[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Definitely.

"Oh yeah? Is the Steel Wonder of Stair City going to solve the problem all by herself, as usual? You didn't hear me say that..."

"Well, I've done a little investigation on my own, and I came to the same conclusion as you...young man."

Sheldon looks about at the crowd. They seem very unsure. Two people much more informed and involved than them - this moment doesn't belong to the crowd, it belongs to Nathan and Sheldon. "Well? Speak up. What's the cause of the vines?"

A man with a tiny Ferrothorn on his shoulder speaks up. "Natural? What is natural? Are Pokemon natural? It's obviously caused by these Tangrowth. Shelter's full of them. They've been running double ad campaigns just trying to get rid of the things."

"I disagree, and I believe this young man would disagree as well. Are Tangrowth involved? Yes. How do you get a Tangrowth? Well, like one of the Pokemon I train, and like many Pokemon who learn Ancient Power, Tangela evolves by involvement with primal forces of some kind. We have them all over the world, but SOMETHING is different about Creshire's primal forces, I'd swear it. My own field research, in just one day, suggests that Sarimanok changed something about the nature of reality. Perhaps something that affected the entire world, but there's no doubt in my mind that it's stronger here on your strange mini continent. What do you say about THAT?"

"Maybe a similar conclusion, Sheldon, but you're missing a piece of the puzzle here: something's commanding these Tangrowth, these vines.  Something residing in the Skull Ruins, and I agree that it's likely related to Sarimanok.  For multiple reasons.  When my group and I approached the city, we were attacked by four Tangrowth...and a Claydol wearing a crown.  That Claydol commanded the four Tangrowth effortlessly, directed them well enough to attempt to steal my Kirlia's item.  4 Pokemon, working flawlessly under one individual's orders...there's nothing natural about that by our standards.  And that was just one unit of Tangrowth.  I can bet you that there's more pokemon like that crown wearing Claydol in those Ruins, and maybe even something commanding them too.  And they're all hiding in those Ruins while they send out countless Tangrowth to try and completely cover the surrounding area in vines.

"Now, when my group beat those Tangrowth that attacked us, that Claydol Teleported away.  What do you think might have happened if we'd beaten and captured what I'm calling a 'mannikin king' on top of the Tangrowth it was commanding?  I think it could slow those vines down far more than if just the Tangrowth were beaten."

"There's also no doubt Sarimanok did much more than any single man should be able to do.  Having many Legendaries at his side obviously aided in that.  But what if some of them knew there was something...wrong about him?  That maybe Sarimanok himself wasn't the cause of his downfall?  It's something I've been considering lately.  Something's at work in the background here.  I don't know what, but I have good reason to believe it bears no good will towards Crehire, whatever it is."