[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Ventus doesn't react much to Nathan's sudden arrival, besides placing a calming hand on Apsis sinous body to prevent her from striking out at the boy out of stress and surprise. He was still panting from his 'conversation' with that , clutching his head and covering one eye as he slowly starts to pull himself together and give them a answer to their inquires. "...I decided to..go out hunting with Apsis...as she was...insistent that her hunger would be...sated and I didn't want to...risk the chance of 'snacking' on the...road. However, our quary...a particularly poweful Hypno...happened to have a swarm of Pokémo...under its command, so I was entangled in...a fierce battle that I barely managed to... escape as the victor. Unfortunately, I...may have gotten a tad lost while retreating...so I decided to take a breather here and...try to regain my barring once more. I'm...terribly sorry for the...delay, my friend. Please lead the way back....to the Pokémon Center..." the researcher panted out, his emotional state carefully guarded for the time being. His cover story was not quite honest, but it was truthful to some degree, so they hoped that it would get past Kirlia's radar at the very least.

Nathan and Kirlia almost buy it.  There's just one part that Kirlia notices is an obvious lie:

Getting lost.

Nathan gives Ventus a very skeptical look.  "Ventus, you're on the main road right now.  And a field researcher with who knows how much experience.  How the heck could you have gotten lost? And why the heck were you attacked by a horde of wild pokemon?"