[Game Thread] Pokerole: Mount Coronet Mystery

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

 Karen does indeed immediately recall Magnezone, as she fears some kind of powerful Ground type move is incoming!

"Ahhhh...didn't bring any pokemon with Priority...wait!  I have an idea!  Lotus, I need you to trust me on this if things go sour, okay?"

(...)

Amethyst charges in to avert disaster!  Tough, rocky hide or no, she's going to bring this beast down!

Bite 1
(5)(4)(5)(2)(5)(4)(1) Crit!
(4)(4)(1) Rhyperior takes 2 damage and faints!

Every pokemon that participated gets 2 exp, and Karen and Randolph both get 5.

As Rhyperior slams into the ground face first, Karen and Lotus simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.  "...that was way too close...phew..."

Lotus then turns to Randolph, rose on her hip as she gives Randolph a very unamused, narrow eyed look.  "Yeah, so...Lotus has never really seemed to be all that interested in learning those kinds of status moves, to be perfectly honest.  She's always been more of a straightforward kinda Grass type, if that makes any sense.  I tried to teach her Grass Whistle once, but...well, let's just say it didn't go very well.  She's put a lot of effort into learning other moves that give her a strong advantage in battle, though!  Draining moves are her favorite!  And she seemed to like the TMs for Sunny Day and Rain Dance that I taught her, too!  Just need to find a good time to use them in conjunction with Weather Ball..."

Karen then looks at Randolph curiously and innocently asks,  "...so, I've been meaning to ask...is everything okay, Randolph?  You've seemed rather stressed ever since we left Snowpoint, and...well, I can tell something's been on your mind since we defeated that Froslass...I didn't really want to bring it up in front of the others, though..."

"Rrrrrr.....then I hope whatever you have planned with your Roserade turns up as pretty as they are! Amethyst, Boreas, ATTACK!"

Ran almost panics himself when he sees his ivory guardian nearly lose herself to fear, but quickly breaths out a HUGE and explosive *SIIIIGH* of purest relief with Karen and her parnter as she (Amethyst) steadied herself and mauled the Shadow Rhyperior into unconsciousness, which was immediately followed by their Shadow Aura to burst out of them and dissipate into the inky Shadow Sky above. He was quick to walk forward and give both his living christmas tree and Dark prophet and solid pat on their back/leg and strained (from the battle) smile.

"By Heatran's molten power, I'm grateful you two sorted that Rhyperior out when ya did! Otherwise, we might all have ended up buried and dead!"

Once he's done congratulating them, he returns them and goes over to see the bi-chromatic eyed girl and her walking rose bouquet to speak with them more about the later's certain deficiency , but they pre-empted him with her explanation for it. Despite it and Lotus' marked displeasure with his earlier suggestion, he still goes through with his plan to talk about it, turning towards Lotus and shares a gaze that is simple, neutral, but serious.

"You should have forced her to learn at least one anyway, lass. Damage is good, and any form of health recovery is valuable in its own right, but the right Status Move can mean the difference between victory or defeat if used properly. Or in cases like our battle against that Rhyperior, life or death. If Lotus could've put that beast to Sleep with Grass Whistle or Sleep Powder, it wouldn't have threatened to demolish us with whatever move it had prepared, and Paralysis from Stun Spore would've made our options for taking it out before it could level the battlefield a whole lot more broad and lenient. To put it another way, what you're doing *Points to Lotus* is like choosing only to carry a hammer around instead of a toolbox. A hammer is great at beating all sorts of things in or out, but it ain't good at doing everything, unlike some fools might think. A toolbox can't help ya do everything either....but it can at least see you more prepared for the problems life will shove your way. And trust me when I say this....but you'll want to be prepared as possible. For life.....life can be a cruel bastard sometimes.""

He closes his eyes as he finished his small lecture, a rare moment of vulnerability and pain flashing across his face that made him seem every bit of the aging man her was, before it clears away as he looks over to the young prodegy when she starts asking him about himself. That causes his posture to become immediately guarded and agitated, his eyes narrowing and his expression shifting into one of distinct anger, looking primed and ready to explode in fury at the innocent lass. 

But at the last moment he remembers who's he speaking to, a young, demure, and sensitive adolescent girl barely past the start of her puberty, and all her acts of kindness and generosity - her most recent one going out to him, and stops himself with a visible jerk backwards as he closed his eyes somewhat slowly shook his head to forestall his gut temper reaction. He took several DEEP breaths and let them out quick bursts until most of his previous anger drained out of his and his face returned to its previous pale complexion. When that happened, the bristly blacksmith looked at Karen again, his gaze still holding some remenants of his previous fiery indignation, but was now filled with resigned, tired discontent at....well, just about everything, but notably not her, all of which was reflected in his low but quiet tone of voice.

"....Didn't ya mama ever tell ya not to dig into other people's business, lass? Especially with someone as....Moody and with a hair trigger temper like me? *Heavy Sighing* ....But if you really want to know no. No, I'm bloody well not okay. I haven't been okay once I realized how bad this goddamn Darkai awful job IS that I was hired for, and I've been rightfully upset ever since that old bastard Rowan *Growls* all but gang-pressed, deceived, manipulated, and mislead me to continue working it  against my better judgement that I and everyone else but the Champion are vastly under-qualified and under-prepared for. Most of all, though, I hate, hate the responsibility the Pixies and my duty toward my fellow man have burdened me with, and I'm afraid - no, I know I ain't cut out for handling it, but have to keep pressing on anyway until I fulfill them, or otherwise die and possibly doom the entire region, probably the whole world and all realities, and definitely myself.  

*Closes eyes, and Sighs**

"I've had to deal with these feelings everyday constructively as I can manage, and it hasn't boded well for my already elevated temper and stress levels. Every night I've contemplated just damning it all and break my word and quit anyway, and leave this rotten, impossible mission behind, but I grit my teeth and ignore that urge. So far I haven't been doing a good job with myself, but it's enough to keep me going without wanting to strangle everyone or everything in unbridled anger at the lot of life I'm stuck in now. Just....enough. You asking about it all, bringing it all to the surface instead of pushed back in the corner of my mind....it's not helping. At all. *Stressed Sighing* ...But I understand you mean no harm by it or know I prefer not sharing my privacy, so I'm trying not to Bite your head off for it and give ya what you wanted. *More Stressed Sighing* Hopefully....hopefully I've succeeded."

"As for that Frosslass....that's a personal matter between me, Lucas, and Sally, lass, and I would like if you respect that and didn't ask me anymore about it. That's all I will say about it for now."

Ran finishes his mild but unhappy speech by covering his face with head, and subconsciously leaning back onto the leg of Amethyst who was standing right next to him, who was probably looking pretty concerned about her master's emotion state of being right about now. Boreas....well, I guess he probably wouldn't care too much, and be much more interested in chatting up that Roserade of that little girls to pass the time.