[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Shiva found herself awaking relatively early, it were probably the side effects of getting up early as well the past days. She took it easy though, cuddled up to Cottonee and Azu for a while before actually getting up.

After a warm shower and a self-prepared breakfast she made her way to the local Pokemon Center; Gloom, Eevee and Azu siding her while Cottonee was watching the world from her most favorite place: On top of her beloved Master's head, snuggling into her hair. <3 They all enjoyed the warm weather, soaked up as much sunlight as they could get during their walk. At the Center Shiva would retrive Helios from the PC Boxes in return for Vaporeon as well as Spritzee for Purrloin, with her loyal superbrain she'd make a quick-teleportation to peaceful Cress City. She's smiling upon ariving as she quickly began to like this place for several reasons, thanks Helios for his patient help and makes her way to Violet Tent. "Come on Gloom, beneath that tent fabric resides one of my favorite spots of Chresire!~" she encourages the weed Pokemon to follow, "Stay close to me though as it may be crowded please. If you see something you like, tell me. ...Oh, the same goes for you, Spritzee!" 

Shiva will at first try to find something neat to trade for the Spring-Sawsbuck jewelry she crafted,  she's looking for something that could possibly power up Fairy Type Moves or just about anything benefitial that has to do with Pokemon of that Type. Maybe Spritzee, Cottonee and Gloom can point something out to her. Shiva's up to trade the whole bunch of jewelry worth 4500$ if the group finds something, but she'd also be fine to keep part of it. In Uranium Pretty Ribbons cost ridiculous 100$, for example.


Once that's done she'll visit Celebi Park where she'll find a quiet and peaceful spot, it'll probably end up being the place she has slept a few times already, that one where one can make cushions out of pine needles. ^^ She'll summon all of her Pokemon there and asks them to enjoy the nice weather and have a walk or something around here, they're free to have a breather here. For Cottonee, Spritzee and Gloom she's having a special task however: "Alright, you three....", Shiva adresses them with a soft and kind voice, "I realized that if I... Well, if we all wish to become stronger and do better, we have to practice facing our weaknesses and work up a way to handle these better." Shiva crosses her arms loosely after stating this and attempts to take a confident stance - it's probably a bit obvious that she has taken example from Angela. "This means: I'd like for you, dear Cottonee and lovely Spritzee, to get familiar with decent Gloom here, get to know his poisonous traits. You, dear Gloom, try to show them what makes a Poison Type, show them your Acid and Poison Powder and such. 'Know your enemy' aren't just empty words, if you know your opponent's strengths and weaknesses - THEN, and only then you will know where and how to strike to hit them the hardest. ....Please keep it friendly though! I'll be close if you need something."

Shiva will stay close, maybe not in eyesight but definitely in earshot, she'll wander around a bit herself with the Eggs of Minicorn and Flabebe safely in her arms: She's guess that this beautiful park full of nature next to a city where they love Pokemon and dislike battles for the sake of battling could be a nice place for the unicorn to repopulate, possible for Flabebe too. Mostly though, for the former.


Mechanics:
Enjoy the weather in Teazel Valley, make a trip to Violet Tent to trade the antler jewelry Shiva crafted, Training Session for Cottonee-Spritzee-Gloom, showing Celebi Park to the two young ones within the Eggs. That'll be all, I may stop by again tomorrow.

[Iron]

Spoiler

Girafarig Round 1


The dark head is completely in control when it comes to combat! And whenever a Pokemon runs by, Girafarig sniffs it to see if it's worth using Guard Swap or Power Swap.

Crunch 1
(6)(1)(2)(2)(6)(2) (5)(5)(4)(6) Critical hit
2 crit + 7* Str + 3 power = 6d6
(6)(4)(1)(3)(4)(4) Mawile takes 4 dmg 6/10hp -1 pain
CD: (3)

Ouch. Girafarig has obviously collected a Nasty Plot on its own safari adventure. Duskull flinches.

Mawile wants those buffs.

Snatch 1
(4)(6)(2)
Mawile takes on those same characteristics, her size increasing, her spikes lengthening, her Fairy nature becoming more fiendish. She can barely hold her horns up as she starts chasing the now tiny Girafarig!

(...)

Girafarig is outta here! She'd have fled when you stole her buffs and her attacks did no damage, if you didn't taunt her.

Mawile gains 10XP! That was supposed to be a decently hard encounter haha.

Not usually keen or particularly Insightful, the rugged wanderer never the less was able to see that the Girafarig's 'normal' head was acting in a suspiciously clever manner, causing his eyes to narrow but not affecting a change in his usual stoic battle seriousness. He never did quite learn how to reliably predict what trouble this species could get up to due to it literally having two minds on everything, so he was reasonably concerned about what kind of counter tricks it could pull.....

What ended up happening, though, was that his plan to pacify the crazed chimera not only went off perfectly, but almost miraculously so. The first Crunch caused him to tense and grimace ever so slightly, before he noticed that his dread specter was taking it much worse than he, so he tentatively reached over to give them a quick and comforting pat them on the head. Nothing was said about it, but he hoped it was clear that he understood their fear and wanted to help them overcome it.

Then Mawile Snatched Girafarig's buff, and everything went straight down the sinkhole for it. Her (Mawile's) transformation into more foreboding fae who's likeness and temperament would have sent his boss straight into a frothing paranoia alone was enough for him to drop his stoicism and stare at her with open surprise, but after she almost KOed the now puny Pokemon in two hits and tanked three Crunches with casual and no doubt fiendishly smug ease? The sagely monk dropped the Safari Ball he was holding. 

Yes, he was that taken aback. In retrospect he shouldn't have been, given that he knew she was a extremely capable Fairy type that benefited immensely from his training regime + her Snatched buffs and her natural Resistance to Dark Moves, but the reality of it......it was just stunning. Beware the fae indeed, as Ventus and Shiva would say in their own ways.

'......Two notes to self. One, make cake for her later. She deserves it, after doing great in Fight, and for all......the progress she made. *Mental Nod* Will surprise her with it. Two, don't make her mad without good reason. *Mental Head Shake* ...Not until I fully bond with her. Or backup. Do not want to end up like Girafarig.....or worse. *M.Ns.* Cake will help with that. It must.'

' *Beat* Hm.....need to be careful with Shiva too. She is like bad Fairy type and Genie when upset, so do not need to cause her problems.....or me.'

With those thoughts in mind and fully processed, Terra promptly recovered from his surprised stupor exactly at the moment the now not so chaotic chimera started to turn tail and run for the hills. He quickly reacted, throwing out his Safari Ball to delay its escape and/or catch it......before he realized the ball was not in hand by its absence there or in the air.

For a split second he looked utterly baffled at his ball's seemingly pulled a Teleport on him, before his gaze so happened to wander down and spotted it lying by his left foot. He then had a second realization of what happened with it in the first place, before rapidly scooping it up and aimed it once more at the fleeing beast. Whether or not he gets a chance to catch it at this point is up to the Legends, Mythics, and gods (IE: Iron)....

Regardless of that outcome, when the battle came to its definitive end the steely brawler walks right up to his ironclad sidhe , crouched down right in front of her, and rubbed her head with great fondness, all the while bearing a grin at her suffused with pride, respect, and amazement.

"Outstanding, Mawile. Did perfectly against Girafarig. Took them down with no problem, and did not get hurt much. *Nods* Very well done. Very proud of you. Here *Rummages through pockets/Inventory* You deserve this, *Nods*."

Saying thus, he pulled a couple jars of sweet fruit preserves and a Sitrus Berry, and handed them over to Mawile. Her cake will have to wait until later, but who says he can't give her another reward now? Plus, that tasty Sitrus Berry should fully restore her HP whether she took 2 or 3 Damage from Crunch 1, so all the more reason to gift it to her!

(Reaction from her, Iron?)

Terra's next Encounter (After he's finished celebrating with/congratulating Mawile) will be spent combing through Area Six with Geo for even more dangerous Pokemon, not wanting to waste any daylight or chances to challenge himself and his partners with the worst the Safari Zone has to offer. Speaking of his guide, he'll ask them if their are any legends or reports of a truly Bad Pokemon he could dedicate himself to hunting down, or if there is any notably nasty Pokemon he could lure out and take care of. Additionally, is it possible for Terra's perfect Survival Skill and good Nature Specialty (3 right now, but can raise it to 4 anytime if necessary) to add a bonuses of some kind to his Rarity Rolls? He is the quintessential wilderness survivalist, after all, so that has to count for something in the untamed lands that is the Safari Zone.

Also, what's his reaction to Mawile handily beating the stuffing out of that Odd Girafarig? Just curious is all!

You calm Mawile down. She actually seems grateful for this, since she didn't enjoy being quite so out-of-control. Mawile gains 1 Loyalty.

Hm, it does make sense to reward the perfect Survival skill, but I'm not sure how to do it as a bonus. Instead, I'll make it so Terra is more likely to find the exact kind of Pokemon he's looking for.

The Safari Zone doesn't contain much that's more dangerous than what you've already encountered. It's constantly being culled by greedy Trainers, and the permit system barely stems the tide.

Rarity: (4)(5)(6)

Geo is trying to show you some Pokemon that he thinks you might want to catch or see. He doesn't really get yet that you just want to fight big things. You shush him, and put your ear to the ground, where you hear something... strange. Strange seismic activity. And it's coming from... over there!

You rush to an area of quicksand, where you sense something is awakening, maybe something that has been asleep for a long long time.

[Iron]

You meet on a sunny plain for your battlefield.

Spira sends out his main, Toya.
Nathan sends out a small wisp of cloud, a synthetic Pokemon Spira can barely imagine! The Castform immediately transforms into a little synthetic sun.

Castform: (4)
Toya: (2)

[Iron]

For $4500 Shiva finds a really gorgeous Ethereal Ribbon. It looks a bit like a Sylveon's for some of its length, or a Cinccino for other parts, or a Contest ribbon, or a Glaceon's thingies, spotted with Gothitellian bows. The whole thing is wispy and gauzy, with a rainbow of colors and designs. The most special thing about it is how long it can stretch. It can't really bear any weight without things just phasing through it, but it can stretch to a couple dozen yards in length.

"The Ethereal Ribbon is a great item for lovers of the fairy type, who love to get into Double Battles! Two of your Pokemon can wear it at once, powering up all their Fairy moves and any move used by a Prankster! It'll get the battlefield all tangled up, hehe!"

+1 dmg dice on Fairy moves, +1 accuracy dice on moves that have been boosted by Prankster, can affect your entire team of Pokemon at once.

Celebi Park would be a great place for a single Minicorn to dwell, but they need a lot of territory.

Spritzee gets a Knowledge Training roll: (4)(1)(3)(4)(6)(4) (3)(3)(4)

Gloom gains 1 Happiness

[Dragonstrike]

Forthright actually starts off by simply basking in the sunlight.  Ah, that feels so good...

...then she notices the big, buff, scary ghost that looks like it wants to fight.  Eek!  Her first instinct is actually to go and hide behind Nathan because she has a baaaaaad feeling that the ghost could potentially hurt her quite significantly...Nathan gently urges her to stay on the battlefield, however.  "You'll do fine, Forthright.  The weather's in your favor, after all."  He smiles, though it only helps Forthright become just slightly less nervous.  Okay, if you say so...

As she slowly floats to her position on the battlefield, Nathan introduces her properly to Spira.  "Meet Forthright, Spira.  She's a Castform, a species of originally artificial pokemon that's able to predict and adapt to the weather.  They're almost impossible to find in the wild since they're an artificial species, but some organizations have been introducing them to it recently.  Mostly the Aether Foundation in Alola from what I've heard."

(OOC reference: Castform as a species was created by scientists during/just before the events of the Hoenn games, which was around 10 years ago.  While Castform can appear in the Trophy Garden in Sinnoh, the species is not native to the region)

[Mikaruge108]

Spoiler

Forthright actually starts off by simply basking in the sunlight.  Ah, that feels so good...

...then she notices the big, buff, scary ghost that looks like it wants to fight.  Eek!  Her first instinct is actually to go and hide behind Nathan because she has a baaaaaad feeling that the ghost could potentially hurt her quite significantly...Nathan gently urges her to stay on the battlefield, however.  "You'll do fine, Forthright.  The weather's in your favor, after all."  He smiles, though it only helps Forthright become just slightly less nervous.  Okay, if you say so...

As she slowly floats to her position on the battlefield, Nathan introduces her properly to Spira.  "Meet Forthright, Spira.  She's a Castform, a species of originally artificial pokemon that's able to predict and adapt to the weather.  They're almost impossible to find in the wild since they're an artificial species, but some organizations have been introducing them to it recently.  Mostly in Alola from what I've heard."

(OOC reference: Castform as a species was created by scientists during/just before the events of the Hoenn games, which was around 10 years ago.  While Castform can appear in the Trophy Garden in Sinnoh, the species is not native to the region)

"Artificial Pokemon, huh, I know about Baltoy, I've heard they sometimes show up south of Eterna, and, thanks to what I had to learn for my gym training, am somewhat familiar with Golett, though I've never actually seen either one of those." (speaking of gym training, if Nathan has any questions concerning that, he's free to ask them)

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

You calm Mawile down. She actually seems grateful for this, since she didn't enjoy being quite so out-of-control. Mawile gains 1 Loyalty.



Hm, it does make sense to reward the perfect Survival skill, but I'm not sure how to do it as a bonus. Instead, I'll make it so Terra is more likely to find the exact kind of Pokemon he's looking for.

The Safari Zone doesn't contain much that's more dangerous than what you've already encountered. It's constantly being culled by greedy Trainers, and the permit system barely stems the tide.

Rarity: (4)(5)(6)

Geo is trying to show you some Pokemon that he thinks you might want to catch or see. He doesn't really get yet that you just want to fight big things. You shush him, and put your ear to the ground, where you hear something... strange. Strange seismic activity. And it's coming from... over there!

You rush to an area of quicksand, where you sense something is awakening, maybe something that has been asleep for a long long time.

(YES! Mawile's Loyalty = Disobedience, so now she won't act however she likes unless for a GOOD reason! Just need to get her 4 More Happiness and 2 More Loyalty now to unlock the Mega Evo.....)

*Flashback!*

Terra couldn't help be grin wider at seeing his puckesqe partner perking right up at his praise the small but delicous feast he'd laid before her, with the sight of the Sitrus Berry alone causing her tiny mouth to droll with naked desire and hunger. At that moment, he knew that his friendship with the deceptive dame had reached a whole new height, and because of that he no qualms about reaching down and picking her up for a hug.

"You are welcome......Pixie. That will be your name. Pixies small, but playful, tricky, and......energetic. *Smiles* Just like you. *Questioning Look* Like it?"

I image she would have no objections to it seeing that such a name does fit her to a T, so I choose to believe she's more than happy about it, giving her partner two great big smiles and her own version of a hug, before prodding them gently in the belly and pointing down at her snacks. Much as she enjoys getting plenty of attention, she wants to fill her belly and heal her injuries more, so let her down so she can dig right in!

He obligues, and soon the pair are relaxing in each other's company, sharing the good mood and food between them.

*Flashback End!*

(I was thinking of something more along the lines of ignoring the first (6) result in the Rarity Roll, but I say that the increased probablity of get a good fight is equally fantastic!)

Up until now the sagely monk has been polite and deferring to Geo for exploring the Safari Zone, as they have greater expertise and wisdom about this stretch of wilderness, but after it became clear they weren't quite comprehending his desires for greater and greater challenges he took matters in his own hands. No disrespect or slight to his guide, but he came to the Safari Zone to mainly put himself through the flames of adversity so he could forge his bond with Duskull to a whole new level and strengthen himself/his team, and not to catch the rarest Pokemon out there. That was Heart's thing, not his!

Hopefully they (Geo) don't hold his interruption against him.....

After pinpointing an area of quicksand that was the source of those ominous tremors, he returned Pixie and sent out Posei and Duskull to investigate it, telling them to be careful and watch their step. In fact, he kindly request to his dread specter if they could phase through the ground and drive whatever it was up to the surface, or at the very least mildly inconvenience it in some way. Time to see what was lurking just beneath the surface.....

[Iron]

Spira vs Nathan Round 1

Shadow Sneak 1
(6)(5)(4)(6)(6)(1)
(4)(2) Castform takes 1 dmg 7/8hp

Weather Ball 1
(6)(6)(1)(4)(3)(4) (1)(4)(2)
(5)(5)(3)(2)(4) Toya takes 3 dmg 9/12hp -1 pain

Weather Ball 2
(2)(2)(4)(2)(1)(6) (5)(2)
(2)(3)(1)(5)(1) No damage that time. Maybe Forthright is a little intimidated.

Thunder Punch 2
(4)(5)(2)(1)(6)(3) (5)(4)(4)(4) Critical hit!
(5)(5)(3)(6) Castform takes 3 dmg 4/8hp -2 pain
CD: (1)

The two weather types clash - thunder and cloud.

Weather Ball 3
(1)(3)(6)(2)(2)
(5)(5)(5)(1)(1) Toya takes 2 dmg 7/12hp -1 pain

Thunder Punch 3
(3)(2)(4)(6)(6)(1) (4)(2)(3)
(1)(1) It's Toya's turn to do no damage.
CD: (2)

Weather Ball 4
(2)(4)(6)(6)
(2)(3)(6)(6)(3) Toya takes 2 dmg 5/12hp -2 pain

Drain Punch 4
(1)(1)(2)(5)(5)(1)(4)
(5)(6)(6) Castform takes 3 dmg 1/8hp -3 pain
Toya heals 1 hp 6/12hp -2 pain

[Iron]

Spoiler

You calm Mawile down. She actually seems grateful for this, since she didn't enjoy being quite so out-of-control. Mawile gains 1 Loyalty.



Hm, it does make sense to reward the perfect Survival skill, but I'm not sure how to do it as a bonus. Instead, I'll make it so Terra is more likely to find the exact kind of Pokemon he's looking for.

The Safari Zone doesn't contain much that's more dangerous than what you've already encountered. It's constantly being culled by greedy Trainers, and the permit system barely stems the tide.

Rarity: (4)(5)(6)

Geo is trying to show you some Pokemon that he thinks you might want to catch or see. He doesn't really get yet that you just want to fight big things. You shush him, and put your ear to the ground, where you hear something... strange. Strange seismic activity. And it's coming from... over there!

You rush to an area of quicksand, where you sense something is awakening, maybe something that has been asleep for a long long time.

(YES! Mawile's Loyalty = Disobedience, so now she won't act however she likes unless for a GOOD reason! Just need to get her 4 More Happiness and 2 More Loyalty now to unlock the Mega Evo.....)

*Flashback!*

Terra couldn't help be grin wider at seeing his puckesqe partner perking right up at his praise the small but delicous feast he'd laid before her, with the sight of the Sitrus Berry alone causing her tiny mouth to droll with naked desire and hunger. At that moment, he knew that his friendship with the deceptive dame had reached a whole new height, and because of that he no qualms about reaching down and picking her up for a hug.

"You are welcome......Pixie. That will be your name. Pixies small, but playful, tricky, and......energetic. *Smiles* Just like you. *Questioning Look* Like it?"

I image she would have no objections to it seeing that such a name does fit her to a T, so I choose to believe she's more than happy about it, giving her partner two great big smiles and her own version of a hug, before prodding them gently in the belly and pointing down at her snacks. Much as she enjoys getting plenty of attention, she wants to fill her belly and heal her injuries more, so let her down so she can dig right in!

He obligues, and soon the pair are relaxing in each other's company, sharing the good mood and food between them.

*Flashback End!*

(I was thinking of something more along the lines of ignoring the first (6) result in the Rarity Roll, but I say that the increased probablity of get a good fight is equally fantastic!)

Up until now the sagely monk has been polite and deferring to Geo for exploring the Safari Zone, as they have greater expertise and wisdom about this stretch of wilderness, but after it became clear they weren't quite comprehending his desires for greater and greater challenges he took matters in his own hands. No disrespect or slight to his guide, but he came to the Safari Zone to mainly put himself through the flames of adversity so he could forge his bond with Duskull to a whole new level and strengthen himself/his team, and not to catch the rarest Pokemon out there. That was Heart's thing, not his!

Hopefully they (Geo) don't hold his interruption against him.....

After pinpointing an area of quicksand that was the source of those ominous tremors, he returned Pixie and sent out Posei and Duskull to investigate it, telling them to be careful and watch their step. In fact, he kindly request to his dread specter if they could phase through the ground and drive whatever it was up to the surface, or at the very least mildly inconvenience it in some way. Time to see what was lurking just beneath the surface.....

Posei can't even get in there. It's too sticky. But Duskull obediently phases down.

Moments later, there's a huge tremor, big enough for everyone in the Safari Zone to feel. The quicksand drains away and is replaced by muddy water. And out of that water rises a massively overgrown Whiscash! It's bigger than the one the group saw in the swamp. A disobedient Whiscash is one of the most dangerous Pokemon to own, due to the great seismic damage it can do before being drawn back into its Pokeball. Luckily, they can sometimes be driven back to sleep for another decade.

[Dragonstrike]

Drain Punch 4
(1)(1)(2)(5)(5)(1)(4)
(5)(6)(6) Castform takes 3 dmg 1/8hp -3 pain
Toya heals 1 hp 6/12hp -2 pain

And with that, Toya's the victor of that matchup since we're battling until 1 HP instead of fainting!  That Drain Punch spins Forthright right 'round!  Ow ow ow!!  Nope, she wants nothing more to do with that big, scary Ghost!  Nope nope nope!  She knew it was going to hurt!  She had a bad feeling that thing was a scary Fighting type...just looking at it gave her chills, too...*brrrr*...

Forthright retreats to hide behind Nathan.  He gives her an appreciative and hopefully comforting hug.  "...ya gave it your best shot, Forthright.  All things considered, ya did well, though.  I'll make sure you're healed up soon so you can enjoy the sunlight some more later, alright?"

Forthright's recalled into her Blue Fitted Apricorn, and Nathan's holding another pokeball, ready to throw it onto the field.  "Well, that's 1 point to you out of 3, Spira.  Seems that Gym Training's paid off for you.  Guess I definitely still need to work a little on battling foes that are able to take more hits than my pokemon can...ah well...let's see how you handle my next pokemon, though. The strategies might be straightforward, but that doesn't mean I don't have a few tricks up my sleeves."

(Make sure to PM Iron and tell him whether you're switching to a fresh pokemon or leaving Toya in to face Nathan's next pokemon, @Mikaruge108)