[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

As you make the Pledge, the little Fomantis rush forward to cheer for you and surround your feet in a carpet of animate flowers.

They also bring a variety of different orchids for Nathan, rooted in tiny spheres of moss. Each of them has a different healing effect:

1x Will Point Orchid
1x Revive Orchid
2x Super Potion Orchids
5x Full Heal Orchids
5x Potion Orchids

[Dragonstrike]

As you make the Pledge, the little Fomantis rush forward to cheer for you and surround your feet in a carpet of animate flowers.

They also bring a variety of different orchids for Nathan, rooted in tiny spheres of moss. Each of them has a different healing effect:

1x Will Point Orchid
1x Revive Orchid
2x Super Potion Orchids
5x Full Heal Orchids
5x Potion Orchids

Nice!  Though before we fully round this out, I do have ONE move for Sentry to learn.

ROCK SMASH.

"This isn't just a move I want to teach you because it will help you get stronger, Sentry.  This is a move I want to teach you because I think I can trust you with it.  I want to be able to trust you with it, so I'm gonna give it a shot.  We're all trying to keep it a secret for the most part, but...if we have to use it to protect what we hold dear, then I'd use it without question.  Alright?  Does it make sense why I want to teach you this move?" (There's all that, and Nathan also doesn't want Sentry to feel like she's being left out since she didn't learn any moves because of the Pledge)

Sentry might not have gotten any cool Grass moves out of this, but she's gonna get a move that's arguably cooler than those ones.  At least, I hope she thinks it is.  Does Sentry have any specific reactions to seeing the grove, witnessing the Pledge, and possibly even learning ROCK SMASH at long last, Iron?

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

"You and your Pokemon must take a Pledge! You must promise to do all you can to preserve this little community. When the Millennium Comet makes landfall, its passenger will wreak havoc on Nature, trying to rearrange things to suit its alien whims. It is a great observer of creatures, loving nothing more than to partition them away in cages made not from iron bars but from mountain ranges, chasms, rivers, and Tall Grass. If you all Pledge to stop the invader, I will give you tools to help you in the quest."

Nathan's rather quiet for the most part, letting Shiva lead the conversation mostly.  He quietly shakes his head in exasperation when Shiva guesses that the Grass Guardian might be Xerneas.  That guess was soooooo wildly incorrect.  The pink scythes, the orchids everywhere, the mantis-like appearance, the smaller pokemon with pink eyes...the clues were all pointing towards the pokemon before them being the Bloom Sickle Pokemon, or at least something similar to it.  (and woe be me if I can't recognize one of my favorite pokemon!  No, I'm not kidding.  I actually really like Lurantis's design!)  He's read about Lurantis before, so he didn't have much trouble recognizing the pokemon's form, but this is definitely unlike anything he's ever read about the species!

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

Nathan's not entirely surprised when the conversation eventually turns to making a Pledge, and this is when he steps in to say a little more.

"...that's an easy Pledge for us to make, Lurantis.  We've seen the devastation that Deoxys caused 10,000 years ago first hand.  We're taking measures to try and stop it from doing the same again now that it's returning.  If you can offer us assistance in stopping a Legend...I'm not going to turn it down.  For the sake of everyone here now and those who'll come in the future...we have to stop Deoxys from doing whatever it pleases."

Nathan takes a deep breath before continuing.  "...in the process of Pledging, though, it's preferable to have Grass aligned pokemon witness the Pledge so they can help enforce it with new moves that they learn during the process, correct?  I have plenty of Grass types that could bear witness, but...well, as you can see from my lack of broken pokeballs, I don't actually have any of them on hand right now...I'm sure most of them wouldn't have any problems with bearing witness provided I have an opportunity to get them, though."

"Very well. I will wait for your return."

Available ? and level up moves:
-Grassy Terrain
-Grass Pledge
-Frenzy Plant
-Bullet Seed
-Synthesis
-Petal Dance

Heart take a quick stop in the PC to grab Chespin to the party. He also make a pledge to Lurantis. "We also promise to stop the calamity. We once promise to spread the word of Earthpower though the land such was the oath of Landorus. And we make the pledge to protect those eggs by Arcanine. I Joseph ArcHeart and my Chespin promise to protect nature and stop the Comet from coming and save this region and this community."

[Lord Windos]

"You and your Pokemon must take a Pledge! You must promise to do all you can to preserve this little community. When the Millennium Comet makes landfall, its passenger will wreak havoc on Nature, trying to rearrange things to suit its alien whims. It is a great observer of creatures, loving nothing more than to partition them away in cages made not from iron bars but from mountain ranges, chasms, rivers, and Tall Grass. If you all Pledge to stop the invader, I will give you tools to help you in the quest."

After raising and getting answers to his initial questions to the strange plant bug being, Terra decided to take a backseat in the ensuing conversations, as he felt that both his input in it was not relevant/needed and had everything well under control + getting matters explained. In all honesty, he also really didn't know how or what to speak with it either, as it already had him deeply confused with its first remarks and the very fact it was a talking non-Legendary Pokemon, and he was having a tough enough time keeping track/understanding what's being talked about. A social Beautifly possessing a Honedge sharp wit he was not, unlike Shiva and Nathan/Heart/Spira (to varying extents), and he didn't want to possibly make an enemy out of the Pink 'n Powerful Plant by casually cramming his foot down his gullet, so he did what was best in his opinion: defer talking to his friends entirely, and keep his mouth shut!

However, when Primal Lurantis asked for a Pledge in exchange for a boon from it, it caused the mountain of a man's attention to sharply focus on it once more as he seriously and intensely thought it over and all it entailed. This process took about a minute, during which his expression shifted between constipated, contemplative, and conservative , all while his gaze drifted towards the ground and fingers were stroking his beard......

....Until finally looked back up to the immense and colorful creature before him, and slowly shook his head, appearing stoically serious and a touch regretful.

"....I can not. Have duty to my friends. To keep them safe, cared for, and protected. Must come first, before all else. Can not......allow anything to.......get in way of it. Stop me from doing it. Even if it.....not very likely. Will still stand against......invader, but not because or for Pledge. So.......I must refuse. Sorry....."

And that's that. The big and beautiful Bug don't like that sort of response, then it can just catabolize its own glucose stores and suck it up! His friends come first and foremost along with his partners, and nothing else.

That's not to say Terra didn't have anything to give to Primal Lurantis, though, for soon after saying his piece he reached into his pockets and......pulled out what looked to be a big bag of homemade granola bars of some sort with bits of marshmallows in them (of course), and offered it to it and the tiny versions of itself (Who'd he been paying attention to this whole time).

"Can give you this, though. For your.......hospitality, and helping my friends. Thank you for that, Lurantis."

How would they react to such a gift? Not expecting very much, but hey, at least my chara is being considerate!

[Iron]

That's not to say Terra didn't have anything to give to Primal Lurantis, though, for soon after saying his piece he reached into his pockets and......pulled out what looked to be a big bag of homemade granola bars of some sort with bits of marshmallows in them (of course), and offered it to it and the tiny versions of itself (Who'd he been paying attention to this whole time).

"Can give you this, though. For your.......hospitality, and helping my friends. Thank you for that, Lurantis."

How would they react to such a gift? Not expecting very much, but hey, at least my chara is being considerate!

Lurantis allows the Fomantis to swarm all over Terra - which tickles - and stow the sweets away for later. 

"I do not accept Pledges lightly, so I will not pressure you to make this oath."


Heart gets the same arrangement of Orchids that Nathan got.

[Iron]

As you make the Pledge, the little Fomantis rush forward to cheer for you and surround your feet in a carpet of animate flowers.

They also bring a variety of different orchids for Nathan, rooted in tiny spheres of moss. Each of them has a different healing effect:

1x Will Point Orchid
1x Revive Orchid
2x Super Potion Orchids
5x Full Heal Orchids
5x Potion Orchids

Nice!  Though before we fully round this out, I do have ONE move for Sentry to learn.

ROCK SMASH.

"This isn't just a move I want to teach you because it will help you get stronger, Sentry.  This is a move I want to teach you because I think I can trust you with it.  I want to be able to trust you with it, so I'm gonna give it a shot.  We're all trying to keep it a secret for the most part, but...if we have to use it to protect what we hold dear, then I'd use it without question.  Alright?  Does it make sense why I want to teach you this move?"  (There's all that, and Nathan also doesn't want Sentry to feel like she's being left out since she didn't learn any moves because of the Pledge)

Sentry might not have gotten any cool Grass moves out of this, but she's gonna get a move that's arguably cooler than those ones.  At least, I hope she thinks it is.  Does Sentry have any specific reactions to seeing the grove, witnessing the Pledge, and possibly even learning ROCK SMASH at long last, Iron?

Sentry is a lot calmer and more contemplative than usual while in the Grove, and calmly accepts Rock Smash. Before, she was overeager to learn that move. Witnessing the Pledge definitely touched her protective nature, and Sentry gains one point of Loyalty and one point of Happiness. Now she will be obedient!

Sentry tends to think more like a Rock Type in some ways, so she's not disappointed about not learning a Pledge. She'll probably be more excited about Rock Smash when she realizes it's relevant to a situation.

[Dragonstrike]

Sentry is a lot calmer and more contemplative than usual while in the Grove, and calmly accepts Rock Smash. Before, she was overeager to learn that move. Witnessing the Pledge definitely touched her protective nature, and Sentry gains one point of Loyalty and one point of Happiness. Now she will be obedient!

Sentry tends to think more like a Rock Type in some ways, so she's not disappointed about not learning a Pledge. She'll probably be more excited about Rock Smash when she realizes it's relevant to a situation.

Yes!  Yes yes yes!  Finally!  Nathan gives Sentry a very appreciative hug, very glad his trust isn't likely to have been misplaced.  It was a little bit of a gamble, but it was worth it!  "Thanks girl.  That takes a lot of the worry away."  If he can handle Sentry, maybe he can handle an Onix after all...that's going to be harder, obviously, but maybe, just maybe...

Of course, that doesn't lessen the significance of any of the Pledges the other Grass types Nathan has brought have made.  They're just as important, too.  "I probably won't be able to bring all of you to the battle with Deoxys, but knowing you guys will both stand with me and lead me should I go astray...it's comforting.  Again, thank you, all of you.  Let's continue to do our best, for both now and the future."

Nathan stands off to the side now with all of his pokemon, carefully examining the flowers he received, muttering/thinking to himself all the while.  "...two Pledges down...hmmm..." He's also making sure to keep an eye on Dedenne. They'll get to their experiment soon enough...hopefully they'll have time tomorrow...

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(I've got stuff that needs my attention and I've given my input already in some way, so I'll keep my post in-game short and to the point.)


Shiva will kindly excuse herself and then rush off into the direction of the WonderTrade stall Spira pointed out to grab some of her other dear Grass Types from the PC. Cottonee and Nightshade remain in the glorious grove to enjoy it and guard Minicorn and Flabebe within their Eggs.

Some minutes later a big shadow becomes visible in the sky, it slowly descends to land lightfootedly on the sacred soil in front of Primal Lurantis: It's Shiva again, mounted on her grassy sauropode, and she has also brought along a Pokemon held in blue, brown and red; it doesn't give off a foul odor at the moment because it is all calm and cared for. A magnificient pink feather decorates their flower-head.

I've said which moves her Pokemon will learn here already. The natural fae enthusiast will give her word to the Primal Guardian while residing on the back of Tropius and holding the Eggs given by Noble Arcanine safely in her arms; Cottonee thrones high up on Tropius' head and hums a pleasant melody as she glows in a faint green light, Nightshade sits on Shiva's right shoulder but doesn't hide away between strands of hair this time, and Gloom is holding onto Shiva's left shoulder to get the best view at the ceremony. He has also opened his eyes. ^_^ Tropius has his leafy wings outspread to the max. and has fallen onto his knees to show his respect and awe towards Primal Lurantis. Grass in a luscious and bright green sprouts at the feet of Tropius as the pledge is given, and a swirl of petals blows through Shiva's hair, Tropius' wings and Cottonee's fluff to emphasize the scene as her Pokemon test their newly learnt skills. (I now feel like drawing that)

Tropius can't learn a move, he's just there to witness the pledge, aid where he can and see this miraculous place, and to get a glimpse onto Sentry for the first time, @Iron: How does he react to her and the other way round, does Tropius recognize himself in that rocky sauropode? Do they appear interested in each other? At the slightest hint of agression from either side, Shiva will immediately back off with Tropius.

Shiva has especially asked for some of these special orchids, she's very happy to receive some as well!~ But how does that Will Point Orchid 'work'? Does one have to eat it?? I know that some flowers are edible, but orchids don't count to those - as far as I know, that is?

EDIT: Oh, and Shiva will also offer the fruit of Tropius to Primal Lurantis as a gift.  "Please accept these fruit, oh noble guardian of this grove, and let their sweetness bring a smile onto your face!

[Iron]

Lurantis accepts the fruit, which is given to her offspring. "Thank you for your Pledges and the work you will perform, and for the gifts. My orchids will bestow their essence upon you if you merely twist the stem and inhale the scent." A trainer needs to help a Pokemon with this, just like a manmade healing item.

Lurantis is also interested in Sentry. "This creature you have is from a time long gone, when the world was more Primal, and the power of Pokemon was undiminished. A time of my youth, when I was not considered so unusual. Many things were different then. Before the worship of Venusaur, before the taming of Mamoswine, creatures like Tropius ruled Creshire, shaking the very earth and altering the landscape."

Sentry sees Tropius as a child, since she is much larger and he is more spritely. She curls her tail protectively around him, and will do so whenever they meet. In the filtered sunshine of the sacred grove, an ancient fruit grows on her underside, and she allows Tropius to eat from it.


"I have words you must hear for your quest. Listen well. Do you already know of the Four, the weapons crafted by Man from the deaths of two Dark Pokemon? A Keenglaive White and a Keenglaive Black, becoming arms and armor against a psychic threat. Yes? Then you may know they are now hidden within the Skull Ruins since the time of Sarimanok."

"The ghosts stole one, and hid it within the foundations of the new League palace, now crumbled. This layer is home to many Psychic Pokemon and devious traps. It is directly below the Barrow-Downs."

"From then on, you will be in the domain of the King, and it is said you will need the help of kingly Pokemon to advance, for there are many guardians and wards. Another item is hidden 'in watery depths where sun shines not.'"

"Next, you shall come to a cavernous layer teeming with strong Pokemon, Primals and the mighty gathered by Sarimanok from a time when even his great power would look childish. Here his Sword was entombed in stone by Dragons. The dragon-prophecy says only a mighty King can pull the sword loose."

"The indestructible splinters of Sarimanok's minarets pierce the caverns from below. Some incredible power shattered them into rubble - hidden among that rubble is the palace, but you need not go there. Instead, sheltered in the minarets, a society of scavengers hid another of the artifacts."

"The old Throne Room is below that, and in the palace's dungeons hides another layer of secrets. These two layers will not assist you in your quest to re-unite the Four, but they do contain a lot of the most amazing things humanity has ever built. I do not know if it is still possible to enter these final layers."

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Lurantis accepts the fruit, which is given to her offspring. "Thank you for your Pledges and the work you will perform, and for the gifts. My orchids will bestow their essence upon you if you merely twist the stem and inhale the scent." A trainer needs to help a Pokemon with this, just like a manmade healing item.

Lurantis is also interested in Sentry. "This creature you have is from a time long gone, when the world was more Primal, and the power of Pokemon was undiminished. A time of my youth, when I was not considered so unusual. Many things were different then. Before the worship of Venusaur, before the taming of Mamoswine, creatures like Tropius ruled Creshire, shaking the very earth and altering the landscape."

Sentry sees Tropius as a child, since she is much larger and he is more spritely. She curls her tail protectively around him, and will do so whenever they meet. In the filtered sunshine of the sacred grove, an ancient fruit grows on her underside, and she allows Tropius to eat from it.


"I have words you must hear for your quest. Listen well. Do you already know of the Four, the weapons crafted by Man from the deaths of two Dark Pokemon? A Keenglaive White and a Keenglaive Black, becoming arms and armor against a psychic threat. Yes? Then you may know they are now hidden within the Skull Ruins since the time of Sarimanok."

"The ghosts stole one, and hid it within the foundations of the new League palace, now crumbled. This layer is home to many Psychic Pokemon and devious traps. It is directly below the Barrow-Downs."

"From then on, you will be in the domain of the King, and it is said you will need the help of kingly Pokemon to advance, for there are many guardians and wards. Another item is hidden 'in watery depths where sun shines not.'"

"Next, you shall come to a cavernous layer teeming with strong Pokemon, Primals and the mighty gathered by Sarimanok from a time when even his great power would look childish. Here his Sword was entombed in stone by Dragons. The dragon-prophecy says only a mighty King can pull the sword loose."

"The indestructible splinters of Sarimanok's minarets pierce the caverns from below. Some incredible power shattered them into rubble - hidden among that rubble is the palace, but you need not go there. Instead, sheltered in the minarets, a society of scavengers hid another of the artifacts."

"The old Throne Room is below that, and in the palace's dungeons hides another layer of secrets. These two layers will not assist you in your quest to re-unite the Four, but they do contain a lot of the most amazing things humanity has ever built. I do not know if it is still possible to enter these final layers."

Nathan's taking a LOT of notes now.

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

"...so what you're saying is my original hypothesis that Sentry is a Primal Tropius was right, correct?  Her species may no longer roam the land in large numbers like it used to, but we still have ways to learn of them.  Some dedicate their entire lives to that kind of research.  Though...are you also saying that Sentry's species is even older than that of Primal Bulbasaur's?"

Nathan would also like to get a closer look at that ancient fruit if Sentry will allow him to.

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

"...so the Ruins definitely have 5 or 6 layers, each with their own unique dangers...hmmm...the final layers might not be helpful in reuniting the Four, but that doesn't mean there won't be anything helpful down there if we do manage to reach them...and the weapons were crafted from the remains of Keenglaive...if we go to deep, though, we might be in over our heads...hmmm..."

"...I'm not sure what to make of the dragon-prophecy, to be honest...when we visited Atheneum, there were busts of all of the old kings.  Sarimanok should have been the last one.  But...he wasn't.  Another bust was being made and placed in a spot after his.  I saw it, and it felt...strange to look at.  I don't know what to really make of that feeling...all I can really say is...I think that sword in the stone is going to be pulled soon.  I don't know by who or why...but if we're going to oppose Deoxys...we need that sword, along with the rest of the Four.  If we can't harm Deoxys, we can't beat it, no matter what else we might bring to that fight."