[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Congrats on a long-awaited moment! I have something else that needs to happen when the group reunites. Shiva gets 4XP for a marvelous description of a very long awaited scene. Hope it was worth it!

Yes it is and was worth it, thanks! ^o^♡
The earliest point Shiva will reunite with the others is the morning of the next in-game Day.

The Elanor sunset is as picturesque as you could possibly imagine. All the flowers slowly turn their faces toward the sun as it sinks, then curl up a little and droop down for the night. While they're open, the orange light reflects off the glossy petals  of the Elanor flower. White daisies take on every shifting color of the sunset.

At the climax of the sunset, Cottonee, in tune with nature, alights on the Sunstone in Shiva's hands. She glows the same changing color of the sunpainted sky, instead of the expected green. Shiva, too, is enveloped in the light streaming from her faithful startermon.

As Cottonee's light swells, and develops horns and a little stubby body, her cotton expands as well. It is the first thing to protrude from the light, and before her new form can be revealed, it suddenly kersplodes in a burst of little floating seeds right in Shiva's face! This mischief causes you to sputter a bit and you almost miss the moment when WHIMSICOTT floats down to land in your lap. Whimsicott looks pleased to have somewhat ruined this dramatic moment with a prank she couldn't have performed as a Cottonee.

Whimsicott's fluff is so voluminous that from your sitting position you can bury your face in her fluff and stay warm even as it grows dark.

Shiva's amazed every single time about how the various flowers response to the sun. Especially how these beautiful Elanor Flowers do! It's not hard for her to understand that they're something very special, they seem to only grow around here. She can't help but to wonder whether they're only meant for decoration or whether they hold any useful capabilities - even if they don't, she can always work them into craftings!~


Over her new and ultra-fluffy wad of cotton's prank Shiva can only chuckle joyfully as she draws a leafy-green handkerchief to wipe remaining seeds from her glasses. After having put them back on, she plucks Whimsicott from her lap to envelop her into a tiiight embrace, inclusive nuzzling her now immensive amount of cotton. "You're already enjoying your fullily awakened fae nature, dearest one, how cute! Oh, may the others, your foes and even the whole word be prepared for your mischief and playful mess caused from now on...!~" A sly smile of hers expresses that she looks forward to explore this aspect of her most favorite companion, and she's well aware that not even she herself or her other Pokemon are safe! Still Shiva doesn't doubt that she is able to control her Whimsi from accidently overdoing it.

For a few minutes she will rest here on a branch of the cherry tree, bushy green foliage all around her, with her face affectionately buried in Whimsi's volumonous fluff. Then, as the sun has sunken completely and darkness has fully fallen over the land, Shiva rises up and gives her now finally evolved startermon a challenging look. ( ÒωÓ) "Alright, C... I mean, WHIMSICOTT!! With you now having reached your Final Stage, new skill should have been set loose as well, if I can believe the reports of various Pokemon Professors, you now should have developed a unique and almost psychic power that allows you to create and control wind currents at will. As a Cottonee, you were at mercy of 'em and easiely carried away. ....Let us test them out right away!" Shiva gets a firmer grip on the branch she's sitting on, just in case. "Try to blow away a swirl of leaves from the tree we're in, please send a greeting to sunken sun!"

-------------------
*hint* This will result in her learning Tailwind for another 28XP.

[Mikaruge108]

(lemme just set the mood for what he's about to say)
When Spira recieves the text from Shiva/@PhantomUnderYourDesk, he heads to the appointed location and opens up what he needs to say with:
"When I battled Howl, he used a Spiritomb, and that brought forth all sorts of bittersweet and sad memories, and I needed someone to confide in, lest my increased emotional state compromise our exploration of the Skull Ruins." He then recounts the bottled-up memories:
"I never knew my mom; she died shortly after I was born, and my father worked in Canalave, so I didn't see him much. I was mostly raised by my paternal grandparents, they were retired breeders. Their influence was the impetus that inspired me to be a breeder. Besides them, there was only one other person I cared about back in Sinnoh; you remember that girl I mentioned? The one that over-estimated a Spiritomb? Her name was Leigh, and we were... pretty close, well as close as we were allowed to be, being co-workers and all. For someone as young as she was, she had very big dreams; she wanted to be the first female champion of Sinnoh, (keep in mind the events he's reminiscing on took place a good 90 or so years before Cynthia became champion) but, before she could even turn 18, when we had our tests to become gym trainers, she had gotten it in her mind that she wanted to use a Spiritomb for the training. I had tried to warn her of the danger, but she just smiled and said 'I'll be fine, I'm gonna be one of the first people to fully harness the powers of a Spiritomb.' That was the last time anyone saw her smile again, to put it nicely." Spira isn't sure why, but there is something about Shiva that makes him feel comfortable talking about things he normally wouldn't say. For a moment, she can tell that he seems to be holding back tears...

[Iron]

Whimsicott easily sends leaves flying to the sun as it disappears beyond the horizon, then keeps Shiva warm for a quick rest in the tree or below it in the soft field of flowers.

[Iron]

Spira vs Heart Round 3

Heart withdraws Honchkrow to make it a fair 1v1 fight.

Iron Defense 1
(2)(5)(3)(1)(1)(5)(4)
+2 defense for Golett

Shadow Punch 1
(4)(2)(5)(4)(2)(4) (2)(1)(5)(2) Critical hit, but again it doesn't matter
(2) Golett takes 1 dmg 7/8hp -1 pain

The two ghosts begin punching at each other with various elemental punches. Occasionally, the larger Toya will catch the fist of the smaller Golett, but Golett's Iron Fist allows it to hurt even a much larger Pokemon.

Thunder Punch 1
(2)(6)(4)(1)(3)(6)
(6)(4)(6) Toya takes 3 dmg 7/12 hp -1 pain
CD: (3), (2)

Shadow Punch 2
(6)(6)(2)(5)(6)(4) (2)(6)
(1) Golett takes 1 dmg 6/8hp -1 pain

Fire Punch 2
(5)(3)(5)
(6)(3)(6) Toya takes 2 dmg 5/12hp -2 pain
CD: (1), (2)

Shadow Punch 3
(2)(2)(3)(6)(1)(1) but it's Never fail.
(4) Golett takes 2 dmg 4/8hp -2 pain

Ice Punch 4
(2)(2) Miss due to pain. Golett is getting slow, though it never really gets tired.

Shadow Punch 4
(6)(5)(5)(4)(5)
(6) Golett takes 2 dmg 2/8hp -2 pain

Shadow Punch 5
(1), but it has never fail (not priority)
(4)(1)(3) Toya takes 2 dmg 3/12hp -2 pain

This is a very close battle! Remember you'll hold back if necessary.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Original post

(lemme just set the mood for what he's about to say)
When Spira recieves the text from Shiva, he heads to the appointed location and opens up what he needs to say with:
"When I battled Howl, he used a Spiritomb, and that brought forth all sorts of bittersweet and sad memories, and I needed someone to confide in, lest my increased emotional state compromise our exploration of the Skull Ruins." He then recounts the bottled-up memories:
"I never knew my mom; she died shortly after I was born, and my father worked in Canalave, so I didn't see him much. I was mostly raised by my paternal grandparents, they were retired breeders. Their influence was the impetus that inspired me to be a breeder. Besides them, there was only one other person I cared about back in Sinnoh; you remember that girl I mentioned? The one that over-estimated a Spiritomb? Her name was Leigh, and we were... pretty close, well as close as we were allowed to be, being co-workers and all. For someone as young as she was, she had very big dreams; she wanted to be the first female champion of Sinnoh, (keep in mind the events he's reminiscing on took place a good 90 or so years before Cynthia became champion) but, before she could even turn 18, when we had our tests to become gym trainers, she had gotten it in her mind that she wanted to use a Spiritomb for the training. I had tried to warn her of the danger, but she just smiled and said 'I'll be fine, I'm gonna be one of the first people to fully harness the powers of a Spiritomb.' That was the last time anyone saw her smile again, to put it nicely." Spira isn't sure why, but there is something about Shiva that makes him feel comfortable talking about things he normally wouldn't say. For a moment, she can tell that he seems to be holding back tears...

(Ohhh, Stein's Gate <3)

Shiva would welcome him kindly in her dorm illuminated by various colorful candles, despite it's rather late in the evening and the moon's already up high. (I'll just assume that all happens after her last Encounter). She's wearing comfy clothing and all her Pokemon are scattered around the room, either eating a midnight snack or already sleeping.

"Take a seat wherever you want", she'll offer, she herself will do so opoosite of Spira and face him with a gentle and soft expression. She's actually tired, but that's pushed aside, for now she's patiently waiting for him to set the pace. It still flatters her that out of all people, he decided to speak up towards her.



She appears VERY startled over the reason why he was raised by his grandparents, and immediately her compassion towards the spectral breeder visibly raises by 100%. "Yes. I do remember that you once mentioned a girl you trained alongside in the same breath as you mentioned an exemplar of those dark ghosts." She's mindful to maybe not call it by its species name.

'Pretty close' already says almost all to Shiva, but she's confused about something: ".....Wait a moment. Spira, since when are...Gym Acolytes not allowed to date one another? That's a stupid and unfair rule. Especially if the feelings are mutual." *energetic headshake*

Once Spira has eventually spoken his mind to her, Shiva would simply gaze at him with an expression that displays both sadness and empathy, by now her winged Mightyena has also approached to carefully lick over his hand in an attempt to comfort him. She's not quite sure what to respond, but as she realizes he is holding back tears, Shiva wordlessly hands a leafy-green handkerchief. It's her silent sign that he is allowed to cry in front of her if he wishes to, there is no need to feel ashamed or such. Shiva is close to weeping herself. "....I'm sorry. I'm just.... so sorry for what you had to and still have to endure... My sympathy won't bring Leigh back, I know, such a brave, BRAVE young girl. I bet she's happy that you're keeping her in mind, that you're keeping her alive that way..." Shiva also feels that she can understand why someone would fall for her.

"But.... Spira, tell me, what will you do now? How do you think this bittersweet memory will infuence you down the Ruins?" Her voice becomes still soft and gentle, but a hint of seriousness and fear dwells between the lines now. "What if....excuse me if I accidently trigger you, what if one of these rare and brutal ghosts of darkness decides to block our path? Fairies are the only thing they're vulnerable to, do you want me to... stay close to you, just in case...?"

What a bold question.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Whimsicott easily sends leaves flying to the sun as it disappears beyond the horizon, then keeps Shiva warm for a quick rest in the tree or below it in the soft field of flowers.

Awwww!~ Shiva would prefer a quick rest below the cherry tree, getting down from it is much harder than climbing up. She's relieved she's made it without hurting herself and cuddles up to Yena also for that rest. The butterwolfy happily reciprocates the trust and affection. <3 All together they stay here, the view over the sea undisturbed, more and more stars start to twinkle as the sky becomes a velvet black....

....Somewhere, the ominous comet is also looming.


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Next, Shiva is eagerly typing on the keyboard of the PC in the Pokemon Center, Whimsicott resting on her head. Still seems to be her favorite place!~ (Or is she too big or heavy now, Iron...? I hope she isn't.) The natural fae enthusiast is eagerly watching through the boxes of Bill's PC and holds back a squeek as she has found what she was looking for: Her two-tailed psychic cat with the few spots sprinkled on his darkblue fur like starts. Kyuu greets her with a melodic purr as Shiva summons him from his Ball.

She knees down to him and draws something from her stuff to present it to him: It's yet another disk, but this one is held in such a shade of yellow that it makes one nervous and jumpy by looking at it for too long. Kyuu nudges it curiously. "I've got a gift for you, dear one....". she'll adress him, "Yes, it's yet another exemplar of those strange disks! This one will let you give off electrons into the nearby surrounding, turning a good amount of atoms into ions. With the help of your strong psychic power, these will gather together to form an electrifying wave that your foe won't be able to evade that easily. A lot of Pokemon can learn it, dear one! But, hehe.... ^_^ I was thinking it'd be a nasty suprise for any birds that try to mess with you."

After Kyuu's respone to it and agreement of learning this move, Shiva will recall him into his Ball, place him into a seperate Box of Bill's PC and then insert the disk into the PC's matching slot. While the data's transfered from it to the psychic neko, Shiva will get some snacks and switch around her party to a secret arrangement.


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The moon has already risen high and the streets of Elanor were quiet as a particular natural fae enthusiast was quickly running through the streets, alleys, even the whole town in frantic search for someone. Nighttime peace is something she values a alot, but Castelia City has rarely ever fallen asleep.

Shiva's searching for a woman around her age so beautiful that it's almost sinful, one that features a special liking for pink Pokemon and has made it an appearant habit to train against Poison Types. Hopefully she hasn't yet left for the night, please don't, Shiva KNOWS that some toxic Pokemon, especially the more dangerous ones, come out of their hide after the sun has sunken, eeeekkkkkkkkk!

Apart from what the rules of a Gym Battle against her are, Shiva would ask whether she could show her something she has found before beginning. She's very enthusiastic about it and displays a sly, yet somwhat mystified smile.

[Spiritmon]

Heart could only witness the exchange of blows between Toya and Atlas. Punch versus Punch. Will vs Will. When the last punch was deliver Heart then talk again. "Huh, this is indeed a noble fight between two strong ghosts. Atlas may be small, but his power is able to hit more bigger Pokemon like yours. Do you wish to continue? Because me and Atlas are more than ready to continue."

@Mikaruge108

[Dragonstrike]

Terra eyebrows were raised by his friend's suggestions, before he quickly looked down as he thought it over. Using Calam as an teacher for the Zorua? Hm....yes, that could very well work, given the Dark Prophet's own ingrained beliefs on goodness/justice and how well they served as a role model for Dizzy/their younger self, but....

"Hm.....sounds like good idea.....but would our Zorua trust Calam? Want to listen, or follow his example? He's part Fairy type and can be very scary, so his help could make teaching Zorua harder, maybe. Hm...or maybe not, if they think of him as Evil. Which means he could be an......anti-role model? Hm.....either way, Calam could help, but it is still big risk. Are you sure?"

(I think its a good idea myself, but Terra's a bit more paraniod about getting things 'right' , 'cause if he doesn't then either the Zorua will stay Zorua, or grow up into particularly bizarre Zoroark, for better or worse...)

Nathan chuckles at first, before his expression turns thoughful again.  "Calam's also really good with young pokemon, believe it or not...I think...there was definitely a little bias in the initial observations since he was primarily interacting with a younger version of himself...he also wasn't a Fairy at the time when he was around his younger self...he's never really had any issues with any of my younger pokemon, though, which is another thing to consider...hmmm...not really going to know how the Zorua interact with Calam until they meet, to be honest.  Could honestly go either way...maybe we should consider letting Calam in on this and see what he thinks?"

[Iron]

You find Angela with her Cleffa fighting six Golbat at once, led by a Crobat she's attempting to convince to follow her back to the swamp.

"Shiva! Hi, sister! Time for our battle already? Cool, I'll just end this real quick. Cleffa, use Shock Wave!" The Golbat fall out of the sky, and Angela lifts her skirt to step over them and clasp Shiva's hand in her own. "What did you want to show me? Is it something to show me in battle, or before?"

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Eeeeeeeeeeee, she indeed rooms around here even at this hour!~ Shiva's very very lucky that she has found Angela at last, and she's just as impressed that she makes it to defeat SIX Golbat with a smol Cleffa. It's looking super-cute as it lets out a massive shockwave, she wonders whether Kyuu's will be just as strong...?

Hehehehehe, 'sister' ♡. Only this time, Shiva reciprocates her handshake firmly, which marks a sign that she's comfortable and full of trust towards the other person. "Hello Angela!!! What a cool battle, I... I didn't even know that Cleffa are able to learn that last move! Flamethrower yes, rarely, but.... Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get distracted! >o< But yes, nice to see you!"

She coughs a bit embarrassingly. "Ehm, before battle, if it's fine. Now, where did I stuff it away...." *rummaging sounds in her belongings until Shiva has found the item in question safely stored away in the wood crate* "Ah, here. Angela, please take a look at this..." Presented and handed is that perfectly intact and formed, unbelievably light, scintillating pink feather that Shiva can only believe to origin from an angel. It's very easy to realize that it's nothing but a true treasure for her, one that means a lot to her. "I... I, you see, I found that in the Safari Zone among a few scattered Gloom petals that day I was working as a Volunteer Ranger. It was the day of the Safari Cup, the day I found these Spring Sawsbuck antlers that you uses as subject of conversation towards me, you remember?" Shiva takes a deep breath before she opens up about her thoughts: "For some reasons, I've came to the conclusion that you have something to do with it, Angela, I couldn't find any other explanation that'd satisfy me. It's such a LOVELY feather....

.... but how did you do that??!!"