[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

With the thunderous roar of hooves, Stable Z arrives at the northern road. All the finest fire horses of Creshire, bred to do battle. Their glorious manes and fetlocks stream with flame as they easily peel back the vines blocking their way. The phalanx is led by Max, their commander in chief, a brilliant Rapidash whose flawless coat shines a subtle bluish white. Though not officially a part of Stable Z, he leads them to all their missions and protects them and acts as inspiration. He brings his soldiers (and their attendant trainers, all from Trillium Town) up to Dagny. Her commanding presence is unmistakable despite the chair.

She signals Nathan over. "I'm sorry to rush you, but we will be heading into battle very soon. I'm glad to see you though. Go ahead and choose your group's Ponyta. I will lead a team of Steel types plus two Rapidash for offense. The rest of Stable Z I leave in Shieldmaiden Prize's command. She is extraordinarily capable and an excellent judge of character. You may tell Mr. Zachariah that Haneal is in good hands: he'll be personally commanded by Rider Jor, who has particular experience with quadrupeds."

(flashbacks can go here)

After Nathan has chosen two Ponyta:

Dagny takes a little card from inside her cloak.

"Nathan, take this key. Bring your group to the Gym and swipe that key in the elevator. That will bring you to the Metagross war chamber. Someone will be along in very short order to assist you. Goodbye, and do your best. Stair City is counting on you."

She summons a Metagross of her own, one that levitates with ease. It tucks in its legs as she mounts up, and whizzes toward the heart of the vines. As the distant steel speck hovers over the Skull Ruins, there is a flash of red flame and of lightning, then the speck descends and Dagny is out of sight.

Your group meets up at the gym. Valder accepts the Ponyta. Nathan swipes the keycard at the elevator and it takes you all to a big steel stables. Gears grind and three steel doors open for three big Metagross. They tromp out to meet you as one of Dagny's assistants comes out.

"I am Vambrace, assistant to Leader Dagny. These are the Metagross you have been assigned. They won't be in Pokeballs, but they cannot be caught by other trainers. Therefore, when not in use, you may simply park them in any relatively safe location. They won't stray unless necessary to defend themselves, and they'll keep trying to return to where they were parked."

"I was also asked to remind you not to involve the Metagross in battles unless it's an emergency. They are trained for quick travel at the expense of obedience in battle. They all have well-developed magnetic activity, polished since they were Beldum. Steer them with a touch on their shoulders, or with verbal commands. Alter their speed with verbal commands or by touching their sides: squeeze to accelerate, stroke to slow. Metagross will choose the path of least resistance unless otherwise instructed. There are enough added handholds for two people to travel safely. Gear can go here. Any questions? If not, you may practice riding them in this room before you leave."

Yup, quick flashback!

Nathan's actually really surprised to see his mom's personal Rapidash here.

"Max?  I thought you would have been back at the ranch with Mom...well, I guess it does make some sense that you'd be the one leading the charge...*sigh*...alright, well, let's see which Ponyta you've brought along..."

Nathan ends up choosing Sarah, a very stalwart and calm Ponyta who never seems to be bothered much by anything, and George, a very nervous but very capable Ponyta (they're both a little larger than Swiftfire due to being older, and George is obviously the bigger of the two).  Two Ponyta that Nathan is very familiar with since they've been on the ranch for a significant amount of time.  They also seem to be the most okay with splitting off from the rest of Stable Z.

Nathan then takes the key card, gives Dagny a thankful nod, and Max a serious yet friendly look.

"Well, that oughta do it.  Be careful, Dagny.  And you as well, Max.  You know Mom would be gutted if anything happened to you."
-------------------------------------------------------
And back to the present...

"Valder, if you could ride with me on the metagross, that'd be spectacular.  I need to go over the specifics of caring for those Ponyta since I doubt you've handled horses before." And a little bit more than that, but he doesn't say that out loud. No need to mention the topic to anyone but Valder for now...

There's not a lot of excitement in Nathan's demeanor.  This is a very, very serious situation.  Though Dagny said Stair was counting on him, he knows she also meant Creshire as a whole...

Man, he hoped everyone fighting those vines were going to be okay...

Once everyone's mounted and ready to go, it's time to head out.  Nathan has some stuff he needs to discuss with Valder on the trip.