[h3][hr][color=#F95B6C]Eryn Montero[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i]Wet Caverns  ||  Day 5: Afternoon[/i][/sup][indent] [/indent]
Though Eryn had known that Peri’s roar was nothing compared to a full-grown Onix’s, that didn’t mean she was prepared for when Peri’s parents started roaring, or that she was anywhere close to being cool with the ear-splitting cacophony that ensued when the whole colony joined in. A glance to her side showed that none of her Pokemon were taking it too well, and even Tula had stilled to let her properly cover her ears. 

[color=#F95B6C]“Do any of you want me to return you?”[/color] she shouted, barely making out her own voice in her head. 

Dei was the first to shoot her a glare, followed by Kylie, whose annoyance quickly melted into a shade of sadness that Eryn had a feeling was for show. To his credit, Eri had put on a brave face, but his eyes had shot to Dei first before he closed his mouth, and from the way his Nuzleaf hands were clamped over his ears so hard she could make out the indent of where they pressed into his skin, it was obvious he wasn’t taking the roars well.

Still, no one had volunteered. Even Tula was staying calm in her arms, so Eryn turned back to the Onix, hiding a smile. Her Pokemon really were adorable, and as for her ears, she could take it too.

After another few seconds of unadulterated sound, Peri made to follow the other Onix off, sparing Eryn a glance that Eryn returned with a nod, thumbs up, and smile. While there wasn’t a world where she’d mind Peri going off with her parents, it was nice to note that Peri had checked with her before going off, however brief that check was. Maybe it was Peri’s constant stubbornness, but Eryn would’ve guessed her to be the first to roam off without permission, so she was pleased to see that the Onix still minded her somewhere under that rocky exterior. 

When the silence stayed put, she looked over to her team and Ms. Diglett next to them, shrugging. [color=#F95B6C]“Well, I guess it’s just us for now then.”[/color] 

Her eyes wandered into the murky darkness of the tunnels as she rubbed a hand over Tula’s carapace, comforted by the way her fingers skimmed over the Margikarp’s cool, smooth scales. Last time she was here, she’d had two goals: to get to Lakewatch, and to find a Pokemon. She’d achieved both those goals, but the second one had panned out differently from how she’d planned. In her head, she’d always wanted one type of Pokemon from the caverns—the type that people came specifically to Lakewatch to find, and the type that always came to mind when she thought of an ace trainer. Sure she wouldn’t trade Peri for the world, and sure she had her hands pretty full with her team at the moment, but if she didn’t pursue her original plan now, she’d be admitting defeat. It'd be in in a small way, but in a meaningful one, and four years staring out classroom windows dreaming about her bright future on the road hadn’t shaped her into a defeatist. 

Reaching up to touch the tip of her cap, she frowned. [color=#F95B6C]“What did I read in the trainer school again?”[/color] The books in the library had confirmed that there were dragons in the cave, but the specifics were escaping her. [color=#F95B6C]“In the deeper caverns? Near the water? Or not.”[/color] 

She sighed, shaking her head. It’d only been a few days since Pureplain, and already she was beginning to forget. [color=#F95B6C]“Maybe I should start taking notes,”[/color] she joked, rubbing Tula’s chin with a thumb. [color=#F95B6C]“Should I, Tutu? Should I?”[/color]

Looking at her team showed that no one was impressed by her baby voice, and she cleared her throat, straightening. [color=#F95B6C]“Well, since you’re all [i]so[/i] helpful, maybe I should ask you,”[/color] she said, then paused. [color=#F95B6C]“Wait, that’s it!”[/color] Grinning, she fished out her Pokedex, scrolling through her contacts. [color=#F95B6C]“I’ll ask Braith! He knew about the true Dragon Lake, and he’s got a Noivern, so he’ll probably know something. Plus, I need to tell him that the Descent Tower is super not boring, though would that be a bad idea? Probably, huh?”[/color] 

She turned to her Pokemon, half-expecting them to answer back. Instead, she was met by faces of annoyance, confusion, and forced, happy cluelessness that gave her little to work with. At least Ms. Diglett was actually happy.

[color=#F95B6C]“See, this is why I ask Tula,”[/color] she said, rolling her eyes dramatically as she dialed Braith up. It was late in the afternoon, and most people would be planning for dinner if they weren’t trainers with skewed travelling schedules, but Eryn had a hunch Braith would pick up. While reception wasn’t strong in the tunnel, it was functional, likely because she was still close to the walls, and Eryn rolled with it.

[hider=If Braith picks up][center] [/center]
[indent][color=#F95B6C]“Hey Braith!”[/color] she chirped as soon as the call connected. [color=#F95B6C]“It’s Eryn! You know, that girl you met in a Lakewatch restaurant the other day?”[/color] Her gaze drifted to Eri, and she blinked, her memory jogged. [color=#F95B6C]“I was, er, with a friend who looked like me? Short-ish hair, cap, big smile?”[/color] She flashed a grin at Eri, winking. [color=#F95B6C]“Hope your Cloyster beat Lesley’s team as planned! As for why I’m calling, well, I was wondering whether you had any tips for finding a dragon-type in the Wet Caverns? I read somewhere that there are some young ones in the tunnels, but do you have any ideas on where to look?”[/color]

[hider=After letting him talk][center] [/center]
[indent][color=#F95B6C]“Awesome, thanks! And, for the record, I checked out Sunken Lakewatch today and it is completely not boring. Just wanted you to know. And we should get food and catch up sometime! Lemme know if you’re free and around Lakewatch or Raremine anytime soon, and bye for now!”[/color][/indent]
[/hider][/indent][/hider]
The aura of smugness that surrounded Peri when she returned was thick enough to force Eryn to acknowledge it, and she did so by giving the Onix a suspicious look through slightly narrowed eyes. [color=#F95B6C]“There something you wanna share?”[/color]

Whatever she’d been expecting, it wasn’t Peri taking a successful dive down into the ground, and the dots connected when her attention flicked from the other Onix to the tunnels around them. 

A grin split her face, and she ran over to Peri, wrapping her and Tula into a hug with an excited shriek. [color=#F95B6C]“Arceus, did you learn to dig? Like the move proper? So you can ram opponents [i]and[/i] caves for me now?”[/color] Eryn’s toes tingled with excitement at the prospect, and she shrieked again when Peri gave a casually smug nod. [color=#F95B6C]“Thank you so much!”[/color] she called to the Onix gathered behind Peri, who didn’t look particularly taken by her reaction. 

The one closest to Peri—Peri’s mom, probably, since Eryn's Pokedex was telling her the Onix was female—gave Eryn an unimpressed look down her nose, and Eryn got the message.

[color=#F95B6C]“Loud and clear, Momma Onix! I promise to only use Peri’s power for good!”[/color] she said, straightening into a salute.

After thanking the rest of the Onix and letting Peri have her final goodbyes, during which Eryn got the idea to crown Peri with the King’s—rebranded [i]Queen’s[/i]—Rock, Eryn headed away from the tunnels and back into the main cavern under Peri’s lead. Something about having a giant rock snake who now knew how to traverse said tunnels reassured Eryn, and she was brimming with confidence as she headed deeper into the caverns. 

[color=#F95B6C]“One dragon-type and we’re good,”[/color] she said, looking to her team with a grin. [color=#F95B6C]“One last teammate and we’re full house and ready to rumble, so keep your eyes peeled!”[/color]
[center] [/center][hr][hider=Actions][u][b][color=#F95B6C]     Actions:          [/color][/b][/u]
Hefty post but not too much happened! Mostly just Onix filler text + team/Eryn reactions and banter. Things of actual note include:
[list][*]Eryn calling [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4956669]Braith[/url] to ask about tips to find a dragon-type (Braith's original post linked, details in hider above)
[*]Eryn giving Peri the King’s Rock she found earlier
[*]Eryn heading deeper into the caverns in search of a dragon-type (as discussed)[/list]
[/hider]
[hider=Pokemon][center][hr][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/charmander.gif[/img][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/mawile.gif[/img][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/magikarp.gif[/img][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/zorua.gif[/img][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/onix.gif[/img][/center][indent][table][row][/row][row][cell][hider=Dei — Charmander][h3][color=#F95B6C][sup]Dei[hr][/sup][/color][/h3][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/charmander.gif[/img][hr][sup][sup]Charmander  [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   Level 15   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   ♂   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]  Blaze   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]  100%[/sup][/sup]
[indent][sup][color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Scratch
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Growl, Smokescreen
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Ember[/sup][/indent][h3] [/h3][/hider]
[/cell][cell][/cell][cell][hider=Kylie — Mawile][h3][color=#F95B6C][sup]Kyllene | “Kylie”[hr][/sup][/color][/h3][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/mawile.gif[/img][hr][sup][sup]Mawile  [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   Level 16   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   ♀   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   Hyper Cutter   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]  100%[/sup][/sup]
[indent][sup][color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Astonish, Bite
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Taunt, Growl, Fake Tears, Sweet Scent
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Fairy Wind[/sup][/indent][h3] [/h3][/hider]
[/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][hider=Tula — Magikarp][h3][color=#F95B6C][sup]Tula | “Tutu”[hr][/sup][/color][/h3][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/magikarp.gif[/img][hr][sup][sup]Magikarp  [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   Level 15   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   ♀   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]  Rattled   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color] 100%[/sup][/sup]
[indent][sup][color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Tackle  
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Splash  
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  N/A
[sub] [/sub][indent][color=#F95B6C]—[/color] [i]Soothe Bell[/i][/indent][/sup][/indent][h3] [/h3][/hider]
[/cell][cell][/cell][cell][hider=Eri — Zorua][h3][color=#F95B6C][sup]Erebi | “Eri”[hr][/sup][/color][/h3][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/zorua.gif[/img][hr][sup][sup]Zorua  [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   Level 15   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   ♂   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]  Illusion   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color] 100%[/sup][/sup]
[indent][sup][color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Scratch, Pursuit, Fury Swipes
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Leer, Fake Tears  
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  N/A
[sub] [/sub][indent][color=#F95B6C]—[/color] [i]Silk Scarf[/i][/indent][/sup][/indent][h3] [/h3][/hider]
[/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][hider=Peri — Onix][h3][color=#F95B6C][sup]Peri | “Per-per”[hr][/sup][/color][/h3][img]https://www.smogon.com/dex/media/sprites/xy/onix.gif[/img][hr][sup][sup]Onix  [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   Level 11   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]   ♀   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color]  Rock Head   [color=#F95B6C]◼[/color] 100%[/sup][/sup]
[indent][sup][color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Tackle, Bind, Rock Throw, Rock Tomb, Dig
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  Mud Sport, Harden, Curse
[color=#F95B6C]||[/color]  N/A
[sub] [/sub][indent][color=#F95B6C]—[/color] [i]King’s Rock[/i][/indent][/sup][/indent][h3] [/h3][/hider][/cell][/row][/table][/indent][/hider]
[hider=Inventory][u][b][color=#F95B6C]     Inventory:          [/color][/b][/u]
[indent]Pokédollars — 13970
[hider=Key Items]
[list][*]Old Rod
[/list][/hider][hider=Consumables]
[list][*]Potion — 1
[*]Super Potion — 1
[*]Pokeballs — 5
[*]Great Balls — 2
[*]Escape Rope
[*]Electric Gem
[*]Focus Sash
[*]Dusk Stone
[*]Shiny Stone
[*]Moon Stone
[/list][/hider][hider=Non-consumables]
[list][*]Sharp Beak
[*]Heart Scale
[*]Big Pearl
[/list][/hider][hider=Equipped]
[list][*]Soothe Bell [code][Tula][/code]
[*]Silk Scarf [code][Eri][/code]
[*]King’s Rock [code][Peri][/code]
[/list][/hider][/indent][h3] [/h3][/hider]