[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

(Now that Spira's through chara-developing and nicknaming for now, I'll have him join in at this point, but he hasn't heard it talk, yet.)
Spira sees the HUGE Arcanine and all those eggs... "Whoa. Nice doggy..." Four of the eggs Spira recognizes off the bat: Shinx, Vulpix, Magikarp, and Absol, and has the following to say about each of them.
Shinx: "Wow, haven't seen a Shinx Egg since I was in Sinnoh."
Magikarp: he doesn't say anything out loud, but snickers thinking "What is a Magikarp egg doing with these rarer Pokemon Eggs?"
Vulpix: "Now that is a rare Pokemon Egg. I've only seen one, not including this one."
Absol: "These eggs are pretty rare to see, but I've seen one or two at Mt. Coronet."

Since you're investigating the Eggs more closely, you notice something funny about the "Absol Egg." It's almost completely transparent, aside from a twisted stripe of colors in the core. And it's only loosely Egg-shaped, looking more like a crude stone.

When you call Arcanine a "nice doggy" it bares humongous fangs. "Spiritwalker, I could send you flying with one swipe of my paw. I have lived for centuries and seen most of Creshire's history firsthand, including the rise and fall of Kings. I have slain hungry monsters and Men who dared invade my sanctum. I am not a 'nice doggy.' I care little what humans think of my obedience, and I make no claim toward goodness. My only goal is to fulfill my Pledge, to reintroduce fairytale Pokemon when they are needed most."

[Dragonstrike]

"You may touch them, share only love with them, but do not touch the Egg of Celebi. If you recognize it, you will know why - when you touch that Egg, the Time wrapped around you will straighten out, and our discussion will end."

"That is what we must discuss. In your Time, have any of these Pokemon had their very existence endangered? Vulpix, the Kitsune. Dratini, the Wyrm. Flabebe, the fairy caretaker of meadows. Shinx, the wise sphinx. Moltres, the phoenix who so few can tame. Absol, the dark angel. Minicorn, the pure-hearted unicorn. Magikarp, the brave fish who climbs the waterfall and becomes the dragon. And careful Celebi, who multiplies herself across Time and asked me to keep this Egg as a special favor. These are the Myths who have not yet found a suitable Time in which to hatch."


"Humans? I have seen many. They are the reason many of these Pokemon have gone extinct in the future or past. They are the reason the cycles of the Comet have not replenished the Earth as they should. They are the reason Pokemon's power dims just as Nature's does."

Oh.  Guarding endangered species.  Gotcha.  Well then, Nathan and Gallade relax a little!  Flygonno probably relaxes a little too and lands, but keeps its distance.

Oh, and Arcanine also knows they're time travelers?  Well, that makes things easier.

Which species are endangered?  This sounds like Nathan's territory!

- "Vulpix are definitely not endangered.  They live in various locations all over the world.  There's even Ice type variants in the Alola region.  I think Kalos is the only region that doesn't have Vulpix naturally occurring there."

- "Dratini are also rather rare, and are on the endangered species list.  They usually live underwater, so if there's large colonies of them, humans haven't seen them.  Usually, if somebody encounters a member of the Dratini line, it's because the dragon chose to appear before a human worthy of training them.  They're extremely rare because they're both low in number and rather shy."

- "I can't say I've ever seen a Flabebe before.  I know Bill has a Florges, but most of that evolution line lives in Kalos as far as I know, and that's probably where he caught it if I had to guess.  It's definitely on the endangered species list in Creshire."

- "Shinx are a little rare in Creshire, mostly because they're popular pokemon to train, but they're not on the endangered species list to my knowledge.  I have a Shinx of my own, my dad has a Luxray...most of the ones in Creshire live in Mt. Sentry in our time, I think.  Other than that, I think most of them are in Sinnoh."

- "I've never actually seen a Moltres in person.  They're considered Legendary, after all.  I know that what ones have been seen usually reside in volcanoes.  They're apparently most common in the Tohjo area and sometimes migrate to other places along with Zapdos and Articuno, but they're all incredibly rare even in the region where they're most common."

"Absol definitely aren't endangered.  Most of them live in the mountains no matter what region they live in.  They usually don't appear unless there's some kind of disaster about to occur, but there are sightings all over the world."

- "...I've never heard of Minicorn before, actually.  You said it's a horse-like pokemon?"

- "Magikarp aren't rare at all in our time.  They're literally the most common pokemon in existence by then.  If there's a body of water, there's probably Magikarp living in it.  Gyarados are rather rare, though, mostly because nobody really understands how or why Magikarp, one the weakest pokemon in our time, evolves into the sea serpent."

- "Celebi, much like Moltres, I can't really comment on properly since it's a Legendary.  There's definitely one still around in our time though, and we actually have met her.  Well, I suppose that was obvious, given that we're here...it's hard to know how many of her species there actually are, though, given the whole time travel thing."

[Iron]

"Humans are not Pokemon - the only ruling race to ever hold that distinction. True, you can connect to Nature, and many humans do. The human capacity for love is no small thing, and many Pokemon are happy to befriend humans. As a collective, however, your influence on this continent has not been kind to Pokemon habitat. The tradition of heading out on a journey is much more fulfilling than the tradition of claiming as much land as possible for one's own devices. Perhaps it is different in your time, and if not, perhaps you can do something for me: help to make it so."

[Dragonstrike]

Since you're investigating the Eggs more closely, you notice something funny about the "Absol Egg." It's almost completely transparent, aside from a twisted stripe of colors in the core. And it's only loosely Egg-shaped, looking more like a crude stone.

Wait a second...I assume that when Nathan points the Rainbow Relic at that 'Absol Egg', the black side starts blinking more quickly?

"...hang on...is that...is that an Absolite, Arcanine?"

[Mikaruge108]

Spoiler

(Now that Spira's through chara-developing and nicknaming for now, I'll have him join in at this point, but he hasn't heard it talk, yet.)
Spira sees the HUGE Arcanine and all those eggs... "Whoa. Nice doggy..." Four of the eggs Spira recognizes off the bat: Shinx, Vulpix, Magikarp, and Absol, and has the following to say about each of them.
Shinx: "Wow, haven't seen a Shinx Egg since I was in Sinnoh."
Magikarp: he doesn't say anything out loud, but snickers thinking "What is a Magikarp egg doing with these rarer Pokemon Eggs?"
Vulpix: "Now that is a rare Pokemon Egg. I've only seen one, not including this one."
Absol: "These eggs are pretty rare to see, but I've seen one or two at Mt. Coronet."

Since you're investigating the Eggs more closely, you notice something funny about the "Absol Egg." It's almost completely transparent, aside from a twisted stripe of colors in the core. And it's only loosely Egg-shaped, looking more like a crude stone.

When you call Arcanine a "nice doggy" it bares humongous fangs. "Spiritwalker, I could send you flying with one swipe of my paw. I have lived for centuries and seen most of Creshire's history firsthand, including the rise and fall of Kings. I have slain hungry monsters and Men who dared invade my sanctum. I am not a 'nice doggy.' I care little what humans think of my obedience, and I make no claim toward goodness. My only goal is to fulfill my Pledge, to reintroduce fairytale Pokemon when they are needed most."

Spira literally jumps when he hears the Arcanine speak. "Uh... Sorry?" He's a little too shocked to say anything else to the Arcanine.
Directed to Nathan (@Dragonstrike): "Huh. On closer inspection I don't think that's an Absol egg after all, it's probably one of those 'Mega Stones' that you mentioned."

[Iron]

"Minicorn looks something like a Ponyta, though its alignment is Fairy rather than Fire. Some take on Dark allegiances when they evolve, but they can still breed with other Minicorn, with Ponyta and her ilk. The role of each Egg is to one day breed, when the Time is right. It is my hope that each infant Pokemon will learn the abilities it needs to pass down to strong progeny who can repopulate Creshire with their majesty."

"Magikarp can evolve in several ways, all of which involve fulfilling a fairytale. That is why I guard it. It seems in your time, the humans have forgotten these tales, but the Magikarp have not if Gyarados is still present. Maybe that is for the best."

"Absol is not endangered in any time, for Absol can foretell disasters and avoid succumbing to them. That is probably why they avoid humans. However, their dark angelic form is often endangered, for it requires specific circumstances of love and connection to be sustainable, and too often they are vilified by unthinking humans."

[Iron]

Since you're investigating the Eggs more closely, you notice something funny about the "Absol Egg." It's almost completely transparent, aside from a twisted stripe of colors in the core. And it's only loosely Egg-shaped, looking more like a crude stone.

Wait a second...I assume that when Nathan points the Rainbow Relic at that 'Absol Egg', the black side starts blinking more quickly?

"...hang on...is that...is that an Absolite, Arcanine?"

"It is a mineral involved in sustaining Absol's angelic form."

Yep, it looks just like that pic, and the Rainbow Relic senses it.

[Iron]

Spoiler

(Now that Spira's through chara-developing and nicknaming for now, I'll have him join in at this point, but he hasn't heard it talk, yet.)
Spira sees the HUGE Arcanine and all those eggs... "Whoa. Nice doggy..." Four of the eggs Spira recognizes off the bat: Shinx, Vulpix, Magikarp, and Absol, and has the following to say about each of them.
Shinx: "Wow, haven't seen a Shinx Egg since I was in Sinnoh."
Magikarp: he doesn't say anything out loud, but snickers thinking "What is a Magikarp egg doing with these rarer Pokemon Eggs?"
Vulpix: "Now that is a rare Pokemon Egg. I've only seen one, not including this one."
Absol: "These eggs are pretty rare to see, but I've seen one or two at Mt. Coronet."

Since you're investigating the Eggs more closely, you notice something funny about the "Absol Egg." It's almost completely transparent, aside from a twisted stripe of colors in the core. And it's only loosely Egg-shaped, looking more like a crude stone.

When you call Arcanine a "nice doggy" it bares humongous fangs. "Spiritwalker, I could send you flying with one swipe of my paw. I have lived for centuries and seen most of Creshire's history firsthand, including the rise and fall of Kings. I have slain hungry monsters and Men who dared invade my sanctum. I am not a 'nice doggy.' I care little what humans think of my obedience, and I make no claim toward goodness. My only goal is to fulfill my Pledge, to reintroduce fairytale Pokemon when they are needed most."

Spira literally jumps when he hears the Arcanine speak. "Uh... Sorry?" He's a little too shocked to say anything else to the Arcanine.
Directed to Nathan (@Dragonstrike): "Huh. On closer inspection I don't think that's an Absol egg after all, it's probably one of those 'Mega Stones' that you mentioned."

"Are you a friend of these other two humans? They were just helping me defend these Eggs from predator Pokemon."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

"Humans are not Pokemon - the only ruling race to ever hold that distinction. True, you can connect to Nature, and many humans do. The human capacity for love is no small thing, and many Pokemon are happy to befriend humans. As a collective, however, your influence on this continent has not been kind to Pokemon habitat. The tradition of heading out on a journey is much more fulfilling than the tradition of claiming as much land as possible for one's own devices. Perhaps it is different in your time, and if not, perhaps you can do something for me: help to make it so."

"Minicorn looks something like a Ponyta, though its alignment is Fairy rather than Fire. Some take on Dark allegiances when they evolve, but they can still breed with other Minicorn, with Ponyta and her ilk. The role of each Egg is to one day breed, when the Time is right. It is my hope that each infant Pokemon will learn the abilities it needs to pass down to strong progeny who can repopulate Creshire with their majesty."

A warm smile washes over Shiva's expression, as well as sudden glance of sadness and melancholy - but given the last words of this precious fierly canine, she gets the feeling this Arcanine is putting hope in...her, maybe? She may be wrong that, but that's what her heart it telling her. She enjoys that feeling, feels blessed even.

"I know, Noble Arcanine, I know. Someone wise once said that Mother Nature can live without humans rather well, while we humans can never live without Mother Nature. The same may be true for Pokemon as well in some way. Still, humans can be so reckless, use nature to their own benefit, use Pokemon. Hate and malevolent feelings can be found everywhere. It's saddening... But..." She perks up. "Love is said to be the strongest force in the universe." She cuddles Cottonee after having stated this to emphasize this, the vivid fluffball happily reciprocates the affection - Shiva seems to have a lot of love to give, both to benloved Pokemon and people. It's a display of a sweet bond for a lifetime. A pity Ventus isn't here for a display of romantic affection.

"A journey does not claim land... A journey is to experience the land. In our time, many young people head out for a journey once having received a Starter Pokemon... They all come back changed in some way." She smiles once more at this thought.

She also seems very curious when it's been stated that the intention for these young Pokemon is to grow up, learn under the care of a matching human and one day even be the origin of a majestic and noble progeny. If she'd hear that Minicorn is practically exterminated since long before King Sarimanok's time, she'd be even more interested. "A FAIRY you say, Noble Arcanine...? Fairies, these mischievous and sweet beings of nature that choose carefully who they bond with are my favorite and prefered Type to be... And one day, may it take years to decades even, I'll be the one to overtake my kindhearted father's Daycare." She pauses here for a moment, gathers her courage to speak out what she wishes for: "I'd be...happy and incredibly thankful if you, Noble Arcanine and Caretaker of the Cave of Myth, are fine with letting me take the Egg of Minicorn into my care to try fulfill your given task and hope as your suggested thanks for defeating these predators."

With tension and held breath she awaits Arcanine's answer, she cuddles Cottonee even closer while doing so.



Shiva would and will also put in good words for Spira if needed, @Mikaruge108.

[Dragonstrike]

"Minicorn looks something like a Ponyta, though its alignment is Fairy rather than Fire. Some take on Dark allegiances when they evolve, but they can still breed with other Minicorn, with Ponyta and her ilk. The role of each Egg is to one day breed, when the Time is right. It is my hope that each infant Pokemon will learn the abilities it needs to pass down to strong progeny who can repopulate Creshire with their majesty."

"Magikarp can evolve in several ways, all of which involve fulfilling a fairytale. That is why I guard it. It seems in your time, the humans have forgotten these tales, but the Magikarp have not if Gyarados is still present. Maybe that is for the best."

"Absol is not endangered in any time, for Absol can foretell disasters and avoid succumbing to them. That is probably why they avoid humans. However, their dark angelic form is often endangered, for it requires specific circumstances of love and connection to be sustainable, and too often they are vilified by unthinking humans."

That's all definitely very interesting for Nathan to hear.  He doesn't have any further comments on Minicorn at the moment, but it's defniitely caught his interest, given that his mom breeds horses for a living.

"...maybe it is.  Gyarados are very...violent compared to most other pokemon in our time, after all.  Only the most skilled and dedicated people can even attempt to tame them."

"...too true.  One of my friends is an Absol.  When I met him, he lead a whole horde of his species into the middle of a town, specifically to warn everyone of a coming disaster, even though it'd likely send everyone into a panic...and also to find me.  I...nearly lost him earlier today.  I didn't, though, and I'm very glad of that...there was also one time where someone challenged me to a battle just because I had him out.  So petty was his desire to beat my dark friend...he walked away from the battle laughing even though he lost it, all because he managed to beat my Absol..."  Nathan shakes his head.  "...but one kind soul afterwards was at least sympathetic towards what happened, so there was that, at least."

"...unfortunately, I'm not sure Absol's more angelic form will be easy to bring back.  Not only is that hurdle of people distrusting Absol and calling them the causes of the very disasters they seek to warn people of still around, but those stones used to maintain that form are rather rare, and the other stones that are typically needed as a catalyst in addition to that one...well, they're strictly regulated by the people in charge because the transformations they cause can be very dangerous in the wrong hands."


When Arcanine asks if Spira's a friend of theirs, Nathan decides to introduce him and everyone else.  "He is, sir.  This is Spira.  My name is Nathan.  That's Shiva.  There's three others travelling with us as well.  Heart, Terra, and Thrawn.  They might be on their way to check up on us as well if Spira's here already.  There's also...one other.  Her name is Juni.  But she is not a friend of ours, nor is she a friend to most of, if not all of her pokemon.  She's currently tied up, and my Absol despises her because she's the one who nearly killed him.  I don't think she'll be paying this place a visit.  Thrawn and Terra are keeping a close eye on her to make sure she can't cause any trouble."

When Shiva asks if she can take the Minicorn egg...Nathan looks kinda surprised.  That's very...bold of her to ask.  Maybe a little too bold...he doesn't dare outright ask if he can have that Absolite...he's not sure if Arcanine would even deem them worthy of handling the fate of an entire species.

It's a big responsibility, and one this Legendary Arcanine seemingly takes very seriously.