[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Dagny floats into the room and seats herself in her chair.

"Yes, Nathan! You did it! My USB self-destructed after delivering its payload, so they may not even know I got in. But I did, and I'm already learning a lot."

"First of all, this is obviously illegal. So I can't just bring it to court as evidence, but I can use it to guide my further steps."

"Almanac uses Porygon's first stage as a cyber-security force. I expect your own Porygon encountered him and easily defeated him, being a higher evolutionary stage. I could keep the Porygon, try to see what it knows, and maybe get it surrendered for adoption eventually. Not anytime soon, though, due to the delicate nature of my meddling."

"No question that Almanac is simply a front for the Scimitars now. I'm learning that was the plan all along. Of course, Scimitar wants the kind of legal research Almanac was doing anyway. What I haven't yet found is who their financial backer is. But I've learned about all sorts of resources they're developing: special breeds, artificial evo stones and mega stones, extradimensional technology, and lots and lots of resources for probing the Skull Ruins. They plan to strip it layer by layer, exposing all its secrets."

"Cosh, Delta Porygon." Delta Porygon brings up some files on the computer-desk. "Seems Cosh owns a Steelix and a Skarmory. Looks like he borrowed some 'forbidden eldritch knowledge,' some rare book, from the Water Scimitars to further research extradimensional spaces. His goals include manipulating the dimensions of Gauntlet-stored Pokemon for great effect - for example, he could punch you with the force of Steelix's Heavy Slam."

"Porygon, Hans Smith." Beep! "Hans Smith was a legitimate Almanac scientist, actually! He planned to join the Scimitar organization someday, but was not issued a gauntlet at the time of his death in early 2017. Looks like he was involved in a lot of dangerous games - borrowing money, gambling, shady investments. Just white collar bullshit, really. He worked in the Procurement division, gathering wild Pokemon for experiments. Lots and lots of demerits in his record for failing to get the Pokemon back to the lab. Methinks he was self-sabotaging, but his superiors just thought him incompetent. He was about as low on the career ladder as you can get in Almanac.  I don't think he was a double agent, Nathan."

Blink, beep!

"It also says he had a pet Absol, which earned him admiration from the lower-level Scims, but not the 'wizards' who despise Pokemon companions. That should have helped him a lot in his work, but I guess you can't help some people. Now, about this camera, do you want me to develop it?"

"Yeah, go ahead and keep Porygon. You've got more use for it than I do, obviously."

"Encountered some of that extradimensional technology ourselves when we got in there.  Sent a few of our pokemon to a place that Keni calls Sideways at a single touch, so anyone who couldn't evade the attacks or didn't try to was instantly removed from the battlefield entirely.  Very dangerous.  Smashed most of the stuff we encountered that was utilizing it, but Keni warned us that the Scims might still have some remnants of it left."

"I'll keep in mind that we've got a source of funds now. Which is perfect, because we might need them soon..."

"Yeah, if you could develop that film, that'd be great."

"...*sigh*...well, I suppose that still makes some sense...*ahem*...yeah, so...about that pet Absol that Hans Smith had...the nickname Dizzy sound familiar to you?  There's...um...*ahem*...more to this story than those files are saying..."

[Iron]

"No, it doesn't say the nickname of his Pokemon."

[Iron]

Terra's card, is, of course, Latios! Like Mesprit, the background is indistinct, but it certainly looks like the Pokemon is moving very quickly past the background! It looks so real, hardly like a cartoon at all. Like a window into Latios' soul!

[Dragonstrike]

"No, it doesn't say the nickname of his Pokemon."

"...well, uh...Dizzy might not have been the nickname that Hans used...so, long story short, it's thanks to that very Absol that we were able to get into Almanac's Labs at all...Tanuki told you about how we encountered Celebi, right?  Well, shortly after we got out of Mt. Sentry...predictably, time travel happened, and an Absol that was traveling with us on loan from the League...at least, that's what Shiva told us...with the nickname of Dizzy ended up left in the past 3 years ago after almost getting killed by Juni...and...well...just thought whoever sent him along with us when we went to Mt. Sentry might like to know that he's not actually gone missing...he's, uh...right here..."

Nathan holds up Calam's Ultra Ball.

"...yeah, so...he's kinda my pokemon now...and the Dizzy they might be expecting to hear from is 3 years old now...I'm trying to help him as best as I can, though.  I, uh...hope that's not going to cause any problems...cuz I really need his help with a task of my own, too, and I can't do it without him because it involves...well, this..."

Nathan holds up the Absolite.

"...need to get a way to trigger this bad boy at some point.  It's another souvenir that I picked up from the past, and the only reason I've got it is because someone really important thinks Calam and I will be able to use it...so...yeah..."

[Iron]

"Oh, cool. Absolite is a fairly rare mega stone. So, hmmm... Key Stones. The League can give them in recognition of outstanding service to Creshire, and we both know your team has accomplished some amazing things. Unfortunately, they are mostly secret for one reason or another. Your file currently says you helped Zamboni with a Vespiqueen as a new trainer, some research with Laurelin, and placed well in a couple tournaments, and of course you have a very nice collection of badges. It won't take much to trigger a review. If you can think of anything else I could add, I'd be happy to do that. Or... to be honest, you seem to attract trouble, so maybe you'll just stumble upon someone who needs saving on your own."

[Dragonstrike]

"Oh, cool. Absolite is a fairly rare mega stone. So, hmmm... Key Stones. The League can give them in recognition of outstanding service to Creshire, and we both know your team has accomplished some amazing things. Unfortunately, they are mostly secret for one reason or another. Your file currently says you helped Zamboni with a Vespiqueen as a new trainer, some research with Laurelin, and placed well in a couple tournaments, and of course you have a very nice collection of badges. It won't take much to trigger a review. If you can think of anything else I could add, I'd be happy to do that. Or... to be honest, you seem to attract trouble, so maybe you'll just stumble upon someone who needs saving on your own."

"...well, something might be coming up, I think.  So, that bright light in the sky?  There was...another thing we encountered while time traveling.  Some 10,000 years ago, when the Millenium Comet first passed our planet and Jirachi blessed the pokemon of our world with additional types, there was another visitor...a Deoxys.  It landed in the general vicinity of Teazel Valley along with the comet, which likely owes to why the Safari Zone is so diverse today.  Deoxys...wasn't exactly the type of visitor from space that came peacefully, though...it trapped the majority of the pokemon in the valley for I don't know what purpose.  We got away, but...I don't actually know what happened with Deoxys after that..."

"...what I do know is that the last known sighting of the Millenium Comet was about 1000 years ago, give or take a few years.  That light in the sky?  I have reason to think it's the Millenium Comet.  And our prophetic pokemon...they're saying Deoxys is coming back.  And that we need to do something about it.  One line in particular from Heart's Xatu is rather striking: Comet's bane within the tombs.  I know that the Scimitars and my dad were looking for some rather powerful items in the Skull Ruins, among which are a Sword, a Helm, a Hauberk, and a Shield.  I keep finding and hearing references to the Sword in particular, and those four items are the primary reason the Water Scimitars want to turn the Ruins inside out.  Their goal is to use them to save the region from some incoming threat according to what Juni told us.  The problem: only those who are 'more than human' can wield those four artifacts according to Juni, so they're trying to artificially make themselves that way with their gauntlets.  Ironically, I'd actually say their practices might make them a little less than human...but back on topic...I know for a fact that Shiva, Heart, and I can wield those artifacts.  When we met Celebi, she gave us a gift.  A gift that made us just a little more than human, though not to the point that we aren't still human.  It's why the Scims wanted to find Atheneum in the first place.  So, in short...we need a short notice permit to explore the Skull Ruins at the soonest opportunity if at all possible.  I obviously can't say that it's to possibly stop a Legendary pokemon from causing chaos and destruction, though, or nobody on the other end of the phone is going to believe me..."

[Iron]

"I find it pretty likely to be the Millennium Comet as well. I have heard of some legendary artifacts within the tombs - they are Steel-aligned items, supposedly. But I ventured pretty deep and wide within the tombs while fighting the vines, and never saw anything like that. If they exist, they are either deeper than I went, or further west. I believe your story - hell, I've seen proof of most of it - and Tanuki and I can probably work together to fast track a permit. It'll be easier if we have an excuse, any ideas?"

[Dragonstrike]

"I find it pretty likely to be the Millennium Comet as well. I have heard of some legendary artifacts within the tombs - they are Steel-aligned items, supposedly. But I ventured pretty deep and wide within the tombs while fighting the vines, and never saw anything like that. If they exist, they are either deeper than I went, or further west. I believe your story - hell, I've seen proof of most of it - and Tanuki and I can probably work together to fast track a permit. It'll be easier if we have an excuse, any ideas?"

"There was another line in Xatu's prophecy: Shining knight shows hidden rooms.  Wherever those artifacts are, they're hidden real well.  I think I've got a good excuse, too: my dad might still be down there in the lower levels, and I want to go look for him at the soonest opportunity now that I have 5 Badges.  Or at least see if I can find traces.  Or anything.  He was last seen just above the Kadabra Chambers before he disappeared.  Seems like a good place to start looking, particularly since they say that time seems to work strangely in there, which is why I think there's a chance he and his pokemon might still be down there.  Heck, if I can find my dad or some written records left behind by him or something, he might have some leads on where the artifacts are, too, since he was looking for them and all."

[Iron]

"That could work, Nathan. The disappearance of Marco Warren is well-documented, and of course he was highly respected in the League. Recent information you've contributed increases the official chances that foul play was involved. Find out what happened to your father and I can get you a Mega Bracelet. I should be able to get you a permit between 3 and 7 days from now. Maybe two days if I embellish a little, saying there is an immediate danger to Marco. You know, if he's alive."

[Dragonstrike]

"That could work, Nathan. The disappearance of Marco Warren is well-documented, and of course he was highly respected in the League. Recent information you've contributed increases the official chances that foul play was involved. Find out what happened to your father and I can get you a Mega Bracelet. I should be able to get you a permit between 3 and 7 days from now. Maybe two days if I embellish a little, saying there is an immediate danger to Marco. You know, if he's alive."

"He's in the Skull Ruins.  I'm pretty sure there's immediate danger if he has managed to survive down there for three years or however long it's felt like for him.  In any case, we need to get in there ASAP and find the Sword at the bare minimum, before the Millennium Comet drops its payload on us.  The faster you can get us that permit, the better.  That celestial object's visible to the naked eye, so we don't have very long.  Deoxys is able to clone itself, so we're going to need everything we can possibly throw at it if it intends to cause us trouble.  If we have to go into the Skull Ruins without a permit, then there's little choice but to do so."

"...oh, and, uh...one more thing: is it possible we could maybe get some added security around Trillium?  The Scims already kidnapped my uncle along with Keni.  I really would rather try to avoid them getting the bright idea to try and nab my mom and hold her hostage...I might end up sending my uncle that way, too, seeing as it'd be a place for him to stay since his house was destroyed and all..."