[Game Thread] Lord Windos’ PokeRole Adventure 2: The Wild Lands

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

The Primal Researcher listens intently to your debrief, only interrupting a few times throughout for comment or clarification.

"Hmm. Very well. Has your Partner verified the conclusions you've drawn? Regardless, if you trust them enough I suppose it is acceptable to share more details about our Mission and Project. Gather them first and I'll give them a run down - I could send them the intel via data download, but I do not want to risk any spy agencies intercepting and decrypting that information. We can then formally ask if they wish to join us in our assignments in full, or only help us tangently and cooperate on occasion. NDAs should not be required, but discretion should still be heavily advised for all parties involved "

"May I see that 'Gemstone' of your? I want to run a simple analysis of it to determine what anomalous properties it may have. My own cognitive capabilities and experience with problems of a similar nature should help in deciphering its purpose. If you advise against that, have your Partner send what data she collected on her own analysis, no matter how corrupted or nonsensical it it."

Your assessment of Ianai causes the Professor to give them another look (who is still dazed at the time), before letting out a thoughtful *Hm* and focusing on you once more. "Good. If she has Special Insight abilities and Knowledge on our primary Mission targets then she will be an invaluable aid."

Akamu's gets raised eyebrows. "Hm...we're dealing with one associated with the Tapus? Which one, if they offered it? Or do you have an idea yourself? I do not have much data on Alola's Guardian Deities, but what I do possess can help me extrapolate the best way to handle and appease It while fostering as good of a relationship between It and Its Follower."

Darren's doesn't get much reaction, but Aaron's certainly does as Sada's eyes widen. "Why is he here? I heard of no diplomatic matters between Sinnoh and Sutalor that would require them to dispatch one of their Elites. What is his and his apprentice's purpose in being here? Do you think he'll overly interfere without our Mission and Project?"

Vernon gets no comment, but the Pictures they send does garner some interest from her. "We should go visit the Survival Center ourselves when we have the chance. If nothing else acquiring information from the about the land will make our jobs easier, and the potential of safe transport would be a great asset if it is affordable."

Oz's garners more interest from the dino doc, with her sporting a curious frown as you describe them and their recent woes.

"Hm....they would be a very great addition to a hypothetical team indeed, but I worry if they are sound of mind enough to work efficiently and effectively as needed. *Nods* I will have to speak with her myself to gauge her interests, and see if she's capable of being of helpful without a large percentage chance of mental collapse or deterioration. Thank you for letting me know about her."

The Sky Scimitar's causes both her eyebrows to shot right up, a look of surprise and then cautious interest appearing in quick succession.

"Hm....I do not think I have heard of a Scimitar by that name before. Perhaps I have heard of him under a different alias or Title, but by my recollection I do not know much about this one in particular. Worked with a few Scimitar Magi and Technomages in the past - their methodology is Confusing but overall effective in its own right, and help further my own understanding on Future Paradoxes. That Partner of his sounds like a Chimeric Pokemon of sorts, which is extremely Strange - the only ones I've heard of like that are from Fuji's Research Projects and Mewtwo's own attempts at Biomancy, Ditto Phenomena, Data and Robotic Creations from Holon, and what scant information I've heard about Unown Events, Enigma's Projects, and the Calamities. If possible I'd like for her to participate in case study and interview, if she and Bernhard permits. Though not directly related to my field of expertise, learning more about a possible Chimeric Myth could greatly develop my own understanding of the fascinating deviations and traits exhibited by Paradoxes compared to their Modern counterparts."

Your assessment of Sand Crawler and request to postpone any research on him gets a nod back - they're not so impatient as to demand to see him now, especially if their is a risk he could make a mess.

Your canny deduction earns you a disgruntled frown from Sada - uh oh.

"...That very well is a conclusion that could be drawn, yes. One the local city government and Sutalor primary governing agents none-to-subtly implied too."

She pinches the bridge of her nose and heaves a frustrated *Sigh...* , shaking her head at whatever news she has to share.

"I will be blunt, unlike them: the city wants us to act as Independent Agents - Police Officers and Judges, in other words -  for 10 Days time here in Bayhama. The reason? The Sutalorian-Scimitar Union Festival Celebration that is coming in 7 Days, which will last 3 Days before concluding with a State of Address and fireworks show. Right now the city's police force, military, and auxiliary Trainer Forces are busy helping organize the big celebration's security, trafficing from outlying districts and other Cities, and making sure nothing Strange happens or the Wild Life gets too riled up by the commotion. In other words, judicial powers are going to be stretched thin, and the local criminal elements and opportunists know this. Crime is going to make a mess of things, and rather than delegate existing forces they want us to help fill in the gaps, solving crimes and disputes however we can and with whomever we can recruit. *Shakes head* It is asinine that they are not better prepared for what should be a know trend, but I suspect they wish to have as much 'insurance' as possible in case their Region's 'wild nature' acts up again. It's probably why Sutalor and Bayhama wanted us here recently and ASAP, now that I think about it..."

Sada crosses her arms and glares at the table, as if its the one to blame for this imposition.

"I told them that would be a grave inconvenience and put us at a great setback on our Mission, but they, in so many words, said that conducting our research would be critically slowed regardless due to 'travel restrictions' and the great influx of traffic stalling exodus from Bayhama, as well as the local Wild Pokemon becoming more Active and Dangerous due to said influx and commotion. *Frowns* I have my doubts on that , but I held my tongue and told them I could not come to any decisions without first having council with my co-researcher, you. I also didn't want to create any friction that would make future purchases or gaining permissions more untenable XOR laborous, and I also didn't want relations with us to chill and make any future deals and arrangements more difficult and mired than need be. *Shakes head ruefully* Politics - no matter the time, place, or people, it is all the same, and I despise the necessity of playing such time wasting games. The fact they also implied they want you to continue said 'Independent Agent Activities' as you explore the Region makes it all the more irritating too - I can understand why they want to 'get the most' out of us, given the Wildness of the Region and how lawless or atypically regulated parts are, but it does not make it any less of a utter chore.""

Wow, she's NOT happy about this - this is about as much emotion and passion you've gotten out of her outside her Research and some specific topics! You could also now, from your short but eventful career as a League Agent yourself, read between the lines - that Stipend, Bonus, and Power of Authority were 'deal sweeteners' to get you to go along with their 'extra' requests.

The Professor then *Sighs*, and an even more disgruntled and worried frown grace her face. A very worried and concerned one.

"....They have, though, offered an alternative way for us to assist them that would allow them to 'speed up' our future departure from Bayhama, free us from any 'obligations' to police Bayhama and the Region at large, as well as give us a give us a great deal of 'clout' and even greater financial windfall. They went so far as to even offer to increase our Stipend to $10000 to every 10 Days and Upgrade our 'Bonus' - instead of what they offer, they would give us a choice of the following - 5 Max Revives and Full Restore Xs (Has 2 Uses, Does Not Apply Potion Effectiveness) - given up front -, a single use TM for Recycle EX (Works on virtually ANYTHING, like Human Made Healing Items, Broken Stuff, even TMs and Single Use HMs, but in the case of Non-Natural Items and other Noted Stuff they can only be Recycle Once before the Item disintegrates and it Exhausts the User in the process), access to one Hunter-Killer Military Grade Firearm or Weapon of your choice - and given it to you right away - , a Miracle Berry, or finally a Star Unity Ball.

Oh. My. That...that is some real premium loot that is be offered for this alternative gig. More Max Revives and Better FRs are obviously good, Recycle is already valuable enough so an even better version avaliable is ridiculous, and Military Hardware of that caliber is virtually impossible to get a hold of.

The Miracle Berry and Star Unity Ball? Near priceless Items in of themselves.

The Miracle Berry does exactly what its name implies - Grants a Miracle to whomever eats it, living or dead. It could be anything from getting a Super Unique , Special, Powerful, Strange, or Fortunate Trait or Surprise, it could enhance existing Abilities or Moves, or even change the way a Pokemon is on a fundamental level, unlocked Evolutions , Forms, and Transformations, natural and not, and much, much more. All of it is guaranteed to be good and have no negative effect to boot - it truly is all upside.

The Star Unity Ball has a 'mere' Seal Strength of 12, but it works on everything but Humans without Fail, it is Unbreakable and requires No Throwing Roll to Hit, returns to Hand upon a Failed Capture, it gives + 5 Loyalty and Happiness while also Uncapping those same 'Stats' for any Pokemon Captured by it (while also GREATLY boosting Bonding and all Bonding Effects), Fails still increase the Target's H/L by 1 per attempt, and grants the Captured Target an Additional Ability, Moves (one of them being either Hidden Power, Return, or Wish), 100 XP, and one Surprise! that is worth 100 XP. 

...But all this great, great loot begs a very Important Question:

'Just WHAT do they want you to do that would be worth THAT much?'

Sada tells you, and you can't help a shiver from crawling down your back as she coldly stares you in the eyes and says:

"In exchange...they want somebody to deal with a Malefic Monstrum. An Alpha-like Malefic Monstrum - a God Wandering Hurricane, they call it."

You could hear a Mousehold breath in the pure silence that ensued from that statement. The Professor looks away, staring at the Region Map hanging on the wall.

"....You may have heard about it already - or seen it, if you were truly unFortunate - it's Territory is located on the Beach you found yourself at. The Forsaken Beach, they call it, in part because its home to such a monster. From what I have been told and researched It's been their for the better part of a decade, and while it hasn't done anything majorly detrimental to Bayhama....those in the know about it have been dreading it deciding to live up to its nameshake and wander over here. It has already been confirmed to have been responsible for a couple of severe storms that devastated the city, and year by year it slowly is expanding the borders of its Territory. Some say it'll reach the City Limits by the end of this Month. It is known to be highly aggressive and easily provoked into violence, and has zero sense of restraint - if crossed it will go all out against any and every one connected to the offender. Including Humanity at large - it's last known major act of aggression against Humans was obliterating a Cruiseliner for entering its Territory unknowingly due to a bad storm, costing the lives of hundreds. They've been sending what Independent Agents, Officers, and Free Trainers they can to scout the beach and keep tabs on it, but they've wanted it gone for years by now. Nobody has offered so far, for fairly obvious reasons. The officials says one Trainer has offered to join a Team to take the beast down for years, but....that is all the support they could offer.

"Having read up on your records and received a most recent report on your Miraculous Survival and Feats on The Forsaken Beach....they believe you are capable and Fortunate enough to be entrusted with this task. If you agree to it, you'll have to sign a Contract that mandates your attempt at Defeating and the Capture or Killing of the God Wandering Hurricane, and are Authorized to Recruit any Willing and Capable Trainer into a Team with the Intent to Capture or Kill IT. All parties involved will receive similar compensation as you will, and all expenses will be made to treat any casualties or fatalities caused in the Fight. Any damages caused to the City of Bayhama will not be held liable against you or your Team, nor any civilian casualties or fatalities . In addition, they will provide all the Data they have collected about Wandering Hurricanes to us, and what they have learnt about the God Wandering Hurricane specifically, including its habitual schedule of appearances, all in a effort to increase our odds of success in dealing with IT. "

A heavy, heavy *Sigh...* escapes Sada as they turn to face you, worried and....conflicted.

"....By my own assessment, I believe we are capable of completing this task. The Trainer we would be Teaming up is said to be one of the best in the Region, and has on record taken down multiple other Malefic Monstrum, including lesser Wandering Hurricanes. The boons we'd receive would greatly improve the odds of completing our Mission and our Projects, and it would endear us significantly with the Sutalorian Government. Not only for ourselves, but for Paldea as a whole, and it would facilitate further relations with other polities beyond. It would also Safeguard Bayhama in the long run, and allow for it to expand its borders and more safely fortify existing ones. Dealing with the God Wandering Hurricane would, therefore, be the most optimal outcome for everyone involved. *Sighs, Grimacing* ....It is also not something I can make a decision on. Frankly, without several other Trainers of your caliber , our odds of Success without severe fatalities or grievous injuries is hovering around 20% . The odds of Failure as it stands are around 40%, with Catastrophic Failure being about 20% of that ratio. In the event of a Successful Hunt, their is a 40% Chance that at least 2 of our Pokemon or ourselves from each participate will die. Regardless, it would not remotely be a clean Fight - at minimum Forsaken Beach would likely be devastated, and their would be high odds that Bayhama would be hit with storms that would incur great damages. It is unknown what the expect loss of life would be, Human and Pokemon alike - Failure would likely result in a death toll in the thousands before the Military could be mobilized and successfully put it down. In conclusion: Win or Lose, as it stands Fighting the God Wandering Hurricane would be Costly in the Extreme."

"Knowing all this now, I would like to hear your thoughts and assessment of this, and how this should shape our future policy of dealing with Bayhama's Government. Give me your honest opinion, and together....we can decide what to make of this offer.

...That is one hell of a bombshell to be dropped. Enough that it interrupts what you were planning on saying to about Morgana to Professor Sada. Understandably so - practically having a City Level Crisis being thrown at you to solve and the local city government all but begging you to take it would bring anyone up short.

Ianani is no longer staring off into space too - she's starring gravely and intently at the Professor. Looks like she was roused at some point in The Reveal, and is having her own thoughts on this. For now, she remains silent, one hand gripping a Dusk Ball particularly tightly and her Tattoos flaring on and off intermittently....

Special Super Boss Mission Unlocked For Everyone: Conquering the God King of Storm - The One Whom To The Wind Is Bold.

Seddi shakes his head when Sada asks if Leaves verified any of his conclusions.  "Leaves was rebootin' right up until Ianai brought out the smelling salts, so I've not had a good chance to ask her what her thoughts on them are yet.  She's not voiced any concerns to me beyond displeasure about not being able to understand what happened earlier though.  If you want to speak with 'em all, I'll see if I can russle 'em up at some point for ya."

When asked about the star shaped gemstone, Seddi will pull it out and show it to the Professor, but won't give it to her yet.  "No idea if analyzing it is safe or not.  Leaves was out of commission for a rather significant amount of time.  Would have been longer without those smelling salts.  Let's take it slow, start with Leaves sending over what corrupted data she has on what happened so we can assess the risk.  I reckon Ianai might know more about these gemstones as well."

RE Akamu: "He didn't say which guardian he was servin', but if I had to take a guess, I'd say it's likely Tapu Fini.  That hair color is almost uncanny, and it glowed when his patron was communicating with someone.  He also referred to his patron as a 'she', and I doubt that blue hair is Tapu Lele's style."

RE Darren and Aaron: "Aaron didn't care to elaborate why exactly he's here.  Just said he's on an 'adventure of sorts with his apprentice'.  Wasn't getting the impression he'd interfere with our goals though.  He almost seemed as eager as Darren to have a good challenge for his bugs."

RE Bernhard and Muse: "Well, you'll have to convince Bernhard first.  And given he's still tryin' to keep Muse a secret from the rest of us for the time bein', you might be waitin' a little while before you can ask him about her at all.  I'll keep ya posted on the status of that."

Seddi listens carefully to everything Sada has to say about the political side of this exchange, a frown on his face.  Police work?  Not at all what he was expectin' to be doin' in Bayahama.  He might have to ask the locals about this festival.  Maybe Bernhard would know more about it as well.

...but what Sada says next causes Seddi's eyes to metaphorically pop out of his head.

"...excuse me, what?!  That is a severe jump in quality for free stuff.  What in tarnation are they expecting us to do?!"

...

Seddi has a grim, extremely serious expression on his face after hearing the details about this first class threat level of a Malefic Monstrum.  "...I see.  So, the city's going to be hit with a literal hurricane in a month, and they want to minimize collateral.  I haven't seen one yet, but that fellow that picked me up off of that beach did mention that Wandering Hurricanes frequent that area.  Beginning to suspect he was scoutin' the area out, if I'm bein' honest.  Hmmmm...did the officials you were talkin' to give you a name or description of this trainer that offered to help fight the beastie?  Could be good to touch base with them."

Regardless, Seddi will fire off a text to all of the other player characters (minus Ianai, who's already present), to be read at their earliest convenience.

Heads up folks.  Looks like Sutalör isn't hesitating to throw its best at us.  A powerful Wandering Hurricane is expected to be hitting Bayahama in a month's time.  Sutalöran officials are willing to offer substantial compensation for those who attempt to take it down.  Would need backup if I were to make an attempt, and it would have to be within the next week ideally.  Can give more details in person when convenient if interested, but be warned this is likely to be a Lethal mission without proper preparation.

If this Wandering Hurricane isn't dealt with, we'll probably want to be out of the city before it decides to hit it.  Or at the very least, be prepared to weather the mother of all hurricanes until the government can take it down or drive it off.

The Professor would also like to speak with y'all about our research projects and mission when you get the time.  A measure of discretion is advisable, so it needs to be in person. 

Let me know when y'all are available and we can find somewhere we can talk in more detail about both topics.

Seddi looks to Sada and Ianai.  "...if it were just me attempting to take down this beastie, I'd be sayin' hell no to that job.  With only two or three trainers?  Still probably no.  Don't want to march anyone off to their deaths, and the government all but trying to bribe us into dealing with their problems sounds like madness at first.  If we can assemble a proper team that can take it on though, I think it'll be worth givin' it a shot.  And I just so happened to meet a lot of exceptional individuals earlier.  If enough of 'em are willin' to defend innocent people, I think we'd stand a much better chance."  He pointedly looks at Ianai, noting how agitated she looks.  "What do you make of this, Ianai?  You haven't said a word yet, and I'm interested in hearing what ya think."