[@Gardevoiran] [color=F0B088]‘Nice! I’ll make sure of it!’[/color] Brendon said, as a hand was shook and items exchanged. [center][color=6ecff6][i]Skylar obtained Dusk Stone![/i][/color][/center] Back to present. Skylar decided to head down into the mines. Perhaps intending to fight some slightly tougher Pokémon or so. The lights quickly vanished as he and his Pokémon went deeper, meaning Pokémon unable to see in the dark or not accustomed to the underground may be at a disadvantage. Still, he headed down, went around a corner, and- [hider][center][url=https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/6/63/530Excadrill.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/mwMBk2R.png[/img][/url] [color=6ecff6][i]Pokédex Entry #530 – Excadrill, the Subterrene Pokémon. 300 feet underground they and Drilburs dig mazeline nests in which they live. They’ve evolved drills powerful enough to dig through metal plates, and are commonly used to dig out new tunnels. Measures sometimes have to be taken so they don’t inadvertently destroy underground subways.[/i][/color][/center] A… not actually particularly big metal-carrying mole stood before him, glaring at him decently unimpressed. Eventually, though, it decided to merely walk past him, minding his own business. [i]This is a high-level area.[/i] Now, higher-level versions of all the other smaller Pokémon that inhabit the Desert Mines are also around, Sandshrew, Diglett, Geodude, Drilbur and Sandile. Their evolutions probably are around here somewhere, too. Still, there were groups of hostile crocodiles roaming the caves for prey… [center][url=https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/d/d4/552Krokorok.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/IY5toTt.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/IY5toTt.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/IY5toTt.png[/img][/url] [color=6ecff6][i]Pokédex Entry #552 – Krokorok, the Desert Croc Pokémon. They live in groups of a few individuals. The female is often the leader, and the males gather food. There’s a special membrane covering their eyes allowing them to see the heat of things, allowing them to hunt in the dark or in sandstorms. As they hate the cold, they dig deep into the sands.[/i][/color][/center] … Probably best to avoid those. Down here, there were some things Skylar could do. He could explore even more caves in hopes of finding interesting things, he could attempt training against the higher-level Pokémon down here, or he could try to mine down here for perhaps more valuable items, if he’s wary that the noise he’s making might attract wild Pokémon. That, or… … Was that a human voice he heard echoing from deep inside the mines? [hider=if he investigates][i]The following only happens if he goes there. Otherwise the events are paused until he does investigate.[/i] [color=ad8b66]‘Keep working! Don’t you even think of taking a break!’[/color] called a strict, male voice called, and there was the sounds of numerous people that were chopping pickaxes at the walls in a small but well excavated pocket of the caves. If Skylar or his Pokémon were to peek onto what was happening… [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/GotKVFh.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/GotKVFhl.jpg[/img][/url][/center] [color=ad8b66]‘Team Amethyst were in these mines! Break your backs if you have to, we must find what they were looking for!’[/color] a man that appeared to be wielding a spear said as he commanded several white-clad grunts digging in the mine. They had their own light-equipment set up, enabling them to see while they were working. There could be little doubt that these were members of… [color=ad8b66]‘Team Virtue! The fate of the world could rely on this discovery!’[/color] he called, and the lobster on his shoulder at them, warning with a pointed giant claw. [center][url=https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/f/fb/692Clauncher.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/fOgD4DQ.png[/img][/url] [color=6ecff6][i]Pokédex Entry #692 – Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokémon. Its massive claw is a water-pistol firing compressed water using controlled expulsions of internal gasses. The shots it fires can shatter rock at close distances, it uses this to shoot down flying prey. It is known to use this expulsion to travel fast, jetting water out behind it to accelerate.[/i][/color][/center] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/TtKE4oO.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/XSZW7k4.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/XSZW7k4.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/XSZW7k4.jpg[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/XSZW7k4.jpg[/img][/url][/center] The guys working were all certainly grunts and didn’t exactly look dressed for the task at hand, yet they worked with burning passion, though they also looked pretty exhausted. One looked scared, though. [color=C2C2B8]‘B-but sir, what if we're attacked by wild Pokémon? We're not strong enough for this area...’[/color] he asked. [color=ad8b66]‘If we're beaten down, then we heal up at the Pokémon Center, and then come back to be beaten down again!’[/color] the officer declared, before holding his spear towards the grunt that had spoken. [color=ad8b66]‘What? Is your determination wavering?’[/color] he asked, in a way that sounded like a threat. [color=C2C2B8]‘N-no, sir!’[/color] the grunt quickly decided he was more scared of his commander than the wild Pokémon, and took his pickaxe and struck the wall with renewed vigor! One could question what they were doing. Still, didn’t look like there was anything was immediately pressing… [color=b2dbb2]‘EEK!’[/color] There was a sudden cry as a wall collapsed just as one of the Team Virtue Grunts swung a pickaxe at it, and to the surprise of everyone present the wall collapsed and a green-haired girl fell out of the wall. She also happened to drop an odd, black multi-sided box(?) with green sides. Over her flew down a worried little pink thing that currently glowed on its own, a sign that it had learned Flash. [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/aYdtILW.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/aYdtILWl.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/6/66/682Spritzee.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/hLs4pEc.png[/img][/url] [color=6ecff6][i]Pokédex Entry #682 – Spritzee, the Perfume Pokémon. It emits a scent that enraptures those who smell it. This fragrance changes depending on what it has eaten. In the past, rather than using perfume, royal ladies carried a Spritzee that would waft a fragrance they liked.[/i][/color][/center] The Team Virtue officer walked over. He practically glared at her, and pointed his weapon at her. [color=ad8b66]‘Explain yourself,’[/color] he asked her. [color=b2dbb2]‘I-I’m sorry! I’m just a regular Pokémon Trainer exploring the mines when I fell into a hole, and I-’[/color] she explained in a panicked haste, and indeed, there was a hole upwards beyond the pocket she’d been inside that the grunt had dug out, which said grunt was now staring up at with slight confusion. As she spoke the girl quickly snatched up the box(?) that she had dropped. [color=ad8b66]‘That box. What was that?’[/color] the officer demanded. [color=b2dbb2]‘N-nothing! Just a keepsake of my grandpa-’[/color] the girl tried to explain. [color=ad8b66]‘Hand it over. Team Virtue will confirm what it is, then hand it back if it’s unrelated to our business,’[/color] the officer declared. [color=b2dbb2]‘N-no!’[/color] [color=ad8b66]‘… No?’[/color] the officer asked, starting to advance on her, causing the girl to scramble to her feet to regain mobility. [color=ad8b66]‘Do you have something to hide from us, the just protectors of Isson?’[/color] [color=b2dbb2]‘Wait, no! That’s not-’[/color] [color=ad8b66]‘You are arrested under suspicion of being a Team Amethyst agent! Surrender yourself!’[/color] [color=b2dbb2]‘W-waaa-!’[/color] the girl turned around and started fleeing in panic, her Spritzee flying after. [color=ad8b66]‘After her!’[/color] the officer said, and with that the whole party pursued the girl… in Skylar’s direction. Of course, if Skylar decided to leave / interfere BEFORE the end of the post, maybe even before the miners found the girl for whatever reason (albeit then he wouldn’t know she was there), then he can interrupt this post wherever he wants. [/hider][/hider] What does Skylar do? __________________________ [@hatakekuro] Basil jumped at suddenly being called out for most definitely taking the mirror from the shrine. Pokemon started dropping from above, soon followed by an oddly dressed girl who was quite aggressive judging from the fact she looked ready to perform a flying kick to his face. It was quite the shock considering he did not see anyone around the shrine so it was either poor timing or she was spying on him from the moment he entered its grounds. [color=8882be]"Uh, t-the gym leader of Highhill sent me here. I was investigating the connection between the endless rain and the fairies that helped the hero long before."[/color] He said with a slight shake as he was not quite fond of the idea of getting his teeth kicked in. [color=8882be]"By chance I met Lorette and she said to bring back whatever I found here to her and, well, this mirror seems pretty important to me."[/color] Hopefully that explanation would be enough to satisfy her. [color=8882be]"If you don't mind me asking, why is it so important?"[/color] The girl, that had been behind the roof practicing her ninja silence before jumping down, stared at him unconvinced. [color=e04f4f]‘Lorette? Why would she want this mirror? She's left it untouched all those times she came to visit. I don't buy it. Far more likely, you're making up an excuse to make me let you get away with it!’[/color] the girl called, no small amount of anger in her voice. [color=e04f4f]‘I'm not telling you anything until you make sense. What exactly did she tell you?’[/color] she then followed up, clearly not in an answering-questions mood. Well, she certainly was a tough customer to sell this story. It certainly did not help that Lorette was exactly one for giving out detailed instructions and reasons in the first place. Things couldn't go his way that easily, could they? He sighed and shook his head knowing that this was going to probably not going to buy it. [color=8882be]"Uh, honestly she was pretty vague about the whole thing. I was asking her about the presence in the Silent Shrine that listened to my prayer and that I haven't made any significant headway in my investigation. She said it is meant to be kept a secret, but she was feeling generous and told me about this shrine and some hints on how to find it."[/color] Basil scratched his chin before he snapped his fingers at what he remembered. [color=8882be]"Oh wait, the one thing she did tell me was to remember that she referred the Deepforest Shrine as the Shrine of the Center and that once I found what I needed that the next part would be pretty easy... Though I am not sure what that part is."[/color] Yeah that really did not help his case considering he sounded incredible suspicious with the lack of information. [color=8882be]"I'm not exactly sure what she gets out of this or what will even happen once I bring it back to her, but if you want you can follow me back and ask her yourself. I'm supposed to meet her in the shrine right now."[/color] Maybe this would help him get out of trouble? The girl looked supremely suspicious of him, but ultimately held out her hand. [color=e04f4f]‘... I carry the mirror,’[/color] she insisted. Basil did not have any objections to that! [color=8882be]"Please, do so."[/color] At this point he was just happy that he wasn't beaten into a pulp. After handing the mirror over to the girl, the two of them started a silent and awkward walk through the Northern Silent Forest. The girl kept all three of her Pokémon out, and Meditite floated above her head as a psychic umbrella, using weak psychic forces to prevent the water from hitting the girl or her companions. They kept a healthy distance and kept looking around, like they were expecting to be surrounded by Basil’s companions and attacked or something, but as no such event happened they kept on walking. Finally, they arrived back where Basil had received this mission in the first place. [hider=Deepforest Shrine][center][h2]Deepforest Shrine[/h2][/center] [center][url=http://i.imgur.com/KlEV9yi.jpg][img]http://i.imgur.com/KlEV9yi.jpg[/img][/url][/center] It’s a shrine. Following the arcs of the forest, eventually the path somehow reached this road made of rock, leading through the forest to a destination. Surrounded by forest, far from any road, lay this sudden, as if hidden, shrine. In the midst of the rainfall of the Northern Silent Forest, this was clearly not the Silent Shrine, but someplace else entirely. Yet, other than being a shrine in the middle of nowhere, was there anything relevant about this place? It seemed but empty, abandoned and bleak from here. Yet… the shrine was attended. There were small, white-bodied green-capped little fellas standing a bit here and there, holding tiny brooms sweeping like they were trying to be shrine maidens for the shrine, wearing the same outfits a shrine maiden would, white top and red dress. They also had noticed the person approaching before he’d come into view, some of them fleeing as if by sheer shyness, but others stood, watching the newcomer, unsure what to make of him yet. [center][url=https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/e/e1/280Ralts.png][img]http://i.imgur.com/M2iR7TF.png[/img][/url] [color=6ecff6][i]Pokédex Entry #280 – Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. The horn on its head can sense emotions, and its own mood will be affected in turn. It will approach positive emotion and its body will warm, while it will shy away from and avoid negativity and hostility. Quite rare to see in nature.[/i][/color][/center][/hider] Except, there was no Lorette here. She was missing. That said, when a particular Ralts saw him, it immediately piqued up and ran deeper inside, before coming back with a piece of paper that it handed over to Basil. [center][i]Had to go back to my Gym. If you come back before I do, it’s probably because you got stuck. Alright, let me be a bit less vague. What you’re looking for on Route 11 is a person, commonly found at the Abandoned Shrine. She’s a disciple of Gym Leader Hector of Redcoast Gym, otherwise. I’ve been hiding this from her, too, so it’s only fair. Between the two of you, you should have enough information to find the Lost Shrine. Good luck![/i][/center] [color=e04f4f]‘… What does it say?’[/color] the girl, who still kept a healthy distance, asked.