[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Eeeek, not a back room! D: Shiva somewhat doesn't feel well there, to many memories over not so pleasant conversations. However, after sighing imprecibly over this shifting of the aforementioned meeting and handing precious Lilith over to Nurse Joy with the kind request to heal her up overnights, she comes back to Ventus' side and will stay there until the meeting is over, dear Cottonee can enjoy some time out of her Pokeball close in the lap of her beloved Master.

Partly, Shiva is silently impressed over this detailed list and reads through it carefully as soon as the papers are coming to her, she has her own pens to write, every single one looking fancy. Holding it above the paper before she'll add some things in an almost elegantly curved handwritting, she looks over to Nathan. "That's...a good list you made, Nathan. In fact, I've, well...already thought about which Pokemon I'd like to bring with me on the trip down the mountain."

It is the following.

Gothitelle - Because she knows many important things according to the Shelter and is a Pokemon whose presence Shiva enjoys, also Future Sight.
Tropius - Produces fruit and can fly the group over gaps they otherwise couldn't pass, also STAB-Razor Leaf.
Braixen - Another Pokemon Shiva is close to, can enlighten campfires/provide a source of light when incinerating the tip of his basswood stick, will also keep others warm. Also, Lucky Chant.
Furret - He may know Mount Sentry like nonelse due to being the leader of a hunting pack before he joined Shiva, also 11hp + 4 Vitality + Keen Eye feel like a hard nut to crack for a foe. Also, Me First feels like a useful move when facing strong opponents.
Azumarill - Belongs to Shiva's strongest and most dear Pokemon, can share happiness/cheer others up when being down or dishearted. Also Helping Hand and Huge Power to help/clear the path when it's blocked.
Poochyena - Keen sense of smell, tenacious, biolumiescent = provides a bit of light, Shiva's first choice when Ghost Types are lingering on the path.

Of course Shiva will incredibly miss her dearest fluffball and the fluffball will incredibly miss her regardless of how long the trip will take, but the inside of a mountain is simply no place for a Cottonee. >///< She hopes that Cottonee will understand, though.
Apart from that, Shiva trusts in her senses, Pokemon and Ventus's desire to keep her safe.

"I fear I'm....horrible at climbing. Food I have enough and we can prepare durable things in the morning to take it with us. Additionally, she writes up...

three more things onto the other list.

- Repels?
- Clothes that keep us warm.
- Pokeballs! Many many Pokeballs.

"Nathan, you said Tanuki gave some useful information? Dagny told me something new, as well. After you."

(No reaction from Shiva at Nathan's mention of Ditto on the list?  Valder's still the only one who's seen it IC so far, after all)

Nathan looks what Shiva wrote over.  Adds it to his lists.  "Any other pokemon you think might be useful to bring?  Less disobedient ones we could loan to each other if we feel they'd be more helpful than other pokemon we could bring.  That's why I didn't limit my own list to 6."

"The climbing gear would mostly be for the pitons hopefully.  I hope we wouldn't need to climb any rock walls, but maybe we will have to...anyways, the pitons can not only help with climbing, but also marking paths we've already traveled."

At Shiva's question afterwards, Nathan raises an eyebrow in interest at the mention of Dagny, then nods.  "Most of what Tanuki told me was general advice on how to make exploring the lower levels of Mt. Sentry safer and easier.  She also said a good trick for getting out of dead ends was to follow the left wall, assuming you're not stuck in a nested loop.  In addition, if we're down there for too long, she'll come and try to find us herself the next time she's training in the mountain.  How long we'd have to be down there for, I don't know, but it's good to know she has our backs if we get stuck for some reason.  I also asked her if she'd seen anything particularly strange or out of place down there.  She's not seen anyone she could label as a Scimitar recently, but there's plenty of pictures and Old Unown writing on the walls down there.  She couldn't tell if any of it was related to a library of any kind, though."

"...but there was one strange thing among all of that.  Near an old, probably FTS drawn picture of a forest, somewhere in the western caverns and tunnels, there were a lot of Slakoth and Slowpoke...and one of her Zigzagoon picked something up that looked rather out of place."

Nathan puts the Black Stone Shard on the table.

"...it doesn't seem to have any kind of power in it or symbols on it.  It's the same color as known Relic Stones, though, and there's a little bit of a curve to it as well.  Looking for the bigger rock this got chipped off of might be a good place to start.  Something like this would look really odd if you could spot it."