[Game Thread] Pokerole: Mount Coronet Mystery

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

"Ack!  Hey, what the hell!?  Watch where you're swinging that thing, Kogeki, geez..."

Lucas rubs his slightly bruised jaw, trying to ease the pain as Kogeki apologizes.  "...look, it's fine, just...watch what you're doing in the future, alright?"

He shakes his head in response to the Grassy Terrain request.  "Would if I could, but you know how it is.  Pokemon can't really use their buffing moves to their full effectiveness outside of battle.  The effects just don't linger long enough."  (Every trainer can have 1 HP of healing from the Grassy Terrain used during the D-Steelix battle, though).

"As for where everyone else is, Paula's sitting over by Turk over there.  She's been super antsy since we got away.  Had to tell her to give ya some space."  He points behind him, where Paula is leaning up against Turk's shell, anxiously fidgeting.  The turtle's watching over Heracross and Hazel too, though Hazel is unconscious and Heracross doesn't seem very concerned.  "Sally's resting right now in her pokeball.  I've got a few stern words for her myself, but...honestly, if she hadn't taken that risk, that fight might not have ended that quickly, and I don't want to imagine how much worse that situation might have been if she hadn't ended the battle right then."

"And Steelix, as best as we can tell, is buried underneath tons and tons of heavy rock and burning coal.  Don't think it'll stay there forever, of course, but I think it's safe to say the danger's passed.  We had to flee through several long corridors before finding another room where we could rest that wasn't collapsing in on itself due to the seismic activity.  Still in the mine, though.  Hasn't been that long since the battle.  Maybe an hour or so?  Always hard to tell when you're this deep underground."

Byron winces and readjusts his posture, planting the head of his shovel in the ground for stability, trying to get comfortable.  He then looks Randolph straight in the eye and gets to his own no nonsense questons. "Now then, if you don't mind me asking, aren't you one of the foremen here?  I thought I told you to get the heck out of here when I showed up to deal with that Arceus damned Onix that was causing trouble.  Not that I don't appreciate the help, but why the hell did you stick around, and how the hell did you find help so quickly?  Your friends definitely don't look like miners, after all."

As  Byon's asking these questions, Randolph gets his first real chance to really look at the Gym Leader in detail.  He looks...younger.  Noticeably younger, in fact.  Fewer wrinkles, taller stance...and that posture as well...it reminds Randolph of how Byron looked when he stumbled out of the Oreburgh Mine after the incident all those years ago, hurt, but still able to do his job...

The cyborg ninja's punch (Whenever it occured) is quick to earn a double take from the dwarven craftsman and a quick "What?!" , but their (Kogeki's) subsequent apology and explanation earns him a rare sympathetic look and nod from him. "Ah, that's.....understandable." Ran doesn't really have much more to say about the impromptu 'Bullet Punch', as he doesn't want to make things even more awkward and uncomfortable for Kogeki. He very well knows how heavily such traumatic events can weigh on someone....

Ran *Tsks* at Lucas soft denial to his request, shaking his head and looking down with a pained scowl. "Thought you of all people could find a work around to that, but that was wishful thinking in the end. *Sighs* Can't ya get that undine of yours to heal Kogeki's Pokemon? I know they're capable of doing that at least, unless the Fight against that monster took too much out of them."

(Speaking of healing, Spiritmon, doesn't Kogeki have a Heal Pulse/ Pokemon with Healing Moves? Might be a good way to help everyone out by dolling out some sweet, sweet recovery)

He gaze darts over when the boy hero indicated, and let out a deep heavy *Sigh of relief to see that his siren queen was mostly alright, before looking back to them and nodding.

"Thank you, lad. Was worried I didn't see the cuddle bug hovering near me. I'll talk with her later after we sort out everything from that battle."

"....*Sighs* Agree with ya completely, but that doesn't stop me from being concerned about the pup for being so goddamn hotblooded. Results matter, but the reasons or methods don't have to good or go without reprimend. *Shakes head*.  I'll just let you handle her, but tell the lass I'll be sharing this incident with her father later unless she can convince me otherwise. He'll certainly be thrilled to hear how his daughter's fairing, I'll tell ya."

Alman's first response causes another scowl to appear, before it disappeared as he *Sighed* and nodded to them. He really want to make true on his promise and take a few chunks out of that monster for all the hell it put everyone through, but it getting buried alive would have to do it for him. He's also rather......frustrated he could get his hands on that Coal Onix, but he didn't show it beyond briefly clenching his fists at that thought. No need to take his personal vendetta on anyone besides the target of it. That, and he's too tired and in Pain to really get properly angry.

The Gym Leader's next question gets them a taken aback double take, as that was not a question he was expecting from his best friend....before he recalled how they reacted to him coming to their defense from Diamond Steelix. Randolph's eyes then narrowed in thoughtfulness, his gaze turned critical as it roamed all over Byron and took in all his details, the sum of which shocked him too. Byron....he looked younger. In his prime, even, from what he could recall about his old, long time friend. How is that possible....

Everything then clicked for the midget miner. Byron's youth, their surprise and lack of recognition with him, his more serious personality, coupled with the Tarous shit supernatural mystery force warping reality and dragging anyone from anywhere and anywhen in all realities. It all added up to one simple yet complicated as hell answer that had Randolph smacking his hand to his face and let out a long, pained groan.

"Oh Legends damn it all, it got ya too and dragged you into this present scrap heap of a mess. How much w - no, doubt jinx things, Wolfe. It always can get worse, as it just did."

He mumbles that to himself, shaking his head in purest consternation at the events and reality before him, until he let out a *Sigh* heavier than Turk (no offense to him meant!) and turned to look at his best....well, yet to be best friend with a tired, grave, yet apologetic look as he answered them.

"....No, I don't. Yes, I was a foreman, and yes, you did tell me to skedaddle like the mine was on fire. At least, from my perspective. Byron, you might want to sit down, 'cause I got long and wild story that'll answer you're questions, but leave ya with exponentially more.

Ran then proceed to explain how he got to them with his partners, his whole job here at Mt. Coronet and the whole mess plaguing it, and his adventures and observations thereof. Simply put....

"*Sighs*....To sum things up, me and my partners are currently stuck in this Mystery Dungeon Mt. Coronet has been turned into, trying to get to the top and sort out whatever is behind it to get things back to the status quo, and it seems either you and those monsters were abuducted by that cosmic disaster like a couple of our allies were into the future from your perspective, my group and I ended up traveling back in time and ended up meeting with you, or some combination of Tauros shit events. To put it even simpler, blame something fucking with Palkia and/or Dialga for this meeting, here and now."

*Sighs Again*

"You probably are skeptical of the crock of nonsense I just tried to sell ya, but just ask my partners and they'll confirm what I said, no matter how much I wish everything I just told ya was just the mad whimsy of the wickedest Fairies. I got physical proof too (The Azure Flute), if you want to see it for yourself."

*Sighs for the Nth Time and shakes his head, mumbling to himself*

"Goddamns it all, why did it have to involved you, Alman. You don't deserve this, no one deserves this...."