The flashback is in my post because Old Amsterdam asked me to write something like that.
@Old Amsterdam If you find it too boring, I can rewrite it. This is simply how I imagined it when I wrote it originally, just a boring little crush that ended for completely understandable reasons. If you'd like me to rewrite it into something more fun, I can do that. I can even take your suggestions if you have any. Otherwise, if this suits your purposes, there it is. Hah.
Other than that, I'll assume I should be waiting for a GM-post about the current contents of the Rockers hideout, and I'll wait for that unless told otherwise, hah.
… Swarm had followed her. She didn’t know his intentions, but surely, it was no good. Perhaps he had intended on attacking her after they came to a less public street. Fortunately, Creep had the tools to vanish forever, without which she was unsure what she would have done. Thunderbolt appeared… what had he been intending? To protect his investment? It must have been because of seeing Swarm following Creep that he came along. She hadn’t heard their conversation, and said conversation ended the moment they came past the corner. … Okay, then. Sheila simply resolved to keep this event in mind, and then keep going. At the very least, Swarm did not have a power that could see her.
Despite being invisible, Creep took a monstrous detour through town just in case someone unseen still followed her. There was only one place she could safely store the vials, and that was by the house she now lived. Sneaking in without alerting Viola, she hid them behind a couple books in the bookshelf. They’d be safe enough there for the moment, Viola never looked through these books. Sheila never informed Viola that she had come home, simply departing again. Her sister was way too busy with her current video-game to notice, headphones on and all that. With that, Creep departed through the streets of Denver once again.
On her walk, she had a lot to think about, besides watching for potential followers. She had isolated a group of people as the only ones she could imagine giving these two vials to; her own friends from her former life. She’d actually drag two of them into this hellish life? Could she do that to them? … If they wanted it, she decided. She would give them a refusable offer. If they wanted it, she could give it to them. She really needed allies, after all, and this was perhaps her one chance to earn one that was more than just temporary. Actual allies, who she was willing to put in danger, unlike Viola. … She grit her teeth, thinking of them one at a time.
Briefly appearing within her mind, there was the boy that had once been her boyfriend. It had been only for a very short period of time, they never really did anything other than go on numerous dates. … Was he an option?
‘I’ve fallen in love with you! Please, go out with me!’
So the boy had called to Sheila, at a time when she was still yellow blonde and didn’t have any powers, right after school. She had staggered, eyes wide looking at him. He held forward two tickets to a local, rather fancy restaurant. Assumingly, it was to show how serious he was that he had already bought them.
It wasn’t that Sheila didn’t know who he was. A classmate, not a particularly close classmate but a classmate all the same. She didn’t think that much of him, certainly wasn’t attracted to him, but he wasn’t a bad kind of person. Yet, here she was, feeling her heart all aflutter because someone had actually asked her out!
‘S-sure! I’m…’ Sheila gave him a smile, feeling the joy of an innocent young romantic. ‘I’m willing to give you a chance,’ she said. Hey, springtime of youth and all, right? She was willing to give it a shot. Seeing his face brighten up and that he then started jumping in celebration right after, she felt she had done a good deed. If nothing else, it would be a good memory.
They became boyfriend and girlfriend, and they told all their friends. They were congratulated, and all was nice for a bit. Viola teased about them doing all the things they obviously hadn’t done yet. For a time, it was nice. Sheila got to experience the excitement of having a boyfriend without actually having to put in the effort of finding a boy she liked and confessing, which suited her introverted self nicely. He seemed more than happy to shower her with gifts and attention, call her a lot and taking her on an excessive amount of dates…
… It was too much.
Sometimes, she just wanted to hang out with her normal friends. Sometimes, she just wanted to relax in the quiet solitude of her home, reading, watching TV, any number of activities. He kept calling her, and far too often he had bought tickets for both of them without asking her because he wanted to surprise her. He showered her with gifts, to the degree Sheila started wondering how much money he really had. Her parents liked him fine, but over time, the flutter in her heart died down, and it became… troublesome.
Sheila became deeply aware she wasn’t attracted to him. His friends had been telling her how he spent less and less time with them to focus on her, how he was disregarding parts of his life entirely so he could devote himself to her… it felt wrong. He was nice, and it was very annoying to her that she couldn’t reward him being nice. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful to all his gifts and affection, but eventually she had to put her foot down. She had to explain she wasn’t comfortable with all of it. He was understanding, and kept his distance. Except, now she already associated him with the creepiness of his amount of affection.
She felt guilty, him giving her so much when she couldn’t return the affection. There was a balance, she wanted to reward him for being nice but at the same time, doing so would be at the expense of her own happiness. She realized he wasn't the kind to usually attract girls and Sheila didn’t particularly want to become one of “those girls” that ignored nice men but went for the more exciting bad ones or so, but ultimately she realized she couldn’t be happy with him. This was no basis for a healthy relationship. As such, she felt forced to call him, telling him she was coming over to his house. This had been the first time she called him and not the other way around.
‘I’m sorry. The truth is, I’m not attracted to you. I gave you a shot, and I am happy that I did. I want to make it clear I am really, really thankful for all that you’ve given me, but in the end… I don’t feel like you’re the one for me. I’m sorry.’
So she told him, feeling guilty but nonetheless determined to say her mind. They couldn’t be in a relationship she was unhappy with.
‘W-was it something I did? Anything I said? I can change for you. Just let me know, and I’ll-’
She held up a hand for him to stop. The bargaining reminded her of why she was doing this.
‘No. I don’t want you to be anyone but who you are. Trust me, you’re great, but you’re wasted on someone who doesn’t appreciate you fully. On me.’
‘I don’t feel so. I couldn’t be this invested in anyone but you. You’re the only one I feel this way towards.’
That stung. She was going to be breaking his heart. She was already breaking his heart. The guilt within her was palpable. But ultimately…
‘If you let me, I’ll-’
‘Stop,’ she told him, her voice forceful, showing her first hint of annoyance. He stiffened, despite already having quieted. ‘I… don’t love you. There’s our fundamental problem. I won’t stick to a relationship in which I’m not happy.’
He got quiet. He had no rebuttal to that. That… might have come out harsher than she intended, but it got the point across.
‘I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. F-fortunately, we’re still young. I hope you find someone better suited for you, who rewards the effort you put in, because I cannot,’ she said, for some reason feeling a couple of tears from the guilt and sadness she was causing him. She stood up from the chair, legs shaking a little as she stepped away from him. ‘Thank you for everything. When we meet next, we’ll be normal classmates again. … Friends, if you so desire. I’m sorry.’
So she said, without him returning any words, as she walked away. She put on her shoes and her jacket, for this was during the winter months, and didn’t say another word to him as she walked out. On the streets, she felt sorry and guilty for the heartbreak she had caused him… but also relieved, she had gotten it out, she was now free. Suppose that last part proved that what she had done was right for her.
Two months later, Sheila vanished from school, from their lives, her house suddenly standing empty. This was due to her trigger-event and the events after, her father having sold her out to villains for his own skin and so on after she had confronted the villains he was helping. Her trigger event had been seven or eight months ago, she hadn’t entirely kept track of dates since. Sheila really hoped that her disappearance hadn’t impacted the boy too harshly. It was out of her hands, and it had been the same for everyone. Now that she was intending to go back and share the vials with people she trusted from her previous life…
… No. She couldn’t go to him. The reason was simple; if she did, it was possible he’d throw away his life, drink the vial, all because he wanted to be with her. They’d be back in that unhealthy relationship all over again. Sheila would feel the guilt for having strung him along when she knew for a fact she didn’t love him, but at the same time he’d be fighting, abandoning all he had and risking his life, all for her. She couldn’t subject him to that, and more importantly, she couldn’t subject herself to that. That had to be her absolutely last option, if she really and truly became that desperate…
She shook her head, discarding the line of thoughts and kept going. She headed towards the Rocker’s current base of operations, intent on seeing how they were currently doing. Depending on what condition she found them in, she had to prepare herself for what was to come. Creep would have to announce herself as their new leader, and with that… she’d just have to see how it’d go. She briefly thought of Visage, but Visage was her junior in the group, but perhaps it wouldn’t appear so for the Rockers. It was too early to tell. For now, she simply had to head to them, and see how the place looked.
Creep went to the hideout and headed in, still invisible as she scanned the current situation. To ensure she wasn’t taken by surprise by anything.
@Joshua Tamashii Oh. You're right. In fact, I'm confused at how I got that impression. Whelp. I'm sorry about that, I could have read that a bit more carefully.
Well, if you want me to change it, tell me and I'll do so, or if you want to work with this then go ahead, hahaha.
@Rune_Alchemist Oh, alright, you just edited that into there. Alright, then. Nicely posted. With all that done, you said you'd be heading for the Stillwood Village Gym, right? I went ahead and wrote a bunch about that, so go at it. If you think I went forward too quickly, maybe you had questions you wanted to ask the Gym Guy or something, then tell me and we can work it out, heh.
@Eklispe@Joshua Tamashii And here you go, a Pokémon encounter for Dawkin, a "the GM rolled the die to see what happened" for Amelia, heh. Nicely posted. I will note the Cacnea are not as numerous as Amelia noted, they're just common enough that you will see a couple on your journey through the desert, but yeah. Nicely posted enough.
Five days had gone since my last post, so I posted for those who had posted...
Meganium gave Ritz a bit of a stare, but assuming he did nothing else he'd resume his resting.
Uxie looked at her as it was poked, but with her insistence that it should call her and she’d come running, it gave the slightest of smiles and did a small nod. Meganium barely acknowledged Claire, though if Pip was there he’d give her a grunt that wished her well, and that was about that. Back through the old forest and back to…
Stillwood Village
Inside these calm forest lies a village completely in-tune with nature. The buildings are built around or in the trees of wood and stone, the light shining onto the village stifled by the great trees above. In the air, meeting your nose as soon as you tread into the village, is filled to the brim with the smell of forest and spores. It’s a wild smell, but somehow it is extremely relaxing and any worries seem to be stifled before the calming village ahead where everyone is always so calm and happy, wild Pokémon walking freely on the roads of the place. This is Stillwood Village, the most relaxing place imaginable, it’s people in touch with nature and wishing the best to all those who come to their cozy and ancient little home.
Wild Grass Pokémon freely wander the streets, spreading their spores into the air which the townspeople actively walk through every single day. They are all smiles, very helpful, the entire village and all visitors afflicted by the relaxing sensations brought by the spores during their stay in Stillwood Village. However, these spores are the reason quite a few avoid Stillwood Village, arguing that it messes with one’s mind. It is extremely rare that a member of Stillwood Village moves out of the village, after all. It will also quickly become evident just how little the members of the village care about the world at large, all their worries gone by the relaxing spores and just continue living, no troubles in the slightest.
That’s Stillwood Village for you.
Budews, Roselias and Shroomish were above all the ones to blame for all the spores in the air, the relaxing smell and the effect that seemed to drain on a person’s worries entering the village. However, in the air drifted smaller beings.
Hoppips floated along the winds in Stillwood Village, and high above Skiplooms floated to catch the light heading down, further decreasing the amount of sunlight that actually touched the villagers treading about the village. Also walking about were…
Numerous Oddishes had apparently failed to understand that the relative dark was not due to night. That aside, the nice smell of the village was only occasionally interrupted by foul smell of a passing Gloom, but that problem seemed to only be bothering visitors as the villagers didn’t even seem to notice.
Now she’s in Stillwood Village.
1. Find Pokémon. Can still search for Pokémon in cities~ 2. Talk. In cities, there are considerably more people one can talk to. Talking can give you info on local rumors and such. 3. Exit. Exit the town to any of the connected areas. 4. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 5. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 6. Notable Places. Visit any of the places in the city! 6.1. Pokémon Center. Heal all your Pokémon. 6.2. PokéMart. Go to a store and buy things. 6.3. Pokémon Gym. ??? 6.4. Herb Store. Selling bitter medicine that is very good for your Pokémon! 6.5. Flower Shop. For decoration and for pleasant smells, the flower shop has the best selection in Isson! 6.6. Berry Garden. Allows trainers to rent earth to plant their own berries. New trainers gets a kit to start them off! 6.7. Treehouse Arena. Even forest-people want to battle it out sometimes. Lots of berries as prices~ 6.8. Ancient Woods. An older part of the forest. Dangerous, but said to hold a link to the past. There are large old rocks here. What more could they hold? 7.1. Erika. Currently engaging in Treehouse Battles, Claire could go look if she wanted. Or enter. Hah. 7.2. Joshua and Ewan. The two friends are currently in Stillwood Village. They’re currently examining the Flower Shop. That is, Joshua’s eagerly examining it, Ewan’s waiting.
Connected areas: Route 4. Forest route at the base of Mt. Strength leading west to Rainrock City. Route 5. A grassy incline connecting mountains, forests, plains, Stillwood and Lakewatch. Route 14. The waters of Dragon Lake are also known as Route 14. It connects Lakewatch Town, Highhill Town and Stillwood Village. Mountain Valley. A passage between Mt. Strength and Mt. Chill, a shortcut to Worldedge City.
The Pokémon Gym of Stillwood Village was a large treehouse, with a large stair leading up towards it. It was a grand creation, round creation circling the tree in white, pillars that looked like sprouted trees holding it afloat over the ground beneath. Under the treehouse was a nest of plenty of Pokémon. By the start of the stairs was a sign, declaring what this gym was.
Stillwood Pokémon Gym - Minor League Gym Leader: Archie “The Woodland Wanderer!”
‘Hey! Champion-to-be!’ A voice called out for her. She might recognize him as the same one that had appeared before her at Redcoast City Gym.
‘Taking on your next Gym, are you? Nice! You might need to know, Archie’s Gym is a traditional one, where you need to fight a couple of Gym Trainers to prove yourself before facing the Leader! Don’t worry, you get to heal your Pokémon between each battle. Now, then, if you wish to know…’ … In case Claire was still listening, he’d go on to explain the Grass-type.
‘Archie’s a user of the Grass-type! It’s a type with a lot of weaknesses, Fire, Bug, Flying, Ice, Poison… But it’s also a type full of tricks! They have a variety of different powders they can spew at you to cause status-effects and skew the tide of battle, you’d do well to prepare for their usage! Other than that, Grass is effective against Water and the Rock/Ground types, in case you were intending on fighting with those, heh. I wish you good luck!’
With that over, she probably headed up the stairs into the first room. The inside of the building was a big forest of its own, soil spread around the ground-floor to let plants grow, yet in here one more great staircase existed, taking the challenger all the way up the giant tree that the building was constructed around. On the way up the staircase were three great platforms built out of wood, held up by a tree-pillar each, just a simple railing preventing a fall down below. In any case. Claire was to take the challenge, was she not? If so, she could climb up the stairs to the first platform.
Waiting there, like knowing she’d be coming, sat a smug-looking young Aroma Lady on a wooden chair, waiting for her approach.
‘Fuhuhuhu. You wanna challenge the leader? Well, you know the drill. You gonna have to go through me, first!’
Aroma Lady Tanya would like to battle!
Pokédex Entry #285 – Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokémon. It lives deep in dark, damp forest where it eats the composted soil and fallen leaves. By day it remains still in the forest shade, by night it moves to eat. If it detects danger, it can spout highly toxic spores from the top of its head, strong enough to make trees wilt.
Stun Spore and then Leech Seed, and if everyone’s still alive after that, it’s going to Absorb or Tackle until its opponent faints, it hopes. Effect Spore might Paralyze, Poison or cause Sleep on contact!
Pokédex Entry #114 – Tangela, the Vine Pokémon. It is constantly wrapped in countless constantly jiggling blue vines that never stop growing. The vines cloak its unknown contents, and are known to entangle anything that comes close. The vines easily detach if grabbed and grow back within a day.
Vine Whipping from a distance! If an opponent dare come close, it’s going to try Sleep Powdering it, and then make some distance before Vine Whipping again!
Pokédex Entry #252 – Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. A territorial Pokémon known to nest inside large trees in the forest, guarding it from anything near. It has small hooks under its feet, allowing it to scale vertical surfaces. It’s famously stubborn, known to not budge an inch no matter how outmatched the opponent has it.
Absorb is its most capable move, but in a physical brawl it can Leer and Quick Attack. Will use Quick Attack to attempt dodging bad situations. Overgrow will boost Absorb’s power when heavily damaged!
Assuming Claire eventually got past Tanya, she could wander up the stairs and face the second opponent halfway up the tree. It was another Aroma Lady, her expression kind and welcoming, yet still very much ready for battle.
‘Hello! Welcome to Stillwood Pokémon Gym! I’m happy you’ve taken our challenge… but I’m sorry, I need to make sure you know we Stillwood Trainers are no pushovers!’
Aroma Lady Daisy would like to battle!
Pokédex Entry #345 – Lileep, the Sea Lily Pokémon. It attached itself to rocks at the bottom of the seafloor using powerful suckers and disguised itself as seaweed until it caught prey swimming close with its tentacles shaped like flower-petals, devouring said prey whole. It went extinct over 100 million years ago, exists today only due to reanimation through fossils.
Knows Astonish, Constrict, Acid, Ingrain and Confuse Ray. Will try to outlast its opponent by Confuse Raying and Ingraining, spewing Acid in the meantime. Suction Cups prevent it from being moved!
Pokédex Entry #547 – Whimsicott, the Windveiled Pokémon. It can shape its body to slip through the tiniest gaps, leaving white balls of fluff behind. They ride in the wind and whirlwinds, popping into people’s houses and playing around. There it plays pranks like moving furniture and hiding important things. Never settles down unless caught by a trainer.
Stun Spore, then Mega Drain! If more effective, it also has Gust.
Pokédex Entry #271 – Lombre, the Jolly Pokémon. Nocturnal, it sleeps on a bed of water grass by day. Naturally mischievous, it’s known to tug at the lines of anglers or popping out of rivers to startle people, among other things. Its body is covered with a slippery, slimy film that makes touching it very unpleasant to the common human.
Has Fury Swipes, Bubble, Absorb and Astonish, all to use depending on which is the most effective. Own Tempo prevents Confusion!
After Daisy, assuming she got that far, Claire’d be walking up to the third and final platform before the top, where she’d face a middle-aged man in a suit, standing politely and awaiting her approach.
‘Welcome, young trainer. Master Archie’s playing just beyond here. I’d let you go see him, but I must make sure you’re up to the challenge first.’
Butler Ramsey would like to battle!
Pokédex Entry #672 – Skiddo, the Mount Pokémon. It is believed to be one of the first Pokémon to start living with humans in harmony. It is known to have a placid disposition, and only really battle if used by a trainer. If it has sunshine and water, it doesn’t need to eat, because it can generate the energy it needs to survive from the leaves on its back.
Knows Tackle, Growth, Vine Whip, Tail Whip, Leech Seed and Razor Leaf. Sap Sipper boosts its Attack if hit by a Grass move. It’ll start by trying to Tail Whip or Leech Seed its opponent, then go for Razor Leaf or Tackle depending on the enemy.
Pokédex Entry #470 – Leafeon, the Verdant Pokémon. Its cells have evolved to take the same properties as plant-cells. Performing intense photosynthesis, it cleans polluted air and releases fresh oxygen into the air about it, the air always feels fresh around a Leafeon. Although it tends to dislike disputes, it will sharpen the leaf on its tail into a blade should it need to battle.
Knows Tackle, Tail Whip, Helping Hand, Sand Attack, Razor Leaf and Quick Attack. Sand Attack and Razor Leaf would make an excellent combo. Quick Attack a blinded opponent with Sand attack if type-disadvantage.
Pokédex Entry #274 – Nuzleaf, the Wily Pokémon. It lives in densely overgrown forests, where it bores holes in large trees to live in. It pulls a lead from its head and makes a flute with. The flute, sometimes heard by forest-land travelers, have special powers that strike fear and uncertainty into people’s hearts. It dislikes having its long nose pinched.
Knows Pound, Harden, Growth, Nature Power, Fake Out, Razor Leaf. If he faces someone he feels he can take the time against, he’ll Growth in place before shooting Razor Leafs. If type-disadvantage, Fake Out into the enemy, then start a Pound barrage from there.
What would be Claire’s strategies in the battles ahead? She’d be allowed to go heal between each, if she so wanted.
It wouldn’t take very long for Dawkin to find a Cacnea, standing on its own in the sands next to a rock. While they weren’t sprawling the place, so to say, it didn’t need much else than simply moving about to see the green of them standing out among the rocks and sands.
The cactus was sending out a scent to attract its prey, except humans are not part of its diet. Honestly, I am unsure what is, but anyways. Not sticking to its usual tactics of waiting the prey to get close, the little cactus pretending to be a normal cactus spun towards Dawkin and directed its “hands” at him, obviously threatening the thorn-like attack which the Pokédex described.
‘Cacnea!’ it announced, looking vaguely threatening. It really only meant to make them aware of it and make them move on… but that’s not why Dawkin was here. Moving forth would most certainly result in a battle. What would Dawkin do?
One thing Amelia’d note. She wasn’t the only kinda-mystic that had been attracted to this place. There were Hex Maniacs, Channellers and Mediums about, attracted by the mystic energies of the Old Tombs, and Amelia could feel they had Ghost Pokémon on them. There weren’t a lot of them, one of each specifically, trying to make it through the desert that was SO not their element. She could feel them, but they didn’t seem like they could feel her in return.
Also, wasn’t there something strange in the distance? There was a ghostly presence, but it was volatile. Somewhat akin to what she might remember Angelique caused the evil-minded Pokémon of Witchpeak Cemetery…
Pickup - Pumpkaboo is now holding Soft Sand. Where he found that is anyone’s guess.
@Dusksong Yeah, purely statistically, this is going like this. How do you react to that?
@Old Amsterdam@Gardevoiran That went like this, heh. I did consider that Bubble is a multi-Pokémon affecting move, but Scraggy's a decent amount further back than #8, so I figured it'd be like this, yeah.
@Demon Shinobi Okay, so I'm going to reason that even the slowest Pokémon isn't THAT slow in the future, but I just looked over their stats to get an idea of how this interaction would go and saw their speed-stats, I just really wanted to write it like this. XD
Skurupi glared, leered as it was, as Dei as he ran towards the skorpion, and Dei felt that his defense had been lowered… but that meant that Dei got in the first attack!
'Skorp…!' Skorupi recoiled as it was hurt by Dei’s scratch, recoiling a bit from the tear of the claws but being too heavy for Charmander to topple at this moment. For the next exchange, Dei once again struck first, striking a blow on the armour of the scorpion… but Skorupi had pretty decent defenses. In return…
'Skorup!' Skorupi struck up with its spiked claw, striking across Dei’s face somewhat from underneath. While Dei held nothing that could be bashed out of his hands by Knock Off, significant damage was dealt to the Lizard Pokémon, more so than he could cause in return. Oaken looked content.
'… Just in case you’re hoping for a lucky Critical Hit…' Oaken smirked, pushing his glasses back and seeming utterly convinced of his victory. 'Skorupi’s ability is Battle Armor. It means Critical Hits does no additional damage. Such silly things as “Luck” should have no influence on the tide of battle, it is the perfect ability for me.'
Saying so, Oaken simply looked to the battle, still smiling.
'Skorupi, continue your Knock Off. Continue, until your opponent has fainted. At this rate, you will win.'
'Sko!' Skorupi sounded, intent on going in for another blow.
Alice and Skylar pulled off their strategy, and the opponents had to calibrate. Cici shot out her Smokescreen pellet at Scraggy…
'Ah! Scraggy, dodge!' Vivia commanded, her eyes widened as she realized how well that countered Leer.
'Scraggy?' Scraggy asked, not entirely sure why he was to dodge until the smokescreen pellet blew up in his face and spread smoke around him. 'Scraaaaaag…!' he complained loudly, spinning in place and kicking about. Then, Seabreeze flew in, and-
'Tsk! Scraggy, behind you! Low Kick!' Vivia commanded instead. On the command, Scraggy spun despite not being able to see, and thrust out his leg! … Right underneath Seabreeze the flying bird, who proceeded to Supersonic him in the face. Scraggy recoiled, stumbling back and falling over, rolling out of the smokescreen before scrambling up onto his legs… and stumbled again.
'Sc-scrag…?' Scraggy asked. Scraggy became confused!
'Geh! Scraggy, go after the Wingull! Low Kick! … Er, High Low Kick!' Vivia commanded, looking a bit flustered by the whole event. Scraggy, still stumbling, tried to stumble around the smokescreen to reach after Seabreeze to try to jump up into the air after him to attempt the “High Low Kick”… however that was supposed to go while Scraggy was confused.
Meanwhile, after having shot out the Smokescreen, Cici had a Barboach chasing after her. #8 kicked up a Mud-Slap against her Bubbles…! … And as we know, Water is effective against Ground, so the bubbles struck right through, the mud thickening as the bubbles hit them and plunging uselessly down onto the grass in between the two Water-Pokémon.
'Agh! This one, too…!?' Simon flinched back, glaring at the match-up…
'Vivia! We still need to team up on Horsea! #8, charge through the bubbles, then Mud-Slap up close!' Simon commanded, and #8 decided to meet the Bubble attack head-on, crashing through the high-powered Bubbles taking decent damage, but intending on getting close enough to Mud-Slap without needing to fear the attack being rendered useless!
'Eh? Vivia blinked a little as she realized she might have diverted from the strategy. 'I-I’ll get back to you on that…!' she said, as Scraggy was still trying to Low Kick a bird.
Both Tank and Spike increased their Defense before one another, Rodger just looking on with a doubtful expression for a bit.
'Now, I could just hunker up with another Harden… but that’s no fun. Spike! Tackle!' Rodger called, smiling excitedly.
'Ferrrrro…' Spike called, before starting to roll slowly towards Tank…
And here, not counting Shuckle, we were now presented with the slowest Pokémon in existence and the second slowest Pokémon in existence (shared with two others) heading for one another to Tackle, Tank and Spike charging with determination yet definitely taking their time, Tank’s feet only taking him forward at a very specific pace and Spike’s rolling speed leaving much to be desired. The Munchlax and Ferroseed closed ever closer to one another, one step and partial roll at a time, their eyes meeting every time Spike actually completed a lap and had his eyes towards Tank. … This kept on for long enough that someone might doubt what they were doing, but finally, came the climactic impact…!
Despite how slow Tank was charging, the hit to his opponent came with considerable impact. A burst of force happened as the two Pokémon met, and Tank was the stronger. Yet, the iron barbs stung into him, causing considerable damage as Spike simply rolled away a bit and back into an upright position, not having taken much damage at all. Not very effective, as it were. Spike’s defense was naturally higher, meaning the boosting of his defense had more effect than Tank’s Defense Curl. Still, Tank had far more endurance than Spike and could take more damage, so it was perhaps hard to tell who was in better shape.
'Alright! Keep Tackling! You’re faster than your opponent, for perhaps the only time in your life! Chase him down! Soak in the feeling! ENJOY IT!' Rodger grinned happily, and Spike didn’t need to be told twice.
'Ferrroseeeed…!' Spike called, and resumed its rolling towards Tank!
So, the two headed out into the desert. Then, without any further ado…
Route 7
A rocky desert stretches out behind Raremine Town. Route 7 is located in somewhat of a basin, surrounded by giant cliffs that cause all the clouds to empty themselves of water before passing this single area, causing the single most potent desert of Isson, the sun eternally glaring down with heat echoing from the sand beneath. While this desert contains a lot more rocks than a regular vast desert does due to the cliffs sometimes falling down into it and the boulders rolling about, there is somewhat of an influx of air soaring down into the valley, regularly blowing sand up into the skies. Sandstorms are a semi-regular occurrence on Route 7, and one in particular is always covering up the path that is said to lead to the Mystic Oasis, which can only be reliably found through the assistance of a Vivillon, which was found out a while ago by the citizens of Raremine Town. Still, the path to the Desert Mines is usually clear and populated by miners walking back and forth, and those fortunate can pass all the way to the Old Tombs without any issues…
Yet those crossing the desert do need to keep their wits about, for sandstorms are not the only things that might potentially lie in wait in the sands. Here and there, there’s the swirl of creatures on the hunt swims through the sand, looking for prey…
Pokédex Entry #551 – Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokémon. They live hidden in hot desert sands to keep their body temperature from dropping. It’s capable of submerging itself and swimming in sand, only its nose and eyes sticking up occasionally. Due to not being confident in hunting, it usually goes after things that have collapsed in the desert.
Every once in a while stands a green plant emitting a strong aroma, alluring prey to walk close. It wouldn’t take a long time to find one, their green stands out in this environment.
Pokédex Entry #331 – Cacnea, the Cactus Pokémon. It lives in arid environments such as deserts. It can survive for 30 days without additional intake of water. It lures prey in with a strong aroma, before shooting its prey full of thorns or slamming them down with its thorny arms. Once a year, a yellow flower blooms on it, the more beautiful the more arid the conditions.
And occasionally there are little red balls that are supposedly Pokémon that are either running about like their butts are on fire or remain so still standing on the desert that one would think they’re asleep, which they are, they’re just standing up anyways.
Pokédex Entry #554 – Darumaka, the Zen Charm Pokémon. When its internal fire burns, it cannot calm down and has to run around. When the fire diminishes, it falls asleep and pulls its limbs into its body to form a state where it will always right itself no matter how it is pushed or pulled. Because the droppings of a Darumaka never cools down, they can be used to heat clothes by those who doesn’t consider that disgusting.
So. The desert arises before Dawkin and Amelia. What will they do from here?
Current Condition; Mostly Clear, slightly windy - There’s a swirl in the winds, throwing the occasional sand into the air. It might grow more intense, it might cool down. Only the future will tell. The usual sandstorm blows over the path to the Mystic Oasis…
1. Find Pokémon. Can be specified what kind of Pokémon is being searched for, and how you search. 2. Train Pokémon. With this command, we can jump ahead in time and skip posting about grinding. 3. Seek trainers. There are miners and the occasional archaeologist around here to potentially seek out. 4. Talk. They can also just be chatted to! 5. Move along. Move along normally, letting any events that may come happen naturally. 6. Hurry along. Intentionally avoid confrontations and try to get safely to the next destination. 7. Specify. If you specify what you want to do, the GM will take it into account and tell the result. 8. Trigger random event. Force the GM to use his imagination to make a scenario for you. 9. Area Specific; Delve into the Sandstorm. If you think you’re prepared! 10. Area Specific; Search the sands. There may be ancient items submerged in the sands around.
Connected areas: Raremine Town. Right behind you. Desert Mines. What Raremine Town stands here for! These mountains are filled with dough!. Old Tombs. Across the desert, an old and chilling place awaits those who wants to visit… Mystic Oasis. Somewhere within that sandstorm, that is.
I have a lot more to write if Sheila actually manages to get away, but still. I know Swarm might want to stalk her, and I know Jason might possibly notice Swarm stalking, in which case there's a chance Sheila might want to spy a little, maybe. I'll just leave it there for now.
The meeting was over. Contact info had been exchanged. Creep was quickly up on her feet and heading out, not intending on remaining at a known location for longer than she could help it. She stood up, didn’t take a further look at anyone inside the room and simply left, taking an immediate left turn outside. She didn’t know how far the nullification field affected, so for at least until the next intersection, she let everyone see her. However, when she reached the next intersection, she started keeping very close attention to whom could currently see her and who could not, and she had of course kept aware of anyone following her from behind. She’d display the proper image of herself to anyone watching from a direction she had not disappeared from already. She didn’t want to make it look to anyone like she vanished into thin air, as such she kept all windows in mind as well…
At the next cross section. The directions left and right did not see her appear at all. To them, she never showed up, with the exception of for the corners of the buildings straight in front, which she couldn’t hide from yet. Then, Creep took an immediate right, walking tightly behind the building, vanishing from sight to everything from the direction she had come, therefore having disappeared without a trace to anyone pursuing her directly from behind. Then, she turned left and crossed the street like any other person, walking up very close to the building in front of her, thereby cutting her out of sight from the street that had been directly in front of her when she entered the cross section. Finally, she walked around the corner and continued forward the direction she had been going, vanishing from the corners of the buildings to her left and right as well, now having vanished from the sight of all windows. She did keep watch for any civilians that would have seen her vanish unnaturally and displayed herself only in their direction, but had herself vanish for them as soon as they were not looking in her direction. Soon enough, she should have vanished from the sight of eveyone.
… After that, it depends on how successful she is at getting away from her current pursuers, who one could imagine maybe struck before she pulled her tactic. She’d, of course, keep a close watch for any pursuers with the vision her powers provided, perhaps she’d want to spy on them. Maybe.
Isolde took the reigns of Kergin and flew after the Rogue who had claimed her friend, intend on chasing him down. In a straight line, Kergin was faster than the fast-running Rogue, despite the Swiftsoles… But not by much, and then the Rogue ran into the tunnel. Marwood had Fiona chase after as well, but he couldn’t catch up before the Rogue fled through the tight corridors either. He didn’t reply to Marwood’s shout after him.
The tunnel was not straight, and it was dark due to the absence of lit torches. It was not built for a wyvern to fly through with wings spread. It was perhaps possible for a wyvern to run in here, but that wouldn’t be as fast as flying. A horse trying to gallop in her would find that the ground was uneven, unhealthy to attempt crossing at considerable speed. If either of Isolde or Marwood tried to force their way through the tunnel at top speed… they’d crash. Kergin couldn’t flap his wings and as such couldn’t turn when the tunnel suddenly twisted, same with Fiona trying to turn rapidly only to find her grip on the tunnel’s floor being insufficient and she’d continue into the wall, and that wasn’t even counting how dark it’d be. None of the crashes would cause any lasting injuries…
But the Rogue, far more suited and talented at crossing such rough terrain at high speed, was getting away.
Titania and Aldo could but hurry after on their feet, slower than their mounted companions.
__________________________
The Rogue ran as fast as he could down the rocky tunnel. It wasn’t well-maintained, being a secret and all, and there weren’t any lights. Still, the Rogue had excellent night-vision, holding Reina to himself as he ran, and he had pursuers. There was no option not to dash at full speed. However, he was putting a significant distance to those who followed him, and it was looking like he had gotten away. The tunnel curved, and the Rogue curved with it, he knew he was leaving his pursuers behind. He only had to take a couple more turns, and-
‘…!’
He tripped. A small rock stood out among the rest and caught his foot in the dark. His legs fumbled and he found himself falling over, crashing to the rocky floor along with the girl he was carrying. Cursing to himself, the Rogue rolled over and tried to shake this off him.
On the floor, lying on her stomach, Reina blinked to life from the sudden pain. She felt pain to her head, and pain from landing on her stomach. She silently confirmed she had, in fact, been captured. Doing the first thing she could think of, she carefully pulled out the pouch that she had stored the Fire Emblem in, and-
‘Can’t do that,’ the words of the Rogue scared her half to death before she realized he had in fact talked to himself. ‘Can’t fail now, so don’t make foolish mistakes. Can’t fail now…’
With that, the Rogue grabbed around Reina and lifted her again, missing the fact the pouch that contained the Fire Emblem still lay on the floor in the dark cavern. He dashed, leaving it behind. Reina kept her eyes closed, letting herself be taken away lest she might rouse suspicion with the Rogue…
Hevel, still slightly red in his face after having had a girl/dragon sleeping on him the whole journey, was most certainly looking anywhere but behind him as Kara stirred, sitting straight and keeping his wits about. Nope. Nothing behind him. Nothing interesting whatsoever. Oh, look, a butterfly- no, wait, that was just one of the usual butterflies. Huh.
So, then they arrived, watching the mustering Jehannan troops and the small pockets of resistance that were quickly being decimated on the inside, and the guards that stood on the outside. Hevel stood and looked back and forth as Servus asked for opinions on how to get past, while Kara told that she intended to wait. Hevel looked a little apprehensive, before he spoke.
‘If… if you want me to, I could distract the guards at the gate. Give them a false lead outside the town that they’ll go off chasing, or just steal their things so they chase me. I’m, uh, a fairly accomplished practitioner of those arts. I could do it, if you wish me to, in order to give you an opening to slip in. Or, if you want me to slip in undetected and do something, I can probably do that, too. Yeah. I’m good at those things,’ he told, before looking down into the ground and starting to mutter to himself.
‘That is, if you for some reason feel you trust me to the degree you think I won’t immediately sell you out, that’d be pretty bad. You just grabbed me off the wayside, what proof do you have you can trust me to that degree? I mean, I know I won’t, but you don’t, why would you? But, anyway, I thought I’d say that I can do it. Just don’t use me to make a living with these skills, you know? If you do that, I’m gone, heh. Been there, done that, and all that…’
Up to the other two what they decide to do now.
… Kara felt the Fire Emblem coming to a sudden stop underground, not far from the buildings on the right side of the map…
Notable Individuals;
Blue Wyvern Rider Servus - Abandoned his home as a rogue mercenary. Adores his rare wyvern, Amboli. Weapon Mastery: Axe: D Level: 6 Equipment and Items: Halberd, Vulnerary, Pure Water
Blue Thief Hevel - A young man on an aimless journey. A timid but humane thief that often monologues with himself. Weapon Mastery: Sword: D Level: 2 Equipment and Items: Iron Sword, Lockpick
Blue Manakete Kara - Mature and worldly Manakete with a strong wanderlust and an even stronger appetite. Weapon Mastery: Stone: D Level: 6 Equipment and Items: Dragonstone, Vulnerary (2 uses)
Green Soldier in down-right corner. Viridia - Daughter of a Jehannan hero. Serious, righteous and dependable. Weapon Mastery: Lance: D Level: 3 Equipment and Items: Iron Lance
Green Knight in down-right corner. Osmund – A Grado Knight from the countryside. Inexperienced warrior with intimidating visage. Weapon Mastery: Lance: E Level: 2 Equipment and Items: Iron Lance, Vulnerary, Antitoxin
Red Knight Boss Zane - Former knight of Grado, now a commander of Jehanna. Craves battle and greater challenges. Weapon Mastery: Lance: C Level: 12 Equipment and Items: Iron Lance
Red Warrior on throne Nurit - Second-in-Command of Rhodri’s Wheel Guild. A hearty girl with a vicious battle-lust who feels at home at sea. Weapon Mastery: Axe: ???, Bow: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Killer Axe, Steel Bow, Hero Crest
Red Wyvern Knight next to throne Nadir - Second-in-Command of Eira’s Storm Guild. A charming man who dutifully takes care of all Eira can’t handle. Weapon Mastery: Axe: ???, Lance: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Spear, Elysian Whip
… So. If Isolde, Marwood and Titania kept going, they’d eventually pass a pouch that blended into the bottom of the dark, unlit tunnel. The Rogue got away with Reina, but perhaps they’d notice the piece of cloth with something slightly brighter than the surroundings within, a rock on dark fire. Even if they missed it, Titania would most certainly sense it when she got too close, the power within it becoming apparent to the magic-user from this close. … And if she didn’t pick it up, Aldo would. Anyways.
What would they do? Carry on through the tunnel eventually, probably, but at what speed and with what level of desperation?
Pirouette
Xaltwind
Alby47
Izurich
Damycles
jimapple
Zapdos
Remram
samreaper
