[Game Thread] Pokerole Mystery Dungeon: Primal Shadows

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

YEEEEEEEEEE fInaLlY tHey're hEadING To ThaT pArADISe!!1~~＼(≧▽≦)／Kee's feeling all jittery along the way, having a hard time tio hide his joyful anticipation over getting to see this splendid-sounding place. He's smiling widely to himself, humms very faintly, and generally looks like a child that is on their way to visit a themepark for the very first time.

Upon arriving... Well, the smol crittercoon swiftly swings his head from one direction to the other to catch as MANY impressions from this place as possible!~ He perks up and waves his bushy tail to the excited yelling of the Pokemon a with the red shaped V on their forehead, follows the group of 'Mon Azumarill waves after, is bold enough to try to catch word of what Scraggy and Gurdurr are conversing about, pricks up his ears to listen to that faint singing comes from (same with the sound of running water from a different direction), and so on and so on... Frankly, Kee wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting of this foreshadowed 'Paradise', but in his view, with all the friendly Pokemon here and there and beautiful presentation, he's utterly convinced that this place DOES deserve to be called a paradise indeed, ahahaha!~

(...) Quagsire looks the two newcomers over with an impressively neutral expression.
"The Sand Continent, hmmmmm?  I see.  Well, they are more than welcome here so long as they don't cause any trouble.  I am Quagsire, the team organizer and manager for Paradise, and communications liaison for the HAPPI organization.  So what brings your team to the Mist Continent, hmmmmm?" (...)

Quagsire's impressively neutral expression is met by Ziggy Kee with an overjoyed toothy smile, his stance immediately raising up with bristled fur and all to give off a flawless first impression of himself towards the aquatic fella. "Pleased t'meet ya there, Quagsire!~!" Kee raises his head up high, displaying obvious pride - nope, he's not gonna get annoyed nore bored to repeating for the n-th time why he's here, ever, ahaha!~ If only, it increases his desire to complete this mission sucessfully. "Nat gonna cause any trouble for ya, nar for this paradisiac place, dontcha worry 'bout that! *taking a deep breath* What's bringing dear-us over to yar continent is 'n important mission laid into Team OS's gentle paws, instructed on us by the guildmaster of Delphox's Adventurer's Guild themselves. And while we're here... Weeeell, we've came to the right time 't seems, as we've JUST heared 'bout y'all missing someone 'mportant - y'all's dear Sue, right?... Ya can be SURE AS HECK that I'mma keep not one but two eyes open for any clue 'f her whereabout. Gotta help where I can, whom I can, an' see what adventure may unfold."

[Spiritmon]

"Same as him. Any information about Sue would be useful."

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

YEEEEEEEEEE fInaLlY tHey're hEadING To ThaT pArADISe!!1~~＼(≧▽≦)／Kee's feeling all jittery along the way, having a hard time tio hide his joyful anticipation over getting to see this splendid-sounding place. He's smiling widely to himself, humms very faintly, and generally looks like a child that is on their way to visit a themepark for the very first time.

Upon arriving... Well, the smol crittercoon swiftly swings his head from one direction to the other to catch as MANY impressions from this place as possible!~ He perks up and waves his bushy tail to the excited yelling of the Pokemon a with the red shaped V on their forehead, follows the group of 'Mon Azumarill waves after, is bold enough to try to catch word of what Scraggy and Gurdurr are conversing about, pricks up his ears to listen to that faint singing comes from (same with the sound of running water from a different direction), and so on and so on... Frankly, Kee wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting of this foreshadowed 'Paradise', but in his view, with all the friendly Pokemon here and there and beautiful presentation, he's utterly convinced that this place DOES deserve to be called a paradise indeed, ahahaha!~

(...) Quagsire looks the two newcomers over with an impressively neutral expression.
"The Sand Continent, hmmmmm?  I see.  Well, they are more than welcome here so long as they don't cause any trouble.  I am Quagsire, the team organizer and manager for Paradise, and communications liaison for the HAPPI organization.  So what brings your team to the Mist Continent, hmmmmm?" (...)

Quagsire's impressively neutral expression is met by Ziggy Kee with an overjoyed toothy smile, his stance immediately raising up with bristled fur and all to give off a flawless first impression of himself towards the aquatic fella. "Pleased t'meet ya there, Quagsire!~!" Kee raises his head up high, displaying obvious pride - nope, he's not gonna get annoyed nore bored to repeating for the n-th time why he's here, ever, ahaha!~ If only, it increases his desire to complete this mission sucessfully. "Nat gonna cause any trouble for ya, nar for this paradisiac place, dontcha worry 'bout that! *taking a deep breath* What's bringing dear-us over to yar continent is 'n important mission laid into Team OS's gentle paws, instructed on us by the guildmaster of Delphox's Adventurer's Guild themselves. And while we're here... Weeeell, we've came to the right time 't seems, as we've JUST heared 'bout y'all missing someone 'mportant - y'all's dear Sue, right?... Ya can be SURE AS HECK that I'mma keep not one but two eyes open for any clue 'f her whereabout. Gotta help where I can, whom I can, an' see what adventure may unfold."

"Hmmmm, yes, your offer of assistance is greatly appreciated.  If you need anything, we have lots of facilities here in Paradise, varying from a range of shops to some more leisurely activities.  If you'd like to talk to Virizion, Emolga, and Dunsparce about the whereabouts of Sue and Haxorus, you can find them in the more mountainous parts of Paradise to the north, where the housing for our residents is, hmmmmm.  I would like to help you myself, but I'm afraid I haven't been as directly involved with the search as those three have been, hmmmm.  To the east, where the river runs, we have many shops and gardens.  And to the west, in the forested area, you'll find the leisurely activities I spoke of.  And in this main plaza, we have some more interesting facilities, hmmmm.  We have a quest board run by the lovely Azumarill, Victini's V-Wheel, and Scraggy's move tutoring services.  And once I get the paperwork in order and get everything coordinated with your guild, I should be able to organize sending for any other members of your team.  I do hope you enjoy your stay in Paradise, hmmmm."

"Umbreon and I are going to meet go meet up with Keldeo in the forested area, so we'll meet you guys later."

The eeveelutions head off to the forested area, leaving Team OS to their own devices.  Time to look around!

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

At Jirachi's explanation of its abilities, Daxter frowns. "Uh... Mate, you sure that's astrology? Sounds like something different to me. What was the word... Uh, Astronomy? Yeah, that's right. Astronomy. Pretty sure Astrology is some weird mystic crap. Astronomy's the more scientific one with the charting and tracking and all of that other egghead stuff. I think, anyway."

Daxter groans inwardly. No Buddy here too... No Braixen either, but at least he's on the trail of Gallade and his team. And a skeevy Krokorok asking for a bribe? What the heck was up with this town? A weirdo dancing Ampharos, a psycho sleepwalking Jirachi and now this sleazebag Krokorok? Daxter had enough. He nods at Bunnelby's suggestion. "Let's try sweating him a little first. Doubt he'd be up for messing around with a water type like me."

He then turns to Krokorok and speaks in a low, threatening tone. "Convincin', you say? How about this? If you don't take me to your boss, I'll drag your sorry arse into the sea and leave you to the Sharpedo!"

Action: Intimidate the Krokorok

If the Krokorok isn't affected by the Intimidation, Daxter will flex his claws menacingly and prepare for combat.

"It's definitely a form of astrology, just not the one you're thinking of.  You wouldn't believe the effects the stars have on our world.  And I mean real, tangible effects, not the general behavioral patterns some less powerful Psychic types claim to be able to read.  Like when the world was forced closer to the sun and almost ended in a blaze of negativity!  I had to change the description of my position after that, and it's why I'm studying the heavens, to make sure there's no astral bodies or massively powerful forces threatening to end the world.  Call it an early warning system for things both mundane and supposedly supernatural."

Well, that's certainly an explanation and a half.  It seems that around here, the supernatural might be considered normal...

...or maybe Jirachi is just a really odd pokemon.  That's a possibility too.

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

Krokorok leers back as he stares straight back at Daxter.  "Oh, think you're tough, do you?"

The staring contest seems to go on for an eternity...but is that crooked crocodile's eye twitching?

Daxter's Intimidation: 3 Tough + 2 Contest + 1 Intimidate + 2 Instinct + 1 Success Water
(5)(3)(3)(1)(3)(5)(3)(5)(6*) 4 successes

Krokorok's Will: 6
(5)(2)(1)(6)(1)(1) 1 Success

Krokorok seems to be very good at staring contests, but as soon Daxter blows a single bubble in Krokorok's direction, popping it on his snout, his will breaks down completely.  "Okay, I'll talk, I'll talk!  Just don't douse me and make me a muddy mess!"

Kangaskhan laughs.

"Ahahahaha!  You never could handle water, could you, tough guy?"  She turns to Daxter while Krokorok grumbles unhappily.  "Well hun, I kindly thank you for not making a mess of my establishment.  I do hope you find who you're looking for."

Krokorok continues to grumble as he turns to leave.  "Alright, follow me.  Boss is 'dis way.  Hope your looks aren't just for show, cuz da boss ain't nearly as easily as impressed as me.  And the missus even less so."

"Way to go, Daxter!  You showed him who's boss!"

"I bet ol' Krookodile won't scare ya either, will he?"

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

Krokorok leads Daxter and company to the lower end of town, stopping in front of a rather unassuming, plain looking house.

"Alright, when we go in there, you let me do the talkin', capiche?  Boss don't like it when his business is interrupted, if ya catch my drift."

The crooked crocodile opens the door and leads everyone inside.  The house looks...completely normal.  There's a nice floor mat made of straw, racks of milk bottles can be seen hung on the pink walls near the entrance, and laughter can be heard coming from one of the nearby rooms.

Krokorok hesitates slightly upon hearing the laughter, but takes a deep breath and walks around a corner.  "Hey boss, there's someone who wants to talk to ya..."

A booming, irritated voice is heard next, accompanied by a loud boom and the clinking of glass.  "You are interrupting the planning for our next business deal, Krokorok!  This better be good."

"It's those, uh...eh...Expedition folks...sir...you know the ones..."

"What business could they possibly have with me?!  The last time they had business with me, I was framed for wanting to destroy the world!"

"I d-dunno, boss...Kangaskhan just said they were lookin' for someone..."

The front door opens behind Daxter, and a much softer, sweeter voice is heard.  "Visitors?  Oh my, I wasn't expecting company."

The unseen commotion coming from the other room goes completely silent.  As the group turns to see who just walked in, they see a pink, smiling cow.  "Oh, it's the Expedition Society!  I'd know those faces anywhere!  Krookodile, dear, could you prepare some milk for our guests?"

"...right away, sweetie!  It'll just be one moment!"

Dedenne is all smiles, while Bunnelby is chuckling to himself.

"Hi Miltank!  I wish this was just a courtesy call, but we kinda need to talk with Krookodile about something."

"Oh, that's no excuse for us to be rude though.  Come, this way.  You should sit down and have some refreshments!  Nothing helps a conversation go more smoothly than some fresh, refreshing milk."

At Miltank's insistence, everyone is ushered into the dining room and seated at a table covered with a bright pink tablecloth.  Krokorok walks out of the kitchen mere moments later, giving everyone a bottle of milk.

Krookodile walks out of the kitchen with his own bottle of milk and sits down next to Miltank, who's sitting at the head of the table.

The dark red crocodile taps his fingers on the table impatiently as he sips from his bottle of milk.  "Miltank and I have an afternoon meeting with Vespiquen's emissaries later.  I hope you're going to make this quick, Expedition Society."

"Oh, don't be rude, Krookodile.  Haven't you noticed?  There's new faces with them today!  Now be polite and introduce yourself."

"Well alright.  For you, sweetie.  The name's Krookodile, boss of the streets of Lively Town and right hand man for the milk operations here.  And the lovely lady..."

"I'm Miltank, the main provider of Lively Town's morning milk supply.  Pleased to meet you."

(I'll fast forward a little here and assume Daxter introduces himself and his team and explains what they're looking for.  Krookodile seems to be a much calmer pokemon when Miltank is around)

Krookodile frowns as he thinks about Daxter's question.  "So, you're lookin' for a little lost fox, are ya?  Hmmmm...I do recall one of the boys mentioning there was a Braixen sniffin' around town.  Something about looking to join a Team and go adventuring.  'Course, the boys didn't exactly seem like the right kind of crowd for her, so she didn't talk with 'em for very long.  Apparently milk deliveries weren't adventurous enough for her tastes.  It's likely she went looking for other opportunities."

Miltank pauses in thought.  "Wasn't there a group of pokemon looking for a fourth member for a dangerous mission recently?  I remember they ordered a rather large quantity of milk from us.  At least enough to sustain a group of four pokemon for at least half a week.  Maybe she joined them."

"That riffraff?  If she really joined that crowd on their expedition to Thunder Forest, I can't really guarantee she's in good hands."

Dedenne interjects.  "Thunder Forest?  Is that a newly discovered mystery dungeon?  I don't think that's on any of our maps."

"Yeah, I can't say I'd ever heard of it before myself.  Some distressed bird pokemon flew into town asking around for some muscle the other day.  Came to me and the boys eventually since we're Ground types and all.  Said something about needing help rescuing their friend from some kind of yellow, cat-like pokemon.  The boys and I don't really leave town often, but that team I mentioned before overheard our conversation at the café and offered to help.  Went looking for more help when they heard how dangerous the place was.  Don't seem like bad sorts at least, though I wouldn't trust outsiders with a job like that, personally."

"Now that's no way to treat guests, Krookodile.  They offered to help after all."

"Yeah, well, I don't know 'em, so I can't vouch for 'em.  Maybe that Braixen of yours ended up goin' with 'em after all, though.  She seemed to be a bit reckless if you ask me.  If you're gonna go looking for 'em, you'll want to keep an eye out for a Girafarig, a Lickitung, and a Farfetch'd.  Bit of an odd bunch if you ask me."

Miltank sighs.

[no one]

Daxter's eyebrow rises. "Thunder Forest? That... doesn't sound all that appealing if I'm being entirely honest. I'm tough but I don't think I'll be able to take too much thunder. That's the first solid lead we've got, though. Thunder Forest it is. Yellow, cat-like Pokemon though? I'm hoping it's not the one I've got in mind. A forest full of Electric type Pokemon looks like it's gonna be awful enough as it is. Anyone know where it is? I think my team and I are gonna start preparing for an excursion."

He turns to Dedenne. "I'm guessing the Expedition Society would be interested in mapping the place out, right? I think we'd definitely appreciate your help in there. Maybe you've got a Pokemon with Lightning Rod or something in your little group?"

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Original post

(...) Quagsire looks the two newcomers over with an impressively neutral expression.
"The Sand Continent, hmmmmm?  I see.  Well, they are more than welcome here so long as they don't cause any trouble.  I am Quagsire, the team organizer and manager for Paradise, and communications liaison for the HAPPI organization.  So what brings your team to the Mist Continent, hmmmmm?" (...)

Quagsire's impressively neutral expression is met by Ziggy Kee with an overjoyed toothy smile, his stance immediately raising up with bristled fur and all to give off a flawless first impression of himself towards the aquatic fella. "Pleased t'meet ya there, Quagsire!~!" Kee raises his head up high, displaying obvious pride - nope, he's not gonna get annoyed nore bored to repeating for the n-th time why he's here, ever, ahaha!~ If only, it increases his desire to complete this mission sucessfully. "Nat gonna cause any trouble for ya, nar for this paradisiac place, dontcha worry 'bout that! *taking a deep breath* What's bringing dear-us over to yar continent is 'n important mission laid into Team OS's gentle paws, instructed on us by the guildmaster of Delphox's Adventurer's Guild themselves. And while we're here... Weeeell, we've came to the right time 't seems, as we've JUST heared 'bout y'all missing someone 'mportant - y'all's dear Sue, right?... Ya can be SURE AS HECK that I'mma keep not one but two eyes open for any clue 'f her whereabout. Gotta help where I can, whom I can, an' see what adventure may unfold."

"Hmmmm, yes, your offer of assistance is greatly appreciated.  If you need anything, we have lots of facilities here in Paradise, varying from a range of shops to some more leisurely activities.  If you'd like to talk to Virizion, Emolga, and Dunsparce about the whereabouts of Sue and Haxorus, you can find them in the more mountainous parts of Paradise to the north, where the housing for our residents is, hmmmmm.  I would like to help you myself, but I'm afraid I haven't been as directly involved with the search as those three have been, hmmmm.  To the east, where the river runs, we have many shops and gardens.  And to the west, in the forested area, you'll find the leisurely activities I spoke of.  And in this main plaza, we have some more interesting facilities, hmmmm.  We have a quest board run by the lovely Azumarill, Victini's V-Wheel, and Scraggy's move tutoring services.  And once I get the paperwork in order and get everything coordinated with your guild, I should be able to organize sending for any other members of your team.  I do hope you enjoy your stay in Paradise, hmmmm."

"Umbreon and I are going to meet go meet up with Keldeo in the forested area, so we'll meet you guys later."

The eeveelutions head off to the forested area, leaving Team OS to their own devices.  Time to look around!

...So many nice facilities! Ziggy Kee has a hard time to decide where to check-in firstly, but eventually opts to proove useful and find out more about Sue and Haxorus. An affirmative nod and eager wave towards Espeon and Umbreon later - "Got it ya two, see ya later then! Gonna lurk somewhere in this Paradise, take care!~" - he turns towards Kogeki/@Spiritmon: "Sooo.... Imma head north to tha mount'ins, meetin' up with an' see Virizion, Emolga and Dunsparce and see whether I can't find out more 'bout Sue an' Haxorus. How 'bout you, K'geki, ya wanna check out some shops or f'cilities 'round here in tha meantime...? Me feels if we split up, we can check out multiple things an' then update each other later on."

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

...So many nice facilities! Ziggy Kee has a hard time to decide where to check-in firstly, but eventually opts to proove useful and find out more about Sue and Haxorus. An affirmative nod and eager wave towards Espeon and Umbreon later - "Got it ya two, see ya later then! Gonna lurk somewhere in this Paradise, take care!~" - he turns towards Kogeki/@Spiritmon: "Sooo.... Imma head north to tha mount'ins, meetin' up with an' see Virizion, Emolga and Dunsparce and see whether I can't find out more 'bout Sue an' Haxorus. How 'bout you, K'geki, ya wanna check out some shops or f'cilities 'round here in tha meantime...? Me feels if we split up, we can check out multiple things an' then update each other later on."

Kogeki his head. "Understood. I think I gonna check the Plaza and see if I can any information about Sue. We could have some point of encounter in case we need to meet. The local Guild is a good place for us to meet. See you soon."

If no words is needed to be said, Kogeki will do his side of investigation. He look around the Plaza for information until he found the Victrini Wheel he see ealier. He was curious, and this guy said "free" spins. This could be interesting, and also a chance to get some information. He approach the victory Pokemon.

[Dragonstrike]

(Okay @Lord Windos, I think I've kept you waiting long enough.  Let's jump back into what's been going on with Platina, shall we?)

It was strange.  Platina felt cold after she passed out.

Very cold.  As if something was staring straight at her hard enough to drill holes into her...

She opens her eyes, only to see...

White.

Or more accurately, that's all she could see.  It was hard to make out her surroundings.  It was if she was in the middle of a storm, though it definitely wasn't like the rainstorms and thunderstorms she's used to.

And it's cold.  She couldn't get over that fact, especially with all of her metallic sheened feathers and that lingering sense that she's being watched...

Movement in her peripheral vision distracts her, though the weather doesn't let her see what it is very clearly.  What she can make out though is a constant, rhythmic clicking sound.  Something that hardly sounds natural, especially in the middle of a storm like this.

She loses sight of the shadow, only for a long, slow, loud metallic grind to come from behind her moments later.  She turns around, and sees nothing.  She can continue to hear whirrs and the crunch of snow, though, as if something is moving around in the middle of this blizzard.  Hiding?  Waiting to pounce?

A storm is approaching...as sure as the ticking of a clock, the movements of a machine...

The storm clears as quickly as it arrived after those words fill her head, and she suddenly finds herself in a large room made entirely of glittering ice.  She can see a Raichu talking to a large, bipedal dragon with misshapen wings covered in ice.

The ice covered dragon suddenly looks past the Raichu and at Platina.

Find me in the Glacial Ruins.  We have much to discuss.

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

Platina suddenly wakes up on a comfy bed she's unfamiliar with.  The cold, dread filled dream had ended.  When she looks around, she can see Hydreigon watching her carefully, as well as another tall, yellow dragon with two red, axe-like blades sprouting from its black jaw.

Hydreigon smiles.  "Ah, you're awake!  I didn't think you'd pass out so suddenly during our conversation!"  His nonchalant demeanor is a stark contrast to the rather intimidating picture that the two dragon pokemon create while in the same room.

"So this is one of the members of that team that's visiting Paradise?"

"Indeed she is!  Platina, let me introduce you to Haxorus, one of the founders of our lovely Paradise."

The axe jaw pokemon nods.  "Pleasure to meet to meet you, and apologies for showing up so suddenly unannounced.  Hydreigon told me you're here on official guild business, so I'll try to keep this brief.  Do you mind answering some questions for me?"

[Dragonstrike]

Daxter's eyebrow rises. "Thunder Forest? That... doesn't sound all that appealing if I'm being entirely honest. I'm tough but I don't think I'll be able to take too much thunder. That's the first solid lead we've got, though. Thunder Forest it is. Yellow, cat-like Pokemon though? I'm hoping it's not the one I've got in mind. A forest full of Electric type Pokemon looks like it's gonna be awful enough as it is. Anyone know where it is? I think my team and I are gonna start preparing for an excursion."

He turns to Dedenne. "I'm guessing the Expedition Society would be interested in mapping the place out, right? I think we'd definitely appreciate your help in there. Maybe you've got a Pokemon with Lightning Rod or something in your little group?"

"Yeah, I can show you where it is on a map.  Water type like you, though, this isn't going to be a picnic.  Better watch your back if you're going to go exploring."

Daxter pulls out his map, and Krookodile points to a spot on the southern part of the continent, near the large lake with two rivers that feed into the ocean.  "Lapras shouldn't have any trouble getting you there before the day's over."

Dedenne and Bunnelby definitely seem to be very interested in checking this location out.  "We don't have any Lightning Rod pokemon in our ranks, but you have my and Bunnelbys' support!  We'll come with you!"

Miltank gives Daxter a bottle of Moomoo Milk to go.  "You be careful, now.  I do hope you find that Braixen unharmed."

[Dragonstrike]

...So many nice facilities! Ziggy Kee has a hard time to decide where to check-in firstly, but eventually opts to proove useful and find out more about Sue and Haxorus. An affirmative nod and eager wave towards Espeon and Umbreon later - "Got it ya two, see ya later then! Gonna lurk somewhere in this Paradise, take care!~" - he turns towards Kogeki/@Spiritmon: "Sooo.... Imma head north to tha mount'ins, meetin' up with an' see Virizion, Emolga and Dunsparce and see whether I can't find out more 'bout Sue an' Haxorus. How 'bout you, K'geki, ya wanna check out some shops or f'cilities 'round here in tha meantime...? Me feels if we split up, we can check out multiple things an' then update each other later on."

Kee heads north to the residential area to find Virizion, Emolga, and Dunsparce, and it doesn't take him very long to find them.  The three of them stand out in a crowd.  Especially the absolutely lovely looking Virizion.  Kee can't help but find himself staring at her.

Emolga notices the weird looking Zigzagoon staring at the three of them first and nudges the other two to draw their attention to the newcomer.  Virizion is the first to speak.

"Oh, hello.  I don't think I've seen you around here before.  Can we help you with anything?"

"You're pretty funny looking for a Zigzagoon.  Definitely not from around here."

"Emolga, isn't that kind of rude?"

Virizion not so subtly kicks Emolga's side with one of her rear legs.  "Don't mind them.  We get a lot of visitors in Paradise, after all."  An additional sideways glance from Virizion gets Emolga to clam up quite quickly.