[Spruce]

	While I really wanted some food from those crates, it didn't seem like everyone else was up for that plan. Celes was on my side, and Kamina was indifferent, however, Josh and Miles were opposed to the idea of trying to steal something from an obvious trap. They also brought up good points, so I couldn't really argue with them. "Alright, fair enough, let's see if we can just go around this room, then," I then had a horrible thought [i]What if the stairs to the next floor are in that room? We'd have to fight them to continue on at that point... but... I'm not sure we'd be able to pull that off.[/i] I dismissed it as I tried to wake up Kamina with "Kamina, we're avoiding that room, let's go," I didn't want to step on what felt like fire on my feet, so I kinda had to make sure that he was awake so I could continue moving. While I waited, I looked at that room's ceiling, and waited for the perfect time to steal two apples from a vase in that room. It didn't take too long for the growlithe to ignore me, and didn't take too long for me to take the apples with a couple vine whips. I put them in my bag, and decided to wait until we were a few rooms away to start giving them out. Basically, I'd give them to whoever was the hungriest at the time, which means that neither Daniel or Anthony, given that they both just ate would get them. I then had a weird thought involving gladiatorial combat... but I passed that off as the heat finally getting to my head. "Kamina... sooner rather than later, please... I think the heat's getting to my head, or something," I announce to Kamina in a somewhat tired voice... why did I sound tired? I took a long enough rest from walking, and I really didn't take that much damage, today... weird.
[hr]

[Anthony]

	While the heat never really got to me, at least, it didn't hurt me as much as most, it did still have a tendency to dry me out... such was the case in this bronze and steel tower. Heck, I'd be surprised if there was any slime at all on the floor due to how hot the place was. Spruce decided against taking the crate, and tried to wake up Kamina... but then he did something stupid. He used his vine whips to take a couple apples from their trap/storage room. His lack of patience shined through, again as he ordered Kamina to wake up and get moving 'sooner rather than later'. I would have said something... but the way he said it made me think that it was more the heat than him, at this point. "Josh... I'm a little worried for Spruce... I've heard that this kind of heat can be dangerous to the minds of some pokemon... he might be crazy by the end of this," he sounded tired, but thanks to Kamina he didn't walk too much, and on top of that, hasn't taken a single attack from anything in this place... again, must have been the heat... but can it really have this sort of effect? I started heading away from the trap room, hoping that they didn't just make the way upwards into a trap as I did so. [i]To be honest, that would be clever of them... trapping our only way forwards... I just hope they didn't think of that.[/i] I thought as I passed by a part of the wall that seemed to be made of some strange device with two wheels. Obviously, the tires that would go on the wheels weren't a part of it, nor was anything that wasn't metal... but it looked like a device that a moderately sized, bipedal pokemon could use to get around somewhat quicker, that is, if it wasn't melted, and made into a part of a wall of junk.
[hr]

[Bonnie]

	It seems as though Eralion heard my call, and protected the client, while somehow evolving in the process. He threw the dragonite onto the ground with his counter move, as well as his newfound strength. He wasn't showing it, but I could tell that the attack still hurt him quite a bit. "Here, catch!" I shouted at Eralion as I tossed an oran berry in his direction. I then thought for a moment that the dragonite was done for, that she wouldn't get up from that... unfortunately, I was wrong. Our client backed up as the dragonite got up from that, roared, and looked over towards me, the only one who doesn't have a decent way of countering her attacks... she then smirked as she used thunder wave on me, paralyzing me, and making it so I couldn't move, much less attack. She then turned her attention towards Tini, and, probably assuming he was like all the others of his species, she used dragon rush on him, making sure to avoid Eralion in the process. [i]Thank goodness Tini's immune... else we'd have a serious problem trying to beat this dragonite...[/i] I thought as I tried to move, and... failed, unfortunately. [i]Ugh... paralysis is the WORST...[/i] I continued on in my head. I then tried to even speak, but couldn't do so due to paralysis. Thankfully, our client was smart enough to stay away from the angry dragon and let the explorers handle this... even if one of them wasn't in the best condition at the moment.
[hr]

[Nina]

	Before the last one could escape, I shouted "Hey! Wait!" the last dratini then turned around and looked at me, asking "Yeah? Whaddaya want?" I then responded with "I just want to ask a few questions... are you okay with that?" the dratini looked at its siblings, and then back at me and said "Yeah, sure... go ahead," I then finally asked a few questions "So... who knocked you out?" was the first question, with the dratini answering "Some explorers or somethin'... they were tough, WAY too tough for us to handle..." to which, I responded "Interesting... why would you try to attack them if you knew you were going to lose, and easily, at that?" the dratini shook his head, and answered the best he could "Some... weird thing in my head made me do it... whatever it was, it made me try and fail to take down a group of explorers way beyond our level. I think they were even trying to talk to us... the bunny lady even hesitated for some reason, and that made me feel bad, but I had to do it," I would have asked him more questions, but I learned my lesson from last time, and just said "That... might be helpful for what we're trying to figure out. Please, just go before that thing takes over again, alright?" the dratini complied and slithered away from the area... somehow, I had a feeling that I'd meet him again, under more hostile terms. I then turned back towards Rebecca, and said "So, it sounds like this... thing doesn't care how many of its own pokemon faint or even die in... whatever it's trying to accomplish... also, it seems like when a pokemon faints, this thing loses whatever hold it had on it... if only for a moment. We might not have gotten paid last time, but I still want to figure out all about these wild pokemon," after that little report, I looked up at the mountain we were supposed to climb... it almost intimidated me with its size, but I was determined to finish this mission, especially after having to deal with zombies just getting here... I headed up the pathway, leading the way forwards despite any other, more favorable matchups being in the party.