[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

(...) However, even after they're tied up and being sniffed by Luxray, you don't get any sleep because Luxray keeps pacing around and around and around them. Then he makes a Roaring noise until your attention is on you. Looking over, you see Luxray has sorted the Kadabra into two groups. Shiva is the one to notice the sorting mechanism - one group is male and one is female.

Nathan looks at Shiva.  There's still one more Psychic type here.  "Think Gothitelle might have some input on this?"

Shiva's watching these tied up, fainted and now sorted Kadabra with interest, attention and curiosity, her compassion for them receives another boost once it became clear that Nathan's dad has INDEED been transformed into an inhabitant by these Chambers. She frowns heavily at the tought of a Pokemon belonging to a family even in blood - that's dear and creepy at the same time.

Nathan more or less starring at her directly quickly directs her mind back to the current planet, as she draws her gothloli fortune teller's Premier Ball she voices her thoughts carefully. "It's surely worth a try, yes, even if Lilith has never gotten the chance to actually meet your dad. Or rather, she didn't do so for the time she's been under my care." To Gothy: "So, dear one, we'll play some sort of game now: Obscure your senses please and tell me which of these Kadabra *gestures to the group of male exemplars* you feel drawn to most." Given Shiva herself has a natural talent with Psychic Types given her awakened blood and co. and her massive empathy, she actually joins in that.

There is also one more thing that she remembers: Nathan's dad has a habit to care and patch up wounded Baby Pokemon, and there's that group of Baby Pokemon led by a Buneary she once helped out, those that were on the way to the Skull Ruins appearantly. Now, putting the puzzle pieces together, if she'd only could find them again, they could tell which Kadabra is the one that we're looking for. (It's been said me having helped them will make a difference later: Later = in this case??)

The Baby Pokemon would have arrived nearby pretty recently.


When Shiva conducts her own version of the experiment, there's a pretty clear result. Shiva runs into something soft and fluffy - which turns out to be Whimsicott, out of her Pokeball. Whimsicott has lined up right behind Gallade by coincidence/following what she's drawn to. Shiva has found Whimsicott in the same way. And Lilith has run right into the old telescope with a CLANG, bounced off, and redirected to be at the same Kadabra as Gallade/Whimsicott/Shiva.

You have a feeling this tells you more about Gallade than it does the Kadabra.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

When the heck did Whimi summon herself?! Eh, doesn't matter, now that Shiva ran into her, she and fluffball share a fond embrace ♡. She also lets Lilith investigate that old crude Telescope as much as she likes.

Humm, this appearantly didn't bring a result that's helping with the current issue, but now Shiva can be definitely certain that Gallade, she and Whimsicott are somewhat connected in a way she can't figure out just yet.

[Iron]

Buffs and debuffs are cast, and the wise king waddles forward to summon his Hidden Power on the male Kadabra.

At first it just spells out the dangers of S Y N C H R O N I, then the virtual Unown rearrange themselves into names.
C O R Y
R O N
H I R O

I N N E R F O C U S
F I N N
C O I N
N I C O

S I G N A L B E A M
A L
A A N G
B A I N
A L B I S
A B E
B E N

F O U L P L A Y
L O U

And finally, on one particular Kadabra....

M A G I C G U A R D
M A R C

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Buffs and debuffs are cast, and the wise king waddles forward to summon his Hidden Power on the male Kadabra.

At first it just spells out the dangers of S Y N C H R O N I, then the virtual Unown rearrange themselves into names.
C O R Y
R O N
H I R O

I N N E R F O C U S
F I N N
C O I N
N I C O

S I G N A L B E A M
A L
A A N G
B A I N
A L B I S
A B E
B E N

F O U L P L A Y
L O U

And finally, on one particular Kadabra....

M A G I C G U A R D
M A R C

Nathan reads all of them carefully, nervous about seeing the results.

He's the only one who can read this writing besides Solomon, though, so he has to do it.

The very fact that exactly one Kadabra has its Hidden Ability is suspicous in and of itself.

...but the letters rearranging themselves to spell most of his dad's name cement it.

"That one.  That Kadabra's the only one with Magic Guard.  And the letters rearranged themselves to spell my dad's name.  Well, the 'O' is missing, but I'm fairly certain it's him."

Well, that solves that.  Probably.

Now for the next two questions:

How do we reverse the effects of this transformation?

And where's Pilo/Mamo?  (They're probably somewhere in the training room as well, right?)

[Iron]

Luxray looks ready to pounce happily on the Magic Guard Kadabra, but is also understandably very hesitant.

However, he shakes his big head about Pilo/Mamo.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

How do we reverse the effects of this transformation?

Shiva's having an idea about that: "Given that this whole transformation took quite a while, I've got a....bad feeling that reversing it can't be done in an instant, means that it might take quite a while as well." But she's certain that there IS a way, there just MUST be. "An Alakazam usually remembers everything it has learnt once, so if we'd be to evolve your Kadabra-dad into his Final Form, maybe this would bring even faint or basic memories of his human self back. This species is also very smart, and my own Alakazam could help freshen up his mind or 'translate' any attempts of communication."

How does that sound, possible/doable/reasonable? The catch is, that we can't trade Marcodabra now to trigger evolution as there's no access to a PC. BUT, maybe anything within the Chambers could serve as that purpose, anything that mimics the energy waves of being sent through a PC in a trade?

[Dragonstrike]

However, he shakes his big head about Pilo/Mamo.

"...okay...so do you know where they are if they aren't here?  I find it a little concerning that they're the one pokemon that isn't here."

[Dragonstrike]

How do we reverse the effects of this transformation?

Spoiler

Shiva's having an idea about that: "Given that this whole transformation took quite a while, I've got a....bad feeling that reversing it can't be done in an instant, means that it might take quite a while as well." But she's certain that there IS a way, there just MUST be. "An Alakazam usually remembers everything it has learnt once, so if we'd be to evolve your Kadabra-dad into his Final Form, maybe this would bring even faint or basic memories of his human self back. This species is also very smart, and my own Alakazam could help freshen up his mind or 'translate' any attempts of communication."

How does that sound, possible/doable/reasonable? The catch is, that we can't trade Marcodabra now to trigger evolution as there's no access to a PC. BUT, maybe anything within the Chambers could serve as that purpose, anything that mimics the energy waves of being sent through a PC in a trade?

"If we wanted to try that, pokedexes can do trades without a PC, so we could do that right now.  I'd rather not put my dad in a pokeball if we can avoid it, though.  That's...er..."

...yeah.  Nathan need not say how awkward that is...

That, and if it doesn't work and the resulting Alakazam is still aggressive, they'd suddenly have a much stronger opponent to deal with...

If Marco did regain some of his memories from that, though, then that probably wouldn't be a problem at all. And it'd be a quick way to 'revive' him, too...

'If' is the important word here, though.

[Iron]

However, he shakes his big head about Pilo/Mamo.

"...okay...so do you know where they are if they aren't here?  I find it a little concerning that they're the one pokemon that isn't here."

He points downward with his nose.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

"But Pokemon don't seem to mind being inside a Pokeball, Nathan.... It's like a safe haven for them, a place they can retreat to when being hurt or when wishing for some solitude. You NEED to transport him in some way, I guess."