[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

Upon hearing about the text, Belle laughs in a motherly way. "That ex-cop can take care of himself. He knows more about fighting than the rest of you put together."

Tramp agrees. "Guess we'll get a move on then. We want as much time as possible at the Festival. Belle is going to sell beaded Pokemon keychains (I'm sure she'd make you one if you asked nicely, maybe gave her a backrub)."

After a few false starts, the RV coughs her engine to life and trundles down the road. There are less and less trainers, and the road is not in great shape. Nathan is sure this is not Route 01's normal state.

At one point, you reach a stretch of road dotted with puddles, where the paving has been completely torn up, revealing the mud underneath. Mr. Mime stretches out a horizontal Barrier across them - seems he's done this many times before. Geodude never stops trailing you, but remains mostly out of sight.

You meet a trainer on the road, a guy in huge boots. They're covered in mud, and he looks exhausted.

"Road is pretty much out up ahead, fellows," he says. "Basically just one big, grassy swamp. They're saying it's been that way for 2 days, which is odd because it hasn't rained. It came out of nowhere! It's gone all misty, too. I barely made it through. I heard tell the hiking trails to the north are still mostly open, though that would add a couple days to your route. Worth it, though!"

"Hm," says Tramp. "Which way should we go? The RV could go on some of those hiking trails, but much slower, I think. We definitely can't take her through the swamp."