[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

Togekiss likes this plan, but sends himself back into his Pokeball.

He seems hesitant a bit - Ventus picks up that Togekiss doesn't know anything about this situation, but simply sensed the source.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

She says, "Oi! Hello, Shiva! What a pleasant surprise. Just let me put this in my garden - oi, by the way, never go rooting around in my garden without permission and guidance. Lots of traps, you know. Shall I put the tea on? How've you been sleeping lately?"

She looked up from just waiting in front of the house, petting and cuddling Azu as the Fortune Hunter arrived. (Blue mouse it getting so much care today...) At first, Shiva was a bit suprised - mixed with just a tad of disappointment, if one would look closely - to realise she wasn't there, but now that was replaced with honest delight.

"Oh... Eh, nope, I wasn't running around in the garden. What a good way to ward off any thieves, though!" Tea offer is gladly accepted as well. "Sure, I'd be down for another tea... Preferably the same like the last time, with too much lavender in it. But I enjoy the taste quite much, so... Cannot...stay for that long though, since someone's waiting for me. Just wanted to see you because it was on the path anyway."

As for sleep... Chuckles followed. Joyfully ones. "Sleep's splendid! But that comes mostly from camping outside of city... Feels great to get some proper and pleasant rest again. However, I picked up that the sleep issues have been increased, and the media are spreading the words in worry. I wasn't in Corsage for the last few days... Did anything particular happen? I mean, beside that hug ship - what was it called again, HMS? - arriving at harbor?"

Speaking of ships... Apperantly, the ship was filled with loot. "Speaking of the HMS, I bet they carry one or two treasures with 'em! You found anything special or new meanwhile? That is, besides that...stony...beehive-thingie?"

"Oh, and nope... Haven't found someone capable of repairing a musical instrumenr yet. But I'm keeping eyes for that issue! Will give you a call if I find out more."

When Shiva eventually comes to find Nathan on the beach, he's meditating with Kirlia, to try and clear their minds of some of the invasive gloom.  Neither seem to have noticed her approaching yet.

Before Time Skip.

He called that shard of duskglass 'incredibly value'... This only sweetened the item. "Favorite iem of Move Tutors... Haha, maybe it should become my new signature item or something the like? But sure, I'm taking good care of it."

She was quite overjoyed to hear Nathan accepting. So many positive feelings in this so-far day! "Sure thing... And thanks a lot! I'll get a hold of you as fast as possible. If I cannot find you for some weird reason, I'll give you a call. As for battle, 6vs6? Need to withdraw Cottonee from Nurse Joy's care at first. And Double Battle prefered. So be it then, see you soon~" With those words and  waving to him, they temporarly parted ways.


After Time Skip.

As she searched the surrounding, she spotted both Nathan and Kirlia there at the beachside. Lost in their thoughts, it seemed. Meditation? How clever... Besides, she still hasn't yet gotten back to Ven on the offer to teach Helios some basic meditation, with the aim to develope an awareness of the alpha-waves of his brain. Will do so as soon as they reunite.

She felt an instant-urge to sneak up to Nathan and suprise him with a tacklehug...before she brushed that thought off rather quickly. It'd be rude and disrepectful to interrupt someone in meditation like this, not even speaking of the danger that the mind would not get along with it in the current calm state. So instead, Shiva called out Fennekin and - after fox licked over her hand as a greeting - ordered him to sneak up to Nathan instead of herself and carefully nudge him to awake from meditation. If that does not work, use Howl to get their attention.

[Iron]

"I did some trading with the sailors from the HMS Challenging Gaze. I believe I made a profit overall, though we did not trade in money at all.

As for my musical instrument, I have come to believe it is quite the potent item. I hope I can find a repairman!"

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(Perfect timing!)


At some point while awaiting the Fortune Hunter Lady to return, Shiva also received that voice mail from Ven. Coincidence that she was just admirering the pinkish fur of shiny Stunky on the photo she took. And immediately she was...hell of fascinated as well as just a tad bit shocked over his plans. Pinkish beach sounds awesome... And weird... Mostly awesome, however.

She sent a message to him as a reply that reads the following: "Got that, take good care and sleep well and pleasant then. And most important, don't do anything that'd get you into trouble!" She also added a causal friendship-related 'Love you~' as a greting, but rather quickly edited that out before sending message.

[Lord Windos]

Togekiss likes this plan, but sends himself back into his Pokeball.

He seems hesitant a bit - Ventus picks up that Togekiss doesn't know anything about this situation, but simply sensed the source.

The researcher was surprisedwhen his Togekiss flew down to him, and asked to be returned to its ball. He figured they would have camped out in the tree branches tonight, but this dream daemon must have spooked them severely. Ven did receive Raphael's confusion over the town 's plight, but he just pats their head.

"Worry not, my archangel. This negativity you have guided me too is the cause of Corsage's delima right now. Once I have taken card of the fiend, everything should gradually return to normal. Until I have sighted them, though, you may rest in your Pokeball," Ventus said, returning them and resuming their watch.

Their phone buzzing distracted them ,causing him to pull it out to check who messaged him. When it turned out to be Shifa, he read through it, before they smiled. Her concern filled his heart with joy, and he hoped that he indeed does not have something I'll happen to him!

[Dragonstrike]

After Time Skip.

As she searched the surrounding, she spotted both Nathan and Kirlia there at the beachside. Lost in their thoughts, it seemed. Meditation? How clever... Besides, she still hasn't yet gotten back to Ven on the offer to teach Helios some basic meditation, with the aim to develope an awareness of the alpha-waves of his brain. Will do so as soon as they reunite.

She felt an instant-urge to sneak up to Nathan and suprise him with a tacklehug...before she brushed that thought off rather quickly. It'd be rude and disrepectful to interrupt someone in meditation like this, not even speaking of the danger that the mind would not get along with it in the current calm state. So instead, Shiva called out Fennekin and - after fox licked over her hand as a greeting - ordered him to sneak up to Nathan instead of herself and carefully nudge him to awake from meditation. If that does not work, use Howl to get their attention.

Nathan's just a little too distracted with the meditation right now to notice his pokedex buzzing since he'd turned off its ringing for the purposes of focusing more on the meditation...when a fox walks up to him, though?

*Nudge*

Kirlia opens his eyes when the fox nudges Nathan.  He levels a narrow eyed stare at the fox, then sighs.

It takes Nathan a moment longer to react, but he noticed.  He was trying his best to distract himself from the atmosphere of the area, so it just took him a longer to wrap up his train of thought.  

He sees Fennekin looking up at him when he checks on what nudged him.  He looks over at Kirlia...and sighs as well.  He'd let down his guard again, and Kirlia hadn't warned him about anything if he'd sensed it in advance.  Darn it.  "Alright, time to go, I guess...let's get this over with..."

He, Kirlia, and Fennekin walk over to Shiva.  "Alright, let's get this started.  Explanation first, then battle.  Seems to be the most convenient way to do things."

Back at the Center, he makes sure they find a quiet back room nobody will disturb them in.  Once the door is locked and he's satisfied that nobody else is around, he asks, "So, what do you want to discuss first?  I have three things to talk about: The Breeder's License, my explanation, and since you want to get stronger, a couple general tips for battles.  We can discuss them in whatever order you wish."

[Nylon]

(...)

They welcome Valder aboard the Challenging Gaze, seeing how strong he is. Every sailor's eyes are stern, but they all wear cheeky Poliwag caps in stark contrast to their grim faces. Each and every one carries six Pokeballs on his belt and has muscles to match Valder's.

Two ladders, a staircase, a fireman's pole, and a broad slide lead down to various parts of the ship's underbelly. There's also three cargo elevators. On this upper deck, there's a big cabin suite of solid stone in the center, which hosts all the most important personages. The other quarters are either common rooms belowdecks or wooden cabins above.

Machokes are already unloading a lot of the cargo, but they will hire Valder for $475 a night to do work that requires a little more intelligence. He'd basically be a low level manager, tasked with doing a bit of heavy lifting and a lot of clipboard work.

During this job, Valder actually meets someone from his former life! A tough character with a bald head and many tattoos of fierce Pokemon. You remember him as Fellman, who had always wanted to sail.

 Valder gets a teeny anxious at first, but realizes that everyone here is relatively busy with their own work, which restores the anxious level to 0. Maybe 0.1, but that's nothing.
 He's happy with the pay, he enjoys these types of work.

 Then, Valder sees someone who looks a lot like someone he once knew. Wanting to satisfy his rare curiousity, Valder quietly walks over and asks for their name... which revealed that this really was him. "Fellman. Do you remember me? I see that you finally, after all those years, got to sail. Is the sea... nice? Or do you call it ocean?

 Valder asks Theo if he wants to help with the work. Theo likes to show his strength after all, so that should be to his liking.

[Iron]

Theo is happy to help lift things.

"The sea, Valder, the sea! Sweet freedom above all other freedoms! After years being...far less than free, this is the life!! And my skills from the previous life are applicable here. You learn to survive, don'tcha! You should give sailing a try if you ever get the chance!"

"But hey, I got a tip for you. You remember those weird cloaked guys, the Water Scimitars? Some of them disembarked this boat and headed for Wineberry town. Weren't you interested in those guys? Said something about a repair job. They had bought some pieces of red metal and some computer stuff."

[Nylon]

Theo is happy to help lift things.

"The sea, Valder, the sea! Sweet freedom above all other freedoms! After years being...far less than free, this is the life!! And my skills from the previous life are applicable here. You learn to survive, don'tcha! You should give sailing a try if you ever get the chance!"

"But hey, I got a tip for you. You remember those weird cloaked guys, the Water Scimitars? Some of them disembarked this boat and headed for Wineberry town. Weren't you interested in those guys? Said something about a repair job. They had bought some pieces of red metal and some computer stuff."

"Red metal? were they doing a repair job? That... sounds awfully innocent. By the way, where are you going to stay? I wouldn't mind if we met again, I am supposed to work now. But tell me, where is this boat headed to after it's done here, just curious".

(when can I add the money I get from this job to the template?)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

"I did some trading with the sailors from the HMS Challenging Gaze. I believe I made a profit overall, though we did not trade in money at all.

Haha... She surely was quick when it came to the obtaining and trading of treasures. How delightful to hear. Azurill was still nestled in both the top hat and her owner's arms... Shiva enjoyed the mouse cuddling up to her. (How does Azu react to the place she's visiting alongside me?)

"Speaking of treasures... That shard of duskglass you gifted me the last time surely is a great item. It's as you told me, seemingly they can be crafted into evolution stones. Hmm... I don't think I have use for a Dusk Stone currently. But I like the shade of purpe and they're in, so I gladly look out for more of those! Also found they're selling Seaglass in the Aquarium, but I didn't bought one." Although they were so pretty...

"However, there is something weird about that particular shard you gifted me. It might be just coincidence as well, but one of those people I am traveling with - all together, we are three persons - has been behaving rather strangely shortly after I received that wore that shard of yours. Like, not in a bad way - but...strange. He's acting nervous when I come close, although he tries hard to conceal that on the outside. And randomly called me 'adorably beautiful', which he never did before. I don't mind that, but I wonder what's wrong? You think that may come from the globe the shard originates from? Or maybe the energy the shard emits makes the mind of members of the opposite gender all fuzzy? He has empathic skills, maybe that's a natural reaction... But at the same time, the Kirlia of one of us doesn't show any similar reactions."

"I find it weird, but also an interesting thing... Decided to keep wearing that shard and observe how things develope. You think that's a good idea, or would you rather go a different path?"

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

Back at the Center, he makes sure they find a quiet back room nobody will disturb them in.  Once the door is locked and he's satisfied that nobody else is around, he asks, "So, what do you want to discuss first?  I have three things to talk about: The Breeder's License, my explanation, and since you want to get stronger, a couple general tips for battles.  We can discuss them in whatever order you wish."

Back at the Center, Shiva did three things before Nathan led her into a secure back room:

1. Return the Temporary Ball to Nurse Joy. "Thanks you for lending it to me. I found a good place and owner for the Spearow."
2. Accept Cottonee back, and immediately being greeted by a cuddle from the fluffball. "Haha... Did you miss me, although I was away just a few hours?... But to be honest, I did so too. Glad that you're doing all fine!"
3. Get a cup of coffee from the Cafeteria. She asked Nathan if he wants one as well, but he refused. The taste was delightful, a little 'colourful'. Do they import Ranbow-Pokebeans from Alola?


Welp, there they were now. When was the last time both of them were in a room for a serious discussion the last time again? Feels like ages ago... Indeed, it gave Shiva waves of both anticipation and cold shivers. Let's hope his backstory is not as tragic as Ven's, she doesn't believe she could take another shock like this.

"The order does not matter to me. Please start with that one most comfortable to you, and end end with theone least comfortable. This way, the battle afterwards will likely take your mind off track of possible negativity. Additionally, feel free to ask me anything you might be curious about."

"You mind Cottonee being around? Fluffball refuses to return to her Pokeball again..." Currently, she was resting on the table beside her owner. Looks like she wasn't very fond of coffee, however.