[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

Nathan sighs as Aspis goes down.  'Dang, so close...'  Plusle and Minun look really sad now, as does Ralts.

When Ventus comes over, Nathan can see he looks...kinda depressed, and Ralts is feeling it too.  The mood must have gotten to him.  "Hey, you did well.  Don't let the disappointment get to you.  It's really hard to even get that far in a battle against a Gym Leader, you know."  Togepi's antics help lighten the mood pretty quickly, too.  Ralts, Plusle, and Minun look like they're feeling a little better too.  The combee are simply looking at Ventus and Nathan, a sad look in their eyes.  "Alright, back in your pokeballs for now.  Staryu, we'll be doing a little training with Porygon in a little bit, okay?"  Nathan recalls all of his pokemon except Ralts and Swiftfire, and takes back Porygon and the CarnyCoin when Ventus offers them.

"Ya know, I've got a few pieces of basic advice I could give you, if you're willing to listen.  Just a few things based on what I've observed.  If you manage to get another CarnyCoin, I think you could definitely win this battle with a little more prep work."

Nathan looks down, his hand the back of his head, and looking a little serious.  "Though, I've been thinking about what we'll be doing after today, and I think we should be moving on pretty soon.  As great as this festival is, it's almost over, and we have other places to be and tasks to do.  You'd probably have to get another coin today if you want another shot before we leave...but that's just my thoughts on the matter.  I can't speak for the entire group, obviously.  Regardless, though...want a few (hopefully) helpful tips?"

Shaking the sleepiness out of his eyes, he turns to smile at Nathan, his mood a little better with his friend's support. "If you have any advice to share, that would certainly be helpful in my endeavor to trump that icy Gym Leader. As for Carny Coins, Shiva has one, and if I have need of it she would probably let me use it. She doesn't seem like she wants to fight in any Gym Battles anyway, so my request should not be too egregious," Ventus says, petting his Raphael while they were sipping their hot chocolate. Despite its study arms, they seem have a grip on the mug, enjoying the chocolatey beverage as a nice treat.

Brainstorming himself of possible solutions, he starts talking about things that could possible help in his battles."One thing I need to do for sure is evolve my Pokémon, and catch more Pokémon that can fill out my team. Both task are rather long term goals, however, so it may be awhile before I can properly take on any Gym Leader. Other than that, I have to hone my battle skills more before I can pull anymore fancier maneuvers. Perhaps getting some held items would also be a good option as well. What do you think, Nathan?"