very unstable at this point. But nevertheless he  very carefully  picks at a spot just a little to the left of the previous hit ((Column B)), and – in about twice the amount of time that it  should  take – manages to extract the orb.

 
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It is indeed about fist sized, and perfectly round.

Stef takes a few steps away from the rock wall – away from any potential falling rock – and reverently sets it down. Finally he answers you. “It’s a Mega Stone. They’re really rare! If a Pokémon holds it they can become super powerful! I think you have to do something with it to make it work though. I don’t know,” and the last part he practically squees, “I never found one of these before!”
essCee
 "Woah... "  Pinklady squats to get closer to the precious stone, but keeps a distance of about a foot. Even without personal experience with a Mega Stone, Stef's reaction made it very clear to her that it must give a truly amazing boost.  "I have no idea, either, I've never even heard of these before... you think somebody else in the Club will know?" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 To Less he said,  "We've got a  lot  to do today, the more we can get done before talking with Wain, the better, even if it means a  little  bit of backtracking."  
 

 
"There's plenty to do here, too."  Less admonished.  "And a job hastily done is a job that needs doing twice."  Mostly, Less just hated being late to meetings. It seemed like an easy thing to get caught up at trainer hill, and he'd prefer not to have to rush through a battle there if he could avoid it.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I found some Extract that may help. ” Rest in peace, whoever’s purse that had been. “ But it’s single use and I’m not sure where to get more. I also have a Pin the Pokémon can hold that will boost the effectiveness of Sour Poffin they eat. ” Misty had had one for Dry Poffin; Mina regretted its loss, because of  course  most of their more powerful Pokémon would be Special Attackers and the rare Berries they were missing were the  Dry  flavored ones. “ I hope we won’t need them. ” For most of the Pokémon she didn’t think they would, as long as they didn’t burn the batter or spill too much of it. 
 

Less paused a moment to consider.  "How much more effective are poffins when the Pokemon is holding a Pin?"  That could make a great deal of efficiency difference if they could collect a full set of five.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 COLOR="#4B0082"]Go for it.[/color]”  
 

Less nodded. Someone had to have put something on the internet about the best ways to mix Poffin. It seemed like half the internet was overly self congratulatory recipes. The other half didn't bear thinking about.

When Mina and Mark left, Less sat down to use the Pokemon center PC, and let Connie out of her Pokeball.  "All right Connie, I'm going to try to find Hangi's friend and see if I can contact him. If you see a picture of him or Hangi on the screen can you point it out to me?"  Then Less logged into the world's preeminent social media website,  Pokebook . He didn't have an account of his own, but the Siltis school system had made one for parent and community outreach. He had mostly let students control the account, under supervision of course, but he still remembered the password. After carefully entering his anniversary, the website welcomed him in brightly colored font. Less immediately searched for  Hangi , hoping that Connie would be able to point out the right young man. It would probably hurt her to see his face again, but Less hoped the pain would be outweighed by the chance to say goodbye and properly grieve her lost trainer.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Less will claim 800 PD and the Pokechow.

Also feel free to veto Pokemon themed Facebook. But I figure it the internet exists something like Facebook has got to exist, right?
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"There's plenty to do here, too."  Less admonished.  "And a job hastily done is a job that needs doing twice."  Mostly, Less just hated being late to meetings. It seemed like an easy thing to get caught up at trainer hill, and he'd prefer not to have to rush through a battle there if he could avoid it. 
 

 "Agreed we should try to be efficient... That's why we should get colognes from Trainer Hill before we start working to de-shadow any of the pokemon we rescued. Getting three or four rounds of battle de-shadowing in,"  Which seemed to be the average that shadow pokemon lasted before going absolutely insane and  forcing  a knock-out,  "and then not being able to cure the rest while it's safe to do so just means you have to fight them again."  Holding up the arm that Sengar had chewed on, which was still covered in scabs from the bites his dark type had delivered, he said,  "It's not safe to apply cologne to conscious pokemon that were fully shadowed. They are  extremely  aggressive."  He had some heavy gloves that the nurse had given him after the mauling, but he had the feeling that those would not help when they tried de-shadowing the  fire ghost  he had stored in the PC right now.

He went to begin splitting up the money that had been recovered, four stacks of 800PD, -one for each of the trainers that had gone out to the springs,- and he added,  "Besides, it shouldn't take too long. We basically have two hours to pick up colognes and visit the move tutor, and then we're done there for the rest of the day. I don't  think  anyone was planning to run into Trainer Hill to actually do tournament stuff."  He tucked his portion of the money in his pocket also took two of those granola bars, for later snacking, and a few of the pocket tissues since he could clean out his arm using that. He'd give Mina her share when she returned.

When Less went off to do his own thing, Mark bid him farewell and went to the PC storage system so he could pick up his corphish. He'd store Jessia in there for now, since she wouldn't be vital to any of their de-shadowing plans today, then step outside and open up his arm's solar panels so he could get a bit of recharging going. He assumed he wouldn't have much time to wait before Mina returned from dropping her stuff off, so he didn't bother pulling out the art journal just yet... he wasn't certain what he'd want to draw anyway.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Agreed we should try to be efficient... That's why we should get colognes from Trainer Hill before we start working to de-shadow any of the pokemon we rescued. Getting three or four rounds of battle de-shadowing in,"  Which seemed to be the average that shadow pokemon lasted before going absolutely insane and  forcing  a knock-out,  "and then not being able to cure the rest while it's safe to do so just means you have to fight them again."  Holding up the arm that Sengar had chewed on, which was still covered in scabs from the bites his dark type had delivered, he said,  "It's not safe to apply cologne to conscious pokemon that were fully shadowed. They are  extremely  aggressive." 
 "Besides, it shouldn't take too long. We basically have two hours to pick up colognes and visit the move tutor, and then we're done there for the rest of the day. I don't  think  anyone was planning to run into Trainer Hill to actually do tournament stuff."  
 

Less gave Mark a look that suggested that he absolutely did intend to get some training in at Trainer Hill. Practice against real opponents was far more valuable than any other kind of training that he could actually give his team.
 
"Besides,"  Less added,  "we aren't going to have time to buy cologne, use the move tutor, deshadow the Pokemon and Pick up Pinklady before Wain arrives." Less paused, and then shrugged. "And there are some things I need to do here. I'd rather get them done now than later." 
Gnomes2169
Mark seemed a bit confused as he said,  "Well... yeah, we wouldn't have time for all of that. But we weren't all going to do everything all together or do de-shadowing before Wain showed up. Akio was going to get the cologne. While he was doing that, I was going to visit the move tutor. Once we'd gotten supplies and that stuff done, we'd go pick up Pinklady, come back here to meet Wain and do some de-shadowing, and  then  Mina and I were going to Skybreak for her odd jobs and so I could get planters. If you wanted to do stuff at the Hill, I don't think it would be much trouble to drop you off there after we talk with Wain." 

Mark didn't pester Less about what he wanted to do in this small town. If the older man wanted to make it Mark's business, he would have done so.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I have no idea, either, I've never even heard of these before... you think somebody else in the Club will know?"  
 

“Oh I’m sure! Simon knows everything, or almost everything, and he introduced me to the lady with the Fossil raising machine,” he pats his Anorith’s Pokéball affectionately.

----------------

Breakfast Club:

 
 Spoiler: OoC/Loot distribution 

Okay so money is getting split four ways:
 
 +800 PD Mark (5,550 total) 
 +800 PD, +Pokechow Less (3,060 total) 
 +800 PD Akio (7,250 total) 
 +800 PD Mina (5,060 total) 
 
Jessia has been switched with Mark’s Corphish.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less paused a moment to consider.  "How much more effective are poffins when the Pokemon is holding a Pin?"  That could make a great deal of efficiency difference if they could collect a full set of five. 
 

“ Double, but only for the flavor it affects. ”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
And Mina isn’t there for the arguing over schedule, so I’ll leave you guys to it. 😉
 


----------------

Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Poké-Facebook is fine!
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 When Mina and Mark left, Less sat down to use the Pokemon center PC, and let Connie out of her Pokeball.  "All right Connie, I'm going to try to find Hangi's friend and see if I can contact him. If you see a picture of him or Hangi on the screen can you point it out to me?"  Then Less logged into the world's preeminent social media website,  Pokebook . He didn't have an account of his own, but the Siltis school system had made one for parent and community outreach. He had mostly let students control the account, under supervision of course, but he still remembered the password. After carefully entering his anniversary, the website welcomed him in brightly colored font. Less immediately searched for  Hangi , hoping that Connie would be able to point out the right young man. It would probably hurt her to see his face again, but Less hoped the pain would be outweighed by the chance to say goodbye and properly grieve her lost trainer. 
 

Connie squawks and points with her beak at one of the first pictures that comes up, one ‘Hangi Silverstone’, then starts crooning what sounds like one of the sadder tunes from the Star Wars movies. The photo is of a boy in his late teens or early twenties, somewhat portly, unkept hair in need of a trim but looking happy, and wearing a Lord of the Rings-themed shirt and an enormous hat that resembled Connie’s. Connie herself is perched on a wall next to him in the picture, leaving little doubt as to his identity.

His friends’ list is fairly well populated, including by some people who are obviously relatives judging by the surnames, and thus it isn’t immediately obvious which one is ‘the parkour kid’. His wall is filled with anxious messages asking him to reach out if he’s okay – apparently said relatives either don’t know, or don’t want to know he’s dead.

But scrolling down a bit, you find that a non-relative by the name of Cephas Queens got into a conversation some time back:

  Cephas:  u should come n visit sometime. we still have a pkmn league her n we could go git badges n do the hole vertress conference thing

 Hangi:  c’mon man u know i don’t do the runnin around in woods

 Cephas:  itll be fun!!1 :)

 Cephas:  n ur folks cin stay with mine until ur war over there is over

 Hangi:  did u even ask ur folks dude

 Cephas:  im sure they wont mind

 Hangi:  still no dude

 Cephas:  im serious gi ur not safe ther

 Cephas:  i might have 2 come git u 

The next message is dated the day of the Stardust City attack:

  Cephas:  okay I herd ur town got attacked im comin out

 Cephas:  if u get this im goin 2 be arriving in tidepath at the grand docks

 Cephas:  ill dm u with teh date/time meet me there if u cin

 Cephas:  n stay safe 

The last message was posted several weeks ago.
essCee
 "Whoa, a fossil rais-"  Pinklady suddenly pauses. Her digging from yesterday, the mention of how big the fossils usually were, fossil resurrection - despite Pinwheel Forest having Nacrene City right by it, she hadn't actually been to its museum in a very long time. But with that mention of fossil resurrection, she suddenly realised the significance of the fossil she dug up yesterday that she had mostly just thought looked really cool.  "A fossil raising machine!"  She quickly digs out the Root Fossil she found yesterday.  "The lady with the fossil raising machine would be able to use it on this, right?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "A fossil raising machine!"  She quickly digs out the Root Fossil she found yesterday.  "The lady with the fossil raising machine would be able to use it on this, right?"  
 

“Huh? Oh yes, she could do that! She’s a really nice lady, she did say she would only raise Fossils that weren’t broken up, because she said some people over in Galar did that and the Pokemon were all messed up and she said that was cruel. But yours is not broken up, so you could ask her to raise it if you wanted! Her name is Lily and she lives in Landsedge.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark seemed a bit confused as he said,  "Well... yeah, we wouldn't have time for all of that. But we weren't all going to do everything all together or do de-shadowing before Wain showed up. Akio was going to get the cologne. While he was doing that, I was going to visit the move tutor. Once we'd gotten supplies and that stuff done, we'd go pick up Pinklady, come back here to meet Wain and do some de-shadowing, and  then  Mina and I were going to Skybreak for her odd jobs and so I could get planters. If you wanted to do stuff at the Hill, I don't think it would be much trouble to drop you off there after we talk with Wain."   
 

Less paused.  "Why don't the three of you go to the Hill ahead of me then? I'll stay here and wait for Wain and you and Mina can run some errands until the meeting. If Mina and Xatu are willing to give us a lift, Buck and I can make our way back easily enough when we're done. But I don't think you'll have quite as much time as you think for errands before Jon arrives." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Double, but only for the flavor it affects. ” 
 

 "That's quite the increase. If we could collect a set of five, would that let us maximize the bonuses Poffin could give us with more common berries?"  Less asked.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Connie squawks and points with her beak at one of the first pictures that comes up, one ‘Hangi Silverstone’, then starts crooning what sounds like one of the sadder tunes from the Star Wars movies. The photo is of a boy in his late teens or early twenties, somewhat portly, unkept hair in need of a trim but looking happy, and wearing a Lord of the Rings-themed shirt and an enormous hat that resembled Connie’s. Connie herself is perched on a wall next to him in the picture, leaving little doubt as to his identity. 
 

It somehow hurt to see that he was young. Less gave Connie a few conciliatory pets, when he looked at the young man's picture. This war had cost far too many young lives. Too many children that hadn't gotten to grow up. So much youth and life squandered, and for what? Greed and the need for control. It seemed so pointless.  "I'm sorry, Connie. Hangi shouldn't have been taken from you."  Less let out a deep sigh, and Buck made a rumbling noise behind him that seemed to echo the same sentiment.  "We hurt Bandra some last night, but I know it wasn't enough. This isn't a battle that will run its course soon, but I promise it's one we'll keep fighting, even after we find Emilia." 

After talking to Connie, there were several long moments of silence. There was no good way to tell Hangi's family that he was dead. No way to continue without causing pain. But his family needed to know. And Less needed to be the one to tell them. After letting out a slow, deep breath Less started typing.
 
Hangi Silverstone gave his life in defense of Stardust City on [date of the Stardust City Attack.] His Pokemon, Connie, escaped from Bandra captivity and was able to confirm his sacrifice. For more information please contact Lester Douglass at 05-385-545-9201. His memory will not be forgotten. 

The words seemed insignificant. Inappropriate. He should find them, each of them, and tell them in person. He shouldn't have to tell anyone that their child had died in a pointless war. There were a great many things that should be different. But it needed to be said. His family deserved certainty, at the very least. Still, Less hesitated to press enter. Instead, Less read the message aloud to Connie and Buck.  "This should tell his family what happened, but I can add anything you want to say, Connie. Is there a message you'd like for me to write for you?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I want to see what Connie thinks about this message before moving onto DM'ing Cephas.

Also, the phone number is random string of digits, OOC. No special meaning.
 
essCee
 "That's great to hear, thank you!"  Even though she wasn't rough with her fossil, Pinklady clearly gets even gentler with her fossil after Stef's mention of broken up fossils, going so far as to cradle it with one arm.  "Landsedge? Mind pointing out which one is that for me?"  Pinklady pulls out her Pokédex and opens the Map app.  "Oh, oh! And while we're at it, do you have a number? We could keep in touch!" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less paused.  "Why don't the three of you go to the Hill ahead of me then? I'll stay here and wait for Wain and you and Mina can run some errands until the meeting. If Mina and Xatu are willing to give us a lift, Buck and I can make our way back easily enough when we're done. But I don't think you'll have quite as much time as you think for errands before Jon arrives."  
 

 "I mean... sure, if that's what you'd want to do."  Mark said, shrugging. He was pretty sure they wouldn't take  too  long at Trainer Hill, but if Less wanted to play it safe then he wasn't going to argue it. Besides, they didn't have all day to discuss it.  "We'll see you in a couple hours. Good luck with whatever it is you're going to do here." 
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Looks like a good place to call that conversation. Mina, taxi service! 😛
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club (earlier):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "That's quite the increase. If we could collect a set of five, would that let us maximize the bonuses Poffin could give us with more common berries?"  Less asked. 
 

“ I’d have to check my notes to be sure, but I think so, ” Mina replied.

She’d mostly been sticking with pure Berries because she’d gotten several of those early on, and didn’t know where to get more Extract or different Pins – and kept at it because with the attrition rates in the group, she felt Berries were more practical. She could multiply Berries, which she couldn’t do with the Extract, and if she handed some off to a groupmate and that groupmate got sucked into the Spectral Dimension their Poffin plans wouldn’t suffer a setback on top of everything else. If the person with their hypothetical Pin set got separated everyone else would be out of luck. Splitting the pins between people was worse, in a way, because it would require everyone to get together when they fed the Poffin to their Pokémon – and do it  every single time  someone got a new Pokémon they wanted to feed. They  did  do that fairly often, but it was an extra complication and Mina was leery of extra complications at this point. Where with a pure Berry recipe as long as she got the volunteers she could make extra for, say, Pellana or Ranger Wain, or start giving them out to the Starlight Squad, no extra equipment necessary. That wouldn’t really be doable with Pins, outside of a few trusted people.

But Mina didn’t  object  as such; if the group could get the other four types of Pin, or even just a Dry Pin to fill in the holes in her Berry selection, certainly they could use the buff sooner and there was nothing stopping them from looking for the Apicot and Ganlon Berries later.

----------------

Less:

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 It somehow hurt to see that he was young. Less gave Connie a few conciliatory pets, when he looked at the young man's picture. This war had cost far too many young lives. Too many children that hadn't gotten to grow up. So much youth and life squandered, and for what? Greed and the need for control. It seemed so pointless.  "I'm sorry, Connie. Hangi shouldn't have been taken from you."  Less let out a deep sigh, and Buck made a rumbling noise behind him that seemed to echo the same sentiment.  "We hurt Bandra some last night, but I know it wasn't enough. This isn't a battle that will run its course soon, but I promise it's one we'll keep fighting, even after we find Emilia."  
 

Connie just fluffs herself up, looking sad and unhappy.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 After talking to Connie, there were several long moments of silence. There was no good way to tell Hangi's family that he was dead. No way to continue without causing pain. But his family needed to know. And Less needed to be the one to tell them. After letting out a slow, deep breath Less started typing.
 
Hangi Silverstone gave his life in defense of Stardust City on [date of the Stardust City Attack.] His Pokemon, Connie, escaped from Bandra captivity and was able to confirm his sacrifice. For more information please contact Lester Douglass at 05-385-545-9201. His memory will not be forgotten. 

The words seemed insignificant. Inappropriate. He should find them, each of them, and tell them in person. He shouldn't have to tell anyone that their child had died in a pointless war. There were a great many things that should be different. But it needed to be said. His family deserved certainty, at the very least. Still, Less hesitated to press enter. Instead, Less read the message aloud to Connie and Buck.  "This should tell his family what happened, but I can add anything you want to say, Connie. Is there a message you'd like for me to write for you?"  
 

Connie shakes her head ‘no’ and buries her beak under her wing, muttering the tune of ‘Taps.’

----------------

Pinklady:

“Oh sure.” Stef points to Landsedge: it’s on the southwest corner of the map. He also exchanges numbers with you.

----------------

Mina:

Mina trotted over to the herb shop; it was indeed open.

“ Hello? ”

“Hello dearie, what do you need?” The old woman was running the register.

“ I delivered the form you gave me, here’s the part you wanted. ” ((-Berry Crusher Part))

“Thank you dearie. I’ll let the husband know and he should have the Crusher fixed by tomorrow. In the mean time here; take this for your trouble.” ((+3 HP Up)) “Was there anything else?”

Mina took the vitamins and put them away; she had been looking over the shelves, but it was mostly herbal remedies and Honey, and she didn’t really need either. “ No ma’am, thank you. ”

She bid the older woman good day and headed back to the Center; she could hear Less and Mark arguing over their schedule and figured it might be best to let them hash it out a bit more before she barged in, so she had Xatu take her to the wild plots for water, and stuck another Petaya Berry into the empty planter.

 
 Spoiler: Wild Plots 

Occa in bloom
Shuca in bloom
Sitrus in bloom
Sitrus in bloom
 


She got back just in time for the tail end of the conversation.

----------------

Breakfast Club (later):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I mean... sure, if that's what you'd want to do."  Mark said, shrugging. He was pretty sure they wouldn't take  too  long at Trainer Hill, but if Less wanted to play it safe then he wasn't going to argue it. Besides, they didn't have all day to discuss it.  "We'll see you in a couple hours. Good luck with whatever it is you're going to do here."   
 

“ Less, you’re not coming? ” Mina chimed in. ((I’m a little sketchy myself.)) She’d thought he was going to hit the Move Tutor but whatever, he was an adult and had proven he could take care of himself.

Once that was clarified, she waved over the people who were going and had Xatu warp everyone to Trainer Hill. ((And if I’m misunderstanding then Mina sends the boys on ahead and has Xatu come back for her, since he can’t move four people at once yet.))

It being late morning, the place was fairly busy, and most of the campsites had been packed up. Mina motioned for Akio to follow and made her way over to the Cologne stall, which hadn’t moved from its usual spot right outside the building. As usual, the man running it was doing brisk business.

 
 Spoiler: Scent Stall 

600 PD - Joy Scent: A slightly pleasing scent.
800 PD - Excite Scent: A moderately pleasing scent.
1200 PD - Vivid Scent: A greatly pleasing scent.
900 PD - Relax Scent: A plain, clear-colored scent that reminds you of nothing at all.
900 PD - Clear Scent: A liquid scent that makes things come into sharper focus.
900 PD - Sticky Scent: Bright green, it has a consistency like honey.
900 PD - Damp Scent: A watery-looking scent that makes you think of fog.
900 PD - Warm Scent: A scent that makes you feel warm from the inside out. It smells of woodsmoke and cinnamon.
900 PD - Bright Scent: This scent makes you feel energized and enthusiastic. The ripples on its surface look like tiny sparks.
900 PD - Sneak Scent: A dark-colored scent, not entirely unpleasant, that nonetheless makes you feel chilled.
900 PD - Deep Scent: This scent is bronzy-brown, thick, and flows sluggishly.
900 PD - Down Scent: A cloudy scent that reminds you of cool breezes.
 
essCee
 "Thank you!"  Pinklady stands back up after the exchange.  "I'm really glad I met you, Stef. I have no idea what I would have done yesterday if you didn't come along, but thanks to you, I've learned and gained so much. Even after we go our separate ways, I hope we'll see each other again! Wanna do some more mining?"  She looks again at the Mega Stone.  "...even if it won't yield anything as amazing as that!" 
Feathersnow
Akio asks the man at the stall "my Stunky might like this sneak scent, yes? If so, I'll take it"

This seemed like an obvious pick, but he had been wrong before...
Gnomes2169
Upon arriving at Trainer Hill, Mark immediately went off to find the move tutor. He only had a single heart scale to spend, (much to his chagrin since Marick had two moves to learn and he wanted to re-teach Calm Mind to Tattersail once she was healed enough to walk around again,) so he wasn't too worried about the retraining taking a super long time,  but  he was trying to plan around there being a bit of a line now that the Hill's business was getting into swing.

If he could get in quickly and train Rock Slide* on Marick (replacing Takedown), Mark would make his way back to the cologne seller. While he was planning to buy some potions and planters with the money he had, the stand was a notable place to meet everyone and he  might  be able to squeeze in one of the cheaper colognes into the budget... But if it was going to take a while, he shot off a message to Mina saying,   "Hey Mina, it decided to rain on my parade and I'm stuck in line. Let me know where to meet you."  
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
*This  should  work, since Rock Slide is in the Aggron line starting gen 6, and Marick would have had it for a few levels. If I'm reading the OoC discussion on it, that should make it fair game to be trained onto my dinozard via move tutor. If I read that wrong, then we'll replace Takedown with Iron Head instead.
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I’d have to check my notes to be sure, but I think so, ” Mina replied. 
 

 "I'll see if I can find the missing pins, then. " Less said. It wasn't exactly an immediate priority, but it certainly seemed like it would be useful if he could manage.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I mean... sure, if that's what you'd want to do."  Mark said, shrugging. He was pretty sure they wouldn't take  too  long at Trainer Hill, but if Less wanted to play it safe then he wasn't going to argue it. Besides, they didn't have all day to discuss it.  "We'll see you in a couple hours. Good luck with whatever it is you're going to do here."  
 

Less nodded and said,  "I'll see you then."   It wasn't that he was hiding what he intended to do at the Pokemon center, so much as he was dreading actually doing it. Notifying a boy's family that he had been killed . . . it was a grim thing, and better done with just himself, Connie, and Buck.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Less, you’re not coming? ” Mina chimed in. ((I’m a little sketchy myself.)) She’d thought he was going to hit the Move Tutor but whatever, he was an adult and had proven he could take care of himself. 
 

 "I think I'm going to spend more time there today than you kids are, and there's a promise I made to Connie that I would like to fulfill this morning. I would still appreciate a life later, if you and Xatu are still willing."  Less explained.  "Besides, I want to make sure that Ranger Wain isn't kept waiting too long if your errands run late."
 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Connie just fluffs herself up, looking sad and unhappy.

Connie shakes her head ‘no’ and buries her beak under her wing, muttering the tune of ‘Taps.’ 
 

Less continued giving the grieving bird gentle pets while she mourned. Buck disappeared, and a few moments later, after some commotion in the kitchen, reappeared with the tray of fruit held in his mouth, balanced carefully enough that the old dog managed to keep most of the fruit on the platter. He set it down next to Connie, and then sat back on his haunches, tongue lolling.

After a few minutes, Less returned to his task. After rereading the message a few times, Less eventually sighed and hit enter. The few paltry sentences still seemed woefully insufficient, but he hadn't known Hangi well enough to post a more personal message, and trying to do so seemed dishonest.

A few moments later, he was composing a similar message to send to Cephas. After a great deal of typing, thinking, deleting, and retyping, Less came up with the following.

 Hello, my name is Lester Douglass. Hangi's Honchkrow, Connie, was captured by Bandra during the attack on Stardust City. Bandra experimented on her and then let her lose into the wild. With the help of an acquaintance and the local Pokemon Rangers Union, I was able to undo the damage Bandra had done to her. She then told me that her previous trainer, Hangi, was slain when Stardust City was attacked by Bandra forces. She asked me to reach out to you and tell you to stay away from Helnith. I'm sorry. Hangi sounded like a good man. I wish I could be messaging with happier news. If you would like to speak to myself or Connie, you can reach me at 05-385-545-9201 
 
 Spoiler: Hero 

I kept forgetting to assign Hero's last EV. I'd like to put it in HP as well.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Thank you!"  Pinklady stands back up after the exchange.  "I'm really glad I met you, Stef. I have no idea what I would have done yesterday if you didn't come along, but thanks to you, I've learned and gained so much. Even after we go our separate ways, I hope we'll see each other again! Wanna do some more mining?"  She looks again at the Mega Stone.  "...even if it won't yield anything as amazing as that!"  
 

“Oh, oh yes, the finder said there was more treasure in there!” Stef is gripping his pick with more confidence now, and turns back to the wall. “Let’s see if there’s anything under this spot…” He hits Column G twice; Column F turns out to be empty but that is sufficient to show something bright fuchsia pink in H.

 
5   3    X   X    3   0   2   1   4   4   5   5   6   6   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 6

He rocks back and forth, looking thoughtful, and then apparently remembers he’s supposed to be lecturing while he digs. “Okay, yeah, so you can see there’s something right there,” he points to Column H. “And this is something you aren’t really going to notice unless you dig a lot, or you have somebody helping you, but this pink here, there isn’t a lot of things you can dig up that are that color, I think it might be a Cat’s Eye or a Gem, and those are both usually little ((1 column width)) but it could be some Stardust or a Star Piece, which are bigger,” he indicates the length with his fingers ((2 column width)) “or something I haven’t found before. You get a better idea of how big things are and what colors they usually are when you dig lots of them up. But anyway, you can see I could hit to the left or the right, and uncover that spot; I’m going to hit to the right, because there’s more rock that way that I might need to uncover after this, and if it’s little I’ll be able to get it out, and if it’s not then I’ll have to hit it again.”

He gives Column I a good solid hit with the pick, and the last bit of rock in Column H breaks free, revealing a Psychic Gem, which Stef extracts and puts by the Mega Stone.

 
5   3    X   X    3   0   2    X    2   3   5   5   6   6   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 5

----------------

Breakfast Club:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'll see if I can find the missing pins, then. " Less said. It wasn't exactly an immediate priority, but it certainly seemed like it would be useful if he could manage. 
 

“ Sounds good. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I think I'm going to spend more time there today than you kids are, and there's a promise I made to Connie that I would like to fulfill this morning. I would still appreciate a life later, if you and Xatu are still willing."  Less explained.  "Besides, I want to make sure that Ranger Wain isn't kept waiting too long if your errands run late."  
 

“ All right. ” Yup, definitely stuck being the taxi until Tattersail was better. “ I’ll drop you off after we meet with Ranger Wain. ”

----------------

Akio:


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio asks the man at the stall "my Stunky might like this sneak scent, yes? If so, I'll take it" 
 

“That's a Dark type, right?” The man in the stall puts a little dab of Cologne on a piece of paper which he then hands to you to smell. “Yes, the Sneak Scent is good for Dark and Ghost types. I can also recommend you the Sticky Scent for your Poison, Bug, and Grass Pokémon, and these three” he puts more sample dabs on papers for the Joy, Excite, and Vivid Scents, and lets you sniff those too “are good all-around Cologne. Pokémon of any type will react to them equally well.”

Once he gets your confirmation, he takes your money and hands you a Sneak Scent. ((-900 PD, 6,350 PD remaining, +1 Sneak Scent. I also forgot to axe them when Gnomes called dibs on the tissues and granola bars, so that’s done too now.))

“Can I help you with anything else?”

----------------

Mark:

((Yup; you’re good.))

It looks like the old monk is with a couple students already, but the younger of the two waves you over and politely inquires what you’d like to accomplish during your session today. He offers you and Marick each tiny cups of green tea and a short moment later the older monk has the previous students performing exercises on their own and is able to get Marick started as well. ((-1 Heart Scale, 0 remaining.))

 
 Spoiler: Marick 

Pokémon: Lairon (Marick)
Type: Rock/Steel
Ability: Sturdy
Gender: Male
Level: 32
Held Item: Eviolite
Stats--
HP: 90 +9  +1 
Attack: 72 +8
Def: 104 +3  +1 
Sp. Attack: 46
Sp. Def: 46 +4
Speed: 40 +3
Moves:
Mud-Slap
Headbutt
Metal Claw
Iron Defense
Roar
Rock Slide
 


Mina and her Xatu come in partway through, having stopped off at the Cologne seller first; she waves but mostly focuses on what the old monk is doing.

Afterwards you check the Scent Stall: it’s busy but not any more so than it had been before visiting the tutor.

----------------

Less:

 
 Spoiler: Hero 

Pokémon: Nidorina (Hero)
Type: Poison
Ability: Poison Point
Gender: Female
Level: 23
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 72 +3
Attack: 40
Def: 42 +5
Sp. Attack: 37
Sp. Def: 37 +10
Speed: 37
Moves:
Growl
Scratch
Tail Whip
Double Kick
Poison Sting
Bite
 


The food revives Connie somewhat, though she only picks at it half-heartedly. It’s clear she appreciates the thought more than anything else.

There is no immediate response to the message either.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
And I think that’s worth a +5% on Connie’s Obedience chance. 🙂 It’s now up to 90%.
 


----------------

Mina:

Mina browsed the Scents on offer. Riolu was a Fighting type, but she also ought to put some thought into what Scents she might need in the future – after all, it wasn’t likely that they’d never run into another Spectral type ever again.   Hmm, I’m going to need at least two more Scents if I want to get Riolu Purified…   These things were expensive, at least at the rate they were going through them, and Mina was very glad she’d been stocking up on healing Berries – it meant she didn’t need as much in the way of medicine now.

At last she settled on two more Clear Scents and a Vivid Scent, since she couldn’t cover all her current Pokémons’ types without wiping out her savings and then some. ((-3,000 PD, 2,060 PD remaining, +1 Vivid Scent, +2 Clear Scents (3 total))) Hopefully there would be more money making opportunities in the near future, and she would have time to swing by again before she needed more Cologne.

Once she made her purchases she took Xatu in to retrain him with Miracle Eye ((dropping Confuse Ray))

 
 Spoiler: Xatu 

Pokémon: Xatu
Type: Psychic/Flying
Ability: Graceful Dance
Gender: Male
Level: 31
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 90
Attack: 61  +15 
Def: 58
Sp. Attack: 73
Sp. Def: 58
Speed: 73 +26
Moves:
Wish
Nightshade
Teleport
U-Turn
Me First
Miracle Eye
 


Mina then checked to see if anyone had texted her, because by the clock it was just about 10:30 AM and if she hurried, with Xatu’s help she might  just  be able to go get that water sample before she had to get Pinklady and everyone else for the noon meeting.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ All right. ” Yup, definitely stuck being the taxi until Tattersail was better. “ I’ll drop you off after we meet with Ranger Wain. ” 
 

Less thanked Mina, and headed over to the computer as the rest of the group teleported out.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The food revives Connie somewhat, though she only picks at it half-heartedly. It’s clear she appreciates the thought more than anything else.

There is no immediate response to the message either. 
 

Less gave his two strongest Pokemon some pets. Buck had always been thoughtful and caring to Less and his family. It was good to see that he was extending his protectiveness to include Connie. He left both Pokemon out. If Buck was trying to cheer up Connie, then Less would make sure he had the opportunity to keep trying. Sure enough, after a few moments it appeared like the old dog was trying to get Connie to come outside with him and play a game of some kind. Probably another round of yesterday's game of fetch.

After a few moments, Less decided that as long as he was already on the computer it was time to keep his promise to Mina too. He grabbed another cup of coffee and sat down to start researching Poffins. The first thing he did was see if there was anywhere he could buy the Pins Mina had spoken of online, preferably already in Helnith, given the state of international shipping at the moment. Then he started looking for recipes and blogs written by Pokemon breeders. There had to be something online about how to maximize the benefits granted by Poffin, and how to make those Poffin. Finally, Less watched a video tutorial on actually making the snacks.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: OoC 
And I think that’s worth a +5% on Connie’s Obedience chance. 🙂 It’s now up to 90%.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Yay! Also, after Less is done with his research, and I get an update on the in game time for him?
 
 
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark:

((Yup; you’re good.))

It looks like the old monk is with a couple students already, but the younger of the two waves you over and politely inquires what you’d like to accomplish during your session today. He offers you and Marick each tiny cups of green tea and a short moment later the older monk has the previous students performing exercises on their own and is able to get Marick started as well. ((-1 Heart Scale, 0 remaining.))

 
 Spoiler: Marick 

Pokémon: Lairon (Marick)
Type: Rock/Steel
Ability: Sturdy
Gender: Male
Level: 32
Held Item: Eviolite
Stats--
HP: 90 +9  +1 
Attack: 72 +8
Def: 104 +3  +1 
Sp. Attack: 46
Sp. Def: 46 +4
Speed: 40 +3
Moves:
Mud-Slap
Headbutt
Metal Claw
Iron Defense
Roar
Rock Slide
 


Mina and her Xatu come in partway through, having stopped off at the Cologne seller first; she waves but mostly focuses on what the old monk is doing.

Afterwards you check the Scent Stall: it’s busy but not any more so than it had been before visiting the tutor. 
 

Mark wasn't expecting to be offered refreshments when he arrived, so he would be curious when he's handed the cup. Upon discovering it was dirty leaf water (as opposed to his love, the dirty bean water) he had a moment of disappointment*, before realizing that this was like some kind of martial arts ritual or something. That immediately made it okay, since it let him visualize himself as a hero in a kung-fu action flick for a few minutes.

He was, at the end of the day, still a 17-year-old. His 18th birthday might only be a couple months away, but that was hardly a benchmark for maturity.

Still, it let him get into the vibe of the retraining a bit easier. When Mina came around, Mark would only pause for a moment to wave back before returning to the exercises. After the monk tells him that Marick is ready, and the steel type demonstrates by using his new move on an open, safe area, Mark bowed to the man, recalled his pokemon and made sure to pause by Mina on his way to the cologne shop.  "I'm just going to buy a scent to help de-shadow the litwick we caught last night, then I'm ready to go." 

And that's just what he did! One sneak scent gets purchased from the stall and he leaves to find Mina at the move tutor. The two of them had basically just done the same things, but in reverse. He remembered promising to help her with her side jobs today, so finishing up at around the same time was a bit fortuitous.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
*This is Mark's perspective. His player happens to  love  dirty leaf water and  loathe  the bitter bean water.
 
essCee
Pinklady resumes her prior stance of silently (for the most part) watching and nodding along.
Once he extracts the Psychic Gem, she comments,  "Wow! The wall's usually coming down by the time I get this much out of it! I can't wait to give all this guidance a spin."  She crouches down to briefly marvel again at Stef's finds, then returns to watching him as he lectures and mines.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

Connie shifts from foot to foot for a few moments before she allows herself to be lured outside to play.

Finding a place that will ship Pins proves problematic – they seem to be rather niche, and even the sites that have them  and  have interregional shipping won’t ship to Helnith. Supposedly, the Department Store in Skybreak sells them, but the price is prohibitive - 19,600 PD each. There  is  a section on the website for local sellers who are trying to sell used Pins, with slightly more reasonable prices, but those appear to be sold out for the time being.

Poffin recipes are all over the place. Some of them look easy until you realize the Poffin maker is only targeting one or two stats, not  all  of them. Based on several comments there seems to be some snobbishness in the Poffin-making community against using ‘cheat’ methods like Extracts or Pins, as not many recipes call for either – though based on the Pin prices you saw earlier, maybe they’re just too expensive for the average Coordinator.

Searching for the “Recipe for Disaster” Mina mentioned helps with returning relevant results somewhat, but there still seems to be quite a bit of variety. And of course the Helnith-native Berries rarely show up in any of the recipes, but it’s unclear if that’s because they aren’t useful or just because they’re native to a war zone and no one outside the region can get them.

Mina’s insistence on the ‘raise stat in a pinch’ Berries - the Liechi, Ganlon and so on - does seem to have merit, or at least a lot of purported Disaster recipes recommend them – along with several different varieties of the type-resisting Berries, the highest-end Poffin-only Berries like Durin, Spelon, and Belue, and the EV-reducing Berries she mentioned come up a lot too. One recipe calls for ‘Starf’ and ‘Lansat’ Berries and a flamewar breaks out in the comments wherein one poster tries to claim those don’t exist, only for the next person down to claim that they do indeed exist and are just rare along the lines of Zapdos or Entei before calling the previous poster a lot of rude names. The sole poster pleading to know if there’s a good replacement for those for people who don’t have access to Legendary Berries is buried in the resulting back-and-forth, unanswered, and this seems to be a common theme on other recipes for  any  of the really rare Berries.

The video tutorial you find is basic, but informative. The big, obvious tip you get from the tutorial is to avoid duplicates. The video doesn’t say  why , but for some reason putting two of the same type of Berry into the same batch regularly ruins Poffin. It also says to avoid burning or spilling the batter as either will decrease the quality of the resulting Poffin.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
In-game time for Less is 11 AM.
 


----------------

Mark and Mina :

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Relax, I’m not judging. 😉 The Move Tutor monks have been serving tea pretty much since their introduction.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm just going to buy a scent to help de-shadow the litwick we caught last night, then I'm ready to go."  
 

“ Okay, but you do remember I have to go across country to get my water sample first, right? I’m not heading to Skybreak until I get that. Unless you just want me to drop you off at the entrance. ”

----------------

Pinklady:

“Okay. So. Um. This is the part where I might lose the last one, because there’s a lot of rock left, and it’s getting unstable in this spot. But what I’m going to do, is I’m going to try digging out a little hole right here” he taps Column L “because it’s about halfway through what’s left, so if there’s something big in that area I should at least see it. But if it’s really big, I might not be able to get it uncovered before the rock falls down, and if it’s really small I might miss it, and it might just be somewhere else. So I’ll try that and if I don’t see anything after a few hits I’ll try over in this area” he gestures to Columns I and J “because if there’s anything there I might be able to get it before the wall collapses, and if there isn’t most of the rest of the spots are too deep for me to dig them out before they fall down anyway. Umm…” A bit of rock tumbles to the ground nearby in the ensuing pause as Stef looks over his shoulder at you. “I’m almost done with this part, so I guess is there anything you want to ask first?”

 
5   3    X   X    3   0   2    X    2   3   5   5   6   6   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 5
Lord Ruby34
Less smiled at his Pokemon as they headed outside to play, and then shook his head and refocused on his research.

The research became more and more frustrating as time went on. He was unsuprised that there wasn't a good way to purchase the pins online. Shipping to Helnith had been slow before the war, with the conflict raging it was near impossible. Still, it was good to know the value of the pins. They were expensive, though not prohibitively so.

That so many people could be so impractical about Pokemon snacks . . . was also somehow unsurprising. If there was one thing you could count on people to do, it was gatekeep something that didn't need their protection. Still, Less found some paper and copied the five most promising recipes down for Mina's review. Maybe there would be something there to give her an idea. Less tucked the recipes into his pack and looked at the clock. Not enough time to finish training Princess, but maybe enough time to check on something that had been niggling at him.

Less went to find Nurse Joy, and if she wasn't actively working on something, asked,  "There was a young girl here a couple days ago. I believe her name was Floatsom. Do you know if she's still in town? I thought she was staying at the Pokemon center, but I haven't seen her this morning."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Not actually expecting to find Floatsom, but Less would care enough to ask.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark and Mina :

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Relax, I’m not judging. 😉 The Move Tutor monks have been serving tea pretty much since their introduction.
 


“ Okay, but you do remember I have to go across country to get my water sample first, right? I’m not heading to Skybreak until I get that. Unless you just want me to drop you off at the entrance. ” 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
If we've learned anything in this RP, it's that Mark deserves the judging. 😛
 

 "Uh, I just meant that I wasn't going to delay us?"  He said with a shrug.  "Like, whenever Akio gets here, we can pick up Pinklady and meet up with Wain... or we can go collect the water sample or whatever else you were going to do while we waited."  He was a bit confused, since he hadn't  planned  on going to Skybreak until after the meeting with Wain while they were making plans at breakfast.
essCee
Pinklady starts to shake her head, but then stops.  "Actually... have you seen things end up like, directly next to each other? I know you aren't checking right next to where you got the other things because that would be less area covered, but can I totally safely write off some things being next to other things? At least, in your experience." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Perfectly fine! 🙂
 


You jot down five recipes.

 
 Spoiler: Poffin Recipes 

((Full disclosure, I grabbed these off Reddit.))

Rich Poffin Recipe (Liechi, Pomeg, Watmel, Shuca)
Rich Poffin Recipe (Ganlon, Kelpsy, Durin, Coba)
Rich Poffin Recipe (Salac, Qualot, Belue, Payapa)
Rich Poffin Recipe (Petaya, Hondew, Spelon, Chople)
Rich Poffin Recipe (Apicot, Grepa, Pamtre, Kebia)
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "There was a young girl here a couple days ago. I believe her name was Floatsom. Do you know if she's still in town? I thought she was staying at the Pokemon center, but I haven't seen her this morning."   
 

“Flotsam left town the other day and hasn’t come back as far as I know, but she usually stays by the coastline, and she doesn’t come by the Pokémon Centers very often. But if you like I can pass on a message if she does come by.”

----------------

Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Uh, I just meant that I wasn't going to delay us?"  He said with a shrug.  "Like, whenever Akio gets here, we can pick up Pinklady and meet up with Wain... or we can go collect the water sample or whatever else you were going to do while we waited."  
 

“ Oh. ” Mina was regretting missing most of that discussion, now. “ …Wain isn’t going to be expecting us for another hour and a half. I was going to get that water sample. ” She thought she had time. There would definitely be some rapid fire Teleports involved, but there was time. “ Did you want to wait here, come with, or do you want Xatu and I to drop you off in Rieva? ”

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady starts to shake her head, but then stops.  "Actually... have you seen things end up like, directly next to each other? I know you aren't checking right next to where you got the other things because that would be less area covered, but can I totally safely write off some things being next to other things? At least, in your experience."  
 

“Yes sometimes you’ll get things buried next to each other. There was this one time Alvin got three Hard Stones all next to each other in a row! So I could be missing something in these other spots, that’s why I said I might lose it, I don’t know where it is or what it is. They would have to be small things if they’re under here or here though,” he points to Columns E and G respectively. “All the Fossils I’ve seen are too big to be hiding under those spots, we’d be able to see the edges. But a Heart Scale would fit under there, or another Gem or an Unown Tile. Revives aren’t very big either, one of them could be there. It’s like the lottery; some times you lose. But it's better because it doesn’t cost you anything and you get exercise.”
essCee
 "Okay, that makes sense! Ready for you to fire away!" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Flotsam left town the other day and hasn’t come back as far as I know, but she usually stays by the coastline, and she doesn’t come by the Pokémon Centers very often. But if you like I can pass on a message if she does come by.” 
 

 "Ah, no need. I just worry about the children here. With the war, and her age . . ."  Less trailed off. The girl seemed like she was able to take care of herself, at least by the standards of children. And if she kept to the eastern coast she was probably safe from Bandra, at least for now.  "Would you let me know if you see her again?"  Less asked, his voice tinged with concern despite his logic.

After the nurse answered, and Less made his thanks, he headed outside. There might not be enough time to evolve Princess, but he might be able to get some progress in before Jon arrived. Less made a quick scan for Buck and Connie, and the then sent out Princess.  "Today is an important day, Princess. We're going to try to get you evolved."    The normally lazy Corphish had looked despondent at the thought of  even more  training on a day when she had already had to exercise, but at the mention of evolution she tilted her head to the side, and then clacked her claws with an eager motion. Less brought out Hero too, and then had the pair train by having Hero throw double kicks into Princess's protect from a variety of different angles, at different timings.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Training until Ranger Wain arrives. Less will stop to talk to him if no one else has arrived, or get the meeting started if people have.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Oh. ” Mina was regretting missing most of that discussion, now. “ …Wain isn’t going to be expecting us for another hour and a half. I was going to get that water sample. ” She thought she had time. There would definitely be some rapid fire Teleports involved, but there was time. “ Did you want to wait here, come with, or do you want Xatu and I to drop you off in Rieva? ” 
 

 "I wouldn't mind joining you."  He said, flashing her a smile.  "Gives me something to do, and if we run into aggressive wild pokemon or something then it's better to have some backup."  Yeah. That sounded like reasonable justification for hanging out with the girl he liked. He might even be  technically  correct.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Stef nods and gets back to his digging. As promised, he takes the pick to Column L.

 
5   3    X   X    3   0   2    X    2   3   3   1   4   6   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 3

“Oh, I think there’s something shiny down there, look!” Whatever it is is mostly yellow. “Um, and this is always the hard part, because now I have to figure out which side I need to dig on, and hope I can get it out before everything falls down.” Stef looks hesitant for a moment and goes with Column K. “Let’s hope it’s on the shallow side…”

 
5   3    X   X    3   0   2    X    2   2   1    X    4   6   1
A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O
 
Hits remaining: 2

Unfortunately when the stone comes loose, it’s clear that was the wrong side, as the bit of shine – now revealed to be a Fire Stone – is obviously buried on the right side.

“That’s okay, that’s okay!” Stef says aloud, more to himself than to you it seems. “I think I can still get this out, Evolutionary Stones are usually around the middle in size…” He very carefully picks at Column M, and after about two hits, manages to extract the Fire Stone – just as the rest of the rock wall comes down and buries his feet. “Oops.”

----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Would you let me know if you see her again?"  Less asked, his voice tinged with concern despite his logic. 
 

“Of course!”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
 Spoiler: OOC 

Training until Ranger Wain arrives. Less will stop to talk to him if no one else has arrived, or get the meeting started if people have.
 
 
 

Ranger Wain arrives slightly early, expression solemn. He’s carrying a battered pack that doesn’t match his uniform, a hesitant looking Growlithe at his heels. He nods in greeting and takes a seat in the lobby while he waits for the others to arrive.

----------------

Mark and Mina:

“ All right. In that case the plan is to stop by Ceris first and stop by the Pokémon Center ” Her Pokémon were in fairly good shape, but Mina wanted to make sure they were as refreshed as possible before heading out, since the river  was  on the edge of enemy territory “ and then have Xatu chain Teleports along the coast until we’re a mile or so away from the river. I’ll have him fly up at each stop so he can see farther and cover more ground. ” Neither Mina nor Xatu had been that far south yet, and if it worked they could make better time if and when they detoured up to Siltis – or anywhere else they hadn’t been, really. “ Then we’ll walk the rest of the way so if Bandra detects the Teleport they won’t come directly for us. ” They should have enough time to walk that far, and warp back in time to collect everyone for the meeting, as long as nothing interfered with the water sampling. “ It might be close, time-wise, but it should be doable. That said, anything you need to do before we go? Because if not we’ll leave right now. ”
Gnomes2169
He had his team already, though the lack of a sixth pokemon hurt... still, he now had two pokemon with multi-target moves in the stats that they specialized in, and it wasn't like there was much else for him to do at Trainer Hill.  "I'm good to go. Don't have anything else I needed here." 

There was a small part of him that felt he was missing something, or maybe someone, but... Well, Mark had forgotten they were waiting for Akio. But they had each other's phone numbers, so they  should  be able to stay in contact. Right? Right.
essCee
Pinklady applauds as Stef just barely manages to extract the Fire Stone.  "That was amazing! Thanks again for teaching me all of this!"  She then works at getting some of the crumbled wall off Stef's feet. The "Oops" rather than any more extreme reaction tells her it's not all that bad, fortunately.

 "What do you usually do with the stuff you can't use yourself? I didn't see anything that evolves from a Fire Stone from you, though it's still a really good thing to dig up, of course!" 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded to the Ranger as the man made his way inside. Soon after, Less called out,  "Enough! Good job you two. We'll pick back up later today."  With that he recalled his Pokemon and made his way back inside, and towards Ranger Wain.  "Jon,"  Less started,  "I'd been meaning to thank you for helping deshadow Connie, and with getting all the paperwork done for the jeep. You went above and beyond." 
Feathersnow
Akio regrets getting the unnecessarily expensive scent, but doesn't back out.  He pays the money and gravitate back towards the group...
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina and Akio:

Mina spotted Akio and waved. “ I was going to go get my water sample and Mark’s coming with me, did you want to come too? ” A thought occurred. “ We’ll be going along the beach for part of it and down to the river south of Ceris, it might be a good time to look for Water Pokémon. ” Mina had no idea if Akio actually  wanted  any, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring it up. “ Otherwise I’ll be back before noon to pick you up, if you’d rather stay here and battle up Trainer Hill or something. ”

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "What do you usually do with the stuff you can't use yourself? I didn't see anything that evolves from a Fire Stone from you, though it's still a really good thing to dig up, of course!"  
 

“Oh right now we sell most of it to build up our new headquarters! There’s a jewelry place in the Department Store in Skybreak City that’s been helping us out. And sometimes we trade things with other people in the Club - I got a whole set of the Unown Tiles that way, I kept getting ‘E’ Tiles so I traded them for the ones I was missing.”

----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Jon,"  Less started,  "I'd been meaning to thank you for helping deshadow Connie, and with getting all the paperwork done for the jeep. You went above and beyond."  
 

“Just glad I could help,” the Ranger replies in his usual drawl, ruffling his Pokémon’s head absently. “I hope it was some use, I heard you got into some trouble with it.”
Feathersnow
"I think I'll train Akitsu at Trainer Hill, if there is time."  The little Trapinch needed to learn and evolve...
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Just glad I could help,” the Ranger replies in his usual drawl, ruffling his Pokémon’s head absently. “ I hope it was some use, I heard you got into some trouble with it. ” 
 

 
"A fair bit."  Less admitted.  "We went out to try and rescue other Pokemon Bandra shadowed and released. Apparently, they had the same idea. We managed to get three out, and captured a fair few grunts along the way."  Less said, then sighed,  "But we lost the jeep. Mark got ambushed by a taskmaster, and we decided to teleport out instead of drive. I made sure that Bandra wouldn't be able to use it after though." 
Gnomes2169
Oh hey, Akio! Right, Akio was here. When the young samurai informed them of his plans, Mark nodded and said,  "Okay then, we'll meet you back here... hopefully soon."  And, pretty sure that was the last thing that needed to be discussed, he held out his arm to Mina (since Xatu would need a line of connection between his teleportation targets) and asked,  "Shall we?" 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



“Oh right now we sell most of it to build up our new headquarters! There’s a jewelry place in the Department Store in Skybreak City that’s been helping us out. And sometimes we trade things with other people in the Club - I got a whole set of the Unown Tiles that way, I kept getting ‘E’ Tiles so I traded them for the ones I was missing.” 
 

 "Oh, cool! I'll make sure to check out that store you mentioned, thank you! And... a whole set of Unown Tiles? That's so many! Like, twenty-seven different ones, right?"  As she talks, she starts rummaging through her packs to withdraw the items she had recently excavated - making sure to set them away from Stef's recent diggings' pile.  "I'm not sure if much I got is particularly worth trading... except for the fossil, but I'd rather hold onto that." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Are you  training  Akitsu or are you going to battle your way up Trainer Hill with Akitsu being one of your Pokémon?

Either way you have time, with the caveat that we might need to pretend this part of the conversation happened before Mark and Mina tutored their ‘mon, so you aren’t screwed out of that half hour.
 


----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "A fair bit."  Less admitted.  "We went out to try and rescue other Pokemon Bandra shadowed and released. Apparently, they had the same idea. We managed to get three out, and captured a fair few grunts along the way."  Less said, then sighed,  "But we lost the jeep. Mark got ambushed by a taskmaster, and we decided to teleport out instead of drive. I made sure that Bandra wouldn't be able to use it after though."  
 

“Better to lose the jeep than your friends. And I’m sure the Pokémon appreciate the effort you put in on their behalves, or will once they’re back in their right minds.” Ranger Wain shifts a little in place. “I have to say I wasn’t expecting you all to get into trouble again quite so fast. Was anyone hurt?”

----------------

Mark and Mina:

Mina nodded and gave Xatu the order to Teleport.

A short detour at Ceris and a couple rapid fire Teleports later, they were on a beach. A trio of Wingull took flight, startled by their sudden appearance, and Mina took a moment to look around and make sure they hadn’t dropped into the middle of something more dangerous. Then she checked the Pokédex map.

“ Okay, I think we’re close enough that we should walk from here. Keep a look out for Bandra – or anything else for that matter. ”

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh, cool! I'll make sure to check out that store you mentioned, thank you! And... a whole set of Unown Tiles? That's so many! Like, twenty-seven different ones, right?"  
 

“There are twenty-eight!” Stef replies cheerfully. “Twenty-six letters, plus the question mark shape and the exclamation mark!”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 As she talks, she starts rummaging through her packs to withdraw the items she had recently excavated - making sure to set them away from Stef's recent diggings' pile.  "I'm not sure if much I got is particularly worth trading... except for the fossil, but I'd rather hold onto that."  
 

Stef looks your findings over.

“No,” he agrees, “most of that  is  pretty easy to find, although sometimes Breeders or Pokémon Centers will trade for the Oval Stones, if they have a Happiny they want to evolve. This is just a normal one though, the ones with colors are worth more. But if you ask the lady in Landsedge to revive your Root Fossil, you can give it the Petoskey Stone to make its attacks stronger.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Better to lose the jeep than your friends. And I’m sure the Pokémon appreciate the effort you put in on their behalves, or will once they’re back in their right minds.” Ranger Wain shifts a little in place. “I have to say I wasn’t expecting you all to get into trouble again quite so fast. Was anyone hurt?” 
 

 
"Neither did I."  Less said,  "I thought the worst we would end up fighting would be the shadowed Pokemon themselves. I didn't think Bandra would be out in force so quickly."  Less sighed,  "But it went reasonably well. Mark's Gardivor was injured, but it sounds like she'll make a full recovery in a few days, and I took a bit of a hit to the head. It looks worse than it is." 
essCee
 "Wow, I never knew they come in other colours, too!"  Pinklady comments about the Oval Stone as she re-stashes her finds.  "Well, there's only one cure to only having common finds... this area's pretty good for digging, right?"  She draws back up to full height and looks at the surrounding area.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Okay, I think we’re close enough that we should walk from here. Keep a look out for Bandra – or anything else for that matter. ” 
 

Mark nodded and sent out Sengar and his corphish, telling the water type to use Harden a few times as they walk along. The crab and fox pokemon should be small enough to hide easily enough, but tough enough to take a hit or two if they were surprised.

He also opened part of his prosthetic arm back up in order to get a bit more of a charge on it. The mile long walk should give him a bit more of a buffer before he needed a real day to recharge it fully.
Feathersnow
 
 Spoiler:  OoC 
 I got confused.  I am training Akitsu
 


"Come here little buddy, dig that dirt!"  Akio is encouraging to the young larva. Once he evolves, this part if his life will be over, he should enjoy it!
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"Neither did I."  Less said,  "I thought the worst we would end up fighting would be the shadowed Pokemon themselves. I didn't think Bandra would be out in force so quickly."  Less sighed,  "But it went reasonably well. Mark's Gardivor was injured, but it sounds like she'll make a full recovery in a few days, and I took a bit of a hit to the head. It looks worse than it is."  
 

“The report said you’d hit Tetherburn Springs? If that's true then I’m not surprised, someone hit Keida a few days ago. There is supposed to be an Officer or two in that area, they probably raised security and you rode right into the teeth of it. I’m glad you all made it out.”

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Well, there's only one cure to only having common finds... this area's pretty good for digging, right?"  She draws back up to full height and looks at the surrounding area. 
 

“Yes, anywhere in Helnith that’s rocky is usually good for digging, we even dig out of the seafloor when the tide is low. The forests and stuff aren’t so much, because there’s too much topsoil and the plants are growing over it, so even if the finder could find something you wouldn’t be able to dig it up through all the roots. But I like the mountains.”

While looking around you happen to glace at the time…it’s about 11:30 AM.

----------------

Mark and Mina:

Mina just sends out Pidgey with instructions to keep an eye out for anything of interest, and then you’re off, headed south. It’s the peak of high tide, so everything to the east is under water.

About twenty minutes along Pidgey spots a small school of Carvanha circling…something…out in the water.

----------------

Akio:

Two hours later, Akitsu has dug out a nice little warren of tunnels, and the Pokédex says he’s leveled up:

 
 Spoiler: Akitsu 

Pokemon: Trapinch (Akitsu)
Type: Ground
Ability: Arena Trap
Gender: Male
Level: 24
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 63
Attack: 60
Def: 34 +10
Sp. Attack: 34
Sp. Def: 34 +9
Speed: 17
Moves:
Bite
Sand Attack
Faint Attack

No new attacks yet.
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “The report said you’d hit Tetherburn Springs? If that's true then I’m not surprised, someone hit Keida a few days ago. There is supposed to be an Officer or two in that area, they probably raised security and you rode right into the teeth of it. I’m glad you all made it out.”  
 

He hadn't know that. It made sense though. If someone had recently attacked the same area it was entirely natural that they would have been out in force.  "We'll have to be more careful next time then."  Less said. There was silence for a moment, as Less finally paid attention to the bag that Wain had with him. He hadn't known Matt well enough, or paid enough attention, to know for sure that the bag was his, but it seemed like the only logical outcome.  "Did you know him well?"  Less asked, gesturing towards the bag.
essCee
 "Oh, gotcha! I hope I get the chance to mine a seafloor sometime, that sounds really cool!" 

Pinklady notices the time as she looked around and gave her map another quick glance, already entertaining the idea of figuring out where else she can mine... and notices the time.

 "The time's absolutely flown! I don't actually have time to get some mining in... so I guess this is so long for now! Thank you again for everything, Stef!" 

It occurrs to her that she didn't get a chance to try to find a revive like she said she would... going to need to make up for that sometime.

 "Keep yourself safe, okay?" 
Gnomes2169
Mark paused, looking out at the circling carvanha as he reached for his binoculars to check out what they were circling.  "Hey, Mina. You were talking about looking for water pokemon?"  He asked, hypothetically.  "Those out there evolve into sharpedo. I'm not sure how much we're planning to surf around, but that's  the  fastest pokemon in the water in the world... at least last I heard."  They were faster than most individual sports boats and jet skis, hitting 75-80 mph really got you places even if it was only for short distances.  "Might be worth it to go out and grab one or two... and whatever they're circling." 
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Any weird colored ones that we can evolve into purple sharks? 😛
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Did you know him well?"  Less asked, gesturing towards the bag. 
 

“Well enough. We were both at the Shrine of Light, along with Mark and Mina and the Ternai Town Gym Leader.”

----------------

Pinklady:

Stef nods energetically. “I will! You be careful too!”

----------------

Mark and Mina:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Sorry, the dice said no to the purple shark!
 


Mina considered replying that she’d meant that for Akio, what with the latter having a third of his team weak to Fire, but it wasn’t like another actual Water type would  hurt …

“ We  are  going to need more Water Pokémon if we’re going after Surf, ” she agreed instead. To the Pokémon, she called out: “  Hey, you lot! Can we catch you?  ”

The school stopped dead in place – now that they weren’t moving so much, it was clear there were three of them – and lined up between Mark and Mina and the whatever-it-was. All three poked their heads out of the water enough to show off their teeth and chomp menacingly.

“  I’m taking that as a yes!  ”

Mina called out Oodramer and Pikachu.


Oodramer: 91/91
Pikachu: 63/63

Carvanha 1: 65/65
Carvanha 2: 69/69
Carvanha 3: 58/58
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: Sadness 
Alas, the only shiny that we will ever see is that one random toxic + dig combo aron in Trainer Hill. v-v
 


Mark pulled out his two net balls and his dive ball (it's almost like he had a bunch of weirdly specialized balls on him at all times...,) handing one of each to Mina before he sends out Fisher in the water.  "Alright then, let's get them. Fisher, use Sing. Sengar use Sand Attack. Corphish, use Bubble on all of the sharks and on Fisher."  All of his moves  should  hit all of the targets he'd want... the school only being three pokemon was somewhat convenient for that.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less:

“Well enough. We were both at the Shrine of Light, along with Mark and Mina and the Ternai Town Gym Leader.” 
 

"He seemed a good man." Less said, "I'm sorry for your loss. I wish a had the chance to have gotten to know him better."
essCee
Pinklady waves her farewell and heads back towards the Shrine, then straight out the east entrance half a mile. No room for distractions - and good thing she saw the time when she did.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Seeing as she already has a Net Ball of her own, Mina pushes the Dive and Net Balls back to Mark, and calls for Oodramer to intercept the Carvanhas’ Dark attacks and Pikachu to Thunder Wave any of the fangy fish that don’t get put to sleep by Fisher. Pidgey she leaves to keep watch, to make sure nothing sneaks up on them.

Sengar gives Mina a dirty look and starts kicking up sand everywhere – unsurprisingly some of it goes in her direction. Mina just covers her eyes and looks annoyed.

Sengar uses Sand Attack!
Accuracy of all foes falls!

Fisher uses Sing!

All three Carvanha conk out immediately. Mina’s Pikachu’s ears flatten with disappointment, having nothing to do now as all three fishes snooze peacefully.

Corphish uses Bubble!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 1 is hit for 11 damage!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 2 is hit for 10 damage!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 3 is hit for 12 damage!

Fisher isn’t the least bit injured, but enjoys the bubble spray nonetheless.


Sengar: 112/112
Corphish: 77/77 (Defense up 6 levels)
Fisher: 139/139

Oodramer: 91/91
Pikachu: 63/63

Carvanha 1: 54/65 (Asleep, Accuracy down 1 level)
Carvanha 2: 59/69 (Asleep, Accuracy down 1 level)
Carvanha 3: 46/58 (Asleep, Accuracy down 1 level)

(Mina: )

Mina eyed the readout on the Pokédex and did some quick math in her head. Thundershock had twice the power of Bubble and a type advantage…she didn’t think the little piranhas would survive an attack well enough to catch. If they weren’t Dark types she’d send Xatu out to hit them with Nightshade but the risk of the fish knocking out their only ride back to town was too much; people were counting on her to come get them later.

So she mostly stuck to what she’d been doing. “ Pikachu, stay on Thunder Wave duty – hit the first one that wakes up! Oodramer, Bubblebeam the middle one! ” Hopefully the type resistance would keep her slime monster from knocking his target out.

----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 "He seemed a good man." Less said, "I'm sorry for your loss. I wish a had the chance to have gotten to know him better." 
 

“You aren’t the only one,” the Ranger replies, looking troubled. “He wasn’t the best trainer I ever met but he was one of the most determined. He stumbled a lot but he would always try to make things right, and he did a lot more to help than most of the other people who have tried. I wish I had been there to help; the eyewitnesses said he put up quite a fight.”

----------------

Pinklady:

You make it to the meeting spot with a few minutes to spare.
Gnomes2169
Well, hey! Sometimes you get lucky. He squinted a bit at Sengar's antics and gave out commands again.  "Great job Fisher, let's follow it up with an Ice Shard on the left one (1), corphish use bubble on the same targets, and Sengar use sand attack again, this time  only  on the carvanha."  Apparently target specification needed to be a thing with his umbreon to prevent the fox from being a brat.
essCee
Once she's satisfied she's as far as Mina told her to go, Pinklady briefly considers sending out her Pokémon... but thinks twice of it, with how soon the teleporting is to be. Surely teleportation's harder when transporting nine instead of three! Instead, she pokes around the area, looking at whatever local plantlife is around. Best to get familiar with it if she'll be here for the long haul.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “You aren’t the only one,” the Ranger replies, looking troubled. “He wasn’t the best trainer I ever met but he was one of the most determined. He stumbled a lot but he would always try to make things right, and he did a lot more to help than most of the other people who have tried. I wish I had been there to help; the eyewitnesses said he put up quite a fight. 
 

Less nodded. "There was a girl here, during the storm a couple days ago. A Murkrow swooped of with her Horsea. Before he had even known what the danger was, Matt was out the door, charging to the rescue. I didn't have to know him to see that he had a lot of heart."
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Fisher uses Ice Shard!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 1 is hit for 26 damage!

Sengar uses Sand Attack!
Accuracy of all foes falls!

Carvanha 2 wakes up!
Carvanha 2 uses Assurance!
Attack missed Fisher!

Once the fish starts moving, Mina’s Pikachu springs into action.

Pikachu uses Thunder Wave!
Carvanha 2 is paralyzed!
It may not be able to attack!

Carvanha 1 wakes up!
Carvanha 1 uses Swagger!
Attack missed Pikachu!

Corphish uses Bubble!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 1 is hit for 11 damage!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 2 is hit for 9 damage!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 3 is hit for 11 damage!

Oodramer uses Bubblebeam!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 2 is hit for 24 damage!

Carvanha 3 wakes up! ((Terrible rolls! 🤢))
Carvanha 3 uses Scary Face!
Attack missed Sengar! ((😛))

All three Carvanha are thrashing around, disorganized after the impromptu nap and unable to see well.


Sengar: 112/112
Corphish: 77/77 (Defense up 6 levels)
Fisher: 139/139

Oodramer: 91/91
Pikachu: 63/63

Carvanha 1: 17/65 (Accuracy down 2 levels)
Carvanha 2: 26/69 (Accuracy down 2 levels, Paralyzed)
Carvanha 3: 35/58 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

“ Mark, I think the two on the left are good! Which one do you want? ”

----------------

Pinklady:

Most of the vegetation – there isn’t much, in this area – consists of tough little shrubs and grasses, and pale moss and lichen ((I know, not technically a plant)) on the stones. You do manage to find a weedy little raspberry ((as in, real-world non-Pokémon)) bush wedged into the rock. The fruits are pale yellow and there aren’t many of them.

----------------

Less:

The Ranger doesn’t appear to have anything to add to this, and just sits silently petting the Growlithe while he waits for the others to arrive.
essCee
 I might need to connect with others who usually live off the land around here... 

Pinklady gently handles one of the pale raspberries, careful not to pull it off. Clearly hardy, but even so, surely needed to be spared as much unnecessary interruption as possible to survive out here.

 Not much to sustainably forage, at least not here. This place really needs to heal. 
Gnomes2169
Well... All of them waking up almost immediately was pretty much how Mark's luck went. He wasn't surprised by it at this point, he just rolled with it and pulled out a net ball.  He wasn't exactly looking to catch them for himself, he had his lapras to ride after all, but he didn't bring that up in response to Mina's question, instead answering,  "I'll go for the paralyzed one. See if you can zap the other before catching it. Corphish, bubble beam the one on the right."  With that, Mark threw his ball.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Mina nodded, had Pikachu Thunder Wave Carvanha 1 and threw her Net Ball as soon as the attack landed.

Mark used a Net Ball! ((-1 Net Ball, 1 remaining.))

Shake…shake…shake…DING! Carvanha 2 was caught!

 
 Spoiler: Carvanha 2 

Pokemon: Carvanha
Type: Water/Dark
Ability: Rough Skin
Gender: Male
Level: 27
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 69
Attack: 61
Def: 24
Sp. Attack: 48
Sp. Def: 24
Speed: 48
Moves:
Focus Energy
Scary Face
Ice Fang
Screech
Swagger
Assurance
 


Do you want to give a nickname to Carvanha 2? ((Off to Box Storage either way.))

Pikachu uses Thunder Wave!
Carvanha 1 is Paralyzed!
It may not be able to attack!

Mina used a Net Ball! ((-1 Net Ball, 0 remaining.))

Shake…shake…shake…DING! Carvanha 1 was caught!

 
 Spoiler: Carvanha 1 

Pokemon: Carvanha
Type: Water/Dark
Ability: Rough Skin
Gender: Male
Level: 25
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 65
Attack: 57
Def: 22
Sp. Attack: 45
Sp. Def: 22
Speed: 45
Moves:
Bite
Leer
Focus Energy
Scary Face
Ice Fang
Swagger
 


Mina didn’t bother with a nickname, and just let the ball warp off to Box Storage.

Corphish uses Bubblebeam!
It’s not very effective…
Carvanha 3 is hit for 32 damage!

The remaining Carvanha, badly damaged, panicking from the sudden loss of its schoolmates and not able to see well, fled, zig-zagging wildly until it was out of sight.

Sengar: 112/112
Corphish: 77/77 (Defense up 6 levels)
Fisher: 139/139

Oodramer: 91/91
Pikachu: 63/63

 Carvanha 1: 17/65 (Accuracy down 2 levels, Paralyzed)  – Caught!
 Carvanha 2: 26/69 (Accuracy down 2 levels, Paralyzed)  – Caught!
 Carvanha 3: 3/58 (Accuracy down 2 levels)  – fled

“ Pikachu return! Oodramer, would you please bring that floating thing over here? ” Her fossil slime monster swam out and retrieved it. “ Thank you my dear. ” Mina patted him before recalling him.

It was a tackle bag of the sort designed to wrap around a five gallon bucket, made of sturdy (though presently battered and water-logged) cloth. Some of the pockets had the bottoms ripped out – probably by the Carvanha, judging by the size and placement of the damage – but a few survived, with their contents intact.

 
 Spoiler: Loot 

Fishing Lures
Good Rod
Lure Ball x2
750 PD
 


((And I’m going to skip forward a bit to catch us up, let me know if you want me to split the timeline.))

No Bandra showed their faces for the rest of the walk, nor did any other wild Pokémon. But with Pidgey’s help, Mina did find a couple items during the rest of the walk. ((+1 Tropical Shell, +1 Beach Glass)) She offered Mark the Tropical Shell.

At last they made it to the river and Mina followed it upstream far enough to get a sample that wasn’t half seawater. And that was all there was to it, so once she sealed her sample she had Xatu take them back to Rieva, where she dropped off Mark before retrieving Pinklady, then Akio.

----------------

Pinklady:

About this time you hear a whistle.

It’s Mina; she’s down on the road. “ If you’re ready, we’ll go now. ”

----------------

Akio:

Mina appears – more or less literally, courtesy of Teleport – just as you’re wrapping up training Akitsu.

“ All set? ” ((Assuming the answer is a positive one)) Mina then replies, “ All right, off we go! ”

----------------

Less (and now everyone else too, unless someone didn’t want to come):

Mina appears a few times with her Xatu, just long enough to wave, dropping off the rest of the party one by one before she finally returns with the last person.

“ I think that’s everyone. ” She pulls over a chair and plops down on it, then addresses Ranger Wain without preamble: “ Did you catch the Rockets that took Matt? ”

The Ranger lets out a deep breath. “We did. One of them survived their run-in with Bandra.”
Lord Ruby34
Less let the conversation fall into companionable silence. There wasn't much more to say. A good man had been killed. It was a story that was becoming depressingly common. The silence stayed until Mark and Mina returned, and then continued when Mina brought everyone back. Less waved to Pinklady, but didn't have time for more than that before Mina launched into conversation. Less was content to let the Ranger explain.
Gnomes2169
((On the beach))

Oh hey, another good rod? Well, that meant that Mina could have one too, since he'd gotten one from his corphish just a bit ago. Part of him wondered what happened to the fisher, but the chewing on the bucket made him suspect that there might have been a sharpedo and more carvanha involved...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
No nicknames this time.

Does splitting the money, lures and balls 50/50 and giving Mina the rod sound good to you?
 


He guessed that the shell could be useful for decorating a pokemon up for a contest, so he'd drop that into his decorations box as they went along. When Mina had collected her sample, Mark gave her two thumbs up and said,  "Alright, let's... see what Wain has for us." 

((Pre-meeting))

Once he was brought back to the pokemon center, Mark made his way right to Less and Wain and waved to both. Since he was the first one back and they had a few moments before Less returned with everyone else, he said,  "Hello again. Um, before we get started... Less. Mina and I captured a pair of decently leveled carvanha. I don't really need another water type but figured that we should make sure everyone has at least one ridable pokemon, so. Um. Let me know if you wanted the one I caught. They evolve into sharpedo and are  super  fast." 

((At the meeting))

The fact that they  had  a rocket member in custody surprised Mark, but he jumped in to ask,  "Wait, why was team freaking Rocket, of  all the criminals out there , here to grab Less in the first place?"  He felt like this was something important to work out.
Kareeah_Indaga
Beach:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  
 Spoiler: OoC 
No nicknames this time.

Does splitting the money, lures and balls 50/50 and giving Mina the rod sound good to you?
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Works for me!
 


----------------

Pokemon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 The fact that they  had  a rocket member in custody surprised Mark, but he jumped in to ask,  "Wait, why was team freaking Rocket, of  all the criminals out there , here to grab Less in the first place?"  He felt like this was something important to work out. 
 

Ranger Wain frowns. “I don’t know how much Matt told you about his background. Did he tell you he’d worked with Team Rocket before he came to Helnith?”

Judging by Mina’s troubled but  not  shocked expression, this wasn’t brand new news to her. “ You said there was blackmail involved. ”

“Yes. He had a pharmaceutical background and, according to his records, Team Rocket had gotten wind of him and started threatening his immediate circle and interfering with his research to bring him on board. There was enough proof of that to keep him out of jail when the scientific cell he was in got busted.

Apparently they were impressed with his work,” Wain continued with an edge of bitterness, “the surviving Rocket said they’d been sent to keep him from falling into Bandra’s hands.”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Ranger Wain frowns. “I don’t know how much Matt told you about his background. Did he tell you he’d worked with Team Rocket before he came to Helnith?” 
 

From how his eyes widen and his jaw partially drops, it's obvious that Mark hadn't heard about that before this moment.  "Nah... nope. He didn't tell us about that."  He was quiet for a moment, brain processing the information before saying,  "Well, we know that Bandra isn't getting any of their tech from Rocket, at least."  From how he said it, Mark was still working on something in his head and just thinking out loud.  "Where did you catch the Rocket grunt?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Where did you catch the Rocket grunt?"  
 

“He was lucky enough to wash up on shore near Hillsbreak, along with bits of their sub.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 ((Pre-meeting))

Once he was brought back to the pokemon center, Mark made his way right to Less and Wain and waved to both. Since he was the first one back and they had a few moments before Less returned with everyone else, he said,  "Hello again. Um, before we get started... Less. Mina and I captured a pair of decently leveled carvanha. I don't really need another water type but figured that we should make sure everyone has at least one ridable pokemon, so. Um. Let me know if you wanted the one I caught. They evolve into sharpedo and are  super  fast."   
 

Less thought for a moment before answering.  "No, I don't think so, though I appreciate the offer. Princess should evolve before the end of the day, and don't have the time to train two Pokemon with the same type combination. I don't believe Akio has a water type though. He might appreciate the Pokemon?" 

---------------------------------------
Meeting

Less hmmed in discomfort while stroking his mustache. Matt had been involved with Team Rocket? And a scientist? He wouldn't have guessed either one from meeting the man.  "Was there particular information that Matt had that Rocket wanted to keep secret?"  Less asked. Sending a whole submarine for one man was quite an expenditure of resources. He had to have known something especially valuable, or especially damning.
Gnomes2169
((Pre-meeting))

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less thought for a moment before answering.  "No, I don't think so, though I appreciate the offer. Princess should evolve before the end of the day, and don't have the time to train two Pokemon with the same type combination. I don't believe Akio has a water type though. He might appreciate the Pokemon?"  
 

Yeah, that makes sense.  "Hmmm... perhaps Pinklady as well, if Akio just wants to rely on his ditto. I'll ask them after the meeting." 


((At the meeting))

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “He was lucky enough to wash up on shore near Hillsbreak, along with bits of their sub.” 
 

So then the sub had been close enough to the surface for there to have been survivors from the Bandra attack...  "How close to the Orange Islands were they when they were attacked? Is it possible more people and... sub-bits could have been washed up over there?" 
essCee
((Pre-meeting))


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

About this time you hear a whistle.

It’s Mina; she’s down on the road. “ If you’re ready, we’ll go now. ” 
 

Pinklady gets up from her crouching, dusts her hands off on her skirt, and nods.  "I'm ready." 

((At-meeting))

Pinklady returns Less's wave and also focuses on paying attention to the conversation. She doesn't have anything to add so far.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Was there particular information that Matt had that Rocket wanted to keep secret?"  Less asked. Sending a whole submarine for one man was quite an expenditure of resources. He had to have known something especially valuable, or especially damning. 
 

“We haven’t gotten anything specific out of the Rocket. Matt’s record’s mentioned Pokémon steroids and some incidents in Saffron City” Mina’s expression suggests that someone just dropped a brick into her stomach “but I don’t know if that’s what Team Rocket was worried about Bandra getting. It’s even possible they just didn’t want a former top scientist going to a rival.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 So then the sub had been close enough to the surface for there to have been survivors from the Bandra attack...  "How close to the Orange Islands were they when they were attacked? Is it possible more people and... sub-bits could have been washed up over there?"  
 

“I know what you’re thinking, and we already contacted the Orange Island authorities to keep an eye out for any survivors on their side. If Matt turns up alive on a beach somewhere, they promised to let us know.

But right now we don’t have any indication that he survived the destruction of the sub, and some of this won’t keep,” he says as he unshoulders the pack, a puzzling statement until he pulls out a portable incubator with a Pokemon egg inside and hands it to Mark. And then pulls out another egg, without an incubator, and gives it to Less. “If Matt did nothing else, he managed to keep these little ones out of Team Rocket’s hands, but I think they’ll be safer split up given how much trouble you all seem to attract.” Most of the rest of the handouts are not as exciting, but it transpires that Matt’s Time Flute both survived the attack  and  escaped Team Rocket’s grasp. As did the Sacred Talisman, which the Ranger hands to Mina.

 
 Spoiler: Loot Distribution 

Mark:
+Incubator (Mystery Egg 1 (estimated hatch time: Day 29 - Day 30))
+Time Flute (3 charges)

Less:
Mystery Egg 2 (estimated hatch time: Day 33)
6 Great Balls (9 total)

Mina:
+Sacred Talisman
+Chipped Pot (with receipt)

Pinklady:
+5 Dry Poffin (+51 Dry, +26 Feel)
+Heart Scale (3 total)

Akio:
+Safety Goggles (Held Item)
+2 Fresh Waters
 


“And as I already told Mina, don’t worry if Matt turns up alive and needs his things back, the Ranger Union will reimburse him.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “We haven’t gotten anything specific out of the Rocket. Matt’s record’s mentioned Pokémon steroids and some incidents in Saffron City” Mina’s expression suggests that someone just dropped a brick into her stomach “but I don’t know if that’s what Team Rocket was worried about Bandra getting. It’s even possible they just didn’t want a former top scientist going to a rival.” 
 

Less hmmed at that, and continued to stroke his mustache. There were a lot of reasons Team Rocket could have behaved the way they did, and none of them pleasant or readily ascertainable.  "Please, keep us updated if you do hear anything. News about what Team Rocket feared could make a difference against Bandra, even if the use of such doesn't seem immediately apparent." 

When Wain handed out the gear, Less accepted the egg with a solemn face. With no mother or father, the egg would need special attention he wasn't sure he was fit to provide, but Less would do his upmost nonetheless. No creature deserved anything less.

 "Thank you, Jon. You've done far more than your duty by us. If there's anything I can do to help you, or repay the favor, I would be more than happy to do so."  Less said, his voice sincere with gratitude.
Gnomes2169
Mina's reaction to the news of Matt's involvement with Saffron city is noticed by Mark, but while he frowns a bit, he wouldn't say anything about it immediately. Wain was still answering the questions that he and Less had asked, and it would be  incredibly  rude to interrupt... even if the answers basically amounted to, "We don't know yet, but we'll keep you up to date."

Mark took the flute and incubator when they were offered, the former would be  incredibly  useful once the team started clearing up the shadowing on their new pokemon. Not certain where exactly to put the incubator, he'd settle for tucking them both into his bag for now.  "Thank you, Wain. I... still don't think it's fully hit me, yet, but if the worst happened then it's... better to know."  While the older man ( team Rocket scientist?! ) had been secretive and a little unstable, Mark had still relied on him for backup. Not having him around cut back on their team by another member, and that would make things harder going on in the future.

It also meant Mark lost another friend.

Taking in a breath that shuttered a bit at the end, Mark cleared his throat and leaned in closer to Mina so he could ask,  "Hey, you look like you just ate something made of spikes... you doing okay?"  Distracting himself from his own emotional state? Whatever could you mean?
essCee
Pinklady sighs and accepts the poffins and heart scale. She just stares at them for a bit. Hearing the circumstances now hit her so much harder than just being told over the phone that Matt had been "lost". The distributed items had some added weight of finality, as well.

 "Thank you, Ranger."  She says dully, even somewhat automatically after hearing Less give his thanks. She finally puts the given items into her packs.

 What about Matt's Pokémon, too... 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Please, keep us updated if you do hear anything. News about what Team Rocket feared could make a difference against Bandra, even if the use of such doesn't seem immediately apparent."  
 

“Of course,” the Ranger replied.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Thank you, Jon. You've done far more than your duty by us. If there's anything I can do to help you, or repay the favor, I would be more than happy to do so."  Less said, his voice sincere with gratitude. 
 

“I’m just doing my job, but we do get overwhelmed a lot these days. I hope I don’t need to take you up on that, but I might.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Taking in a breath that shuttered a bit at the end, Mark cleared his throat and leaned in closer to Mina so he could ask,  "Hey, you look like you just ate something made of spikes... you doing okay?"  Distracting himself from his own emotional state? Whatever could you mean? 
 

“ I’m fine, ” Mina replied in an undertone. Then realising that was maybe not the most convincing argument, she elaborated. “ It’s just, my dad was in Saffron City for some of that. He works for Silph Co. ”

That had been scary. As part of their Pokéball R&amp;D department, he’d been on a business trip to Saffron for their unveiling of the Master Ball, which of course had been when Team Rocket had hit the Silph Co. building. The pictures on the news of buildings billowing with smoke and rubble in the streets, and of course no luck contacting him via phone until some time afterwards, had been nerve-wracking.

In retrospect, it had been fairly tame compared to what she’d seen in Helnith, with the news crews avoiding showing dead bodies and the final casualty count being fairly small, but she hadn’t had that comparison to make at the time. Also, it was one thing being up to your eyeballs in a disaster area  yourself , and another to be no where nearby, helpless while someone you cared about was hip-deep in it instead…

Mina wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that she never got to talk to Matt about that; if she’d known he’d helped with that, even indirectly, that was bound to have driven a wedge between them…or would it have? She’d seen him jump into things trying to help, and as far as Pokémon went he’d been one of the most respectful people she’d ever met, his missteps due to lack of experience as a trainer rather than malice. And he’d been blackmailed into it; that had to be extenuating circumstances…

Mostly she just felt conflicted.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
   "Thank you, Ranger."  She says dully, even somewhat automatically after hearing Less give his thanks. She finally puts the given items into her packs. 
 

“I’m sorry there wasn’t more I could do. I’ll do my best to keep all of you updated if we find out anything more, and of course if we find any other sign of Matt.” The Ranger shifts in place. “Is there anything else any of you wanted to ask before I go?”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I’m fine, ” Mina replied in an undertone. Then realising that was maybe not the most convincing argument, she elaborated. “ It’s just, my dad was in Saffron City for some of that. He works for Silph Co. ” 
 

 "Oh...  OH. "  Mark mutters back, his eyes going a bit wider as he realizes the implications.  "I remember watching that with my dad..."  Mark's father had been a partner with a Devon research group at the time, which is why he'd traveled so much when he was younger and how he'd caught Tattersail and Marick despite being born in Johto. The event at Silph Co. had been  massive  in the field, and even though it had happened to a competitor Mark's dad had brought him to Kanto to do some volunteer and charity work to help the people that had been impacted.

They'd been weekend things, young Mark still had to go to school after all. His father and stepmother had arguments about the whole situation, how his father was burning through all his vacation time to go out and help strangers instead of spending time with his family, but after a few months, things had returned to normal for Mark. Until his father's ship had sunk while bringing him back from his last three-month stint on-site in the Hoenn labs.

Helping those people because it was the right thing to do was one of the last memories he had of his father.

 "Um, our plans have us stuck together for the rest of the day. If you wanted to talk about it, or anything else, let me know."  It struck Mark that this was actually the most he'd heard about Mina's life outside of just where she lived, but he wasn't going to push it. Now really was not the time.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I’m sorry there wasn’t more I could do. I’ll do my best to keep all of you updated if we find out anything more, and of course if we find any other sign of Matt.” The Ranger shifts in place. “Is there anything else any of you wanted to ask before I go?” 
 

Turning back to Wain, Mark said,  "I do have something else. Last night the other rangers told us we should get the shadowed pokemon we'd rescued checked, to see if they were reported missing by their trainers. Would you be able to give them a quick check?" 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded along with Mark's request. With all the chaos last night, he hadn't remembered, but the lad was right, it was important for those who had captured the some of the shadowed Pokemon last night. For his part, Less stayed silent.
Feathersnow
Akio looks embarrassed.   "I'm sorry, Akechi, I should have done that sooner" he says to the Pokeball at his belt.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Um, our plans have us stuck together for the rest of the day. If you wanted to talk about it, or anything else, let me know."  It struck Mark that this was actually the most he'd heard about Mina's life outside of just where she lived, but he wasn't going to push it. Now really was not the time. 
 

“ Thank you. ” Mina wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about it just now or not, but she appreciated the gesture.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Turning back to Wain, Mark said,  "I do have something else. Last night the other rangers told us we should get the shadowed pokemon we'd rescued checked, to see if they were reported missing by their trainers. Would you be able to give them a quick check?"  
 

“I can check them now, yes. But I should warn you I didn’t bring any extra Cologne this time. Who’s first?”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I can check them now, yes. But I should warn you I didn’t bring any extra Cologne this time. Who’s first?” 
 

 "I'll need to withdraw both of mine, so I'll let Akio go first. With the cleanse tag, the flute and the colognes we bought, I think that we shouldn't  need  help purifying them... but knowing if there's a trainer we should return them to would be nice."  Mark said, and if Wain didn't have anything to add he would go to the PC to get the Litwick and the Scorupi from storage, depositing Sengar and Tarr for now.
Lord Ruby34
Less excused himself from the proceedings and headed outside to check on Buck and Connie.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center:

While Mark was switching his Pokémon, Mina chimed in: “ Guys, shouldn’t we  not  do this in here? ” She indicated the lobby. Sure, it was an itty-bitty town without a lot of people to walk through the front door at any given moment, but it was still a public space that other people might need access to while they were letting out dangerous Shadowed Pokémon. “ Nurse Joy, is there a spare examination room or storage room that we can use? ”

“Hmm? Oh, yes,” the nurse gave quick directions to same.

----------------

Less:

It takes you a moment to find Connie: she’s perched on the roof, preening. Both Pokémon appear to have finished their game, and you find Buck by the door, lying in the sun and panting slightly from recent exertion.
Feathersnow
"I'm ready, thank you," said Akio.  This was it!  He would purify Akechi and maybe learn his past!
Gnomes2169
Mark had thought that the ranger would just be able to scan the balls, but... well, it also made sense that he would actually have to  see  the creature to scan them to get a match in a stolen or missing pokemon report. So it would make sense to go somewhere a bit more secure. After withdrawing his pokemon, Mark would follow behind the group.
essCee
Pinklady mostly hung back, silently and morosely - she had a lot to think about and process from this past day and a half. When most of the group heads over to a more secure location to handle the shadow Pokémon, Pinklady decides to follow Less outside.
Lord Ruby34
Less stooped down to ruffle Buck's fur. The big dog chuffed in appreciation, rolled over, and gave Less's hand a few more licks before continuing to relax in the midday sunlight.  "Did you two enjoy yourselves?"  Less called out to his Pokemon. It was at that point that Less noticed Pinklady had followed him outside.

 "It's good to see you again."  Less said, before lowering his voice in concern,  "You looked pretty upset in there. Did you know Matt well?" 
He asked.
essCee
Pinklady smiles a bit after seeing Buck relaxing, though her overall disposition looks as gloomy as before.

 "Not as well as I would have liked."  She shakes her head.  "I had just started to get to know him, we had fought together, and now he's just... suddenly gone." 

She approaches Buck while still keeping her attention on Less, mostly to gauge how welcoming - or not - Buck would be to her proximity.  "And... to be honest, I thought I'd be tougher. About this." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina, Akio:

((Apologies if I’m stepping on anyone’s feet here!))

The three of you and Ranger Wain make your way to the room Nurse Joy indicated, it turns out to be an empty examination room.

Ranger Wain indicates for Akio to send out Akechi but Mina interrupts again: “ Hang on. ” She calls out her Oodramer and instructs the Spectral type to keep the Shadow Pokémon calm.

Oodramer throws a little jot of energy at him as soon as the Stunky is sent out. ((+1% Shadow Gauge, 39% total)) Ranger Wain also pulls out his Styler and readies the spinning top portion of the device, which he sends spinning around Akechi a heartbeat later.

“It’s okay, we’re all friends here…” Once he’s sure the Poison type isn’t going to immediately fly into a Rage, he starts going through the readout. “No unusual stat boosts, no unusual attacks…Viola have you got a minute to check for any stolen Stunky?”

“ Yes, send me the scan. ” Akechi snarls at the sudden sound but then the Ranger is sending the top around him a little faster and Oodramer is gazing in his direction a little more heavily and he subsides.

Mina at this point is holding her Pikachu’s Pokéball with a white-knuckle grip, not reassured.

“ Not picking up any trace signal from a previous Pokéball. Any identifying marks while I check the databases? ” Ranger Wain lists notable features, a moment later Viola comes back: “ No male Stunky with those marks has gone missing any time recently. They’re native up near Ternai Town, poor thing probably got grabbed when Bandra took over the area. ”

“Then congratulations, it looks like you have a new Pokémon,” the Ranger tells Akio. “Who’s next? Or did you want to Purify him right now?”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

((Let me know if you need input from me!))
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady smiles a bit after seeing Buck relaxing, though her overall disposition looks as gloomy as before.

 "Not as well as I would have liked."  She shakes her head.  "I had just started to get to know him, we had fought together, and now he's just... suddenly gone." 

She approaches Buck while still keeping her attention on Less, mostly to gauge how welcoming - or not - Buck would be to her proximity.  "And... to be honest, I thought I'd be tougher. About this."  
 

Buck's tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he wiggled on his back, clearly inviting a belly rub. Less smiled. Some thing would never change.

 "There's no one right way to feel,"  Less started,  "When faced with a loss. It often hits harder than expected, no matter how tough you are, or how prepared for the day you think you might be."  Less's voice was slightly melancholy.  "The only good piece of advice that I ever recieved was to take the time you need, however you need to take it. If that means taking a few days to mourn, then it means taking a few days to mourn. It isn't a sign of weakness." 
Gnomes2169
Mark had a hand on Fisher's pokeball and he glanced over at Mina when Wain asked his question.  "... Are you up to a quick battle?"  She'd de-shadowed her Houndoom at some point in the last few days, and had been helping members of the group repeatedly, so she was probably aware of the risks at this point.  "If we can get the cleanse tag on them, things will go better..."  Saying that, his mechanical hand reaches into his pack and pulls out the thick gloves the nurse had given him, so he could hand them to Akio. It was the samurai's pokemon, that dork could risk getting chomped repeatedly.
Feathersnow
Akio takes the gloves.  "I want to do it soon, if that's okay...  Here, boy..."
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina, Akio:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "... Are you up to a quick battle?"  
 

“ I told Less I’d take him over to Trainer Hill after we were done here. Other than that, I think everything else can wait. ” She’d also thought they’d gone on their trip to Trainer Hill to get Scents to use for this, but she didn’t  object  to battling instead. They could save the Scents for later.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If we can get the cleanse tag on them, things will go better..."  
 

“Cleanse Tag…?”

“ He means this, ” Mina dug out the Sacred Talisman and held it up by way of clarification…and then handed it to Akio since the consensus seemed to be they were going to Purify his new Stunky right now.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I don’t want to be unnecessarily pedantic, but the  Cleanse Tag  is something else.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio takes the gloves.  "I want to do it soon, if that's okay...  Here, boy..." 
 

Akechi growls low until Mina’s Oodramer gurgles and he quiets, still staring hostilely into space.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Buck's tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he wiggled on his back, clearly inviting a belly rub. Less smiled. Some thing would never change.

 "There's no one right way to feel,"  Less started,  "When faced with a loss. It often hits harder than expected, no matter how tough you are, or how prepared for the day you think you might be."  Less's voice was slightly melancholy.  "The only good piece of advice that I ever recieved was to take the time you need, however you need to take it. If that means taking a few days to mourn, then it means taking a few days to mourn. It isn't a sign of weakness."  
 

Pinklady crouches a tiny bit - but not much, given the big dog's sheer size - and, with both Buck's invitation and interpreting Less's smile as a mark of approval, she buries a hand in Buck's fluffy belly and gives it a vigorous rubbing. Her small smile increases in size a bit.

 "I... thank you. It's really n-nice to know I don't nee-eed to..."  She is audibly a little choked up.  "f-force my-"  She coughs, and her eyes wet. She doesn't immediately try to resume talking, instead just inhaling sharply through her nose as the corners of her mouth seem to have trouble deciding between a smile and a frown. She turns her face away from Less and towards Buck, squeezes her eyes shut - forcing out more tears - and continues petting Buck.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady crouches a tiny bit - but not much, given the big dog's sheer size - and, with both Buck's invitation and interpreting Less's smile as a mark of approval, she buries a hand in Buck's fluffy belly and gives it a vigorous rubbing. Her small smile increases in size a bit.

 "I... thank you. It's really n-nice to know I don't nee-eed to..."  She is audibly a little choked up.  "f-force my-"  She coughs, and her eyes wet. She doesn't immediately try to resume talking, instead just inhaling sharply through her nose as the corners of her mouth seem to have trouble deciding between a smile and a frown. She turns her face away from Less and towards Buck, squeezes her eyes shut - forcing out more tears - and continues petting Buck. 
 

 "It's okay to let it out if you want. There's no wrong way to grieve."  Less said, his voice low and soothing. Buck for his part, took a more active roll, snuggled in closer to the young woman, and wrapped a massive paw around her back, pulling her into his fluff.
essCee
Pinklady nods in response to Less's assurances, though the movement is barely noticeable because her face is now well-buried in Buck's fluff. She continues to muffledly sniffle and sob for about a couple of minutes, then eventually finishes and turns her head to the side, resting the side of her head on Buck.

 "Thank you, both of you."  She inhales deeply and lets it out as a sigh.  "Yesterday was a lot too..."  She pats Buck and looks towards Less again, weakly smiling. The symmetry of the scene dawns on her as her mind wanders to Stef.  And Less is in my position now, I should ask...   "...how are you doing, yourself?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I'm pretty sure Mark has never heard the official name of the Sacred Talisman, so the fact that I keep forgetting it seems fitting. 😛

Also, Buck is a very good boy.
 


Mark considered Mina's reminder of their plans for a second and said,  "Ah, right, we were going to drop Less off and run to Skybreak... a few battles should only take a few minutes, but maybe it would be better to use the scents if they can just clear the shadowing in one go." 

As if remembering something, he turned to face the ranger and said,  "Wain. I have a theory on why Bandra is shadowing so many pokemon. Beyond simply making chaos, dark types that enter a shadow rage seem to have their abilities...  change.  Become more powerful in some way. My Umbreon and Mina's Houndoom both have some unique abilities that they gained during or when they entered a rage, for example. Less and I interrogated a grunt who claimed that the person in charge of this shadow pokemon program was interested in dark types in particular, but... I'm not sure if that's because only dark pokemon can go through the change, or if other types can too. Have you heard anything about this happening?" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nods in response to Less's assurances, though the movement is barely noticeable because her face is now well-buried in Buck's fluff. She continues to muffledly sniffle and sob for about a couple of minutes, then eventually finishes and turns her head to the side, resting the side of her head on Buck.

 "Thank you, both of you."  She inhales deeply and lets it out as a sigh.  "Yesterday was a lot too..."  She pats Buck and looks towards Less again, weakly smiling. The symmetry of the scene dawns on her as her mind wanders to Stef.  And Less is in my position now, I should ask...   "...how are you doing, yourself?"  
 

Buck responded with a quick, slobbery lick and a short woof. Less pondered for a moment, then said  "I find myself disquiet. I did not know Matt, but he seemed a good man. I don't know what fate might have befallen him if this war didn't rage, but I imagine he might have lived a quieter life, away from whatever past sought to bedevil him. I blame the war, and Bandra for his fate, and the fate of so many people through Helnith. It infuriates me. I am angrier than I've ever been in my life, and the only way I've found to deal with it is to  act. "  Less bit out the last word, then sighed.  "But I fear my actions are rash . . . and that I've spoken more than I should. I should trouble you with the burdens of an old man." 
essCee
Pinklady resumes stroking Buck as she listens to Less. She sighs as he hypothesises about Matt living a quiet life.  He had seemed really tough on himself, that would have been good for him...  After Less finishes, Pinklady replies,

 "It's not a problem - I think you should. Should share your burdens. I've signed up for this, too, this... acting to end this." 

Her voice is much more stable now, and she moves to stand back up, wiping away her tears.

She opens her mouth a moment as if about to say something else, but suddenly decides otherwise and instead just gives Buck a smile.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina, Akio:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark considered Mina's reminder of their plans for a second and said,  "Ah, right, we were going to drop Less off and run to Skybreak... a few battles should only take a few minutes, but maybe it would be better to use the scents if they can just clear the shadowing in one go."  
 

“ It’s going to take time to rub the Scents on too, ” Mina pointed out, “ and I can still drop Less off and come back here and battle, which would you rather do? ” Mina could put off getting paid and getting her Earthquake SM since they weren’t planning to jump into enemy territory in the immediate future. And it wasn’t a bad idea to save the Scents for later, it just wasn’t what they’d discussed previously. “ Oh, I  did  find out from the Skybreak Gym that they’re more likely to enter a Rage the closer they get to being Purified, so keep that in mind. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 As if remembering something, he turned to face the ranger and said,  "Wain. I have a theory on why Bandra is shadowing so many pokemon. Beyond simply making chaos, dark types that enter a shadow rage seem to have their abilities...  change.  Become more powerful in some way. My Umbreon and Mina's Houndoom both have some unique abilities that they gained during or when they entered a rage, for example. Less and I interrogated a grunt who claimed that the person in charge of this shadow pokemon program was interested in dark types in particular, but... I'm not sure if that's because only dark pokemon can go through the change, or if other types can too. Have you heard anything about this happening?"  
 

“About the Abilities or the Dark Pokémon?” The Ranger asked. “The mutations aren’t unusual, that can happen to any type of Pokémon. And it won’t always affect their Ability, sometimes it’s just a change to their attacks, sometimes their typing changes. As far as I know Dark types just get Shadowed more often outside the Spectral Dimension because they’re weak to Spectral type attacks and are more likely to get knocked out by one.

As for Bandra going after Dark types, I’ve heard rumors - I know the University of Helnith keeps insisting there should be more Murkrow around than there are” Mina abruptly remembered the University jobs for the bird droppings and of course, the task with the webcams that she’d completed previously “but we haven’t seen any sign of what they’re doing with them. For example they haven’t been showing up in great numbers in the Grunt forces we’ve encountered.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady resumes stroking Buck as she listens to Less. She sighs as he hypothesises about Matt living a quiet life.  He had seemed really tough on himself, that would have been good for him...  After Less finishes, Pinklady replies,

 "It's not a problem - I think you should. Should share your burdens. I've signed up for this, too, this... acting to end this." 

Her voice is much more stable now, and she moves to stand back up, wiping away her tears.

She opens her mouth a moment as if about to say something else, but suddenly decides otherwise and instead just gives Buck a smile. 
 

Less gave Pinklady a soft, sad smile.  "It's a brave thing to do, especially for a land not your own."  Less shook his head, then spoke again.  "But enough maudlin talk. Today isn't going to be spent fighting Bandra. I had planned to go to trainer hill, evolve Princess, and then spend some time training there, perhaps seeing if other trainers would be willing to battle for heart scales. Would you be interested in coming?" 
essCee
Pinklady nods.  "I was actually planning to do some training, myself, as long as there wasn't anything urgent to do. I could... also use a summary, while we train, of what happened yesterday. I haven't been super communicative. 
Gnomes2169
 "It'll be faster to use the scents and I can use the flute on the Scorupi, so all of them are cleared before 1:30, and we should have time to go to Skybreak to turn in your job and so I can pick up planters."  While picking up the SM's could be put off without harm, delaying planting those berries could end up hurting, especially since they were always so crunched for time.  "And if that goes quick enough, we should still have time to meet with Lijan a little after 6..."  Today was going to be  busy,  but most of the tasks shouldn't take too much time individually.

The news of what Mina had learned from the gym got a raised eyebrow. They would have to keep that in mind later. To Wain he said,  "Thank you for the information. The whole concept of Shadow pokemon as a real thing is kinda new to me, so figuring out what we have to look out for with Bandra's pokemon going into the future is helpful."  They could change  types?!  What madness was this? Well, at least they knew that was possible now. Which proved that you should always ask the locals what they know before trying to figure out local phenomenon.  "... While I'm sure I could come up with more questions, I think I'll wait until later. We all have places to go, after all..." 

Remembering his spare fish, Mark snapped his fingers and pointed at Akio.  "Oh! Samurai boy. I captured a decently-high level Carvanha, which only has a few levels to go before evolving to a Sharpedo. If you wanted a dedicated water-type that evolves into, like, the fastest swimmer out there, let me know."  Akio had his ditto, which could be any water type in the party, but having an actual water type pokemon meant that the other boy wouldn't need to rely on his friends for surfing access.

 
 Spoiler: OoC planning 
I'm good with using my Sneak Scent (in combination with the Sacred Talisman) to cure the Litwick, and one of the remaining flute charges to cure the skorupi. I'm guessing Wain will check them to see if they have trainers to return to while they're being cured.
 
Feathersnow
Akio shakes his head.  "I'm happy with the team fate has given me, but I thank you."
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina, Akio:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "It'll be faster to use the scents and I can use the flute on the Scorupi, so all of them are cleared before 1:30, and we should have time to go to Skybreak to turn in your job and so I can pick up planters."  While picking up the SM's could be put off without harm, delaying planting those berries could end up hurting, especially since they were always so crunched for time.  "And if that goes quick enough, we should still have time to meet with Lijan a little after 6..."  Today was going to be  busy,  but most of the tasks shouldn't take too much time individually. 
 

Mina wondered if she should suggest saving the Flute for emergencies, but then she’d wanted to do that when Matt had it too, and he hadn’t ended up making it to an emergency that needed it, so she kept her mouth shut. “ Sounds good. If we’re de-Shadowing Pokémon I might try to knock some off Riolu too, though, ” Mina warned. Even if the little guy  was  in Box Storage, he’d waited long enough! “ But I’ll let Less know what we’re doing and take him over to Trainer Hill. Oodramer, hold the fort for a bit, I should be right back. ” And with that Mina stepped out to go find Less.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "... While I'm sure I could come up with more questions, I think I'll wait until later. We all have places to go, after all..."  
 

The Ranger just nods.

----------------

Less, Pinklady (and Mina):

Mina pushes through the Pokémon Center doors and looks around until she spots Less. “ Less, did you still want to head to Trainer Hill? Mark, Akio and I were going to get some de-Shadowing done so if you want to go it’s either got to be now or quite a bit later. ” Or he could walk, but Mina assumed he knew that. “ …and did you want me to see if Xatu can do anything about your face? ” She was feeling bad for not asking sooner; it was horrible that Matt had been taken from them but that did not excuse neglecting the people who were still here!
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nods.  "I was actually planning to do some training, myself, as long as there wasn't anything urgent to do. I could... also use a summary, while we train, of what happened yesterday. I haven't been super communicative.  
 

Less nodded.  "I can do that."  In fact, Less opened his mouth to do just that when Mina walked out the door.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina pushes through the Pokémon Center doors and looks around until she spots Less. “ Less, did you still want to head to Trainer Hill? Mark, Akio and I were going to get some de-Shadowing done so if you want to go it’s either got to be now or quite a bit later. ” Or he could walk, but Mina assumed he knew that. “ …and did you want me to see if Xatu can do anything about your face? ” She was feeling bad for not asking sooner; it was horrible that Matt had been taken from them but that did not excuse neglecting the people who were still here! 
 

Less touched his face and forced back a wince.  "It looks worse that it is, but I wouldn't say no, on either account. My old skin bruises a bit worse than it did in my youth. If Xatu can clean me up a bit that would be for the best. I imagine I look quite the ragamuffin."   Less said, his voice taking on a joking tone as he went.  "Pinklady, if you'd like to join me I can catch you up like you requested." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio shakes his head.  "I'm happy with the team fate has given me, but I thank you." 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Sounds good. If we’re de-Shadowing Pokémon I might try to knock some off Riolu too, though, ” Mina warned. Even if the little guy  was  in Box Storage, he’d waited long enough! 
 

Mark nodded as Mina walked off, and... wait. She had a Riolu? That was  definitely  something they'd want to evolve. Mark had personal experience with just how reliable one of those mystical jackals could be in a tough situation, and a fast-ish fighting/ steel type could be useful against Bandra's abundance of the geodude line and be strong against any spectral types thrown out by their taskmasters or officers. Plus, they could  talk to people ... using like,  soul magic  or something. And that was just awesome.

But they could handle deshadowing that later. For now, he turned to Akio and said,  "Fair enough. I'll still train them up to evolve them, if you need a water type to ride in the future, let me know."  It might be safer to make sure they had multiple ways to sail away on each trainer when they finally did attack Quibir, so that felt like a good way to spend his time while waiting for 'Sail to heal.  "But in the meantime, why don't you apply your cologne while we wait for Mina to come back?"  No reason why they had to just sit around while she was gone, after all.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Pinklady, if you'd like to join me I can catch you up like you requested."  
 

 "Definitely. I'm ready to go." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Akio:

((Let me know if you need input from me.))

----------------

Less, Pinklady, Mina:

“ All right then. Xatu, you heard him, ” Mina instructed her Psychic type to Wish for Less, and the green bird obligingly fluttered his wings to bounce the gold sparkles of the attack over onto the older man. As had happened when he’d done it for her, the effect wasn’t complete, but the bruising noticeably faded and the open wounds weren’t open any more. “ Excellent work. Now both of you take my hands, and we’ll head over to Trainer Hill. ”

A single Teleport later they were at Trainer Hill; being about lunch time it was reasonably busy.

“ Anything else you need from me? Otherwise I’m going to head back now. ”
Lord Ruby34
 "You've been more than kind. We can handle ourselves from here."  Less replied, and then bid Mina farewell as she teleported away. His face felt less tender too, which was an unexpected boon. After Mina left Less turned to Pinklady and asked,  "Where do you want to train? We could go inside and see the facilities, train out here, or head over by the sea." 
essCee
 "Nothing else, thank you."  Pinklady answers Mina with a smile.

After Mina's departure and Less's question -  "I'd love to train by the sea! I wonder if some of my newest members have even been to the sea before..."  She looks down at her Pokéballs. Her longer-time members had already often seen the sea from her occasional trips to Castelia, and it had often been a delight seeing their reactions to the expansive body of water.
Feathersnow
Akio releases Akechi from his Pokeball and gingerly offers the cologne.  "Here boy, you'll feel better soon..."
Gnomes2169
While Akio applied the cologne, Mark made sure his hand was next to Fisher's pokeball. If it looked like Mina's Oodramer was losing control, then the water type was coming out to put the stunky to sleep.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Nothing else, thank you."  Pinklady answers Mina with a smile.

After Mina's departure and Less's question -  "I'd love to train by the sea! I wonder if some of my newest members have even been to the sea before..."  She looks down at her Pokéballs. Her longer-time members had already often seen the sea from her occasional trips to Castelia, and it had often been a delight seeing their reactions to the expansive body of water. 
 

"Then train by the sea we shall," Less said as he lead Pinklady and Buck over to the beach.  "Looks a bit like home, doesn't it boy?"  Less asked the frolicking Arcanine. Buck barked in response, and started rolling around in the sand, making an utter mess of his coat in the process. Soon enough the trio was at the waterline. Even as jaded as he was feeling, the familiar sound of the ocean lapping against the beach made the old man smile. In Siltis, the beach had never been far away. He took his family to the beach to frolic nearly every week during the summer, and it was hard to stay gloomy with the sun shining on the golden sand.

Less sent out all his Pokemon but Leo, the frog warrior wasn't particularly found of sand or heat, and gave a few orders.  "We have an hour or two of time at the beach today. Enjoy yourselves, everyone, but keep an eye out for anything that looks like this"  Less produced a heart scale as he talked,  "or anything else shiny. Princess, Pinklady here and I are going to help you evolve."  

Less turned to the young woman and asked.  "Is there a particular Pokemon that you wanted to spend some time working with?" 
 
 Spoiler: Question 

KI, does Princess need one hour of training or two to evolve? She got a little time before Ranger Wain arrived, but I wasn't sure if the interruption would mean we needed to start over.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina, Akio:

 
 Spoiler: Shadowing Update 

-Sneak Scent for Akio, 0 remaining.

Akechi gets the type boost from the Scent, plus the boost from the Sacred Talisman -&gt; -45% to the Shadow Gauge, Akechi is now Purified! 🙂
 


Mina returns in short order and puts the Sacred Talisman on Akechi. Even with Oodramer’s intervention the Stunky thrashes around several times as the Sneak Scent is applied, but while everyone involved ends up with minor scratches and bite marks he never quite crosses over into a Rage.

Half an hour later the last of the Shadowing fades. The Scent rubbed into his fur almost-but-not-quite masks the Stunky’s natural smell, but the latter diminishes significantly once the Poison type comes to his senses and realizes where he is. The Pokédexes also inform you that he’s gained a couple levels. ((+2, he is now level 30!))

 
 Spoiler: Akechi 

Pokémon: Stunky (Akechi )
Type: Poison/Dark
Ability: Aftermath
Gender: Male
Level: 30
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 87
Attack: 52
Def: 42
Sp. Attack: 38
Sp. Def: 38
Speed: 58
Moves:
Feint
Focus Energy
Screech
Smokescreen
Toxic
Slash
 

Mina takes back the Sacred Talisman to use on the next Pokémon.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Princess got an hour of training before Wain arrived, she needs one more hour to level up.
 


You make it to the beach. There are a number of people scattered up and down the shore, sunbathing, swimming, and (unsurprisingly given the proximity of Trainer Hill), even a few battling. Less’ Pokémon (minus Princess) immediately spill out onto the sand to play.
Gnomes2169
Mark sent out the Litwick next. He'd purchased the Sneak Scent at Trainer hill*, so that and the talisman should be able to cure the little candle ghost nice and quick. He'd also send out Fisher and have the water type sing the fire type to sleep before applying the cologne, because the heavy gloves Nure Joy had given him felt like they would do nothing, and he wasn't going to risk any kind of burn or melting damage to his prosthetic limb.

While he was doing this, there was probably plenty of time for Wain to do his thing and check the little shadowed pokemon out.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
*I did have Mark buy one of these on page 30, but it wasn't recorded. Could also just use the Excite scent instead.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina, Akio:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
My bad! I’ll fix that now.

-900 PD for the Sneak Scent, 5025 PD remaining
+1 Sneak Scent for Mark
 


The Ranger begins his scan almost as soon as the Litwick is sent out.

“I should warn you up front this one probably has a trainer, Litwick aren’t native to this part of the world and my Styler says it’s been trained,” he tells you before reciting a list of identifying features off to Viola.

Meanwhile the Litwick stares unblinking at Mark for what seems like a very long time and Fisher has to double-down on the singing before the Ghost type finally nods off. Once it’s asleep, Mina very carefully goes to put the Sacred Talisman on the little Ghost type.

“You left the tracker on it?” asks Ranger Wain.

“ We  have  been a little busy. But I’ll get it off now, ” Mina replies, and slips the tracker off the Litwick’s head before replacing it with the Sacred Talisman. A smudge of soot rubs off on her hand from the tracker; Mina looks at it in mild distraction before handing it to Wain, then starts rubbing her hands - which had gone numb at the brief contact with the Pokémon.

Wain gives the tracker a more thorough look, however, and starts picking at the back with a fingernail.

The Ranger has popped open the battery chamber and extracted a tiny object with some puzzlement when Viola exclaims, “ ‘Ectoplasmic Observation Reserve???’ ”
Feathersnow
"There's a good boy!  I'm sure you feel much better!  Let's get you a treat!"  Akio leads Akechi away to get a snack...
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

It being just slightly after lunch, the Pokémon Center kitchen is busy – which for this tiny settlement means there are two other trainers and a couple of Chansey getting food.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I should warn you up front this one probably has a trainer, Litwick aren’t native to this part of the world and my Styler says it’s been trained,” he tells you before reciting a list of identifying features off to Viola. 
 

 "If there's a trainer to return them to, I'm sure they'll appreciate getting their pokemon de-shadowed anyway."  Mark said with a shrug, the factoid not changing his desire to cure the little spooky candle.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “You left the tracker on it?” asks Ranger Wain.

“ We  have  been a little busy. But I’ll get it off now, ” 
 

Mark nodded at Mina's explanation.  "Pokemon storage is a region-neutral stasis thing, so a tracker isn't dangerous there, and... this was pretty much our first chance to get them out since last night."  There hadn't exactly been time to remove the tracker before catching the litwick.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Ranger has popped open the battery chamber and extracted a tiny object with some puzzlement when Viola exclaims, “ ‘Ectoplasmic Observation Reserve???’ ” 
 

Applying the cologne with his flesh hand, not wanting to get more gunk he'd need to clean out on the robotic one, Mark... did what he could to massage it into the ethereal pokemon. Maybe he should just put the pot inside of the ghost type and let it evaporate...?  "Is... that the name of the place where this little one belongs?"  He'd certainly never heard of it.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If there's a trainer to return them to, I'm sure they'll appreciate getting their pokemon de-shadowed anyway."  Mark said with a shrug, the factoid not changing his desire to cure the little spooky candle. 
 

“I’m sure you’re right, just try not to get attached,” the Ranger warns.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark nodded at Mina's explanation.  "Pokemon storage is a region-neutral stasis thing, so a tracker isn't dangerous there, and... this was pretty much our first chance to get them out since last night."  There hadn't exactly been time to remove the tracker before catching the litwick. 
 

Ranger Wain is still slightly distracted, unwrapping the thing he found, but answers coherently enough. “Fair enough, but you should know that while that’s  mostly  true about Box Storage, it’s not for Shadow Pokémon.”

Viola adds, “ Those are kept within the region since Shadowing is specific to the area, is hard to treat outside of it and makes the Pokémon dangerous. Orre does the same thing, and most other regions will too if they have a major disease outbreak or something else serious. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Applying the cologne with his flesh hand, not wanting to get more gunk he'd need to clean out on the robotic one, Mark... did what he could to massage it into the ethereal pokemon. Maybe he should just put the pot inside of the ghost type and let it evaporate...? 
 

Mark is able to apply the Scent; the Pokémon feels like half-cooled wax but oddly cold. As he applies the Scent, however, his flesh hand gets increasingly numb the longer he makes contact - the sensation creeps gradually up his arm and after a while even his face starts to go numb, like the little candle Pokémon is absorbing heat instead of giving it off.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Is... that the name of the place where this little one belongs?"  He'd certainly never heard of it. 
 

“ Yes, at least that’s what our database says, it’s supposed to be a research area. But the address was delisted. ”

“ That seems…odd? ” Mina’s trying to help with the Scent, after giving Oodramer orders to calm the Litwick down if it wakes up, but is also running into the problem with numb hands. She blows on them to warm them up periodically but it isn’t having any meaningful effect.

“It’s not as unusual as it was before the war - there are always small ones who want their location delisted for privacy reasons, and some of the major research facilities do it for security. But they can’t erase the address up here,” Ranger Wain pauses his unwrapping to point to his own head, “and I’ve been to most of the ones in Helnith. And I’ve never heard of that one either. Viola? It couldn’t be one of Professor Hickory’s, could it?”

“ I don’t know. I’ll ask around, but it’s going to take a while. ”

“Then in the mean time,” the Ranger flattens out the wrapping on a nearby countertop, “I found something. I’m going to send you a scan.”

It looks like a note; there is fire damage rendering parts of it illegible.

 
 Spoiler: Litwick Tracker Note 

 ■■■s.

■■■■■ding the most recent project you ■■■■■me on, this is me checking in. I h■■■■■uccessfully received■■■■ples of all types except Spectral. ■■■■■■■ere a little too tall, and I need ■■■■■a little lower in that ■■■■■sion. For my latest report regar■■■■■■rofessor Hickory: he can’t be fo■■■■■■■ is assumed lost. ■■■■ign of him has been uncovered ■■■■■■■■■y most elite. And they’ve ■■■■■■■■king for an age or two ■■■■our. And it’s not like he’s a tra■■■■■■■■■■■ run into difficulties however. M■■■■■■■ escort was lost. We ■■■■■■m to go through them faster ■■■■■■■■■■■■ertainly more than oth■■■■■■■s I’ve heard of. We ■■■■■need to do something about the ■■■■■■■■■■■émon. Let me know what■■■■■■■ to send. And let me ■■■■■■hen I should expect my new bac■■■■■■■■ me know as soon as the■■■■ out the do or. Good help ■■■■ard to get. Especially for me. An■■■■■■■■■em bring more booze becaus■■■■■■■■t. Something good ■■■■■■me off-brand no one’s ever hear■■■■■■■ooking forward to seeing the■■■■■■■

■■■■cer Ray. 
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Ranger Wain is still slightly distracted, unwrapping the thing he found, but answers coherently enough. “Fair enough, but you should know that while that’s  mostly  true about Box Storage, it’s not for Shadow Pokémon.”

Viola adds, “ Those are kept within the region since Shadowing is specific to the area, is hard to treat outside of it and makes the Pokémon dangerous. Orre does the same thing, and most other regions will too if they have a major disease outbreak or something else serious. ” 
 

 "Well, yes, but it isn't going to lead Bandra to one center in particular, is what I meant. Since storage is..."  He gestured around him.  "Neutral in this region, right? But, uh, good to know about shadowing."  He needed to make sure everything in his storage was cured of that before leaving this region... if he ever left the region.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark is able to apply the Scent; the Pokémon feels like half-cooled wax but oddly cold. As he applies the Scent, however, his flesh hand gets increasingly numb the longer he makes contact - the sensation creeps gradually up his arm and after a while even his face starts to go numb, like the little candle Pokémon is absorbing heat instead of giving it off. 
 

Okay, ghost types were weird, and Mark had two of them on his team right now. Shaking off his hand to try and get feeling back in it, even going so far as to smack his own numbed cheek with it, he looked at the Litwick, looked at his robotic hand, then put a bit of cologne on the tips of those mechanical fingers.  "Sooooo let's see how this feels..."  His robotic arm could register pressure and tell Mark that something was touching it, where it was touching, though it wasn't able to register texture, density or sharpness, merely the force being exerted against it. It's how he was able to pick up and manipulate things he wasn't looking  directly  at. Additionally, the palm and fingers of his hand (and only the palm and fingers) were wired to register extreme heat or cold that might cause damage to the prosthetic. It wasn't able to differentiate between those temperature extremes, but if the litwick was  actually  burning hot or freezing cold, his limb would tell him he'd touched a freshly-brewed teapot to encourage him to stop touching whatever he was touching.

... Spooky thought: Maybe the litwick was stealing the life force from him and Mina while they were working on it, and that's why they were both getting so numbed by it. If that were the case, the gengar on one of his shirts would be proud and his robot limb would be  fine. 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Then in the mean time,” the Ranger flattens out the wrapping on a nearby countertop, “I found something. I’m going to send you a scan.”

It looks like a note; there is fire damage rendering parts of it illegible.

 
 Spoiler: Litwick Tracker Note 

 ■■■s.

■■■■■ding the most recent project you ■■■■■me on, this is me checking in. I h■■■■■uccessfully received■■■■ples of all types except Spectral. ■■■■■■■ere a little too tall, and I need ■■■■■a little lower in that ■■■■■sion. For my latest report regar■■■■■■rofessor Hickory: he can’t be fo■■■■■■■ is assumed lost. ■■■■ign of him has been uncovered ■■■■■■■■■y most elite. And they’ve ■■■■■■■■king for an age or two ■■■■our. And it’s not like he’s a tra■■■■■■■■■■■ run into difficulties however. M■■■■■■■ escort was lost. We ■■■■■■m to go through them faster ■■■■■■■■■■■■ertainly more than oth■■■■■■■s I’ve heard of. We ■■■■■need to do something about the ■■■■■■■■■■■émon. Let me know what■■■■■■■ to send. And let me ■■■■■■hen I should expect my new bac■■■■■■■■ me know as soon as the■■■■ out the do or. Good help ■■■■ard to get. Especially for me. An■■■■■■■■■em bring more booze becaus■■■■■■■■t. Something good ■■■■■■me off-brand no one’s ever hear■■■■■■■ooking forward to seeing the■■■■■■■

■■■■cer Ray. 
 
 
 

Once he was done applying the cologne, Mark took a crack at figuring out the note.  "Hmmm... something burnt away, but I'm pretty sure there was a name and then it starts, 'Regarding the most recent project you  informed  me on, this is me checking in. I have successfully received  samples  of all types except Spectral.' Er, something I can't guess at being too tall, though it's about some kind of mission I think it might be about trees or altitude or something? Anyway...

"'For my latest report  regarding Professor  Hickory: He can't  found  and is assumed lost.  No sign  of him had been uncovered  by my  most elite, and they've been looking for an age or two...' Hours?  With Houndour?  Hard to say. 'And it's not like he's a  trainer. We've  run into difficulties, however. Something starting with an M's escort was lost.' I'm going to say the next two sentences were basically, ' We tend to go through goons or help faster than other squads that I've heard of.  We  will  need to do something about the  shadowed pokemon . Let me know what  supplies  to send. And let me know  when  I should expect my new  bac... pack? ' No, no, that one's definitely wrong. Anyway. ' Let  me know as  they are  out the door. Good help is  hard  to get. Especially for me. And  have them  bring more booze  because we are almost out . Something good,  don't get  me something off-brand no one's ever  heard of. Looking  forward to seeing the...' I'm guessing the last word is  'results.'  Annnnd... It's from  Officer  Ray." 

Looking up from the paper, he said,  "Soooo... they're sending messages to one another with the trackers, using the shadowed pokemon."  Which was the world's worst messaging system, as far as Mark could tell... but it  did  allow them to ensure they could find the messages almost wherever they went? Blinking and smacking his palm with his prosthetic, he asked Wain,  "Do we still have Connie's tracker? I know that the Scorupi I cought still has theirs too."  That one hadn't been removed last night either.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 You make it to the beach. There are a number of people scattered up and down the shore, sunbathing, swimming, and (unsurprisingly given the proximity of Trainer Hill), even a few battling. Less’ Pokémon (minus Princess) immediately spill out onto the sand to play. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 "Then train by the sea we shall," Less said as he lead Pinklady and Buck over to the beach.  "Looks a bit like home, doesn't it boy?"  Less asked the frolicking Arcanine. Buck barked in response, and started rolling around in the sand, making an utter mess of his coat in the process. Soon enough the trio was at the waterline. Even as jaded as he was feeling, the familiar sound of the ocean lapping against the beach made the old man smile. In Siltis, the beach had never been far away. He took his family to the beach to frolic nearly every week during the summer, and it was hard to stay gloomy with the sun shining on the golden sand.

Less sent out all his Pokemon but Leo, the frog warrior wasn't particularly found of sand or heat, and gave a few orders.  "We have an hour or two of time at the beach today. Enjoy yourselves, everyone, but keep an eye out for anything that looks like this"  Less produced a heart scale as he talked,  "or anything else shiny. Princess, Pinklady here and I are going to help you evolve."  

Less turned to the young woman and asked.  "Is there a particular Pokemon that you wanted to spend some time working with?"  
 

Pinklady sends out her own full assortment of Pokémon when Less does so. When Less mentions her to Princess, Pinklady gives Princess a quick little wave before turning to Less.

 "I was thinking of getting familiar with one of my newest members, through training!"  She looks towards Blast Bolt and Tress, who she made sure to send out near each other, so it would be easier to watch both of their reactions to the ocean.

Leapsy and Bigbug, meanwhile, don't hesitate to take to the air, the former trilling as she takes flight on the ocean air. Croaky heads for the water, while Whirlywhirly stretches out on his side across the sand.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well, yes, but it isn't going to lead Bandra to one center in particular, is what I meant. Since storage is..."  He gestured around him.  "Neutral in this region, right? But, uh, good to know about shadowing."  He needed to make sure everything in his storage was cured of that before leaving this region... if he ever left the region. 
 

“Just be careful.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Okay, ghost types were weird, and Mark had two of them on his team right now. Shaking off his hand to try and get feeling back in it, even going so far as to smack his own numbed cheek with it, he looked at the Litwick, looked at his robotic hand, then put a bit of cologne on the tips of those mechanical fingers.  "Sooooo let's see how this feels..."  His robotic arm could register pressure and tell Mark that something was touching it, where it was touching, though it wasn't able to register texture, density or sharpness, merely the force being exerted against it. It's how he was able to pick up and manipulate things he wasn't looking  directly  at. Additionally, the palm and fingers of his hand (and only the palm and fingers) were wired to register extreme heat or cold that might cause damage to the prosthetic. It wasn't able to differentiate between those temperature extremes, but if the litwick was  actually  burning hot or freezing cold, his limb would tell him he'd touched a freshly-brewed teapot to encourage him to stop touching whatever he was touching.

... Spooky thought: Maybe the litwick was stealing the life force from him and Mina while they were working on it, and that's why they were both getting so numbed by it. If that were the case, the gengar on one of his shirts would be proud and his robot limb would be  fine.  
 

Mark discovers that the chill feeling nearly vanishes entirely once he switches to his prosthetic arm. The flame on the Litwick’s head burns a little lower too. Being limited to flesh-and-blood body parts, Mina still has to keep taking short breaks to restore sensation to her fingers.

It takes a little longer with the numbing sensation and without Akio’s help, but at last the Scent clears away the rest of the Litwick’s Shadowing. Once Purified, the Pokédex indicates she’s gone up a level as well ((+1 level)).

 
 Spoiler: Litwick 

Pokémon: Litwick
Type: Ghost/Fire
Ability: Flash Fire
Gender: Female
Level: 25
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 67
Attack: 27
Def: 40
Sp. Attack: 45 +19
Sp. Def: 40
Speed: 22
Moves:
Ember
Minimize
Fire Spin
Confuse Ray
Will-O-Wisp
Imprison

-1 Sneak Scent for Mark, 0 remaining.
 


Once Purified, the flame on her head goes out completely and her eyes come alive. She promptly glomps Mark, making cheery noises in Pokéspeak.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Once he was done applying the cologne, Mark took a crack at figuring out the note.  "Hmmm... something burnt away, but I'm pretty sure there was a name and then it starts, 'Regarding the most recent project you  informed  me on, this is me checking in. I have successfully received  samples  of all types except Spectral.' Er, something I can't guess at being too tall, though it's about some kind of mission I think it might be about trees or altitude or something? Anyway...

"'For my latest report  regarding Professor  Hickory: He can't  found  and is assumed lost.  No sign  of him had been uncovered  by my  most elite, and they've been looking for an age or two...' Hours?  With Houndour?  Hard to say. 'And it's not like he's a  trainer. We've  run into difficulties, however. Something starting with an M's escort was lost.' I'm going to say the next two sentences were basically, ' We tend to go through goons or help faster than other squads that I've heard of.  We  will  need to do something about the  shadowed pokemon . Let me know what  supplies  to send. And let me know  when  I should expect my new  bac... pack? ' No, no, that one's definitely wrong. Anyway. ' Let  me know as  they are  out the door. Good help is  hard  to get. Especially for me. And  have them  bring more booze  because we are almost out . Something good,  don't get  me something off-brand no one's ever  heard of. Looking  forward to seeing the...' I'm guessing the last word is  'results.'  Annnnd... It's from  Officer  Ray."  
 

“That’s very unusually worded,” Ranger Wain remarks, looking puzzled.

Mina is still preoccupied trying to rub the sensation back into her hands. “ I wouldn’t take it at face value: the last one we intercepted was like that too, and it lead us right into a trap. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Looking up from the paper, he said,  "Soooo... they're sending messages to one another with the trackers, using the shadowed pokemon."  Which was the world's worst messaging system, as far as Mark could tell... but it  did  allow them to ensure they could find the messages almost wherever they went? Blinking and smacking his palm with his prosthetic, he asked Wain,  "Do we still have Connie's tracker? I know that the Scorupi I cought still has theirs too."  That one hadn't been removed last night either. 
 

“I took the Honchkrow’s device back to the Skybreak Ranger Base, as far as I know no one found any notes like this in it.”

“ We should check and see if Less found anything in Akechi’s, too, ” Mina adds. “ There was something he noticed about glue…? ” Mina hadn’t been privy to the telepathic portion of that conversation.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

Neither Tress nor Blast Bolt seems terribly shocked by the sight of the ocean, both being from nearby territory. Tress goes to watch the edges of the outgoing waves for a bit, close enough to be sprayed by them occasionally, and sings along with the rush of the water as well as she can manage. Blast Bolt puts his nose down to examine the sand until a wave splashes him, then snorts and shakes out his fur before he retreats above the high tide mark to lie down. At first he seems to be napping, but close inspection reveals his eyes are open just a bit, and move occasionally to watch everyone else.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Tress will take an hour to level up, Blast Bolt will take three. essCee who are you going to train, and both of you for how long total? Reminder that you can do partial levels in hour-long increments.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 It takes a little longer with the numbing sensation and without Akio’s help, but at last the Scent clears away the rest of the Litwick’s Shadowing. Once Purified, the Pokédex indicates she’s gone up a level as well ((+1 level)).

 
 Spoiler: Litwick 

Pokémon: Litwick
Type: Ghost/Fire
Ability: Flash Fire
Gender: Female
Level: 25
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 67
Attack: 27
Def: 40
Sp. Attack: 45 +19
Sp. Def: 40
Speed: 22
Moves:
Ember
Minimize
Fire Spin
Confuse Ray
Will-O-Wisp
Imprison

-1 Sneak Scent for Mark, 0 remaining.
 


Once Purified, the flame on her head goes out completely and her eyes come alive. She promptly glomps Mark, making cheery noises in Pokéspeak. 
 

Reaching down to pet along the little litwick's head, Mark said,  "We should interview her like we did Connie once Tattersail gets better... or if Mina chooses to bond with Xatu."  Whichever one came first. For now, Mark forgoes giving the little candle pokemon a nickname and, once she seems to have calmed down a little bit, recalls her.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “That’s very unusually worded,” Ranger Wain remarks, looking puzzled.

Mina is still preoccupied trying to rub the sensation back into her hands. “ I wouldn’t take it at face value: the last one we intercepted was like that too, and it lead us right into a trap. ”

“I took the Honchkrow’s device back to the Skybreak Ranger Base, as far as I know no one found any notes like this in it.”

“ We should check and see if Less found anything in Akechi’s, too, ” Mina adds. “ There was something he noticed about glue…? ” Mina hadn’t been privy to the telepathic portion of that conversation. 
 

 "It probably has a cypher, but without knowing the exact wording it would be impossible to break... hopefully they made multiple copies."  An officer would be smart enough to make copies and  not  put them on pokemon with literal fire coming out of them, right? They could only hope. And they could check immediately as well, since Mark had the scorupi's ball, and the time flute was  much  faster than cologne.  "As for the glue... I just remember that it was produced outside of the region, but I don't remember where or by whom. Less would be the person to ask about that."  There had been a  lot  of things going on, Mark just wasn't going to remember everything.

Getting out the flute and the shadowed bug, Mark played until the shadowing was cured, letting Wain do his thing and giving him the tracker for inspection once it was safe to remove.  "Mina, if you wanted to cure your Riolu too, we do have enough flute charges to do so and still keep it around for one emergency deshadowing." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady sends out her own full assortment of Pokémon when Less does so. When Less mentions her to Princess, Pinklady gives Princess a quick little wave before turning to Less.

 "I was thinking of getting familiar with one of my newest members, through training!"  She looks towards Blast Bolt and Tress, who she made sure to send out near each other, so it would be easier to watch both of their reactions to the ocean.

Leapsy and Bigbug, meanwhile, don't hesitate to take to the air, the former trilling as she takes flight on the ocean air. Croaky heads for the water, while Whirlywhirly stretches out on his side across the sand. 
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Less will train Princess until evolution. (So about an hour)
 


While Less worked with Princess, he devoted some of his attention to telling Pinklady about the previous night.

 "Mark and I managed to get the Bandra device that tracked their captured shadow Pokemon working. We took the jeep north, it seemed the Pokemon that Bandra was tracking were concentrated in that area. We defeated the first patrol soundly, but then realized that Bandra wasn't patrolling just because it was occupied territory, they were actively looking for the same Pokemon we were. We grabbed the first Pokemon, a Stunky, but dots started disappearing from the radar. That led us to an area on fire. I tried to drive us through the flames, but one of the jeep tires was poorly maintained enough that the heat popped it. Right after we finished changing the tire the group ended up having to fight off a wave of Bandra. It delayed us long enough for Bandra to recapture several more of the Pokemon, though we rescued a Litwick that had been partially responsible for the inferno. Finally, we headed over to rescue one more Pokemon, but it turned out to be an ambush. Mark had seperated from the group after Buck had gotten found while scouting. A Taskmaster managed to take Tattersail by surprise. Mark was able to get away, though only barely, and Tattersail was seriously injured. The rest of the group was busy fighting Bandra at the time, but Mark did manage to warn us quickly enough that we were able to teleport away, though we couldn't bring the jeep. Akio and I set it on fire rather than let Bandra recapture it. Hopefully, after deshadowing the Pokemon we did manage to rescue the others will learn more about Bandra's plans." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:

The Litwick takes an inordinate amount of time to calm down, having apparently decided that Mark is the most wonderful thing in existence and refusing to let go.

Mina tries to hide her amusement, only being partially successful.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "It probably has a cypher, but without knowing the exact wording it would be impossible to break... hopefully they made multiple copies."  An officer would be smart enough to make copies and  not  put them on pokemon with literal fire coming out of them, right? They could only hope. And they could check immediately as well, since Mark had the scorupi's ball, and the time flute was  much  faster than cologne.  "As for the glue... I just remember that it was produced outside of the region, but I don't remember where or by whom. Less would be the person to ask about that."  There had been a  lot  of things going on, Mark just wasn't going to remember everything. 
 

“ All right, we’ll ask him about it later then. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Getting out the flute and the shadowed bug, Mark played until the shadowing was cured, letting Wain do his thing and giving him the tracker for inspection once it was safe to remove. 
 

The bug in question twitches erratically on being sent out. Oodramer leans in its direction to deliver the mind-control jot just as Mark readies the Flute but then, eyes darting around the room, the Skorupi turns a light-absorbing black. The Pokédexes blare:

"  WARNING! WARNING! Shadow Pokémon detected! Shadow Rage imminent.  "

Skorupi: 69/69 (  Shadowed (RAGE): 38%  , EL: 28)

The Pokémon bolts before Mark can get the Flute in order, dodging Oodramer and leaving a Skorupi-sized hole in the door near the bottom. Mina, cursing, tries to run after it but the door is now jammed in its frame, thanks to the Shadow Pokémon smashing through it. Wain can’t quite get the top portion of his Styler after it fast enough in the close quarters. It flees into the hallway.

----------------

Akio:

After enough time for a solid snack, you hear some commotion from back the way you came. The Chansey have finished their meals and left the kitchen by this point, but the other trainers look nervously around, and one asks “What was that?”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

((Waiting on answer for essCee.))
Gnomes2169
Mark just kept picking up all of the strays, didn't he? After promising the little ghost type that he would talk to her and walk around with her outside soon, and eventually getting her safely back in her ball, he chuckled and ruefully shook his head. So it was with a bit of a good mood that he sent out the skorupi... and then things went immediately south. The little bug scampered out before he could really react, so Mark dropped into a tactical mode and recalled his lapras while simultaneously sending out Marick.  "Mina, the door is going to need to be replaced anyway. Let's let Marick open it with a headbutt."  If Wain had a better idea of how they could get out to stop the shadowed bug, Mark was willing to listen... but a bonk from the steel type seemed like the fastest, if the simplest, way to get it done.

Part of him cursed that he'd left Jessia in storage. The ghost type could have just flown out  through  the walls to pursue the bug and keep them under control, but while Litwick could do something similar... well, she was first-form, and he didn't want to risk her getting  immediately  re-shadowed by one of the nasty moves a raging pokemon could pull out. Corphish should also be able to fit through the hole in the door but... well, just  breaking  it and running after the skorupi was probably going to be about as fast as the poke-lobster's overland speed.
essCee
[spoiler="Training]
Training Tress for an hour!
[/spoiler]

Before Less's explanation begins, Pinklady considers the twos' fortunately-positive reactions to the ocean and decides...

[COLOR="#EE82EE"]"Alright! Tress, you're up for training! Time for us to really get to know each other!"[/COLOR]

As she starts on Tress's training, Less's explanation begins, and Pinklady splits her own attention between listening to it and training Tress.

 "Oh... wow. After I had such a rough time battling without the rest of you around, I had assumed that all of you together could take on anything. I guess I haven't really seen what a bigger force of Bandra can do, yet, or how powerful a Taskmaster is. Tress, show off your Bash!" 

As Tress uses the move unfamiliar to Pinklady, she quickly clarifies to Less,  "Oh, I don't mean to put down everyone's fighting, just that I hadn't seen more than a few Bandra at once. That's... really rough to hear about Tattersail, especially. I'm glad you were all able to save some Pokémon." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:

Mina recalled Oodramer – he was going to be too slow for this chase – and stood back from the door while Ranger Wain recalled his Styler’s Capture Disc.

“ Yes, do it! ”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

Tress picks a patch of sand and unleashes the attack on it, sending sand flying in all directions. She then has to blink rapidly to get some of it out of her eyes.

You train by the sea for an hour before Princess begins to glow brightly:

 
 Spoiler: Princess 

Pokémon: Crawdaunt (Princess)
Type: Water/Dark
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 30
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 87 +5
Attack: 86 +10
Def: 65 +10
Sp. Attack: 68
Sp. Def: 47
Speed: 47
Moves:  AT SIX DROP ONE! 
Knock Off
Harden
ViceGrip
Leer
Bubblebeam
Protect
 Swift 
 


Tress is showing progress too:

 
 Spoiler: Tress 

Pokemon: Cosmas (Tress)
Type: Dark/Spectral
Ability: Magic Guard
Gender: Female
Level: 19
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 50
Attack: 33
Def: 26
Sp. Attack: 31
Sp. Def: 29
Speed: 33
Moves:
Tail Whip
Bash*
Pursuit
Flash
Faint Attack
 Haze 
 
Feathersnow
"Akechi, this will have to wait.  Eto, come forth!"  Akio recalls his new Stunky, releases his Scizor, and go back the way he came...
Gnomes2169
Once Mina was safely out of the way, Mark called out,  "Alright, bud, break down that door with a headbutt." As he did so, he kept hold of Marick's pokeball and got Fisher's back out. He'd keep both of them in their balls, and keep those balls in hand, once the door was open, to keep the big, bulky pokemon out of the way until a battle actually started.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:

The door burst open under Marick’s thick skull. Mina was out the door almost immediately afterwards, but hesitated in the hall as the little scorpion was out of sight.

Luckily the Shadow Pokémon wasn’t being especially  quiet , so she took off towards the noise, Ranger Wain on her heels.

----------------

Akio:

You quickly find the source of the commotion: the Shadow Skorupi from the night before is standing on top of the body of one of the Center’s Chansey, the latter unmoving and getting mauled. Mark and the others aren’t in sight.

Skorupi: 69/69 (  Shadowed (RAGE): 38%  , EL: 28)
Feathersnow
"Eto! Metal claw!"  Akio directs his companion to save the Chansey!
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: Moves 

This is a tough one. I think I'll drop Vice Grip.
 


Less gave Princess some effusive praise before recalling the, now much larger, lobster Pokemon. His team was that much closer to being ready to fight Bandra, that much closer to being ready to find his daughter. But there was still more work that he could do today. With a whistle, Less called back the rest of his team. Beach time was near over. Less turned to his companion and asked,  "Pinklady, would you care to head to the Tower with me? Now that Princess has evolved I was hoping to have her see the move tutor." 
Gnomes2169
Mark followed immediately behind Wain, keeping Fisher and Marick's balls in hand as they followed the angry hiss-screaming.
essCee
 "Whoo! Great training session! You're awesome, Tress!"  Pinklady pats her and makes sure she's all cleaned up after the hour of training's over.

To Less, after his question -  "Oh, sure! I should probably pay the move tutor a visit, too... now that I have to get really serious about battling, I might have to reconsider what moves everyone knows." 
 "Alright, everyone, finish up, time to go in a minute!"  She calls out to all her team, waving to make sure to get Leapsy's and Bigbug's attention.  "Go ahead and start, Less, I'll catch up in a minute!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

Eto uses Metal Claw!
Skorupi is hit for 38 damage!

The Skorupi goes flying hard enough to leave a dent in the drywall, but it’s off the Chansey now. And thoroughly distracted: it screeches and rushes Eto with murder in its soulless eyes.

Skorupi uses Shadow Rush!
Eto is hit for 21 damage!
Skorupi takes 5 HP from recoil!

Skorupi’s Shadow Gauge falls 4%!


Eto: 64/85

Skorupi: 26/69 (  Shadowed (RAGE): 34%  , EL: 28)

About this time Mark, Mina and Ranger Wain come running into view.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: Princess move update 

Pokémon: Crawdaunt (Princess)
Type: Water/Dark
Ability: Shell Armor
Gender: Female
Level: 30
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 87 +5
Attack: 86 +10
Def: 65 +10
Sp. Attack: 68
Sp. Def: 47
Speed: 47
Moves:
Knock Off
Harden
Swift
Leer
Bubblebeam
Protect
 


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Whoo! Great training session! You're awesome, Tress!"  
 

Tress preens under the attention.

The two of you manage to gather up your Pokémon – Blast Bolt stops pretending to sleep and gives Pinklady a measuring look before being recalled – and make your way to Trainer Hill.

You arrive about 2:30 PM; it’s still quite busy, with a long (though swiftly-moving) line of trainers waiting for their turns to battle. Not many people are at the coffee shop however, most people having gotten their caffeine fix for the day already. Across the lobby in the meditation area you can see a few Pokémon (and one or two of their trainers) on the meditation mats, the Pokémon making deliberate and repetitive motions while the younger monk serves everyone tea. The older monk appears to be meditating himself, although he opens his eyes as you approach and indicates for you to speak.

----------------

Mark, Mina:

You see the Skorupi go flying and hit the wall, but it gets back up and charges. It’s target is Eto, with Akio farther down the hallway.
Gnomes2169
Mark saw that Eto and Akio had managed to catch the screaming little bug of hate, and Mark sighed in relief that it was being handled. There wasn't all that much room for him to send out his own pokemon, so Mark left the space for Wain and Mina and pulled out the flute again, this time hopefully playing it and curing the skorupi in spite of its rage.
Lord Ruby34
 "I'm given to understand that you're the move tutor?"  Less asked. Older, oddly mystical. The man seemed like the move tutor Emilia had described, at least.  "Would you be able to teach Princess,"  Less produced her Pokeball,  "the move Liquidation? I'd also appreciate it if you could teach Buck,"  the large Arcanine at Less's side barked in identification,  "the moves Morning Sun and Heat Wave? I have three heart scales to pay with. I also would be willing to pay for more of your services, if you would be amiable to negotiating a more conventional payment?"  Less proffered. Other than their value to this man, heart scales were usually considered to be quite low value. Honestly, Less wasn't sure why the man wanted them.

 
 Spoiler: Moves 

Princess: Dropping Bubblebeam for Liquidation (available for Crawdaunt in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon)
Buck: Dropping Odor Sleuth and Leer (We talked about Morning Sun several months ago. Heat Wave was tutorable first in Platinum.)
 
Feathersnow
"Finish it! Metal Claw again!"

Akio wasn't sure if this was entirely the right move, but the Skorupi needed to be stopped.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio, Mark, Mina:

Thoroughly distracted, the Skorupi stays nicely in range while Mark plays the flute. ((-1 charge, 2 remaining.)) The Shadowing leaves its body as Eto rushes forward to finish it off—

  CLANG!  

Eto uses Metal Claw!
It’s not very effective…

  Wait, what?  

Skorupi is hit for 18 damage!

Skorupi goes skidding across the floor, leaving shallow scratch marks in the tile and looking quite dizzy, but it’s somehow still up. Fortunately, the murderous rage has left its eyes and it just looks bewildered now. The Pokédexes give a little more information:

 
 Spoiler: Skorupi 

+1 level now that he’s Purified, so 26 now.

Pokémon: Skorupi
Type: Steel/Bug
Ability: Battle Armor
Gender: Male
Level: 26
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 64
Attack: 39
Def: 59
Sp. Attack: 28
Sp. Def: 41
Speed: 46
Moves:
Bite
Poison Sting
Leer
Pin Missile
Acupressure
Knock Off
 


----------------

Less and Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yup, you’re good for Liquidation, Morning Sun, and Heat Wave.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'm given to understand that you're the move tutor?"  Less asked. Older, oddly mystical. The man seemed like the move tutor Emilia had described, at least.  "Would you be able to teach Princess,"  Less produced her Pokeball,  "the move Liquidation? I'd also appreciate it if you could teach Buck,"  the large Arcanine at Less's side barked in identification,  "the moves Morning Sun and Heat Wave? I have three heart scales to pay with. "  
 

The old monk nods regally and the young monk offers you both tea, saying, “Yes, my master can tutor your Pokémon in any technique it is capable of learning naturally.”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I also would be willing to pay for more of your services, if you would be amiable to negotiating a more conventional payment?"  
 

It seems like the surrounding air temperature drops several degrees as the old monk frowns in disapproval. The younger monk answers for him again, his words unfailingly polite but still managing to be icy. “The purpose of the Scales is to encourage the human student to go out and, in the course of their search, reflect on the natural beauty of the world, form connections with others, and discover aspects of themselves they may otherwise have been unaware of. We have no use for conventional payment; there is no wisdom or revelation to be gained from such transactions that cannot be found elsewhere. And Mr. Scott pays us both an excellent salary and provides for all our physical needs,” he adds.

Less remembers Emilia mentioning  Scott ; he’s the man in charge of the Battle Frontier, of which Trainer Hill is a part.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Gonna wait for essCee to chime in before we get to the actual Tutoring.
 
Feathersnow
"Hello, friend...."  Akio talks reassuringly to the skorupi. Turning to the others "Do you want to take it from here?"
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded at Akio's question.  "Thanks for the assist, man."  Pulling the flute away with a relieved sigh, Mark said,  "Hey bud, good to see you're feeling better. Come here, let's get that thing off of you."  Once the newly steel-typed pokemon reached him, Mark bent down to remove the tracker.  "Wain, Mina, one of you should get Nurse Joy for Chansey... and maybe Xatu can heal her."  Wish wouldn't restore consciousness, but if there were real injuries like Mina or the Professor had suffered, maybe the move would help with them.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio, Mark, Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Hello, friend...." 
 

The Skorupi uncertainly waves to Akio with a claw.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hey bud, good to see you're feeling better. Come here, let's get that thing off of you."  
 

Mark is able to get the tracker off the Pokémon’s tail with little trouble, though the Skorupi seems to be somewhat ticklish in that area. There’s a folded up bit of paper glued over the battery door with something sticky.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Wain, Mina, one of you should get Nurse Joy for Chansey... and maybe Xatu can heal her."  
 

Mina nods, calls out her Xatu to give him the appropriate command, and dashes off to retrieve the nurse.

Ranger Wain puts his Styler to use scanning the little scorpion in the mean time; the latter is a bit paler and bluer with his new typing, though it isn’t a glaring difference.
Gnomes2169
Mark was careful around the stinger, but when he saw what was on the tracker his eyes widened a bit and he moved a bit more quickly. While the ranger did his thing with the scorupi, Mark carefully peeled away the folded bit of paper from the tracker's base.  "Hey Wain, looks like we might have something else here..."  He said once he had the paper separated and began unfolding it.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 It seems like the surrounding air temperature drops several degrees as the old monk frowns in disapproval. The younger monk answers for him again, his words unfailingly polite but still managing to be icy. “The purpose of the Scales is to encourage the human student to go out and, in the course of their search, reflect on the natural beauty of the world, form connections with others, and discover aspects of themselves they may otherwise have been unaware of. We have no use for conventional payment; there is no wisdom or revelation to be gained from such transactions that cannot be found elsewhere. And Mr. Scott pays us both an excellent salary and provides for all our physical needs,” he adds.

Less remembers Emilia mentioning  Scott ; he’s the man in charge of the Battle Frontier, of which Trainer Hill is a part.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Gonna wait for essCee to chime in before we get to the actual Tutoring.
 
 
 

Less frowned. He wasn't one to be intimidated by an old man's frown. Usually he was the one doing the frowning, still, it wouldn't do to push the man overmuch.  "I understand. I ask only because of the war. I rely on my companions, and their skills, in order to protect myself and others from Bandra. I did not mean to offend." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio, Mark:

This one is shorter, but undamaged.

 
 Spoiler: Skorupi Tracker Note 

 Boss.

Here is the list of supplies I need to get. These are absolutely critical for me. I am completely out. The first thing I need to get. More booze, you know me. I know you sent some last time, yes I’m still out. Another thing I need to get. More food for my Pokémon, and of course some for me. You wouldn’t believe how much they eat, if you’d seen them chow down you wouldn’t be surprised that I am once again out.

Officer Ray. 
 


----------------

Less and Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I understand. I ask only because of the war. I rely on my companions, and their skills, in order to protect myself and others from Bandra. I did not mean to offend."  
 

Less has the definite impression that everything he’s saying is being graded as the old man himself replies, “Many are in your position. But many others would monopolize my time in such a way if I allowed it. Some would do it at  your  expense. Would they be more deserving then you?”
Gnomes2169
Mark tried to make sense of the note for a bit while he let Wain finish inspecting the scorupi, but ended up shaking his head.  "Yeah, they're definitely using some kind of code. Here."  He made his way over to Wain, handing him the message.  "I don't know where to start with this, just looks like a resupply request but..." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less has the definite impression that everything he’s saying is being graded as the old man himself replies, “Many are in your position. But many others would monopolize my time in such a way if I allowed it. Some would do it at  your  expense. Would they be more deserving then you?” 
 

Less responded with immediate passion this very idea had been weighing on him for days,  "If your tutelage would save more lives if provided to others, yes, they would be more deserving." Less turned to look at the assembled trainers on the floor of the tower. "There are young men and women dying out there every day. If either of us can do anything to prevent those deaths, is it not our responsibility to do so?" 
essCee
Pinklady shrinks back somewhat as the two men converse. She sips the provided tea and mouths a thank you to the young monk, and otherwise just watches the ongoing conversation.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio, Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark tried to make sense of the note for a bit while he let Wain finish inspecting the scorupi, but ended up shaking his head.  "Yeah, they're definitely using some kind of code. Here."  He made his way over to Wain, handing him the message.  "I don't know where to start with this, just looks like a resupply request but..."  
 

Wain looks at it briefly but shakes his head. “I’m no codebreaker. The best I can do is take it back to the Base.”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less responded with immediate passion this very idea had been weighing on him for days,  "If your tutelage would save more lives if provided to others, yes, they would be more deserving."  
 

“An interesting response.” The old monk’s expression is politely bland. “And how would you measure this?”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "There are young men and women dying out there every day. If either of us can do anything to prevent those deaths, is it not our responsibility to do so?"  
 

“Is it?” the old monk replies keenly. “Men and women die every day. Why must  your  hand be the one to steer their fates?”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “An interesting response.” The old monk’s expression is politely bland. “And how would you measure this?” 
 

 "And there's the rub, isn't there."  Less said, sighing.  "How do you measure need? The way someone looks at you, when they ask for help? Or by their words? What they say they will do, or by their actions?"  Less shock his head.  "I think, perhaps, attempting to measure who deserves what is a fool's errand. Instead, we focus on what we can do for others. What lessons we can teach them, what sorrows we can prevent."  Less sighed,  "In the absence of certainty, and infinite time, I suppose we must simply do the best we can." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Is it?” the old monk replies keenly. “Men and women die every day. Why must  your  hand be the one to steer their fates?” 
 

This question Less answered without hesitation.  "Because I am here, and I am  old.  Look at all these young lives, with all their years and joys ahead of them."  Less's voice grew quieter  "I have had my joys, and my sorrows. If I can save those that haven't . . .  then any price I pay will be more than worth the cost." 
Gnomes2169
 "Probably for the best."  Mark said, leaning down to scratch the scorupi on the back of the head.  "Unless Akio took codebreaking courses or was in a club like that back in school...?"  It was a long shot, but the guy in samurai armor had proven himself to be into some dorky things... like samurai.

When his fingers scratched along the metal-like carapace of the bug, Mark mused,  "Wonder if he'll keep the typing when he evolves."  It had replaced the Poison typing, which was the one that draipon kept when it evolved, so... maybe?

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Soooo is there a trainer for this Skorupi to be returned to?
 
Feathersnow
"No, I was hoping you knew what it meant..." Akio says, apologetically.  "Anyway, I was getting lunch for Akechi, so text me if something comes up."

With that, Akio heads back to the commissary.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "And there's the rub, isn't there."  Less said, sighing.  "How do you measure need? The way someone looks at you, when they ask for help? Or by their words? What they say they will do, or by their actions?"  Less shock his head.  "I think, perhaps, attempting to measure who deserves what is a fool's errand. Instead, we focus on what we can do for others. What lessons we can teach them, what sorrows we can prevent."  Less sighed,  "In the absence of certainty, and infinite time, I suppose we must simply do the best we can."  
 

The old monk’s expression remains bland.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 This question Less answered without hesitation.  "Because I am here, and I am  old.  Look at all these young lives, with all their years and joys ahead of them."  Less's voice grew quieter  "I have had my joys, and my sorrows. If I can save those that haven't . . .  then any price I pay will be more than worth the cost."  
 

“But are they not also here? Do they have no say in their own destinies, merely because they are young?”

----------------

Mark:

“All right, I’ll take both of these back to the Base with me.” Ranger Wain takes the notes and puts them away.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  When his fingers scratched along the metal-like carapace of the bug, Mark mused,  "Wonder if he'll keep the typing when he evolves."  It had replaced the Poison typing, which was the one that draipon kept when it evolved, so... maybe? 
 

“I have no idea, these things can be unpredictable.”

“ You can find out yourself, ” Viola chimes back, “ I’m not finding any previous owner. He’s all yours! ”

Mina arrives about then with the nurse, plus a couple more Chansey with a stretcher for their fallen comrade.

----------------

Akio:

Akio makes it back to the kitchen – the other trainers have cleared out, leaving the stove and utensils free for whatever he wants to make.
Gnomes2169
 "Fair enough, thanks for the assistance Akio."  Mark said to the other trainer, before nodding along nodded at Viola's remark and recalling the Scorupi. When Mina and the nurse return a moment later, he says,  "Hey Mina, Nurse joy! Um, we found another note on the tracker, if you want to take a look at it, and... sorry for the mess."  To just Mina, he says,  "If you still wanted to purify your Riolu, I think I should swap out my team to make sure we don't have any more... unforeseen problems. I should also just swap out a few team members anyway, so excuse me for a moment..."" 

And with that, Mark goes to switch out his new Litwick and Scorupi for Jessia and Sengar again. The dark type hopefully shouldn't  need  to come out, but was still a reliable member of the team.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “But are they not also here? Do they have no say in their own destinies, merely because they are young?” 
 

 
"Do they not deserve to be shield from the consequences of a war that they did not start?"  Less replied.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hey Mina, Nurse joy! Um, we found another note on the tracker, if you want to take a look at it, and... sorry for the mess."  
 

“ Hmm? ” Ranger Wain takes the note back out long enough to show Mina, who frowns pensively at it.

“My goodness!” In contrast the nurse shows no interest whatsoever in the note, and instead busies herself with getting the unconscious Chansey off the floor and into a medical ward to recover.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 To just Mina, he says,  "If you still wanted to purify your Riolu, I think I should swap out my team to make sure we don't have any more... unforeseen problems. I should also just swap out a few team members anyway, so excuse me for a moment..."  
 

“ Oh, right. ” Mina turns to Wain again and starts chatting while Mark takes off to switch his Pokémon.

----------------

Mina:

To Ranger Wain, Mina said, “ Actually, could you check the little guy and make sure  he  wasn’t stolen too while we purify him? I should have checked earlier, I actually caught him three or four days ago when I was scouting, but it was in the same area. ” Mina hadn’t seen any wild Riolu running around, but she hadn’t been over the entire region. She had no idea if they were native to Helnith or not.

“We can do that, sure,” the Ranger agreed.

“ Way ahead of you. I’m not finding anything, but Jon, what about that Aura Guardian who came through? ”

The Ranger swore. “We haven’t heard from her in weeks. Anything could have happened in that time.”

“ Okay, so what I’m hearing is: he probably has a trainer, but she might be in trouble? Where was she seen last? What did she look like? ”

“ She had her route logged; our last record shows she was headed to the mountains by Snakestone Cavern, for some meditation. ”

When Mina looked politely blank Ranger Wain added, “Snakestone Cavern is just north of Ternai Town.”

 Then  Mina understood; presumably she’d gone up before the town fell to Bandra. It might not even be necessary for Bandra to be involved: people got lost or hurt in the mountains all the time. But Bandra  would  make it difficult for a rescue crew to go looking for her if something had happened.

There were  so many  things she needed to do already.

Mina sighed. “ Tell me what she looks like and everything you know about her. ”

----------------

Mark:

You successfully exchange the Litwick and Skorupi for Jessia and Sengar. The only interruption comes from Tattersail, who has a dizzying pain spasm you can feel over the link while you’re fiddling with the PC, that lasts until you feel the prick of a needle (on the side with the prosthetic arm, so definitely not on your end) and the pain subsides into drug-induced wooziness again.

Mina crosses paths with you on the way back as she goes to retrieve her Riolu ((swapping for Cosmas)), looking worried and lost in thought.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"Do they not deserve to be shield from the consequences of a war that they did not start?"  Less replied. 
 

Disappointment practically radiates off the old monk. “But they did. You will find most of Bandra is quite young. The old have found their places in the world, and have no need to take another’s.” He closes his eyes. “I will not teach you today. In one breath, you swear to me that only the most worthy should be gifted with my teaching, and in the next you tell me that to determine this worthiness is impossible. You say you seek to shield the world but you show no understanding of it, and to interfere with what you do not understand is folly. Meditate for a day, and then return, and then perhaps I will pass on to your Pokémon what I know.”

You didn’t see him so much as twitch, but abruptly there are two  very burly  men in suits with ear pieces to either side of the old monk.

“Everything all right here?” One of them asks in a too-friendly voice.

Someone standing in line – Less doesn’t see who - notices the security guards and cackles, “ Ooo, someone tried to bribe the Move Tutor again! ”

Throughout the lobby there is a scattered response somewhat reminiscent of a school cafeteria after someone drops a glass.

“This young man” and the old monk definitely had enough wrinkles and grey hair to call Less that “was just leaving. He may come back tomorrow. You, young lady,” the old monk motions for Pinklady to step forward, “have been waiting patiently. Have you come to learn?”
Gnomes2169
Mark had frozen beside the PC when Tattersail woke up to pain, and he sways a bit until the next round of painkillers are administered.  "... Oof. Yeah. Definitely not going to be a fun time..."  He muttered to himself but finished getting his team switched out anyway.

He waved at Mina as he passed, and when he got back to Wain he asked, "So. The closet we were using is broken... but I can stop the doorway up with Marick. Do we want to keep using that space for Mina's Riolu?" There wasn't much more damage they could do to the room, right? So might as well keep using it, especially if he could play the flute the  instant  the shadowed fighting type came out, this time.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark, Mina:
"You, young lady,” the old monk motions for Pinklady to step forward, “have been waiting patiently. Have you come to learn?” 
 


Pinklady nods.  "I do, but..."  She looks to Less.  I didn't completely really understand the conversation... but there's got to be something I can...  she follows up after a brief but noticeable pause,  "...I understand that you don't want to, uh,-"   Should I mention urgency? No, no, if he thinks Less is messing up that would just make it worse.   "- well, teach my friend because you believe he's approaching things the wrong way. But, uh... if you refuse him teaching, doesn't that just discourage people from...   I'm going somewhere with this, just what was it...   "...from engaging with. Thinking about this and voicing what they believe? I know you disagree with him and everything, but the fact he's been conversing with you on it means, means he's well on the path to wisdom, whether it's his way or your way or even another way, r, right?" 

She pales a bit as she reaches the apex of her argument. Simple topics, she has in the bag. This was not simple, at least to her.  Wait, what if he asks me what the argument was, and he'll know I'm not understanding all that stuff and refuses me... 
Lord Ruby34
If the Monk's disapproval had lowered the temperature of the room by a few degrees, the offended and righteous anger radiating off Less had warmed it right back up. He could feel the heat of impotent rushing to his cheeks. Before, he had been engaging in what he had thought was a philosophical debate with the older man, only to be mocked and insulted. From his own younger days, Less was all to familiar with exactly the kind of teacher it seemed the move tutor was. Eager to prove themselves intelligent, they would let a student take a position and then mock that student for answering the questions posed. A technique that didn't seek to teach, but cut low. And just like with the teachers that had been his boyhood tyrants, Less found himself again unable to speak out, because the old monk had something he  needed . Knowledge for his Pokemon, the keys to helping protect those who he sought to protect. Less forced himself not to speak again, though he wasn't able to silence the sudden grinding of his teeth. Instead, Less placed a hand on Buck's shoulder. The large Pokemon had immediately interposed itself between Less and the guards, and was looking at them with marked vigilance. Less's hand was meant as a restraint.

The older man gave Pinklady a grateful look through his anger. Though there was little he could say without potentially closing the doors to this training forever, especially as heated as he was, he was more than happy to let the monk answer the young woman before departing the tower.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:

“If you want to risk your Rock/Steel type against a Shadowed Fighting type,” Ranger Wain warned.

“ We might as well, ” Mina replied from behind Mark, not having been delayed in her Pokémon switch by phantom pain. “ But I think we should find some place more secure, after this. Sooner or later we’re going to have to de-Shadow something strong enough to knock over walls and not just doors. ”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I guess I got a little too deep into the old monk persona, since no one knows why that just happened. 😛

And just to be absolutely clear: Less is just banned from the Move Tutor until tomorrow, he can still go battle in Trainer Hill proper.
 


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nods.  "I do, but..."  She looks to Less.  I didn't completely really understand the conversation... but there's got to be something I can...  she follows up after a brief but noticeable pause,  "...I understand that you don't want to, uh,-"   Should I mention urgency? No, no, if he thinks Less is messing up that would just make it worse.   "- well, teach my friend because you believe he's approaching things the wrong way. But, uh... if you refuse him teaching, doesn't that just discourage people from...   I'm going somewhere with this, just what was it...   "...from engaging with. Thinking about this and voicing what they believe? I know you disagree with him and everything, but the fact he's been conversing with you on it means, means he's well on the path to wisdom, whether it's his way or your way or even another way, r, right?" 

She pales a bit as she reaches the apex of her argument. Simple topics, she has in the bag. This was not simple, at least to her.  Wait, what if he asks me what the argument was, and he'll know I'm not understanding all that stuff and refuses me...  
 

“It is not his words with which I have issue. But words can be of great value in and of themselves and yet valueless in the mouth of one who misuses them, and his actions speak contrary to his tongue. I must teach the trainer before I teach the Pokémon. Greed and impatience do not lead to wisdom. His time is no more valuable than any other’s."

The young monk offers you both tea, which the old monk accepts with dignity before he finishes with, "Have no concern. It may be as you say. Perhaps he will find the path of wisdom. I did not ban him from my tutelage forever.

But you have shown wisdom in valuing others, and patience as well; what is it you would have me teach?”
essCee
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Thank you for the clarification!
 


Pinklady hesitates a moment, then nods. She briefly looks at Less with an "I'm sorry" sad face, then turns to the young monk and accepts the tea. She takes a sip and waits a moment to re-compose herself, then answers,

 "I have some very new partners, and I'd like your help - I have heart scales, of course - to help them realise their potential." 

She sips her tea.

 "I also have a long-time partner who recently evolved, and, although he's gotten stronger, some education of new techniques would be great for him, too." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

“Very good.” A small sip of tea, and then the old monk is carefully questioning Pinklady as to her goals for her partners and informs her of her options as far as attacks for her Pokémon.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Who did you want to teach what?
 
Lord Ruby34
Less made a stiff nod to Pinklady in return, and turned on his heel and stalked out, Buck trailing a half step behind.  There was no reason for her not to accomplish her goals. There was no telling if the Move Tutor would be willing to teach  her  if she left.

The old man was infuriating,  but salving his wounded pride by engaging further was fruitless. Still, Less wouldn't forget the aspersions on his character, the false accusations, or the old man's rudeness. If not for his knowledge, Less would have given him a tongue thrashing to leave him quaking.

The wind on his fave helped calm him down, but did nothing to alleviate the deep frustration he was feeling. He was not one to bend easily, especially when he felt someone was behaving churlishly. But there truly wasn't anything he could do. The old man was the only one in Helnith who could offer those services. Offending him further would risk Less's ability to find his daughter, and there was no hit to his pride he wouldn't take for Emila's sake.

So Less was left fuming outside, attempting to calm himself to avoid taking his frustrations out on someone else while Buck sought to comfort him with his steady presence.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark, Mina:

“If you want to risk your Rock/Steel type against a Shadowed Fighting type,” Ranger Wain warned.

“ We might as well, ” Mina replied from behind Mark, not having been delayed in her Pokémon switch by phantom pain. “ But I think we should find some place more secure, after this. Sooner or later we’re going to have to de-Shadow something strong enough to knock over walls and not just doors. ” 
 

 "He would only need to stand fast for a round at most, and he's got sturdy, his defense probably more than doubles the Riolu's attack, he's holding Eviolite... he should be fine, even if the little guy rages."  Mark said, flute coming back out.  "The bigger problem will be finding safe places in the future. If there's a construction place or manufactory that aren't being used, those will probably be durable enough for stronger pokemon, but... We'll cross that bridge when we need to get there."  Mark didn't want to get bogged down in future maybes or problems; they had things to do.  "Let's cure the Riolu, then me and Mina need to run to Skybreak if we're going to get what we need to done there in time." 

With that, he made his way towards the room, stepping over the broken door. When everyone was ready, he sent out Marick to block the door, and Jessia, telling the ice/ ghost pokemon,  "If Mina's riolu attacks anyone except Marick, intercept that attack."  He'd be able to cure them in short order, but wanted insurance in place this time.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

Your bad mood is sufficiently obvious that the people outside Trainer Hill are giving you and Buck a wide berth. But outside that radius, life continues as normal: one trainer exiting the Hill bounces over to a nearby campsite and starts chattering happily to his friends there about the new SM he won inside, people are shopping at the Scent stall, and a couple more are crouched down a little ways away discussing something seriously in low voices.

----------------

Mark, Mina:

Mina sent out Oodramer with instructions to keep the little guy calm, then pulled out Riolu’s Great Ball while Ranger Wain prepared his Capture Styler.

“ Ready? ”

Once she got a confirmation from everyone she called the little Fighting type out.

It immediately took an aggressive stance, growling and snarling, then just as immediately leapt for her face ((Quick Attack)) – Jessia intercepted and the little Riolu tumbled to the ground, but at no point did it turn that light-devouring black, which Mina considered a plus despite her hammering heart. Oodramer sent a jot of Spectral energy at it to prevent any further antics ((Shadow Gauge +2% -&gt; 78% total)) while Mark played the Time Flute and the Ranger’s Stylus spun circles around it.

After a few notes the little Pokémon started shaking and clutching its head, then threw its head back and yowled until the last of the Shadowing faded. ((-1 charge on the Time Flute, 1 charge remaining.))

 
 Spoiler: Riolu 

+3 levels upon Purification, he is now level 11!

Pokémon: Riolu
Type: Fighting
Ability: Inner Focus
Gender: Male
Level: 11
Held Item: Iron Amulet
Stats--
HP: 33
Attack: 23
Def: 17
Sp. Attack: 16
Sp. Def: 17
Speed: 21
Moves:
Quick Attack
Foresight
Endure
Counter
 Force Palm 
 
essCee
After retrieving Sport and Dundundun from the box (swapping out Leapsy and Bigbug), Pinklady presents each of Sport, Dundundun, Blast Bolt, and Tress to the move tutor, paying careful attention to his explanations of the options for what moves they can learn.

Eventually, she settles on, paying all three of her Heart Scales -

Drain Punch for Sport (Hitmonchan)

Superpower for Blast Bolt (Luxray) (Replacing Roar)

Sing for Tress (Cosmas). (Replacing Tail Whip)
Lord Ruby34
Less takes a few moments to breathe deeply and calm himself. He had to continually repeat that marching back inside and pointing out the Monk's own moral failings would be a waste of time and energy, no matter how good it would feel in the moment. Instead, he spent the time petting Buck, and keeping an ear pointed towards the serious conversation in an attempt to overhear. Greed might not have been a sin he was guilty of, but meddling certainly was.
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
... Okay, so Marick's defense was  over 5x  that of the Riolu's attack. There was no danger to him here. 😛

Also, on the subject of eggs, we've got estimates on the hatch dates! What day is it IC? Have we finally gotten to day 30? :P  Also, something I just realized... Matt hatched a starter from the one egg. Are all of these starter 'mon? Did... did Matt find the prof's bags? That first Bandra note suggested that the professor had disappeared in the woods, it feels like this is about the right area to find his remains too. Oh no.  😦
 


When the shadowing was finally gone, Mark tucked the flute away again and recalled Marick. Gesturing for Jessia to come to him and stand by to intercept attacks again, he crouched down like he was talking to a small child and said,  "Hey there bud, little fighter aren't 'cha? Kinda like a miniature Elijah, isn't he?"  He asked the ghost type, who was the only one here who would have met Jason's lucario, before looking over to Mina.  "If you're planning to train him, I... have an item that he should hold while you do. It's a power weight. It'll help him grow his hit points."  Mark had re-discovered it in his items last night. Where he'd forgotten it. Because he's an idiot.  "We'll probably be passing that around a lot between training sessions..." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

The younger monk takes your Heart Scales and (with the help of a mortar and pestle) crushes each of them into dust, which is subsequently added to a green powdery substance. ((-3 Heart Scales, 0 remaining.)) The older monk then uses the mixture to trace glyphs on each of your Pokémon in turn, before sitting them down one by one and running them through specific motions, sometimes murmuring to them in a low voice.

About an hour and a half later all three have completed their tutoring.

 
 Spoiler: Tress 
Pokemon: Cosmas (Tress)
Type: Dark/Spectral
Ability: Magic Guard
Gender: Female
Level: 19
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 50
Attack: 33
Def: 26
Sp. Attack: 31
Sp. Def: 29
Speed: 33
Moves:
Sing
Bash*
Pursuit
Flash
Faint Attack
Haze
 

 
 Spoiler: Blast Bolt 
Pokemon: Luxray (Blast Bolt)
Type: Electric
Ability: Rivalry
Gender: Male
Level: 30
Held Item: Leppa Berry
Stats--
HP: 97
Attack: 86
Def: 61
Sp. Attack: 71
Sp. Def: 61
Speed: 56
Moves:
Leer
Charge
Bite
Spark
Superpower
Swagger
 

 
 Spoiler: Sport 

Pokemon: Hitmonchan (Sport)
Type: Fighting
Ability: Iron Fist
Gender: Male
Level: 23
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 63
Attack: 60 +3
Def: 48 +12
Sp. Attack: 28
Sp. Def: 62
Speed: 47
Moves:
Tackle
Helping Hand
Fake Out
Foresight
Feint
Drain Punch
 


----------------

Less:

They’re both boys, early to mid teens at the most. One is dressed mostly in red, including his hair (obviously dyed; the roots are black). The other is in blue, with sea green hair. They seem to be discussing strategy.

“Just remember if there’s a Grass Pokémon on the other side, you use Sunny Day and let me take care of it. If it’s a Water Pokémon, send out Kermit.”

“But what if there’s a Grass Pokémon,  and  a Water Pokémon? Or they’re both the same one, like Kermit?”

“Oh. Um, ah…” The boy in red seems stumped.

----------------

Mark, Mina:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Ignoring the fact that Ranger Wain had never seen the Riolu in question until just now, sure, Marick was perfectly safe as long as the little one never went into a Rage. 😉  

Also it’s Day 28, and you have no way of knowing either way until they hatch so you’re just going to have to wait and find out! 😉
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 When the shadowing was finally gone, Mark tucked the flute away again and recalled Marick. Gesturing for Jessia to come to him and stand by to intercept attacks again, he crouched down like he was talking to a small child and said,  "Hey there bud, little fighter aren't 'cha? Kinda like a miniature Elijah, isn't he?"  He asked the ghost type, who was the only one here who would have met Jason's lucario, before looking over to Mina. 
 

Jessia nodded gracefully. The little Riolu looked briefly puzzled, then flattened his ears and deliberately took a step away from everyone present, to the extent the space allowed. He half-growled something in Pokéspeak.

“ Oh dear. ” Mina knelt down too, then held a hand out slowly. “ It’s okay, little guy. You’re safe here, we’re not going to hurt you. ”

He slapped her hand away and barked defiantly.

“ I’m sorry little one I have no idea what you just said. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If you're planning to train him, I... have an item that he should hold while you do. It's a power weight. It'll help him grow his hit points."  Mark had re-discovered it in his items last night. Where he'd forgotten it. Because he's an idiot.  "We'll probably be passing that around a lot between training sessions..."  
 

“ I don’t know if I  should ; from the sound of it he might have a human already. But that reminds me, it turns out that weird thing we picked up when we were tracking down the fence was just a Macho Brace. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark, Mina:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Ignoring the fact that Ranger Wain had never seen the Riolu in question until just now, sure, Marick was perfectly safe as long as the little one never went into a Rage. 😉  

Also it’s Day 28, and you have no way of knowing either way until they hatch so you’re just going to have to wait and find out! 😉
 


“ I don’t know if I  should ; from the sound of it he might have a human already. But that reminds me, it turns out that weird thing we picked up when we were tracking down the fence was just a Macho Brace. ” 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Hey, Sturdy protects against 1-hit KO moves too, so even with a rage we'd still be fiiiiiiiiiiiiine!  FIIIIIIIIIINE.  😛

And ah, then we'll maybe discover by Christmas... unless we get through the next three days IC quickly. EPIC TRAINING MONTAGE, GO-
 


Oh. A macho brace. Yeah, they needed to make sure they trained together, so they could pass these items back and forth to take advantage of their stat boosts. For now he just said,  "Huh, so we've got two EV items, then. Neat."  Then he re-focused on the riolu. The pokemon was young, and obviously frightened.  "We're not going to hurt you, bud. In fact, we're going to help. I'm guessing we know where your trainer was last seen, since we know who they are, right?"  He glanced over at Wain for confirmation, since he was out of the room for the earlier conversation about the Aura master, then turned his head back to the little fighting type.  "We'll do our best to find them and get you back to your team. I also have a partner pokemon who could translate for you, so you could tell us your story, but she's... not feeling good right now, and needs to stay with the nurse today and tomorrow."  That should be simple to understand while still being true. Holding out his organic hand for the jackal pokemon, palm-side up and open to show that he wasn't going to attack, he asked,  "If we haven't found your trainer by then, we'll make sure you get to talk to her. Deal?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Then he re-focused on the riolu. The pokemon was young, and obviously frightened.  "We're not going to hurt you, bud. In fact, we're going to help. I'm guessing we know where your trainer was last seen, since we know who they are, right?"  
 

Wain answered before Mina could. “In the mountains north of Ternai Town. Her name is Aroika; we haven’t heard from her in weeks.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We'll do our best to find them and get you back to your team. I also have a partner pokemon who could translate for you, so you could tell us your story, but she's... not feeling good right now, and needs to stay with the nurse today and tomorrow."  That should be simple to understand while still being true. Holding out his organic hand for the jackal pokemon, palm-side up and open to show that he wasn't going to attack, he asked,  "If we haven't found your trainer by then, we'll make sure you get to talk to her. Deal?"  
 

The Riolu eyed Mark’s hand, the little teardrop-shaped nodules to either side of his face floating up briefly. Then he put a paw on Mark’s hand and nodded. Mark could also feel a little tickle of assent, faint enough that it could just be his imagination.

“ All right. ” Mina smiled. “ Will you let me pick you up? We’ll go- ” she started to say,  we’ll go to the kitchen for a snack , figuring Akio had the right idea, but the Pokémon’s ears went back and he growled again. “ No? I was going to take you to the kitchen for some food - you’d rather walk? ” Mina guessed at last, trying to interpret the little one’s body language as best she could.

That must have been the right answer, because the little Fighting type barked and scampered for the door. Mina, at this point about as confused as she was bemused got up to follow. “ You don’t even know where the kitchen is! ”

Ranger Wain just watched them go with a faint smile. Then he turned to Mark. “Was that the last of the Shadow Pokémon? I really should get going.”
Lord Ruby34
Less shook his head in bemusement. It was good to see the kids strategizing, preparing for their run at the tower. Not everything was life or death. And little need to intervene. The boys would figure it out, and the stakes were low if they didn't. If there was anywhere in Helnith that wasn't under immediate threat from Bandra, it was here.

And the strategizing had given Less an idea for dealing with the old monk. Less stepped inside the tower and headed over to the prizeboard, and the attendant, Buck trailing at his heels. His trainer's determined stride, and several minutes of intense petting, had improved Buck's mood as well, and his mouth was open in a happy canine grin as he trotted forward.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Looking for the prizes. Less is also looking at the payouts and structure, but unless they've changed I can look back into the thread to see what they are.
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

You can feel eyes on you as you reenter – most notably the security guards, now back against the wall out of immediate sight (the old monk is working with Pinklady’s Pokémon) but also a few trainers snickering or giving you dirty looks who obviously witnessed the earlier fiasco – however no one stops you from going over to the prize board or talking to an attendant.

The board in question reads:

   Reminder to all participants! The prize list updates frequently, so check back regularly!

80 BP – SM 50 – Giga Impact
80 BP - SM 52 – Ether Blast*
64 BP – SM 57 – Psychic
64 BP - SM 31 – Thunderbolt
64 BP - SM 40 – Brick Break
48 BP – SM 64 – False Swipe
48 BP – SM 34 – Safeguard
32 BP – SM 07 – Attract
32 BP - SM 48 – Curse
32 BP - SM 20 – Rain Dance
16 BP - Power Bracer (Attack)
16 BP - Power Lens (Special Attack)
16 BP - Power Anklet (Speed)
16 BP - Macho Brace
48 BP - Shiny Stone
48 BP – Choice Scarf
48 BP – Assault Vest
16 BP – Sticky Barb
16 BP – Mystic Water
32 BP – White Herb
12 BP – Rare Candy
3 BP - Max Revive (Limited quantities! No more than 1 per trainer per day!)
1 BP – Revive (Limited quantities! No more than 3 per trainer per day!)
1 BP – Vitamin (Choose one of the following: Protein, Iron, Carbos, Calcium, Zinc, HP Up)   

One of the Hill’s staff is also able to fill you in on the battle rewards for each available challenge.

 
 Spoiler: Trainer Hill Challenges 

No change from last time, but I’ll post a reminder anyways.

 Normal  – one on one battle with three Pokémon each.
 Roulette  – same as Normal battle, except the battlefield will be affected by random weather, Trick Room, or other environmental effects.
 Double  – battle with a partner.

* Participants are allowed three Pokémon, which must be selected at the beginning of the challenge.
* All Pokémon selected must be within five levels of each other.
* Held items are fine, but the trainer can’t use any items on the Pokémon during the challenge (no Potions etc.)

 Pokémon are not automatically healed after each fight.  Participants can choose to have their Pokémon healed between matches, but this will incur a 1-round penalty.

BP rewards for each battle type are as follows:

 Normal: 
  Lose   |   Win Match 1:   0          0
Match 2:   0          0
Match 3:   0          1
Match 4:   1          2
 
 Roulette or Double: 
  Lose   |   Win Match 1:   0          0
Match 2:   0          1
Match 3:   1          2
Match 4:   2          3 


Trainer Hill will also award bonus points for fast completion:
+3 points for winning all four matches in 5 rounds or less
+2 points for 5-8 rounds
+1 for 8-10 rounds.

Additionally, management will occasionally award additional points for trainers who pull off something impressive, at their discretion.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Riolu eyed Mark’s hand, the little teardrop-shaped nodules to either side of his face floating up briefly. Then he put a paw on Mark’s hand and nodded. Mark could also feel a little tickle of assent, faint enough that it could just be his imagination. 
 

That tingling sensation made Mark grin a bit, and he shook the paw to seal the deal. The little fighting type was experimenting with his aura powers, and when he evolved those powers would expand... Mark hoped he would be around to see it happen.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 That must have been the right answer, because the little Fighting type barked and scampered for the door. Mina, at this point about as confused as she was bemused got up to follow. “ You don’t even know where the kitchen is! ”

Ranger Wain just watched them go with a faint smile. Then he turned to Mark. “Was that the last of the Shadow Pokémon? I really should get going.” 
 

Mark shook his head as he stood up, chuckling as Mina and the Riolu go on a quest for snacks.  "Jessia, make sure they don't get lost."  He tells the ghost type. While he's certain that the riolu would find the kitchen just by process of elimination since the pokemon center wasn't super big by any means, he doesn't want to delay their plans  too  much because the independent fighting type decided to do a wander. To Wain, Mark confirmed,  "As far as I know, that should be everything. Thanks again for the help, Wain. Given how the last few days have gone, we'll proooobably meet up again soon. So, see you later." 

With that, Mark went to get snacks for himself and his team too, and then it was finally time to rush over to Skybreak city, so Mark could buy his pots and Mina could get her money. Thank Arceus that the team still had  one  uninjured pokemon that could teleport, otherwise there would be zero chance they could get to and from Skybreak before curfew went into effect.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina (and Akio if he wants to come):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Jessia, make sure they don't get lost."  
 

Jessia nods and phases through the wall to catch up with the pair.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "As far as I know, that should be everything. Thanks again for the help, Wain. Given how the last few days have gone, we'll proooobably meet up again soon. So, see you later."  
 

Ranger Wain (and Viola over the Styler) bids you goodbye and leaves.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 With that, Mark went to get snacks for himself and his team too, and then it was finally time to rush over to Skybreak city, so Mark could buy his pots and Mina could get her money. Thank Arceus that the team still had  one  uninjured pokemon that could teleport, otherwise there would be zero chance they could get to and from Skybreak before curfew went into effect. 
 

Mark and Mina make it to the kitchen uneventfully, where Akio is still browsing the cupboards with his new Stunky. Mina has to show the little Riolu the proposed snacks one by one and has to go through several before he accepts one to eat – he seems quite suspicious – and once everyone is done checks with Akio to see if he’d like to come with them to Skybreak. ((Up to you, Feathersnow!))

Then it's off to go stand in line at the entrance to Skybreak City. (The Riolu refuses to go into his ball, despite obvious nervousness, and Mina doesn’t push it.) At this time of day there are more people going out than in, and the line is thankfully short.

All things told, you make it into Skybreak around 3 PM.

Mina turns to Mark. “ Did you want to split up and meet back here in about an hour? ” she offers. “ We could make better time that way, and I can check the bulletin board for more odd jobs if you want. ”
Lord Ruby34
That list had many useful items on it, but the way to earn them . . . it would take a great deal of time investment to acquire the required battle points. Even if he blazed through the challenges, never failing, he would earn at most 9 points, unless he managed something impressive. He could certainly attempt as much, but that was no guarantee of success. Nor was victory, or speedy victory assured. Best to turn his attention to other matters. Less had kept his head held high was he walked into the room. He could endure some snickers, but reputation was an important asset, and the old monk had intentionally damaged his. That needed to be fixed. Less had concocted a two pronged plan to do just so, but it started with some questions.

Less looked up to the screens showing the ongoing battles in the tower, then asked the attendant  "Are the battles that take place in the tower recorded for posterity?"  ((If the woman answers yes, Less will ask about how to access the recorded battles, and how far back the recordings go.))

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I assume the battle points are cumulative?

Also, what does Ether Focus do?
And, do any of Less's Pokemon have any Helnith specific moves available by tutoring or level up?
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You mean Ether  Blast?  It’s basically Hyper Beam but Spectral typed. Ether Focus is a Shadow move.

And yes so for example if you were to win all four rounds of a Roulette challenge, you would win a minimum of 6 BP. Each match is usually about half an hour, give or take, so the whole thing would be around two hours.

As far as Helnith moves, I haven’t added any to preexisting Pokémons’ level up lists, because there are literally hundreds of canon Pokémon who already have nicely robust movesets and I do add new homebrew moves from time to time, which would require me to go through all of them all over again. I don’t have that much free time. 😛

For tutoring moves, Connie can learn Gordian Knot, any of them can learn Beginner’s Luck (it’s one of those, ‘if they can be Tutored at all they can learn it’ moves), Buck can learn Fetch, Dancer and Connie can learn Tangle, and Connie and Leo can learn Cackle. And as mentioned, the list may expand over time.

All that said, was there something specific you wanted?
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less looked up to the screens showing the ongoing battles in the tower, then asked the attendant  "Are the battles that take place in the tower recorded for posterity?"  ((If the woman answers yes, Less will ask about how to access the recorded battles, and how far back the recordings go.)) 
 

“Yes, we record battles that take place in most of our facilities, and your likeness during those battles may be used on television or for advertising purposes,” the attendant responds, showing you the relevant lines in the sign up paperwork. “We have recordings going back a number of years, and you can view some of them on–” she rattles off various channels where you can watch curated past matches.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
To be clear, she’s talking about television shows. So they’ll take some of the most exciting fights and make episodes out of them, or show clips in commercials for the Battle Frontier, that sort of thing.
 
Feathersnow
Waiting in line is a big part of Johtoan culture, and Akio takes it in stride. "Splitting up is fine with me," he offers.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 All things told, you make it into Skybreak around 3 PM.

Mina turns to Mark. “ Did you want to split up and meet back here in about an hour? ” she offers. “ We could make better time that way, and I can check the bulletin board for more odd jobs if you want. ” 
 

 "We should split up."  Mark agrees with a nod.  "We'll get things done quicker and should be able to get out before curfew that way."  The jobs did seem to be a good source of income, too, but Skybreak was haunted...  "See what's available, especially jobs that are outside the city,  especially  around that Snakestone cavern place, since we need to look for signs of riolu's trainer around there anyway." 

With that, Mark makes his way to the mall, to get that most important commodity in a war...  gardening supplies. 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Yes, we record battles that take place in most of our facilities, and your likeness during those battles may be used on television or for advertising purposes,” the attendant responds, showing you the relevant lines in the sign up paperwork. “We have recordings going back a number of years, and you can view some of them on–” she rattles off various channels where you can watch curated past matches.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
To be clear, she’s talking about television shows. So they’ll take some of the most exciting fights and make episodes out of them, or show clips in commercials for the Battle Frontier, that sort of thing.
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Oops. Yes, the blast.

😛 Fair.

Mostly I was just curious. I like knowing my options. But now that you mention it, the move I was kind of interested in for Buck was the same move the spectral dragon type that the Taskmaster in the shrine of light hit half the party Pokemon with? I assume it's probably a signature move, so I'm guessing no, but asking never hurts.
 


Less hummed in thought for a moment while stroking his mustache. Being on TV had its downsides, but it wasn't likely that they'd come into play unless someone did extremely well in the Tower and made themselves known enough to have enemies that want to research them. But he could use that too. Hopefully he would never have to go up against Selene herself, but in the event he did knowing her team composition, even if nearly a decade dated, was better than nothing.  "Do you retain the bulk footage from matches? The ones that weren't interesting enough for television?"  Less asked.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark, Mina, Akio:

“ All right, then we’ll meet back here about 4 PM. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "See what's available, especially jobs that are outside the city,  especially  around that Snakestone cavern place, since we need to look for signs of riolu's trainer around there anyway."  
 

“ Will do. Text me if anything comes up, ” and with that Mina waved and departed.

----------------

Mark:

You make your way to the Department Store; it’s moderately busy.

There is a sign by the stairs:

Floor 1 – Information and Food Court
Floor 2 – Trainer Goods
Floor 3 – Health and Fitness
Floor 4 – Furniture and Kitchenware
Floor 5 – Jewelry and Geology
Floor 6 – Electronics
Floor 7 – Rooftop Lounge

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Are you headed straight to the gardening section or do you want to browse?
 


----------------

Akio:

Mark and Mina take off, and it seems you have an hour free to explore the city or do whatever you wish.

 
 Spoiler: Skybreak City Points of Interest Reminder 

Pokémon Center
Department Store
Silph Co. Helnith Headquarters
Gym
Newspaper
Hall of Elders
University of Helnith
-University Library
-University Museum
-University Science Department
Police Station
Fire Department
Ranger Station
Human Hospital
Park with a playground
Gas Station
 


----------------

Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You mean Eldritch Fire? It’s actually not a signature move, I’ll let you tutor Buck with it if you want.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Do you retain the bulk footage from matches? The ones that weren't interesting enough for television?"  Less asked. 
 

“We do,” the attendant is now looking a little confused, “but those are proprietary property of the Battle Frontier, and not available to the general public. They can only be released to law enforcement, or with the approval of upper management.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less:

“We do,” the attendant is now looking a little confused, “but those are proprietary property of the Battle Frontier, and not available to the general public. They can only be released to law enforcement, or with the approval of upper management.” 
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I'd certainly strongly consider it. Would you be willing to provide the stats?
 


Less had been hoping for a public record. He supposed Wain might help him out, but it really wasn't anything to do with Law Enforcement. Instead, Less asked,  "In the future, how would I schedule a meeting with upper management to discuss access?"  He wasn't sure that he  needed  to see all the footage for his plan to work, but access to a massive archive of battling Pokemon would certainly be helpful. But access would likely come at a cost. Given that he didn't have much in the way of money, that would probably mean accomplishing something for them, assuming they were amiable.
Gnomes2169
Mark looked over the guide and didn't know where to go to find the gardening section. Reasonably, the pots he was looking for could be in Trainer supplies since they attached to backpacks, furniture since he'd  guess  that the larger outdoor supplies would be there, or geology since that seemed like it would have outdoor supplies (though admittedly that one was more of a long shot.)

So, Mark decided to go to the information desk. It was a bit of a walk from the city entrance to the mall, and he didn't have much money anyway, so he didn't want to wander about for  too  long looking for his stuff. Once he had his directions, Mark made his way directly to the gardening section, only glancing a bit at the other stands as he went. No point in torturing himself by window shopping for things he wouldn't be able to afford any time soon...
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Sure, but it’s going in the OoC thread so no one skips over it here.
 


“They don’t usually have meetings for that, we have a form for it.” The attendant digs behind one of the counters and extracts the paper in question. Most of the fields are the usual name/current date/Trainer Number and of course a long block of legalese, but a few seem more relevant:

   Purpose of Request:
Subject Matter:
Date or Date Range of Requested Footage:   

----------------

Mark:

The information desk informs you that most gardening equipment is located on the fourth floor, and gives you directions on where specifically. The elevator lets you skip any temptation on floors two and three, and you find it without issue.

 
 Spoiler: Gardening Supply Selection 

Berry Planter (portable): 1200 PD - Portable Berry plot, comes with soil. Built for hanging off backpacks, belts etc.  Max carrying capacity for normal travel is 6. 
Pruning Shears: 8000 PD - Use on Berry plants during the 'growing taller' or 'in bloom' stage to increase yield by 20%. Only works once per plant.
Scarecrow: 20,000 PD - Keeps Pokémon from eating planted Berries.
Water Bulb: 5000 PD - Fill once, apply to Planter, planted Berry will be watered for the remainder of its growth time.
Watering Can: 800 PD – For watering plants. Comes in a variety of Pokémon shapes.
Growth Mulch: 200 PD - Speeds the growth of Berries. Dries the soil faster. Single use.
Damp Mulch: 200 PD - Holds moisture in the soil longer. Slows the growth of Berries. Single use.
Stable Mulch: 200 PD - Helps Berry plants hold their Berries for longer. Single use.
Gooey Mulch: 200 PD - Encourages fallen Berries to take root. Single use.
Boost Mulch*: 200 PD - Boosts the number of Berries the plant produces. Single use.
 
Lord Ruby34
Less took the proffered form with polite thanks and a promise to return later with it filled out. Access would be helpful, and he wanted some time to think about the correct way to word his request. After that, Less headed towards the area the move tutor was working in, making sure to keep a respectful distance. Less spent the time until the old man finished tutoring Pinklady's Pokemon  watching. 

If there was one thing Less knew how to do in the world, it was teach. Less focused not on the specific moves that Blastbolt and the others were learning, but on the way the monk moved, the way he talked to them. He was trying to discern the  process.  If the man wouldn't teach Less's Pokemon, then Less would learn what he needed to teach himself. Maybe everything would work itself out tomorrow, but if not Less would be prepared. That was why he wanted access to the tower's archive. He'd need examples of specific Pokemon species using specific moves to apply what he learned to his own Pokemon. He couldn't replicate decades of knowledge in an afternoon, but he might be able to pick up enough for his purposes.
Gnomes2169
Mark stacked up three of the of the planters and grabbed a wailmer-shaped watering can for good measure. He had  just  enough to afford those things, but he also looked at the mulch, the Boost mulch in particular. After a moment of hesitation, he added three bags of the boost mulch as well. It would leave him with  basically  no money, but it would also let him get a good harvest on the first crop he planted.
Feathersnow
Akio heads to the playground to bond with Akechi and clear his head after the last few stressful days...
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

 
 Spoiler: Inventory Update 
Battle Frontier Footage Form added to inventory.
 


The old monk pays you no mind, but the security guards are keeping a close watch on you, as are a few of the trainers scattered around the lobby. Buck growls at them, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Watching the old monk you see that his movements are focused and deliberate while teaching, his voice when he speaks to the Pokémon is calming and low enough that you can’t make out any words. You do notice that once a student Pokémon has been shown whatever movements they are to complete, he doesn’t always hover over them, instead taking the time to check others already in progress. The process doesn’t seem to be instantaneous: the first of Pinklady’s Pokémon has been tutored to the old monk’s satisfaction after about half an hour.

----------------

Mark:

You make your way to the checkout and make your purchases.

 
 Spoiler: Inventory Update 

+3 Berry Planters
+Watering Can (Wailmer shaped)
+3 Boost Mulch

-5000 PD, 25 PD remaining
 


Checking the time after obtaining your spoils, you realize you have about half an hour before you have to meet up with Mina and Akio.

----------------

Akio:

The park is wide open: no lectures today, apparently. You pass a few people (who seem to be students based on the paperwork) studying under a large tree, and another student sitting on a bench nearby feeding a small flock of bird Pokémon and making notes. Most of the Pokémon are Murkrow, but there’s a Taillow or two and some Swablu.

By the playground you see a young couple picnicking while a child of around four is playing with a fluffy dog Pokémon – the Pokédex identifies it as a Pompuff.

 
 Spoiler: Pompuff 
 
 
Gnomes2169
And so, Mark has begun his journey to becoming a proud plant dad. Now he just needs to find some fertile soil, and he can start the process...

And he'd already burnt half of the hour?! Well, it had taken a little bit of time to browse for pots, so he had a  little  time if he wanted to glance around at things on his way back down to the ground floor... Or he could experiment with arranging his new portable planters on his bag! Which is what Mark ended up doing on his way back towards the gate they'd agreed to meet back up at. His mulch and his wailmer pot get tucked away into his bag for later, and the three planters get attached in locations that kept away from his bag's pouch clips and zippers, so he could still get items out when he needed them.
Lord Ruby34
Less gives Buck a few soothing pets, and stands with his back perfectly straight, hands clasped behind his back, continues to watch the monk until Pinklady is done with her training. Less continues to observe, looking to see if the man is using any aids to help teach moves. Pokemon were still mysterious creatures, and interacted oddly with many objects.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Mostly just catching up with EssCee
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:

On inspection, you realize your new Planters came with the little compressed coconut fiber tablets common to seed starting kits – not the best but sufficient as a growth medium.

It also occurs to you that you  could  text the other two and ask for an extension for some more exploration time; your meeting with Lijan isn’t until 6 PM.

----------------

Less (and Pinklady):

That robe could conceal a multitude of sins, but as far as you can tell the old monk isn’t using any extra tools or items except for the green powder.

About 4 PM Pinklady’s Pokémon appear to be done with their lessons.
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Can't stay. City's haunted. 😛
 


Mark sent a message off to Mina and Akio, saying, "  Hey stormy people, done on my end. Let me know when you're ready to go.  " Then he had a little time to himself, so he started planting his berries. Making sure to mix in the mulch as he went along, he put the Grepa, Pomeg and Qualot berries in the pots, and sent out Fisher so he could fill the watering can and clean the dirt off of his hands. Technically he could probably just have Fisher use Rain Dance to get the job done, but people walking in and out of the city gates might just get a bit disgruntled about being rained on in this pleasantly dry day.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Fair enough! 😉

Grepa planted Day 28, 3:30 PM
Pomeg planted Day 28, 3:30 PM
Qualot planted Day 28, 3:30 PM

-3 Boost Mulch, 0 remaining.
 


You get your Berries planted. The Pokédex says it should be a little less than a day and a half before they should bear fruit. There is no immediate response from Mina.

Meanwhile a security squad passes by, but it seems to be a routine patrol, not the result of anything exciting. There is also a random trainer who exclaims over Fisher and asks if she can pet him.

----------------

Akio:

A little bit before meetup time you get a text message from Mark.

  Mark sent you a message! 
 Hey stormy people, done on my end. Let me know when you're ready to go.   
Gnomes2169
Honestly, Mark has started to get used to Mina not responding to his messages half the time, so he doesn't stress the silence on her end all that much. He gave a polite nod to the patrol as it passed, and when the other trainer came over he'd look at her and shrug.  "As long as he's okay with it, then I don't mind."  He's pretty sure that Fisher, being a social pokemon, would be  happy  to receive a few head pats and neck rubs.
Lord Ruby34
As Pinklady finished up with the move tutor, Less approached her and inquired,  "Would you care to tackle a round of the battle tower together?" 
Feathersnow
Akio replies:

"Ready whenever.  Just bonding with my new friend!"  He encloses a selfie with Akechi.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:

The lady enthusiastically rubs Fisher’s head; the latter leans into it and makes a happy cry.

Meanwhile your Pokédex informs you you have a message.

  Akio sent you a message! 
Ready whenever. Just bonding with my new friend! 

There’s a picture of Akio and his new Stunky embedded with the text. The Stunky’s fur is a bit rumpled and there’s bits of grass sticking in it.

----------------

Akio:

Akechi is in fine spirits, having snuffled around the playground equipment (and  not  having noticed the Pompuff go bug-eyed at his smell before dog Pokémon carefully steered the four-year-old upwind) and rolled around in the lawn.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

((Nothing to add here, yell if you need me!))
Gnomes2169
Mark rubbed the other side of Fisher's neck as he checked his phone, and smiled at the picture that Akio had sent. He mumbled to himself,  "... Dorks. Both of them."  He put his phone away again just after checking the message, though, and fished in his bag for his journal. He had a little time to draw...
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 As Pinklady finished up with the move tutor, Less approached her and inquired,  "Would you care to tackle a round of the battle tower together?"  
 

After giving her thanks to the move tutor as the lesson finishes, Pinklady heads towards Less.  "I think that would be... be a good idea."  She recalls her Pokémon.  "I don't think we've really gotten to know each other's teams, do you want to figure that out first or just get right into battling?" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 After giving her thanks to the move tutor as the lesson finishes, Pinklady heads towards Less.  "I think that would be... be a good idea."  She recalls her Pokémon.  "I don't think we've really gotten to know each other's teams, do you want to figure that out first or just get right into battling?"  
 

 "A quick rundown would likely be helpful, I suppose. I'm intending to bring Buck, Princess, and Leo.  Connie was unfortunately too high level. Less would have loved more time to bond with her.  "Buck is hardier than most Fire types, and Princess is slow for a water type Pokemon. Finally, Leo can heal from water type attacks.   Less added.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mina:

Mina’s first course of action was to head directly for the University to turn in her water sample and get paid. ((+8,000 PD, 10,435 PD total))

She then browsed the task board. A few things had been completed or removed since she’d last checked, but a few more had been added, and some of the tasks she’d guessed were more dangerous had had the reward increased. She asked for more details for some of them, and made a new list. Mark hadn’t wanted any that were inside the city, but Mina made note of a one or two that were of short duration anyway, just in case – she was going to be low on money after this, and had no idea what they were going to need to buy next. She also noted the note from the Geology Club was still up.

Mina then headed to the Department Store, blowing past the Farmer’s Market while mentally chanting   Resist, Mina, resist! You don’t need any new Berries right now! Resist!   to take the elevator up to the sixth floor and then made a beeline to the SMs. She got the attention of one of the staff – she must have looked quite frantic, because he looked concerned – and explained what she wanted.

Amused, he retrieved her Earthquake SM which she gave him 7,500 PD for. ((-7,500 PD, 2,935 PD remaining, +1 SM 41 (Earthquake)))

She still had a little money left and probably should have bought more Pokéballs, but she was so nervy by that point (constantly checking her bag to make sure her new SM was still there) the thought bounced right out of her mind, and then she realized Mark had texted her.

Her hands were shaking badly enough she gave up on trying to text him back and just returned to the meeting spot, where he and Akio were already waiting.

----------------

Skybreak Group:

Mark is able to get some sketching done. Akio returns before Mina, and the two boys have a few minutes to talk before the black-haired girl arrives ((so go ahead and roleplay if you want)), having somehow managed to turn herself into a nervous wreck in the last hour.

  I got it I got it I got it   “ Hi guys! ” Her voice is a bit shrill, she swallows and tries again, this time managing to sound  almost  normal. “ I made a new list of what they had available, here it is— ”

 
 Spoiler: University of Helnith Task List 

 
 Catalogue historical items for the museum (8 AM to 4 PM daily) (6,000 PD) 
 Battle and subdue (do NOT catch) a Water Pokémon so they can attach a camera to it (date and time is open, transportation provided) (6,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to take plaster casts of prints on north coast (date and time is open) ( 4,000  8,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to gather plant and soil samples from the Spectral Dimension (Rift dependent, at least three people.) ( 20,000 PD  30,000 PD) 
 Clean out Laboratory 2 by Day 30 (on campus, est. time 3-6 hours) (6,000 PD) 
 Retrieve blood samples from Breeder in Hillsbreak (4,000 PD) 
 Retrieve Cat’s Eye by Day 35 (no sign-up) (400 PD/each) 
 Take supplies to Shrine of Light (8,000 PD) 
 Retrieve package from Grand Docks, Tidepath (details on sign-up) (4,000 PD) 
 
 

  I got it I got it I got it!  

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

((Still nothing to add!))
Gnomes2169
Mark had gotten a little more work done on the Sengar therapy sketch, shading in the dark type's fur, by the time Akio joined up with him.  "Hey man."  He said, putting away the journal because he should  probably  try to get to know the other guy.  "So, you said you're from Johto too, right? I grew up in Blackthorn, how about you? Where's home?" 

When Mina rejoined them, Mark flashed her a grin, though he tilted his head slightly at the signs of her obvious fluster.  "Oh, sweet. Some of these look like something we can get done pretty quickly."  Picking up the blood samples from Hillsbreak and getting the footprints both seemed like they could be done before swinging around to look for signs of the riolu's trainer around Snakestone Cavern.  "But, uh... something going on? Are you alright?" 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "A quick rundown would likely be helpful, I suppose. I'm intending to bring Buck, Princess, and Leo.  Connie was unfortunately too high level. Less would have loved more time to bond with her.  "Buck is hardier than most Fire types, and Princess is slow for a water type Pokemon. Finally, Leo can heal from water type attacks.   Less added. 
 

 "In that case... I should probably bring Croaky. She can make it rain, though we'll have to be careful not to weaken Buck with that. With that much water going on, I'll bring Blast Bolt too, and Whirlywhirly too. Those two are pretty hard hitters, but they can weaken enemies if their type doesn't match up so well. Especially if yours are mostly physical hitters, too." 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded. "They are. For now, at least." The old man said, the pointed toward the counter with his chin. "Your strategy seems sound. Shall we proceed?"
essCee
Pinklady nods and heads to the counter as Less indicated.  "Hello! We would like to sign up for a Double battle." 
Feathersnow
"Oh, um... my family's manor was outside of Ecruteak...  But I went to a private school in Goldenrod" Akio looks embarrassed at being asked about his past by the obviously poor Mark.
Gnomes2169
((Pre Mina appearance))

Well, Mark hadn't grown up with manor money, but his arm proved that he hadn't exactly grown up  poor  either. To be fair,  now  he was poor, almost completely broke, but he'd have been offended to be called a peasant or riffraff back in Johto! He does still note the manor and private school mentions, though.  "Huh. So what you're saying is, is that your armor is  real ."  That had been a debate at some point. Mark had no idea if that made Akio more or less of a dork.  "But I passed through Ecruteak a few times, and stayed overnight in Goldenrod too when I was waiting for a morning boat departure... They seemed like nice places." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Once you’ve shuffled through the line and gone through the usual rigmarole – you are reminded of the rules, your Pokémon are fitted with the devices that prevent unexpected power jumps during your challenge ((none of your Pokémon will level up until the device is removed and they suppress the Pokémons’ levels down to 50 if they’re higher than that)), paperwork and so on – you’re escorted to a double-sized elevator platform. The staff member assisting you tells you not to worry if it changes direction mid-challenge, and then the platform is lifting you out of sight to your first match.

On your arrival, a voice echoes throughout the arena telling you to send out your Pokémon. Across the arena are your opponents: a male trainer in casualwear and a girl with lots of dirt stains all over her clothes and a pair of gloves sticking out of her pocket. The former sends out a Fearow, the latter a Weepinbell.

Fearow: 83/83

Weepinbell: 88/88

----------------

Mark and Akio:

((I’ll let you guys chat for a bit, unless you’d rather I split the timeline.))
Lord Ruby34
Less couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervous excitement at the prospect of the oncoming fight. This would be the first time in a long time that he'd fought in anything approaching a league sanctioned battle. He'd lost most of the attempts he'd made, in his youth, or when he had let Emilia use him for practice when she had been a girl.

Less took a deep breath. He was a different man now. More focused. He had stood against Bandra. He could handle these trainers, especially with a companion at his side.  "Should we try to pressure them one by one, or take our targets as opportunity presents itself?"  Less asked the young woman next to him.

((The answer to the first question won't change the first turn though))

When they arrived, Less sent out Buck first, as planned. It proved to be a better move than anticipated, as the other side sent out a grass type and a physical attacker.  "Buck, bring down that grass type before it can act. Fire Fang!"  Less commanded.
essCee
Pinklady strides into the arena, Blast Bolt's Pokéball in hand. The previous night's fight was tense, frightening, and grueling - though it had taken her until the middle of the move tutoring to reflect on how truly dangerous it had been. While she had her share of scrapes and close calls outside of battles before, she had never been in a battle like that - and now she had a new appreciation of the experience that less life-threatening battles like this would afford. Time to become a battler.

 "Now's your chance to show us what you've got! Go, Blast Bolt!"  Pinklady sends out her own lead Pokémon.

 Good, no Ground-types - looks like guessing Less would start with Buck has paid off.  "I think we should pick our targets based on effectiveness for now, at least while we have our hardest hitters out. Blast Bolt, hit that Fearow with a Spark!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Both opposing Pokémon shudder as Buck takes the field, thoroughly intimidated. You see your opponents converse for a moment before the casualwear trainer gives his partner a thumbs-up. Then they call their attacks.

Fearow uses Tailwind!
The tailwind blew from behind the foes!

Suddenly the opposing Pokémon are moving much faster.

Weepinbell uses Seed Bomb!
Blast Bolt is hit for 31 damage!

Buck uses Fire Fang!
It’s super effective!
Weepinbell is hit for 114 damage!
Weepinbell faints!

The trainer with the dirt stains recalls her Pokémon, a grim look on her face.

Blast Bolt uses Spark!
It’s super effective!
Fearow is hit for 118 damage!
Fearow faints!

The trainer in casualwear follows her lead.

Your opponents send out Vigoroth and Moghog!

The Pokémon the dirt-stained trainer sends out appears to be carved of dark wood. It’s over eight feet long ((~2.5 meters for the metrically inclined)), and sawdust occasionally sprays from its nose.

((Tailwind in effect: 2 rounds remaining.))

Buck: 106/106

Blast Bolt: 66/97

 Fearow: 0/83 
Vigoroth: 100/100 (Intimidated, Tailwind)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
Moghog: 102/102 (Intimidated, Tailwind)
Lord Ruby34
The tailwind was concerning, but two for two on the first round was an excellent start. Even better was the fact that they didn't have immediately have a ground type to send out. Or at least Less thought that the Moghog wasn't a ground type. He seemed to remember that it was probably a grass type, though he couldn't remember the secondary typing well enough to be sure. The old trainer pulled out his pokedex to scan it while yelling for Buck to hit the creature with another Fire Fang. Best to keep pressing the advantage while they had it.
essCee
Pinklady put a bit less thought into her turn. Seeing the Normal-type show up, she immediately called out -  "Blast Bolt! Show us your new move, Superpower! On the Vigoroth!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

The opposing side has apparently come to the conclusion that Buck is the most dangerous thing on the field, as they order their Pokémon to concentrate fire on him. Meanwhile, the Pokédex informs Less that the Moghog is a Grass/Dark type.

…it also informs Less that this one has Earth Power as a Tutor move, too late to be of any use.

Vigoroth uses Slash!
Buck is hit for 25 damage!

Moghog uses Earth Power!
It’s super effective!
Buck is hit for 25 damage!

Fortunately, the ‘dex also informs Less that the Moghog’s Special Attack is somewhat lackluster…again late enough not to be terribly useful.

Buck uses Fire Fang!
It’s super effective!
Moghog is hit for 61 damage!

Blast Bolt uses Superpower!
It’s super effective!
Vigoroth is hit for 91 damage!
Blast Bolt’s Attack falls!
Blast Bolt’s Defense falls!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


((Tailwind in effect: 1 round remaining.))

Buck: 62/106

Blast Bolt: 66/97 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)

 Fearow: 0/83 
Vigoroth: 9/100 (Intimidated, Tailwind)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
Moghog: 41/102 (Intimidated, Tailwind)
Lord Ruby34
It was a good thing he hadn't ordered Buck to Bite the little grass type.  "Try to finish off that Vigoroth."  Less whispered.  "If they keep going for Buck we can gain an edge, and Buck should be faster than the Moghog after this exchange."  More loudly, Less called out for Buck to use Protect, anticipating that the duo would try to keep focusing down the intimidating fire type.
essCee
Pinklady nods, then instructs Blast Bolt,  "Alright! Almost dealt with, now follow up with a Spark!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Group:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 When Mina rejoined them, Mark flashed her a grin, though he tilted his head slightly at the signs of her obvious fluster.  "Oh, sweet. Some of these look like something we can get done pretty quickly."  Picking up the blood samples from Hillsbreak and getting the footprints both seemed like they could be done before swinging around to look for signs of the riolu's trainer around Snakestone Cavern.  "But, uh... something going on? Are you alright?"  
 

Mina nodded, the movement quite jittery. “ I’m fine. ” Her voice squeaked a bit with excitement and the little Riolu – who unsurprisingly had spent nearly the entire the trip so far with his nodules up, looking over his shoulder – broke off briefly to give Mina a look that was equal parts skeptical and unimpressed.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

Vigoroth uses Endure!
Vigoroth braces itself!

Buck uses Protect!
Buck is protecting himself!

Moghog uses Gore!
Buck is protecting himself!

Blast Bolt uses Spark!
Vigoroth is hit for 33 damage!
Vigoroth endured the hit!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!

The wind that had been boosting the speed of the opposing Pokémon died down.


Buck: 68/106

Blast Bolt: 66/97 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)

 Fearow: 0/83 
Vigoroth: 1/100 (Intimidated)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
Moghog: 41/102 (Intimidated)
Gnomes2169
Okay, even  Mark  would know that Mina was hiding something. She was  not  good at keeping secrets, was she?  "Riiiight... so what's going on, then?"  He asked, his voice for once dripping skepticism.
Lord Ruby34
Less furrowed his brow. He had hoped that the Vigoroth would be down. Even without the tailwind, Blast Bolt likely wouldn't be faster. There was a chance Buck wouldn't be either. Still, the round had been positive overall. A minor change that ran out their opponent's tailwind was beneficial, though not KOing the Vigoroth meant they weren't as far ahead as Less would like.

Still, Buck should be able to finish off the Moghog with another Fire Fang before it could act again. Provided that it didn't have a protection move of it's own.  "Fire Fang that Moghog, Buck!"  
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Group:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Riiiight... so what's going on, then?"  
 

Mina beamed, and had to restrain herself to keep from breaking out into a little dance. “ I got my Earthquake SM! ”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

((Waiting on essCee.))
essCee
 "Nearly there! Finish it with another Spark!" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina beamed, and had to restrain herself to keep from breaking out into a little dance. “ I got my Earthquake SM! ” 
 

Her smile melted his heart a little bit, he couldn't remember many times he'd seen Mina so  giddy,  and he returned her grin as his own excitement began to build.  "Wait, they sell those here? Geeze, that's  has  to be the next thing I save up for so I can put it on my steelix."  Putting his journal away in his bag and recalling Fisher, he gestured for the other two to follow him out of the city and asked,  "You're putting that on your sandshrew, right?"  
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

The girl in the dirt stained clothes is looking worried.

Buck uses Fire Fang!
It’s super effective!
Moghog is hit for 58 damage!
Moghog faints!

Vigoroth uses Slash!
Blast Bolt is hit for 53 damage!

Blast Bolt uses Spark!
Vigoroth is hit for 31 damage!
Vigoroth faints!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!

Your opponents send out Gloom and Raticate!


Buck: 74/106

Blast Bolt: 13/97 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)

 Fearow: 0/83 
 Vigoroth: 0/100 
Raticate: 75/75 (Intimidated)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
 Moghog: 0/102 
Gloom: 80/80 (Intimidated)

----------------

Skybreak Group:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "You're putting that on your sandshrew, right?"   
 

“ I was going to, but I  should  probably check my other Pokémon too, and see which of them can learn it, ” Mina replied. Really, she needed to sit down and see what moves her Pokémon could learn, period, and make a plan for how she was going to get them – Heart Scales, money, BP, or whatever else it would take.
Lord Ruby34
Less winced in sympathy. Blast Bolt had taken quite the hit there, and likely wasn't going to be able to take even a quick attack more. Unfortunate for the other trainer that they seemed to be a grass type specialist too. Buck was ripping through her Pokemon, and Less didn't intend for him to stop.  "Fire Fang the Gloom, Buck!"  the older trainer yelled.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I was going to, but I  should  probably check my other Pokémon too, and see which of them can learn it, ” Mina replied. Really, she needed to sit down and see what moves her Pokémon could learn, period, and make a plan for how she was going to get them – Heart Scales, money, BP, or whatever else it would take. 
 

 "If you have a Trapinch or Vibrava you're planning to train up to a Flygon, that would be a good option too."  Mark mused, certain that Mina did  not  have a Flygon yet, since she absolutely would have used it against Bandra by this point.  "I'm certain I've seen those around as a native species in Helnith." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Group:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If you have a Trapinch or Vibrava you're planning to train up to a Flygon, that would be a good option too."  Mark mused, certain that Mina did  not  have a Flygon yet, since she absolutely would have used it against Bandra by this point.  "I'm certain I've seen those around as a native species in Helnith."  
 

“ I’d have to catch one of those first, but I’ll think about it, ” Mina replied. “ Anyway, are you guys all set here? ” She needed to go check on her wild plots; those Sitrus Berries she’d planted were probably getting munched on this very moment.
essCee
 "You did great, Blast Bolt! Come back!"  Pinklady withdraws her badly hurt lead. She momentarily considered hoping for a one-hit knockout on the Raticate, given how close the Vigoroth was to being taken out in one blow, but decided not to push her luck, especially since she knew each subsequent use of Superpower made the next weaker.
 "Your time to shine, Whirlywhirly!"  She sends out the only of her other two that's safe to bring out with the Gloom present.

 
 Spoiler: Switchin Houserule 

I vaguely remember something about being able to use a move after doing a non-KO switchout, but I'm not completely sure, and couldn't find anything about it in the original OOC post - if I remembered rightly about some conditions allowing such, then I'd also like to throw in having Whirlywhirly using Defense Curl. (And could I get a reminder on the rule? I'll make sure to write it down on a notepad so I'll never need to ask again 😛
 
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded at Mina's question.  "Yup, I'm good to go! Got my berries planted and everything."  No reason for him to stick around in spooksville, at least for the rest of the day.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

You mean  this ? (Emphasis added.)


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 in general one-on-one official, League-sanctioned fights like Trainer Hill (and Gym fights, which I spell out because it has tripped up one or two players before) are switch mode, with the caveat that the opposing trainer CAN also switch. (In general, I try to assume that the rules that apply to the party are the same rules that apply to the NPCs. Also, PvP has happened occasionally.)

 Double battles and free-for-all fights like the one you’re currently engaged in are set.  
 

Tl:dr – in Double Battles you don’t get a free switch when one or more opposing Pokémon get KO’d, so no Defense Curl this round.
 


Pinklady recalls Blast Bolt!
Pinklady sends out Whirlywhirly!

Buck uses Fire Fang!
It’s super effective!
Gloom is hit for 34 damage!
Gloom uses held Occa Berry to reduce the damage!

Raticate uses Crunch!
Whirlywhirly is hit for 15 damage!

Gloom uses Sleep Powder!
Buck falls asleep!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


Buck: 80/106 (Asleep 1 round)

Blast Bolt: 13/97 (recalled)
Whirlywhirly: 75/90

 Fearow: 0/83 
 Vigoroth: 0/100 
Raticate: 75/75 (Intimidated)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
 Moghog: 0/102 
Gloom: 46/80 (Intimidated)

----------------

Skybreak Group:

“ All right, then. Akio? If you’re good to go too, we’ll get out of here. ” The little Riolu looked up sharply, and started tugging on Mina’s hand, saying something sharp-sounding in Pokéspeak. “  I know, little guy, it won’t be much longer.  And if you’d rather stick around, text me when you’re ready to go and I can pick you up outside the entrance, just mind the curfew. ”
Gnomes2169
Mark looked down at the little riolu, his lips pinching together a bit and his eyebrows scrunching as he thought. Riolu weren't as attuned to aura and spirit as Lucario, but they were still able to sense  something...  Crouching down, Mark asked the little fighting type,  "Hey bud, you're feeling something ominous and spooky, right? Do you know which direction it's coming from?" 
Lord Ruby34
Even with Buck asleep, he and Pinklady were still massive favorites to win this fight. The only way they could lose was if that Gloom continued putting Pokemon to sleep. Meaning that taking it down was  a top priority, and switching was dangerous.  "Buck, try to wake up and finish off that Gloom with another Fire Fang!"  Less ordered.
essCee
Recognising the same danger Less does - especially after how effectively she used sleep, herself, during the previous night's battle - Pinklady instructs,  "Whirlywhirly, Bug Bite the Gloom!" 
 
 Spoiler: OoC 

That's it, thank you! Saved now, and also, I hadn't noticed the forum's built-in search; that'll be helpful for future instances of trying to remember stuff. 🙂
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Group:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hey bud, you're feeling something ominous and spooky, right? Do you know which direction it's coming from?"  
 

The little Fighting type put his ears back and started barking, sounding annoyed. He  did  make an expansive gesture with a paw…but that gesture encompassed most of the city.

“ It might narrow things down more if we weren’t standing right next to the exit, ” Mina remarked. “ Did you want to look into this? We’ve got an hour or two before your meeting with Lijan, ” and Mina also peered in Akio’s direction to see if he had a preference one way or the other.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

Whirlywhirly uses Bug Bite!
Gloom is hit for 30 damage!

The Occa Berry having already been expended, Whirlywhirly is unable to eat it.

Buck still sleeps!

The big Arcanine rolls over onto his back while he snoozes, one paw idly batting the air.

Raticate uses Swords Dance!
Raticate’s Attack rises sharply!

Gloom uses Sleep Powder!

The girl with the dirt-stained clothes is obviously biting her nails, but her Pokémon manages to land a big cloud of the glittering dust in Whirlywhirly’s face, and the giant bug also slumps over into a snooze.

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


Buck: 86/106 (Asleep 2 rounds)

Blast Bolt: 13/97 (recalled)
Whirlywhirly: 75/90 (Asleep 1 round)

 Fearow: 0/83 
 Vigoroth: 0/100 
Raticate: 75/75 (Intimidated, Attack up 2 levels)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
 Moghog: 0/102 
Gloom: 16/80 (Intimidated)
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The little Fighting type put his ears back and started barking, sounding annoyed. He  did  make an expansive gesture with a paw…but that gesture encompassed most of the city.

“ It might narrow things down more if we weren’t standing right next to the exit, ” Mina remarked. “ Did you want to look into this? We’ve got an hour or two before your meeting with Lijan, ” and Mina also peered in Akio’s direction to see if he had a preference one way or the other. 
 

Well, that at least confirmed Mark's suspicion that this  presence  was more of an aura thing than an active, malicious one, or at the very least that the aura pokemon was more aware of it than Tattersail and his other pokemon had been, given they'd just  felt  the sensation but hadn't even gotten that vague sense of direction.

His expression and voice were both kept serious as he considered Mina's question, and when he glanced up at her he said,  "I don't have a full team with me, and the pokemon I'm missing is the most important member of my team. Whatever this presence is, it didn't  feel  actively hostile, but it was  unsettling , and I instinctively didn't want it to find me... so there's a non-zero chance we'd have to fight if we actually found it."  With a shake of his head he looked back to the riolu.  "If you think it could be dangerous, then we won't look for it today. Something powerful enough to unsettle pokemon throughout a city... it isn't something we should look into without a plan and backup if there's even a chance of a blow-up."  A moment's hesitation, then,  "Maybe we could arrange a meeting with the city Elder, see if they've been investigating it too." 
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 His expression and voice were both kept serious as he considered Mina's question, and when he glanced up at her he said,  "I don't have a full team with me, and the pokemon I'm missing is the most important member of my team. Whatever this presence is, it didn't  feel  actively hostile, but it was  unsettling , and I instinctively didn't want it to find me... so there's a non-zero chance we'd have to fight if we actually found it."  With a shake of his head he looked back to the riolu.  "If you think it could be dangerous, then we won't look for it today. Something powerful enough to unsettle pokemon throughout a city... it isn't something we should look into without a plan and backup if there's even a chance of a blow-up."  A moment's hesitation, then,  "Maybe we could arrange a meeting with the city Elder, see if they've been investigating it too."  
 

The Riolu in question made a rumbling noise and indicated that he wanted to be picked up, so Mina obliged. “ I’m inclined to agree. ”   At the very least we should probably let Less and Pinklady know we’re planning to stick our foot into something we might not be able to handle beforehand.  
Lord Ruby34
This was exactly what Less had been worried about. Buck was likely the only Pokemon he had that was faster than that Raticate, and now both Buck and Whirlywhirly were asleep. The chances of at least one of them waking up were still high . . . but they were in danger now.  "Buck, Bite that Gloom!" 
essCee
 "Whirlywhirly, wake up and Bug Bite it again!"  Pinklady felt a bit amused but worried at this turn of events... but also immediately started wondering how she could use the tactic herself in the future. It was something, at least, to keep in mind next time she had a chance to give new moves to her team.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Riolu in question made a rumbling noise and indicated that he wanted to be picked up, so Mina obliged. “ I’m inclined to agree. ”   At the very least we should probably let Less and Pinklady know we’re planning to stick our foot into something we might not be able to handle beforehand.   
 

Standing back up now that he didn't need to squat in order to talk to the riolu, Mark said,  "Well then, we'd best be off. We'll have time to get a little training in before meeting with Lijan, that way."  He was planning to level his new Carvanha after the meeting, if he could get the chompy fish evolved then he'd be able to sail around on it for scouting purposes and such... but before meeting with Lijan, he planned to train up the cosmas he had in storage, just in case they needed to de-shadow more pokemon. Multiple decently leveled spectral types would really, really help with that.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Whirlywhirly continues to sleep, but Buck blinks awake just in time to hear Less’ command. He rights himself and charges the Gloom.

Buck uses Bite!
Gloom is hit for 23 damage!
Gloom faints!

The dirt-stained trainer recalls her Pokémon and sits down on the platform, looking disappointed.

Raticate uses Hyper Fang!
Buck is hit for 44 damage!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


Buck: 48/106

Blast Bolt: 13/97 (recalled)
Whirlywhirly: 75/90 (Asleep 2 rounds)

 Fearow: 0/83 
 Vigoroth: 0/100 
Raticate: 75/75 (Intimidated, Attack up 2 levels)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
 Moghog: 0/102 
 Gloom: 0/80 

----------------

Skybreak Group:

Hearing no opposition, Mina replied, “ All right then, we’ll head back. ” And she headed for the exit. The Riolu made scolding noises (“  We’ll look into it  later , little one.  ”) before subsiding into what was definitely a sulk.

Leaving the city was much more straightforward (if more crowded this time of day), and the group reappeared in Rieva not long afterwards. Mina dropped the boys off, then excused herself to go check on her wild plots.

((Who are you swapping out?))
Lord Ruby34
Another hit like that would be uncomfortably close to knocking Buck out, and as long as Buck was still in the fight that Raticate would eventually fall . . . Less's best move was ordering another protect. Even if the Raticate KO'd Whirlywhirly then he and Pinklady would still maintain a 2-1 advantage.

 "Protect, Buck!"  
essCee
 "Wake up, Whirlywhirly! Bug Bite the Raticate!" 
Gnomes2169
((I'll deposit corphish for cosmas for now))

When Mina drops him off, Mark said,  "See you soon."  Then he went to get cosmas so he could train the little dark/spectral pokemon up two levels before they went to Ceris.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Buck uses Protect!
Buck is protecting himself!

Whirlywhirly still sleeps!

Raticate uses Hyper Fang!
Buck is protecting himself!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


Buck: 54/106

Blast Bolt: 13/97 (recalled)
Whirlywhirly: 75/90 (Asleep 3 rounds)

 Fearow: 0/83 
 Vigoroth: 0/100 
Raticate: 75/75 (Intimidated, Attack up 2 levels)

 Weepinbell: 0/88 
 Moghog: 0/102 
 Gloom: 0/80 

----------------

Mina:

Mina checked her wild plots; the Sitrus Berries were ripe - and, as expected, some had been stolen by wild Pokémon, about half the total crop. Thinking back it had been several hours since they would have been ripe; maybe this wouldn’t have happened if she’d come right after they’d been done Purifying all the Pokémon.

What with all the directions she’d been pulled in today, she seriously considered not bothering replacing them, but the sad fact was they needed as many as they could get. She would just have to watch her time frames more closely. Maybe let the party fend for themselves a little more; it wouldn’t hurt any of them to walk places. So Mina planted some Nilla Berries; she wasn’t sure how many more of those they needed, but there wasn’t time for anything longer. Those would be ready around 9 AM tomorrow, and then she could take Less up north.

In the other two spots, the Shuca and Occa Berries were  almost  ripe; another hour would do it.

Checking her Planters, the Qualot Berries were actually ready, so Mina harvested them and planted a Kelpsy Berry to replace them.

She watered everything that needed watering and went back to town.

 
 Spoiler: Berries 

In the Planters:
Petaya Berry 1 sprouted
Petaya Berry 2 planted
Salac Berry sprouted
Liechi Berry 1 sprouted
Qualot Berries! +4 (no pests) (10 total)
Liechi Berry 2 sprouted

In the wild plots:
Occa in bloom
Shuca in bloom
Sitrus Berries! +3 after pests!
Sitrus Berries! +1 after pests! (9 total not counting the ones being held by Pokémon)

Kelpsy Berry planted in Planter, Day 28 4 PM
Nilla Berry planted in Wild Plot #3, Day 28 4 PM
Nilla Berry planted in Wild Plot #4, Day 28 4 PM
 


Once there she swapped her Pikachu out for her Gyarados and went to join Mark with his training, giving Gyarados the Macho Brace. She took a break partway through to go retrieve the Occa and Shuca Berries before anything could get to them, and replaced them with more Nilla Berries. ((+5 Shuca Berries, 5 total. +5 Occa Berries, 8 total. Nilla Berries planted in Wild Plot #1 and #2, Day 28 5 PM))

 
 Spoiler: Gyarados 

Pokemon: Gyarados
Type: Water/Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Gender: Female
Level: 21
Held Item: Macho Brace
Stats--
HP: 77
Attack: 64 +16  +2 
Def: 44
Sp. Attack: 36
Sp. Def: 53
Speed: 45
Moves:
Splash
Tackle
Bite

No new attacks.
 

 
 Spoiler: DM Reminder - Macho Brace/Power Items 
The EV enhancing items (EX: Power Lens, Macho Brace) increase their respective stats by 1 point per level up and 1 point per two hours of training. (The points acquired from the Macho Brace can be applied to any stat.) EX: Training a level 20 Pokémon to level 21 while it has the Power Lens equipped will increase its Special Attack by 2—one for the level up and one for the two hours you spent earning the level up.) Each item gives a  max of 20 points .
 


----------------

Mark:

Mina shows up after ten minutes or so, looking disgruntled. She calls out her Gyarados and gives the Water type her Macho Brace to hold while they train, and about halfway through the session Teleports off again, returning a few minutes later to pick the training back up.

 
 Spoiler: Cosmas 
Pokemon: Cosmas
Type: Dark/Spectral
Ability: Magic Guard
Gender: Male
Level: 18
Held Item: Power Weight
Stats--
HP: 47  +3 
Attack: 32
Def: 24
Sp. Attack: 30
Sp. Def: 28
Speed: 32
Moves:
Tail Whip
Bash*
Pursuit
Flash
Faint Attack

No new attacks.
 


Mina recalls her Gyarados not long afterwards. “ Ready to go? ”
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded. That was mostly how he had hoped the turn would go. Less spent a second of internal debate on whether to call for Fire Fang or Bite, before deciding to use the more damaging move.  "Buck, Fire Fang the Raticate!" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Spoiler: Level-up stuff 
For EVs on the cosmas, we'll just put everything in Speed for now. Also, can I check the pokedex for evolution information and its move list? Oh, and is there a way to upgrade Magic Guard? Just so I know if there's an item I should look for before trying for evolutions (if it has one.)
 


Mark kept up his training while Mina was gone, though the second time she goes to find berries and comes back, she returns to find that Mark had grabbed them some granola bars, crackers and cheese from the pokemon center to snack on. It might not be much, but she'd seemed frustrated earlier, and none of them had eaten well yesterday, so maybe it would help.

Once training was done, he recalled his spectral pokemon and nods to Mina.  "Yup, let's get out of here."  No reason to keep the starlight squad lieutenant waiting, after all.
essCee
Without much else in the way of options, Pinklady continues to hope for Whirlywhirly waking up.  "Bug Bite the Raticate, Whirlywhirly!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Whirlywhirly wakes up!
Whirlywhirly uses Bug Bite!
Critical hit!
Raticate is hit for 94 damage!
Raticate faints!

Buck slows to a stop as his target is recalled.

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!

And just like that the battle is over. Your victory is announced over the speakers and the elevator lifts you out of sight of the battlefield.

((Do you want to heal before the next match? DM reminder: You will incur a 1 round penalty if you do so.))


Buck: 60/106

Blast Bolt: 13/97 (recalled)
Whirlywhirly: 75/90

 Fearow: 0/83 
 Vigoroth: 0/100 
 Raticate: 0/75 
 Weepinbell: 0/88 
 Moghog: 0/102 
 Gloom: 0/80 

----------------

Mark and Mina:

 
 Spoiler: Mark’s Cosmas – now with more EVs! 

Pokémon: Cosmas
Type: Dark/Spectral
Ability: Magic Guard
Gender: Male
Level: 18
Held Item: Power Weight
Stats--
HP: 47  +3 
Attack: 32
Def: 24
Sp. Attack: 30
Sp. Def: 28
Speed: 32 +13
Moves:
Tail Whip
Bash*
Pursuit
Flash
Faint Attack
 


The Pokédex informs Mark that Cosmas evolves into something called Stellas at level 35, and again into Eversal after that if exposed to a Dusk Stone. It does have an Ability ‘upgrade’ – giving it a Sacred Talisman to hold during evolution will turn Magic Guard into Magic Veil.

 
 Spoiler: Magic Veil 
Magic Guard + Shrouds self and allies in Safeguard as long as it's on the field and for five rounds afterward.
 


Mina thanks Mark for the food; it does seem to cheer her up somewhat.

(In Ceris: )

Lijan isn't at the Pokémon Center. The pair have to ask around a bit, but the nurse is able to direct them to the bar. Being peak meal time it’s packed and noisy, with a fast-paced fight between an Absol and a Seviper going on in the background. A long line of trainers snakes along the back wall, waiting for their chance to battle.

After a quick look around they find Lijan having dinner – he’s alone at the table but with extra chairs. He motions for Mark and Mina to sit. “Hello, Mark, Mina. I understand you’ve been quite busy. I trust your plans are proceeding well?”
Gnomes2169
Mark looked at what Magic Veil does, then looked again.  "... Good Arceus."  That was basically a counter to, like, 90% of Bandra's over-all strategy outside of raw damage moves if it was combined with Mist. They needed another Sacred Talisman. He needed to evolve this space blob. When Mina returned, he showed her his pokedex with the ability pulled up while also giving her the cheese, so that she knew why they needed another Sacred Talisman.

((Ceris - Meeting with Lijan))

But that was a future Mark problem. Current Mark was 17 levels from being able to actually use this strategy, and he had a meeting to get to. When they found Lijan, Mark took the seat across from him and looks around the room for other Starlight Squad members before responding. In a public space like this, filled with other trainers, he was going to have to be careful with how he phrased things.  "As I told you before, we've had some complications. I'm not sure if you've heard rumors about Team Rocket and Bandra having an altercation, but those are true. Team Rocket came here... and they abducted Matt, one of the people we were working with."  He wasn't sure if Lijan had personally met the man, but he was pretty sure that the people in this region would know of him, since he'd been one of the 'heroes' that had raided the Shrine of Light.  "At the same time, me, Mina and two other people we are working with went to investigate and rescue shadowed pokemon that Bandra had attached trackers to out in the Springs. Bandra converted one of the resorts there into some kind of research center or observation post or something... regardless, I made a full report to the rangers, but we managed to rescue a few pokemon and capture, injure or take the teams from a good number of grunts,"  Well, there had been at least twenty five injured grunts* left behind between them  and  those fire types that had started that brushfire in addition to the eleven that had been captured, but that detail wasn't important,  "but my gardevoir was injured during the event, so between that and the loss of Matt we've had to delay our plans." 

That should catch the lieutenant up on everything relevant to what they'd been coordinating before, and Mark was pretty sure he was vague enough about it to not give away anything of vital importance.  "Last time we met,"  Literally yesterday,  "you discussed some of your plans as well. How have things been going on your end?" 
 
 Spoiler: Injured grunts math 
I'm basing this on some relatively conservative estimates. We know that Connie hit  all  of the grunts in the Skorupi area with her attacks, which had been shown to cause mild to moderate injuries even before she buffed herself to be able to punch the face of god. Assuming those were  minimum  sized groups (there were about 3-5 grunts per group, iirc), that's 12 grunts by itself.

Connie also flattened 5 grunts in the fire with a swift, and while those might have been mostly minor injuries, they were still direct hits that were hard enough to knock them down, knock them out, or at least audibly  crunch  on impact, so that brings us up to 17 (5 potentially minor, though one got hit in the face).

Sengar hunted down two grunts who were running away with pursuit, which doubles its power against switching/ fleeing targets, and he had  zero  reason to not go for crippling or even killing strikes given his backstory and there being no one to hod him back... so I'm going to assume it's safe to say they at least got hamstrung, and set that to 19 injured grunts (5 potentially minor, 2 isolated in an ashen environment).

Which leaves the ones injured by the fire types, which we never got an accurate count of. But from the description (of the area being  littered  with KO'd grunts and their pokemon) I'm going to say there were  at least  10. One of those was picked up in the jeep, and Tattersail teleported three of them back to Rieva with her. That leaves six more injured grunts in the ashes, for a total estimate of 25 injured, non-captured grunts between us and the shadowed pokemon (5 potentially minor, 6 left in an ashen environment with help about to arrive, 2 isolated in an ashen environment).

So I'm not just pulling that number out of my butt! I made sure to go back and  count.  😛

... That impromptu raid has probably been our most effective attack in this entire RP.
 
Lord Ruby34
Less let out a sigh of relief. Even up to the end that could have gone badly, if Whirlywhirly had kept sleeping and Buck had missed his attack . . . But that hadn't happened. Instead, Less called Buck back over.

 "Well fought, my friend."  Less said, his voice sincere. Turning to his battle partner, Less advised,  "We should probably heal. I don't think we're going to manage a time bonus either way, and increasing our odds of victory seems like our best path forward." 
 
 Spoiler: Grunt Math 

I didn't realize we had done quite so much damage. Hopefully the pile of injured grunts is enough to slow down Bandra at least a little bit!

Someone should probably also talk to Less and Connie about their tactics. Those two are probably going to kill someone sooner or later. 😛
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

(pre-Lijan: )

Mina looked over the info on Mark’s Pokédex. “ Drat, we’re going to need a bunch of those. ” Three for each of the party’s Cosmas, and they really needed more than one for Purification purposes too…and three Dusk Stones…  Well at least we have plenty of time to look.   “ I think at some point we need to get everyone together again, and put together lists of everything we need. Then we can all keep our eyes open. ”

(Lijan: )

Mina also sat down.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "As I told you before, we've had some complications. I'm not sure if you've heard rumors about Team Rocket and Bandra having an altercation, but those are true. Team Rocket came here... and they abducted Matt, one of the people we were working with."  
 

Lijan’s gaze always looked somewhat spacey, but now it also seemed downcast, and he made a gesture over his heart. “I am sorry to hear that. I only met him on one occasion, but it was clear he had a good heart, and the people of Helnith will always remember his deeds in their service.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "At the same time, me, Mina and two other people we are working with went to investigate and rescue shadowed pokemon that Bandra had attached trackers to out in the Springs. Bandra converted one of the resorts there into some kind of research center or observation post or something... regardless, I made a full report to the rangers, but we managed to rescue a few pokemon and capture, injure or take the teams from a good number of grunts,"  Well, there had been at least twenty five injured grunts* left behind between them  and  those fire types that had started that brushfire in addition to the eleven that had been captured, but that detail wasn't important,  "but my gardevoir was injured during the event, so between that and the loss of Matt we've had to delay our plans."  
 

“Tetherburn Springs?” Lijan smiled tentatively, the faraway look in his eyes clouding the expression further. “We must celebrate any blow that can be made against Bandra, no matter the size. Still, I hope your Pokémon makes a full recovery soon.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Last time we met,"  Literally yesterday,  "you discussed some of your plans as well. How have things been going on your end?"  
 

“I may have found you some assistance; one of my people volunteered to help with the mission you had originally planned. I hesitate to commit them, however, if the time frame has changed drastically. Bandra will have its own plans in motion and they may be needed elsewhere.”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

((I’ll let you two discuss a little longer.))
essCee
After recalling and praising Whirlywhirly, Pinklady answers Less,  "It might be a bit risky, but... I think it might be worth it to hold back on healing just now. Half our Pokemon didn't even see battle, and those that did aren't down for the count, plus, that battle showed just how dangerous being just one turn behind can be. What do you think about waiting on healing and instead try out our Water-types leading?" 
Lord Ruby34
 "Ah,"  Less said, furrowing his brow.  "I think the penalty is applied to the battle point bonus earned by out final time, at the end of four rounds, not given to our opponents to use. But given that the purpose of this exercise is to promote teamwork and coordination, it might be worth starting at less than our full strength. We may well find ourselves in that situation when fighting Bandra."  Less shrugged.  "I leave the decision to you. But we should probably start with different leads, and our water types make sense as a leading pair. I know I rely on Buck overmuch, and there are foes he is ill-equipped to handle."  Less suppressed a bitter thought about the old monk. He would deal with the man later.

 
 Spoiler: Question 

I assume we can't use TM's or change held items in the middle of challenge?

If we can, I keep forgetting to use this natural gift TM, and would like to use it on Princess, forgetting Swift, and give her the Niptir berry. If I can't no big deal.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 (pre-Lijan: )

Mina looked over the info on Mark’s Pokédex. “ Drat, we’re going to need a bunch of those. ” Three for each of the party’s Cosmas, and they really needed more than one for Purification purposes too…and three Dusk Stones…  Well at least we have plenty of time to look.   “ I think at some point we need to get everyone together again, and put together lists of everything we need. Then we can all keep our eyes open. ” 
 

((Pre-Lijan))

 "Yeah, it's more for future M and M..."  Mark sighed, rubbing at his chin. It was going to take a long time. The Dusk stones would be relatively easy to track down, the archeology club and the shop they supplied in the mall/ university would be the place to go for those. The talismans, though...  "We should talk to one of the Elders or the rangers about where the talismans come from, even just having extras before we need them is going to be helpful given how much Bandra is doing with shadowed pokemon. We should plan to look into that when... whenever we run out of super important things to do."  Like that was ever going to happen.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 (Lijan: )

Lijan’s gaze always looked somewhat spacey, but now it also seemed downcast, and he made a gesture over his heart. “I am sorry to hear that. I only met him on one occasion, but it was clear he had a good heart, and the people of Helnith will always remember his deeds in their service.” 
 

Mark nodded along silently at Lijan's words, his eyes closing for a moment and his lips pinching together, but he was here to get down to business. Wallowing in self-pity wasn't going to help anyone.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Tetherburn Springs?” Lijan smiled tentatively, the faraway look in his eyes clouding the expression further. “We must celebrate any blow that can be made against Bandra, no matter the size. Still, I hope your Pokémon makes a full recovery soon.”

“I may have found you some assistance; one of my people volunteered to help with the mission you had originally planned. I hesitate to commit them, however, if the time frame has changed drastically. Bandra will have its own plans in motion and they may be needed elsewhere.” 
 

Lijan's words clicked in his head, and as Mark talked his subconscious put them together, and a picture formed.  "So, my gardevoir will be in intensive care until the end of tomorrow, we'll see what the nurse says then. But if we're going to talk about grand strategy, big picture things, then..."  He glanced about and tapped his robotic fingers on the table while ordering his thoughts.  "In the Tetherburn Springs area, we captured eleven grunts, and at least twenty others are injured."  Mark didn't know just how many grunts Connie had mowed down in the last fight but felt safe saying that.  "Their forces there were hit hard. How they respond to that will tell us how important that area is to them. If you have people you trust to observe Bandra's movements, think about sending one or two out that way." 

He felt like Lijan should be able to piece together his idea: If Bandra sent in reinforcements to make sure it stayed under their control, then they might be spreading themselves thinner elsewhere that the Starlight Squad could take advantage of, and it might delay further Bandra attacks. If they  didn't  reinforce the area and tried to keep hold of it, it might be a place to attack again to try and capture more of them and weaken Bandra's northern forces further, but this time with a plan instead of it being just something that the good guys stumbled into. And if they abandoned it... that was probably the worst option for the good guys, actually. The Springs didn't seem particularly fortified, and it would mean Bandra's uninjured forces could be spread elsewhere, and everyone should be on higher alert.

If Lijan didn't pick that up himself, then Mark was certain that his Alakazam was able to read Mark's mind and relay the idea to the lieutenant. Tattersail wasn't in any condition to shield her trainer's mind at the moment, after all, and he was pretty sure the Alakazam was a stronger pokemon over-all and could work around what protection she provided Mark in that department anyway.

After drumming his fingers a bit more on the table, Mark asked a potentially unpopular question.  "Have you been talking to the other half of the Squad to try and coordinate things?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

(pre-Lijan: )


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We should talk to one of the Elders or the rangers about where the talismans come from, even just having extras before we need them is going to be helpful given how much Bandra is doing with shadowed pokemon. We should plan to look into that when... whenever we run out of super important things to do."  
 

“ The girl at the Skybreak Gym said we could dig for them, ” Mina replied, internally pleased that particular item didn’t need to be added to their already lengthy to-do list. “ And I saw a sign for one in the jewelry section at the Department Store, though it looked like they were sold out at the time. ”

(Lijan: )


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Lijan's words clicked in his head, and as Mark talked his subconscious put them together, and a picture formed.  "So, my gardevoir will be in intensive care until the end of tomorrow, we'll see what the nurse says then. But if we're going to talk about grand strategy, big picture things, then..."  He glanced about and tapped his robotic fingers on the table while ordering his thoughts.  "In the Tetherburn Springs area, we captured eleven grunts, and at least twenty others are injured."  Mark didn't know just how many grunts Connie had mowed down in the last fight but felt safe saying that.  "Their forces there were hit hard. How they respond to that will tell us how important that area is to them. If you have people you trust to observe Bandra's movements, think about sending one or two out that way."  
 

“Thank you. I will see what I can arrange,” Lijan replies.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 After drumming his fingers a bit more on the table, Mark asked a potentially unpopular question.  "Have you been talking to the other half of the Squad to try and coordinate things?"  
 

“No. Sesh maintains that I murdered Elren. Matt was going to look into proving my innocence to the rest of the Squad, but if he found anything it never came into my hands.”
essCee
 "Oh! It not being a free turn for our opponents does make more sense... in that case, I think we should both get healed and change our leads!" 

(I'm good to immediately move onto next battle if Less responds with an affirmative and doesn't raise anything else, leading with Croaky.)
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 (pre-Lijan: )

“ The girl at the Skybreak Gym said we could dig for them, ” Mina replied, internally pleased that particular item didn’t need to be added to their already lengthy to-do list. “ And I saw a sign for one in the jewelry section at the Department Store, though it looked like they were sold out at the time. ” 
 

 "Ah, so we can work with the archeology club for those too... and should try mining while we don't have money. Probably going to be more effective around the Shrine if we're looking for artifacts."  Of course, just working these odd jobs for money was something they were planning to do anyway, so just saving up and  buying  these things once they came in stock was still viable. Maybe they could pre-order/ reserve/ commission them from the jewelry shop... though that would be more expensive.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 (Lijan: )

“No. Sesh maintains that I murdered Elren. Matt was going to look into proving my innocence to the rest of the Squad, but if he found anything it never came into my hands.” 
 

Mark's forehead scrunched and he asked,  "Do you know  why  he's accusing you of murdering Elren?"  It would be easier to prove Lijan's innocence if they knew the evidence against him.  "And would you mind if we started trying to coordinate with his half of the Starlight Squad as well? We've been working with you, but we aren't actually  part  of the Squad, and we're provably opposing Bandra. Heroes of Helnith and all that. It would make us good intermediaries to keep the Squad working together despite its divisions."  The only people that benefitted from a broken-up Starlight Squad were Bandra, so trying to patch that up and keeping the Squad focused on their real enemy in the meantime was going to be top-priority.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh! It not being a free turn for our opponents does make more sense... in that case, I think we should both get healed and change our leads!" 

(I'm good to immediately move onto next battle if Less responds with an affirmative and doesn't raise anything else, leading with Croaky.) 
 

Less nodded in response,  and prepared to lead with Princess.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

The two of you get your Pokémon healed ((+1 round penalty)) and the lift takes you to your next match.

You send out Croaky and Princess!

Your opponents send out Meditite and Koffing!


Croaky: 77/77

Princess: 92/92

Meditite: 65/65

Koffing: 69/69

----------------

Mark and Mina:

(pre-Lijan: )

Mina didn’t have anything further to add so she just nodded.

(Lijan: )


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark's forehead scrunched and he asked,  "Do you know  why  he's accusing you of murdering Elren?"  It would be easier to prove Lijan's innocence if they knew the evidence against him. 
 

“Because Elren was poisoned. Most believe he died during the attack on Ternai Town – that  is  technically true, but he was dead before Bandra could reach him.”

“ Poisoned how? ” Mina asked.

“We found out afterwards the poison was in his bandages. Only Sesh and I and perhaps a handful of others had close enough access to him in that time frame to perform the deed.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And would you mind if we started trying to coordinate with his half of the Starlight Squad as well? We've been working with you, but we aren't actually  part  of the Squad, and we're provably opposing Bandra. Heroes of Helnith and all that. It would make us good intermediaries to keep the Squad working together despite its divisions."  
 

“If you can convince Sesh to allow it, or find some other means to accomplish that, by all means do so. As we are we are badly crippled in our ability to strike at Bandra, and every day that passes the Starlight Squad grows weaker and weaker as our members grow understandably frustrated with our current impasse.”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Because Elren was poisoned. Most believe he died during the attack on Ternai Town – that  is  technically true, but he was dead before Bandra could reach him.”

“ Poisoned how? ” Mina asked.

“We found out afterwards the poison was in his bandages. Only Sesh and I and perhaps a handful of others had close enough access to him in that time frame to perform the deed.” 
 

Oh. Poisoned. That... had problematic implications.  "Do we know the type of poison? And who else had access?"  Mark asked after a few seconds of consideration.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “If you can convince Sesh to allow it, or find some other means to accomplish that, by all means do so. As we are we are badly crippled in our ability to strike at Bandra, and every day that passes the Starlight Squad grows weaker and weaker as our members grow understandably frustrated with our current impasse.” 
 

 "I'll do my best."  He promised.  "I  should  have time to stop by there when Tattersail is returned to me... they are still in Skybreak, right?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Oh. Poisoned. That... had problematic implications.  "Do we know the type of poison? And who else had access?"  Mark asked after a few seconds of consideration. 
 

“The report I received identified it as originating from a Pokémon attack; Toxic or similar. As for who had access, there was myself and Sesh of course, the Pokémon Center staff, and perhaps a handful of other members of the Squad.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'll do my best."  He promised.  "I  should  have time to stop by there when Tattersail is returned to me... they are still in Skybreak, right?"  
 

“As I understand it Sesh and the others are camped just north of Skybreak, not within the city proper. The Gym Leader there, Cassilda, is largely in charge of the city’s defense and has refused them entry.”
Lord Ruby34
That Meditite was a threat to Princess, with her new typing, but maybe . . .  "Pinklady, would you like to try focusing fire on the trainer to the left and try to run them out of Pokemon?" 

To Princess, Less ordered her to perform a Knock off on the Psychic Type. If only Princess had a stronger attacking move . . .
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mark and Mina:

“The report I received identified it as originating from a Pokémon attack; Toxic or similar. As for who had access, there was myself and Sesh of course, the Pokémon Center staff, and perhaps a handful of other members of the Squad.” 
 

 "And I'm guessing that all of you have pokemon that could learn a poison move like that, right?"  Mark asked, certain that this couldn't just be a simple case.  "And if only one or two of you did, this was an assassination. Bandra could have  given  the killer the pokemon necessary for the crime... but if they  did , then there would be a record of that in the form of a trade, transfer or new capture. We might be able to look into that. Can you write down the names of everyone who  could  have had access to Elren and his bandages?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “As I understand it Sesh and the others are camped just north of Skybreak, not within the city proper. The Gym Leader there, Cassilda, is largely in charge of the city’s defense and has refused them entry.” 
 

 "That will make them easier to get to, at least."  Though Mark was a bit confused about the reasons why they weren't allowed in the city. Maybe he'd go to the gym leader first and ask why they refused to let Sesh's group in...  "Mina, we were planning to pick up a job or two from the university tomorrow before looking for Riolu's trainer. Mind if I tag along to Skybreak to talk to Cassilda? I could hold our place in line while you check your berries."  It would require waking up  very  early in the morning, but Mark had embraced the idea that his life was suffering.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

((Waiting on essCee. 🙂))

----------------

Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And I'm guessing that all of you have pokemon that could learn a poison move like that, right?"  
 

“The vast majority of Pokémon can learn Toxic, yes. And there may be other attacks with a similar effect, making the list even longer.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And if only one or two of you did, this was an assassination. "  
 

“I’m sorry to say that was  never  in doubt.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Bandra could have  given  the killer the pokemon necessary for the crime... but if they  did , then there would be a record of that in the form of a trade, transfer or new capture. We might be able to look into that. Can you write down the names of everyone who  could  have had access to Elren and his bandages?"  
 

“I can do my best, but I must warn you not all of those people made it out of Ternai Town.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina, we were planning to pick up a job or two from the university tomorrow before looking for Riolu's trainer. Mind if I tag along to Skybreak to talk to Cassilda? I could hold our place in line while you check your berries."  It would require waking up  very  early in the morning, but Mark had embraced the idea that his life was suffering. 
 

“ Tomorrow? Remember I told Less I’d take him up north to Siltis tomorrow, ” Mina reminded. (Said Pokémon was napping in her pack presently, or he probably would have had something to say on the subject.) “ …if we get in right at the end of curfew, we’ll need to be out by 10AM; I have Berries that should be ready by then, and they can’t wait; the wild Pokémon have been raiding them. Remind me to talk to Less, and see if he’s okay waiting until lunch time. ” He’d said he’d be willing to go without her, but that was a lengthy hike and Less was  probably  on Bandra’s hit list by now…and he’d mentioned a garden that needed to be weeded and she’d hoped to detour to Dewdrop and…

She really needed to sit down and hammer things out so she could plan these things better. Prioritize. And possibly drop some hints to the rest of the group to start finding their own fast transportation. Even Teleporting she couldn’t be in two places at once.

“ …and we probably shouldn’t try to schedule that one job on the coast until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. ” She realized she’d been off on a tangent and Lijan was still there. “ Sorry, I’ll shut up. ”
essCee
Pinklady nods.  "Good idea! Croaky! Use Bubblebeam on that Meditite!" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “The vast majority of Pokémon can learn Toxic, yes. And there may be other attacks with a similar effect, making the list even longer.”

"I can do my best, but I must warn you not all of those people made it out of Ternai Town.” 
 

 "Any information we can get is important. Knowing who  had  a pokemon capable of the deed, or figuring out if someone got one suspiciously close to Elren's death, can work as evidence by itself... especially if they're still agents in the Squad."  Of course, if it had been one of the people who stayed in Ternai, then... well, they didn't need to be uncovered as a spy, at least.

And if Lijan was the traitor, then Mark would need to be  careful  as he went through the lieutenant's lists when he compared it to anything he could get from Sesh. This was already a headache.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Tomorrow? Remember I told Less I’d take him up north to Siltis tomorrow, ” Mina reminded. (Said Pokémon was napping in her pack presently, or he probably would have had something to say on the subject.) “ …if we get in right at the end of curfew, we’ll need to be out by 10AM; I have Berries that should be ready by then, and they can’t wait; the wild Pokémon have been raiding them. Remind me to talk to Less, and see if he’s okay waiting until lunch time... and we probably shouldn’t try to schedule that one job on the coast until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. ” 
 

Ah, crud, the coastline footprint casting one was the main one that Mark had been thinking about, since it was worth more money, but Mina was right about waiting on it until they had Tattersail back. She was still the strongest psychic type on the team, and if they needed to run (say, from the coastal marauding Bandra officer murdering Officer Jennies by the dozens,) then teleporting the whole group at once would be important.  "Fair point. Remind me to go to the gym once 'Sail is recovered and I can zwoop around on my own power. What we  can  do once we've dropped Less off and tended to your berries, though, is stop in Hillsbreak to pick up the samples from the breeder there. We shouldn't need to go to the university before hand for that job."  Plus, they pretty much needed to go to Hillsbreak anyway, since they had been planning to go look around Snakestone Cavern for signs of Riolu's trainer after Less was dropped off. It was the closest friendly town to the cavern, after all...


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  She realized she’d been off on a tangent and Lijan was still there. “ Sorry, I’ll shut up. ” 
 

Mark faced Mina to look her in the eyes, gently setting a hand on the table next to her palm-up as he said,  "Please, don't. You're here because I value your input and you're smarter than me."  And less forgetful, and more important, and better looking... he didn't say any of those thoughts out loud, though. They were self-evident, after all.  "Bringing up how tight our schedule is will always be important when I'm trying to add more dumb things to it, and Lijan should know our availability.  Looking back at Lijan, he said  "We'll be searching for an Aura Master most of our day tomorrow, or at least talking to people to see if there's been any sign of them, so I'll need to visit the gym and see about meeting with Sesh the day  after  tomorrow."  He wiggled a finger on his mechanical hand around in the air as if mentally shifting things on a schedule. After a moment, he adds,  "It would also probably be a good day to go find that surfer with the HM and get a trainer battle with him."  Mark should have evolved his new fish by then and could probably have his corphish evolved by that time too, so he'd have three level 30+ water types to use for that.  "Perhaps we could get the casts done in the afternoon or evening that day."  But that was going into the 'maybe' category.

Sitting up, Mark asked,  "Is there anything else you wanted to add or ask of us right now? If not, we can leave you to your meal."  He and Mina were basically broke after the mall, as far as he was aware, so buying food, even bar food, was a bit out of budget.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Meditite uses Fake Out!
Critical hit!
Croaky is hit for 32 damage!
Croaky flinches!

Croaky flinches!

Princess uses Knock Off!

The combatants see a Black Belt go flying off the Meditite. Being part Fighting type, however, the blow doesn’t seem to do much actual damage.

Meditite is hit for 17 damage!

Koffing uses Toxic!
Princess is badly poisoned!

Princess loses 5 HP due to poison!


Croaky: 45/77

Princess: 87/92 (Badly Poisoned 1 round)

Meditite: 48/65

Koffing: 69/69

----------------

Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark faced Mina to look her in the eyes, gently setting a hand on the table next to her palm-up as he said,  "Please, don't. You're here because I value your input and you're smarter than me."  
 

Mina took his hand and squeezed it. “ Flatterer. I am not. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We'll be searching for an Aura Master most of our day tomorrow, or at least talking to people to see if there's been any sign of them, so I'll need to visit the gym and see about meeting with Sesh the day  after  tomorrow."  He wiggled a finger on his mechanical hand around in the air as if mentally shifting things on a schedule. After a moment, he adds,  "It would also probably be a good day to go find that surfer with the HM and get a trainer battle with him."  Mark should have evolved his new fish by then and could probably have his corphish evolved by that time too, so he'd have three level 30+ water types to use for that.  "Perhaps we could get the casts done in the afternoon or evening that day."  But that was going into the 'maybe' category. 
 

“HM?” Lijan asked, looking briefly puzzled.

“ Surf HM, ” Mina filled in.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Sitting up, Mark asked,  "Is there anything else you wanted to add or ask of us right now? If not, we can leave you to your meal."  He and Mina were basically broke after the mall, as far as he was aware, so buying food, even bar food, was a bit out of budget. 
 

“I have nothing to ask at the moment. I’ll send the list over to Nurse Joy, I should have it completed tonight or tomorrow morning.”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina took his hand and squeezed it. “ Flatterer. I am not. ” 
 

He grinned when she took his hand and squeezed back.  "Agree to disagree."  He quipped, knowing that he could be very,  very  dumb at times, despite moments of creativity or brilliance.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I have nothing to ask at the moment. I’ll send the list over to Nurse Joy, I should have it completed tonight or tomorrow morning.” 
 

 "I'll make sure to check in with the nurse."  With that, he let go of Mina's hand so that he could stand up and wave to Lijan.  "Talk to you soon, probably." 

Once he and Mina were outside of the bar, Mark paused and tucked his hands in his pockets. Looking up at the sunset, he said,  "Well, that was... a day, and thank you for all the transportation you did throughout it. We were super freaking busy. Got some stuff done, I'm on my way to being a plant dad, all of our pokemon are deshadowed, Matt's..."  Mark's voice trailed off, and his organic hand reached up to press at the heat building up around his eyes. No, no it wasn't the right time to ask her out, there was too much baggage still hanging over the day, maybe even the whole week. Taking in a breath and clearing his throat to steady himself, he let his hand drop and he said,  "I'm thinking we eat brinner tonight. Pop on over to the Rieva center, since they'll have more stuff and 'Sail is there. Make some pancakes and scrambled eggs, maybe waffles if they have an iron and... get some evening to late-night fish training done."  He did want to make sure to evolve his two-stage water types sometime tomorrow, which meant either lots of wild pokemon battles or some hours of dedicated training. Putting his hand back in his pocket he finished by asking,  "Sound good to you?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Lijan bid both trainers good night as they left.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm thinking we eat brinner tonight. Pop on over to the Rieva center, since they'll have more stuff and 'Sail is there. Make some pancakes and scrambled eggs, maybe waffles if they have an iron and... get some evening to late-night fish training done."  He did want to make sure to evolve his two-stage water types sometime tomorrow, which meant either lots of wild pokemon battles or some hours of dedicated training. Putting his hand back in his pocket he finished by asking,  "Sound good to you?"  
 

“ That sounds great, ” Mina agreed. “ But we should also touch base with the others, at some point. Either tonight or tomorrow morning. ” Mina needed to talk to Less about the schedule for heading up to Siltis, if nothing else.
Lord Ruby34
Princess,  "Bubblebeam that Meditite!" 
essCee
"Try again, Croaky! Bubblebeam on the Meditite!"

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

No colour cuz mobile rn and for some reason it messes up the picker :P
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ That sounds great, ” Mina agreed. “ But we should also touch base with the others, at some point. Either tonight or tomorrow morning. ” Mina needed to talk to Less about the schedule for heading up to Siltis, if nothing else. 
 

 "I'll give Pinklady a call while we're cooking."  He should make sure he had her contact info in his 'recently called' section so that he could actually find her when things got tense. He hadn't really talked to her much either, so should try fixing that.  "She and Less were doing stuff in Trainer Hill, but the last matches there should be ending right around now, figure that will give them enough time to finish up." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Croaky uses Bubblebeam!
Meditite is hit for 26 damage!

Meditite uses Calm Mind!
Meditite’s Special Attack rises!
Meditite’s Special Defense rises!

Princess uses Bubblebeam!
Meditite is hit for 27 damage!
Meditite faints!

Koffing uses Toxic!
Croaky is badly poisoned!

Princess loses 10 HP due to poison!
Croaky loses 4 HP due to poison!

The Meditite’s trainer – a boy in his mid-teens, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt – recalls the Fighting type and sends out a Scyther.


Croaky: 41/77 (Badly Poisoned 1 round)

Princess: 77/92 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds)

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 85/85

Koffing: 69/69

----------------

Mark and Mina:

“ Sounds good, ” Mina agreed. “ Anything else we need to do here before we head back to Rieva? ”
Gnomes2169
Mark thought about Cerise but ended up shaking his head.  "We might want to ask professional pokemon contest goers for help when we start making poffins, but that's something that we can handle later, when we have the berry stocks to actually do that."  Bandra might have a bunch of grunts working on poffin production, but Mark couldn't see most of those idiots making much in the way of quality pokemon snacks.  "No, I'm good to go." 
Lord Ruby34
With both of the Team's Pokemon hit by Toxic, there were two possible tactics their enemies might employ, a double protect, as a way to hurt Princess and Croaky, or a bug type attack into Princess. Either could be countered by switching.  "Good job Princess, return! Buck, go!" 
essCee
 "Bubblebeam on the Scyther now!"  Pinklady instructs. She doesn't consider the double-protect Less did; her reasoning was much more simple - that it was all the more urgent to take down the opponents before the poison did too much damage.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark thought about Cerise but ended up shaking his head.  "We might want to ask professional pokemon contest goers for help when we start making poffins, but that's something that we can handle later, when we have the berry stocks to actually do that."  Bandra might have a bunch of grunts working on poffin production, but Mark couldn't see most of those idiots making much in the way of quality pokemon snacks.  "No, I'm good to go."  
 

“ All right then! ”

Mina had Xatu take them to the Rieva Pokémon Center and then made a bee-line for the Center’s kitchen. Being dinner time, there were a few trainers already present and making use of the facilities. Mina set to searching the cupboards for a waffle iron and a pan.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

Less recalls Princess!
Less send out Buck!
Opposing Pokémon are Intimidated by Buck!

Though a professional may be predictable, it seems the world is full of atmateurs. Neither opponent calls for Protect nor do any Bug moves manifest.

Scyther uses Vacuum Wave!

As the Bug type attacks, you notice something like the machine an eye doctor would use, but smaller and portable, on its person.

Critical hit!
Buck is hit for 22 damage!

Croaky uses Bubblebeam!
Scyther is hit for 17 damage!

Koffing uses Substitute!

The Poison type focuses, and a Koffing-shaped construct of energy manifests in front of it – similar to Double Team, but at the same time cruder and yet more solid-looking.

Koffing created a substitute!
Koffing loses 17 HP!

Croaky loses 8 HP due to poison!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


Croaky: 33/77 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds)

Princess: 77/92 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds, recalled)
Buck: 90/106

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 68/85 (Intimidated)

Koffing: 56/69 (Intimidated, Substitute: 17 HP)
Lord Ruby34
Less narrowed his eyes. Hopefully the bug type simply didn't know protect. "Buck, hit that Bug type with a Fire Fang!"
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ All right then! ”

Mina had Xatu take them to the Rieva Pokémon Center and then made a bee-line for the Center’s kitchen. Being dinner time, there were a few trainers already present and making use of the facilities. Mina set to searching the cupboards for a waffle iron and a pan. 
 

Once they were in the kitchen, Mark began looking through the pantry for flour, eggs and milk, or just for pancake mix if there was any. Once he'd gotten all the ingredients and a mixing bowl out, he pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts to find Pinklady and gave her a call.
essCee
Assured in Buck's strength and speed to take down the Scyther - and realising anyways that Croaky was slower than it - Pinklady made a sudden diversion from the focus-fire plan in order to undo the Koffing's progress. While she wasn't quite familiar with the sort of shenanigans a Substitute could enable, she got the feeling it wouldn't be a good idea to let it stay up.  "Croaky, Bubblebeam the Koffing this time!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

The trainer with the Scyther is biting his lip and you get the impression he’s considering something risky. At last he pulls a Pokéball from his belt and—

Your opponent recalls Scyther!
Your opponent sends out Ninetails!

Buck uses Fire Fang!

The attack lands…and is promptly absorbed, the Ninetails glowing softly with heat now but otherwise unaffected.

Croaky uses Bubblebeam!
Koffing’s Substitute is hit for 17 damage!

The Substitute shifts in front of the Poison type, absorbing the hit before dissolving. The trainer with the Scyther and the Ninetails lets out a single bark of relieved laughter before his partner scolds him loudly enough you can even make out the word: “ Focus! ”

Koffing uses Toxic!

Buck is nimble for his age, but not nimble enough, and the attack grazes him – and that’s all it takes for the poison to set in.

Buck is badly poisoned!

Croaky loses 12 HP due to poison!
Buck loses 6 HP due to poison!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


Croaky: 21/77 (Badly Poisoned 3 rounds)

Princess: 77/92 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds, recalled)
Buck: 90/106 (Badly Poisoned 1 round)

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 68/85 (recalled)
Ninetails: 93/93 (Intimidated, Flash Fire boost)

Koffing: 60/69 (Intimidated)

----------------

Pinklady (Mark’s call):

Around dinner time your Pokédex informs you of an incoming call; it’s Mark.
Lord Ruby34
To Pinklady, Less whispered.  "I'll give you an opportunity. With that speed boost we might only get one chance to hit that Ninetails hard. Buck, intercept any attack against Croaky!"
 
Less hadn't expected his opponent to have a flash fire Pokemon, but they could still make them pay for that speed boost. Neither Nine-tails or Scyther were known for their staying power.
essCee
Pinklady nodded.  "Croaky, Bubblebeam that Ninetails!"  She was a bit worried - Croaky wasn't doing so well, and of course Whirlywhirly wouldn't be very good against the Ninetails. Still, worst comes to worst, Less still had Princess...

----------------

(Around dinner time):

Pinklady takes the call immediately.  "Oh, hi Mark! What's up!" 
Gnomes2169
Holding the phone with his shoulder while he set all the ingredients on the kitchen counter, Mark said,  "Hey Pinklady! Just calling to check in, see how you're doing, and to talk about plans for tomorrow. Me, Mina and Less were going north to do a few things, do you have anything you wanted help with?" 
essCee
(Around dinner time):

 "Thanks for the check-in! I don't really have any particular help to request, mostly because I don't have any plans for tomorrow... in fact, I'd like to ask if you have anything particularly productive I could do! Otherwise, I'm planning to just train and maybe do some mining." 
Gnomes2169
 "Hmmm..."  Mark tried to remember the jobs that had been on the university billboard, and he said,  "Well, there is a job in Skybreak's university to deliver supplies to the Shrine of Light. It's a bit of a walk, but if you were going mining in a friendly place, then..."  He transitioned his phone from his shoulder to his hand and moved his batter supplies to the side, giving counter space to anyone else who wanted it.  "Otherwise, Mina and I will be going to Hillsbreak to look for signs of a riolu's trainer, and I  think  Less was going to be doing things in his old house? Oh, speaking of, could you check in with Less and confirm what he's doing and when he wants to go?" 
essCee
 "Oh, sure thing!"  Pinklady calls over to Less (assuming they're not splitting up before suppertime! Ruby, please let me know if you did plan to have Less split so I can adjust this post if so.) without pulling her dex away or covering the mic,  "Hey, Less! Mark's on the phone! He's asking you to confirm that you're heading to your old house tomorrow and wants to know when you'll want to go." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Buck positions himself protectively in front of Croaky. The Ninetales’ trainer looks taken aback.

Ninetales uses Swift!
Buck is hit for 23 damage!

Fortunately with the large Fire type sheltering her, Croaky is protected from the spray of bright stars. She leaps up once the attack has run its course and retaliates with a more concentrated spray of bubbles.

Croaky uses Bubblebeam!
It’s super effective!
Ninetales is hit for 29 damage!

Koffing uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of all allied Pokémon falls!

Croaky loses 16 HP due to poison!
Buck loses 12 HP due to poison!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


Croaky: 5/77 (Badly Poisoned 4 rounds, Accuracy down 1 level)

Princess: 77/92 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds, recalled)
Buck: 61/106 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds, Accuracy down 1 level)

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 68/85 (recalled)
Ninetales: 64/93 (Intimidated, Flash Fire boost)

Koffing: 64/69 (Intimidated)

----------------

Mark’s call:

Meanwhile with the waffle iron and pan located, Mina fishes the Center’s can of cooking spray out from between two other trainers currently chatting over a big pot of some form of noodles. Once that’s been retrieved she starts to crack the eggs into a smaller bowl by themselves, eyeing them carefully in case any bits of shell should try to sneak in.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He transitioned his phone from his shoulder to his hand and moved his batter supplies to the side, giving counter space to anyone else who wanted it.  "Otherwise, Mina and I will be going to Hillsbreak to look for signs of a riolu's trainer, and I  think  Less was going to be doing things in his old house? Oh, speaking of, could you check in with Less and confirm what he's doing and when he wants to go?"  
 

“ I’ve got Berries I need to pick around 10 AM! ” Mina chimed in.
Lord Ruby34
(Battle)

((Going to let EssCee have the first move this time.))

----------------------------------------------------
(After)

((Yup, Less would hang out with Pinklady until it was time to leave the Tower and have Mina pick them up.))

Mark can hear Less answer in the background.  "I had planned to go pick up some old clothes a little more suited to the scraps we're finding ourselves in, but it isn't an immediate priority, if you had more urgent plans?" 
essCee
(Battle):

Pinklady frowned as Croaky's move wasn't as visibly damaging as she hoped. Unfortunately, there wasn't much choice left - if she withdrew Croaky now, she'd just needlessly get her replacement needlessly damaged, and this fight was shaping up to be a close one at best.  "Thanks, Buck! Once more, Croaky! Bubblebeam the Ninetales! Less, I don't know if Buck has anything stronger than what Croaky has, but at this point it might be better to go for it than to intercept again!" 

----------

(Phone):

Pinklady decides to hold out her dex towards Less to make it easier for him to be heard by and to hear Mark.
Gnomes2169
When Pinklady shouted in his ear, Mark pulled his phone away from his face with a wince and silently mouthed to Mina,  "How can she be so loud?"  But when Mina made her note, he put the phone back to his face and said,  "Hey Less! Mina just wanted you to know that she needs to go pick her berries at 10am."  Speaking of Berries, he checked the ones he'd planted on his pack. The things grew  incredibly  fast, and he just wanted to make sure the soil was still damp- wait. Wait a second. Less wasn't an out-of-region trainer drifter like the rest of them, Less had a  house.   "Less, does your house have a lawn with a garden, or some flowerpots or indoor grow-beds?" 
Lord Ruby34
(Battle)

Less nodded. That Bubblebeam hadn't hurt as much as he'd hoped. They had to take down that Ninetails, and quickly, and he had to get Buck out of the fight before the poison dealt doo much damage, if he was going to counter that Sycther.  "Buck, bite that Ninetails!" 


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Phone)

There's a pause for a moment, then Less's voice comes out.   "Yes. I believe Mina was going to come with me. Unfortunately the garden hasn't been tended to in the last few years. And I can wait until mid-morning to leave. There's something I need to take care of here. One moment."  There's a bit of muffled static, like Less had tried to cover up the speaker but didn't fully succeed.

"Pinklady, was there anything else you wanted to do here, or were you ready to head back?"
Gnomes2169
Mark again moved the phone out of his ear as yet more static crackle came over it, face scrunching in mild annoyance at that feedback noise. To Mina he said,  "He's willing to wait until later in the morning if you wanted, but if you guys were planning to get some berries planted in his house... well, gardening is easier to do in the morning before it really gets warm. Not  super  early,"  He hastily added, because  Arceus forbid  they wake up before 6am ever again, that had been a  terrible  idea and Mark would never forgive Less for coming up with it,  "but shortly after breakfast is probably for the best." 
essCee
(Phone):

Pinklady shakes her head.  "I'm ready to head back! I was going to get a bit more training in, but that doesn't need to be here." 
Lord Ruby34
(Phone)

Less nodded in agreement and responded, loudly enough for Mark, at least, to hear.  "Then I'm ready to head back as well. We would certainly appreciate a teleport, if possible, or we can make our own way back on foot." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

The trainer with the Ninetales seems to have an epiphany and has a hurried conference with his partner. The latter looks faintly doubtful, but nods.

Buck uses Bite!
Koffing intercepts for Ninetales!
Koffing is hit for 22 damage!

Ninetales uses Swift!
Buck is hit for 23 damage!
Croaky is hit for 38 damage!
Croaky faints!

Buck loses 18 HP due to poison!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!

Buck regains 6 HP from held Leftovers!


 Croaky: 0/77 

Princess: 77/92 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds, recalled)
Buck: 26/106 (Badly Poisoned 3 rounds, Accuracy down 1 level)

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 68/85 (recalled)
Ninetales: 64/93 (Intimidated, Flash Fire boost)

Koffing: 46/69 (Intimidated)

----------------

Mark’s call:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Less, does your house have a lawn with a garden, or some flowerpots or indoor grow-beds?"  
 

Mina almost replied that yes, he did, and he’d already told them this previously, but then decided this conversation had enough going on already.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "He's willing to wait until later in the morning if you wanted, but if you guys were planning to get some berries planted in his house... well, gardening is easier to do in the morning before it really gets warm. Not  super  early,"  He hastily added, because  Arceus forbid  they wake up before 6am ever again, that had been a  terrible  idea and Mark would never forgive Less for coming up with it,  "but shortly after breakfast is probably for the best."  
 

Apparently she  did  need to chime in, because Mark had somehow managed to miss one salient fact  twice  now. “ We’d need to get weeding done first, so it wouldn’t be happening in the morning  anyway , and the wild Pokémon are hitting my plots – if I leave them alone all day there won’t be any left when I go to harvest them. ” A Berry in hand was worth two on the bush!


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I'm ready to head back! I was going to get a bit more training in, but that doesn't need to be here."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Then I'm ready to head back as well. We would certainly appreciate a teleport, if possible, or we can make our own way back on foot."  
 

“ We’re making dinner, but if Mark can handle things for a few minutes I can come get you. ” Mina was getting increasingly annoyed about being the team taxi, but they did need to get back together to plan and this was an awkward way to hold a conversation anyway.
Lord Ruby34
(Battle)

Unfortunate that their opponents had picked up so quickly, but not surprising. They unfortunately, they would need Buck fighting to take out the Scyther, so Less recalled the Arcanine with a Grimace and sent Princess back to the front.

((Nothing to add to the phone convo for a moment.))
essCee
(Battle):

 "Well done, Croaky! You're up, Blast Bolt!"  Pinklady sends out her Luxray next. She freezes a moment, looking between the two Pokemon the opponents have. On one hand, there's sticking to the plan, plus the Ninetales was very threatening... on the other hand, the Koffing's Smokescreens were certainly nothing she wanted to deal with, either. She doesn't quite snap out of it, but practically automatically commands,  "Blast Bolt, hit the Ninetales with a Spark!" 

-------

(Call):

 "Alright, thank you! See you soon!"  Unlike the previous call, Pinklady didn't terminate it suddenly, instead continuing to hold the phone out in case anybody had anything more to say.
Gnomes2169
While he had forgotten about that morning's conversation, ((OoC note: Always check the conversations to make sure Mark wasn't part of them, instead of relying on my gaaarbage memory if it's been more than 3 weeks)) the second mistake was just something he'd miscommunicated a bit.  "Yeah, that's why Less and I can handle the weeding while you're getting your berries. Just drop us off early... know what? We should talk about this in person. See you guys soon."  Saying that last part to the people on the other side of the phone, Mark hung up and began mixing up the batter.  "I've got this part."  He assured Mina. How hard could making waffle mix even  be? 

... He just needed to make it for twice as many people as he'd been planning... which he remembered. For once. He also made sure to plug in the waffle iron, to ensure it heated up  before  he began filling it with batter. He  also  looked up how long to leave a waffle cooking, to ensure he didn't leave it partially raw or burnt it into charcoal! He even made sure nothing explosive got mixed in, just to be safe. There would be  waffles , and he was  not  going to mess this up*!

 
 Spoiler: Rolls 
*The dice agree with me... for once. 😛
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Pinklady sends out Blast Bolt!

Less recalls Buck!
Less sends out Princess!

Ninetales uses Dark Pulse!
It’s not very effective…
Princess is hit for 19 damage!

Blast Bolt uses Spark!
Ninetales is hit for 30 damage!

Koffing uses Toxic!
Blast Bolt was badly poisoned!

Princess loses 15 HP due to poison!
Blast Bolt loses 6 HP due to poison!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!


 Croaky: 0/77 
Blast Bolt: 91/97 (Badly Poisoned 1 round)

Princess: 43/92 (Badly Poisoned 3 rounds)
Buck: 26/106 (Badly Poisoned 3 rounds, recalled)

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 68/85 (recalled)
Ninetales: 34/93 (Flash Fire boost)

Koffing: 50/69
----------------

Mark’s call:

Mina gives Mark a thumbs up and leaves to go retrieve Less and Pinklady, returning to Rieva with them not long afterwards.

Mark’s waffles, meanwhile, are starting to fill the kitchen with their wonderful smell.
Lord Ruby34
((C-c-combat))

This was probably their last chance to turn the battle around. Time to attack.  "Princess, Bubblebeam that Ninetails!" 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

((Pokemon Center))

Less's face softened slightly from it's perpetual scrunch at the smell of waffles. He was hungry, and so were his Pokemon. Buck made a little whining noise next to him.
 
"Dinner does sound lovely."  Less replied, and gave the fire type a scratch behind the ears.  "Thank you for the lift, Mina. I'll start preparing the Pokemon food."  Not that there was much too it in a Pokemon center. Still, getting everything ready so the large variety of Pokemon could share took a bit of work.

As Less headed into the kitchen, he greeted Mark and asked,   "How did the rest of the meeting with Wain go?"  while starting to grab the various necessary bowls and chow.
essCee
(Battle!):

 "Another Spark on the Ninetales, Blast Bolt!"  Even if it Princess's attack might take out the Ninetales on its own, Pinklady wasn't taking any chances, especially since Spark would be very good if the opponent did another switchout.

-------

(Center):

 "Thank you for picking us up!"  Pinklady thanked Mina as well, then took a seat.
Gnomes2169
Mark had the first waffles finished and on a platter when the other three returned. At some point he had fished out butter, a jar of sliced peaches in syrup (or pechas, if the pokemon world doesn't have regular peaches), and some and some raspberries (or razz berries), though he hadn't gotten out any plates or silverware just yet.  "Hey everyone! Waffles are coming, help yourselves to the fruit... if someone wanted to make eggs or bacon, I think I saw some in the fridge."  Closing the waffle iron, he faced Less and said,  "We actually met with Lijan, mostly just to change around schedules and catch him up on what we'd gotten done yesterday, and made plans for the next couple days... speaking of. Like I was saying, if we are going to start using Less' gardens for berries, then Less and I can get weeding done while Mina is getting her berry stuff. Unless they're overgrown with, like,  trees  or something, we should be able to open up enough room for a berry or three in  relatively  short order.

"We'll need to walk through Dewdrop forest to reach Siltis though, right? Unless Mina's been there before with her Xatu since he was caught...  or if you've been up there at any time and decide to link to the psychic bird. Then he'd probably be able to warp anywhere you've gone in Helnith, even if you've only been there once."  He said that last part while looking at Mina, before opening up the beeping waffle iron.  "Barring that, tring to walk to Siltis before the berries need to be harvested is another reason to wake up early... alternately, we can teleport to a nearby town or city and then let Less ride Buck to his house and handle all the gardening while Mina does her berry stuff and I ask around for signs of the aura master in Hillsbreak. We can just give Less the berries to plant for us. We'll want to get one of us up there eventually, though, so we don't need to send him riding off every time we need to water or harvest."  Again, he directed that last part at Mina, since they were the only ones with teleporting pokemon. If only Less could pick up a teleporting psychic type, say, a kadabra or a gardevoir of his own. What had happened to that poor psychic/fairy Ralts they'd rescued at the shrine, anyway...?
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded at the suggestion that someone make eggs and bacon.  "Pinklady, would you be so kind as to take over getting the Pokechow ready while I whip up a little extra dinner?"  ((If Pinklady Agrees: Less thanked the young woman, and then started preparing the human food. Otherwise Less continues to prepare the Pokechow.))

 "Lijan? That's one of the lieutenants of the Starlight Squad, correct?"  Less asked, moving about the kitchen.

Less nodded along with Mark's musings on the berry's, though long term they would need one of the teleporters to make keeping berries in his garden feasible. Mostly he needed to get some things from his home.  "The journey will take longer if more than two make it, though perhaps Dewdrop forest might be home to some of the berry's you're missing, Mina?"  Less suggested.  "If not we could look up where they are native and make it a point to find some." 

As the cooking continued, Less asked again,  "I take it the rest of the meeting with Wain was uneventful then? Pinklady and I left before the rest of you had concluded the deshadowing." 
essCee
 "Sure thing!"  Pinklady gets up and picks up Less's work in preparing the Pokechow.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Ninetales uses Rest!
Ninetales sleeps and becomes healthy!
Ninetales regains 59 HP!
Ninetales uses held Chesto Berry!
Ninetales wakes up!

Blast Bolt uses Spark!
Ninetales is hit for 31 damage!

Princess uses Bubblebeam!
It’s super effective!
Ninetales is hit for 47 damage!

Koffing uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of allied Pokémon falls!


Princess loses 20 HP due to poison!
Blast Bolt loses 12 HP due to poison!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!


 Croaky: 0/77 
Blast Bolt: 79/97 (Badly Poisoned 2 rounds, Accuracy down 1 level)

Princess: 23/92 (Badly Poisoned 4 rounds, Accuracy down 1 level)
Buck: 26/106 (Badly Poisoned 3 rounds, recalled)

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 68/85 (recalled)
Ninetales: 15/93 (Flash Fire boost)

Koffing: 54/69

----------------

Pokémon Center:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
They have peaches and raspberries and other real-world fruit in addition to the Berries. As you’ve noticed, the Berries are very water intensive and picky about their soil so there’s a niche for slower-but-less-micromanagey produce.

Also I forgot to mention earlier: Mark’s Berries haven’t sprouted just yet.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Thank you for the lift, Mina. I'll start preparing the Pokemon food."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Thank you for picking us up!"  
 

Mina nodded acknowledgement, and managed a smile before being distracted by waffles. Xatu hopped off her shoulder (where he’d perched after warping everyone to town) to investigate the fruit toppings. “ That’s for  everyone  you know, ” she warned the Psychic type as he eyed the bowls.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We'll need to walk through Dewdrop forest to reach Siltis though, right? Unless Mina's been there before with her Xatu since he was caught..."  
 

“ I caught him in Dewdrop, he hasn’t been any farther north than that though, at least not with me. ” Mina then took the peaches bowl back from her Pokémon, and fished out a single slice for the bird with the admonishment, “ Your dinner is coming! ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Barring that, tring to walk to Siltis before the berries need to be harvested is another reason to wake up early... alternately, we can teleport to a nearby town or city and then let Less ride Buck to his house and handle all the gardening while Mina does her berry stuff and I ask around for signs of the aura master in Hillsbreak. We can just give Less the berries to plant for us. We'll want to get one of us up there eventually, though, so we don't need to send him riding off every time we need to water or harvest."  
 

That seemed like as good of an opening as any. “ While we’re on the subject, we need to get you guys something that can fly, or some other method of fast transportation, so you aren’t stuck traipsing across Helnith on foot if Mark and I aren’t around. The travel speed boost from Teleport is too useful to ignore, but as a group we’re vulnerable if you’re by yourselves and we can’t get to you or vice-versa. ”

Lacking any more food to make, Mina started pulling out plates and mismatched Center silverware.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Lijan? That's one of the lieutenants of the Starlight Squad, correct?"   
 

“ Yes, ” Mina answered for Mark. “ Him, Sesh, and there used to be another one named Dien, but he was…lost around Keida, about the same time Ternai Town was attacked. ” Mina paused briefly before focusing on counting out forks.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "The journey will take longer if more than two make it, though perhaps Dewdrop forest might be home to some of the berry's you're missing, Mina?"  
 

“ It might. We found some different ones last time we were there. I was planning to look, if there was time, it just doesn't seem like there will be any time soon. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 As the cooking continued, Less asked again,  "I take it the rest of the meeting with Wain was uneventful then? Pinklady and I left before the rest of you had concluded the deshadowing."  
 

“ More or less. We need to find somewhere a little sturdier to deShadow in the future. Also Mark mentioned it earlier, but we’re pretty sure the Riolu has a trainer, so I’m going to need to take some time to find her. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I caught him in Dewdrop, he hasn’t been any farther north than that though, at least not with me. ” Mina then took the peaches bowl back from her Pokémon, and fished out a single slice for the bird with the admonishment, “ Your dinner is coming! ” 
 

Something caught in his brain at that, and Mark asked the Xatu,  "So then, if she caught you in the forest... have you ever been north of Dewdrop?"  If the little bird had been to places that his trainer hadn't visited, he'd  probably  be able to teleport over to there?


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 That seemed like as good of an opening as any. “ While we’re on the subject, we need to get you guys something that can fly, or some other method of fast transportation, so you aren’t stuck traipsing across Helnith on foot if Mark and I aren’t around. The travel speed boost from Teleport is too useful to ignore, but as a group we’re vulnerable if you’re by yourselves and we can’t get to you or vice-versa. ”

Lacking any more food to make, Mina started pulling out plates and mismatched Center silverware. 
 

Putting the next waffles on one of those plates (Mina's waffles, probably, Mark's would be the last ones made), Mark brought up,  "We rescued a ralts from another region when we attacked the shrine of light. They were a Psychic/fairy type. I'm not sure what's happened to them, but if either of you were interested in picking up a teleportation capable pokemon..."  He shrugged at Less and Pinklady.  "Check with the nurse in the Cerise pokemon center. There was a Mr. Mime too, I think... though again, I'm not sure if they were returned to their trainers, or if their trainers were still alive."  Or if they would still be in there even if their trainers were no longer around to collect them. It had been a few days, and psychic types were obviously useful pokemon that he's sure most trainers would be happy to adopt.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Yes, ” Mina answered for Mark. “ Him, Sesh, and there used to be another one named Dien, but he was…lost around Keida, about the same time Ternai Town was attacked. ” Mina paused briefly before focusing on counting out forks. 
 

 "He's also the one we've been working with most since Keida, though that's more because Lijan's been local and, thus, much easier to reach than because of any grudges with Sesh on our end."  The other lieutenant had been unpleasant the only time that Mark had met him before, but Sesh being paranoid and aggressive weren't  necessarily  black enough marks to keep him from being worked with.  "I'm actually planning to try and meet with him once 'Sail is healed up enough to move around again." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ More or less. We need to find somewhere a little sturdier to deShadow in the future. Also Mark mentioned it earlier, but we’re pretty sure the Riolu has a trainer, so I’m going to need to take some time to find her. ” 
 

 "Well, there was a bit of excitement when Skorupi ate through the door and we had to chase him down, so I wouldn't say it was  uneventful,  buy yeah. For the most part the de-shadowing went smoothly, and we figured out which of the pokemon might have trainers."  Taking a fork from Mina while the waffle iron announced that his funky-shaped pancakes were ready, he pointed the utensil at her and added,  "Speaking of the riolu's trainer, though, if she's still alive then she's likely near Snakestone cavern, which... Well, the area is pretty close to towns Bandra controls, and I'm certain there will be onyx and other rock-type wild pokemon, given the name, so if we bring him with us, you might want to train him up a bit. Maybe he remembers how the aura master was training him before he was shadowed?" 
Lord Ruby34
(Battle)

Less furrowed his brow. One way or another Princess was going down after her next action, or possibly before. They needed to make it count.  "Princess, one more bubblebeam! Hit that fire type!" 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Dinner)

As Less continued the conversation the kitchen was soon filled with the smell of cooking bacon, as Less laid slabs of the meat down in a hot skillet and started to fry cook them in their own natural grease, with a hint of pepper. Not the healthiest way to have it, but then again bacon wasn't exactly known as a healthy dish in general. They would need a rub down with a paper towel after finishing, for the sake of everyone's arteries at least, but they should be quite tasty.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 That seemed like as good of an opening as any. “ While we’re on the subject, we need to get you guys something that can fly, or some other method of fast transportation, so you aren’t stuck traipsing across Helnith on foot if Mark and I aren’t around. The travel speed boost from Teleport is too useful to ignore, but as a group we’re vulnerable if you’re by yourselves and we can’t get to you or vice-versa. ” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Putting the next waffles on one of those plates (Mina's waffles, probably, Mark's would be the last ones made), Mark brought up,  "We rescued a ralts from another region when we attacked the shrine of light. They were a Psychic/fairy type. I'm not sure what's happened to them, but if either of you were interested in picking up a teleportation capable pokemon..."  He shrugged at Less and Pinklady.  "Check with the nurse in the Cerise pokemon center. There was a Mr. Mime too, I think... though again, I'm not sure if they were returned to their trainers, or if their trainers were still alive."  
 

Less nodded.  "Agreed. I'll ask, though I haven't seen a group of unattended Pokemon ambling about the Center."  Less said while flipping the bacon.  "If not, I'll have to go Pokemon hunting or find an SM. I believe Buck could learn the move if we could find one, but I'm not sure that Teleportation SMs are produced in the region."  Less paused for a moment.  "But even if that Ralts is still around that only solves the issue for one of Pinklady and I."  Less looked at the young woman.  "Unless one of your Pokemon is hiding an unknown talent?"
 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Yes, ” Mina answered for Mark. “ Him, Sesh, and there used to be another one named Dien, but he was…lost around Keida, about the same time Ternai Town was attacked. ” Mina paused briefly before focusing on counting out forks. 
 



 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "He's also the one we've been working with most since Keida, though that's more because Lijan's been local and, thus, much easier to reach than because of any grudges with Sesh on our end."  The other lieutenant had been unpleasant the only time that Mark had met him before, but Sesh being paranoid and aggressive weren't  necessarily  black enough marks to keep him from being worked with.  "I'm actually planning to try and meet with him once 'Sail is healed up enough to move around again."  
 

Less nodded along, whisking the eggs together in a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper, and some milk he had found in the freezer.  "If it's convenient, I'd like to accompany you the next time you meet with the starlight squad. They might know something about Emilia, and even if they don't, it's a relationship worth developing." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ It might. We found some different ones last time we were there. I was planning to look, if there was time, it just doesn't seem like there will be any time soon. ” 
 

Most of the bacon came off the skillet into a paper cloth, where Less patted it down to remove the grease. Some of it he left on the skillet to brown further. Personally he preferred his bacon crisp enough to crumble in his mouth. If he had been cooking for just himself he would have used the oven.
 
"We'll have to find a way to make time anyway. at least for the Poffin making. Pinklady and I made some progress at the battle tower today. If our Pokemon had Poffin boosts we certainly would have found it a fair easier challenge. I can only imagine the same would be true when fighting Bandra."   Or if the tutor hadn't been such an obstreperous coot.  Less thought to himself.
essCee
(Battle)

 "Keep it up! Another Spark, finish it!"  Pinklady hoped the Ninetails's trainer wouldn't go for another Rest just so more Smokescreen could be used.

-----

(Dinner)

Pinklady finished distributing the Pokemon food across the several bowls Less had grabbed before she took over. It was more mouths to feed, but it was much easier to prepare!


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We rescued a ralts from another region when we attacked the shrine of light. They were a Psychic/fairy type. I'm not sure what's happened to them, but if either of you were interested in picking up a teleportation capable pokemon..."  He shrugged at Less and Pinklady.  "Check with the nurse in the Cerise pokemon center. There was a Mr. Mime too, I think... though again, I'm not sure if they were returned to their trainers, or if their trainers were still alive."  Or if they would still be in there even if their trainers were no longer around to collect them. It had been a few days, and psychic types were obviously useful pokemon that he's sure most trainers would be happy to adopt. 
 

 "I'll make sure to ask around." 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less paused for a moment.  "But even if that Ralts is still around that only solves the issue for one of Pinklady and I."  Less looked at the young woman.  "Unless one of your Pokemon is hiding an unknown talent?"
  
 

 "Not to my knowledge! Unless Cosmas can eventually teleport... I'm not familiar with them or their capabilities." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded along, whisking the eggs together in a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper, and some milk he had found in the freezer.  "If it's convenient, I'd like to accompany you the next time you meet with the starlight squad. They might know something about Emilia, and even if they don't, it's a relationship worth developing."  
 

That dinged something in Mark's brain, getting the younger trainer to remember something about the interrogation...  "Wait... we  also  found some coded messages on the trackers of the shadowed pokemon."  Mark said, pointing his fork at Less now.  "They seemed like requests for a resupply of some kind, and maybe a way to send information about troop movements and updates on the status of the regional pokemon prof, but we couldn't really make heads nor tails about it. But they  were  from officer Ray. Or at least, that's the name that was on them." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Posting from mobile. I'll try and fix any formatting issues later.
 


"Officer Ray!?" Less asked, bacon and eggs momentarily forgotten. "Do you still have the messages?"
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

The Ninetales’ trainer frowns and apparently decides it isn’t worth drawing this out, directing his Pokémon to attack Blast Bolt with Flamethrower – the attack’s damage boosted courtesy of Buck.

Ninetales uses Flamethrower!
Blast Bolt is hit for 79 damage!

Blast Bolt staggers a few steps and  almost  looks like he’s going to be able to remain standing – and then he goes limp and collapses to the ground.

Blast Bolt faints!

Princess uses Bubblebeam!
It’s super effective!
Ninetales is hit for 53 damage!
Ninetales faints!

Koffing uses Substitute!
Koffing created a substitute!
Koffing loses 17 HP!

Princess loses 25 HP due to poison!
Princess faints!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!

The Koffing puffs smoke out of its knobs serenely as it surveys a battlefield on which it is the only one left standing. Of course, that doesn’t last long as the battle isn’t over yet, and the Ninetales’ trainer sends out his Scyther again.


 Croaky: 0/77 
 Blast Bolt: 0/97 
 Princess: 0/92 
Buck: 26/106 (Badly Poisoned 3 rounds, recalled)

 Meditite: 0/65 
Scyther: 68/85
 Ninetales: 0/93 

Koffing: 41/69 (Substitute: 17 HP)

----------------

Pokémon Center:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "So then, if she caught you in the forest... have you ever been north of Dewdrop?"  
 

Xatu shook his head, swallowed the peach slice like a heron with a fish, and finally squawked back in a scolding tone.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We rescued a ralts from another region when we attacked the shrine of light. They were a Psychic/fairy type. I'm not sure what's happened to them, but if either of you were interested in picking up a teleportation capable pokemon..."  He shrugged at Less and Pinklady.  "Check with the nurse in the Cerise pokemon center. There was a Mr. Mime too, I think... though again, I'm not sure if they were returned to their trainers, or if their trainers were still alive."  
 

“ That was almost a week ago Mark. They’d have been returned to whoever they belonged to, or released or whatever by now. What about looking for a wild one? Or check with a Breeder ” Spencer was up in Hillsbreak; Mina made a mental note to mention him if anyone wanted to go that route while she poured syrup on her waffle…and speared another peach slice for Xatu. “ or – ” Mina directed the next bit at her bird “ I don’t suppose you have any friends or family who’d like to go on all these crazy missions with us? ”

Xatu made an indecipherable squawk, then gestured with his wings like he was navigating an air current, which Mina couldn’t make heads or tails of. After a moment Xatu noticed this, and stopped the motion in favor of floofing out all his feathers and looking long-suffering at her.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Speaking of the riolu's trainer, though, if she's still alive then she's likely near Snakestone cavern, which... Well, the area is pretty close to towns Bandra controls, and I'm certain there will be onyx and other rock-type wild pokemon, given the name, so if we bring him with us, you might want to train him up a bit. Maybe he remembers how the aura master was training him before he was shadowed?"  
 

“ I don’t say it’s impossible, but he’s just a baby Mark. How much aura training are you expecting him to have? ”

The Riolu in question was looking back and forth between Mark and Mina while they spoke, ears flattened. Xatu speared the second peach slice and waddled over to the Fighting type, and offered the latter the second slice. Riolu took it with a look of deep suspicion, like he expected the bit of fruit to be taken back at any moment, before shoving it in his mouth all at once. Xatu patted him on the head with a wing, then warped back up to the countertop with what was unmistakably a snicker when the Fighting type tried to bat the wing away.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "If not, I'll have to go Pokemon hunting or find an SM. I believe Buck could learn the move if we could find one, but I'm not sure that Teleportation SMs are produced in the region."  
 

“ I haven’t seen one, but I also haven’t been looking for one, ” Mina replied. She realized she’d forgotten napkins, and grabbed a few to pass around. “ But that reminds me; we should all sit down and make a list of what everyone needs or is looking for, so if someone else finds it it doesn’t just get passed over. ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Not to my knowledge! Unless Cosmas can eventually teleport... I'm not familiar with them or their capabilities."  
 

“ I checked the Pokédex entry on them a while back; I may be misremembering but I don’t think they can Teleport. There aren't a lot of Pokémon that can, that's why I suggested Fly. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded along, whisking the eggs together in a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper, and some milk he had found in the freezer.  "If it's convenient, I'd like to accompany you the next time you meet with the starlight squad. They might know something about Emilia, and even if they don't, it's a relationship worth developing."  
 

“ No objections here. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "We'll have to find a way to make time anyway. at least for the Poffin making. Pinklady and I made some progress at the battle tower today. If our Pokemon had Poffin boosts we certainly would have found it a fair easier challenge. I can only imagine the same would be true when fighting Bandra."  
 

“ On that topic, I don’t suppose you had any luck with the Pins or Berries yourself, did you? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 "Officer Ray!?" Less asked, bacon and eggs momentarily forgotten. "Do you still have the messages?" 
 

“ No, Ranger Wain took them, ” Mina replied, finally sitting down with her waffle. “ We thought they might be encoded and he offered to take them back to the Ranger Base to have someone take a look. ”
Gnomes2169
Mark sent out his frosslass so that she could get some pokechow, and also cosmas, and he considered the pokemon currently out... he had enough left-over batter to make a small waffle. So he started one last one up for the riolu and company to share. His own waffle was still topping-less since he was still cooking, so hopefully there would still be  some  fruit that the xatu hadn't yoinked by the time he got to that.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “[COLOR="#4B0082"]“ I don’t say it’s impossible, but he’s just a baby Mark. How much aura training are you expecting him to have? ” 
 

 "Oh. I was talking more about whether his trainer wanted him to focus on attack, special attack, or speed. The lucario line is one of, if not  the , only kinds of pokemon who naturally master their own aura. I mean, theoretically there are legendary pokemon who do too, but... anyway. People are the ones who need to be taught, and aura masters are the trainers who achieved that enlightenment. He'll manage to reach that level just by evolving."  Mark shrugged at the end of that explanation, and took out the fresh, hot mini-waffle... which was still half as large as the riolu's face. He'd give 1/4 of that to the youngster, and divide the rest between Jessia and his cosmas.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I haven’t seen one, but I also haven’t been looking for one, ” Mina replied. She realized she’d forgotten napkins, and grabbed a few to pass around. “ But that reminds me; we should all sit down and make a list of what everyone needs or is looking for, so if someone else finds it it doesn’t just get passed over. ” 
 

 "Anyone who has a Cosmas should be prioritizing a sacred talisman and a dusk stone, if you're going to evolve them at least. The stone to evolve them to their third stage, the talisman because... well, they get a very nice ability."  He needed to look into the abilities of his other pokemon to see what he should be on the lookout for... but right now, he needed to load his waffle with good things, and grab a bit of extra bacon. If he was going to train his chompy fish after dinner, having some tasty treats would probably be a good idea.  "I probably want an earthquake SM at the very least, though they  sell  those in Skybreak, so it shouldn't be a matter of anything more than money for that. I feel I should probably  also  get a grass type, since we know  at least three  of Bandra's officers have scary water types on their teams."  Electric could work too, but with how many Quagsires Bandra seemed to randomly mix in, and the fact that there was a  swampert  in Darrin's team, a grass type would be a bit safer coverage-wise to counter the expected water pokemon.
Lord Ruby34
Battle

Less pondered for half a moment, then sent Buck back into the fray. He had noticed Whirlywhirly was ever so slightly faster. If the Koffing intercepted, it might well still go down to Buck's Fire Fang, and if it didn't Buck should be able to finish the Scyther, which  probably  didn't know protect.   "Buck!"  Less ordered,  "Fire Fang that Scyther!" 

Hopefully, the young trainer wouldn't be able to identify the Unova bug as a poison type, and waste his Koffing's turn, but Less wasn't going to count on his opponent's ignorance to win him the battle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner

Eggs and bacon still forgotten, Less quickly excused himself from the room and attempted to call Ranger Wain on his Pokedex. Meanwhile, Buck began to help himself to some well deserved Poke-chow.
essCee
(Battle):

 "You did well, Blast Bolt! It's down to you, Whirlywhirly!"  Pinklady tossed out her final Pokemon.  Normally, she'd have it use a Defense Curl before going for a Rollout... but with Smokescreens likely coming up soon and some possible Flying attacks coming from the Scyther, there was no time for that.  "Get the Scyther with a Rollout!" 

-----

(Dinner):

Pinklady sends out two of her own - Blast Bolt and Leapsy - planning to rotate so the room doesn't get crowded by all of them at once.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ But that reminds me; we should all sit down and make a list of what everyone needs or is looking for, so if someone else finds it it doesn’t just get passed over. ” 
 

 "Alright! I don't have much I know I'm looking for just now, besides more Heart Scales to get my team some more good moves, and those things for all our Cosmas that Mark mentioned... oh, and is there any easy way to know who can use what SMs?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I checked the Pokédex entry on them a while back; I may be misremembering but I don’t think they can Teleport. There aren't a lot of Pokémon that can, that's why I suggested Fly. ” 
 

 "Yeah, that's understandable... I'll keep an eye out for any bird Pokémon, then! Too bad this one Pidove I had for awhile didn't want to be a permanent member of my team..." 

At the mention of a Pidove, Leapsy looked up from her food and chirruped.

 "I know, but maybe you would've gotten along eventually... anyways! Any particularly good places for bird spotting and catching?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Once again the opposing Pokémon seem to cringe away as Buck takes the field.

Scyther uses Vacuum Wave!
Buck is hit for 12 damage!

Whirlywhirly uses Rollout!
It’s super effective!
Scyther is hit for 50 damage!

Buck uses Fire Fang!
It’s super effective!
Scyther is hit for 76 damage!
Scyther faints!

The Scyther's trainer recalls the Bug type and sits down to watch the rest of the match, being out of Pokémon.

Koffing uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of allied Pokémon falls!

Buck loses 24 HP due to poison!
Buck faints!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!


 Croaky: 0/77 
 Blast Bolt: 0/97 
Whirlywhirly: 90/90 (Accuracy down 1 level)

 Princess: 0/92 
 Buck: 0/106 
 Meditite: 0/65 
 Scyther: 0/85 
 Ninetales: 0/93 

Koffing: 45/69 (Substitute: 17 HP)

----------------

Pokémon Center (group):

Mina put down her fork to make sure the stove was off, since Less was a bit distracted at the moment. Those eggs looked about done anyway…


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Oh. I was talking more about whether his trainer wanted him to focus on attack, special attack, or speed. The lucario line is one of, if not  the , only kinds of pokemon who naturally master their own aura. I mean, theoretically there are legendary pokemon who do too, but... anyway. People are the ones who need to be taught, and aura masters are the trainers who achieved that enlightenment. He'll manage to reach that level just by evolving."  Mark shrugged at the end of that explanation, and took out the fresh, hot mini-waffle... which was still half as large as the riolu's face. He'd give 1/4 of that to the youngster, and divide the rest between Jessia and his cosmas. 
 

“ Oh. The Pokédex says not. ” One of the reasons Mina hadn’t immediately gone to the Rangers with him.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Anyone who has a Cosmas should be prioritizing a sacred talisman and a dusk stone, if you're going to evolve them at least. The stone to evolve them to their third stage, the talisman because... well, they get a very nice ability."  
 

“ We’re going to want more than one Talisman each; we’re still going to want them the next time we need to deShadow something, ” Mina reminded as she sat back down to her waffle.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I probably want an earthquake SM at the very least, though they  sell  those in Skybreak, so it shouldn't be a matter of anything more than money for that. I feel I should probably  also  get a grass type, since we know  at least three  of Bandra's officers have scary water types on their teams."  
 

“ You can add me to the list for Dusk Stones and Heart Scales too. And I still need the Apicot and Ganlon Berries for the Recipe for Disaster, unless Less found a better way to make them…I should go over my team and figure out Held Items for everyone; I’m been mostly relying on Berries but there are probably better options. ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Alright! I don't have much I know I'm looking for just now, besides more Heart Scales to get my team some more good moves, and those things for all our Cosmas that Mark mentioned... oh, and is there any easy way to know who can use what SMs?"  
 

“ Check the Pokédex? ” Mina suggested. “ Finding the ones you want might be the hard part; the Department Store didn’t look like it was at full stock and the ones at Trainer Hill seem to switch out on a regular basis. Was there a particular one you wanted? ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I know, but maybe you would've gotten along eventually... anyways! Any particularly good places for bird spotting and catching?"  
 

“ Your Pokédex should be good for that too, just look up one you want and see where it’s native. Or ask Less, ” said Johto native Mina, who had only been here for about a month at this point and didn’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the region’s Pokémon. “ I know there are Murkrow, and Taillow in the grasslands, and um… ” Mina thought back.   What else? Aidrelas, Salerdia…yeah, right!   “ Desparat are supposed to be from this region and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Wingull around too. ”

----------------

Pokémon Center (Less):

The phone rings a few times before the Ranger picks up. “ Wain here. ” His voice sounds a bit muffled, then there’s a pause and afterwards, the words are clearer. “ Is it more Grunts? ”
Lord Ruby34
Battle

Less grimaced. That had gone about as well as expected, but Less hated to see Buck take any hits. The barrage of Toxics had hurt, but there hadn't been any way to safely bring out their poison types earlier with that Ninetails in the mix.  "Good job my friend. Leo, take over!"  The question, then, was what to do next. The Koffing hadn't used an attacking move yet, but that didn't mean that it didn't know self-destruct. If it did, then they had to take it down hard and fast, but they couldn't actually do that from behind it's substitute. Whirlywhirlly would break it, and Leo probably couldn't hit hard enough to finish the Koffing off with a single blow. It was a risk, but Less commanded  "Leo, use Swagger on that Koffing!" 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pokemon Center

 "No, no. My apologies for calling unannounced. I was just told that Mark and the others sent some notes they found on the trackers back with you? From an Officer Ray? Could you send me a picture of them?"  Less's voice came out more quickly and urgently than his usual controlled drawl.  "Please, those notes might contain clues about my daughter." 
essCee
(Battle):

 "Great job! Continue the rollout and hit that Koffing!"  This battle is going to take a bit of luck to finish successfully, now that both herself and Less were down to their last Pokémon and the expected smokescreens happened...

------

(Center):


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Check the Pokédex? ” Mina suggested. “ Finding the ones you want might be the hard part; the Department Store didn’t look like it was at full stock and the ones at Trainer Hill seem to switch out on a regular basis. Was there a particular one you wanted? ”

“ Your Pokédex should be good for that too, just look up one you want and see where it’s native. Or ask Less, ” said Johto native Mina, who had only been here for about a month at this point and didn’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the region’s Pokémon. “ I know there are Murkrow, and Taillow in the grasslands, and um… ” Mina thought back.   What else? Aidrelas, Salerdia…yeah, right!   “ Desparat are supposed to be from this region and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Wingull around too. ” 
 

 "Sounds like I'm going to get a lot of practice reading, huh... well, I guess it would have to happen sooner or later! As for moves I want, I was thinking about looking for something my team can use to boost their attacks, to take advantage of putting opponents to sleep... something to help deal with opponents that lower evasion would be great too. I'm... guessing the Pokédex can help me narrow that down to the exact moves that would fit those needs?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina put down her fork to make sure the stove was off, since Less was a bit distracted at the moment. Those eggs looked about done anyway…

“ Oh. The Pokédex says not. ” One of the reasons Mina hadn’t immediately gone to the Rangers with him. 
 

Mark actually swiped a few of those eggs, poking his head back in to the fridge to take out some shredded cheese to top them with, and he said,  "Huh... let me check that again, because Jason definitely evolved his, his Lucario was able to talk to me, and he  definitely  wasn't an aura master."  Unless Jason had been hiding something from him. Pulling out his pokedex, he set his plate down on the kitchen counter so he could look up the Riolu/ Lucario line.  "When he talked about how he trained up his team, he said that Elijah just needed to trust him enough, to be trained up during the day, and they had to climb the tallest mountain and punch the face of Arceus... but I'm pretty sure that last one was a joke."  All of his military friends had been snarky.

 
 Spoiler: Lucario 
Evolving a Riolu in the games is a friendship + level up during the day thing. The only aura capability it seems to  specifically  need training for is the 1/2 mile aura empathy, everything else (movement prediction/ aura telepathy/ aura tracking/ shooting aura spheres (at high enough level)/ being able to eat chocolate without kidney failure unlike other dogs) is just something that a Lucario does. Is any of that being changed here...?
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Whirlywhirly uses Rollout!
Attack missed!

Leo uses Swagger!
Koffing’s Attack rises sharply!
Koffing’s Substitute protects against confusion!

Koffing may be protected, but both opposing trainers look thoroughly confused.

Koffing uses Smokescreen!
Accuracy of allied Pokémon falls!

Koffing regains 4 HP from held Black Sludge!


 Croaky: 0/77 
 Blast Bolt: 0/97 
Whirlywhirly: 90/90 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Princess: 0/92 
 Buck: 0/106 
Leo: 71/71 (Accuracy down 1 level)

 Meditite: 0/65 
 Scyther: 0/85 
 Ninetales: 0/93 

Koffing: 49/69 (Substitute: 17 HP, Attack up 2 levels)

----------------

Pokémon Center (Less):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "No, no. My apologies for calling unannounced. I was just told that Mark and the others sent some notes they found on the trackers back with you? From an Officer Ray? Could you send me a picture of them?"  Less's voice came out more quickly and urgently than his usual controlled drawl.  "Please, those notes might contain clues about my daughter."  
 

“ Right now? No. They’re in the hands of the Base analysts. ”

----------------

Pokémon Center (group):


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Sounds like I'm going to get a lot of practice reading, huh... well, I guess it would have to happen sooner or later! As for moves I want, I was thinking about looking for something my team can use to boost their attacks, to take advantage of putting opponents to sleep... something to help deal with opponents that lower evasion would be great too. I'm... guessing the Pokédex can help me narrow that down to the exact moves that would fit those needs?"  
 

“ Check the Status moves they can learn, ” Mina suggested. “ I think Sweet Scent does what you want for Evasion – wait, the  opponent  is lowering Evasion or you wanted to lower  their  Evasion? You might want Double Team instead. And maybe Dream Eater, or Nightmare or Wake-up Slap for sleep – and fair warning, I don’t know how many of those are SMs or tutorable ” at all, never mind for Pinklady’s specific Pokémon “ Swords Dance for Attack boosts or I… think  I’ve seen Hone Claws? Maybe not. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark actually swiped a few of those eggs, poking his head back in to the fridge to take out some shredded cheese to top them with, and he said,  "Huh... let me check that again, because Jason definitely evolved his, his Lucario was able to talk to me, and he  definitely  wasn't an aura master."  Unless Jason had been hiding something from him. Pulling out his pokedex, he set his plate down on the kitchen counter so he could look up the Riolu/ Lucario line.  "When he talked about how he trained up his team, he said that Elijah just needed to trust him enough, to be trained up during the day, and they had to climb the tallest mountain and punch the face of Arceus... but I'm pretty sure that last one was a joke."  All of his military friends had been snarky.

 
 Spoiler: Lucario 
Evolving a Riolu in the games is a friendship + level up during the day thing. The only aura capability it seems to  specifically  need training for is the 1/2 mile aura empathy, everything else (movement prediction/ aura telepathy/ aura tracking/ shooting aura spheres (at high enough level)/ being able to eat chocolate without kidney failure unlike other dogs) is just something that a Lucario does. Is any of that being changed here...?
 
 
 

“ Wait, what? ” Mina was wishing she could read minds, right now, because Mark seemed to be having an  entirely  different conversation from the one she’d thought they’d been having. “ You were asking about Attack or Speed. He hasn’t had any training there. ” She pulled out her Pokédex and showed Mark the completely EV-less scan of Riolu.

The Fighting type in question, meanwhile, had finished his bit of waffle and wandered over to Mark and tugged at his clothes. Mark got an impression of more waffle.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Swords Dance for Attack boosts or I… think  I’ve seen Hone Claws? Maybe not. ” 
 

 "Hone claws definitely, that's attack and accuracy. The desparat that hurt my gardevoir had used that six times before it showed up."  Which is why Tattersail had been  annihilated  by that bite.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Wait, what? ” Mina was wishing she could read minds, right now, because Mark seemed to be having an  entirely  different conversation from the one she’d thought they’d been having. “ You were asking about Attack or Speed. He hasn’t had any training there. ” She pulled out her Pokédex and showed Mark the completely EV-less scan of Riolu.

The Fighting type in question, meanwhile, had finished his bit of waffle and wandered over to Mark and tugged at his clothes. Mark got an impression of more waffle. 
 

They  had  been having an entirely different conversation, because his face blanks and dial-up noises come from his brain (and potentially arm) as the track of this conversation re-aligns for him.  "Oh. I thought... yeah I mentioned the EV training, but then we talked about the aura training, so that's what I thought you were saying the pokedex..."  Beedew, beedew, BWAAAAAAAAM...  "I don't know why you still listen to me when I'm so  very  dumb." 

The impression of waffle gets an automatic response from Mark, who tears off a corner of his waffle (with a raspberry in some of the pockets, and a little dollop of whipped cream atop them) and also a half piece of bacon, and applies them directly to the riolu's grabby little paws. The little aura baby was getting  pampered  today. Jessia, still ghostily munching at her own chunk of waffle, lets out a little trill to tell the fighting type to stop being so greedy.
essCee
(Battle):

 "Oh... get through the smoke to do a Bug Bite, Whirlywhirly, you've got this!"  She looks towards Less.  "That miss really messed things up... we'll need to get very lucky to win this now, I think." 

-----

(Center):


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Check the Status moves they can learn, ” Mina suggested. “ I think Sweet Scent does what you want for Evasion – wait, the  opponent  is lowering Evasion or you wanted to lower  their  Evasion? You might want Double Team instead. And maybe Dream Eater, or Nightmare or Wake-up Slap for sleep – and fair warning, I don’t know how many of those are SMs or tutorable ” at all, never mind for Pinklady’s specific Pokémon “ Swords Dance for Attack boosts or I… think  I’ve seen Hone Claws? Maybe not. ” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hone claws definitely, that's attack and accuracy. The desparat that hurt my gardevoir had used that six times before it showed up."  Which is why Tattersail had been  annihilated  by that bite.  
 

 "Oh, I got a bit tongue-tied, I just meant dealing with Smokescreen I've encountered from at both Bandra and Trainer Hill... sounds like Hone Claws and Sweet Scent are what I'm looking for, then. Although now you mention it, if any of my team can learn their own evasion moves, that would be pretty useful too... on top of all those other moves you mentioned! I've got a lot of reading ahead. Thank you for getting me started!" 

Seeing her current two out finished eating, Pinklady withdraws them and sends out Whirlywhirly and Tress.
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded, grim faced. At least the Koffing hadn't blown up.  "Faint attack, Leo." 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pokémon Center (Less):
“ Right now? No. They’re in the hands of the Base analysts. ” 
 

 "Please, Jon."  Less's voice was nearly panicked. Clearly, the older man wasn't doing much in the way of thinking, rational or otherwise.  "They might have a mention of Emilia, of my daughter. That Bandra officer was chasing her."  Less's voice faltered for a moment.  "I can come and pick them up, if that would help. Whatever you need." 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Group)

Meanwhile, Buck had devoured his bowl of chow, and seeing Mark's generosity, was also approaching the young man with his best expression of wide-eyed innocence.
Gnomes2169
Unlike last time, Mark wasn't just going to give in to the old dog's even older tricks.  "Oi, none of that, Buck. We already gave you egg yolks for breakfast, if we keep giving you people food you'll get gassy."  Plus, Mark needed to eat his  own  food, instead of giving it to all of these  mooches. 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

The trainer with the Scyther and the Ninetales says something plaintive-sounding to his partner. The latter visibly sighs and calls out the command Less has been dreading: “Selfdestruct!”

Whirlywhirly uses Bug Bite!
It’s not very effective…
Koffing’s Substitute is hit for 14 damage!

Leo uses Faint Attack!
Koffing’s Substitute is hit for 14 damage!

The Substitute dissolves, but it’s too little, too late, and the Koffing begins to glow brightly:

Koffing uses Selfdestruct!
Koffing faints!
Whirlywhirly is hit for 69 damage!
Leo is hit for 150 damage!
Leo faints!

There’s an impressed whistle from the other side of the field as Whirlywhirly is still standing, despite taking a boosted Selfdestruct full force. Leo, on the other hand, is sent flying against a wall, definitely KO’d.

Your opponent sends out Nosepass!


 Croaky: 0/77 
 Blast Bolt: 0/97 
Whirlywhirly: 21/90 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Princess: 0/92 
 Buck: 0/106 
 Leo: 0/71 
 Meditite: 0/65 
 Scyther: 0/85 
 Ninetales: 0/93 
 Koffing: 0/69 
Nosepass: 69/69

----------------

Pokémon Center (group):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Oh. I thought... yeah I mentioned the EV training, but then we talked about the aura training, so that's what I thought you were saying the pokedex..."  Beedew, beedew, BWAAAAAAAAM...  "I don't know why you still listen to me when I'm so  very  dumb."  
 

“ Stop it, you are not, ” Mina replied. “ But since you seem to be the expert on the little fellow, why don’t you go on? Tell me all about him. ” Mina couldn’t keep the little guy, of course, he belonged to somebody else. But it was still interesting, and it wasn’t impossible they’d run into more of the species at some point.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 The impression of waffle gets an automatic response from Mark, who tears off a corner of his waffle (with a raspberry in some of the pockets, and a little dollop of whipped cream atop them) and also a half piece of bacon, and applies them directly to the riolu's grabby little paws. The little aura baby was getting  pampered  today. Jessia, still ghostily munching at her own chunk of waffle, lets out a little trill to tell the fighting type to stop being so greedy. 
 

Riolu clutched his prizes tight to his chest (getting a few smudges of grease and whipped cream on his fur in the process) and growled low, giving Jessia a look of deep distrust as he backed into a corner to eat.

Mina, observing this, frowned. “ Remind me after we’re done here to have Nurse Joy look him over, because I’m wondering if he got enough to eat while he was wandering around Shadowed. ”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Seeing her current two out finished eating, Pinklady withdraws them and sends out Whirlywhirly and Tress. 
 

Tress eyed the visible human food with obvious interest, Whirlywhirly less so as this was less of a novel experience for him.

The kitchen was getting very crowded however.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Meanwhile, Buck had devoured his bowl of chow, and seeing Mark's generosity, was also approaching the young man with his best expression of wide-eyed innocence. 
 

Mina, feeling that since someone else was already spoiling  her  Pokémon – well not really hers but kind of? – a Pokémon under her care, yes, that worked! – she ought to pay it forward, therefore had fewer qualms. She cut a (human) bite-sized piece off her waffle and tossed it to Buck. “ Beggar, ” she teased. “ No more until your human gets back! ”

----------------

Pokémon Center (Less):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Please, Jon."  Less's voice was nearly panicked. Clearly, the older man wasn't doing much in the way of thinking, rational or otherwise.  "They might have a mention of Emilia, of my daughter. That Bandra officer was chasing her."  Less's voice faltered for a moment.  "I can come and pick them up, if that would help. Whatever you need."  
 

“ Less,  I don’t have them,  I passed them to another department. You can check by the Ranger Base in Skybreak and ask after them if you want. Maybe do it in the morning; most of them are pushing twelve hours by this point. ”
essCee
Pinklady gasped and was momentarily breathless as the Koffing exploded... and breathed again as she saw Whirlywhirly still standing. She had to fight back the reflex to grab something from her bag to heal him. This really would take a miracle, but just in case a miracle was in store...  "Alright! Bug Bite that now!"  She spared a sad look at Leo, having tunnel visioned on her own Pokémon until after she called out the new attack.

-----


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Tress eyed the visible human food with obvious interest, Whirlywhirly less so as this was less of a novel experience for him.

The kitchen was getting very crowded however. 
 

 "Huh! Oh, sure, you did like the oatmeal earlier, too..."  Pinklady cuts off a bit of waffle and offers it to Tress. She also takes a moment to pet Whirlywhirly, almost falling out of her chair from leaning over to do both tasks.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Stop it, you are not, ” Mina replied. “ But since you seem to be the expert on the little fellow, why don’t you go on? Tell me all about him. ” Mina couldn’t keep the little guy, of course, he belonged to somebody else. But it was still interesting, and it wasn’t impossible they’d run into more of the species at some point.

Riolu clutched his prizes tight to his chest (getting a few smudges of grease and whipped cream on his fur in the process) and growled low, giving Jessia a look of deep distrust as he backed into a corner to eat.

Mina, observing this, frowned. “ Remind me after we’re done here to have Nurse Joy look him over, because I’m wondering if he got enough to eat while he was wandering around Shadowed. ” 
 

Mark didn't argue the point, though he also didn't concede it. He was a bit more focused on the reaction of the riolu, and when the little fighting type backed into his corner, Mark waved his frosslass off and shifted so he had his back to the riolu while the little guy was eating. Almost like he was taking a lookout position for him. Finally munching on his own waffle and talking around the food, Mark said,  "Well, one thing is that Lucario are pack hunters, so while they're rare and reclusive towards  humans  in the wild, they're still social pokemon. While they start as pure fighting types, they gain  steel  typing when they evolve, which throws a lot of people off because they're so smart and their aura capabilities seem so similar to the stuff psychic types can do."  Gesturing a fork that had a peach on it, he says,  "That aura stuff makes them kinda super-hero pokemon. By reading people's auras they can know if someone is kind or cruel, sense emotions, can predict how their foes are going to attack, can create  spirit bombs ,"  Yes, Mark watched Dragonball Z,  "and are functioning telepaths. They're pretty cool. They're chocolate-eating  fiends,  though, so watch out for your candy bars. Despite being dog-like, chocolate won't  hurt  them, but they definitely have a sweet tooth."  Or at least, Jason's had...
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Whirlywhirly uses Bug Bite!
Attack missed!

Nosepass uses Rockslide!
Attack missed!

You can see the Nosepass’ trainer’s embarrassed expression from across the arena.


 Croaky: 0/77 
 Blast Bolt: 0/97 
Whirlywhirly: 21/90 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Princess: 0/92 
 Buck: 0/106 
 Leo: 0/71 
 Meditite: 0/65 
 Scyther: 0/85 
 Ninetales: 0/93 
 Koffing: 0/69 
Nosepass: 69/69

----------------

Pokémon Center (group):


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Huh! Oh, sure, you did like the oatmeal earlier, too..."  Pinklady cuts off a bit of waffle and offers it to Tress. She also takes a moment to pet Whirlywhirly, almost falling out of her chair from leaning over to do both tasks. 
 

Tress takes the bit of waffle eats it with no hesitation. Whirlywhirly, meanwhile, is trying to twist around in the crowded space to be petted better, prompting the trainers from outside the group to decide to be somewhere else before they take a Scolipede horn in the face by accident.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well, one thing is that Lucario are pack hunters, so while they're rare and reclusive towards  humans  in the wild, they're still social pokemon. While they start as pure fighting types, they gain  steel  typing when they evolve, which throws a lot of people off because they're so smart and their aura capabilities seem so similar to the stuff psychic types can do."  Gesturing a fork that had a peach on it, he says,  "That aura stuff makes them kinda super-hero pokemon. By reading people's auras they can know if someone is kind or cruel, sense emotions, can predict how their foes are going to attack, can create  spirit bombs ,"  Yes, Mark watched Dragonball Z,  "and are functioning telepaths. They're pretty cool. They're chocolate-eating  fiends,  though, so watch out for your candy bars. Despite being dog-like, chocolate won't  hurt  them, but they definitely have a sweet tooth."  
 

“ I guess I’ll have to look for some chocolate bars next time I’m at a Mart, ” Mina mused. Then to the Pokémon added, “ You’re just going to have to settle for waffle until then. ” And she carved another bite-sized piece off her waffle, made sure it was nicely slathered with syrup, then handed it over to the little Fighting type. The little fellow looked at the offering a little more suspiciously than he had with Mark and sniffed at it. He gave Mina a suspicious look. “ Go on! ” she encouraged, and Xatu trilled something that sounded reassuring too, and finally the little bipedal dog Pokémon snatched the sticky bit of waffle and stuffed it into his mouth. His change in expression suggested to Mina he was surprised to have liked it.
essCee
(Battle):

 "Go for it again!" 

-----

(Center):


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Tress takes the bit of waffle eats it with no hesitation. Whirlywhirly, meanwhile, is trying to twist around in the crowded space to be petted better, prompting the trainers from outside the group to decide to be somewhere else before they take a Scolipede horn in the face by accident. 
 

 "Oops!"  After feeding Tress the bit of waffle and beaming at her enjoying it, Pinklady notices the minor commotion caused by Whirlywhirly and gets out of her seat to make it easier to pet him, abandoning her food for the moment.  "I guess we both have to remember you're not a little...r, Whirlipede any more, huh.  All things considered, his final evolution was pretty recent, and they didn't exactly have a ton of experience in crowded spaces anyways.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

Whirlywhirly uses Bug Bite!
Nosepass is hit for 22 damage!
Whirlywhirly ate Nosepass’ Lum Berry!

Nosepass uses Rockslide!
It’s super effective!
Whirlywhirly is hit for 46 damage!
Whirlywhirly faints!


 Croaky: 0/77 
 Blast Bolt: 0/97 
 Whirlywhirly: 0/90 
 Princess: 0/92 
 Buck: 0/106 
 Leo: 0/71 
 Meditite: 0/65 
 Scyther: 0/85 
 Ninetales: 0/93 
 Koffing: 0/69 
Nosepass: 47/69


Your loss is announced and the lift takes you back to the entrance.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You guys have about an hour before Mina shows up to take you to dinner, anything you want to do in the interim or would you rather just skip to that point?
 
Lord Ruby34
(Battle)

Less frowned. That hadn't gone well, but they had learned something they could use in the future. Perhaps he was over-analyzing his opponents? Still, he turned to Pinklady.  "A good first attempt, I think. We should try again, another day. I imagine we can put some of what we learned to good use."  Less smiled.  "And Whirlywhirly was far tougher than I thought, I can't believe he wasn't KO'd by that self-destruct." 
 
 Spoiler: Before Leaving 

Teaching Princess Natural Gift, forgetting Swift, and then letting her hold the Niptir berry.
 


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Phone call)

"I-" Less started. It wasn't Jon's fault, or anyone's. "I understand. My apologies. I'll make my over to Skybreak first thing in the morning." The old trainer let out a long sigh. "Would you be willing to let them know to expect me?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Center)

Buck gave Mina a grateful woof, and a few enthusiastic licks. A few moments later, Less walked into the room, and sat down, rubbing his furrowed brow.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Just wanted to let everyone know that work has been kind of intense that week, and it looks like it's going to stay that way. I'm going to try and post every day, but there's a chance it'll be more around this time then I used to. I can often do short posts on my phone during lunch, but longer ones have to wait until I get home.

EDIT: Other than my sporadic remote days, which I'm much freer during.
 
essCee
 "You did well!"  Pinklady told Whirlywhirly as she recalled him. Then, to Less,  "Yeah! I know I'm already getting a good idea of what I need to watch out for. Better we lose here than to some Bandra, right?"  She looks down at Whirlywhirly's Pokeball.  "His toughness surprised me too... I'll need to keep that in mind. I think we and our teams all did very well today." 
 
 Spoiler: Remaining hour 

After they leave, Pinklady will propose they take a bit more time to train, which I think should fit nicely into the hour gap between now and the group gathering; if Less agrees, Pinklady will be training Tress for that hour.
 


----

(Center):

Shortly after Less returns, Pinklady rotates out her Pokémon again, finishing up the rotation with Croaky and Sport.

 
 Spoiler: Pokemon in party 

Aaaaaand I just realised I mixed up who was currently in the team and who was in the box, with Leapsy being sent out earlier despite being marked in-box... going to quickly patch that by retrospectively having Pinklady have swapped out Dundundun for Leapsy after the earlier battle, just before they left Trainer Hill. 😛
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I guess I’ll have to look for some chocolate bars next time I’m at a Mart, ” Mina mused. Then to the Pokémon added, “ You’re just going to have to settle for waffle until then. ” And she carved another bite-sized piece off her waffle, made sure it was nicely slathered with syrup, then handed it over to the little Fighting type. The little fellow looked at the offering a little more suspiciously than he had with Mark and sniffed at it. He gave Mina a suspicious look. “ Go on! ” she encouraged, and Xatu trilled something that sounded reassuring too, and finally the little bipedal dog Pokémon snatched the sticky bit of waffle and stuffed it into his mouth. His change in expression suggested to Mina he was surprised to have liked it. 
 

Mark frowned slightly while munching on his brinner while he watched the riolu's reactions. The little guy had packed away a lot over the last few minutes...  "If he hasn't been eating well, we might want to watch out and make sure he doesn't over-eat over the next few days. Sometimes pokemon who have been starved will go too far the  other  way if their portions aren't carefully managed..."  Normally that was advice for abused pets, but shadowing was  basically  abuse, and wild berries and animals that could be hunted weren't all too common in Helnith these days, so if this little guy had been starved...

Mark picked up his pokedex and gave the riolu a quick scan again. He was looking for any obvious signs that the fighting type was malnourished, but also just checking his abilities again. While he was checking if there was a way to 'improve' Inner Focus, and what exactly the Iron Amulet the little guy was holding did, Mark ate some eggs and said,  "So, Lucario has an excellent Special attack, but they don't learn many non-physical moves naturally and their physical attack is pretty well balanced with it... I think it's safest to train up speed for now."  It would be useful regardless of moveset.  "If we do end up evolving him, or a different Riolu, we could make him a pretty well-rounded special attacker with a few heartscales. It normally takes Lucario a bit to learn Aura Sphere by leveling up,"  Level  37!   "But a tutor could teach him that, dark pulse and vacuum wave the moment after he's evolved*, and flash cannon with an SM."  Psychic and Shadow Ball with an SM too, but if they purchased SM's they might want to focus on STAB moves...

 
 Spoiler: Moveset confirmation 
*Just wanted to check and make sure: Since Lucario learns Aura Sphere upon evolution starting in gen 7, and it's a "level 1" move in gen 6, that makes it a move that can be tutored upon evolution with the rules we currently have, right?
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Waiting on plan confirmation from Lord Ruby, but Pinklady is tentatively cleared for training up Tress a level.

Also -SM 16 – Natural Gift for Less, overwrote Swift with Natural Gift. Yell if anything looks off!

And no problem. This time of year gets busy for lots of people, self included.
 


----------------

Pokémon Center (Less):

“ I can do that, ” the Ranger agrees.

----------------

Pokémon Center (group):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Switched Dundundun for Leapsy so your team should be up to date essCee! 🙂
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Buck gave Mina a grateful woof, and a few enthusiastic licks. 
 

Mina petted Buck back before the licking got to be too much, and thus mostly missed Less’ reentrance. “ Okay, okay, that’s enough! ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If he hasn't been eating well, we might want to watch out and make sure he doesn't over-eat over the next few days. Sometimes pokemon who have been starved will go too far the  other  way if their portions aren't carefully managed..."  
 

“ I’ll have Nurse Joy give him a once over once everyone is done eating, ” Mina promised.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark picked up his pokedex and gave the riolu a quick scan again. He was looking for any obvious signs that the fighting type was malnourished, but also just checking his abilities again. 
 

Mark’s scan of Riolu doesn’t turn up any obvious major issues ((no stat damage)), although the little guy’s weight  is  a little on the low side.

It does bring up an interesting note about the Iron Amulet:

 
 Spoiler: Pokédex 

 Iron Mind 
Inner Focus + immunity to Attract and Confusion.
Obtained: Pokémon's pre-evolution holds an Iron Amulet while evolving.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "So, Lucario has an excellent Special attack, but they don't learn many non-physical moves naturally and their physical attack is pretty well balanced with it... I think it's safest to train up speed for now."  It would be useful regardless of moveset.  "If we do end up evolving him, or a different Riolu, we could make him a pretty well-rounded special attacker with a few heartscales. It normally takes Lucario a bit to learn Aura Sphere by leveling up,"  Level  37!   "But a tutor could teach him that, dark pulse and vacuum wave the moment after he's evolved*, and flash cannon with an SM."  Psychic and Shadow Ball with an SM too, but if they purchased SM's they might want to focus on STAB moves...

 
 Spoiler: Moveset confirmation 
*Just wanted to check and make sure: Since Lucario learns Aura Sphere upon evolution starting in gen 7, and it's a "level 1" move in gen 6, that makes it a move that can be tutored upon evolution with the rules we currently have, right?
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yes that is correct. 🙂
 


By this point Mina had fished out her Pokédex and was looking through the movesets too. “ Life Dew looks kind of cool, ” Mina remarked. “ And Copycat. ” She wanted Mirror Move on Pidgey already! “ Nasty Plot would be useful…but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We can’t keep him. He belongs to someone else. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 By this point Mina had fished out her Pokédex and was looking through the movesets too. “ Life Dew looks kind of cool, ” Mina remarked. “ And Copycat. ” She wanted Mirror Move on Pidgey already! “ Nasty Plot would be useful…but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We can’t keep him. He belongs to someone else. ” 
 

Neat little ability, but still...  "Mina."  Mark said, keeping his voice low and calm and not looking directly at the riolu.  "As you've pointed out, he's just a baby. Could you see yourself abandoning a pokemon that you'd bred and hatched, even if they were shadowed?"  He hesitated before saying,  "There's a very real chance that his trainer was killed by Bandra or a pack of shadowed pokemon. We'll still look into it, of course, and we shouldn't make solid plans until we know one way or the other! But I don't think that musing and idle research goes too far given the circumstances." 
Lord Ruby34
(Battle Tower)


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "You did well!"  Pinklady told Whirlywhirly as she recalled him. Then, to Less,  "Yeah! I know I'm already getting a good idea of what I need to watch out for. Better we lose here than to some Bandra, right?"  She looks down at Whirlywhirly's Pokeball.  "His toughness surprised me too... I'll need to keep that in mind. I think we and our teams all did very well today."  
 

Less nodded.  "Agreed."  The battle had truly gone off the rails when the opposing trainer had switched out their Scyther into a Ninetails, but that didn't mean that Less had actually made a mistake by ordering a Fire Fang. Pokemon that were totally immune to fire moves were rare, and event those Pokemon who could have such an ability had it only half the time. The mistake they had made was underestimating how dangerous it was to leave that Koffing alone.

After a slight pause, Less added,  "And next time we'll do better, and each time after that. We'll call it a learning experience." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

No one in my team will level up with an hour of training, but we'll spend an hour working with Buck for the joy of it. (and because he needs to close some of that level gap with Connie.)

It looks like Natural Gift has the wrong description under Princess's move list, but everything else looks good!
 


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Phone Call)


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I can do that, ” the Ranger agrees. 
 

 "Thank you, Jon."  Less replied.  "I'll be there in the morning."  With that Less said his goodbyes and ended the call before rejoining the group.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Group)

After a moment of pondering, Less came to his senses enough to start getting his other Pokemon their meals, starting with Princess and Leo, who had done the most work today. Soon after, Less sat down himself with the crispiest bacon he could find, some eggs, and a waffle, and started paying attention to the ongoing conversation.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less and Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yeah, that much is going to stay that way until I finish the 2.0 versions of the Character Sheets and the Battle tab. Then it should update automatically whenever the move changes.

Also +1 hour towards Buck’s next level has been noted. 🙂
 

 
 Spoiler: Tress 

Pokémon: Cosmas (Tress)
Type: Dark/Spectral
Ability: Magic Guard
Gender: Female
Level: 20
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 52
Attack: 35
Def: 27
Sp. Attack: 33
Sp. Def: 31
Speed: 35
Moves:
Sing
Bash*
Pursuit
Flash
Faint Attack
Haze

No new attacks.
 


----------------

Pokémon Center (group):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Neat little ability, but still...  "Mina."  Mark said, keeping his voice low and calm and not looking directly at the riolu.  "As you've pointed out, he's just a baby. Could you see yourself abandoning a pokemon that you'd bred and hatched, even if they were shadowed?"  He hesitated before saying,  "There's a very real chance that his trainer was killed by Bandra or a pack of shadowed pokemon. We'll still look into it, of course, and we shouldn't make solid plans until we know one way or the other! But I don't think that musing and idle research goes too far given the circumstances."  
 

Riolu glanced up from licking his paws clean with an alarmed expression. Mina shot a sharp look at Mark and mouthed   Not in front of the baby!   at him before saying aloud, “ Or he  might  have just gotten Shadowed and run off before they could stop him, it’s happened to us more than once. ” Riolu didn’t look quite so alarmed, but Mark got the definite impression he was troubled.
Gnomes2169
He almost pointed out that being fully shadowed typically involved being  knocked out  by a spectral attack, so riolu might have been knocked into darkness away from his trainer, but almost certainly wouldn't have be conscious enough to run off... but, reading the room, Mark did his best to reign in his recent bout of pessimism and says,  "And that's why we're going to Hillsbreak! It's the closest friendly place she would go to,"  though Wain had said the aura master hadn't been seen for a while,  "where someone looking for him would have set up wanted posters,"  though, the ranger's search hadn't found any that he'd brought up,  "and it's where she was last spotted."  A few weeks ago. Mark's voice has a note of forced optimism in it.

After thinking about it for a second, he sounded a bit more confident as he adds,  "Even if she did run into Bandra and get captured, she's an aura master, they  could  be holding her prisoner and using her to train the pokemon they're breeding, like a move tutor."  That seemed like a plausible reason for keeping her alive. If they didn't just kill her at the Shrine of Light in their blood rituals because they were monsters and thought her unique capabilities might make her a 'valuable sacrifice.'

Gesturing at the riolu with his thumb Mark said,  "And if she's being held prisoner, and even if we just go looking for her in the mountains, he deserves to go with us when we try to rescue her."  Mark had been in the position of sitting and waiting for someone to find a lost loved one, and he wasn't going to inflict that on the fighting type, no matter how young the baby was. The riolu could become strong quickly enough to stand on his own, he wasn't helpless like tween Mark had been.  "So we should make sure he's strong enough to join us and stand up to the dangers we encounter. I know you're not exactly comfortable with training someone else's pokemon..."  Setting his plate and its half-eaten waffle down on the kitchen counter, he folded his arms in front of him and offered,  "I could do that. Heck, I'm willing to trade if you wanted to officially put all the blame on me for it if we find her and she'd mad about how we did it. We were talking about looking at options for that earthquake SM you bought back in Skybreak, and I have a level 30 steelix that doesn't exactly fit on my team right now. He's got some performance anxiety, but..."  Steelix is an  incredible  pokemon, if the right moves can be taught to it.
Lord Ruby34
 "Before we tomorrow,"  Less said,  "I've got to head to Skybreak and retrieve those messages. It could be time critical, and I'm not willing to risk ignorance when it could give me a clue as to where my daughter might be." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center (group):


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He almost pointed out that being fully shadowed typically involved being  knocked out  by a spectral attack, so riolu might have been knocked into darkness away from his trainer, but almost certainly wouldn't have be conscious enough to run off... but, reading the room, Mark did his best to reign in his recent bout of pessimism and says,  "And that's why we're going to Hillsbreak! It's the closest friendly place she would go to,"  though Wain had said the aura master hadn't been seen for a while,  "where someone looking for him would have set up wanted posters,"  though, the ranger's search hadn't found any that he'd brought up,  "and it's where she was last spotted."  A few weeks ago. Mark's voice has a note of forced optimism in it.

After thinking about it for a second, he sounded a bit more confident as he adds,  "Even if she did run into Bandra and get captured, she's an aura master, they  could  be holding her prisoner and using her to train the pokemon they're breeding, like a move tutor."  That seemed like a plausible reason for keeping her alive. If they didn't just kill her at the Shrine of Light in their blood rituals because they were monsters and thought her unique capabilities might make her a 'valuable sacrifice.' 
 

The Riolu’s ears flattened at the perceived condescension and Mina didn’t look terribly amused either.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Gesturing at the riolu with his thumb Mark said,  "And if she's being held prisoner, and even if we just go looking for her in the mountains, he deserves to go with us when we try to rescue her."  Mark had been in the position of sitting and waiting for someone to find a lost loved one, and he wasn't going to inflict that on the fighting type, no matter how young the baby was. The riolu could become strong quickly enough to stand on his own, he wasn't helpless like tween Mark had been.  "So we should make sure he's strong enough to join us and stand up to the dangers we encounter. I know you're not exactly comfortable with training someone else's pokemon..."  Setting his plate and its half-eaten waffle down on the kitchen counter, he folded his arms in front of him and offered,  "I could do that. Heck, I'm willing to trade if you wanted to officially put all the blame on me for it if we find her and she'd mad about how we did it. We were talking about looking at options for that earthquake SM you bought back in Skybreak, and I have a level 30 steelix that doesn't exactly fit on my team right now. He's got some performance anxiety, but..."  Steelix is an  incredible  pokemon, if the right moves can be taught to it. 
 

The little blue jackal Pokémon started yipping and barking  very passionately  while gesturing wildly in a northerly direction. Mark got a general sense of rising outrage, that broke off when Mina spoke.

“ I’m pretty sure I  already  have  at least  one Pokémon that can use the SM, ” she said flatly. That had not been the problem with the SM and anyway, the blatant manipulation was making her regret going down this particular track. “ As for the rest, we can have that conversation  after  we can talk to the little guy properly. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Before we tomorrow,"  Less said,  "I've got to head to Skybreak and retrieve those messages. It could be time critical, and I'm not willing to risk ignorance when it could give me a clue as to where my daughter might be."  
 

“ Fine. We can sign up anyone who needs to be signed up for money-making tasks while we’re there. And then I can grab my Berries and we’ll Teleport up to Dewdrop, and we can either split up there or when we get to Siltis. ”
Gnomes2169
Mark didn't mean to be condescending, he just... didn't have much hope left, and he was getting so tired of being the eternal optimist. He visibly flinched at riolu's reaction, and hung his head when Mina flat-out rejected him.  "I'm sorry."  He mumbled at his feet. Trying to drop the subject, he said,  "There's a job in Hillsbreak to retrieve samples from the breeder and return them to the university. I should pick that up so we can do that while we're there."  He also thought the breeder might know something about the aura guardian's planned trip, at least if the breeder was the one who'd helped make riolu's egg, but at this point he was just trying to shut up so he didn't bring the faint possibility up. He'd just have to talk to the breeder about it tomorrow.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Fine. We can sign up anyone who needs to be signed up for money-making tasks while we’re there. And then I can grab my Berries and we’ll Teleport up to Dewdrop, and we can either split up there or when we get to Siltis. ” 
 

Pinklady speaks again once the tasks are mentioned, especially after Mark changes the topic to just that.

 "Unless I'm needed for anything else, I'm planning to pick up a task Mark told me about to bring supplies to the Shrine of Light, so I'll probably split off at Skybreak. If that's closer, hold on... you said you'll be going to Dewdrop next, right?" 

She pulls out her 'dex to check the map.
Lord Ruby34
Less startled back in an expression of confusion.  "If you all want to come, I certainly wouldn't be opposed, but I had planned to ride in with Buck in the early hours of the morning."  

As for the discussion about the Earthquake SM, well, Less had enough experience to know when to stay clear. Still . . .  "Mark, you're good with computers, right? I had something I wanted to try tonight, if you were willing to help me. It involves combing through archival footage from the battle tower." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pokémon Center (group):


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Unless I'm needed for anything else, I'm planning to pick up a task Mark told me about to bring supplies to the Shrine of Light, so I'll probably split off at Skybreak. If that's closer, hold on... you said you'll be going to Dewdrop next, right?"  
 

“ Yes, Dewdrop Forest, up in the northeast, ” Mina responded, pointing to the appropriate spot on the map. ((DM reminder: map is on the first tab of the character sheets Excel doc.)) Then she took out the task list from earlier and started noting down names next to them, before holding it out to the rest of the group for their perusal. “ Here’s the rest of the list in case you want to grab anything else, Mark and I were going to grab the plaster casts task since we were going to be in the area anyway. ”

 
 Spoiler: University of Helnith Task List 

 
 Catalogue historical items for the museum (8 AM to 4 PM daily) (6,000 PD) 
 Battle and subdue (do NOT catch) a Water Pokémon so they can attach a camera to it (date and time is open, transportation provided) (6,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to take plaster casts of prints on north coast (date and time is open) ( 4,000  8,000 PD) – Mark, Mina 
 Escort staff member to gather plant and soil samples from the Spectral Dimension (Rift dependent, at least three people.) ( 20,000 PD  30,000 PD) 
 Clean out Laboratory 2 by Day 30 (on campus, est. time 3-6 hours) (6,000 PD) 
 Retrieve blood samples from Breeder in Hillsbreak (4,000 PD) - Mark 
 Retrieve Cat’s Eye by Day 35 (no sign-up) (400 PD/each) 
 Take supplies to Shrine of Light (8,000 PD) - Pinklady 
 Retrieve package from Grand Docks, Tidepath (details on sign-up) (4,000 PD) 
 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "If you all want to come, I certainly wouldn't be opposed, but I had planned to ride in with Buck in the early hours of the morning."   
 

“ Mark wanted to talk to the Gym Leader in Skybreak, ” Mina replied. “ And my Berries aren’t going to be ready until 10 AM anyway, since I’d have to come get you guys I might as well come with. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 As for the discussion about the Earthquake SM, well, Less had enough experience to know when to stay clear. Still . . .  "Mark, you're good with computers, right? I had something I wanted to try tonight, if you were willing to help me. It involves combing through archival footage from the battle tower."  
 

 "Um... I'm not really a computer guy,"  He was an  artist,   "and I was planning to try and get close to evolving the carvanha I have in storage with late-night training, but I could see what I could do. What are you looking at?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Here’s the rest of the list in case you want to grab anything else, Mark and I were going to grab the plaster casts task since we were going to be in the area anyway. ”

 
 Spoiler: University of Helnith Task List 

 
 Catalogue historical items for the museum (8 AM to 4 PM daily) (6,000 PD) 
 Battle and subdue (do NOT catch) a Water Pokémon so they can attach a camera to it (date and time is open, transportation provided) (6,000 PD) 
 Escort staff member to take plaster casts of prints on north coast (date and time is open) ( 4,000  8,000 PD) – Mark, Mina 
 Escort staff member to gather plant and soil samples from the Spectral Dimension (Rift dependent, at least three people.) ( 20,000 PD  30,000 PD) 
 Clean out Laboratory 2 by Day 30 (on campus, est. time 3-6 hours) (6,000 PD) 
 Retrieve blood samples from Breeder in Hillsbreak (4,000 PD) - Mark 
 Retrieve Cat’s Eye by Day 35 (no sign-up) (400 PD/each) 
 Take supplies to Shrine of Light (8,000 PD) - Pinklady 
 Retrieve package from Grand Docks, Tidepath (details on sign-up) (4,000 PD) 
 
 


“ Mark wanted to talk to the Gym Leader in Skybreak, ” Mina replied. “ And my Berries aren’t going to be ready until 10 AM anyway, since I’d have to come get you guys I might as well come with. ” 
 

He stepped in a bit hesitantly, but still said,  "To make sure it's clear, we wouldn't be  doing  the plasters job tomorrow, just scheduling it for the day after. Once I have 'Sail back, it'll be safer to be on the coast."  Emergency nope buttons were always useful.  "I'm not sure how long a meeting with the gym leader will take, but if you think I should have time, then... I'll try to squeeze it in." 
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He stepped in a bit hesitantly, but still said,  "To make sure it's clear, we wouldn't be  doing  the plasters job tomorrow, just scheduling it for the day after. Once I have 'Sail back, it'll be safer to be on the coast."  Emergency nope buttons were always useful.  "I'm not sure how long a meeting with the gym leader will take, but if you think I should have time, then... I'll try to squeeze it in."  
 

“ You don’t  have  to talk to her tomorrow, I’m just trying to save you some back tracking. But when you do decide to go, make sure you go through the front entrance, and keep in mind she’s a bit prickly.

And yes, we’re planning the plaster thing after Tattersail is cleared by Nurse Joy. The rest of you keep in mind we’re going to be in enemy territory, so we aren’t going to be available for taxi service. That goes for looking for Riolu’s trainer too, ” she added.
essCee
Pinklady looks over the task list, taking awhile to go over it while the others' conversations continue.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Um... I'm not really a computer guy,"  He was an  artist,   "and I was planning to try and get close to evolving the carvanha I have in storage with late-night training, but I could see what I could do. What are you looking at?"  
 

The look Less gave Mark suggested that everyone under thirty was a computer guy, whatever Mark thought about the matter.

Still, Less answered, "I had an idea about tutoring some of our Pokemon. I wanted to look though the public footage from the battle tower to find some useful moves used by Pokemon of the same species as the ones on our teams. If our Pokemon can watch the moves from a variety of angles, they might be able to learn by example." Less shrugged afterwards. "I'm not certain it will work, but it may well be worth an attempt."
Gnomes2169
The look Mark gave in return was carefully blank, and he said,  "Um... that's..."  How to put this delicately?  "Less, that isn't how move tutoring works. If it was that easy, we could just watch old reruns of televised gym or championship battles from...  any  region. Heck, that region with the sad lizard and sport bunny starters makes sure  all  of their league matches are publicly broadcasted."  Galar was kinda all-in on the idea that pokemon training and gym battles were a competitive spectacle sport...  "Is there something wrong with the tutor? I mean, I wish I had more time to get heart scales too, but it doesn't seem like much of a price...?" 

To Mina he said,  "I'll check the time after signing up for the jobs. What time of day did you want to  do  that plaster thing..?"  The university people would probably want to get back to Skybreak before curfew, so they shouldn't delay it  too  much.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 The look Mark gave in return was carefully blank, and he said,  "Um... that's..."  How to put this delicately?  "Less, that isn't how move tutoring works. If it was that easy, we could just watch old reruns of televised gym or championship battles from...  any  region. Heck, that region with the sad lizard and sport bunny starters makes sure  all  of their league matches are publicly broadcasted."  Galar was kinda all-in on the idea that pokemon training and gym battles were a competitive spectacle sport...  "Is there something wrong with the tutor? I mean, I wish I had more time to get heart scales too, but it doesn't seem like much of a price...?"  
 

Less shrugged. "Are you capable of watching someone else, imitating, and learning?" Less asked, though the question was clearly rhetorical. "Why would our Pokemon be any less capable?"
Gnomes2169
 "I couldn't watch a martial arts tournament and become a martial arts master, or a derby and become a professional racer, no. I would need someone to actually  train  me and guide me to learn a new skill. Video or online courses would be something I could learn from, but that's just another kind of training."  Mark said.  "Even if I could, pokemon aren't humans. Their brains work differently and junk... For example, Tattersail is easily  smart  enough to read, I'm sure of it, but I don't think I'm going to have much success getting her to learn how to do it, and she's able to access that skill from my  mind . She wouldn't have to learn it from watching a screen." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I couldn't watch a martial arts tournament and become a martial arts master, or a derby and become a professional racer, no. I would need someone to actually  train  me and guide me to learn a new skill. Video or online courses would be something I could learn from, but that's just another kind of training."  Mark said.  "Even if I could, pokemon aren't humans. Their brains work differently and junk... For example, Tattersail is easily  smart  enough to read, I'm sure of it, but I don't think I'm going to have much success getting her to learn how to do it, and she's able to access that skill from my  mind . She wouldn't have to learn it from watching a screen."  
 

 
"But you could learn something."  Less said.  "And that's what we're here for, to interpret for our Pokemon and guide them into new techniques, new skills. What they're capable of may surprise you. Leo,"  Less gestured over to the little frog Pokemon while he ate  "enjoys painting."  Leo looked up at the mention of his name and bobbed up and down. " Though he hasn't had much time to do so lately."  Less didn't mention that the Croagunk wasn't particularly  skilled  at painting, mostly because he preferred to encourage the little Pokemon's interest.

 "My point,"  Less elaborated,  "is that Pokemon can surprise you, and that there is rarely only one path to knowledge. At the very least, it's worth the attempt." 
Gnomes2169
Mark's expression was  extremely  skeptical, to say the least. Picking his waffle back up to finish it, he says,  "Even if it does work, it sounds like something that will take a  lot  of time just watching hours and hours of battle footage... maybe check out the trainer forums to see if someone has tried it out, and see if it worked for them? Try entering the phrase 'Training with battle footage' in the forum search bar." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mina was skeptical about the videos as well, but for now was content to let the boys argue it out while she finished her waffle and then cleaned up after her Pokémons' meals.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 To Mina he said,  "I'll check the time after signing up for the jobs. What time of day did you want to  do  that plaster thing..?"  The university people would probably want to get back to Skybreak before curfew, so they shouldn't delay it  too  much. 
 

“ I’d just as soon get it done with as soon as possible, so there will still be daylight to go find Riolu’s trainer afterwards. ” It would be just their luck if they tried to find the Aura Master first, stirred up a hornets’ nest of Bandra and made it impossible for the University staff to do their thing with the plaster. “ I’m not sure how much time that’s going to take though, I’ll have to ask. ”
Lord Ruby34
 "I'll try that first,"  Less promised. He didn't mean to dismiss the young man's concerns entirely. Even if he was able to find relevant footage there was no guarantee that any of his Pokemon would be able to learn anything. Still, Less didn't intend to be dissuaded. Not only could this help their group, but if he was able to make this work and bring it to the rest of the trainers opposing Bandra they might be able to gain a large, though likely temporary, edge.

Less cycled the rest of his Pokemon through their dinner while he finished eating.  "Is that what you intend to do tomorrow then, find this aura trainer? We can put off the visit to my home until another day, if needed."  Less asked.
Gnomes2169
Mark seemed hesitant at Less' question.  "We'll be searching and asking around in Hillsbreak, but, much like with the plaster job, we should wait to actually go to her last known location until Tattersail is healed. That's firmly  inside  of Bandra territory."  And it would be reasonable to assume Hannah was in close enough proximity to be a potential  problem.   "I also need to at least  try  talking to Sesh the day after tomorrow, and wanted to  try  to pick up that Surf HM... but if you're planning to go to the cavern after 'sail talks to riolu, I can skip that second plan, or I can try to go early in the morning to both and rendezvous with you at Hillsbreak."  Either way, he would really need to go talk to the gym leader tomorrow to try and make this work out.  "Maybe shoot for scheduling the plaster job done at noon, then?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Since this seemed like it could go in circles for hours, Mina started scribbling down notes.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark seemed hesitant at Less' question.  "We'll be searching and asking around in Hillsbreak, but, much like with the plaster job, we should wait to actually go to her last known location until Tattersail is healed. That's firmly  inside  of Bandra territory."  And it would be reasonable to assume Hannah was in close enough proximity to be a potential  problem.   "I also need to at least  try  talking to Sesh the day after tomorrow, and wanted to  try  to pick up that Surf HM... but if you're planning to go to the cavern after 'sail talks to riolu, I can skip that second plan, or I can try to go early in the morning to both and rendezvous with you at Hillsbreak."  Either way, he would really need to go talk to the gym leader tomorrow to try and make this work out.  "Maybe shoot for scheduling the plaster job done at noon, then?"  
 

“ Hang on, let’s start from the beginning. This is what I’ve got for our to-do list, is anything missing? ” Mina had penciled in the things that seemed to have a definite timeframe they had to happen in, as well as some of the stated preferences, maybe that would help schedule.

 GROUP: 
Berries at Less’ house
Dewdrop Forest (more Berries)
Surf HM
Heart Scales x∞
Dusk Stones
Sacred Talismans x∞
More Power Items

 LESS: 
Find daughter
 Skybreak for messages 
Go to house for clothes

 MARK: 
 Plaster 
Hillsbreak delivery
Find Aura Master
Talk to Skybreak Gym Leader on SLS behalf
 Talk to Sesh 
 List from Lijan (tonight/tomorrow) 
Earthquake SM

 MINA: 
 Plaster 
Find Aura Master
 Harvest Berries (9-10AM tomorrow) 
Apicot Berry
Ganlon Berry
Poffin

 PINKLADY: 
Shrine of Light delivery

 AKIO: 
???

 TOMORROW 
Mina - Harvest Berries (9-10AM tomorrow)
Mark - List from Lijan (tonight/tomorrow)
Less – Skybreak for messages

 DAY AFTER 
Mark - Talk to Sesh (morning?)
Mark, Mina - Plaster (need Tattersail)(noon?)

“ And were you going to try to talk to the Gym Leader tomorrow then? ”
Lord Ruby34
 "Hmm. We should probably move the Poffins from your to do list to the groups. If you're successful everyone benefits."  Less stroked his mustache for a moment while he looked at the list, already happy with the organization.  "I also intend to head down to Tidepath, and the University of Helnith, at some point, though neither trip is immediately pressing."  After another short moment of consideration, Less added.  "And once Tattersail's better we should aim to pursue our ultimate goal of attacking Bandra. I believe you had a plan, Mark?" 
Gnomes2169
 "We're going to Hillsbreak to start working on the Aura Master search, so I'll sign up for the samples job tomorrow, and I'll meet with the gym leader in the morning too. Ah, Mina, do you happen to have gotten her name while you were in the gym...?"  He asked, wanting to make sure he didn't walk in and just demand a meeting without even knowing what to call the leader of the entire gym (and obviously someone influential, given she'd been able to flat-out deny Sesh entry to the city). Actually, she was a public figure, he could probably look that up...

At Less' question, Mark nodded and, after looking around, said,  "I've got a plan, yes, and the sooner we can act on it the better. However, I want to make sure 'sail isn't suffering any severe after-effects from her injury, and we'll want to pick up some supplies before hand. We'll want to make sure we've gotten a few jobs done and have a bit of a bank before hand because of that."  Pulling out his own pen, Mark made a little side-box on Mina's list;

 2 days from now 
-Gather supplies (medicine, masks for ash, dark, light-weight clothing, etc)

The masks and clothing he'd thought about because of the wildfire they'd had to live through, and Mina had already been through a smoke inhalation episode. Maybe if they could learn what frequency the Bandra goons were using they could also take some radios too, but... it was probably just easier to ambush a patrol, honestly. They needed to stop destroying all the radios the grunts had first, even if it was a risk.
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Hmm. We should probably move the Poffins from your to do list to the groups. If you're successful everyone benefits."  
 

“ Sure. Speaking of, you said you were going to do some research on Poffin recipes. Did you find anything helpful? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I also intend to head down to Tidepath, and the University of Helnith, at some point, though neither trip is immediately pressing."  
 

“ Are you wanting the delivery task there then? And Xatu and I haven’t been to Tidepath yet, but the University is in Skybreak too. Did you want to stop by while we’re there, or wait and head to your house once you’re done with the notes? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We're going to Hillsbreak to start working on the Aura Master search, so I'll sign up for the samples job tomorrow, and I'll meet with the gym leader in the morning too. Ah, Mina, do you happen to have gotten her name while you were in the gym...?"  
 

“ Lijan said it was ‘Cassilda’, ” Mina reminded. “ So should I write in Hillsbreak for tomorrow afternoon?

And Pinklady, will you be coming with us to Skybreak in the morning? ”


 GROUP: 
Berries at Less’ house
Dewdrop Forest (more Berries)
Surf HM
Heart Scales x∞
Dusk Stones
Sacred Talismans x∞
More Power Items
Poffin

 LESS: 
Find daughter
 Skybreak for messages 
Go to house for clothes

 MARK: 
 Plaster 
Hillsbreak delivery
Find Aura Master
 Talk to Skybreak Gym Leader on SLS behalf 
 Talk to Sesh 
 List from Lijan (tonight/tomorrow) 
Earthquake SM

 MINA: 
 Plaster 
Find Aura Master
 Harvest Berries (9-10AM tomorrow) 
Apicot Berry
Ganlon Berry
 Poffin 
 PINKLADY: 
Shrine of Light delivery

 AKIO: 
???

 TOMORROW 
Mina – Harvest Berries (9-10AM tomorrow)
Mark – List from Lijan (tonight/tomorrow)
Less – Skybreak for messages
Mark/Mina – Task signup
Mark – Talk to Skybreak Gym Leader on SLS behalf

 DAY AFTER 
Mark – Talk to Sesh (morning?)
Mark, Mina – Plaster (need Tattersail)(noon?)

 2 days from now 
-Gather supplies (medicine, masks for ash, dark, light-weight clothing, etc)
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Sure. Speaking of, you said you were going to do some research on Poffin recipes. Did you find anything helpful? ” 
 

 "I found these."  Less said, pulling out the recipes he had gathered.  "I'm not sure how they compare to what you've already found." 

“ Are you wanting the delivery task there then? And Xatu and I haven’t been to Tidepath yet, but the University is in Skybreak too. Did you want to stop by while we’re there, or wait and head to your house once you’re done with the notes? ”
[/QUOTE]
 
"I suppose that would make sense."  Less agreed.  "Though I'm not sure I'm ready to stop by the university yet. If you're willing to join me, I'd rather head to my home. If not, I'll wait for a day you can, so Xatu can become familiar."  Less shrugged.  "If you're not ready to journey to Siltis I could stop there and talk to a few people while the rest of the group is in town." 

To the group, Less suggested,  "It might be worth picking up Bandra disguises if we're planning to infiltrate Bandra territory." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ And Pinklady, will you be coming with us to Skybreak in the morning? ” 
 

 "I will! Just to get the delivery task, and then I'll be off to the Shrine. Maybe the cleanup task while I'm at it, too... I don't really have anything really pressing to do." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “[COLOR="#4B0082"]“ Lijan said it was ‘Cassilda’, ” Mina reminded. “ So should I write in Hillsbreak for tomorrow afternoon? ” 
 

Setting his dish beside the sink and getting out a paper towel to wrap up some bacon for the fish training once tonight's meeting was done, Mark said,  "Right. Cassilda."  Mark was terrible with names, it was 50/50 whether he'd already forgotten it.  "As far as talking to people in Hillsbreak, yes. If we can find her there, or if someone can tell us about where she planned to go, then that will help. If we can't find anything, we can ask Riolu about that once I have Tattersail back."  So that was a potential fail-safe if all other attempts at investigation failed. It would just take longer.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I found these."  Less said, pulling out the recipes he had gathered.  "I'm not sure how they compare to what you've already found." 

“[COLOR="#4B0082"]To the group, Less suggested,  "It might be worth picking up Bandra disguises if we're planning to infiltrate Bandra territory."  
 

 "Mina and I discussed that with Matt before, but... well."  His robot arm spun a servo while he set it to do jazz-hands for the next few seconds.  "I am  extremely  recognizable. Might be worth it for the rest of you, though... if we can convince Pinklady to wear something dull and grey."  She kind of had a  theme  going on with her color scheme...
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina and I discussed that with Matt before, but... well."  His robot arm spun a servo while he set it to do jazz-hands for the next few seconds.  "I am  extremely  recognizable. Might be worth it for the rest of you, though... if we can convince Pinklady to wear something dull and grey."  She kind of had a  theme  going on with her color scheme... 
 

Less nodded, and added "A disguise that only works from one hundred feet away is likely still better than no disguise at all. We can try to find a uniform with long sleeves and have you wear a glove. It won't be perfect, but it may well be better than nothing. I imagine the wrinkles around my eyes will also give me away up close. But we do what we can nonetheless."
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I found these."  Less said, pulling out the recipes he had gathered.  "I'm not sure how they compare to what you've already found."  
 

Mina looked them over and hmm’d. “ This is pretty close to what I had; I’d been substituting the Poffin Berries for more type resisting Berries. Looks like we’d still need the Ganlon and Apicot Berries though, or the Pins, ” she added regretfully.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I will! Just to get the delivery task, and then I'll be off to the Shrine. Maybe the cleanup task while I'm at it, too... I don't really have anything really pressing to do."  
 

“ All right then. ” Mina penciled Pinklady’s plans in. “ Will you be okay getting to the Shrine of Light on your own if you need to? That one looks like it's a few hours, the rest of us might need to take off before you're done. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I suppose that would make sense."  Less agreed.  "Though I'm not sure I'm ready to stop by the university yet. If you're willing to join me, I'd rather head to my home. If not, I'll wait for a day you can, so Xatu can become familiar."  Less shrugged.  "If you're not ready to journey to Siltis I could stop there and talk to a few people while the rest of the group is in town."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "As far as talking to people in Hillsbreak, yes. If we can find her there, or if someone can tell us about where she planned to go, then that will help. If we can't find anything, we can ask Riolu about that once I have Tattersail back."  
 

Mina nodded and scribbled that down too. “ Okay, so it sounds like once we’re done in Skybreak I’ll have Xatu Teleport me, Mark and Less up to Dewdrop, then we’ll split up and I’ll go with Less up to Siltis while Mark heads to Hillsbreak, and then I’ll meet Mark in Hillsbreak as soon as I can. That should give Xatu some familiarity with both areas, and when Tattersail is feeling better we can take you two back to Siltis so both the Teleporters will be able to get up there if we need to. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 To the group, Less suggested,  "It might be worth picking up Bandra disguises if we're planning to infiltrate Bandra territory."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina and I discussed that with Matt before, but... well."  His robot arm spun a servo while he set it to do jazz-hands for the next few seconds.  "I am  extremely  recognizable. Might be worth it for the rest of you, though... if we can convince Pinklady to wear something dull and grey."  She kind of had a  theme  going on with her color scheme... 
 

“ I’ve got one, I picked it up when I was snooping in Bandra territory a few days ago. I’ve got some Contest Dye too, but more wouldn’t hurt…and if we can’t steal more uniforms, we could just try to camouflage ourselves. ” All that volcano ash should be in shades of grey, right???

Mina made a few more notes, crossing out anything that had been added to the schedule. “ I think that's going to be Mark and I booked for the next couple days at least. ” She was feeling a lot better about their task list now that they had a plan; not  everything  was falling together, but a few things, like the Berries and Dusk Stones, couldn't be helped right away.

 GROUP: 
 Berries at Less’ house 
 Dewdrop Forest (more Berries) 
Surf HM
Heart Scales x∞
Dusk Stones
Sacred Talismans x∞
More Power Items
Poffin
 Disguises 
 LESS: 
Find daughter
 Skybreak for messages 
 Go to house for clothes 
Tidepath delivery

 MARK: 
 Plaster 
 Hillsbreak delivery 
 Find Aura Master 
 Talk to Skybreak Gym Leader on SLS behalf 
 Talk to Sesh 
 List from Lijan (tonight/tomorrow) 
Earthquake SM

 MINA: 
 Plaster 
 Find Aura Master 
 Harvest Berries (9-10AM tomorrow) 
Apicot Berry
Ganlon Berry
 Poffin 
 PINKLADY: 
 Shrine of Light delivery  - no set time
 Lab cleanup 
 AKIO: 
???

 TOMORROW 
Mina – Harvest Berries (9-10AM tomorrow)
Mark – List from Lijan (tonight/tomorrow)
Less – Skybreak for messages
Mark/Mina/Less/Pinklady – Task signup
Mark – Talk to Skybreak Gym Leader on SLS behalf
Pinklady – Lab cleanup
Mark/Mina/Less – Dewdrop, Mark -&gt; Hillsbreak (Aura Master/delivery), Mina/Less -&gt; Siltis (Less house/clothes) then Mina -&gt; Hillsbreak

 DAY AFTER 
Mark – Talk to Sesh (morning?)
Mark, Mina – Plaster (need Tattersail)(noon?)
Mark, Mina - Find Aura Master (after plaster)

 2 days from now 
-Gather supplies (medicine, masks for ash, dark, light-weight clothing, etc) - disguises
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Mina and I discussed that with Matt before, but... well."  His robot arm spun a servo while he set it to do jazz-hands for the next few seconds.  "I am  extremely  recognizable. Might be worth it for the rest of you, though... if we can convince Pinklady to wear something dull and grey."  She kind of had a  theme  going on with her color scheme... 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I’ve got one, I picked it up when I was snooping in Bandra territory a few days ago. I’ve got some Contest Dye too, but more wouldn’t hurt…and if we can’t steal more uniforms, we could just try to camouflage ourselves. ” All that volcano ash should be in shades of grey, right??? 
 


Pinklady laughed good-naturedly at Mark's remark.  "Don't worry about that, I'd survive! As for more uniforms, any chance the Rangers - or whoever's properly detaining the grunts we've beat - could lend us some?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ All right then. ” Mina penciled Pinklady’s plans in. “ Will you be okay getting to the Shrine of Light on your own if you need to? That one looks like it's a few hours, the rest of us might need to take off before you're done. ” 
 

She nods.  "I should be fine - I made that trip yesterday, so I've got the way there in mind." 
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady laughed good-naturedly at Mark's remark.  "Don't worry about that, I'd survive! As for more uniforms, any chance the Rangers - or whoever's properly detaining the grunts we've beat - could lend us some?"  
 

“ We could find out, ” Mina replied, pleased with the idea. “ Worst case scenario, I can stop by the Ranger Base while Less is tracking down the notes. ” If the Rangers couldn’t they could probably put in a good word with the police, and Mina had the least to do inside the city itself at this point, so it might as well be her.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 She nods.  "I should be fine - I made that trip yesterday, so I've got the way there in mind."  
 

Mina just nodded in response.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded, and added "A disguise that only works from one hundred feet away is likely still better than no disguise at all. We can try to find a uniform with long sleeves and have you wear a glove. It won't be perfect, but it may well be better than nothing. I imagine the wrinkles around my eyes will also give me away up close. But we do what we can nonetheless." 
 

He hesitated, but nodded.  "That... yeah, that would work from a distance. Long sleeves and gloves are probably good to wear in a sooty environment anyway. If we have a long sleeved uniform in my size from the grunts, or we can stop by a clothes shop and get me an under-armor long-sleeved workout thing to disguise my arm, then..."  It wasn't a bad option.  "Buuuut we'll just put that under supplies for now, doesn't need to be its own separate thing." 

 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady laughed good-naturedly at Mark's remark.  "Don't worry about that, I'd survive! As for more uniforms, any chance the Rangers - or whoever's properly detaining the grunts we've beat - could lend us some?" 

She nods.  "I should be fine - I made that trip yesterday, so I've got the way there in mind."  
 

Mark stuck out his tongue at her laugh, but then seemed to think of something and said,  "Oh! Maybe check to see if they have Dusk stones and talismans at the shrine, or if there's a vein where they're more common."  The geology club was still there, last he'd heard, so maybe they'd be able to get the things they needed for their cosmas there.

Having said that, he looked at the group and nodded.  "Well, with all that settled, I was hoping to train my Carvanha a bit before bed. Anything that anyone has to add...?" 
Lord Ruby34
Less smiled at the young trainer's antics. It was always good to see some joy in the world.  "I'll go ahead and start my research."  Less said, though he thought for a moment,  "But I should probably make sure that there's no one else who needs to use the PC."  He would probably be on it for a few hours. Best to make sure he had free reign.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark stuck out his tongue at her laugh, but then seemed to think of something and said,  "Oh! Maybe check to see if they have Dusk stones and talismans at the shrine, or if there's a vein where they're more common."  
 

 "Good idea, I'll make sure to do that!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
“ All right, sounds like that’s it for now then. I’m going to take Riolu to the nurse to get him looked at, I’ll see the rest of you in the lobby tomorrow around…5:30AM? ”
Gnomes2169
5:30? 5:30?! Mark considered objecting, but stifled the impulse and whimpered slightly before letting out a strangled,  "Alright. See you all then."  Who were these insane people with their waking up before the crack of dawn ideas? Mark was going to need to start napping to catch back up on sleep at this point...

after putting away his dishes and setting his alarm for 5 in the morning like a  sociopath,  Mark did some swapping for the pokemon on his team. He ended up with the carvanha (who he gave the Power Weight to hold, since he was training the chompy fish), Fisher (to make sure the fish stayed wet), Corphish (in case Fisher got chomped), Chevlain (since he'd promised to let her out and enjoy sunsets and the like), and the litwick (who he'd also promised to let out). Tattersail was still on his team, of course, since he couldn't exactly recall her at the moment.

He set up a spot just outside of the pokemon center and made sure to bring plenty of pokechow with him, and the bacon as well to use as a bribe to keep the carvanha focused and motivated in the training. He was going to make this the  fastest fish alive... 
 
 Spoiler: training 
Let's put any EV's in carvanha's speed, since the LAST thing Sharpedo needs is more attack, and Mark will only be training until 10pm so he can wake up early. If brinner wrapped up at 7pm, that should give him time to train 1.5 levels on the fish.
 
Lord Ruby34
Early in the morning seemed like an eminently reasonable time to Less, so he just nodded in approval.  "The morning, then."  Still, after last night, he probably needed to make this an early night. Less's old bones were wearing thin, and he had to suppress a yawn.

The older trainer made his goodbyes from the table, and then headed outside for a quarter of an hour to let his Pokemon stretch their various limbs, before heading back inside to let Nurse Joy know that he intended to do a couple hours of research on the center PC. Their gracious host permitting, Less then fulfilled his promise to Mark by searching to see if someone had attempted this proposition before pulling up the battle tower website.

He had already considered which member of his team might be easiest to tutor in this way, and had decided on Buck. Leo likely had the personality for it, but finding footage of a Croagunk seemed difficult. In fact, Less knew that there was at least one trainer in the region that had an Arcanine, Emelia had told him somethign about her colleagues in the Elite Four.

So Less started searching the public archives for matches that Dream had taken part in with his Arcanine, not with the goal of seeing any specific move in action, but seeing if there were moves that were frequently repeated. While Less, searched Buck napped, and Less was content to let the old dog conserve his energy until Less had a more thorough plan of presentation.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Just looking for any move performed by an Arcanine that Less can see from four or more angles, but rather a test run to see if this idea can work to tutor  any  move.
 
essCee
 "Sounds good!"  Pinklady got up and recalled Croaky and Sport. She headed for the bedrooms, though she didn't immediately turn in for the night - rather, she laid down on the floor and pulled out her 'dex.

 Talking through my options with the tutor was preferable, but... I guess this is more convenient and comprehensive.  She thought to herself as she began her search for what moves her team members could learn.  I guess I need the practice reading, too... going to be more and more important the more serious I get about this sort of thing. Oh, hey, I should check up on what my fossil is a fossil of and check out its moves, too...  She pulls out her Root Fossil so she can identify it with the help of her Pokedex.

She works on this research of hers for a bit over an hour before feeling that it's about time to sleep, and dozes off.

 
 Spoiler: Research 

Just double checking, but the 'dex has comprehensive movelist info, correct? The same sort of and amount of info you'd be able to find out by going to one of our websites like pokemondb or serebii?
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:

You make your team re-arrangements and set out to train your red and blue piranha. Upon being released, Chevalin comes up to you and gives your prosthetic arm a meaningful tug before settling off to the side to enjoy the scenery. Litwick, in contrast, once again squees like a hyperactive fangirl and latches onto your leg, her voice high pitched and very excited.

The fish you’re actually focused on comes off as a bit single-minded, and obviously nervous without a school of his fellows surrounding him. The bacon bribe does go over very well though, and you get a solid chunk of training in before 10 PM.

 
 Spoiler: Carvanha 

+2 HP from the Power Weight, one for the level up and one for hitting two hours training.

Pokémon: Carvanha
Type: Water/Dark
Ability: Rough Skin
Gender: Male
Level: 28
Held Item: Power Weight
Stats--
HP: 71  +2 
Attack: 64
Def: 24
Sp. Attack: 50
Sp. Def: 24
Speed: 50 +23
Moves:  AT SIX DROP ONE! 
Focus Energy
Scary Face
Ice Fang
Screech
Swagger
Assurance
 Crunch 
 


----------------

Less:

The PC is free not long after your walk, and there doesn’t seem to be much competition for it, so you are able to claim it in short order.

A quick search of the top trainer forums brings up a lot of stuff of dubious relevance to your search. Most of the top results are run downs of type match-ups, tips for troublesome Pokémon, and the Pokémon workout regimes of various influencers. The actual battle footage that comes up is a mix of news clips and videos taken via cellphone camera. Also someone has started a Pokémon yoga stream, and someone else has put together a ‘let’s watch various Fire Pokémon melt various objects!’ channel. What there is on Move Tutoring specifically is very obviously advertisements for different Move Tutors – none of whom are in Helnith.

The Battle Frontier website is even  less  useful. It largely features the facilities in different regions (Helnith’s specific facilities aren’t listed, though the region is name-dropped as one of their testing locations), with a page for Frontier Brains and another for Battle Frontier news and upcoming events. The closest you come to footage is a couple links that take you to external sites for Pokémon-related TV shows.

At this point, looking at the clock, it's about 10 PM.

 
 Spoiler: DM Reminder 
The publicly available Battle Frontier stuff is mostly TV shows, commercial clips etc. The bulk footage is proprietary property of the Battle Frontier, and not available to the general public. That was what the form you received is for.
 


----------------

Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I mentioned this in the OoC thread already, but yes in general you can use your Pokédex to look up move info.
 


The Pokédex informs you that your new Root Fossil is the fossilized remains of a Pokémon called Lileep, a prehistoric Rock/Grass Pokémon originally discovered in the Hoenn region.

----------------

Mina:

Mina called Riolu back out (having rotated him into his Pokéball once he was finished eating to free up space for the rest), scooped him up before he could wander off and tracked down the nurse as promised.

“ Nurse Joy, this little fellow was stuffing his face a lot, and I’m worried he wasn’t eating properly when he was out in the wilderness. Is he malnourished? ”

“Let me take a look.” The nurse took the little Fighting type and carried him into an examination room. She looked him over, checked his weight, his mouth and his eyes, and finally when it was clear the little blue jackal Pokémon was getting annoyed, gave him a pat on the head and handed him back to Mina. “Your Pokémon is fine, he’s just a growing baby. He’ll probably have an apatite until the rest of his teeth come in, maybe a few more days.”

Mina thanked the nurse and recalled him before heading out to a secluded bit of outdoors to train Gyarados for a couple hours.

 
 Spoiler: Gyarados 

+2 Attack from the Macho Brace, one for the level up and one for hitting two hours training.

Pokémon: Gyarados
Type: Water/Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Gender: Female
Level: 22
Held Item: Macho Brace
Stats--
HP: 80
Attack: 66 +17  +4 
Def: 46
Sp. Attack: 38
Sp. Def: 55
Speed: 47
Moves:
Splash
Tackle
Bite
 


Mina checked the Pokédex and sighed; her sea serpent still needed a little more work before she’d learn another attack. But there wasn’t time for that tonight.

So Mina checked her Berries and gave everything one last watering, then went to bed, browsing her Pokédex for likely attacks until she was ready to nod off.

 
 Spoiler: Berries 

In Planters:
Petaya Berry – sprouted
Petaya Berry 2 – planted
Salac Berry – growing taller
Liechi Berry 1 – growing taller
Kelpsy Berry – planted
Liechi Berry 2 – sprouted

In Wild Plots:
Nilla 1 – sprouted
Nilla 2 – sprouted
Nilla 3 – sprouted
Nilla 4 – sprouted
 


----------------

Akio:

((Last call, Feathersnow!))
Feathersnow
Akio follows the plans, not adding much. He has no great ambition, and a tendency to stoicism.

He spent the day before dinner meditating.  There were horrors in this world that would weaponize madness against Pokémon.  He was a soldier against that.  He was content.

His new and final companion sits besides him, being tutored, in his Stunky way, in the way of Bushido.

A Samurai could ask for no more than a righteous cause and a full belly.
Lord Ruby34
By ten, Less's eyes were glazing over and he was beginning to realize that he'd have to go back to the Hill to get anything done, or find someone more proficient at online research than he was. With a weary sigh, Less headed for bed, Buck trailing sleepily behind. After completing his nightly rituals of care, Less found himself staring at the Pokedex that he used as a phone. Tomorrow night was supposed to be a check in, but Less didn't have much hope of Emilia reaching out after several weeks of silence.

The old trainer spent several minutes staring at his Pokedex in contemplation before sighing, setting his alarm, and attempting to fall asleep.
Gnomes2169
Mark ended up scooping up the litwick and setting her on his shoulder, a grin on his face as she continues thanking him... but the reaction is starting to make him a little concerned, too. Was this  just  from the shadowing, or had her experiences with humans just been that bad...?

Unfortunately, he couldn't really ask her without Tattersail. Similarly...  "Sorry, Chevlain. 'Sail is hurt and I'm giving her some time to heal up from that, so I'm not sure  exactly  what you're asking for. If you still wanted me to ask around about some mechanical augments, I'm going to visit the people in Helnith university tomorrow and could ask them about projects they have going on?"  They almost certainly wouldn't do anything that could cause permanent harm to a healthy pokemon, but maybe there would be something like a sight augmenter, or maybe someone was working on making a bit of a power suit/ stabilizer?  Maybe an extra tentacle-arm thing that could be used to harness the power of a miniature sun?  This was the pokemon world. There were probably some mad science experiments going on.

A little bit later, during the fish training, Mark snapped his organic finger as something occurred to him. The Cosmas pokedex entry had been  woefully  incomplete, mostly just showing names and evolution methods, so he was pretty sure the local professor was a bit behind on the region-specific species. So maybe it had been missing...  "Chevlain, are you able to evolve?"  The chevlain entry had been a bit more complete, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

Once training was done, Mark recalled his pokemon, brushed his teeth, took off his shirt (he needed to do some laundry here eventually...) and went to bed. He needed to wake up super early in the morning, again, and he would be suffering the entire time he did so.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Unfortunately, he couldn't really ask her without Tattersail. Similarly...  "Sorry, Chevlain. 'Sail is hurt and I'm giving her some time to heal up from that, so I'm not sure  exactly  what you're asking for. If you still wanted me to ask around about some mechanical augments, I'm going to visit the people in Helnith university tomorrow and could ask them about projects they have going on?"  
 

Chevalin visibly considers this, before nodding. Apparently she finds that acceptable.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 A little bit later, during the fish training, Mark snapped his organic finger as something occurred to him. The Cosmas pokedex entry had been  woefully  incomplete, mostly just showing names and evolution methods, so he was pretty sure the local professor was a bit behind on the region-specific species. So maybe it had been missing...  "Chevlain, are you able to evolve?"  The chevlain entry had been a bit more complete, but it couldn't hurt to ask. 
 

Chevalin shakes her head ‘no.’

((Later: ))

Your dreams are a nauseating mess that alternates between floating through soupy fog, drifting down a dark river of  something  with flashes of Nurse Joy and the inside of the Pokémon Center, and spikes of pain that wake you up several times during the night. On awakening, you vaguely remember Tattersail talking to you but all the words were confused gibberish.

----------------

Mina:

Mina dreamed. She was in her old apartment, before it had burned down, but it was at the center of a labyrinth full of doors. She could feel a rising sense of alarm – she could see the doors opening, one after another after another, and whatever it was was getting closer. Then the last door opened and –

&lt;  Finally.  &gt;

Mina awoke with a yell and nearly fell out of bed. The ‘voice’ was male and a bit raspy. She looked around frantically, trying to find the source and remember where she put her Pokéballs -

&lt; No, to your right. Up a little. &gt;

Mina, not completely awake at this point, obeyed reflexively. Her eyes landed on Xatu.

&lt; Yep, you got it! &gt; Her Psychic type bobbed his head.

Mina blinked. A few heartbeats passed while her sleep-fogged mind and her adrenaline fueled heart synced up and exchanged notes.

And then she felt a rising sense of anger as she realized what had happened. “ We were going to talk about this! ”

Xatu preened a wing, apparently unconcerned. &lt; Sure we were, right after we were done running errands for everyone and their dog. &gt; This scornful pronouncement was accompanied by a flash of an image of Buck begging for food. &lt; The old geezer even  volunteered  to go without us! &gt;

“ We’re in a middle of a war zone, those ‘errands’ could help us win, ” Mina replied icily.

&lt;You  managed to get this far and walked for most of it, &gt; he pointed out. &lt; You aren't going to bribe them to keep hanging around by making us their personal taxi. They either want to stick around or they don’t. &gt;

Mina’s mind took a little detour in which she reminded herself,  mind reader , before that train of thought chugged on through the many,  many  people who had come and gone from their little group and the fact that she was the only one left standing from the initial set and replied, somewhat fatalistically, “ No one else did. ”

Xatu paused, then flipped his wing back into place on his body, not having a response to that. Or maybe he did, and just figured that was a sore topic that he shouldn’t poke, because oh right, he was  in her mind now. 

Mina latched on to that thought again rather than stay on the depressing track she’d fallen into.

“ You had no business going and mucking around in my head like that. If you get knocked out then we’re both going to die, ” she informed him icily. Now that it was too late, the more she thought about it the more she thought it was a horrible,  horrible  idea - the ability to recall all her knocked out Pokémon and run for it was a valid tactic, and now there was a big potential stumbling block in it.

&lt; You never let me fight anything  anyway,&gt; Xatu replied, shifting on his perch on the headboard. &lt; And Tattersail gets to talk to  her  human. Anyway, &gt; his raspy mental voice took on a wheedling tone and Mina was reminded of Mark, &lt; you wanted to talk to the hatchling about his mentor. Now we can do that, and we don’t have to wait for Tattersail. And we need to go water your Berries, don’t we? &gt;

“ I ought to stuff you back in the Box until the war is over, ” Mina growled. She concentrated as hard as she could manage on the words,   I know you’re trying to change the subject and I am  not  amused!   Unfortunately, he wasn’t  wrong , and she couldn’t in good conscious dump her Poffin prep or make the little Fighting type wait to get back to his trainer just because one of her Pokémon was acting out. So, probably no leaving him in Box Storage for the rest of the war. “ We are going to talk about this, ” Mina very deliberately met Xatu’s eyes and glared. “ But  later.  ”

She called him back while she did her morning prep, brushing out her hair and giving her teeth a scrub and in the process found she could still hear him, albeit his Pokéball had to be close by, and his voice was a lot fainter.

&lt;  Mina? Mina? I’m sorry you’re angry, but you’re being very irrational! Mina!  &gt;

Mina very deliberately ignored him until she was ready to go: groomed, dressed and with some Pokéchow stuffed into her pack for later and a poptart in hand for herself – the clock said it was just now 5 AM, and she should indeed go water the Nilla Berries since she was already up and it wasn’t time to ferry the group over to Skybreak just yet.

With bad grace she called her Psychic type out and ordered tersely, “ Berry plots. Now. ”

 
 Spoiler: Berries 

In Planters:
Petaya Berry – sprouted
Petaya Berry 2 – planted
Salac Berry – growing taller
Liechi Berry 1 – growing taller
Kelpsy Berry – sprouted
Liechi Berry 2 – sprouted

In Wild Plots:
Nilla 1 – in bloom
Nilla 2 – in bloom
Nilla 3 – in bloom
Nilla 4 – in bloom
 


&lt; I don’t know why you’re taking this so badly. &gt;

Mina watered the first plant very stiffly; still doing her best to ignore him. She opened her mouth to tell him to take them to the next plot, but it appeared in front of her before she could ask.

&lt; Look, see? This is helping! &gt;

Mina watered the next plant, still not saying anything.

&lt; Why are you so mad about this?! This is a tactical advantage! &gt; His frustration was a palpable thing, but Mina was angry enough the novelty did no more than snap her already tenuous hold on her temper.

“  You don’t get to unilaterally decide that!  My  one  contribution to this team – the only one! – is to figure out how the fights need to go. To decide who does what, and when, so we’ll win. To figure out  what  we need, so we can win. People  die  when we don’t win!  Pokémon die when we don’t win!  ”

A few dozen yards away, something four-legged decided that it wanted to be  away  from the loud human who had appeared in the grasslands out of nowhere, and fled the scene.

Mina took a deep breath, but it didn’t help as much as she liked, except as breath support for the next bit of shouting.

 “ We  could  have – we  should  have – discussed this, together, beforehand, as partners! That’s what this whole Pokémon training thing is supposed to be, we both contribute! And if you don’t need, don’t  want  my input, then  why am I here?!!  ”

Xatu was doing his best to make himself very small. &lt;  I’m sorry.  &gt;

He sounded – felt? Telepathy was weird – sincere. But Mina was still quite angry, so she went back to ignoring him, and finished up with her plants.

Finally they were back to the Pokémon Center. Mina shoved her way inside, still in a bad mood.

----------------

Less:

Thanks to the very stressful day prior you sleep deeply and (as far as you can remember) dreamlessly. Buck yawns when the alarm goes off, but wags his tail with drowsy happiness when he sees you’re awake.

----------------

Pinklady:

Your dreams are mostly filled with rocks and a mountain that keeps getting taller as you walk up its slope. Sometimes you stop to dig, putting away small items that you find, but then you keep going, always with the sense that there is something  amazing  up ahead. Then you’re holding it in your hands, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to focus on what it is, only that you can’t believe you’ve found it!

…and that’s as far as you get, because then morning arrives.

----------------

Akio:

The night is quiet, and your dreams peaceful if somewhat incongruous – you and your new Stunky are in soft meditation robes, sitting in the base of what you perceive in your dream to be the ruins of  the burned tower in Ecruteak. You and Akechi are chanting Honor! Honesty! Loyalty! and all the other tenets of Bushido, while your other Pokémon sit around you and pound the ground in a steady beat, the walls slowly rebuilding around you.

----------------

Next morning:

Everyone headed to Skybreak first thing is able to make it to the lobby on time, albeit in varying degrees of sleepiness. Mina strides through the front door a few minutes before the designated 5:30 AM, looking fully awake but in a very bad mood.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Feathersnow if you want to come with you can, otherwise Akio gets to sleep in to the nice sane hour of 8 AM. Everyone feel free to roleplay a bit beforehand if you like.
 


“A few more hours and the Nilla Berries will be ready. Is everyone ready to go?”
Gnomes2169
Mark sat up and rubbed at his face once his alarm went off, struggling to wake up. He was just never going to get another good night's sleep for the rest of his life, was he? But his sleep-lagged brain still latched onto an idea and, after getting dressed in his "Ice, Ice Baby" t-shirt, he grabbed a mug of coffee and made his way to the nurse (or at least the Chansey on duty) so he could ask,  "Hey. Is it possible for me to visit my gardevoir?"  He should have a few minutes to check up on her before they had to go... Oh. Right. And he should also check his berries, and swap his chevlain and litwick for Marick and Jessia again. Fortunately, the PC was right at the front desk and most people were  normal  and not awake before dawn so it probably wasn't in use...
Lord Ruby34
Less awakened to the sound of his alarm with bleary eyes and a somewhat lighter heart. The dreamless sleep had been pleasant, and Less felt prepared for the day. After a few minutes of morning routine, Less made his way to the kitchen to whip up a quick breakfast for Buck, who had followed his trainer just far enough to curl back up on the kitchen tile, and the rest of the group.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hey. Is it possible for me to visit my gardevoir?"  
 

The Chansey you cornered thinks for a moment, then nods hesitantly and chatters something in Pokéspeak. She rests her head on her arms, miming sleep, then say something stern, shaking one of her tiny arms at you in a serious manner. She then waves for you to follow.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He should have a few minutes to check up on her before they had to go... Oh. Right. And he should also check his berries, and swap his chevlain and litwick for Marick and Jessia again. Fortunately, the PC was right at the front desk and most people were  normal  and not awake before dawn so it probably wasn't in use... 
 

A glance at the Planters informs you that your Berries have sprouted overnight.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
And they all have the same growth period, so they’re all at the same stage.
 


You also find that the PC is not, in fact, in use and you are able to swap your Pokémon in short order. The Chansey watches you with confusion, but waits for you to finish.

----------------

Less:

This early you have the kitchen to yourself, except for one of the Center’s Chansey who waddles in to retrieve a pot of coffee and waddles out with it once she’s finished. She chirps what is presumably a greeting in Pokéspeak as she passes through.
Gnomes2169
With his team exchanged, Mark made his sleepy way over to the chansey and mumbled,  "Sorry, just forgot to do that last night..."  He'd also need to make sure to water his berries pretty soon, but he wasn't going to do that right now. It could wait until after he's talked to 'Sail and was waiting in line for Skybreak.
Lord Ruby34
After a moment's pondering, Less started looking around for a moment at the ingredients before starting to prepare egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches for the humans and Pokechow for everyone else.
essCee
Pinklady woke up and stretched for a moment, then got up off the floor she slept on. Even as the exact details of her dream - or dreams? - faded, she held onto the feeling of encouragement it left her with. Her usually-chipper morning demeanor was even more beaming than usual. She started to exit the building, ready to take her chances with the less-successful-than-in-her-home-forest foraging for wild food, but thought better of it before actually exiting the building. She turned right back around to head to the kitchen, where she saw Less already starting cooking.

 "Good morning! Mind if I help?"  She asked, peering at the eggs currently cooking.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:

The Chansey nods and leads you to the recovery room where Tattersail rests. She seems to be sleeping lightly, but blinks awake shortly after you enter.

&lt; Mmmark? &gt; Her mental ‘voice’ sounds slurred and sleepy, but there aren’t as many pain undertones as there had been previously.

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

((You two yell if you need me.))
Gnomes2169
 "Hey there, 'Sail. 'Heard' you this morning and figured I should check in."  She was clearly a bit loopy, but Mark still made his way to her bedside and set his organic hand on one of hers.  "Certainly 'feels' like you're doing better. Ready to get out of here tomorrow?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hey there, 'Sail. 'Heard' you this morning and figured I should check in."  She was clearly a bit loopy, but Mark still made his way to her bedside and set his organic hand on one of hers.  "Certainly 'feels' like you're doing better. Ready to get out of here tomorrow?"  
 

&lt; Mmm. &gt; You get a sense of loopy agreement as she shifts a little bit, then stops moving as pain spikes over the bond. (The Chansey makes a light scolding sound at her and goes to fluff the pillow currently supporting your Psychic type.) But the hurt is muffled under the drugs, and weaker than it was the day before even without taking those into account.
Lord Ruby34
 "Not at all."  Less replied, letting the young woman take over the eggs while he prepared the bread and toppings.  "How'd you sleep?" 
essCee
 "Pretty well, thanks!"  Pinklady answered as she took the pan.  "Even though I had a lot to think about now I've starting reading up on how to battle really effectively... I'm sure practicing both of those things will be useful both short-term and long-term, though! And, uh, yeah, didn't affect my sleep any!"  At the end, she had a bit of a sheepish look as she realised she had started rambling.  "Still not really used to the sleeping accommodations here though... anyways, how was your sleep?" 
Gnomes2169
Even loopy as she was, she might be able to sense some of his fond amusement, and his sympathetic wince at her pain. So  this  is what he'd been like in the hospital, all drugged up... maybe he didn't blame his step brother for  all  of his teasing. Glancing at the nurse chansey, he gave 'Sail's hand a squeeze and said,  "I should let you get back to sleep. I'll see about pampering you after we get you back out..."  Maybe there was a spa or some hot springs in Helnith that weren't currently overrun with Bandra goons. With a gentle pet on her head crest, a pat like the ones he'd given her when she had still been a Ralts, he promised,  "See you again soon." 

Mouthing the words 'thank you' to the chansey, Mark turned himself around and made his way to the kitchens. And the coffee that would be there. He was going to have two cups to make sure he woke up today, and dang his sentiment of weening himself off the bitter bean juice yesterday, he  needed  to be aware.

He made sure to give water to his sprouting berries while Less and Pinklady did their thing, mostly leaving them alone for now... He was  definitely  going to steal a breakfast sandwich when it was ready, though.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:

You get a few fragmented visions of steam rooms and hot soaking pools and heaping trays of delicious Poffin as Tattersail drifts back into drugged sleep.

The Chansey waves acknowledgement on your way out, and you’re able to water your Berries without issue.

 
 Spoiler: Berries 

Grepa Berry - sprouted
Pomeg Berry - sprouted
Qualot Berry - sprouted
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Pretty well, thanks!"  Pinklady answered as she took the pan.  "Even though I had a lot to think about now I've starting reading up on how to battle really effectively... I'm sure practicing both of those things will be useful both short-term and long-term, though! And, uh, yeah, didn't affect my sleep any!"  At the end, she had a bit of a sheepish look as she realised she had started rambling.  "Still not really used to the sleeping accommodations here though... anyways, how was your sleep?"  
 

Less smiled as Pinklady spoke. It was always good to hear some enthusiasm in the morning.  "I cannot complain. After the night before last, I needed a good night's rest."  Less paused.  "And I find myself eager to get started this morning. I have a good feeling about today, though I can't quite put my finger on it."  As he spoke, Less finished getting the bread ready, started dropping slices of cheese over little piles of eggs, getting to just the right temperature to start melting without sticking to the skillet.
essCee
 "That's great to hear!"  Pinklady paused talking for a moment as she focused on the eggs now the cheese was being added. After readjusting to her satisfaction,  "Especially since attitude is half of a day being good, I think! Did you happen to have a good, encouraging dream too?" 
Lord Ruby34
 "No, my sleep was blessedly quiet last night."  Less responded.  For the first time in a long time. 

Buck took that moment to make his presence known, by dragging a piece of toasted bread off the counter and loudly masticating it before looking up and woofing, quietly by his standards, for another helping.  "You know, you are the boldest beggar I've ever had the misfortune of meeting, don't you?"  Buck woofed again, in agreement this time, as Less rolled his eyes and tossed the Arcanine another slice of bread. He had made extra for a reason.
essCee
 "Oh, alright!" 

Pinklady giggled as Buck got himself fed.  "Buck's been with you awhile, I'm guessing... how long has he been one of your partners?" 
Gnomes2169
As Buck steals and begs for his bread, Mark takes the opportunity to sneak a bit more coffee into his mug and slip into a chair, yawning as he does so. Unlike a  certain  mooching pokemon, Mark could wait for his food. If someone wanted his coffee, though, they'd have to pry it from his cold, dead hand.

Pinklady and Less' conversation tumbled through the gears of his mind and he eventually caught onto what they were talking about as they cooked. Well. At least  someone  was sleeping well in their group. Was he jealous? No. No he was too sleepy to be jealous. Too sleepy to be anything but coffee, really.

Sip.

Had he really swapped out members on his team  after  asking the chansey to let him talk to Tattersail? Jeeze, he could have waited until he'd finished meeting with the psychic type, his brain really was just going all over the place, wasn't it?

Sip.

 "Wonder what Mina's up to..."  He mumbled into the mug, certain that the driven girl wasn't going to waste a moment of her morning relaxing after she'd woken up. Hopefully she wouldn't miss the egg sandwiches. He'd have to tell her not to feed Buck. The fire dog had already been given his offering of grain.

Sip.

He should probably recharge his arm today. It was beeping at him grumpily. But if  he  was low on energy, then it was only fair that it should share his fate. He'd deploy the solar panels in Hillsbreak, probably while he was training his fish or something.

Siiiiiiiiiip.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh, alright!" 

Pinklady giggled as Buck got himself fed.  "Buck's been with you awhile, I'm guessing... how long has he been one of your partners?"  
 

Less smiled down fondly at the old dog.  "My whole life, near enough. I was picking eggshell out from between his ears when I was five, and we've been together ever since."  Less gently shooed Pinklady away from the eggs and started serving.  "Who's your first?" 
essCee
 "Oh, wow!"  Pinklady remarked as she backed away from the eggs.  "I didn't expect it to be that long ago... as for my first, it's Whirlywhirly!"  With the food prep almost all finished, and the lack of crowding like there was the previous mealtime, Pinklady punctuated that declaration by sending him out.  "Been my companion for almost as long as I can remember, and we've been downright essential for each other. We'll definitely go the distance, too, just like you two!"  She grinned as she patted Whirlywhirly along the back. Having backed off from focusing on the cooking, she noticed Mark at last.  "Oh, hey Mark! Want to share your first partner story, too?" 
Gnomes2169
 "Hiiiiii Pinklady."  Mark said back, sipping more coffee and blinking before answering her question.  "Oh. My starter is an ariados that my dad's friends helped me catch... but he's too fragile against Bandra's common pokemon,"  and also way too violent,  "so I'm not using him in battles anymore. He's just... too easy to hurt."  Another sip of coffee.  "Marick was my second pokemon, my Skarmory, Tarr, my third, and Tattersail my fourth and the last pokemon I'd caught before coming to this region."  And at least two of those were  staying  part of his permanent team.
essCee
 "Aw, that's a shame about your Ariados... it's good that you could make that choice! I hope Whirlywhirly doesn't run into problems too, though, since I'm pretty sure he's the same types as Ariados are..."  Another pat for Whirlywhirly.  "That's a pretty great lineup, though! I've heard Skarmory are notoriously difficult to catch, too, that's impressive for a third Pokémon!" 

As Less finished serving, Pinklady sat down to enjoy one of the sandwiches she helped make.
Gnomes2169
 "Well, I grew up in Blackthorn, so that was just the first pokemon I caught from the wilderness around my home town. Honestly, given where home is, it's a little weird that I didn't catch a Dratini..."  He'd just never gone into the dragon cave, since that always seemed like something you did before challenging Clair. Siiiiip.  "... Also, could I get a breakfast sammitch?"   Now  was the time to mooch, Buck.
Lord Ruby34
Less tossed a bit of scrambled egg to Buck, then smiled and sat down, juggling three little plates with steaming sandwichs on them. Less put one down in front of Mark, and another in the empty seat where he assumed Mina would be joining them shortly.  "I've never actually been."  Less said.  "My wife and I always meant to do some traveling, but we never got the chance. Any places worth seeing in Johto?" 
Gnomes2169
Mark took a bite of his sandwich and tugged Mina's slightly closer to the center of the table. He'd seen Buck swipe the bread earlier, he was going to keep that old thief from getting up to mischief.  "Well, other than the standard battle tower and access to the pokemon Frontier and local safari zone..."  Those were mostly trainer attractions and hardly unique to the region,  "The region has three pretty old towers. The Bell Tower and Brass Tower are some of the oldest structures still standing in the pokemon world, and while the Bell tower is mostly off-limits, the Brass tower's ruins can be visited and are open to tourists, though you should be careful in them. Sprout tower is smaller and more recently constructed, but features a single large shaft of wood in its center larger than most rooms that's able to sway and absorb the shock of earthquakes, making it a surprisingly sturdy place and giving the whole building a gentle rocking motion."  Tapping at his chin, he considered and took another bite before saying,  "There's also the Ruins of Alph, an archeological site that recently became  well  populated with Unknown, and the Pokeathelon dome which is like... Olympic sports featuring pokemon. So for athletics and sporty things, rather than battles." 

Leaning his chin on the palm of his robotic arm, Mark mumbled around his food,  "But yeah, outside of all that, Johto is kinda boring. We don't have a hot spring, the Sea Mauville or contests like Hoenn. We don't have that super haunted house out in Sinnoh, or all the castles out in Kalos. I mean, there  is  a dance studio by the Bell tower, but that's not something to plan a vacation around by itself."  Mark was a bit biased, since he'd grown up in Johto and had been a tourist for most of his life, so the cool things about his home region were too familiar to catch his interest.
Lord Ruby34
 "That sounds more than worth seeing, lad."  Less replied.  "If we can get this war ended, it wouldn't hurt to get these old bones on the road again. I ended up settling down pretty quickly after starting my first adventure." 
essCee
Pinklady nods in agreement.  "Yeah, Johto sounds great! I might have to take a trip myself... what's the nature there like?"  Looking at Less, she adds with a smile,  "Also, you've got to tell us about your first adventure sometime!" 
Gnomes2169
Mark's expression is  skeptical  at their enthusiasm, but then,  this  region was filled with horrible void-creatures that created shadowed pokemon, so... perhaps Less' enthusiasm made sense.  "It's mostly temperate, though there's a  lot  of mountains around."  Heck, pretty much every town that wasn't on the coast was either in a mountain range or bordering one.

((Just gonna assume this is a good time to get things rolling, even if the website is dying a little bit. 😛))

When Mina finally joined them, he flashed her tired grin and said,  "Heeeey Mina-"  But whatever he was going to add to that was cut off when he saw her face. Nope. He didn't want to draw her bad mood onto him. She was probably still mad at him from yesterday, and despite his protestations to the contrary he was  not  stupid. He was just going to finish his sandwich and coffee and hope to not get smote.
Lord Ruby34
Less smiled and waived his hand dismissively.  "Another time. We should probably be getting started with our day, and I wouldn't want to bore you with an old story so early in the morning."  Besides, it hadn't really been that exciting anyway. They'd barely made it one region into the planned world tour before settling down.

When Mina came in, Less gestured towards the sandwich at the center of the table. It was still unmolested, though Buck was keeping an opportunistic eye out. If it hit the floor, it was his.
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club:

“ A few more hours and the Nilla Berries will be ready. Is everyone ready to—? ” Mina looked around and realized the lobby was empty. “ Never mind then. ”

A Chansey at the front desk got her attention and pointed in the direction of the kitchen, then mimed eating.

“ Oh, they’re getting breakfast? Thank you! ” Mina almost patted the Chansey but a small part of her felt that would be somehow inappropriate, so she nodded respectfully instead and headed to the kitchen, where indeed everyone was gathered.

She brighten at the sight of the sandwich, said a brief “ Thank you, ” before grabbing it, and continued, “ Is everyone ready to go? If we wait too long we’re going to be stuck in line for a while. ”

----------------

Akio:

You awaken at the nice, sane hour of 8 AM. Through the Center windows you can see that it’s bright and sunny outside, and you can already tell that today is going to be a scorcher. Also, it appears the rest of the group has taken off.
essCee
Pinklady ate up her sandwich as the other two responded to her. Then, when Mina entered and asked her question, she cheerily answered  "Yeah, I'm ready!"  and stuffed the remainder of her sandwich in her mouth.
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded at Mina's question, sucking down the last of his coffee and transforming into a chipmunk as he stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth. He'd wash out the mug before going, though. He didn't want to empty the center's cupboard because he kept taking their cups with him to Skybreak...
Lord Ruby34
Less had been busy digging through his bag, best to make sure he didn't have anything awkward. The Bandra mask he had taken would probably be fine, but Less didn't want to risk it, so he returned it to his room, collected his sandwich while Buck sidled up beside him.  "Ready." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Breakfast Club:

“ All right then, let’s go. ”

Mina and her Xatu ferry everyone over to Skybreak where the line is, as before at this time, blessedly scanty. More people trickle in after the group arrives, however, and continue to do so while the clock ticks forward to 6 AM.

Finally the allotted time arrives, and the line begins to move. One of the people in front of the group gets pulled off to the side by the gate guards – carrying syringes and other bits of scientific equipment as far as the group can see – but aside from that the group gets in without incident.

Once inside, Mina asks, “ Okay, does everyone remember what they need to do? And are we meeting up here or somewhere else once we’re ready to go? ”
Feathersnow
Akio gets up. aAfter a short prayer, he texts the group.  Wait up! 
Lord Ruby34
 "Here seems workable, though I would not be opposed to alternative suggestions. Either way, I'll see you all in a few hours. If you do decide to meet up elsewhere I'll have my Pokedex on me."  Less stated, before heading off towards the Ranger Base.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

You get a short response back from Mina almost immediately.

   Mina sent you a message! 
 Sorry can’t come get you right now.  

----------------

Less:

You make it to the Ranger Base in short order. It’s busier than most of the other buildings; presumably, as with the police station, the Rangers can ignore the curfew.

Most of the rest of the city can’t, however, so there isn’t a line at the reception desk yet. The inside is more open and welcoming than the police station – bigger windows, potted plants, no memorial wall of dead Jennies – but still a lobby. The furniture is in good shape, but has obviously been in use for a while.

The receptionist takes a big gulp from her oversized drink – from the look of it, iced coffee with enough other additives to turn it the pale color of sand – before she waves you over. “Can I help you?”
Gnomes2169
Mark nodded.  "Yup. The university to pick up the breeder job,"  Kind of an awkward way to phrase that one, Mark,  "then go to the gym so I can talk to the leader about Sesh. Through the front door. Not the back or sides."  Not that he'd been planning to use any other entrance, or he knew why she'd brought it up, but Mina  had  told him to go through the front last night and he wanted to prove that he  did  listen. Even if his memory was often terrible.  "I can meet up with you guys here or at the pokemon center once we're done." 
essCee
 "And I'll go with to pick up the lab cleanup job!"  She says, not taking off quite yet - not knowing her way around the city yet, she waits on Mark to start so she can follow.
Lord Ruby34
 "Yes, thank you."  Less replied while striding forwards, Buck a half step behind.  "I spoke to Ranger Wain yesterday, there are some messages here my companions found that I was hoping to take a look at. I believe Ranger Wain was going to pass word forwards to expect me?"  Less asked.
Kareeah_Indaga
Skybreak Gates:

Mina glanced at Less’ retreating back. “ And I guess I can sign Less up for the task he wanted while we’re signing up for the plaster. ” She didn’t really blame him for being so mono-focused, she just worried that it was going to come back to bite them in ways other than causing mild inconveniences in scheduling. “ I guess we’re all set! Let’s go then. ”

Mina gestured for Mark and Pinklady to follow, then lead the way.

The main entrance to the University hadn’t changed much, save that some of the previous sign-up sheets, club advertisements and so on had been removed and new ones had taken their place. The receptionist ignored the group until directly approached, being immersed in a steaming cup of black coffee and a newspaper with ‘DREAM SAVES LANDSEDGE’ plastered across the top in enormous letters. Mina also noted that it looked like the Geology Club was still looking for someone with Dive.

----------------

Less:

“I’m sorry, who are you?” The receptionist scrutinizes you for a moment until she receives an answer, the dark circles under her eyes making them look bruised. “We’re not in the habit of handing evidence over to any random person who comes in off the street.”
Feathersnow
Akio looks at the message and sighs...

He decides to get breakfast, then wait for further developments.
Lord Ruby34
 "A sound policy, of course."  Less replied.  "My name is Lester Douglass, and I'm one of the trainers that fought against Bandra a few nights ago."  Less paused for a moment, and then suggested. " I understand the worry about sending evidence out without any guarantee of getting it back. I'd be more than willing to look at it here with the rangers that were attempting to decipher it and seeing if I can help, if that would assuage some concern."  Less considered adding more, but he didn't want to push too hard if it wasn't necessary.
Gnomes2169
Mark also didn't know where the university was, only Mina had gone to it up to this point, so he followed who had her life put together so that he wouldn't need to use Devon Maps or whatever electronic directory existed in this region.

Once they'd arrived, he waved his prosthetic arm to the receptionist, looking at the headline of her newspaper while he did so. Dream? Oh right, one of the Elite Four of the region or something. Maybe they should also try to talk to and coordinate with him... but not today. Unless he showed up in Hillsbreak, then they'd be able to talk to him. Anyway.  "Good morning."  Mark said to the receptionist.  "We're here to sign up for a few odd jobs. Are you the person we should talk to about that, or...?" 
essCee
While Mark greeted the receptionist, Pinklady took a look at the sheets and stuff on the walls, particularly scanning for "cleanup" and "Shrine of Light" to expedite her slowness at the search, to check if the jobs she was wanting were still there.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

Your breakfast is mostly peaceful and uninterrupted until a boy with a bug net enters the kitchen about halfway through your meal prep. He’s trailed by a millipede-looking Pokémon with boxing gloves, which he calls ‘Buster’, and quite loudly and cheerfully speculates with it on whether or not they’ll find a Trapinch today, or if the older couple running the Herb Shop would be willing to trade for their extra Combee queen now that they have their Vespiquen back. Meanwhile he grabs several bags of Pokéchow and pours himself a couple bowls of milk and cereal.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Planning anything particular or did you just want to wait?
 


----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "A sound policy, of course."  Less replied.  "My name is Lester Douglass, and I'm one of the trainers that fought against Bandra a few nights ago."  
 

“Lester Douglass Lester Douglass…” the receptionist muttered under her breath, typing at the nearby computer. “I don’t see…wait, there you are…” There was a little more muttering in which you heard her say ‘Wain’ and not much else.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 " I understand the worry about sending evidence out without any guarantee of getting it back. I'd be more than willing to look at it here with the rangers that were attempting to decipher it and seeing if I can help, if that would assuage some concern."  
 

“No, no, we don’t hand out evidence to people outside law enforcement without a  lot  more paperwork than this. I’m supposed to have photocopies of the items you requested, one moment please.” She pushes away from her computer and stalks through a door behind her desk, disappearing for several minutes.

A few more people trickle into the lobby while she’s away and just about the time it seems like she isn’t coming back, she reappears, holding a red folder and a couple forms. “Sign here, sign here, and then you can have this.” She highlights a spot on each form, slides them across the desk and finally jabs the folder for emphasis. “Next!”

----------------

Mark, Mina, Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Good morning."  Mark said to the receptionist.  "We're here to sign up for a few odd jobs. Are you the person we should talk to about that, or...?"  
 

The receptionist puts down the newspaper. “Yes, I can help you with that. Signup sheets are over there” a gesture indicates the board of sheets and advertisements “and if you’ve signed up already and need directions or equipment for a task, I have most of it here. Let me know if you have any questions.”


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 While Mark greeted the receptionist, Pinklady took a look at the sheets and stuff on the walls, particularly scanning for "cleanup" and "Shrine of Light" to expedite her slowness at the search, to check if the jobs she was wanting were still there. 
 

Pinklady finds the forms she’s looking for in short order. They both appear to be open still, although oddly the cleanup form appears to have been signed up for, then the name - name  s   there had definitely been more than one - crossed out three or four times (with the amount of scribbling over it’s hard to tell) and someone wrote across the top of the sheet  No payment until confirmed completion  and below that in big angry letters  AND GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME .

She also finds a few more around town that weren’t on Mina’s list: one to set up incubators in Laboratory 6 (3,000 PD), one to assist a professor during class (2,000 PD), and another to find a pair of glasses the sheet says were lost after the seminar a few days ago (5,000 PD).

There are additionally a bunch of notices selling dorm furniture, trade offers for different items (mostly swapping Unown Tiles), and other miscellaneous things that aren’t money.
Feathersnow
"Hello, friend! I'm Akio! I hear you are interested in Trapinch.  Mine is a loyal companion, would you like to meet him?  Perhaps he can help you meet one of his kin in the wild, if you would like me to join you?"

Akio introduces himself to the Bug Collector.
Lord Ruby34
Bemused, Less stepped to the side to make sure he wasn't holding up the line, and the gave the forms a quick skim, and, if there are no terms that catch his eye as immediately outrageous, jotted down his signature with a borrowed pen.
Gnomes2169
Mark went over the list of jobs to make sure the one he was here to sign up for was still available, filling out any paperwork he needed to in order to reserve it.  "If we sign up for a job that doesn't have a set time, should we specify our availability and just wait for the group offering the job to contact us?"  He asked the receptionist, scribbling his name where he needed to.  "And how are people who post a job supposed to know when someone signs up? Do they get a call, or are they just supposed to come in and check the board themselves?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

“Oh, that would be  great!  I mean – I’m David, nice to meet you,” he replies. “And this is Buster – say hello, Buster!”

The millipede-looking Pokémon smiles and holds out a fist expectantly.

----------------

Less:

The forms are both rather heavy on legalese, but as far as you can tell:

One states that the items you are being handed are to be treated as criminal evidence whose misuse can lead to prosecution and/or jail time, and all information contained in or derived from them is to be treated confidentially except that it can be shared with law enforcement or other legal authorities (or agents of same).

The other informs you that the items listed must be returned to law enforcement or evidence of their destruction must be given within thirty days, and then has a list of acceptable destruction methods.

By signing you agree to these terms.

----------------

Mark, Mina, Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark went over the list of jobs to make sure the one he was here to sign up for was still available, filling out any paperwork he needed to in order to reserve it. 
 

Mark also finds his chosen task still available.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If we sign up for a job that doesn't have a set time, should we specify our availability and just wait for the group offering the job to contact us?"  
 

“Generally, if you sign up for a task that doesn’t specify a time and doesn’t require contact, we expect you’ll have it done within a few days to a week at your convenience, depending on the task and the party requesting it. If it hasn’t been completed within that timeframe it goes back out for someone to sign up for it again. There usually isn’t a great deal of oversight unless the task specifies otherwise. For the ones that require oversight – assisting with an experiment in the wilds for example – then yes, we may take your contact information and reach out to you to coordinate. That said, if you have specific questions or concerns I will answer them to the best of my ability. Does that answer your question?”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And how are people who post a job supposed to know when someone signs up? Do they get a call, or are they just supposed to come in and check the board themselves?"  
 

“They’ll usually stop by once or twice a day, or call to find out if someone has taken their task unless it’s something of extreme importance or urgency.” The receptionist looks Mark up and down. “You don’t look like you’re a student, so bear in mind most of these are written by staff here with the assumption that someone on campus will take them.”
Feathersnow
Akio shakes hands, then releases Akechi.  "And this is Akechi, Akechi, would you like to help find one of your kin?"
Lord Ruby34
Less signs, then asked the woman if there was a private space where he could review the evidence.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 "... Does that answer your question?” 
 

 "Yup, that's pretty much everything I could think of. Thank you!"  Mark said, figuring he'd let Mina handle the coordination for that plasters job, since she was the one signing up for it and all. He finished signing up for his own job, too.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “They’ll usually stop by once or twice a day, or call to find out if someone has taken their task unless it’s something of extreme importance or urgency.” The receptionist looks Mark up and down. “You don’t look like you’re a student, so bear in mind most of these are written by staff here with the assumption that someone on campus will take them.” 
 

 "That's... fair. I'll keep that in mind."  Mark said, wondering if some of the students might get a bit miffed at having jobs swiped from them, or if they might start getting flak from the professors. That said...  "Some of these jobs seem...  kinda dangerous  for students."  Said the teenager who wasn't even 18 yet. Still, the Spectral realm job in particular seemed like something a professor would hire a professional bodyguard group for, and the plasters job was also risky given the context of a bandra officer reeving along the coastline.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

Buster looks a little surprised at the handshake, having apparently expected something else.

 
 Spoiler: Need clarification 
Akechi or Akitsu? The one is going to get a bit of a different reaction than the other.
 


----------------

Less:

By the time you’ve reviewed the forms, the next person in line has already launched into a near-panicked spiel about a sister in Landsedge who may or may not have been caught in the attack last night (!?!) and the receptionist has barely enough bandwidth to take the forms and slide over the folder. ((+Officer Ray Note 1 Copy, +Officer Ray Note 2 Copy)) With the growing line you can see that she is getting very busy, very fast, and you’re either going to have to wait around quite a while for an answer or manage on your own somehow.

----------------

Mark, Mina, Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Some of these jobs seem...  kinda dangerous  for students."  
 

The receptionist arches an eyebrow at Mark, giving the distinct impression that his not-quite-eighteen status is fairly obvious at the moment, and in the background Mina (who was indeed filling out the relevant signup sheets) facepalms.

“You must be new to the region,” the receptionist responds silkily. “But if safety is your concern we  do  generally have a variety of tasks available on campus and within the city.”
Gnomes2169
Mark's face became a bit flush at her look, because yeah, that was  fair,  but the not-so-low key sass in her voice caused him to lift the robotic hand and wiggle its fingers at her.  "It's my second time here, actually. I fully understood the risks before I came back. Thank you for answering my questions, though, it will certainly help."  At the very least, it would explain what was going on if students or professors began giving him dirty looks. Nodding to Mina and Pinklady he said,  "I should get going. I'll meet up with you ladies later."  Mark had a gym he needed to get to, after all!

So, off he went, using the Helnith equivalent of google maps to navigate the city streets and make his way to the  front  entrance of the Spectral type gym. Maybe he could ask them about raising his Cosmas and why the city was so gosh darned  spooky  while he was there...
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

Akitsu chomps his overlarge jaws in agreement while David pulls out his Pokédex to scan the new arrival.

“Oh, neat!…wait…awww, you’re not a real bug?” David sounds slightly disappointed, but recovers quickly and tries to pet Akitsu anyway. “That’s okay, you’re going to turn into a  really cool  dragonfly monster some day!”

----------------

Mark:

“ Later, then! ” Mina waves goodbye to you on your way out, and you make your way to the Gym.

After a short trip through growing crowds of people, you arrive at what the map says is the Gym. The front entrance is intricately carved with sigils and stylized creatures - you can make out a Magikarp and other fish Pokemon in the waves at the bottom, though you don’t recognize all of them, and a Ninetales perched in the tree branches that make up the top of the frame with its tails fanned out.

To either side are guards in masks; the one to the right wears a mask like a penguin, the mask of the other resembles a monkey with flaming hair.
Gnomes2169
Standing outside of the gym, Mark looked back and forth between the guards, then down at his meme shirt, and mumbled,  "Well, suddenly I feel extremely under dressed."  He... should consider picking up some normal clothes at some point, at least if he wanted serious people to take him seriously. He asked them,  "If I have questions for the leader, I can just go inside... right?"  Hopefully he didn't have to challenge her just to talk... and hopefully it wouldn't be busy, given the reputation that spectral types had.
essCee
While Mark talked with the receptionist, Pinklady paid attention to the conversation to make sure she'd get her own signing-up right. After Mark left -  "Seeya, Mark!"  - she approached the receptionist.

 "Hello! Do either of the lab cleanup or the Shrine of Light delivery jobs need contact or do I just sign up and then wait for those ones?"  She asked, indicating the forms in question. She almost flowed right into asking about a few of the other forms that interested her as well - the incubator setup one and the professor assistance one - but decided not to bite off more than she was sure she could tackle.
Feathersnow
"Yup, everyone starts somewhere.   The mighty dragon Flygon starts as a humble Trapinch digging in the dust.  Humility, tempered with ambition, moves us all forward...

But enough philosophy.  I have a couple hours, if you want to to hunt with me!"
Lord Ruby34
After a moment of looking at the line, Less folded up the notes and placed them into a thin pouch in his bag. He intended to take the legal documents he had just signed very seriously indeed. He briefly considered heading the local Pokemon Center to analyze the documents, but he couldn’t ensure privacy there. Instead, he ended up walking to the university library, borrowing a pen and paper, and finding an unoccupied study cubicle, preferably one with privacy walls.

Taking his borrowed pen and paper, Less started with the shorter note. The longer one was damaged, and the shorter one would be easier to work with anyway. He started by simply reading the notes. The shorter one seemed to be a supply request, but the wording was odd. Odd enough that Less was immediately suspicious that it wasn’t a supply request at all. The first one was similar, but didn’t appear quite so stilted.

Less decided to assume it was a cipher. Given that it was plain language, hiding some kind of shorter message in a longer one would be the easiest kind, though far from the only option. Less shook his head. Easiest first. Less started with the first letter of every word, it was a common, easy method of creating a cipher that would withstand immediate scrutiny.

 HitlosIntg . . . . Probably not that. Maybe without the conjoining words?  Hlsng ? No probably not, even adding vowels as appropriate.

The whole first word of each sentence?  Here there I the more I another more you.  That didn’t make any sense.

Last letter of each word:  Esetfsidot?  No.  Etsdt ? Also no.

Last word in each sentence?  Get me out. Get me out. Get me out.  

Less sat, stunned. That was it. He had broken it. Less didn’t let himself think about that. He just started diving into the first note, burns and all.

 In Spectral . . . dimension. Lost elite . . . four . . . trainer. However, lost of Pokemon send . . . backup or get me out.  

Less couldn’t figure out the last word, and he couldn’t be sure he had gotten everything, but his heart was racing. Officer Ray was in the spectral dimension, or at least had been, and he had been there with Emilia.

His little girl, trapped in the Spectral dimension. The breath caught in his chest, a strange mixture of hope and despair. This was his best lead, but it meant that Emilia was trapped in what might be the most dangerous place in Helnith.

Hurriedly, Less sent a message to the group.   I cracked it. Meet me at the Ranger Station. Less.  

With that Less snatched up his supplies and rushed back off towards the ranger station, Buck trotting at his heels, full of excited energy.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If I have questions for the leader, I can just go inside... right?"  
 

“Gym Leader Cassilda has many constraints on her time…” intones the penguin-masked guard.

“She does not see idle visitors,” the monkey-masked guard finishes.

"You may enter..."

"...but be warned..."

"...she with whom you wish to speak..."

"...does not gladly suffer fools."

Then their stony facades crack just the tiniest amount as you notice both guards tilt their heads in each other's direction and give each other the absolute slightest of smirks.

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Hello! Do either of the lab cleanup or the Shrine of Light delivery jobs need contact or do I just sign up and then wait for those ones?"  
 

“You don’t need to wait, I have the supplies you would need to deliver right here,” the receptionist indicates a number of  large  boxes behind the desk, “or if you prefer I can have someone show you the way to Laboratory 2 right now.”

----------------

Akio:


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 "Yup, everyone starts somewhere.   The mighty dragon Flygon starts as a humble Trapinch digging in the dust.  Humility, tempered with ambition, moves us all forward...

But enough philosophy.  I have a couple hours, if you want to to hunt with me!" 
 

David looks really excited, as does his Pokémon. “Oh yeah, let’s go!”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
How long are you planning to search?
 


----------------

Less:

The Ranger Base has gotten increasingly crowded in your absence; there’s a line going out the door.
Feathersnow
"Let me check with my friends, first so I know we have someone to check up on us if anything goes wrong.  Thats field safety 101." Misdirects Akio for the sake of politeness and edification.

Akio texts Mina 《《I'm helping a kid find a Trapinch. Text me when I should start getting ready for pick up. 》》
Gnomes2169
Mark looked between each masked individual as they alternated their speech, eyebrow rising as they went on, and h gave a little grunt once their spiel finished.  "Okay, fair. Thanks for the warning. Been practicing the creepy twin thing for a while, I take it?"  He observed, but didn't wait for an answer before entering the gym. Once inside, he looked around to see if Cassilda was out in the main lobby, and if not he tried to find one of the other gym staff.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



“You don’t need to wait, I have the supplies you would need to deliver right here,” the receptionist indicates a number of  large  boxes behind the desk, “or if you prefer I can have someone show you the way to Laboratory 2 right now.” 
 

 "I'd like to head to Laboratory 2 first, please!"  As she answered quickly - having already been prepared to do the lab cleanup first - she looked over the larger-than-expected load for delivery, and began to consider how she'll even bring them. She felt a bit silly for assuming the load would be much lighter, but she manages to tamper down the feeling before it becomes visible through a flushing of her face.
Lord Ruby34
As he headed from the University to the Ranger Base, Less hurriedly dialed Ranger Wain.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

When you go to enter your text, you notice you have a message from Less:

  Less sent you a message! 
 I cracked it. Meet me at the Ranger Station. Less.  

You send your message and almost immediately get a thumbs-up emoji from Mina.

----------------

Mark:

The guard in the flaming-monkey mask nods and is promptly elbowed by the guard in the penguin mask, who mutters something that sounds like a scolding to the former as you enter the Gym.

The lobby – if you can call it that – doesn’t appear to have a receptionist desk or anything equivalent. Instead, it has a built-in fish pond with sand gardens and a couple of benches, plus some decorative greenery. The ceiling is either glass or custom lighting that gives the impression of dappled sunlight. There’s also a bathroom off to either side of the room and a pair of carved gates at the far end – the latter are open, and you can clearly see the battle arena beyond, and just as clearly see that it’s empty at the moment.

With no receptionist desk there is naturally no receptionist; the closest you find is a Gym member whose mask has antennae like a moth’s, who is sweeping sand back into the sand gardens.

----------------

Pinklady:

The receptionist calls over her shoulder and a lady in her early twenties – a student, if the University jacket tied around her waist is any indication – walks over and gestures you to follow.

“So you’re taking the Laboratory cleanup job? Good luck, you’re like the third or fourth person to try. We’re not sure who keeps trashing it but Professor Jonah is about to blow his top over it – ah, more than usual.” She chatters on as you walk ((you can ask questions or roleplay here if you like)) until you reach the entrance to the lab, where you can see the appropriate supplies have been left just outside the door.

…and looking inside the door, it definitely needs the cleanup, as it looks like a battle broke out in the room. From what you can tell,  originally  there had been a bunch of computer equipment along one wall, and the opposite wall held racks of samples or supplies, with workstations in between. A couple of large fans are – were – set against the wall next to a switch clearly marked EMERGENCY VENTILATION. The room also has unusually large vents.

But now the scorched tables have been overturned, the shattered remains of glass beakers and old monitors litter the floor, and the smell of burnt fuse fills the air.

“There shouldn’t be anything  too  dangerous in here chemical-wise, that got cleaned up the first time and locked away somewhere else after the second or third, I forget.  Do  be careful around the glass and make sure you use the gloves.” Her words are punctuated as something sparks off the broken computer equipment, and she frowns. “…and I don’t want you to get electrocuted doing this, so give me a few minutes and I can shut the circuit breaker off for this room and bring you a couple lanterns if you want.”

----------------

Less:

You dial Ranger Wain, but after a few rings you can hear your call be redirected. “ Jon Wain’s phone, this is Viola from the Ranger Union, how can I help you? ”
essCee
On the walk, Pinklady says -  "Oh, yeah, I noticed the other names on the signup... when you say it keeps getting trashed, do you mean it looks like normal heavy use or that someone's going in to make a mess of it on purpose?"  She asks, unaware of the extent of devastation she's about to witness.

After they do arrive, she puts the gloves on as directed and nods.  "Yeah, I'd appreciate those, thank you!"  She answers. She then looks over the cleaning supplies provided.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

((Enroute: ))


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 On the walk, Pinklady says -  "Oh, yeah, I noticed the other names on the signup... when you say it keeps getting trashed, do you mean it looks like normal heavy use or that someone's going in to make a mess of it on purpose?"  
 

“Like someone made a mess on purpose - broken beakers, smashed monitors, that kind of thing. I don’t know anyone who would do it, most everyone here knows how hard it is to get new equipment shipped in right now, we’ve all had labs cancelled or postponed because something didn’t come in…but yeah, whoever’s doing it is  really fast , because my roommate’s boyfriend was one of the last ones to try, and it was only like maybe fifteen - twenty minutes between when he left and when he came back with the professor and it was trashed when he got back.”

((At the lab: ))


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Yeah, I'd appreciate those, thank you!"  She answers. She then looks over the cleaning supplies provided. 
 

Your guide takes off while you look things over. There’s a broom and dustpan, thick work gloves, an empty bucket, a bottle of soap, a big stack of cleaning rags, a big garbage can with wheels, a roll of paper towels, and boxes that (according to the labels) contain various replacement bottles, beakers and other lab equipment.

Inside the lab, the lights go out, though something takes a moment to realize it’s out of power because you see a flicker through the window in the door. Not long after, your guide returns with two sturdy if somewhat dated-looking electric lanterns and a flashlight.
Lord Ruby34
Less barely stopped himself from responding with an instinctual  I was looking for Jon.  She knew that already.  "Hello, this is Lester Douglas. The ranger's union recently entrusted me with some evidence about Bandra communications, and I've made a breakthrough. I figured someone from the Ranger's Union would want to know immediately." 
Gnomes2169
So, this gym's theme revolved around those animal masks, huh? Well, it made the staff easy to spot, at least. Walking around the sand garden, trying to keep to spots that are already swept so that he can be polite, Mark walked over to the bug-masked and gave them a small wave.  "Um, hello, good morning! My name's Mark, and I was hoping to talk to leader Cassilda. I have some questions and she's the best person to answer them." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

((Enroute: ))



“Like someone made a mess on purpose - broken beakers, smashed monitors, that kind of thing. I don’t know anyone who would do it, most everyone here knows how hard it is to get new equipment shipped in right now, we’ve all had labs cancelled or postponed because something didn’t come in…but yeah, whoever’s doing it is  really fast , because my roommate’s boyfriend was one of the last ones to try, and it was only like maybe fifteen - twenty minutes between when he left and when he came back with the professor and it was trashed when he got back.” 
 

 "That's weird... I think I'll stick around for a bit after I'm done, then! I might be able to catch whoever's doing it!" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 ((At the lab: ))



Your guide takes off while you look things over. There’s a broom and dustpan, thick work gloves, an empty bucket, a bottle of soap, a big stack of cleaning rags, a big garbage can with wheels, a roll of paper towels, and boxes that (according to the labels) contain various replacement bottles, beakers and other lab equipment.

Inside the lab, the lights go out, though something takes a moment to realize it’s out of power because you see a flicker through the window in the door. Not long after, your guide returns with two sturdy if somewhat dated-looking electric lanterns and a flashlight. 
 

 "Thank you!"  Pinklady accepts the additional gear, putting the lanterns in the supply pile and taking the flashlight.  "Anything else I should know before I start, or should I... well, get to it!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Hello, this is Lester Douglas. The ranger's union recently entrusted me with some evidence about Bandra communications, and I've made a breakthrough. I figured someone from the Ranger's Union would want to know immediately."  
 

“ Oh hello Less! I can pass it on, if you like. Jon’s going to be out of commission for a few days at least, he was hurt in the attack last night and he’s on a  lot  of painkillers at the moment. ”

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Um, hello, good morning! My name's Mark, and I was hoping to talk to leader Cassilda. I have some questions and she's the best person to answer them."  
 

The man in the bug mask speaks, and you realize he’s a good bit older than the pair at the door. From what you can see under the mask there are flecks of white in the stubble on his face: someone hasn’t shaved yet. “Our esteemed Gym Leader is preoccupied with important matters this morning. As I am sure the young Hero of Helnith’s time is also valuable, perhaps his questions do not require her personal attention,” he suggests.

----------------

Pinklady:

((Enroute: ))


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "That's weird... I think I'll stick around for a bit after I'm done, then! I might be able to catch whoever's doing it!"  
 

“That would be  great.  I can’t tell you what a pain it’s been, and Professor Jonah’s been even more irritated then usual about it.”

((At the lab: ))


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Thank you!"  Pinklady accepts the additional gear, putting the lanterns in the supply pile and taking the flashlight.  "Anything else I should know before I start, or should I... well, get to it!"  
 

“Just be careful of the broken glass. We’ve got a nurse’s office,” and your guide takes a moment to rattle off directions to said office “but she’s not really equipped for stitches. I’ll try to check on you once an hour or so, since you’re going to be staking the place out, but don’t feel rushed just let me know if you need anything.”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The man in the bug mask speaks, and you realize he’s a good bit older than the pair at the door. From what you can see under the mask there are flecks of white in the stubble on his face: someone hasn’t shaved yet. “Our esteemed Gym Leader is preoccupied with important matters this morning. As I am sure the young Hero of Helnith’s time is also valuable, perhaps his questions do not require her personal attention,” he suggests. 
 

Ugh, why were all of the old guys able to grow facial hair? Mark  barely  managed to get peach fuzz after waiting for  weeks-  No. Stop getting distracted. That's not why he was here. The bug-masked trainer had called him a Hero of Helnith, and while he's  still  not fully comfortable with that title, it does carry a bit of responsibility. Also, hey, someone was recognizing him! That... was that good? He was certain that Bandra would already be on the lookout for him, so it wouldn't hurt him as far as their attention was concerned, but the common person... it might help make serious people take him more seriously, but he wasn't certain he was ready to deal with random people suddenly knowing who he was. Despite everything, Mark is still a shy boy.

Because of that, when he was told that Cassilda wasn't available right now, he didn't try to argue it. That was unfortunate, but...  "Well, I'm sure you can answer the questions I have about raising my Cosmas."  Mark agreed, this was the spectral gym and this trainer presumably had spectral pokemon, after all,  "But... has she told you about why she's barred Sesh and his group of the Starlight Squad from entering the city? And do you know what's creating that aura that's spooking all of the pokemon?"  He'd just thought about that later question on the way here. It seemed obvious in retrospect that if anyone outside of the town Elder knew what was making the city haunted, it would be the spooky spectral gym leader.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well, I'm sure you can answer the questions I have about raising my Cosmas."  
 

The man in the mask sets aside the broom and bows. “I will endeavor to answer all that I may.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "But... has she told you about why she's barred Sesh and his group of the Starlight Squad from entering the city?"  
 

The man looks surprised, insofar as you can tell under the mask. “That is no secret. Our esteemed Gym Leader has declared that if the Starlight Squad cannot trust each other, then neither can we trust them, until such time as the traitors within their ranks can be proven to have been purged.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "And do you know what's creating that aura that's spooking all of the pokemon?"  
 

“I regret that I cannot give the young hero the answer he seeks for his query. I do not know what is putting such pressure on the Pokémon. I suspect it is beyond my ken.”

----------------

Akio (searching):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Unless it’s an especially lengthy phone call, the encounters are going to take place after it.
 


Thirty minutes in, David spots a small herd of Rhyhorn in the distance, which he points to with excitement over having seen them first. It’s another ten minutes before Akitsu draws your attention to a likely pit in the grasslands that may or may not have a Trapinch in it.

----------------

Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Don’t feel rushed with the first call.
 


After your call with Viola you are able to call Akio, with his earlier text being a useful reminder that he wasn’t in Skybreak with the rest of the group. Speaking of, the rest of the group in Skybreak hasn’t arrived yet.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Oh hello Less! I can pass it on, if you like. Jon’s going to be out of commission for a few days at least, he was hurt in the attack last night and he’s on a  lot  of painkillers at the moment. ” 
 

Less's reaction was one of immediate shock.  "I'd heard that an attack had been repelled, but no details. Is Jon alright? I didn't know he was there." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
  
 Spoiler: OoC 
Don’t feel rushed with the first call.
 


After your call with Viola you are able to call Akio, with his earlier text being a useful reminder that he wasn’t in Skybreak with the rest of the group. Speaking of, the rest of the group in Skybreak hasn’t arrived yet. 
 

 "Hello, Akio? I may have found something useful." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

All good! I don't mind being in two places at once.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

((Enroute: ))



“That would be  great.  I can’t tell you what a pain it’s been, and Professor Jonah’s been even more irritated then usual about it.” 
 

Pinklady nods.  "Well, hopefully I can put a stop to it!" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 ((At the lab: ))



“Just be careful of the broken glass. We’ve got a nurse’s office,” and your guide takes a moment to rattle off directions to said office “but she’s not really equipped for stitches. I’ll try to check on you once an hour or so, since you’re going to be staking the place out, but don’t feel rushed just let me know if you need anything.” 
 

 "Alright! Thanks again!"  Pinklady enthuses again before she then heads into the ruined lab, broom and dustpan in one hand and flashlight in the other to begin with cleaning up the glass.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The man in the mask sets aside the broom and bows. “I will endeavor to answer all that I may.” 
 

 "Well, the pokedex had some basic stuff, but it didn't really have any info on things like dietary restrictions or if Cosmas's evolved forms are naturally physical or special attackers."  Learning that would be important for poffin production.  "Any info on that or recommendations on tutor and sm moves would be greatly appreciated." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The man looks surprised, insofar as you can tell under the mask. “That is no secret. Our esteemed Gym Leader has declared that if the Starlight Squad cannot trust each other, then neither can we trust them, until such time as the traitors within their ranks can be proven to have been purged.” 
 

Mark took in a deep breath, because that  was  good to know but not particularly helpful for him right now. So he clarified,  "I'm actually trying to clear that up and get the squad back together, and I'm planning to try and meet with Sesh about that tomorrow. Was there any reason she  specifically  didn't want to let Sesh in, or anything that I should look out or prepare for, that Cassilda has mentioned or that you've heard about?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “I regret that I cannot give the young hero the answer he seeks for his query. I do not know what is putting such pressure on the Pokémon. I suspect it is beyond my ken.” 
 

 "Would Cassilda or the town elder know? Because I  think  my friends have a way to find the source, and..."  He winces a bit.  "Well, you don't get the title of 'hero' by  avoiding  the obviously dangerous things. I  do  have a sense of self preservation, though, and any information I could get about this spooky thing would be invaluable before we go kicking its door in."  Well, more likely they'd try sneaking around rather than jumping straight in, but given their current success rate at being stealthy...
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (on call with Viola):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'd heard that an attack had been repelled, but no details. Is Jon alright? I didn't know he was there."  
 

“ He’ll live, but he’ll have to be off of field duty for a few weeks; he has a broken leg and needs stitches. I know he was talking with your group a lot, so I’m letting you know right now he’ll probably be out of touch for at least a few days. I’ll be taking his calls as much as I can, but we’re really busy right now. ”

----------------

Pinklady:

((Enroute: ))


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nods.  "Well, hopefully I can put a stop to it!"  
 

“Good luck, I hope you can too!”

((At the lab: ))


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Alright! Thanks again!"  Pinklady enthuses again before she then heads into the ruined lab, broom and dustpan in one hand and flashlight in the other to begin with cleaning up the glass. 
 

The lab is really dark without the lights, but you can still hear the humming of electricity within the walls. Most of the computer equipment is off to your left, with the workstations between you and the sample racks, but large pieces of the lab’s furniture have been knocked over or otherwise moved around, including several desks and one of the large fans, making the footing treacherous. Bits of broken glass glitter on the floor like specks of stars in the beam of your flashlight, and a smashed monitor that catches the light reflects your face back distortedly – blurry and with oddly blue eyes.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Proceed as you like, just let me know if you’re taking any particular steps and what order you’re tackling the job in, etc.
 


----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Well, the pokedex had some basic stuff, but it didn't really have any info on things like dietary restrictions or if Cosmas's evolved forms are naturally physical or special attackers."  Learning that would be important for poffin production.  "Any info on that or recommendations on tutor and sm moves would be greatly appreciated."  
 

“This question I can answer for the young hero: the Pokémon of which you speak prefer fruits and vegetables, but as with most Pokémon can consume a variety of foods without ill effects. As they evolve and grow in power, the Hero of Helnith will find their Physical attacks outstrip the Special, but they are not helpless in either regard. As for recommendations, the young hero will know his own style of battle better than my humble self. I would not dare to attest to one course of action over another.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm actually trying to clear that up and get the squad back together, and I'm planning to try and meet with Sesh about that tomorrow. Was there any reason she  specifically  didn't want to let Sesh in, or anything that I should look out or prepare for, that Cassilda has mentioned or that you've heard about?"  
 

“Protecting one’s own people from the bite of treachery can be sufficient reason. But I have also heard with my own ears our esteemed Gym Leader refer to noble Sesh as a ‘pretentious aristocratic boor.’”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "Would Cassilda or the town elder know? Because I  think  my friends have a way to find the source, and..."  He winces a bit.  "Well, you don't get the title of 'hero' by  avoiding  the obviously dangerous things. I  do  have a sense of self preservation, though, and any information I could get about this spooky thing would be invaluable before we go kicking its door in."  
 

“If our esteemed Gym Leader or the respectable Elder Solan possess this information, it has not reached my humble ears. It may perhaps give the young hero solace to know that those worthies do not always confide what they know to others; it is possible that they know and have simply not told others. I would chasten the young hero however: if they know more than what they tell, they will require proofs of his good character and not tell him simply because he asked.”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less (on call with Viola):



“ He’ll live, but he’ll have to be off of field duty for a few weeks; he has a broken leg and needs stitches. I know he was talking with your group a lot, so I’m letting you know right now he’ll probably be out of touch for at least a few days. I’ll be taking his calls as much as I can, but we’re really busy right now. ”  
 

That was bad, but not as bad as it could be.  "I know you're busy, and I promise not to keep you overlong, but any details you could share about the attack last night, or about how Jon got hurt, would be appreciated." 
Feathersnow
"Good Job! Akitsu seems to have found something!"  Akio acts extra excited to cheer on the young bug catcher.  Enthusiasm is a rare spring flower.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “This question I can answer for the young hero: the Pokémon of which you speak prefer fruits and vegetables, but as with most Pokémon can consume a variety of foods without ill effects. As they evolve and grow in power, the Hero of Helnith will find their Physical attacks outstrip the Special, but they are not helpless in either regard. As for recommendations, the young hero will know his own style of battle better than my humble self. I would not dare to attest to one course of action over another.” 
 

Okay, was... was this guy real? The whole formality and humility act was a bit much, and being called a hero so much was making Mark a bit uncomfortable, which manifested as rubbing his thumb along the strap of his backpack and a subtle twitch of Mark's jaw whenever the term was used. Still, the information  was  helpful, he would need to go back through Cosmas's move pool to see if there were any special moves worth picking up, maybe a multi-target move like Snarl, otherwise he could start focusing future training on attack and speed.

 "So more of a natural herbivore then, alright. Thank you. There's one other thing I can think to ask; When evolved to its final stage, does this species of pokemon stop learning moves naturally like Ludicolo or Raichu?"  That seemed to be a common theme among third-stage pokemon that evolved using stones, but it wouldn't hurt to confirm. Especially since pokemon like Gallade existed that bucked that trend entirely.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Protecting one’s own people from the bite of treachery can be sufficient reason. But I have also heard with my own ears our esteemed Gym Leader refer to noble Sesh as a ‘pretentious aristocratic boor.’” 
 

 "Well... It isn't new, but also fits everything I know about him and have heard."  Mark said with a sigh, nodding along with the words. Well, it was missing the downright paranoia that Mark remembered experiencing first-hand the one time he'd encountered Sesh, but that was a given.  "Still, thank you for the answer." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “If our esteemed Gym Leader or the respectable Elder Solan possess this information, it has not reached my humble ears. It may perhaps give the young hero solace to know that those worthies do not always confide what they know to others; it is possible that they know and have simply not told others. I would chasten the young hero however: if they know more than what they tell, they will require proofs of his good character and not tell him simply because he asked.” 
 

Something about the wording of that last note made Mark a bit suspicious about how 'busy' Cassilda actually was, the gym was pretty much empty after all, but that took a back seat in his mind. At this point, the discomfort broke through and Mark's voice came out quickly as he said,  "Please, stop... stop calling me young hero. I don't..."  He didn't stop facing the spectral trainer, but his gaze shifted a bit so he could turn his eyes down and look at the sand.  "Other people may have started doing it, but I don't call myself that, and you don't have to treat me so formally. I'm not really all that uptight."  He finished the objection, gesturing with his robotic limb at the meme printed onto his chest to demonstrate what he meant.

Also, he was going to be 18 in, like,  three , wait... no,  two and a half weeks* , so being called 'young' all the time was a bit annoying. He didn't vocalize that, because it wasn't really that important, but still. His poor youthful pride has surely been pricked.

Shifting on his feet a little bit, Mark's head lifted back up to look at the older man again and he added,  "If you see her later, please let Cassilda know that I was around, and let her know that I would be happy to help with whatever is going on if she's looking into it and thinks I'm able to contribute. I'm...  busy , but if I'm available and wanted, all I need is a call."  There. If she didn't want to talk to him like he suspected, then she would simply ignore his offer. If his suspicion was wrong  and  she was looking into what was going on, then that would let her know he was interested in solving the looming threat. Either way, extending the offer shouldn't  hurt  anything...

 
 Spoiler 
*10 and a half more IRL years... 😛

Also, I remember that I posted about Mark's birthday at some point in the HC OoC thread being, like, 1.5-2 IC months from when he was introduced, so I  think  the math lines up there... but I also can't find that post to confirm because hahahahahahahaha that site still doesn't have a thread search function and that thread is 180 pages long. I could also be completely imagining that I made that post, or it might be something that I meant to post but just never got around to, it's been a  long time. 
 
Feathersnow
Less, out of order

Akio takes a phone call "Hello, I'm helping a kid right now, but I should be free around lunch"
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:
((At the lab: ))



The lab is really dark without the lights, but you can still hear the humming of electricity within the walls. Most of the computer equipment is off to your left, with the workstations between you and the sample racks, but large pieces of the lab’s furniture have been knocked over or otherwise moved around, including several desks and one of the large fans, making the footing treacherous. Bits of broken glass glitter on the floor like specks of stars in the beam of your flashlight, and a smashed monitor that catches the light reflects your face back distortedly – blurry and with oddly blue eyes.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Proceed as you like, just let me know if you’re taking any particular steps and what order you’re tackling the job in, etc.
 
 
 

As tricky as the disarrayed furniture makes it, Pinklady sticks with her first priority being to collect up the glass - mostly with the broom and dustpan, but with her protectively gloved hand for some of the trickier bits. Only after that's been done to her satisfaction does she bring in the lanterns to provide extra illumination and begin working at righting the furniture - as best she can, at least, without having seen their prior formation herself. After that comes giving anything that looks like it needs it a scrubbing - and then finally she opens the replacement item boxes. She does her best to determine where to put the contents, but, again obstructed by not knowing the lab's pristine setup, she mostly just leaves them in the box.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Wrote it out as if she's done it all without interruption, but of course, if you have anything that'll get unexpectedly in the way just indicate the cutoff point and everything after will just be what she planned to do!
 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

“ I can’t tell you too much, because I’m not sure how much has been cleared for release yet, but you may have heard Triple B attacked Landsedge last night? Jon was in the reinforcements we tried to send, but Bandra was expecting them – and the jeep he was in flipped when one of their Pokémon attacked it. We’re just lucky Dream was in Landsedge or Bandra would have another town. ”

----------------

Akio (searching):

“Really?!! Where???” David and Buster both shield their eyes in the increasing heat until they see the spot indicated. “Oh! Oh! Oh! What do I do what do I do?” He picks a couple Net Balls off his belt and looks rapidly between them. “I usually use Buster but Trapinch aren’t real bugs! Should I use Beamer instead? Or Burner?”

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "So more of a natural herbivore then, alright. Thank you. There's one other thing I can think to ask; When evolved to its final stage, does this species of pokemon stop learning moves naturally like Ludicolo or Raichu?"  
 

“The young hero has done his research! Yes, the Cosmas species mostly do not learn new attacks upon evolving into Eversal. It would perhaps be wise to teach them all they can before obtaining the required Dusk Stone for that stage,” he says agreeably.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Still, thank you for the answer."  
 

He bows deeply. “I am pleased to be of service to the Hero of Helnith.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Please, stop... stop calling me young hero. I don't..."  He didn't stop facing the spectral trainer, but his gaze shifted a bit so he could turn his eyes down and look at the sand.  "Other people may have started doing it, but I don't call myself that, and you don't have to treat me so formally. I'm not really all that uptight."  
 

“The young man is humble as well as brave. I will attempt to do as he wishes.” He bows again.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "If you see her later, please let Cassilda know that I was around, and let her know that I would be happy to help with whatever is going on if she's looking into it and thinks I'm able to contribute. I'm...  busy , but if I'm available and wanted, all I need is a call."  
 

“I will, of course, do as the young man requests.”

----------------

Pinklady:

You sweep up most of the glass without issue, but the moment you turn your back on the first lantern you hear an electrical  sputzz  noise and it goes out. You feel the air shift and it suddenly seems to be several degrees warmer –

– and then the door opens: it’s your guide from earlier, the light behind her lighting up her hair into a halo of green. “Everything going okay in here? No one bothering you?”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Less, out of order

Akio takes a phone call "Hello, I'm helping a kid right now, but I should be free around lunch" 
 

 "This may not be able to wait. Can you take a call while you help? I promise it's important."  Less replied.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less:

“ I can’t tell you too much, because I’m not sure how much has been cleared for release yet, but you may have heard Triple B attacked Landsedge last night? Jon was in the reinforcements we tried to send, but Bandra was expecting them – and the jeep he was in flipped when one of their Pokémon attacked it. We’re just lucky Dream was in Landsedge or Bandra would have another town. ” 
 

 A frightening thought, that luck was all that had saved Landsedge.  Less focused, and cleared the thought away, along with the fear that Bandra might have broken into Ranger communications. Nothing to do about it if that was true.  "That makes what I've found all the more important, I fear. I know where Emilia is." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “The young hero has done his research! Yes, the Cosmas species mostly do not learn new attacks upon evolving into Eversal. It would perhaps be wise to teach them all they can before obtaining the required Dusk Stone for that stage,” he says agreeably. 
 

 "Alright, that should cover pretty much everything I wanted to know. Thank you for that."  Now he knew what he should be focusing on, and that the team members who had a cosmas should probably wait for a few levels before evolving them. Always good to know that.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “The young man is humble as well as brave. I will attempt to do as he wishes.” He bows again.

“I will, of course, do as the young man requests.” 
 

Well... at least the hero part was finally dropped. Mark still couldn't completely suppress the sigh at still being called young triggered, but he nodded to the older trainer and said,  "Thank you one last time for all the answers you were able to give me. I'll get out of your hair and let you get back to your duties now, mister..."  Mark's eyes narrowed, then pinched shut as his forehead smacked against his palm. With his face thoroughly palmed, and a flush on his cheeks, he groaned,  "I forgot to ask you for your name. I'm so, so sorry. If I return this way, how would you prefer me to address you?" 

Once the gym trainer gave his answer, Mark bid him farewell with a final apology and made his way back out of the gym. Well, he hadn't managed to get a meeting with the leader, but this also hadn't taken as long as he'd been expecting. Heck, checking the time, he could probably finish training that half-level on carvanha before meeting up with-... wait, he'd forgotten something.

OH CRUD, he'd forgotten to talk to people in the university about Chevlain's request for augments! He probably still had time to run back to the university and ask the receptionist if there were any students or staff running human and pokemon mechanical augmentation projects, but he was going to actually  run  there, just to make sure. Well, it was more of a light jog, but it was still faster than the leisurely pace he'd taken to get there.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Alright, that should cover pretty much everything I wanted to know. Thank you for that."  
 

“You are most welcome, young man.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Thank you one last time for all the answers you were able to give me. I'll get out of your hair and let you get back to your duties now, mister..."  Mark's eyes narrowed, then pinched shut as his forehead smacked against his palm. With his face thoroughly palmed, and a flush on his cheeks, he groaned,  "I forgot to ask you for your name. I'm so, so sorry. If I return this way, how would you prefer me to address you?"  
 

“I am Iago, young man.”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 OH CRUD, he'd forgotten to talk to people in the university about Chevlain's request for augments! He probably still had time to run back to the university and ask the receptionist if there were any students or staff running human and pokemon mechanical augmentation projects, but he was going to actually  run  there, just to make sure. Well, it was more of a light jog, but it was still faster than the leisurely pace he'd taken to get there. 
 

You arrive at the University; the halls are much busier than they had been the first time, and there’s a short line to see the receptionist.

But finally you reach the front. “You’re back,” she notes in a professionally pleasant voice. “Was there something else you needed?”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 You arrive at the University; the halls are much busier than they had been the first time, and there’s a short line to see the receptionist.

But finally you reach the front. “You’re back,” she notes in a professionally pleasant voice. “Was there something else you needed?” 
 

Putting away his phone, which he was semi-obsessively checking the time on, Mark cheerfully said,  "Ah, yes! Hi. I forgot to ask if there were any students or professors running projects for mechanically augmenting humans or pokemon. Prosthetics, external systems, neural computer interfaces, things like that."  Which was an entirely normal thing to ask about.
Feathersnow
To the Kid:  "Ground types don't have a lot of weaknesses, try a water or grass type, avoid anyone who has steel or poison"

 Elsewhere, earlier 

"Yeah, I can multitask, what's up?"

To the Bug Collector:  "I need to take this call,  but Akitsu can start looking while I talk."
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (talking to Viola):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I’d have sworn I posted this already, my apologies!
 


“ Really? That’s great! Where is she? ”

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Putting away his phone, which he was semi-obsessively checking the time on, Mark cheerfully said,  "Ah, yes! Hi. I forgot to ask if there were any students or professors running projects for mechanically augmenting humans or pokemon. Prosthetics, external systems, neural computer interfaces, things like that."  Which was an entirely normal thing to ask about. 
 

“We have a robotics club,” she replies, “and Professor Fuez covers most of the related classes. But only students are allowed to work on projects.”

----------------

Akio:

(On call with Less: )


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 To the Bug Collector:  "I need to take this call,  but Akitsu can start looking while I talk." 
 

“Okay!” he responds cheerfully, clearly paying more attention to the possibly-Trapinch-containing-surroundings than to you.

(During Pokémon hunt: )


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 To the Kid:  "Ground types don't have a lot of weaknesses, try a water or grass type, avoid anyone who has steel or poison" 
 

“I don’t have a Water or Grass type, Beamer is a Venonat and Burner is a Wispaferyn,” David responds.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 To the Kid:  "Ground types don't have a lot of weaknesses, try a water or grass type, avoid anyone who has steel or poison"

 Elsewhere, earlier 

"Yeah, I can multitask, what's up?"

To the Bug Collector:  "I need to take this call,  but Akitsu can start looking while I talk." 
 

 "I'll explain more thoroughly when everyone else gets here, but there's a Bandra Officer trapped in the spectral dimension. This might be a chance to take him out of the equation, and to save my daughter at the same time."  

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less (talking to Viola):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I’d have sworn I posted this already, my apologies!
 


“ Really? That’s great! Where is she? ” 
 

And the bad news. Less's heart skipped a nervous beat.   "Emilia . . . my daughter is in the spectral dimension. Or at least she was, recently."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

No worries, with all the issues lately the forum probably ate it.
 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “We have a robotics club,” she replies, “and Professor Fuez covers most of the related classes. But only students are allowed to work on projects.” 
 

He nodded, hearing what she'd said... and he asked,  "Thank you. Where could I find the professor?"  He wasn't a student, but he could still  ask  the man. The worst thing that could happen is that he was told 'no.'
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'll explain more thoroughly when everyone else gets here, but there's a Bandra Officer trapped in the spectral dimension. This might be a chance to take him out of the equation, and to save my daughter at the same time."  



And the bad news. Less's heart skipped a nervous beat.   "Emilia . . . my daughter is in the spectral dimension. Or at least she was, recently."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

No worries, with all the issues lately the forum probably ate it.
 
 
 

Akio sounds interested in this information. "Of course you can count on me!  Is this afternoon too late to rendezvous?"


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less (talking to Viola):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I’d have sworn I posted this already, my apologies!
 


“ Really? That’s great! Where is she? ”

----------------

Mark:



“We have a robotics club,” she replies, “and Professor Fuez covers most of the related classes. But only students are allowed to work on projects.”

----------------

Akio:

(On call with Less: )



“Okay!” he responds cheerfully, clearly paying more attention to the possibly-Trapinch-containing-surroundings than to you.

(During Pokémon hunt: )



“I don’t have a Water or Grass type, Beamer is a Venonat and Burner is a Wispaferyn,” David responds. 
 

"Well, a low level Trapinch won't have any ground type damaging attacks, so use whoever is stronger, I guess?" Advises Akio.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "Emilia . . . my daughter is in the spectral dimension. Or at least she was, recently."   
 

An outside observer, with only Viola’s part of the conversation for context, probably would have assumed you’d just told her Emilia had died. “ Oh Less, I’m so sorry…that’s horrible, you must be devastated! We’d all wondered what had happened to her…but wait, you said  recently?  Did she make it out? ” The last was said hopefully.

----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He nodded, hearing what she'd said... and he asked,  "Thank you. Where could I find the professor?"  He wasn't a student, but he could still  ask  the man. The worst thing that could happen is that he was told 'no.' 
 

“He’s in classes until about lunch time, but he should free this afternoon. If he’s not in his office, he’ll most likely be in the workshop.”

----------------

Akio:

“…So I should use Buster after all?” David asks for confirmation, gesturing to the four foot millipede Pokémon in question.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “He’s in classes until about lunch time, but he should free this afternoon. If he’s not in his office, he’ll most likely be in the workshop.” 
 

Drat, that wasn't going to work at all. Well, he didn't  need  to go there  today,  so...  "Alright, I'll have to come back on a different day, then."  The schedules for today and tomorrow were already super packed, maybe three days from now...? He wrote a note in his phone to check in with Prof Fuez once he had some time as a reminder and nodded to the receptionist.  "Thank you again, I'll get out of your hair now. For real this time." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

You sweep up most of the glass without issue, but the moment you turn your back on the first lantern you hear an electrical  sputzz  noise and it goes out. You feel the air shift and it suddenly seems to be several degrees warmer –

– and then the door opens: it’s your guide from earlier, the light behind her lighting up her hair into a halo of green. “Everything going okay in here? No one bothering you?” 
 

 "Hmm..."  Pinklady hmms after the lantern goes out and the guide returns.  "Hi! It's been alright, but this thing just gave out! On its own."  She gestures to the lantern. She doesn't bring up the air oddity, figuring it's just somehow a result of the lantern going out.
Feathersnow
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 ----------------

Akio:

“…So I should use Buster after all?” David asks for confirmation, gesturing to the four foot millipede Pokémon in question. 
 

 Akio looks at the Milipede. "What do you think, Buster?  Ready to prove yourself to a new brother in battle?"
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark:

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Alright, I'll have to come back on a different day, then."  The schedules for today and tomorrow were already super packed, maybe three days from now...? He wrote a note in his phone to check in with Prof Fuez once he had some time as a reminder and nodded to the receptionist.  "Thank you again, I'll get out of your hair now. For real this time."  
 

The receptionist bids you a good day and the next person in line takes her attention.

Afterwards, you notice a couple text messages:

  Akio sent you a message! 
Wait up! 
  Mina sent you a message! 
 Sorry can’t come get you right now.  
  Less sent you a message! 
 I cracked it. Meet me at the Ranger Station. Less.  
  Akio sent you a message! 
I'm helping a kid find a Trapinch. Text me when I should start getting ready for pick up. 

Then a thumbs-up emoji from Mina.

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Hi! It's been alright, but this thing just gave out! On its own."  
 

Your guide replies, “They’re kind of old, I guess I should be surprised they lasted as long as they did! But I’ll see if I can find you another one that works. Back in a bit!” And with that she trots off.

Not long after she’s gotten out of sight, the other lantern dies too, with a similar  sputzz  noise.

…and then there’s a loud  scraaaaape  and something  big  moves in front of the door, blocking it and the light streaming in from the hallway. The temperature rises a few more degrees.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You still have use of the flashlight…for now.  
 


----------------

Akio:

Buster responds with a buggy cheer, and eagerly slams two boxing glove fists together. Heartened, David trots over to check out the Trapinch.

It sits at the bottom of its pit, eyeing the newcomers suspiciously.

Trapinch: 47/47

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Let me know if/how much you want to assist/interfere.
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less:



An outside observer, with only Viola’s part of the conversation for context, probably would have assumed you’d just told her Emilia had died. “ Oh Less, I’m so sorry…that’s horrible, you must be devastated! We’d all wondered what had happened to her…but wait, you said  recently?  Did she make it out? ” The last was said hopefully. 
 

 "No, but she's tough. I'm not sure how yet, but I'm going in after her."  Less wasn't willing, or able to contemplate alternatives. Emilia was alive. She had to be.


 
 Originally Posted by Feathersnow 
 Akio sounds interested in this information. "Of course you can count on me!  Is this afternoon too late to rendezvous?"  
 

Less shook his head, though Akio couldn't see.  "I'm hoping everyone will be here soon . . . Could you stay on the line for a while?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The receptionist bids you a good day and the next person in line takes her attention.

Afterwards, you notice a couple text messages:

  Akio sent you a message! 
Wait up! 
  Mina sent you a message! 
 Sorry can’t come get you right now.  
  Less sent you a message! 
 I cracked it. Meet me at the Ranger Station. Less.  
  Akio sent you a message! 
I'm helping a kid find a Trapinch. Text me when I should start getting ready for pick up. 

Then a thumbs-up emoji from Mina. 
 

Well, seems like the group chat had been a bit busy while Mark had gotten... not nearly as much as he'd been hoping done. Which was probably just what happened when you tried doing everything all at once. Bah, anyway. He sent, -  On my way to the station, see you all soon.  - Then tucked his phone in his pocket and then he was making his way down town, walking fast, he's ranger bound.

And using his pokedex town map to navigate because, as the contest hall proved, he can get lost  easily. 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less (talking to Viola):

“ Well if you do be careful. I hope I don’t need to tell you that the rifts are dangerous, and the Spectral Dimension even more so. ”

----------------

Less, Mark, Akio via phone:

It’s at about this point that Mark arrives.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



Your guide replies, “They’re kind of old, I guess I should be surprised they lasted as long as they did! But I’ll see if I can find you another one that works. Back in a bit!” And with that she trots off.

Not long after she’s gotten out of sight, the other lantern dies too, with a similar  sputzz  noise.

…and then there’s a loud  scraaaaape  and something  big  moves in front of the door, blocking it and the light streaming in from the hallway. The temperature rises a few more degrees.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You still have use of the flashlight…for now.  
 
 
 

 "Huh?"  Pinklady immediately turns her flashlight to illuminate the door. Finally getting the feeling something's amiss, she puts aside the broom to free up her hand to reach for a Pokéball.  "Someone there?"  She asks, beginning to walk towards the door.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less (talking to Viola):

“ Well if you do be careful. I hope I don’t need to tell you that the rifts are dangerous, and the Spectral Dimension even more so. ” 
 

 "No."  Less hmphed unhappily.  "Though I admit that I don't know the precise  nature  of that danger. Is there anything you know?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less, Mark, Akio via phone:

It’s at about this point that Mark arrives. 
 

Less gives Mark a wave as the young man arrives.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Huh?"  Pinklady immediately turns her flashlight to illuminate the door. Finally getting the feeling something's amiss, she puts aside the broom to free up her hand to reach for a Pokéball.  "Someone there?"  She asks, beginning to walk towards the door. 
 

Your flashlight illuminates one of the large fans, now parked solidly in front of the exit. While you’re examining that, you feel a rush of hot air and hear a crackle from behind you.

The creature that manifests is mostly serpentine in form with a mane of smoke and lightning, a pair of whiskers on its dainty snout and a rather elaborate tuft on its tail. It spits and crackles, the eyes on its wedge-like head narrowed with anger.

Wild Surumsinge appeared!

The Pokédex spits out a little more info:

 
 Spoiler: Surumsinge 
The Firewall Pokémon. Immensely territorial, it nests in electrical wiring. Some large corporations train them to protect against viruses, malware, and other intrusions.
 


Surumsinge: 75/75

----------------

Less (talking to Viola):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "No."  Less hmphed unhappily.  "Though I admit that I don't know the precise  nature  of that danger. Is there anything you know?"  
 

“What?!  I thought you  lived  here! How did you manage to miss the big rifts in space or the random invasions of Shadow and Spectral-type Pokémon? From the news at least? ”
Gnomes2169
Mark waved back to Less, but didn't interrupt his conversation just now. First, he checked the time to see if he had enough to finish training that half-level he'd given Carvanha last night...
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “What?!  I thought you  lived  here! How did you manage to miss the big rifts in space or the random invasions of Shadow and Spectral-type Pokémon? From the news at least? ” 
 

Less paused for a moment, momentarily puzzled.  "Ah, you misunderstand. I meant, no, I don't need to be told that the Spectral dimension is dangerous, or that it opens unpredictable rifts that spit out invading forces. I simply don't know anything about the dimension itself, or what it's like inside." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark waved back to Less, but didn't interrupt his conversation just now. First, he checked the time to see if he had enough to finish training that half-level he'd given Carvanha last night... 
 

Less moved the Pokedex slightly lower.  "Mark, good to see you. I have Akio on the line. Are Mina and Pinklady with you?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less moved the Pokedex slightly lower.  "Mark, good to see you. I have Akio on the line. Are Mina and Pinklady with you?"  
 

Tucking his phone away, Mark said,  "Nah, we split up to do our own things. What's up? And hey Akio!"  He said that last part a bit louder, to make sure the samurai on the phone could hear him.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Testing out the new Battle Tab. Let me know if anything looks off!
 

David starts off by calling for Buster to Pound the Trapinch!

Buster is faster by a wide margin and lands the first attack.

Buster uses Pound!
Trapinch is hit for 14 damage!

The Trapinch retaliates with its jaws, teeth coming together with a thump deadened by Buster’s insectile carapace.

Trapinch uses Bite!
It's not very effective...
Buster is hit for 9 damage!

“Keep it up, Buster!” David cheers, obviously excited. The Bug type brings its fist down again:

Buster uses Pound!
Trapinch is hit for 12 damage!

The Trapinch spins in place in its little pit before sending a spray of sand at the Bug type.

Trapinch uses Sand Attack!
Buster’s Accuracy falls!

Buster uses Pound!
Attack missed!

Buster stumbles, overbalanced by the missed attack and the Trapinch leaps for one of his feet to capitalize on the miss.

Trapinch uses Faint Attack!
It's not very effective...
Buster is hit for 9 damage!

Buster uses Pound!
Trapinch is hit for 13 damage!

Trapinch uses Sand Attack!
Buster’s Accuracy falls!

David apparently decides that that’s good enough, extracting a Net Ball and throwing it:

Shake…shake…POP! The Ball splits open and falls to the ground, broken.

“What?! Oh right, it doesn’t work better because you’re not a real bug!”

Trapinch uses Bite!
It's not very effective...
Buster is hit for 9 damage!

He digs around in his pockets while Buster keeps the Trapinch busy and extracts a Friend Ball this time.

This time, the Ball shakes three times and dings the capture. He picks up both Balls and puts the Trapinch with his other Pokémon. “I’m going to call you…Boomer!”

 
 Spoiler: David’s new Trapinch 

Pokémon: Trapinch (Boomer)
Type: Ground
Ability: Arena Trap
Gender: Female
Level: 17
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 47
Attack: 44
Def: 25
Sp. Attack: 25
Sp. Def: 25
Speed: 13
Moves:
Bite
Sand Attack
Faint Attack
 


Buster: 29/56 (Accuracy down 2 levels)

 Trapinch: 8/47  - caught!

----------------

Less (talking to Viola):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less paused for a moment, momentarily puzzled.  "Ah, you misunderstand. I meant, no, I don't need to be told that the Spectral dimension is dangerous, or that it opens unpredictable rifts that spit out invading forces. I simply don't know anything about the dimension itself, or what it's like inside."  
 

“ Oh. I’ve never been there, but I’ve been told that geographically speaking it’s similar to Helnith. So if there’s a mountain or lake in Helnith, there will be one there in the Spectral Dimension too. But the energies there gradually Shadow Pokémon that aren’t Spectral types, and it’s supposed to be ruled over by ‘Lord’ Pokémon that are very powerful, and mostly hostile to humans. ”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



Your flashlight illuminates one of the large fans, now parked solidly in front of the exit. While you’re examining that, you feel a rush of hot air and hear a crackle from behind you.

The creature that manifests is mostly serpentine in form with a mane of smoke and lightning, a pair of whiskers on its dainty snout and a rather elaborate tuft on its tail. It spits and crackles, the eyes on its wedge-like head narrowed with anger.

Wild Surumsinge appeared!

The Pokédex spits out a little more info:

 
 Spoiler: Surumsinge 
The Firewall Pokémon. Immensely territorial, it nests in electrical wiring. Some large corporations train them to protect against viruses, malware, and other intrusions.
 


Surumsinge: 75/75 
 

Pinklady quickly switches which Pokéball she's grasping as the hostile Pokémon manifests - from her first instinct to grab Whirlywhirly, to instead sending out her Luxray Blast Bolt.

 "Blast Bolt, Leer at them!" 

After giving out the command, Pinklady switches up to also greeting the Pokémon.

 "Hey there, Su... rum... sing, inge!"  A verbal stumble not from hesitation or similar, but from misreading its name at first.  "You must be what's been messing this place up, huh?" 
Feathersnow
"Good work, David!  You made the right choice, Boomer! Now let's get back to town!  Boomer and Buster should probably both see a pokecenter." Akio tries not to sound rushed, but he is ready for his next mission.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Tucking his phone away, Mark said,  "Nah, we split up to do our own things. What's up? And hey Akio!"  He said that last part a bit louder, to make sure the samurai on the phone could hear him. 
 

 
"The messages you found yesterday, they were coded. I decoded them." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Oh. I’ve never been there, but I’ve been told that geographically speaking it’s similar to Helnith. So if there’s a mountain or lake in Helnith, there will be one there in the Spectral Dimension too. But the energies there gradually Shadow Pokémon that aren’t Spectral types, and it’s supposed to be ruled over by ‘Lord’ Pokémon that are very powerful, and mostly hostile to humans. ” 
 

Hmm.  "Lord Pokemon?"  Less asked. After getting his answer Less followed up.  "Is there someone from the ranger station that my group and I could meet with? The rangers might be able to put some of this information to better use than my group and I." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "The messages you found yesterday, they were coded. I decoded them."  
 

 "I mean..."  Mark took out his phone to pull up Less' original message, and he said,  "I figured that's what you meant. Soooo... what did you get from it?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

The angry Firewall Pokémon is just a hair faster and spews a burst of electrical energy (the Pokédex says it’s a Shock Wave) in your direction. Blast Bolt manages to yank you out of the way so it hits the fan instead, and a big jolt of energy jumps from the device, filling the closed space with the smell of frying circuits. Then Blast Bolt whips around and Leers at the Surumsinge.

Blast Bolt uses Leer!
Surumsinge’s Defense falls!


Blast Bolt: 97/97

Surumsinge: 75/75 (Defense down 1 level)

----------------

Akio:

David agrees readily, recalling his Pokémon, and the two of you make it back to town without issue save for having to wait for the Rhyhorn from earlier to stampede through your route.

----------------

Less:

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Lord Pokemon?"  
 

“ Pokémon that are lords over particular areas in the Spectral Dimension, ” you can almost hear the shrug in her voice. “ There are seven of them and they’re powerful. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less asked. After getting his answer Less followed up.  "Is there someone from the ranger station that my group and I could meet with? The rangers might be able to put some of this information to better use than my group and I."  
 

“ You mean in person? Right now? No. We were stretched thin already before Landsedge and – hang on I have to put you on hold –  ” Hold music plays for a few minutes. “  – I’m back, but I’m going to need to jump off again in a minute, is there anything else? ”
essCee
Pinklady yelps as the Pokémon is more immediately aggressive and violent than she had expected, and she's quickly yanked out of the way.  "Thanks, Blast Bolt, great reflexes! Seems like they might not be one for conversation - go ahead and go all-out with a Superpower!" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Pokémon that are lords over particular areas in the Spectral Dimension, ” you can almost hear the shrug in her voice. “ There are seven of them and they’re powerful. ” 
 

"Hmph." Less replied, unhappily. It wasn't Viola that he was unhappy with, of course, she was giving him a fair bit of her strained time, but the situation was hardly ideal. Lord Pokemon . . . could that be what had brought Emilia to the Spectral Dimension in the first place? Or had there been another objective?  "I appreciate the information. I suppose that's somewhere to start research. How does one get out of the Spectral Dimension?"  

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ You mean in person? Right now? No. We were stretched thin already before Landsedge and – hang on I have to put you on hold –  ” Hold music plays for a few minutes. “  – I’m back, but I’m going to need to jump off again in a minute, is there anything else? ” 
 

There was a great deal more, unfortunately, but it would have to wait. Mostly. Less dropped his voice, there could be ears about, even if it was unlikely in the city.  "If you, or any of the rangers, come into any written Bandra communications, the last word of each sentence is the real message." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I mean..."  Mark took out his phone to pull up Less' original message, and he said,  "I figured that's what you meant. Soooo... what did you get from it?"  
 

Less looked around at the line of people.  "I'd hoped rope the Rangers in on this conversation, but that doesn't seem likely to happen. Not today, at least. In the absence of any other allies, we should find a place to talk privately." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

The Surumsinge launches at you again – with a Dragon Tail this time – but Blast Bolt manages to intervene, causing the wild Pokémon to veer away at the last second. Your Pokédex screen gets momentarily staticy in response to the wild Pokémon’s proximity.

Blast Bolt uses Superpower!
Surumsinge is hit for 96 damage!
Blast Bolt’s Attack falls!
Blast Bolt’s Defense falls!
Surumsinge faints!

The serpentine Pokémon tumbles to the ground and rolls until its body bumps into a desk, its mane popping and fizzling.


Blast Bolt: 97/97 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)

 Surumsinge: 0/75 

----------------

Less (talking to Viola):


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I appreciate the information. I suppose that's somewhere to start research. How does one get out of the Spectral Dimension?"   
 

“ The same way you get in: through a rift. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "If you, or any of the rangers, come into any written Bandra communications, the last word of each sentence is the real message."  
 

“ Thank you. Our codebreakers might already have that one, but I’ll pass it on. ”  You can hear activity in the background picking up. “ I’m sorry, I have to go! ” With that the call ends.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less looked around at the line of people.  "I'd hoped rope the Rangers in on this conversation, but that doesn't seem likely to happen. Not today, at least. In the absence of any other allies, we should find a place to talk privately."  
 

 "Then we should wait for the girls here, just so they aren't forced to try to find us."  Mark said, settling back and putting his phone away again. Hopefully things were going alright for Mina and Pinklady...

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Noooooo, shock noodle! You were so young, and not captured and on our team. ☹️

... My temptation to catch one of those, an Arbok, a Serperior, a Milotic, a Sandaconda and this Steelix I have is rising. Just so I can cry out, "GO, MY SPAGHETTI BOWL!" while throwing all my pokeballs out there. 😛
 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ The same way you get in: through a rift. ” 
 

 "I suppose I'll have to talk to an expert to figure out when and where those appear."  Less said, his tone thoughtful.  "Thank you, Viola." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Thank you. Our codebreakers might already have that one, but I’ll pass it on. ”  You can hear activity in the background picking up. “ I’m sorry, I have to go! ” With that the call ends. 
 

 "Good -" , she had already hung up. Well, Less could hardly blame the woman for being busy. With that, he got ready to start his call with Akio.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Then we should wait for the girls here, just so they aren't forced to try to find us."  Mark said, settling back and putting his phone away again. Hopefully things were going alright for Mina and Pinklady... 
 

 "Agreed."  Less replied, before craning his neck, looking for his companion's distinctive bobbing hair.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I very nearly gave Less a team of all dog pokemon.

Arcanine, Mightyana, Lucario, Manectric, Lycanroc, Houndstone. Unleash the woof brigade.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

The Surumsinge launches at you again – with a Dragon Tail this time – but Blast Bolt manages to intervene, causing the wild Pokémon to veer away at the last second. Your Pokédex screen gets momentarily staticy in response to the wild Pokémon’s proximity.

Blast Bolt uses Superpower!
Surumsinge is hit for 96 damage!
Blast Bolt’s Attack falls!
Blast Bolt’s Defense falls!
Surumsinge faints!

The serpentine Pokémon tumbles to the ground and rolls until its body bumps into a desk, its mane popping and fizzling.


Blast Bolt: 97/97 (Attack down 1 level, Defense down 1 level)

 Surumsinge: 0/75  
 

 "Phew! Great work, Blast Bolt!"  With the danger passed, she gives him a generous amount of petting down his mane as she walks over to look at the defeated Pokémon.  "Sure is lucky the one person to get attacked is the one who has you by her side... I would've been toast!" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Meetup with Less:

((Hang in there, I’m going to try and get essCee caught up.))

----------------

Pinklady:

Blast Bolt accepts the petting, sitting on his haunches and licking a paw.

The Surumsinge continues to not move, but with the flashlight you’re able to get a better look at it: from nose to tail it’s nearly six feet ((~2 meters)) long. You’re also able to scan it more throughly, and the Pokédex says it’s a Fire/Electric type with Wisp Body, and this one is female.

A few minutes later you can faintly hear the door open and your guide from earlier exclaim “Hello, I’m back with the lantern, wait what the—? Why is this fan in front of the door?” You can hear a metallic screech as the fan barely budges.
essCee
 "Hi! I found who was messing up the lab! And I guess they put the fan there, too."  Pinklady gets up from her observations to start pushing the fan out of the way.  "It was a Surumsin-geh! Know anything about those?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

There’s a grunt from behind the fan, and between the two of you you’re able to move it enough to clear the doorway. Something nearby gives out a fizzle of static almost like laughter, but it passes quickly and soon the light from the hall is shining in.

“A Surumsinge, really? That’s really weird, they don’t usually mess things up, more the opposite. Normally they just stay in the wiring.” Your guide raises the lantern she brought to take a look. “Yep, that’s a Surumsinge all right! Weird. You’ve got everything handled then? I’ll get one of the professors to come get the Pokémon, maybe it’s sick or something. I hear there’s a lot of weird stuff coming out of the Shatterhigh Mountains these days.”
essCee
 "Yeah, we're all good! Might need some replacements for anything electronic in here, too, though, if what it did to the lanterns is any indication... I don't know anything about that, though."  She quickly surveys the room with the aid of the flashlight and, now, the lantern her guide brought! - for any damage.  Good thing I hadn't set out the replacement stuff yet! 
 "I do hope the Surumsinge will be alright! It was really hostile, it even kept going for me even when Blast Bolt here was out..." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Feel free to role-play a bit, I just want to get you caught up sooner rather than later.
 


The room doesn’t look significantly worse off than it did before, barring some char marks and electrical burns, the smell of fried circuitry, and a few more scrape marks (in a floor that’s already quite old and battered looking) from the fan getting shoved across the floor.

“That’s  really  weird, I’ll definitely let the professors know.” Your guide takes off, returning shortly with a couple adults in lab coats, who remove the unconscious Surumsinge. You even get a bit of help moving the desks and some of the heavier equipment, speeding that part of the job along. You’re close to finished when you get a couple text messages from the rest of the group:

  Akio sent you a message! 
Wait up! 
  Mina sent you a message! 
 Sorry can’t come get you right now.  
  Less sent you a message! 
 I cracked it. Meet me at the Ranger Station. Less.  
  Akio sent you a message! 
I'm helping a kid find a Trapinch. Text me when I should start getting ready for pick up. 

Then Mina sends a thumbs-up emoji.

Not long after this your guide returns and volunteers to get Professor Jonah, who she informs you will be examining your work. She returns with him once she gets your okay. He grumbles loudly and complains about minor things, but ultimately agrees to sign the piece of paper that says you did the work and should get paid for it.
essCee
After offering her thanks to everyone involved as they did their part - the adults taking away the Surumsinge, the professor for signing off, and most profusely to the guide - Pinklady sets off for the Ranger Station to meet up with Less.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

((+6,000 PD, 10,100 total.))

You see Less and Mark outside the Ranger Base.

----------------

Less’ Meet-up:

Pinklady comes into view, looking perhaps a bit dustier that she’d left but otherwise none the worse for wear.
Lord Ruby34
Ah, there!  "Over here!"  Less called out while jogging towards the young woman.  "Have you seen Mina? I've figured out some important information. Information probably best talked over elsewhere. I think I know where my daughter is!"  The words came tumbling out of Less faster than he had intended, such was his excitement. Keeping his mouth shut was clearly starting to strain the older man.
essCee
 "Yes!"  Pinklady cries out joyously at the old man's news as she hastens to close their distance after he began jogging towards her.  "Yes to your finding, not yes to knowing where Mina is! I think she's picking up Akio soon?" 
Gnomes2169
Mark gave Pinklady a friendly wave,  "Hi Pinklady! Get some work done?"  After asking, he turned to Less and said,  "And that's great! ... Wait..."  The older man had gotten that information from the  Bandra messages.  From how his expression became more concerned, it seems Mark's realized that this isn't a great sign.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Yes!"  Pinklady cries out joyously at the old man's news as she hastens to close their distance after he began jogging towards her.  "Yes to your finding, not yes to knowing where Mina is! I think she's picking up Akio soon?"  
 

Less smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.  "It brings some hope to this old heart, at least. As for Akio,"  Less gestured to his Pokedex.  "I've got him right here, on the phone."
 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark gave Pinklady a friendly wave,  "Hi Pinklady! Get some work done?"  After asking, he turned to Less and said,  "And that's great! ... Wait..."  The older man had gotten that information from the  Bandra messages.  From how his expression became more concerned, it seems Mark's realized that this isn't a great sign. 
 

Less nodded in recognition of Mark's realization. Knowing where Emelia was located was both a blessing and a curse. Hope had hardly given way to despair, but at the back of his brain was the realization that finding her and bringing her home would hardly be an easy feat. Frankly, he only had the barest idea of where in the spectral dimension to even start looking.  "I'm afraid I'm going to have quite the favor to ask of all of you." 
essCee
 "Hi Mark! Yes I did!"  She waves back to Mark and nods.

 "No luck getting Mina similarly in touch? And whatever the favor is, do tell." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mina:

Mina signed up Mark and herself for the plaster task – after double checking with the receptionist that the task allowed more than one person, which the latter informed her with pleased surprise was allowed – and signed Less up for his task too. Then she hung around until the rest of the group had wandered off, making sure nothing else came up at the last minute.

Then she called out Riolu before taking off for the Ranger Base, intending to ask about those uniforms.

“ Hey little guy, we’re not in the mountains yet but I thought you might want out for a bit. ” The Pokémon in question was looking around distractedly, ears lowered. She scooped him up and set him on top of her pack – with difficulty, as he was just barely under the limit of what she could carry weightwise – so he could look around. “Just let me know if you sense anything in particular, okay?” Mina wondered if they found that Aura Master alive if they could be roped into helping track down whatever the problem was here. (She didn’t  disagree  with Mark that that was unlikely, just objected to the possibility being rubbed in the baby Pokémon’s face with no proof. And Mark circling the little guy like a Murkrow around a corpse, trying to peck the good bits out of the dead body. It was callous.)

&lt;  Are you…  &gt; The mental ripples in her mind felt distinctly odd and then her bird’s voice was clearer. &lt; Are you still mad at me? &gt;

“ Now why ever would I be mad at you? It’s not like you went rooting through my mind like a rubbish bin and then moved in like you owned it. Oh  wait.  ” Mina growled aloud, prompting an uncertain bark from the Fighting type and confusion from some passers-by. “ Not you, little one, ” she rubbed the baby’s head to reassure him.

&lt; But we were going to talk about this, &gt; Xatu reminded, and Mina got the impression he could tell he was on thin ice bringing it up.

“ Yes,  talk  about it. How would  you  like it if some random stranger moved into your head without permission?! ”

Mina was getting more looks from random people she passed and was sufficiently distracted that she’d only barely missed crashing into someone twice now, and since they were cutting through a park anyway she found a sheltered spot that was out of the way until she could put more of her concentration towards things like walking in a straight line.

&lt; We’re not strangers, we’ve known each other for weeks now, &gt; he pointed out carefully, rather like she was on the verge of exploding – which she was, so, fair. &lt; It’s pretty normal for us &gt; Mina got an impression of an extensive Natu/Xatu family tree, parents and aunts and uncles and bonded pairs that weren’t parents yet and some that were just close friends in a big web of bright, multicolored strands, each an individual but all tied together. &lt; and not that uncommon in other Psychic types either. It’s like -  &gt; Mina could feel him rummaging around again and did her best to mentally glare at him &lt; like exchanging phone numbers. In case someone you care about needs to call for help &gt; Mina got a mental image of Xatu as a baby, and two Xatu towering benevolently over his fluffy self – his parents – and a sense of how much easier it was to talk to them, even when they were far away &lt; And you’re  my  human. You should be able to call me for help. &gt;

‘Exchanging phone numbers’ felt a lot less invasive than ‘moving into your house’ which was the only other thing Mina could immediately think to compare it to. Mina also vaguely realized his feelings were hurt, and felt bad. “ Still should have asked first, ” she griped, but most of the heat was out of it.

&lt; I forgot how prickly you are. &gt;

Mina felt a burst of annoyance this time, but…yeah, that was fair too. “ I suppose if we’re badly enough off in a fight that  you  go down we probably weren’t going to make it out anyway, ” she allowed. She  did  usually hold him back as the escape route, which meant that every other Pokémon would have to go down first…

&lt; I’m a speedy Teleporter. We’ll make it out! &gt;

Mina took a few deep breaths and then nodded. Riolu made a questioning yelp and Mina patted him reassuringly before getting up. “ It’s all right little one. Let’s go to the Ranger Base and see if we can get those uniforms! ”

Her delay meant she didn’t see Less at the Ranger Base, and the line was already out the door and growing by the moment. There was a lot of anxious muttering, darting looks and one person was even biting their nails. Eavesdropping, Mina heard ‘Dream’ and ‘Landsedge’ more than once, and ‘Bandra attack’ got thrown back and forth too.

“ Maybe…I should just call Wain about those uniforms… ”

But when Mina dialed him she got Viola instead.  “ Mina, right? Jon got injured in the attack last night— ”

“  What?!  Is he okay? ”

“ He’s – well he’s not  fine  but he’s going to live, and he’s going to be out of touch for a few days at least. What did you need? ”

“ I— ” Mina felt like her brain had slipped a gear and mentally shoved it back into place “ Me and the others were talking and we were thinking of getting some Bandra uniforms, for infiltration purposes. We were wondering if you guys – if the Ranger Union had any locked up, that we could use. ” That had sounded a lot better in her head…

&lt; That’s because you’re second-guessing yourself. You need to do that  before  you talk. &gt;

  Quiet, you!  

“ That’s—hmm, I’ll need to check the regulations, and probably do a lot of paperwork; it’ll definitely be a day or two before I could get them out of impound, regardless. Mostly, though, you’re going to run into trouble carrying them around, because if anyone finds them on you it could get you into legal trouble. But let me see…oh right! Did you sign up for the Bounty Hunting yet? ”

“ Not yet, ” Mina had actually forgotten all about it. “ I’m in Skybreak today but there’s a line coming out of the Ranger Base and it’s…lengthy. ”

“ We’re a little swamped after the attack on Landsedge last night. ” Mina by this point had picked up enough from the people in line and the newspaper headline that this wasn’t a surprise, so she didn’t say anything. “ Anyway, try and stop by, I’ll make sure they have the paperwork ready to pick up and there’s a dropbox you can leave it in at the front desk, so you can come back when you’re done with it and skip the line. The Bounty Hunting license will give you a little more leeway as far as carrying around things you normally shouldn’t be. It’s mostly for transporting evidence, but it should work for what you’re doing, and if you get stopped by the Skybreak gate guards, for example, you’d just show them the license and you should be able to get through without them taking your disguise away. Just don’t try to go through the checkpoint wearing it! ”

“ That sounds great! I’ll do that then. ”

&lt; We’re going to be stuck in line anyway, aren’t we? &gt;

  Yes, yes we are,   Mina groaned mentally.

“ Good luck Mina. I’ve got to go, I’ve got another call—! ”

Viola hung up before Mina could say goodbye. Sighing, the Johto trainer got into the (now even longer) line, so she was actually inside the Ranger Base when she got Akio and then Less’ texts, but being near the front of the line she was out of sight of the group gathering outside.

----------------

Less’ Meet-up:

Mina finally appears, emerging from the Ranger Base clutching a stack of paperwork. “  Argh!  ” she exclaims eloquently. Then she catches sight of the rest of the group. “ Oh there you are! Sorry I took so long, what did I miss? ”
Gnomes2169
Mark took a deep breath, and then let it out in a long sigh as he nodded at Less.  "Alright. When Mina gets here, we'll-"  And then she was there! Flashing her a tired grin, but looking away a moment later because he  is  ashamed of how he'd acted the night before, he gestured at Less and said,  "Hey Mina, Less cracked the code from those messages and knows where his daughter is."  Shifting his feet a bit, he glanced at the ranger station line and said,  "So we should find somewhere to talk... or maybe talk about it on the way out of town."  It was about time for them to leave according to their previously established schedule, since Mina needed to water her berries.  "... Got things done while in the station?" 
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded along with Mark.  "I had hoped to loop the rangers in, but, well..."  Less gestured to the insane line out of the building.  "I made sure they had the most important information." 
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hey Mina, Less cracked the code from those messages and knows where his daughter is."  Shifting his feet a bit, he glanced at the ranger station line and said,  "So we should find somewhere to talk... or maybe talk about it on the way out of town."  
 

“ That’s awesome! ” Mina enthused. “ I’m good with whichever. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "... Got things done while in the station?"  
 

“ Yes; I talked to Viola about— ” Mina remembered they were in public and hastily edited what she’d been about to say, picking at her sleeve by way of hint “ —those things we talked about the other day. She had me pick up this paperwork, she said it should smooth things over so we don’t get into trouble later. ” She hoped she wasn’t being too vague, but if she was supposed she could explain in detail once they were somewhere a little more private.
essCee
 "I'm ready to go wherever! I was going to do another job here, but... it was a bit bigger than I expected, and I don't really know how I could carry huge amounts of supplies..."  Pinklady gestures to indicate the size of the delivery load.
Lord Ruby34
 "I would suggest somewhere in town. We may need to adjust our plans after this conversation. Is there somewhere we could get a private room?"  He might well need to spend some time researching the spectral dimension, and the University was probably the best place to do that.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Yes; I talked to Viola about— ” Mina remembered they were in public and hastily edited what she’d been about to say, picking at her sleeve by way of hint “ —those things we talked about the other day. She had me pick up this paperwork, she said it should smooth things over so we don’t get into trouble later. ” She hoped she wasn’t being too vague, but if she was supposed she could explain in detail once they were somewhere a little more private. 
 

Hmmmm... She was probably talking about disguises? Yeah. That's what they'd wanted to get from the rangers. Having paperwork to get out with some of those uniforms without being questioned (or arrested) by the Skybreak guards would be  nice. 

 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "I'm ready to go wherever! I was going to do another job here, but... it was a bit bigger than I expected, and I don't really know how I could carry huge amounts of supplies..."  Pinklady gestures to indicate the size of the delivery load. 
 

 "Don't you have one of those bug-ponies?"  Mark asked, yes he's forgotten what scolipedes are called.  "I think you said his name was Whirlywhirly? Pokemon like that could have supplies loaded onto them, or could pull a cart if the university has one!" 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I would suggest somewhere in town. We may need to adjust our plans after this conversation. Is there somewhere we could get a private room?"  He might well need to spend some time researching the spectral dimension, and the University was probably the best place to do that. 
 

Oh boy, some pretty  major  revelations, then.  "I mean, the city's pretty busy, so I'm not sure about private, but... the gym didn't seem to have anything going on when I was there?"  Which might have been because it was early in the morning, or might be because of the nature of the gym and how reluctant people seemed to be to expose their pokemon to spectral types. Which... Mark couldn't exactly  blame  them.
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Spoiler: Skybreak Points of Interest Reminder 

Pokémon Center
Department Store
Silph Co. Helnith Headquarters
Gym
Newspaper
Hall of Elders
University of Helnith
-University Library
-University Museum
-University Science Department
Police Station
Fire Department
Ranger Station
Human Hospital
Park with a playground
Gas Station
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I mean, the city's pretty busy, so I'm not sure about private, but... the gym didn't seem to have anything going on when I was there?"  Which might have been because it was early in the morning, or might be because of the nature of the gym and how reluctant people seemed to be to expose their pokemon to spectral types. Which... Mark couldn't exactly  blame  them. 
 

Mina shrugged. “ We could check? I wouldn’t count on them letting us just stroll in and take over one of their rooms for a meeting though. If it's that important, we should have a backup plan if they say no. ”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina shrugged. “ We could check? I wouldn’t count on them letting us just stroll in and take over one of their rooms for a meeting though. If it's that important, we should have a backup plan if they say no. ” 
 

 "We can try that."  Less paused for a moment to think.  "Perhaps the university might have a study or meeting room that we can use? I don't know their policy on non-students making use of the facilities." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Don't you have one of those bug-ponies?"  Mark asked, yes he's forgotten what scolipedes are called.  "I think you said his name was Whirlywhirly? Pokemon like that could have supplies loaded onto them, or could pull a cart if the university has one!"  
 

 "Oh! Great idea, Whirlywhirly is big and strong!"  Without hesitation, she grabs Whirlywhirly's Pokéball and sends him out.  "What do you think of that, Whirly?" 
Gnomes2169
 "Hmmm..."  Mark rubbed at his chin while they walked,  "I mean... as long as no one is following us, we could also talk while we walk and that should be safe? At least if we don't get too specific. Mina, think Xatu could keep a telepathic eye out for us?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less’ Meet-up:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "We can try that."  Less paused for a moment to think.  "Perhaps the university might have a study or meeting room that we can use? I don't know their policy on non-students making use of the facilities."  
 

“ I know they let non-students use the library, they’re just not allowed to borrow books, ” Mina offered.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Oh! Great idea, Whirlywhirly is big and strong!"  Without hesitation, she grabs Whirlywhirly's Pokéball and sends him out.  "What do you think of that, Whirly?"  
 

Whirlywhirly did not seem to object to the idea.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Hmmm..."  Mark rubbed at his chin while they walked,  "I mean... as long as no one is following us, we could also talk while we walk and that should be safe? At least if we don't get too specific. Mina, think Xatu could keep a telepathic eye out for us?"  
 

Mina opened her mouth to answer.

&lt; I can do that, but if I sense trouble it won’t be very clear.  Someone  has been spending too much training time on speed and not power. &gt;

“ I think that would work. ”   Speed is useful.  

&lt; Power is useful too. &gt;

  Hush, I’m trying to participate in one conversation already!  
Lord Ruby34
Less nodded along to the suggestion of walking and talking, and rubbed his chin while he replied.  "Yes. Lets head over in the direction of the gym . . . they may be able to answer some questions."   With that, the older man started walking, his cane thumping rhythmically on the ground while Buck trailed behind the group, making sure that anyone that did try to follow them would have a harder time.

As he started talking, Less made sure to hold the Pokedex close to his mouth, to make sure Akio could hear what was being said.  "Some background, briefly. My daughter, Emilia, is one of the members of Helnith's elite four. I can't remember if I've directly mentioned that. She's been fighting against Bandra since the start of the war, to more success than most. During that time, she kept in contact with her mother and I. Recently, we lost contact. She hasn't been calling, and hasn't responded to my calls. No one seems to have seen her."  Less tried to breath, but the explanation was dredging up weeks of worry. He pushed on, before that feeling could do more than threaten to overwhelm him. He kept move and talking instead of giving in.

 "The last thing I heard was that a Bandra officer named Ray was chasing her around the southern portion of Helnith. Today, I broke the code on the Bandra messages. As we suspected they seem to be from Ray. He had chased Emilia into the spectral dimension. I'm not sure how or why. Currently, he's stuck there. One of the messages he sent was a near panicked request for extraction. The message was not dated, but it suggest that he did not have a clear line of communication to the rest of his organization. I think its highly likely that he's still in the spectral dimension, and Emilia is likely there as well. I have no idea how long these circumstances will last, but I aim to find my daughter and bring her out. If we can capture this Officer Ray, or ensure he remains trapped, so much the better, though I would not consider it a primary objective."  Less let out a deep sigh. There was more to his plan of course, but frankly, Less needed a moment to breath before continuing his explanation.
essCee
Pinklady smiled as Whirlywhirly was agreeable to the idea. As Less begins to walk, Pinklady follows and listens attentively, though she already knows she doesn't have much to add. This business with the Spectral Dimension and higher-up Bandra members weren't in her realm of experience just yet, nor was planning what the group would do, after all.
Gnomes2169
Mark was quiet as well as Less went through the information in the messages, and a few things ended up clicking for him. First,  "We definitely need to talk to Cassilda. She'll be the authority on spectral types and the dimension, since, you know, she's the spectral gym leader."  Now if only he could actually  talk  to her, instead of being deflected fruitlessly again.

Second,  "Additionally, there's a job posting in the university for guides and guards for a group of students and professors to enter the spectral dimension. We should check if they have a way to get in other than relying on random rifts, and also a way to locate humans inside of the dimension in case they somehow got stranded there."  He didn't have  high  hopes for that second one, but it would make sense for (one would hope smart) sciencey-type people to have contingency plans for things going south.

Third,  "We're also absolutely going to need to restock on our medical supplies, revives and potions especially, before we jump into the Spectral dimension, so we should get as many jobs done as we can. Pinklady, you were delivering medicine to the Shrine, yes? See if they can spare anything after you're done with your delivery." 

Finally,  "I'm going to need to see if I can get Sesh, or at least his members of the Starlight Squad, to finally do something and help reinforce the northern towns and the Shrine. Right now he's just..."  A bit of his frustration leaked out as he flings both hands in the (presumed) direction of the squad camp outside of the city, where so many friendly trainers were just sitting around gathering dust, last Mark had heard.  "They'll need to pick up the slack while we're gone." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less’ Meet-up:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded along to the suggestion of walking and talking, and rubbed his chin while he replied.  "Yes. Lets head over in the direction of the gym . . . they may be able to answer some questions."   
 

Mina called Xatu out, and he hopped up on her shoulder – Mina staggered as it was getting heavy and crowded up there. “ Little one I’m sorry but you’re going to need to walk for a bit, ” she informed Riolu. There was a moment while the Pokémon shuffled around before Mina took off after Less, and the group cut through the park on the way to the Gym.

Xatu fluffed himself up a bit. &lt; Brr, someone still doesn’t want us here. &gt; Then, &lt; None of the humans nearby are paying any attention to us. Some of the Pokémon are, &gt; and he indicated a flock of bird Pokémon being fed nearby with a wing: mostly Murkrow with a couple Taillow and Swablu, and an ornery-looking Chatot near the outskirts, all gathered around a bench where an older woman was throwing seed. A few of the birds on the outside eyed the group obviously hoping for food while their fellows squabbled closer to the person throwing the seed. Mina duly passed this information on.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "Some background, briefly. My daughter, Emilia, is one of the members of Helnith's elite four. I can't remember if I've directly mentioned that."  
 

Mina stopped dead for a beat before she remembered she needed to be walking. She exclaimed with surprise, “ You did not! ”

Admittedly, he hadn’t exactly been hiding her name, but it didn’t follow that she was the only ‘Emilia’ in the region, either. That seemed like it was something he  should  have mentioned, if only to get more people on board with finding her…but on the other hand, maybe it would have put a gigantic target on his back too.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "As we suspected they seem to be from Ray. He had chased Emilia into the spectral dimension. I'm not sure how or why. Currently, he's stuck there. One of the messages he sent was a near panicked request for extraction. The message was not dated, but it suggest that he did not have a clear line of communication to the rest of his organization. I think its highly likely that he's still in the spectral dimension, and Emilia is likely there as well."  
 

“ That makes sense, ” Mina remarked.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We definitely need to talk to Cassilda. She'll be the authority on spectral types and the dimension, since, you know, she's the spectral gym leader."  
 

“ We can try some of the Town Elders too, ” Mina added. “ If we can’t get in to see the Skybreak Elder we can try Elder Aquai or Elder ” Mina had to stop herself, reminding herself it  wasn’t  Lionel “ Roden. ” There was also Lily, who had given her Oodramer, but Mina only knew she lived ‘west of the Battle Festival’…which encompassed nearly the entire region. And several towns had changed hands since then. Mina hoped she was all right, but wasn’t going to hold her breath about running into the lady to ask her more about the Spectral Dimension.

She was also, admittedly, assuming they weren’t changing their plans after Less’ breakthrough.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Additionally, there's a job posting in the university for guides and guards for a group of students and professors to enter the spectral dimension. We should check if they have a way to get in other than relying on random rifts, and also a way to locate humans inside of the dimension in case they somehow got stranded there."  
 

“ The task said it was ‘rift dependent,’ ” Mina reminded, “ but we should definitely ask. ” Mina considered suggesting signing up for the task in question – then they could get paid too – but it seemed insensitive to Less and the researchers probably wouldn’t be keen on the people they hired to protect them buzzing off into the unknown. If it seemed feasible later, she’d bring it up then.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "We're also absolutely going to need to restock on our medical supplies, revives and potions especially, before we jump into the Spectral dimension, so we should get as many jobs done as we can. Pinklady, you were delivering medicine to the Shrine, yes? See if they can spare anything after you're done with your delivery."  
 

“ And we aren’t setting foot in the Spectral Dimension until everyone going has at least one Spectral type, ” Mina said bluntly. Admittedly she couldn’t enforce that…but she  could  refuse to go herself.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I'm going to need to see if I can get Sesh, or at least his members of the Starlight Squad, to finally do something and help reinforce the northern towns and the Shrine. Right now he's just..."  A bit of his frustration leaked out as he flings both hands in the (presumed) direction of the squad camp outside of the city, where so many friendly trainers were just sitting around gathering dust, last Mark had heard.  "They'll need to pick up the slack while we're gone."  
 

“ No objections here. ”

At this point everyone had reached the Gym (and most of the birds following seemed to have given up on getting anything to eat off the group, abandoning it for more reliable sources of food).

Presently there were a surprising number of people going in and out, mostly in groups, and some combination of harried, tired, and lightly injured, with police officers sprinkled liberally throughout…and then Mina realized those were some of the city’s patrols.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark was quiet as well as Less went through the information in the messages, and a few things ended up clicking for him. First,  "We definitely need to talk to Cassilda. She'll be the authority on spectral types and the dimension, since, you know, she's the spectral gym leader."  Now if only he could actually  talk  to her, instead of being deflected fruitlessly again. 
 

Less nodded along. That was basically what he was thinking, though his own hopes weren't so high. Cassilda was a busy woman, and there was no guarantee that she was even  in  the gym, much less that she would be in a mood to help.  "Her gym trainers may know a thing or two, even if she won't see us."  Less added.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Second,  "Additionally, there's a job posting in the university for guides and guards for a group of students and professors to enter the spectral dimension. We should check if they have a way to get in other than relying on random rifts, and also a way to locate humans inside of the dimension in case they somehow got stranded there."  He didn't have  high  hopes for that second one, but it would make sense for (one would hope smart) sciencey-type people to have contingency plans for things going south. 
 

Less continued to nod. That was also along the line of his own thoughts, and one of the reasons he had suggested the university. At the very least it would be worth seeing if they had a schedule and map of the expected rifts. That could give them the ability to plan, or at least the start of one.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Third,  "We're also absolutely going to need to restock on our medical supplies, revives and potions especially, before we jump into the Spectral dimension, so we should get as many jobs done as we can. Pinklady, you were delivering medicine to the Shrine, yes? See if they can spare anything after you're done with your delivery."  
 

 "A good suggestion. Perhaps some other methods to deal with shadowing. I imagine it's a concern."  Less added.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Finally,  "I'm going to need to see if I can get Sesh, or at least his members of the Starlight Squad, to finally do something and help reinforce the northern towns and the Shrine. Right now he's just..."  A bit of his frustration leaked out as he flings both hands in the (presumed) direction of the squad camp outside of the city, where so many friendly trainers were just sitting around gathering dust, last Mark had heard.  "They'll need to pick up the slack while we're gone."  
 

 "That, I may have to leave to you. I don't know this man, and you've certainly garnered a greater reputation than most of the rest of us, Mina excepted."  Less stated.  "You may have do some work to gain their trust. If Tattersail was recovered, could she probe the minds of the feuding leaders? You might be one of the few people no one could credibly accuse of working for Bandra. Clearing their names might do something to alleviate the distrust I've heard has been building."  Annnnd there he was, lecturing again. Mark probably knew better than he how to approach the squad.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina stopped dead for a beat before she remembered she needed to be walking. She exclaimed with surprise, “ You did not! ” 
 

 "My apologies. I hadn't meant to bury the lead, and likely made assumptions I should not have."  Less replied, sincerely, though briefly. Clearly, Less's mind was elsewhere.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ That makes sense, ” Mina remarked. 
 

Less nodded again. He thought the conclusion seemed sound, though there wasn't an immediate way to verify it. A risk to assume, but they might not be able to do elsewise.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ We can try some of the Town Elders too, ” Mina added. “ If we can’t get in to see the Skybreak Elder we can try Elder Aquai or Elder ” Mina had to stop herself, reminding herself it  wasn’t  Lionel “ Roden. ” There was also Lily, who had given her Oodramer, but Mina only knew she lived ‘west of the Battle Festival’…which encompassed nearly the entire region. And several towns had changed hands since then. Mina hoped she was all right, but wasn’t going to hold her breath about running into the lady to ask her more about the Spectral Dimension. 
 

Less bit back his immediate reply, that Aquai wouldn't know anything useful. That was more bitterness than fact.  "Perhaps."  He replied instead.  "It likely cannot hurt to ask." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ And we aren’t setting foot in the Spectral Dimension until everyone going has at least one Spectral type, ” Mina said bluntly. Admittedly she couldn’t enforce that…but she  could  refuse to go herself. 
 

 "Also a sound idea. Probably more than one, to be safe."  Less wasn't sure that time would allow, but it was probably near the top of important preparations. It seemed everyone else had a Cosmas. He could probably find one as well . . . though diversifying would be better. He'd have to look up where to find some spectral types.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Presently there were a surprising number of people going in and out, mostly in groups, and some combination of harried, tired, and lightly injured, with police officers sprinkled liberally throughout…and then Mina realized those were some of the city’s patrols. 
 

Less stopped and let someone else take the lead. He had enough on his mind at the moment he was more likely than not to say something insensitive, though he couldn't deny his curiosity.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded along. That was basically what he was thinking, though his own hopes weren't so high. Cassilda was a busy woman, and there was no guarantee that she was even  in  the gym, much less that she would be in a mood to help.  "Her gym trainers may know a thing or two, even if she won't see us."  Less added. 
 

Mark didn't say anything about that, but from his earlier attempts to talk to gym staff he wasn't particularly hopeful that they would provide helpful answers. Even if they knew the answers, they might just be purposefully obtuse about them unless they were told to be helpful by the leader.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "A good suggestion. Perhaps some other methods to deal with shadowing. I imagine it's a concern."  Less added. 
 

 "Time Flutes would be the best followed by colognes, but if we can get more of those sacred talismans from the geology club they would help once we got out of the Spectral Dimension."  The flutes and colognes would be potentially useful inside the dimension, but they needed more talismans for all the cosmas on the team anyway so it still wouldn't hurt to look for more.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "That, I may have to leave to you. I don't know this man, and you've certainly garnered a greater reputation than most of the rest of us, Mina excepted."  Less stated.  "You may have do some work to gain their trust. If Tattersail was recovered, could she probe the minds of the feuding leaders? You might be one of the few people no one could credibly accuse of working for Bandra. Clearing their names might do something to alleviate the distrust I've heard has been building."  Annnnd there he was, lecturing again. Mark probably knew better than he how to approach the squad. 
 

Mark didn't really know how best to approach the squad... however,  "No. I'm not having Tattersail read their minds. Not just because it's a huge invasion of privacy, or they are our allies and I have no reason to suspect Lijan or Sesh. I'm just pretty sure it wouldn't accomplish anything. The leadership split is as much about clashing personalities as it is politics and distrust, me just walking in and claiming I've scanned people's brains for treachery isn't likely to overcome any of that. Besides, even if I got permission first, Lijan's Alakazam is stronger than Tattersail and Sesh could just claim that Lijan's psychic type hid any damning memories from me."  Shaking his head, Mark said,  "I'm going to have to think of something else." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ And we aren’t setting foot in the Spectral Dimension until everyone going has at least one Spectral type, ” Mina said bluntly. Admittedly she couldn’t enforce that…but she  could  refuse to go herself. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Also a sound idea. Probably more than one, to be safe."  Less wasn't sure that time would allow, but it was probably near the top of important preparations. 
 

 "Agreed. And we should make sure our spectral types have gotten a bit of training on them before running in."  Maybe he should focus evolving his Cosmas once his Carvanha and Corphish had hit that milestone. Mark also wasn't thinking about changing his plans, yet. Getting that Surf HM was still  always  going to be useful, so having three pokemon to challenge the surfer with was going to be important.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ We can try some of the Town Elders too, ” Mina added. “ If we can’t get in to see the Skybreak Elder we can try Elder Aquai or Elder ” Mina had to stop herself, reminding herself it  wasn’t  Lionel “ Roden. ” 
 

 "I... think I've only been talked  at  by one elder."  Maybe two, if the elder who ran that karaoke night had actually talked to the crowd.  "Um... maybe you could set up one of those meetings, Mina? If we end up needing it. If we're going to start talking to important people, then we should probably try making appointments instead of just dropping in unannounced." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 At this point everyone had reached the Gym (and most of the birds following seemed to have given up on getting anything to eat off the group, abandoning it for more reliable sources of food).

Presently there were a surprising number of people going in and out, mostly in groups, and some combination of harried, tired, and lightly injured, with police officers sprinkled liberally throughout…and then Mina realized those were some of the city’s patrols. 
 

Mark took one look at the  clearly  not-gym related business and frowned.  "... Speaking of making appointments, it's looking a bit busy here. Maybe we should try doing that now, and then split up again? Less and Pinklady can return the university, him to talk to the rift scientists and her to get the supplies, and Mina and I can go to Dewdrop forest like we'd planned?"  She would then go handle her berries, of course, but it wasn't much different from what they'd been planning to do anyway.
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Time Flutes would be the best followed by colognes, but if we can get more of those sacred talismans from the geology club they would help once we got out of the Spectral Dimension."  
 

“ Cologne would have to wait until we got back. Just being out of their Pokéballs would be enough to Shadow the non-Spectral types while we’re there, if they were out too long. ” And of course they needed to be out to rub the Cologne on them.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark didn't really know how best to approach the squad... however,  "No. I'm not having Tattersail read their minds. Not just because it's a huge invasion of privacy, or they are our allies and I have no reason to suspect Lijan or Sesh. I'm just pretty sure it wouldn't accomplish anything. The leadership split is as much about clashing personalities as it is politics and distrust, me just walking in and claiming I've scanned people's brains for treachery isn't likely to overcome any of that. Besides, even if I got permission first, Lijan's Alakazam is stronger than Tattersail and Sesh could just claim that Lijan's psychic type hid any damning memories from me."  Shaking his head, Mark said,  "I'm going to have to think of something else."  
 

Mark’s logic seemed solid so Mina just nodded.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "Also a sound idea. Probably more than one, to be safe."  Less wasn't sure that time would allow, but it was probably near the top of important preparations. It seemed everyone else had a Cosmas. He could probably find one as well . . . though diversifying would be better. He'd have to look up where to find some spectral types.  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Agreed. And we should make sure our spectral types have gotten a bit of training on them before running in."  
 

Mina was a little surprised Less had taken that pronouncement as calmly as he had, all things considered. “ Last time I was at the Gym one of the Gym trainers mentioned there was a Spectral type called Estuar off the coast that could be fished up with a Good Rod, ” Mina offered.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I know Lord Ruby mentioned Naedire but I don’t think Mina knows that…and she’s not native to the region to reflexively know where those live anyway.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I... think I've only been talked  at  by one elder."  Maybe two, if the elder who ran that karaoke night had actually talked to the crowd.  "Um... maybe you could set up one of those meetings, Mina? If we end up needing it. If we're going to start talking to important people, then we should probably try making appointments instead of just dropping in unannounced."  
 

Mina didn’t know the Skybreak Elder but reaching out to Fate and/or Dove to arrange a meeting with Elders Aquai and Saha sounded eminently doable, so Mina nodded. “ I can make a few calls. ” Did she have Spencer’s number? Maybe he could arrange a meeting with his father…

Riolu made a noise of complaint.

Mina patted him. “ Don’t worry little one, I haven’t forgotten about finding your human, we’ll manage it somehow. ”


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark took one look at the  clearly  not-gym related business and frowned.  "... Speaking of making appointments, it's looking a bit busy here. Maybe we should try doing that now, and then split up again? Less and Pinklady can return the university, him to talk to the rift scientists and her to get the supplies, and Mina and I can go to Dewdrop forest like we'd planned?"  
 

Mina blinked at the crowd. “ Wow, that looks almost as bad as the Ranger Base. Which reminds me! ” Mina pulled out the paperwork she’d gotten and tried passing it around to anyone who wanted it. “ This is for a Bounty Hunting License. Viola said it might help smooth things over with some of the more… questionable  things we might need to carry around. Akio, if you want one, let me know and I’ll hang on to a copy for you until we meet up in person. ”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark took one look at the  clearly  not-gym related business and frowned.  "... Speaking of making appointments, it's looking a bit busy here. Maybe we should try doing that now, and then split up again? Less and Pinklady can return the university, him to talk to the rift scientists and her to get the supplies, and Mina and I can go to Dewdrop forest like we'd planned?"  She would then go handle her berries, of course, but it wasn't much different from what they'd been planning to do anyway. 
 

Pinklady nodded. Still a lot of the conversation had just been things she was listening to, not things she could weigh in on. Doing this, however, she could understand and do.  "Alright! I'll go through with your idea to ask if any of the supplies could be spared, too." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Time Flutes would be the best followed by colognes, but if we can get more of those sacred talismans from the geology club they would help once we got out of the Spectral Dimension."  The flutes and colognes would be potentially useful inside the dimension, but they needed more talismans for all the cosmas on the team anyway so it still wouldn't hurt to look for more. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Cologne would have to wait until we got back. Just being out of their Pokéballs would be enough to Shadow the non-Spectral types while we’re there, if they were out too long. ” And of course they needed to be out to rub the Cologne on them. 
 

Less nodded again. The logic was sound. Buck, however, made a low noise of displeasure from the back of the group. He hated being cooped up in his Pokeball. He growled something at Mina's psychic type, then looked at the group, as if waiting for a response.

 
 Spoiler: Buck, translated 

"Xatu! Can you talk to the humans? Tell them they need to find a way for me to be out. I can't protect them in my ball!" Buck's voice was rough, but more from feat than anger.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark didn't really know how best to approach the squad... however,  "No. I'm not having Tattersail read their minds. Not just because it's a huge invasion of privacy, or they are our allies and I have no reason to suspect Lijan or Sesh. I'm just pretty sure it wouldn't accomplish anything. The leadership split is as much about clashing personalities as it is politics and distrust, me just walking in and claiming I've scanned people's brains for treachery isn't likely to overcome any of that. Besides, even if I got permission first, Lijan's Alakazam is stronger than Tattersail and Sesh could just claim that Lijan's psychic type hid any damning memories from me."  Shaking his head, Mark said,  "I'm going to have to think of something else."  
 

 "I'll leave the method to you . . . but these men have given you a reason to distrust them. Right now, the starlight squad sits inactive, accomplishing nothing, which has allowed Bandra to take a renewed offensive. Maybe one of them is a traitor, maybe not. But if you had control of approximately one half of a military organization, and you knew you would be ousted if it was revealed to be a traitor, how would you go about disabling the whole organization?"  Less said, finishing with a shrug.  "Again, that's not to say that one of them is a traitor, but I think it would be a mistake to discount the possibility." 

 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "Agreed. And we should make sure our spectral types have gotten a bit of training on them before running in."  Maybe he should focus evolving his Cosmas once his Carvanha and Corphish had hit that milestone. Mark also wasn't thinking about changing his plans, yet. Getting that Surf HM was still  always  going to be useful, so having three pokemon to challenge the surfer with was going to be important. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina was a little surprised Less had taken that pronouncement as calmly as he had, all things considered. “ Last time I was at the Gym one of the Gym trainers mentioned there was a Spectral type called Estuar off the coast that could be fished up with a Good Rod, ” Mina offered. 
 

 
"That's a start."  Less replied. He was pretty sure his rod was a good rod . . . or at least it had been 30 years ago. He didn't really go fishing much, it would probably still work like one, right? The disrepair hadn't gotten that bad, as long as you ignored the little crack.  I'm going to have to buy a newer rod, aren't I? 

Less shook himself out of his thoughts long enough to register the surprise in Mina's voice.  "We will likely only have the ability to make one attempt at this. Failure is not an option. Not for this."  Less stated, voice externally cool. Inside, he was near falling apart. He didn't want to wait a minute, but he knew running in unprepared would only result in his death. That couldn't be allowed, not if it meant Emilia being stuck in that dark place.



 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "I... think I've only been talked  at  by one elder."  Maybe two, if the elder who ran that karaoke night had actually talked to the crowd.  "Um... maybe you could set up one of those meetings, Mina? If we end up needing it. If we're going to start talking to important people, then we should probably try making appointments instead of just dropping in unannounced."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina didn’t know the Skybreak Elder but reaching out to Fate and/or Dove to arrange a meeting with Elders Aquai and Saha sounded eminently doable, so Mina nodded. “ I can make a few calls. ” Did she have Spencer’s number? Maybe he could arrange a meeting with his father… 
 

 "I've leave that to you as well, then. If you need help, I can set up a meeting with Aquai, but you may find it more productive without me present."  Less mostly succeeded in keeping the heat from his voice. He and Aquai had been friends for a long time, but the heat of their recent disagreement hadn't entirely faded, and Less didn't want to risk it flaring up again. Not now.



 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark took one look at the  clearly  not-gym related business and frowned.  "... Speaking of making appointments, it's looking a bit busy here. Maybe we should try doing that now, and then split up again? Less and Pinklady can return the university, him to talk to the rift scientists and her to get the supplies, and Mina and I can go to Dewdrop forest like we'd planned?"  She would then go handle her berries, of course, but it wasn't much different from what they'd been planning to do anyway. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina blinked at the crowd. “ Wow, that looks almost as bad as the Ranger Base. Which reminds me! ” Mina pulled out the paperwork she’d gotten and tried passing it around to anyone who wanted it. “ This is for a Bounty Hunting License. Viola said it might help smooth things over with some of the more… questionable  things we might need to carry around. Akio, if you want one, let me know and I’ll hang on to a copy for you until we meet up in person. ” 
 

 
"Mark and I registered already, I believe."  Less stated to Mina.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nodded. Still a lot of the conversation had just been things she was listening to, not things she could weigh in on. Doing this, however, she could understand and do.  "Alright! I'll go through with your idea to ask if any of the supplies could be spared, too."  
 

Less nodded.  "Lets head out, then. If I have time, I may try to approach here again, if the crowd has thinned down." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Cologne would have to wait until we got back. Just being out of their Pokéballs would be enough to Shadow the non-Spectral types while we’re there, if they were out too long. ” And of course they needed to be out to rub the Cologne on them. 
 

Yeah, he'd been afraid of that. So he nodded along and sighed.  "Just need a whole crate full of flutes, then..."  If only life could be so easy.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina was a little surprised Less had taken that pronouncement as calmly as he had, all things considered. “ Last time I was at the Gym one of the Gym trainers mentioned there was a Spectral type called Estuar off the coast that could be fished up with a Good Rod, ” Mina offered. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "That's a start."  Less replied. He was pretty sure his rod was a good rod . . . or at least it had been 30 years ago. He didn't really go fishing much, it would probably still work like one, right? The disrepair hadn't gotten that bad, as long as you ignored the little crack.  I'm going to have to buy a newer rod, aren't I?  
 

Mark frowned, pulled out the good rod he'd gotten from his Corphish, and held it out to Less.  "I'm not going to really have time to use it any time soon, so, here. Don't mind letting you borrow it for Spectral pokemon hunting." 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I'll leave the method to you . . . but these men have given you a reason to distrust them. Right now, the starlight squad sits inactive, accomplishing nothing, which has allowed Bandra to take a renewed offensive. Maybe one of them is a traitor, maybe not. But if you had control of approximately one half of a military organization, and you knew you would be ousted if it was revealed to be a traitor, how would you go about disabling the whole organization?"  Less said, finishing with a shrug.  "Again, that's not to say that one of them is a traitor, but I think it would be a mistake to discount the possibility."  
 

Mark didn't agree, but he was too tired to argue the point so he gave a patented teenager non-committal shrug and grunt. He'd have to figure out something on his own, there.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Riolu made a noise of complaint.

Mina patted him. “ Don’t worry little one, I haven’t forgotten about finding your human, we’ll manage it somehow. ” 
 

Mark keeps resolutely walking, but when the little aura pokemon grumbles the trainer's shoulders sag and he lets out a long sigh. How did he keep getting so  tired  lately...?  "If only Tattersail was healthy. We could ask him about his trainer now... Or at least once we get to Hillsbreak." 

 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Mina blinked at the crowd. “ Wow, that looks almost as bad as the Ranger Base. Which reminds me! ” Mina pulled out the paperwork she’d gotten and tried passing it around to anyone who wanted it. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Mark and I registered already, I believe."  Less stated to Mina. 
 

At the gym, Mark nodded at Less' observation and he said,  "Yeah, we signed up for bounty hunter licenses after interrogating those grunts. Pretty sure the paperwork is still processing, but... we've filled that out, at least." 

He gave Less a wave farewell as the older man and Pinklady made their way towards the university, then stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way over to the gym entrance. If the same guards as before are there, he gives them a nod and stops next to the penguin-masked one. After a few seconds he asks,  "Soooo... Hey again. It's me. Um... if I wanted to set up an appointment to meet with Cassilda, how do I go about doing that?"  The group's fearless leader, everyone.
Kareeah_Indaga
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less nodded again. The logic was sound. Buck, however, made a low noise of displeasure from the back of the group. He hated being cooped up in his Pokeball. He growled something at Mina's psychic type, then looked at the group, as if waiting for a response.

 
 Spoiler: Buck, translated 

"Xatu! Can you talk to the humans? Tell them they need to find a way for me to be out. I can't protect them in my ball!" Buck's voice was rough, but more from feat than anger.
 
 
 

The Psychic type floofed up in a mildly offended way.

 
 Spoiler: Xatu, translated 

“Save the whining, you think they like this any better than you do? You aren’t any worse off than the rest of us are.”
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "I'll leave the method to you . . . but these men have given you a reason to distrust them. Right now, the starlight squad sits inactive, accomplishing nothing, which has allowed Bandra to take a renewed offensive. Maybe one of them is a traitor, maybe not. But if you had control of approximately one half of a military organization, and you knew you would be ousted if it was revealed to be a traitor, how would you go about disabling the whole organization?"  Less said, finishing with a shrug.  "Again, that's not to say that one of them is a traitor, but I think it would be a mistake to discount the possibility."  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark didn't agree, but he was too tired to argue the point so he gave a patented teenager non-committal shrug and grunt. He'd have to figure out something on his own, there. 
 

“ If sitting around is treason then by that logic most of the region is nothing but traitors, ” Mina replied flatly. And if not getting along counted, then Mina herself counted – certainly she hadn’t gotten along with Misty, near the end, and that had arguably gotten the other girl killed. “ And mucking around in their heads without permission would give them plenty of reason to distrust Mark. ”   As a certain other party should now be well aware.  

&lt; Ouch. &gt; The reply was heavily flavored with undertones of ‘yeah, yeah, you made your point.’


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
"That's a start."  Less replied. He was pretty sure his rod was a good rod . . . or at least it had been 30 years ago. He didn't really go fishing much, it would probably still work like one, right? The disrepair hadn't gotten that bad, as long as you ignored the little crack.  I'm going to have to buy a newer rod, aren't I?  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark frowned, pulled out the good rod he'd gotten from his Corphish, and held it out to Less.  "I'm not going to really have time to use it any time soon, so, here. Don't mind letting you borrow it for Spectral pokemon hunting."  
 

“ I’ve got one too, and I’ve already got two Spectral types, ” Mina added. “ Akio, Pinklady? Do either of you want to give it a shot? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Less shook himself out of his thoughts long enough to register the surprise in Mina's voice.  "We will likely only have the ability to make one attempt at this. Failure is not an option. Not for this."  Less stated, voice externally cool. Inside, he was near falling apart. He didn't want to wait a minute, but he knew running in unprepared would only result in his death. That couldn't be allowed, not if it meant Emilia being stuck in that dark place. 
 

Mina didn’t nod but she didn’t disagree either. Privately she figured if Emilia hadn’t found somewhere to hole up she was dead – and she thought ‘dead’ was likely, given the time frame involved. Not to put too fine a point on it, but finding the Elite Four lady’s dead body would render any further rescue attempts moot…

But even in that worst case scenario it wouldn’t be out of the question that some of her Pokémon had survived; the Pokéballs had an emergency setting that kicked the ‘mon inside into stasis if they weren’t opened in a reasonable period. Even just keeping them out of Bandra’s hands would be a victory of a sort, since there was apparently a Bandra Officer wandering around in the area…


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   "I've leave that to you as well, then. If you need help, I can set up a meeting with Aquai, but you may find it more productive without me present."  Less mostly succeeded in keeping the heat from his voice. He and Aquai had been friends for a long time, but the heat of their recent disagreement hadn't entirely faded, and Less didn't want to risk it flaring up again. Not now. 
 

Mina felt like there was a story there, but she was reasonably sure it was none of her business, so she said nothing.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 Mark keeps resolutely walking, but when the little aura pokemon grumbles the trainer's shoulders sag and he lets out a long sigh. How did he keep getting so  tired  lately...?  "If only Tattersail was healthy. We could ask him about his trainer now... Or at least once we get to Hillsbreak."  
 

“ Don’t worry, Xatu and I will handle it. ” Mina gave the Fighting type another pat.


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
   
"Mark and I registered already, I believe."  Less stated to Mina. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 At the gym, Mark nodded at Less' observation and he said,  "Yeah, we signed up for bounty hunter licenses after interrogating those grunts. Pretty sure the paperwork is still processing, but... we've filled that out, at least."  
 

“ Akio, Pinklady? ” Mina repeated. “ Any interest? ”


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  Less nodded.  "Lets head out, then. If I have time, I may try to approach here again, if the crowd has thinned down."  
 

Mina nodded and bid the two of them goodbye. “ I’m going to go get my Berries before the wild Pokémon do. Mark, I’ll meet you at the entrance when you’re ready. ”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:

You arrive at the University, but it feels like the crowds have followed you there. The only difference is that now they’re all obviously students and mostly in University colors, headed to and from classes or studying on the lawn before the heat of the day gets too punishing. There’s also a bit of a line at the receptionist’s desk, though the boxes Pinklady is supposed to deliver look reachable without standing in it, seeing as they’re just behind the desk as indicated during the last visit.

Also LOTS of gossip fills the air, and from what the two of you can hear most of it is centered on the attack last night.

----------------


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He gave Less a wave farewell as the older man and Pinklady made their way towards the university, then stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way over to the gym entrance. If the same guards as before are there, he gives them a nod and stops next to the penguin-masked one. After a few seconds he asks,  "Soooo... Hey again. It's me. Um... if I wanted to set up an appointment to meet with Cassilda, how do I go about doing that?"  The group's fearless leader, everyone. 
 

It does appear to be the same pair, though they’re starting to wilt under the rising heat. But after exchanging a look they gamely continue with their performance:

“Our dread lady Cassilda…”

“…expects to be busy today…”

“…come back this evening…”

“…or tomorrow morning…”

“…or, leave a message after the tone!”

As one they pull a pair of sticks out and slam them into a gong you’d seen but hadn’t really noticed before.

A few minutes pass. Then the doors open and a woman in a bird-like mask with a long beak emerges. Even with the mask covering her face, she looks harried. “What is it  this  time?”

“Dear sister, a petitioner has arrived…”

“…to speak with our dread Gym Leader.”

Flaming monkey mask indicates you. The bird mask woman makes a noise of exasperation. “Now?!!” She turns to you. “She’s not taking Gym challengers. She’s in meetings the rest of the day, getting the patrols rearranged after last night. What could you  possibly  have to talk about that’s more important?” Hands on hips, she taps a foot expectantly.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Don’t worry, Xatu and I will handle it. ” Mina gave the Fighting type another pat. 
 

Mark blinked, looked between Mina and the bird, looked at the Riolu, blinked again, then  squinted  at Mina.  "Soooo..."  While he'd figured it out (or at least jumped to the conclusion), the fact that Mina hadn't mentioned being connected to her psychic type clicked in his brain as well. She might have just forgotten... or she might not want to talk about it for some reason. Mark decided to err on the side of caution and he shrugged.  "Alright. Sounds good."  No reason to make a big deal out of it this morning.


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina nodded and bid the two of them goodbye. “ I’m going to go get my Berries before the wild Pokémon do. Mark, I’ll meet you at the entrance when you’re ready. ” 
 

 "I'm just setting up an appointment right now, not trying to get a meeting today. I should only be a couple minutes... hopefully. If you just wanted to hang out for a second, I could join you and help pick the berries after?""  Pointing out the masked trainers in front of the gym with his robotic pointer finger and pinky, he said,  "Also, those absolute dorks have this whole 'finishing each other's sentences' routine going on, it's actually pretty well rehersed." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 It does appear to be the same pair, though they’re starting to wilt under the rising heat. But after exchanging a look they gamely continue with their performance:

“Our dread lady Cassilda…”

“…expects to be busy today…”

“…come back this evening…”

“…or tomorrow morning…”

“…or, leave a message after the tone!”

As one they pull a pair of sticks out and slam them into a gong you’d seen but hadn’t really noticed before. 
 

The fact that they struck a gong to fully simulate an answering machine is what does Mark in. At first he lets a little snort of air out of his nose, and then he out-right cackles, the sheer ridiculousness of their routine tickling at his funny bone. Wiping at his eyes with his organic hand, he catches his breath and says,  "Yeah. You guys deserve a raise." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 A few minutes pass. Then the doors open and a woman in a bird-like mask with a long beak emerges. Even with the mask covering her face, she looks harried. “What is it  this  time?”

“Dear sister, a petitioner has arrived…”

“…to speak with our dread Gym Leader.”

Flaming monkey mask indicates you. The bird mask woman makes a noise of exasperation. “Now?!!” She turns to you. “She’s not taking Gym challengers. She’s in meetings the rest of the day, getting the patrols rearranged after last night. What could you  possibly  have to talk about that’s more important?” Hands on hips, she taps a foot expectantly. 
 

Still grinning when she appeared, Mark stands straight at the bird-masked woman marches out and he blinks a few times.  "Uh, I'm not trying to meet her right now. Don't want to challenge the gym either. I was hoping to set up a meeting with her sometime tomorrow, either around noon or in the late evening."  That second option would probably leave him in the city past curfew... but they needed the money from the plasters job, so he couldn't exactly schedule the meeting at that time, and his morning would be spent hunting down the surf HM and trying to talk to Sesh. Looking bird mask in the eye, he added,  "As for what it's about  : Me and my friends learned where Emilia of the Elite Four is. I need to get Cassilda's advice before we go off and do something stupid." 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Akio, Pinklady? ” Mina repeated. “ Any interest? ” 
 

Pinklady nods and accepts one of the offered bunches of paperwork.  "Yeah, good idea! I bring this to a Ranger Base when I've finished it, right?" 
----------------

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less and Pinklady:

You arrive at the University, but it feels like the crowds have followed you there. The only difference is that now they’re all obviously students and mostly in University colors, headed to and from classes or studying on the lawn before the heat of the day gets too punishing. There’s also a bit of a line at the receptionist’s desk, though the boxes Pinklady is supposed to deliver look reachable without standing in it, seeing as they’re just behind the desk as indicated during the last visit.

Also LOTS of gossip fills the air, and from what the two of you can hear most of it is centered on the attack last night.  
 

Upon reaching the crowded building, Pinklady's hope of just asking the receptionist where she'd be able to get a cart is dashed... but she immediately decides on a somewhat noisier alternative. She just loudly yells out,  "Anyone know where I can get a cart that can hold that much!"  and points at the pile of boxes.
Kareeah_Indaga
Meetup:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady nods and accepts one of the offered bunches of paperwork.  "Yeah, good idea! I bring this to a Ranger Base when I've finished it, right?"  
 

Mina handed Pinklady a form. “ Yes, they’ve got a drop box at the front desk. ”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
+Bounty Hunting Application Form for Pinklady.
 


----------------

Mark:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
   "I'm just setting up an appointment right now, not trying to get a meeting today. I should only be a couple minutes... hopefully. If you just wanted to hang out for a second, I could join you and help pick the berries after?""  Pointing out the masked trainers in front of the gym with his robotic pointer finger and pinky, he said,  "Also, those absolute dorks have this whole 'finishing each other's sentences' routine going on, it's actually pretty well rehersed."  
 

Mina shrugs (Xatu has to shift a bit to stay balanced). “ Sure, if it’s quick. ”

She sits down on the grass and pulls out her own copy of the Bounty Hunting Application Form and begins filling it out while she waits.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 The fact that they struck a gong to fully simulate an answering machine is what does Mark in. At first he lets a little snort of air out of his nose, and then he out-right cackles, the sheer ridiculousness of their routine tickling at his funny bone. Wiping at his eyes with his organic hand, he catches his breath and says,  "Yeah. You guys deserve a raise."  
 

Mark can tell both boys are stifling grins. Mina looks amused too.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "As for what it's about  : Me and my friends learned where Emilia of the Elite Four is. I need to get Cassilda's advice before we go off and do something stupid."  
 

The bird mask woman blinks. “…that would qualify.” Suddenly she is all business. “Late evening would be easier, things usually settle down before curfew, but I can try to pencil you in for noon. How long do you need?”

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Upon reaching the crowded building, Pinklady's hope of just asking the receptionist where she'd be able to get a cart is dashed... but she immediately decides on a somewhat noisier alternative. She just loudly yells out,  "Anyone know where I can get a cart that can hold that much!"  and points at the pile of boxes. 
 

A handful of voices pipe up from the students, both lined up and in the surrounding area. “Around the back!” “By the Museum!” “It’s behind the Museum wing!”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The bird mask woman blinks. “…that would qualify.” Suddenly she is all business. “Late evening would be easier, things usually settle down before curfew, but I can try to pencil you in for noon. How long do you need?” 
 

Mark rubbed at his chin as he considered that question. The main problem was that he didn't know how much he didn't know, so...  "It might be quick, or it might take a couple hours. Meeting in the evening would probably be safer."  Even if it stranded him in the city for the night. Holding his robotic hand out to shake (while it beeped again to demand he charge it), he said,  "My name's Mark, by the way. I can give you my number so you can text me an exact appointment time, then I'll get out of your hair." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 The Psychic type floofed up in a mildly offended way.

 
 Spoiler: Xatu, translated 

“Save the whining, you think they like this any better than you do? You aren’t any worse off than the rest of us are.”
 
 
 

Buck ruffed back.

 
 Spoiler: Buck, Translated 

 "Your human is not near panicked from the danger of his cub." Buck barked. "He  needs  me right now, and I cannot help him curled up in my ball!" 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ If sitting around is treason then by that logic most of the region is nothing but traitors, ” Mina replied flatly. And if not getting along counted, then Mina herself counted – certainly she hadn’t gotten along with Misty, near the end, and that had arguably gotten the other girl killed. “ And mucking around in their heads without permission would give them plenty of reason to distrust Mark. ”   As a certain other party should now be well aware.  

&lt; Ouch. &gt; The reply was heavily flavored with undertones of ‘yeah, yeah, you made your point.’ 
 

 "I agree that an unsolicited mind-reading would be disastrous for building trust, but that was not my suggestion. They may well agree, or they may not."  Less shrugged again.  "And most of the region does not have control of one of the few groups offering Bandra organized resistance. I hope that neither man is a traitor, but the possibility exists."  

[QUOTE=Gnomes2169;25975534]Mark frowned, pulled out the good rod he'd gotten from his Corphish, and held it out to Less.  "I'm not going to really have time to use it any time soon, so, here. Don't mind letting you borrow it for Spectral pokemon hunting." 
 "Thank you."  Less fished his own rod out of the pack.  "Just in case, please swap with me for a day or two. It would be odd for you to need this, but I certainly won't need two rods." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina nodded and bid the two of them goodbye. “ I’m going to go get my Berries before the wild Pokémon do. Mark, I’ll meet you at the entrance when you’re ready. ” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 He gave Less a wave farewell as the older man and Pinklady made their way towards the university, then stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way over to the gym entrance. 
 

Less waved as well, before heading towards the university with a little bit more haste in his step than usual, Buck trailing behind, looking deeply concerned.

----------------
Less and Pinklady

Less had originally planned to wait in line, but Pinklady's success gave him a different idea.  "Excuse me, is there anyone who has a staff directory, or can direct me to one?"  Less asked, though with a bit less volume. Hopefully that would give him a phone number and let him schedule an appointment.

Was there something else he was supposed to be doing here? He had spoken with the group about signing up for a supply delivery task, but after this morning's revelations he was struggling to remember the details. Instead, before Pinklady could bound off, he asked.  "Do you know where I was supposed to get the supplies for my own delivery?" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Thank you."  Less fished his own rod out of the pack.  "Just in case, please swap with me for a day or two. It would be odd for you to need this, but I certainly won't need two rods."  
 

He shrugged and accepted the older rod. No harm in it, after all.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Meetup:

Mina handed Pinklady a form. “ Yes, they’ve got a drop box at the front desk. ”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
+Bounty Hunting Application Form for Pinklady.
 
 
 

 "Got it, thank you!" 
----------------


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



A handful of voices pipe up from the students, both lined up and in the surrounding area. “Around the back!” “By the Museum!” “It’s behind the Museum wing!” 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
 Was there something else he was supposed to be doing here? He had spoken with the group about signing up for a supply delivery task, but after this morning's revelations he was struggling to remember the details. Instead, before Pinklady could bound off, he asked.  "Do you know where I was supposed to get the supplies for my own delivery?"  
 

Pinklady calls back out,  "Thank you all!"  She catches Less's question just before she heads back out and answers, of course in a regular volume again.  "If it was one of the things posted here, then I had to ask the receptionist, who pointed out to me what I had to pick up! That's all I know." 
(Assuming no further reply from Less, at least not one Pinklady replies to - though I can do a quick scene split if need be), she heads back out to encircle the building, watching out for a cart - or, failing that, the most museum-looking area.
Kareeah_Indaga
Meetup:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
-Good Rod, +Old Rod Mark,
+Good Rod, -Old Rod Less
 

 
 Spoiler: Xatu 
”No, she’s not,” Xatu agreed. “ My  human is being asked to go back to the place where a Legendary Pokémon almost killed her. I’m sure  your  human will be fine.”
 


Riolu looked up at this with surprise and alarm.

“ That’s enough, ” Mina (who was not privy to the details of the conversation but who could tell it was getting unfriendly) told her Psychic Pokémon, shutting his beak with a hand for emphasis.

 
 Spoiler: Mina 
  What is both of your    problem? 

&lt; Buck is whining that he doesn’t want to stay in his Pokéball in the Spectral Dimension. &gt;

  Well he’s going to have to get used to it or he’s going to have to stay behind. But that’s Less’ problem.  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "I agree that an unsolicited mind-reading would be disastrous for building trust, but that was not my suggestion. They may well agree, or they may not."  Less shrugged again.  "And most of the region does not have control of one of the few groups offering Bandra organized resistance. I hope that neither man is a traitor, but the possibility exists."   
 

“ And if one of them  isn’t  a traitor but says no because, oh, they had an affair or something else unrelated they don’t want to get out, but half the Starlight Squad  assumes  they’ve been secretly working for Bandra because they said no and exacts some vigilante justice, then what? ” Mina asked pointedly. “ Or if the half of the Squad who trusted them well enough to choose them over the other lieutenant decides Mark is making it up, then what? ” Mina was not sure how long Sesh or Lijan had been fighting Bandra but she expected it was longer than either her or Mark. “ No, Mark’s right. This isn’t a problem that’s going to be solved with a few minutes of mind reading. ”

----------------

Mark:

“Larissa.” The bird mask woman takes your number. “Was that all?”

----------------

Less and Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Excuse me, is there anyone who has a staff directory, or can direct me to one?"  Less asked, though with a bit less volume. Hopefully that would give him a phone number and let him schedule an appointment. 
 

A scattered mix of responses echo back. “You can ask at the desk!”“Check the website!””Who were you looking for?”

----------------

Pinklady:

You circle the building in the growing heat. The external entrance to the Museum wing is well-marked and easy to find, some of the displays inside even visible from the entrance. The cart turns out to be farther along, out of sight and out of the way of most of the comings and goings of the student body. There’s a tangle of harness at the front of it, and some ropes and bungee cords inside.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ And if one of them  isn’t  a traitor but says no because, oh, they had an affair or something else unrelated they don’t want to get out, but half the Starlight Squad  assumes  they’ve been secretly working for Bandra because they said no and exacts some vigilante justice, then what? ” Mina asked pointedly. “ Or if the half of the Squad who trusted them well enough to choose them over the other lieutenant decides Mark is making it up, then what? ” Mina was not sure how long Sesh or Lijan had been fighting Bandra but she expected it was longer than either her or Mark. “ No, Mark’s right. This isn’t a problem that’s going to be solved with a few minutes of mind reading. ” 
 

Alright, this was going on a bit long, and they didn't have much time for an in-depth argument at the moment, so he popped in with a quipped,  "Wait, I'm right? Well, there's a third time for everything, I suppose."  Then flashed them a grin and said,  "But I'll think up a strategy on how to approach this thing while we're doing our jobs today. Lijan is sending me a list of potential suspects for Elren's assassin, maybe it can help me get in the door. Who knows? We're certainly not going to figure it out while walking around before lunch. So let's drop it for now, come back to it later." 

 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “Larissa.” The bird mask woman takes your number. “Was that all?” 
 

He nodded.  "That's all I needed today, yup. Thank you, Larissa."  Looking at the line of trainers, he waved to the frazzled gym staffer and stepped back.  "Hopefully this slows down soon." 

With that, he returns to Mina and says,  Hey, that went well! Now let's go pick your fruit." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Meetup:

 
 Spoiler: Xatu 
”No, she’s not,” Xatu agreed. “ My  human is being asked to go back to the place where a Legendary Pokémon almost killed her. I’m sure  your  human will be fine.”
 


Riolu looked up at this with surprise and alarm.

“ That’s enough, ” Mina (who was not privy to the details of the conversation but who could tell it was getting unfriendly) told her Psychic Pokémon, shutting his beak with a hand for emphasis.

 
 Spoiler: Mina 
  What is both of your    problem? 

&lt; Buck is whining that he doesn’t want to stay in his Pokéball in the Spectral Dimension. &gt;

  Well he’s going to have to get used to it or he’s going to have to stay behind. But that’s Less’ problem.  
 
 
 

Buck flashed his fangs for a moment and began to rumble something, before Less cut him off.  "Buck! What's gotten into you? We're all allies here."  With a sullen glance, the Arcanine fell silent with a grumble.

 
 Spoiler: Buck, translated 

"Why you little -"

"Can you just have your human tell mine what I asked?" Buck finished, sullen, and with more than a hint of jealousy. It wasn't fair that Xatu could speak to his human, and he still couldn't. Clearly, the old dog was doing at least a fair bit of pouting.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ And if one of them  isn’t  a traitor but says no because, oh, they had an affair or something else unrelated they don’t want to get out, but half the Starlight Squad  assumes  they’ve been secretly working for Bandra because they said no and exacts some vigilante justice, then what? ” Mina asked pointedly. “ Or if the half of the Squad who trusted them well enough to choose them over the other lieutenant decides Mark is making it up, then what? ” Mina was not sure how long Sesh or Lijan had been fighting Bandra but she expected it was longer than either her or Mark. “ No, Mark’s right. This isn’t a problem that’s going to be solved with a few minutes of mind reading. ” 
 

 "Or perhaps they both agree, and fences are quickly mended."  Less shrugged.  "But as I said, I leave the solution to you, Mark. All I ask is that you keep in my that one of these men  might  be guilty of the crime that they each accuse each other of committing." 

Less raised his hands after he finished speaking,  "But, as you've requested, I'll let the topic drop." 

----------------

Less and Pinklady:



 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 A scattered mix of responses echo back. “You can ask at the desk!”“Check the website!””Who were you looking for?” 
 

Less nodded at Pinklady before she ran off. "I"ll chat with her. Hopefully this line will die down soon." But Less couldn't make that an immediate problem, because frankly, the old trainer didn't quite know who he was looking for. Asking the receptionist would likely waste her time as well as his own, and it seemed that they were both in high demand.  "Thank you!"  Less called back.  "I'll check the website!"  With that, Less headed over to borrow a library computer and start searching for faculty or departments whose biography mentioned knowledge or interest in the spectral dimension, spectral Pokemon, or at least an intent to investigate.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

I apparently started writing my post at around the same time Gnomes finished. I didn't even realize until today. Whoops.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

You circle the building in the growing heat. The external entrance to the Museum wing is well-marked and easy to find, some of the displays inside even visible from the entrance. The cart turns out to be farther along, out of sight and out of the way of most of the comings and goings of the student body. There’s a tangle of harness at the front of it, and some ropes and bungee cords inside. 
 

Pinklady looks around for anybody that looked like staff - or, failing that, anybody nearby to ask or at least notify of her borrowing. Better safe than sorry, even if she was using it for a uni job anyways!

She is a bit distracted looking at some of the displays, and makes a mental note to find the time someday to enjoy the museum.
Kareeah_Indaga
Meetup:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  
 Spoiler: Buck, translated 

"Why you little -"

"Can you just have your human tell mine what I asked?" Buck finished, sullen, and with more than a hint of jealousy. It wasn't fair that Xatu could speak to his human, and he still couldn't. Clearly, the old dog was doing at least a fair bit of pouting.
 
 
 

Xatu, who still had his beak being held shut by his trainer and thus was unable to respond, just cast his eyes skyward.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
  "But I'll think up a strategy on how to approach this thing while we're doing our jobs today. Lijan is sending me a list of potential suspects for Elren's assassin, maybe it can help me get in the door. Who knows? We're certainly not going to figure it out while walking around before lunch. So let's drop it for now, come back to it later."  
 

“ Wasn’t he supposed to have sent that to Nurse Joy already? ”

----------------

Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 With that, he returns to Mina and says,  Hey, that went well! Now let's go pick your fruit."  
 

“ Hopefully the wild Pokémon haven’t already gotten it all… ” Mina replies.

The pair of you head out of the city and Xatu Teleports you both to the first patch. Luckily, it seems you arrived before the wild Pokémon did - right before, as something leaps into the brush to avoid you as soon as you arrive.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
And I’ll calculate the numbers after I get my computer back in working order.
 


Mina picks the Nilla Berries and carefully puts them away before frowning. “ Drat. I was going to put in some of the longer-growing Berries we need for Poffin, but if we’re heading off to the Spectral Dimension maybe I should put in more utility Berries instead - Sitrus or something. ” She’d also forgotten to try to pick up some of the Poffin Berries Less had researched, though to be fair, there hadn’t really been time with all the standing in line. “ Mark? What do you think? ”

----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Thank you!"  Less called back.  "I'll check the website!"  With that, Less headed over to borrow a library computer and start searching for faculty or departments whose biography mentioned knowledge or interest in the spectral dimension, spectral Pokemon, or at least an intent to investigate. 
 

You leave the main University building and cross the city to the library. It’s busy, but not overwhelming so, and you are able to secure a computer in short order.

The first record that comes up is Professor Hickory: not much help, given that he’s missing. But the second is a man named Professor Charles Maxwell, and he not only hasn’t gone missing but has apparently been pushing for expeditions into the Spectral Dimension despite the war.

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 Pinklady looks around for anybody that looked like staff - or, failing that, anybody nearby to ask or at least notify of her borrowing. Better safe than sorry, even if she was using it for a uni job anyways! 
 

There doesn’t appear to be any staff in sight, but there does appear to be a sign-out sheet by the cart.


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
 She is a bit distracted looking at some of the displays, and makes a mental note to find the time someday to enjoy the museum. 
 

You can only make out the contents of some of the larger displays from outside, but those include a wall of jade statuettes and what looks like half a shipwreck.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



There doesn’t appear to be any staff in sight, but there does appear to be a sign-out sheet by the cart.



You can only make out the contents of some of the larger displays from outside, but those include a wall of jade statuettes and what looks like half a shipwreck. 
 

Definitely very enticing, even just those few visible... but Pinklady stays on her task and slowly letters out her name on the sign-up sheet.

 "Alright, Whirlywhirly! Let's get this all worked out!"  She takes up the harness and works out fitting it on Whirlywhirly with some difficulty, makes sure that all the other ropes and cords are resting in the cart, and then leads Whirlywhirly back towards the front.  "Make sure to be clear if it's uncomfortable! You know as well as I do I don't exactly have experience with these..." 
Gnomes2169
Meetup:


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Wasn’t he supposed to have sent that to Nurse Joy already? ” 
 

 "Yeah, I'll have to check with her. I don't think she was awake before we left."  The center Chansey had been behind the counter, after all.

Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Mina picks the Nilla Berries and carefully puts them away before frowning. “ Drat. I was going to put in some of the longer-growing Berries we need for Poffin, but if we’re heading off to the Spectral Dimension maybe I should put in more utility Berries instead - Sitrus or something. ” She’d also forgotten to try to pick up some of the Poffin Berries Less had researched, though to be fair, there hadn’t really been time with all the standing in line. “ Mark? What do you think? ” 
 

He nodded in agreement, making a mental note that his personal planters would probably be used to grow faster berries once the current crops were done, and he said,  "Yeah, Sitrus and Oran berries would be good to have around. Most status-effect berries grow pretty quickly too, right? Maybe one or two of those if you have them, since we won't have access to pokemon centers and most conditions can be worse than hit point damage."  A pokemon that was poisoned or paralyzed would basically become unusable until the condition wore off, at which point healing berries would be irrelevant anyway.  "If we can't get any of those berries, then oran and sitrus are what we should focus on growing, and we'll need to spend our money on status medicines instead of potions." 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: OOC Question 
Is there no closer Public Computerthat knows about?
 


Professor Charles Maxwell, That sounded like just the man Less needed to speak to. After a quick search for contact information, Less gave his office a call.
Kareeah_Indaga
Meetup:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
I think we’re all done here but let me know if I’m forgetting anything.
 


----------------

Pinklady:

It takes a while, but eventually you get the harness untangled and then around Whirlywhirly. By the time you’re done the heat has intensified to sweltering, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get any better for at least the rest of the day.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Treat any battles for the rest of the day as if Sunny Day were in effect, minus the ‘wearing off after X many turns’ part.
 


----------------

Mark and Mina:

Drat, she was going to have to do more jumping back and forth than she’d originally planned.

&lt; Tell him no if you don’t want to do it. &gt;

  We might    need  these.  

“ I can do Sitrus… ” Mina started rifling through her pack to check what else. “ …Oran, Chahal, Chesto, Persim, Pecha, Rawst, Cheri…and Ebet, Niptir, Ekon, and Ashion. ” Mina made a note to sort through her Berries and put them in some kind of useful order when she got the chance; if she wasn’t careful she was going to forget one just when she needed it. “ I think we can safely skip the Ashion. ” Attract was very situational and they had a good mix of genders in their Pokémon anyway. “ And some of the other Helnith Berries are…of limited use. ”

----------------

Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You specifically said you wanted to borrow a library computer.
 


You find the number and call. A distracted voice picks up on the other end. “ Maxwell’s office. ”
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
You specifically said you wanted to borrow a library computer.
 


You find the number and call. A distracted voice picks up on the other end. “ Maxwell’s office. ” 
 

 
 Spoiler: OoC 

I guess I assumed that it was the university library? Either way, it doesn't matter too much.
 

 

"Hello."  Less replied.  "My name is Lester Douglass. I was hoping to schedule an appointment to speak with Professor Maxwell. I have a great many questions about the spectral dimension . . . and I plan to soon go there." 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I can do Sitrus… ” Mina started rifling through her pack to check what else. “ …Oran, Chahal, Chesto, Persim, Pecha, Rawst, Cheri…and Ebet, Niptir, Ekon, and Ashion. ” Mina made a note to sort through her Berries and put them in some kind of useful order when she got the chance; if she wasn’t careful she was going to forget one just when she needed it. “ I think we can safely skip the Ashion. ” Attract was very situational and they had a good mix of genders in their Pokémon anyway. “ And some of the other Helnith Berries are…of limited use. ” 
 

 "Attract and confusion can also just be cured by switching a pokemon out, so that shouldn't be  too  dangerous to deal with... poison, burn and paralysis have the biggest threat, I think. So that would be Pecha, Cheri and... Rawst?"  He was just guessing there.  "Maybe more focus on poison curing, since Toxic can be  horrible. " 
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
That  is  the University library. It’s a separate building from the part you were in with the receptionist.
 


“ This is Professor Maxwell. ” You can hear typing in the background. He still sounds mildly distracted, but now there’s some interest there too.

----------------

Mark and Mina:

“ I can plant a couple Pecha. What else? ” Technically, Mina could do three, but she was unwilling to put her entire supply out in the wilderness where they might be eaten. “ That leaves two more. One Rawst, one Cheri? ” That would at least keep all four plots on the same schedule.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I can plant a couple Pecha. What else? ” Technically, Mina could do three, but she was unwilling to put her entire supply out in the wilderness where they might be eaten. “ That leaves two more. One Rawst, one Cheri? ” That would at least keep all four plots on the same schedule. 
 

Mark nodded, " That sounds good to me. I can help you plant them too. "

While they replanted those plots, he'd casually add, " So now that I've been here, me and Tattersail  should  be able to pop over if you get busy or caught up in something. " Though it looked like Mark's schedule was actually the more busy one between them. " And you've been to Hillsbreak in the past, right? So could Xatu bring us directly there since you connected, or will we still need to walk through the forest first...? "
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

That decided, Mina picked out the appropriate Berries, to be planted and watered at each site. (She also took a moment to check her Planter Berries.) Fortunately the other plots were untouched too, there not having been enough time since they’d ripened for anything to get at them.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
And that will  also  be noted when my computer is back in order.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 While they replanted those plots, he'd casually add, " So now that I've been here, me and Tattersail  should  be able to pop over if you get busy or caught up in something. " Though it looked like Mark's schedule was actually the more busy one between them. " And you've been to Hillsbreak in the past, right? So could Xatu bring us directly there since you connected, or will we still need to walk through the forest first...? " 
 

&lt; That’s not how it works.  Tattersail  needs to come here. You humans don’t pay attention to the right things. &gt;

Mina got a brief, dizzying sense of energy currents and distances and differences in elevation and staggered briefly before her Pokémon realized he was overloading her brain and cut off the information flow.

She came to her senses just in time to catch the second bit. “ Huh? I’ve never been to Hillsbreak. ”   But I’m assuming you can’t take us up to Siltis or Aitel either then.  

&lt; Nope. Not directly, anyway. &gt;

  Drat.   Aloud she said, “ We were going to try and find some more Berries while we were passing through anyway, remember? ” Though she supposed digging Less’ gardens out was being put on hold, since the man himself had other things to worry about presently.
Gnomes2169
He frowned a bit before grumbling, " Well dang. Was hoping to save some walking... Maaaybe Tattersail had a point about me getting lazy... " He thought about picking up Sengar to help with the berry hunting, but... well, with Less in Skybreak, it would only be Mark and Mina walking through the woods, and how the dark fox reacted to her last time did  not  bode well for that idea.

But he had noticed her moment of dizziness, so after giving her a moment he asked, " Are you... doing alright? "
Lord Ruby34
 "Ah,"  Less replied. " Are you free to speak now? I find myself with very little information about the Spectral dimension, and a need to enter it nonetheless. Someone dear to me is trapped there, and I aim to find her and bring her back home." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Huh, I guess I assumed that the universitylibrary would he closer. No big deal.
 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

It takes a while, but eventually you get the harness untangled and then around Whirlywhirly. By the time you’re done the heat has intensified to sweltering, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get any better for at least the rest of the day.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Treat any battles for the rest of the day as if Sunny Day were in effect, minus the ‘wearing off after X many turns’ part.
 
 
 

 "Whew! Not even the Desert Resort was quite this hot, huh..."  Pinklady reminisces on a trip they took back home with Whirlywhirly as they head over to retrieve the packages. Whether the front desk area is manueverable enough to bring Whirlywhirly in and load up the boxes then and there, or Pinklady has to leave Whirlywhirly at the entrance and carry each box out, she gets it filled and then starts fiddling with the ropes and cords to strap them down.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

“ I have too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in, ” Mina replied. Then reminding herself that none of that was Mark’s fault, she added, “ But other than that, yes, I’m fine. Anything else we need to do before we head up to Dewdrop? ”

----------------

Less:

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
To be clear, its not on the opposite side of the city either, it’s just a bit of a walk. Remind me in about a week and I’ll try to put the map somewhere visible, but said map is on the nonfunctional computer ATM.
 


“ Oh, another one of those. Very well, I have a few minutes before my next lecture. What is it you needed to know? I will warn you up front it’s unlikely whoever you’re looking for is in any shape to be rescued. ”

----------------

Pinklady:

The entrance doesn’t appear to be designed for the cart to fit through it, so you’re forced to park it outside. The boxes are quite heavy and a number of them make sloshing sounds as you move them, but by noon you’ve gotten them loaded up and secured.
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I have too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in, ” Mina replied. Then reminding herself that none of that was Mark’s fault, she added, “ But other than that, yes, I’m fine. Anything else we need to do before we head up to Dewdrop? ” 
 

" Yeah. Yeah, I get that. " He said, flashing her a tired grin. " It feels like a hot day is coming on, so maybe we should refill our water bottles before we go? Otherwise... " He shrugged, not able to think of anything else.
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Can do!
 


Less fought down his immediate impulse to argue. If there was anyone who could survive in the Spectral dimension it was Emilia. He couldn't bring himself to believe anything else. But what the professor had said . . . these rifts had been accompanied by kidnappings, hadn't they? What did the Spectral Pokemon even want with human captives?

 "Thank you. When you say that the person I'm looking for likely isn't in any shape to be rescued, how do you mean? I understand that the Spectral dimension is very dangerous. Is there some effect on humans that spend too long there?"  Less asked. Best to understand the fundamentals first.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

The entrance doesn’t appear to be designed for the cart to fit through it, so you’re forced to park it outside. The boxes are quite heavy and a number of them make sloshing sounds as you move them, but by noon you’ve gotten them loaded up and secured. 
 

 "Whew! Good thing this'll be a familiar route! Or, as familiar as a route in Helnith can be so far..."  Pinklady rambled aloud to Whirlywhirly.  "Let's go!"  Pinklady directs Whirlywhirly to the way out and to the road, glad to be heading out once again.
Feathersnow
Akio tries to take this all in.  The father of one of the Wlite Four!?  Spectral Dimension!?  It was so much.  He listened in stoic silence, as befitting a confused samurai.   After a long pause, he simply says:

"We are here, and this is now.  And there is work to do.

Which is to say, you can count on me in a fight."
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 " Yeah. Yeah, I get that. " He said, flashing her a tired grin. " It feels like a hot day is coming on, so maybe we should refill our water bottles before we go? Otherwise... " He shrugged, not able to think of anything else. 
 

“ All right, we’ll stop by Rieva first then. Xatu? ”

Not long afterwards the two of you are in Rieva. Mina gives her Pokémon a pass through the machine (“ Sorry shorty but you’ve probably had enough walking for today anyway, ” Mina says as she recalls Riolu) and you both grab water bottles from the kitchen. ((+1 Fresh Water Mark, 2 total, +1 Fresh Water Mina, 1 total))

Then it is a rapid-fire Teleport jump across a large chunk of Helnith before you appear just south of Dewdrop Forest. Mina recognizes the Pokémon Center from her previous visit.

“ I forgot there was a Pokémon Center here too, ” Mina remarks, fishing a Pokéball off her belt. She calls out Pidgey. “ Pidgey, we’re looking for Berries on our way to Hillsbreak, so keep an eye out will you? And I don’t suppose you already know where we could find some, do you? ” The last is obviously addressed to her Xatu, who makes a noncommittal noise.

----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "Thank you. When you say that the person I'm looking for likely isn't in any shape to be rescued, how do you mean? I understand that the Spectral dimension is very dangerous. Is there some effect on humans that spend too long there?"  Less asked. Best to understand the fundamentals first. 
 

“ I mean they’re likely to be dead, ” Professor Maxwell replies. His voice is professional but unwavering as he continues in a lecturing tone. “ Humans may be resistant to the effects of the Spectral Dimension but we are not immune. Extreme emotional states - including panic because the individual in question found themselves trapped in another dimension - will overwhelm and control anyone stranded there. If they have Pokémon with them that aren’t of the Spectral type and try to  use  them, eventually those Pokemon will become Shadowed and dangerous. If they don’t, many of the native Pokémon are hostile as well, and have no compunctions against attacking humans. There have even been some anecdotal reports of one of the Lord Pokémon sending forces through the convergences to kidnap people…but I digress. It is  highly  unlikely that whoever you are setting out to find is still alive to be found. ”

----------------

Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Whew! Good thing this'll be a familiar route! Or, as familiar as a route in Helnith can be so far..."  Pinklady rambled aloud to Whirlywhirly.  "Let's go!"  Pinklady directs Whirlywhirly to the way out and to the road, glad to be heading out once again. 
 

Whirlywhirly manages about walking speed with the wagon, but since you have to follow the flow of traffic and stick to the streets it feels slower. You manage to get out of Skybreak by 12:30 however, and begin the long trudge towards the Shrine.

The trip is mostly uneventful, but about 5:30 you meet a small group of trainers - two boys and a girl, all around mid-teens - coming from the direction of the Shrine who spot you and flag you down.

“Hey, are you a Pokémon trainer?” The boy in the lead asks - he’s dressed mostly in red and black, with hair to match, and despite that doesn’t seem at all bothered by the heat. There’s also a rather massive scar down one side of his face. “You look like you’re headed to the Shrine of Light! You know,” he adds, in a quasi-conspiratorial, heavily hinting tone of voice, “it’s very dangerous up that way. You should get some battling in before you get closer - get your Pokémon more experience.”

----------------

Akio (Meetup over the phone):

No one really has anything to add to that and eventually the conversation winds to a close and you’re able to focus back on David and his Trapinch hunt.

(After getting David back to town with his new Pokémon):

David heals his Pokémon at the Center, thanks you for your help, and asks to exchange numbers with you before he bounces off to a corner of the lobby to have a rambling, excited conversation via Pokédex phone with a friend or relative, you can’t tell which from David’s half of the conversation. From what you can overhear, apparently at some point in the last five minutes your cosplay armor has transformed into something out of legend: made of titanium, and battle scars all over it from imagined fights.

Aside from that it seems you’ve got some time to decide your next move, but the Spectral Dimension is a looming specter on the metaphorical horizon. Also, it’s still baking hot outside.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



Whirlywhirly manages about walking speed with the wagon, but since you have to follow the flow of traffic and stick to the streets it feels slower. You manage to get out of Skybreak by 12:30 however, and begin the long trudge towards the Shrine.

The trip is mostly uneventful, but about 5:30 you meet a small group of trainers - two boys and a girl, all around mid-teens - coming from the direction of the Shrine who spot you and flag you down.

“Hey, are you a Pokémon trainer?” The boy in the lead asks - he’s dressed mostly in red and black, with hair to match, and despite that doesn’t seem at all bothered by the heat. There’s also a rather massive scar down one side of his face. “You look like you’re headed to the Shrine of Light! You know,” he adds, in a quasi-conspiratorial, heavily hinting tone of voice, “it’s very dangerous up that way. You should get some battling in before you get closer - get your Pokémon more experience.” 
 

 "Yeah, I'm a trainer! I can always use some more battle practice, you're on!"  Pinklady accepts without hesitation - though, after accepting, it occurs to her how vital it is to keep her guard up, adds,  "Not a full-party battle, though! Like you said, pretty dangerous around here, plus one of mine..."  she pats Whirlywhirly.  "...is currently indisposed!" 
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I forgot there was a Pokémon Center here too, ” Mina remarks, fishing a Pokéball off her belt. She calls out Pidgey. “ Pidgey, we’re looking for Berries on our way to Hillsbreak, so keep an eye out will you? And I don’t suppose you already know where we could find some, do you? ” The last is obviously addressed to her Xatu, who makes a noncommittal noise. 
 

Mark didn't change his team at Rieva, but he does stop by the nurse (if she's awake by now) in order to see if there's a message for him while Mina goes to grab some water.

Once they'd reached Dewdrop forest, Mark checked his region map app and mumbled,  "I'm going to have to visit this place with Tattersail too... So we just go north along the road and should get there soon."  There weren't any pokemon he felt like he should have out right now, so he settles his pack on his shoulder he said,  "Alright, here we go!" 
Lord Ruby34
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ I mean they’re likely to be dead, ” Professor Maxwell replies. His voice is professional but unwavering as he continues in a lecturing tone. “ Humans may be resistant to the effects of the Spectral Dimension but we are not immune. Extreme emotional states - including panic because the individual in question found themselves trapped in another dimension - will overwhelm and control anyone stranded there. If they have Pokémon with them that aren’t of the Spectral type and try to  use  them, eventually those Pokemon will become Shadowed and dangerous. If they don’t, many of the native Pokémon are hostile as well, and have no compunctions against attacking humans. There have even been some anecdotal reports of one of the Lord Pokémon sending forces through the convergences to kidnap people…but I digress. It is  highly  unlikely that whoever you are setting out to find is still alive to be found. ” 
 

Less kept his voice as calm as he could against the rising panic. His daughter was not dead. He refused to believe that. He couldn't believe that and keep functioning.  "What do you mean by controlled?"  Less managed to ask through the surge of emotion that was effecting his mind.
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:


 
 Originally Posted by essCee 
  "Yeah, I'm a trainer! I can always use some more battle practice, you're on!"  Pinklady accepts without hesitation - though, after accepting, it occurs to her how vital it is to keep her guard up, adds,  "Not a full-party battle, though! Like you said, pretty dangerous around here, plus one of mine..."  she pats Whirlywhirly.  "...is currently indisposed!"  
 

“That’s fair, that’s fair, hang on a sec…” There’s some quick discussion between the three, in which you can hear occasional snippets - “…want to battle too!” “…test out new…” “…Trainer Hill…” - before the trainer in red and black finally turns back to you.

“Right, so, here’s our proposal: a one-on-one fight, with each of us” he points to himself then both of his friends “so three total, and then you’ll still be able to make it to the Shatterhigh Pokémon Center afterwards, even if you lose all three. It’s just a few miles back the way we came.” He gestures in the direction of he mountains. “That fair?”

----------------

Mina:

“ Pidgey, we’re looking for Berries on our way to Hillsbreak, so keep an eye out will you? And I don’t suppose you already know where we could find some, do you? ”

&lt; We don’t  farm , you realize. &gt; Mina got a mental image of a Natu with a watering can, visiting the same spot every day, until an unseen predator pounced on it. &lt; And if we did you’d be asking me to take food out of my family’s beaks. &gt;

Mina hadn’t really thought about that, and immediately felt bad for the oversight.   I’m sorry. Do we need to not pick any Berries at all?   Though it occurred to her that same problem applied to everywhere else in Helnith, just for different Pokémon…

&lt; Don’t worry about it. If it’s obvious enough to find and no one’s eaten them already something else is bound to get to them if we don’t. There are a couple places where they like to grow, but I don’t know if there are any there right  now.&gt;

----------------

Mark and Mina:

“ North to the intersection and then west, ” Mina agreed, double-checking the map.

They hadn’t gotten very far in when Mina got a mental burst of static from Xatu. She winced just as Pidgey came fluttering back, cooing anxiously. “ What’s wrong? ”

Pidgey dropped a twig, which fluttered erratically to the ground. Mina was not a botanist but thought it looked odd: on closer inspection it was mottled with blue, and the attached leaves were erratically shaped - wavey on one side and spiky on the other, like someone had put them into Photoshop and messed around with the smudge tool, then pulled the result out into the real world.

&lt; It’s a Nomernall, or maybe a Miznomer. It has to be nearby. There’s a lot of distortion in this area. &gt;

“ Mark, there’s something near here. ” Mina pulled out her Pokédex to scan the twig, just in case that was helpful. The readings came back inconclusive, except to confirm that it was definitely the result of a Pokémon. “ Do we check it out? ”

----------------

Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "What do you mean by controlled?"  
 

“ Think of it as being Shadowed, or going into a Shadow Rage, but without the obvious physical signs - no outward color changes or Pokédex warnings. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Mark, there’s something near here. ” Mina pulled out her Pokédex to scan the twig, just in case that was helpful. The readings came back inconclusive, except to confirm that it was definitely the result of a Pokémon. “ Do we check it out? ” 
 

Mark tilted his head a bit as he looked at the stick, rubbed at his chin...  "Yeah, guess we can take a moment to look at that."  Weird reality-altering spectral pokemon? Could be useful in the spectral dimension!
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Between the warped vegetation and (for Pidgey and the humans) the unfamiliarity with the area, no one sees it at first. Then there’s a gut-wrenching twist and it  feels  like everything goes upside-down and inside-out, except that nothing actually moves.  Then  what looked like blue vines turn out to be limbs made of tendrils, and the face of the thing becomes clear - reminiscent of a broken clock, with markings like hieroglyphics on it.

Mina tries to scan it with the Pokédex, but very little information comes back.

((Psychic Terrain in effect. Sunny Day in effect.
Trick Room in effect, 4 rounds remaining.))

Miznomer: ???/???
Lord Ruby34
 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Map Reminder!
 


Now that, Less was worried about. Emilia had been in the Spectral dimension for approximately, what, a month now? If there were mental effects, they may well have set in. Nothing to do but ask.  "How long does that take to set in, and can it be reverted? . . . And if it was to start effecting me, would I have any warning signs?" 
Gnomes2169
Mark got his own pokedex out to try and get  something  from this freaky little reality warper, but at the same time he sent out Fisher and called, " Fisher, let's start this fight with a Sing! " If they couldn't get a read on its hit points, status effect moves would at least make it easier to catch  in theory. 
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:



“That’s fair, that’s fair, hang on a sec…” There’s some quick discussion between the three, in which you can hear occasional snippets - “…want to battle too!” “…test out new…” “…Trainer Hill…” - before the trainer in red and black finally turns back to you.

“Right, so, here’s our proposal: a one-on-one fight, with each of us” he points to himself then both of his friends “so three total, and then you’ll still be able to make it to the Shatterhigh Pokémon Center afterwards, even if you lose all three. It’s just a few miles back the way we came.” He gestures in the direction of he mountains. “That fair?” 
 

 "Yeah, you're all on!"  Pinklady accepts and immediately reaches for Sport's Pokéball.  Wait, Shatterhigh? I hope I didn't somehow end up going the wrong way...  Pinklady internally muses, having not heard them be referred to by name and not having noticed their name on the map earlier.
Kareeah_Indaga
Less:


 
 Originally Posted by Lord Ruby34 
  "How long does that take to set in, and can it be reverted? . . . And if it was to start effecting me, would I have any warning signs?"  
 

“ How long does it take to lose your temper?

As for being reverted, we haven’t had enough humans be affected and then returned to Helnith to be certain. The last incident we have meaningful records of was a paleontological expedition around the time of the last greater dimensional convergence, and the affected individuals in that case didn’t make it back. There have been rumors during the war, of course, but those are anecdotal and generally incomplete.

And as far as warning signs, most who have traveled to the Spectral Dimension reported erratic emotional swings reaching unusual highs. Some of the women noted that it felt like a bad bout of PMS - things that bother you bother you more than usual. In theory, this would continue to escalate until you lost control. But if you encountered the corpse of your loved one - or something equally upsetting? Then there wouldn’t need to be much escalation.

Conventional wisdom from the Skybreak Gym is to maintain internal serenity and emotional stability to avoid the effects, I believe they have a meditation garden to that effect. ”

----------------

Mark and Mina:

((Left a note in the OoC.))

----------------

Pinklady:

“Awright!” The boy in red pumps his fist victoriously. “Who goes first?”

“Me first!” The girl of the trio - dressed mostly in tans and grays, with dangling agate earrings - volunteers.

“Let our new friend with the wagon pick,” suggests the other boy. (He’s dressed similarly to the girl, but leaning more into the grays, and wearing one of those magnetized hematite bracelets.) “It’s her time we’re wasting.”
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

“Awright!” The boy in red pumps his fist victoriously. “Who goes first?”

“Me first!” The girl of the trio - dressed mostly in tans and grays, with dangling agate earrings - volunteers.

“Let our new friend with the wagon pick,” suggests the other boy. (He’s dressed similarly to the girl, but leaning more into the grays, and wearing one of those magnetized hematite bracelets.) “It’s her time we’re wasting.” 
 

 "Hardly a waste of time! My choice or not, I couldn't deny the most eager first pick!"  Pinklady smiles and points to the girl, striking a bit of a pose.  "You're on!"  She announces as she throws Sport's Pokéball in the air, catches it, and then sends him out.
Lord Ruby34
 "Only an instant."  Less answered, voice grim. If Emilia had been in there a month . . . well, best to get her to safety first and then figure out how to help. Bringing her to the gym might be part of that.  "I appreciate you answering my questions. I just have a few more. If I need to get in or out of the spectral dimension, is there a better way to do that then just stumbling on a portal?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Mark got the same readout Mina did: the species name was Miznomer, it evolved from Nomernall (no mention of how), and a short little blurb:

“ It was discovered in the Spectral Dimension. It lives in the ruins of ancient cities, twisting its surroundings to suit itself. ”

Any requests for further information just bring back:

“  UNKNOWN POKEMON DATA.

PLEASE CONSULT THE WIRELESS POKEMON NETWORK FOR MORE INFORMATION.  ”

It didn’t even actually have the type listed, though as it wasn’t Shadowed Mina was inclined to agree with Mark that it was a Spectral type, unless it had been here for a while.

&lt; It  has  been here for a while, this level of distortion doesn’t happen over night. But they never come through the rifts Shadowed. One of my great uncles helped fight the last one with the Dendrologs, it didn’t go well. &gt; This was accompanied by flashes of what looked like tree stumps with legs and leafy cloaks, then lots of Shadowed Pokémon running amok. &lt; Normally it’s just the Nomernall that come through. &gt; The vision that accompanied this was a Pokémon with a face like the Miznomer’s, but with less of the broken clock-mask, and just a spray of tentacles instead of anything resembling a body.

Mina then reminded herself that there was a battle going on and she wasn’t participating yet.

&lt; Let me! &gt;

  No.  

&lt; I never get to fight! &gt; Visions of the great-uncle accompanied this, and Mina got the distinct impression her Xatu wanted bragging rights.

  You’re weak to Spectral moves and I am    not  having a Shadowed telepath digging through my head if I can help it!  No! 

“ Pidgey, Xatu,  stay back,  ” Mina ordered. (Her starter, who had also been circling eagerly, swooped back with a disappointed coo.) She reflected with some irritation that two thirds of her team right now was weak to Spectral moves, Gyarados only had one attack that could hit it and Riolu was just a baby (and not her baby to risk, on top of that). “ Oodramer, you’re up! Try Bubblebeam! ” At least he couldn’t be Shadowed.

Miznomer uses Antagonize!
Fisher is antagonized!

Oodramer uses Bubblebeam!

The attack didn’t seem to do much, but then, it  was  very sunny and Oodramer wasn’t a Water type.

Miznomer’s Speed falls!

Mina facepalmed;  of course  the Speed drop activated when it  wasn’t  helpful!

Not that it seemed like it would make a difference.  Oodramer  was apparently faster than that thing!

Fisher uses Sing!
Attack missed!

Fisher is antagonized!
Fisher’s Shadow Gauge rises 6%!

Fisher’s Shadow Gauge falls 2%!

((Psychic Terrain in effect.
Sunny Day in effect.
Trick Room in effect, 3 rounds remaining.))

Fisher: 139/139 (Shadowed: 4%, Antagonized 1 round)

Oodramer: 91/91

Miznomer: ??/??? (Speed down 1 level)

----------------

Pinklady:

The girl with the agate earrings cheers while the boy in red grumbles a bit and the one with the hematite bracelet steps back to watch.

Your opponent sends out Larvitar!

(Sunny Day in effect.)

Sport: 63/63

Larvitar: 67/67

----------------

Less:

“ Not that we’ve discovered. Supposedly, it’s possible - a number of the old histories mention dimensional travel between the Spectral Dimension and here - but in practice: no. We do post the forecast for the next week’s worth of rifts in the newspaper, so people in the area know to stay inside. If you’re going to insist on this venture, that will let you know where the next two or three will be opening. ”
essCee
 "Alright, Sport! Start off with a Fake Out!"  Pinklady commands, brimming with excitement about having Sport try out his newly taught move next.
Gnomes2169
Okay, so the pokedex wasn't going to be useful at all- OKAY SO IT WAS SHADOWING HIS POKEMON?! Nope. None of that. Mark immediately sent out Marick as well and called out, " Fisher, ice shard. Marick, metal claw! " Sure, a steel-type move would be super effective, but this seemed like a tough pokemon... and also he was kinda fine with nuking it before it could damage his team's fighting capabilities. " Mina, if you want to try catching this one, then we'd better be quick with it. "
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

Sport uses Fake Out!
It’s not very effective…
Larvitar is hit for 7 damage!
Larvitar flinches!

Larvitar flinched!

Sport uses Drain Punch!
It’s super effective!
Larvitar is hit for 51 damage!

Larvitar uses Thrash!
Sport is hit for 27 damage!

(Sunny Day in effect.)

Sport: 36/63

 Larvitar: 9/67  (recalled)

“I yield!” says the girl with the agate earrings. “Who’s next?” Without waiting for a reply she recalls her Pokémon and sits down out of the way.

----------------

Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 " Mina, if you want to try catching this one, then we'd better be quick with it. " 
 

“ I thought  you  wanted it! ” Mina replied. She already had  two  Spectral types, which put her ahead of the rest of the party. “ Oodramer, Bubblebeam again! ”

&lt; Let me hit it! &gt;

 No!  Stay back!  

Fisher uses Ice Shard!
But it fails!

The very air seemed to solidify around Fisher, preventing him from moving until he finally gave up. The Pokédexes spat out more information: apparently this was a side effect of Psychic Terrain.

Miznomer uses Confusion!
Fisher is hit for 25 damage!

Oodramer uses Bubblebeam!
Miznomer is hit for 16 damage!

Marick uses Metal Claw!
It’s super effective!
Miznomer is hit for 51 damage!

Fisher is antagonized!
Fisher’s Shadow Gauge rises 12%!

Fisher’s Shadow Gauge falls 2%!

“ Are we catching this thing or not? ” The Miznomer now looked significantly battered.


((Psychic Terrain in effect.
Sunny Day in effect.
Trick Room in effect, 2 rounds remaining.))

Fisher: 114/139 (Shadowed: 14%, Antagonized 2 rounds)
Marick: 100/100

Oodramer: 91/91

Miznomer: ??/??? (Speed down 1 level)
essCee
Pinklady gives Sport an excited thumbs up and a  "Great job!"  before recalling him, and then sends out Tress, already ready to face whoever's next.
Gnomes2169
To be honest, he'd forgotten that he'd wanted to come over here due to just being angry with the shadowing. When Mina reminded him, he blinked twice and said, " Right. Fisher, return! " Hopefully that shadowing move wouldn't prevent the recall. " Marick, just wait a second bud. " With that, Mark pulled out one of his great balls and threw it at this new spectral type.
Lord Ruby34
 "It's my daughter."  Less whispered.  "I have to try."  After a moment's pause, Less continued.  "Do Pokedex signals work within the dimension itself? Once I was there, could I call her?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Pinklady:

The girl with the agate earrings and the boy in red bicker good-naturedly about her loss (you gather from their conversation the Larvitar was a new catch from the mountains) while their friend steps up to battle. The boy with the hemitite bracelet sends out Mawile!

Tress: 52/52

Mawile: 67/67

----------------

Mark and Mina:

Mark recalls Fisher!

Fortunately the Shadowing effect seems to halt once Fisher is in the safety of the Pokéball.

Mark uses a Great Ball! ((2 remaining.))

The Great Ball engulfs the tentacle monster. It shakes once…twice…thrice… DING!  Miznomer was caught!

The Pokédex whirs for what seems like much longer than usual before it finally spits out a stat block.

 
 Spoiler: Miznomer 

Pokémon: Miznomer
Type: Spectral/Psychic
Ability: Magic Bounce
Gender: Male
Level: 28
Held Item: Ancient Glyph*
Stats—
HP:108
Attack: 22
Defense: 50
Special Attack: 55
Special Defense: 58
Speed: 38
Moves:
Growl
Antagonize*
Confuse Ray
Trick Room
Psychic Terrain
Confusion

 
 Spoiler: Ancient Glyph 
Held Item. Spectral type booster.
 

 
 Spoiler: Antagonize 

Type: Spectral (Status)
Power: —
Accuracy: 85%
PP: 10 (max 16)

Raises target’s Shadow Gauge by 6%, +6% per round until the Pokémon is switched out (so 6% first round, 12% second round, 18% third round). Rate is doubled in the Spectral Dimension (so 12%, 24%, 36%…).
 

 


The surrounding area seemed to dim slightly with the removal of the Spectral type, the unnatural colors bleeding slowly away, though the bizarre leaf shapes remained.


((Psychic Terrain in effect.
Sunny Day in effect.
Trick Room in effect, 1 round remaining.))

Fisher: 114/139 (Shadowed: 14%, recalled)
Marick: 100/100

Oodramer: 91/91

 Miznomer: ??/??? (Speed down 1 level) 

----------------

Less:

“ If she’s in range of the Pokédex itself, bearing in mind there are no satellites in the Spectral Dimension, I don’t see why not. ”

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
So in other words ‘yes, if she’s within a few miles and nothing is blocking the signal.’
 
Gnomes2169
Huh, seemed like it was a pokemon that would be pretty high in hit points, though he'd have to ask people in the Spectral type gym if it evolved again since its other stats seemed kinda low. Didn't seem likely that there would be much information on it in the pokedex, given how hard it had been for the device to even register the baby Cthulhu (Giratina in this universe?) clock even existed, but he still checked for it anyway, and looked up what Magic Bounce did...

" Oh. Good thing Fisher's Sing missed. " He mumbled, before looking at that moves list as well. What does Psychic terrain actually  do- ? Oh. " OH! That's going to be  super  useful if we get into more gang-up fights with Bandra. " If they had any super buffed pokemon on their side, that move would prevent them from being hit with chip-damage from priority moves. The fact that it was holding a spectral-boosting item without having any spectral-type damage moves was a bit weird, but could be potentially useful... probably on his Cosmas, who he  knew  already had one of those moves and would pick up a few stronger ones soon enough.

Once he'd finished going over everything, he handed his pokedex to Mina so she could check it out too and said, " I'd say that this was worth the diversion! " Even if Fisher had gotten a bit shadowed... at least it should clear up pretty quickly. And his loch ness monster couldn't run off like Sengar had, so he  should  be able to just get that done without needing to use the flute... Oh. That was something.

Pulling out his phone while giving Mina the chance to look over things on his pokedex, Mark sent Pinklady a message. "  Wow, hot enough to make me wish for those stormy days again... but hey! If the Shrine people can't spare any medicines, you should check if they've dug up any time flutes, sacred talismans or dusk stones instead.  " Getting some of those would save the group more money in the long run anyway.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady:

The girl with the agate earrings and the boy in red bicker good-naturedly about her loss (you gather from their conversation the Larvitar was a new catch from the mountains) while their friend steps up to battle. The boy with the hemitite bracelet sends out Mawile!

Tress: 52/52

Mawile: 67/67 
 

 "This is a tough one... Tress, try a Faint Attack!" 

Looks like this one wouldn't go down so easily, given its type...
Lord Ruby34
 Was there a way to boost that signal , Less wondered. He was far from an expert in telecommunications, but there was probably a way, short of the satellite.  "We talked about the dangers of the dimension itself, but is there anything else I should be wary of? You mentioned lord Pokemon. Is there anywhere they're known to be, anywhere I can avoid?" 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 " OH! That's going to be  super  useful if we get into more gang-up fights with Bandra. " 
 

“ We’re going to have to be careful not to mess ourselves up with it though, ” Mina pointed out. No Ice Shard for Fisher,  no Quick Attack for Pidgey…at least for the enemies on the ground. Which was a lot of them.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 " I'd say that this was worth the diversion! " 
 

Mina just nodded with a smile.   I hope that helps out your family too.  

&lt; It should, at least until the next rift opens. &gt;

  When is that?   Mina asked, abruptly concerned.

&lt; Nooo idea. Keeping track of that stuff is a human thing. &gt;

----------------

Pinklady (while in Skybreak loading the wagon):

While you’re loading boxes your Pokédex informs you that you have a text.

  Mark sent you a message!  
  Wow, hot enough to make me wish for those stormy days again... but hey! If the Shrine people can't spare any medicines, you should check if they've dug up any time flutes, sacred talismans or dusk stones instead.  

(Battle: )

Mawile’s Intimidate cuts Tress’ Attack!

Mawile uses Iron Defense!
Mawile’s Defense rises sharply!

Tress uses Faint Attack!
It’s not very effective…
Mawile is hit for 1 damage!

Tress’ attack only manages to leave a scuff mark. The Mawile looks annoyed and immediately tries to buff it out.

Tress: 52/52

Mawile: 66/67 (Defense up 2 levels)

----------------

Less:

“ The Lord Pokémon? They rule from seven city-states in the Spectral Dimension, but they  are  Pokémon and there isn’t anything stopping them from moving around. We’ve also had anecdotal reports that they have  some  form of long-distance communication allowing their subordinates to call for help…If you want to avoid them entirely your safest course of action would be not to go, but I think you know that. Supposedly the Lord in the southwest is benevolent, or at least not immediately hostile to human visitors.

And of course, keep in mind that there are no Pokémon Centers to fall back on. If you or your Pokémon are injured, you will have to manage it without outside help. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ We’re going to have to be careful not to mess ourselves up with it though, ” Mina pointed out. No Ice Shard for Fisher,  no Quick Attack for Pidgey…at least for the enemies on the ground. Which was a lot of them. 
 

" It's something we'll have to keep in mind, but trick room could help with that, too. " And around half of Mark's team seemed to be on the slower end of things, anyway, so that move would help him out a bunch. " Don't need to worry about priority if you're hitting first because you're slower. " ... It was going to take time to get used to tactics like that.

Putting his phone away, Mark held out his hand towards the road and asked, " But anyway, m'lady, I believe our diversion is at an end. Shall we continue our pleasant forested jaunt, that we may reach or destination before one or both of us wilt away from this day's oppressive heat? " He'd captured a pokemon that was super useful, and his mood was on an upswing at the moment. Unfortunately, this means he'll be a supreme dork.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady (while in Skybreak loading the wagon):

While you’re loading boxes your Pokédex informs you that you have a text.

  Mark sent you a message!  
  Wow, hot enough to make me wish for those stormy days again... but hey! If the Shrine people can't spare any medicines, you should check if they've dug up any time flutes, sacred talismans or dusk stones instead.   
 

Pinklady nods upon seeing the text - even though Mark is not, in fact, physically there to see such a nod - and then sends a text back of just "Ok!"


 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 (Battle: )

Mawile’s Intimidate cuts Tress’ Attack!

Mawile uses Iron Defense!
Mawile’s Defense rises sharply!

Tress uses Faint Attack!
It’s not very effective…
Mawile is hit for 1 damage!

Tress’ attack only manages to leave a scuff mark. The Mawile looks annoyed and immediately tries to buff it out.

Tress: 52/52

Mawile: 66/67 (Defense up 2 levels) 
 

 Oh, that's not good...   "Alright, Tress, use Sing!" 
 
 Spoiler: OoC 

Would it be ok to essentially give a "program" of what commands Pinklady would give to try to win despite the unlikelihood of it, given how excruciatingly long it would take? If so, the idea would be: Use Sing whenever it's awake, then use Haze to remove the Iron Defenses, then Bashes when asleep and bereft of its Iron Defense boosts.
 
Feathersnow
 Akio decided to stay in the shade for a siesta.  He really is a noble, at heart. 
Lord Ruby34
So they'd need to come stocked with a pile of medical supplies. That would have been a good idea anyway . . . and passing around the leftovers would be a bad idea considering that exposure to the air would shadow their pokemon. But maybe starting in the south would be a good idea. Could Emilia have gone to friendly territory?

That said, Less was running out of ideas on what to ask. "What else should I know, if I am going to go to the Spectral realm?"
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Mark got Pinklady’s ‘Ok!’ text back almost immediately.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 " Don't need to worry about priority if you're hitting first because you're slower. " 
 

…Mina felt like she should argue with that, but couldn’t manage to put it into words, so she just kept silent.


 
 Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 
 " But anyway, m'lady, I believe our diversion is at an end. Shall we continue our pleasant forested jaunt, that we may reach or destination before one or both of us wilt away from this day's oppressive heat? " 
 

Mina tried not to be amused. It wasn’t working. “ Yes, let’s. ”

About twenty minutes later a bend in the road revealed a nice Berry patch:

 
 Spoiler: Berries 
1 Charti
3 Belue
1 Salac
2 Niptir
 

  Is that a - ? It is!   Mina poured on some speed and made a beeline for the Salac Berry plant, then called out Houndoom and gave him orders to sniff around the patch and check for signs of other people - surely this belonged to someone???

About the same time, Xatu reappeared in a nearby tree and squawked to get the humans’ attention.

&lt; There’s another patch nearby, but it’s in the Dendrologs’ territory. They aren’t very fond of humans. And it’s off the trail and you can’t fly. &gt;

“ Which direction? ” Then, for Mark’s benefit, she added, “ Xatu says there’s another Berry patch nearby. ”

----------------

Pinklady (Battle):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yes you can do that, just keep in mind you have to live with the consequences same as if you were doing a blow-by-blow, and I will pause it if something makes it go off the rails. For example:
 


Your opponent doesn’t bother with another Iron Defense.

Mawile uses Play Rough!
It’s super effective!
Tress is hit for 150 damage!
Tress faints!

The little Dark type goes flying and tumbles to a stop, obviously unconscious. Your opponent looks briefly horrified - plainly not having expected the attack to hit so hard - until his Pokédex assures him no permanent harm has been done this time.

“You, um.” He stares in Tress’ direction in mild horror while he fumbles in his pack. “You might want to give your Cosmas a little more training…work on her stats ((Seriously, EVs are your friends. And if you tried to allocate them and I forgot to put them in, get on my case about it. You don’t get any benefits from them if you don’t use them!))…but in the mean time, here.” ((+3 Roseli Berries.))


(Sunny Day in effect.)

 Tress: 0/52 

Mawile: 66/67 (Defense up 2 levels)

The boy in red and black is fidgeting, and when his friend clears the field he jumps up immediately to take his place.

Your opponent sends out Ryskimara!

 
 Spoiler: Ryskimara 
  
 Rarely seen by people, it defends itself by surrounding its body with fog and steam. Pieces of its fins were highly prized for use in ancient jewelry. 
 


(Sunny Day in effect.)

Ryskimara: 77/77

----------------

Akio:

It’s mostly quiet - Rieva is tiny even without the heat encouraging everyone to stay out of it. After a while you hear the sounds of folding chairs being set up - it’s the old couple who run the Herb Shop: they’ve put a ‘Closed’ sign on the front door of their shop and are currently lounging out in front with cold drinks (iced tea?). You can also hear the Combee in the background around their hives, buzzing about lazily.

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
How long do you want to lounge around? Anything in particular you’re waiting for or want to do?
 


----------------

Less:

“ You mean other than it’s dangerous for humans and Pokémon, poorly studied, difficult to travel to or from, and you’re probably risking your life to no purpose? I suppose if you’re going to insist on going, you may as well keep an eye out for signs of Professor Hickory.  Any research materials, notes, equipment…and it’s been long enough I doubt you’d find a body at this point, but of course any sign of his remains. ”
Gnomes2169
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 “ Which direction? ” Then, for Mark’s benefit, she added, “ Xatu says there’s another Berry patch nearby. ” 
 

" Then we should go for it. " Mark said, looking over the sheer variety of berries here. What if they found more of the poffin berries they were looking for...? It was worth the delay to check.
Kareeah_Indaga
Akio:

The heat continues through the day until evening. There’s a spike of activity around lunch time - people going to eat at the inn - but otherwise it’s quiet and calm.

----------------

Mark and Mina:

“ All right, we’ll head there next. But first, ” Houndoom had indicated no signs of other humans (which, given how untended the plants were, surprised her more than it should have) so Mina picked the lot. She handed Mark a Belue, put one away for herself, and set the third by one of the now-empty plots. ((+1 Belue Berry Mark, 1 total. +1 Belue Berry Mina, 1 total.)) “ Do you want the rest of these? I’ve got at least one of each of them. ” And Mark had his own Planters now. “ And we’ve got four more empty plots to work with, too. ”
Gnomes2169
" Sure, I'll take the ones you don't need! " Mark's journey into a  plant dad  was really getting under way at this point. " And I guess we can plant the health berries that we skipped in the last patches? If you wanted more Oran and Sitrus, that is. Though maybe we should wait until we've gotten the other berries that Natu spotted, so that wild pokemon don't eat them first. "
Lord Ruby34
 "Thank you."  Less replied, his voice sincere.  "I know you believe what I intend to do is foolish . . . and from a practical standpoint, I find it hard to disagree. But this information has given me at least some chance of success. If I make it back, is there a way I can properly show my gratitude?"  Less asked.
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

((All for Mark: +1 Belue , 2 total. +1 Charti, 2 total. +1 Salac, +2 Niptir.))

Mina recalls Houndoom. “ Sounds good. Let’s go then. And Xatu? Make sure you can get us back to this spot later. ”

Xatu leads the way (grumbling mentally to Mina that Mark couldn’t get his species right despite being right in front of him - Mina retorted that the bird in question needed to stay on task).  Off the path the undergrowth grows increasingly thick, grasping at limbs and clothing, while the canopy closes off the light from the sun - unfortunately doing little for the blistering heat. Every now and then glowing eyes peer out of the growth - mostly in shades of orange, a few in red - but vanish deeper into the leaves before either Pokédex can get a good scan.

Xatu informs Mina it’s close by and the two humans can see more (mostly red) glows in a particular area in the distance when the brush and tree branches undiscreetly weave together to form a barrier between the area in question and the humans. At least a half-dozen pairs of glowing orange eyes fade in and out of sight much closer, watching.

&lt; Now what? You go any farther and they’re going to attack, &gt; a sentiment Mina conveys to Mark.

----------------

Less:

Professor Maxwell is abruptly all business. “If  you make it back I want a full report of everything you encounter, access to any specimens you retrieve - including Pokémon - and exclusive publishing rights for same. ”
Gnomes2169
Squinting back at the eyes, Mark pulled out Marick and Jessia's pokeballs and hmmmm'd. " ... Could be useful training to fight the pack? " He suggested. Plus, if these were grass types... nodding, he sent his pokemon out. Let's see if Mark can get  two new pokemon  today!!!
Lord Ruby34
It was quite the request, but not unearned. Without the information that Professor Maxwell had provided, Less was sure that he wouldn't have even known where to start. There was still a lot of prep to do, but that was perfectly possible. Besides, Less had no intentions of publishing any of what he found. He was a teacher, but he wasn't a researcher like the good professor.  "I can do that. Truly, thank you for your aid. I suppose I had better start preparing." 
Kareeah_Indaga
Mark and Mina:

Mina looks like she’s going to say something but just ends up calling in her Pidgey and calling out her Houndoom.

The wild Pokémon emerge from the gloom: they only come up to about waist height on the humans, with bodies resembling cloaks of roots and leaves. Their heads are flat on top with rings like tree stumps, they have mossy growths like hair sticking out of the sides, and of course glowing orange eyes. There are also some differences in the facial growth - from the Pokédex scans, it seems to be gender-related.

(Sunny Day in effect.)

Marick: 100/100
Jessia: 115/115

Pidgey: 76/76
Houndoom: 100/100

Dendrolog 1: 51/51
Dendrolog 2: 54/54
Dendrolog 3: 56/56
Dendrolog 4: 62/62
Dendrolog 5: 59/59
Dendrolog 6: 64/64
Dendrolog 7: 70/70
Dendrolog 8: 59/59

----------------

Less:

“ Of course. Good day to you. ”

He hangs up without further ado.
essCee
 
 Originally Posted by Kareeah_Indaga 
 Pinklady (Battle):

 
 Spoiler: OoC 
Yes you can do that, just keep in mind you have to live with the consequences same as if you were doing a blow-by-blow, and I will pause it if something makes it go off the rails. For example:
 


Your opponent doesn’t bother with another Iron Defense.

Mawile uses Play Rough!
It’s super effective!
Tress is hit for 150 damage!
Tress faints!

The little Dark type goes flying and tumbles to a stop, obviously unconscious. Your opponent looks briefly horrified - plainly not having expected the attack to hit so hard - until his Pokédex assures him no permanent harm has been done this time.

“You, um.” He stares in Tress’ direction in mild horror while he fumbles in his pack. “You might want to give your Cosmas a little more training…work on her stats ((Seriously, EVs are your friends. And if you tried to allocate them and I forgot to put them in, get on my case about it. You don’t get any benefits from them if you don’t use them!))…but in the mean time, here.” ((+3 Roseli Berries.))


(Sunny Day in effect.)

 Tress: 0/52 

Mawile: 66/67 (Defense up 2 levels)

The boy in red and black is fidgeting, and when his friend clears the field he jumps up immediately to take his place.

Your opponent sends out Ryskimara!

 
 Spoiler: Ryskimara 
  
 Rarely seen by people, it defends itself by surrounding its body with fog and steam. Pieces of its fins were highly prized for use in ancient jewelry. 
 


(Sunny Day in effect.)

Ryskimara: 77/77 
 

Pinklady immediately heads to Tress as she's knocked out and kneels over her.  "Sorry, Tress..."  She looks up at her opponent and gratefully accepts the berries.  "Thank you... I hadn't exactly battled her like usual before catching her, so I didn't really know how strong she was."  Pinklady looks again at Tress, apologises again, and then recalls her.

Not too shaken to not continue the battle, Pinklady then gets back up and sends out her choice of Pokémon for her last opponent -  "Go, Croaky! Change things up with a Rain Dance!" 
Gnomes2169
Okay, they were  definitely  grass types. " Alright, Marick use Rockslide on all but the strongest two, " (All but 6 and 7) " and Jessia use Bite on that one. " (7) Scanning the strongest one to see what he could learn about it, Mark asked Mina, " I'm going to try catching one of these, too. Do you want one? "
Lord Ruby34
Well, the professor  had  said that he hadn't much time to answer questions. Still, that had been a rather brusque encounter, all things told. But it had given Less an immediate place to start. The location of the rifts was published in the newspaper. Aside from the fact that Less would need to enter a rift himself in the near future, past newspapers might give him a clue about where Emilia entered the spectral dimension.

So, Less needed to get himself a copy of today's newspaper, and probably about a month of newspapers before that. Luckily, Less was already in a library. Without further ado, Less began looking for archived copies of the last month and a half of newspapers, which he started by approaching the information desk and asking where that archive was.
Feathersnow
Akio decides, after lounging around enough, thst he could probably do this at the library while learning anything helpful that they knew of this "spectral realm" he apparently had to rescue a not-quite princess from.
Kareeah_Indaga
 Time for a new thread! 