[Game Thread] Pokerole: Mount Coronet Mystery

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

His difficulty getting the Moon Stone freed from the clay was both surprising and annoying to the midget miner, but he grit his teeth and didn't let it affect him, freeing the precious Evo Stone and a small lump of L.C. for his troubles! Once extracted, he'd do his best to clean it off before waiting for Kogeki to finish his Training Session with his Mons and handing it over, accepting his payment of a Dusk Ball and Super Potion with a satisfied, collected nod.

"Here ya go. One Moon Stone, for your Clefa when it grows up. Was more of a hassle to get than I thought it be, but it's been awhile since I've mined from clay deposits. Least I got see Light Clay out of it too. Unless of course you want it too? I don't have any Pokemon that can use it myself, so I'd be willing to give it to you if you have a partner that can utilize it properly. Going to be sitting at the bottom of my pack otherwise for Heatran knows how long otherwise, so...?"

Spoiler

Kogeki accept the Moon Stone, taking a few seconds to look at the beatiful gem, and then nod his head and put in his bag. "Thank you once more Master Blackmist Randolph. Once more you gave me another nice item for be used later. Thank you." He bow in respect towards Rans more or less like this. He drew his sword and stuck it in the ground

While Kogeki stand up once more and Rans offer the Moon Stone Kogeki speak once more. "It could be awesome useful to me Rans. Izanami, my Dramsama, know both Light Screen and Reflect. Normally she hold a Quick Claw to give her more speed, but this Light Clay could be a great option in long battles in case things nasty and we get long defenses. I accept this Light Clay if you dont mind."

*Flashback!*

Ran lets out a bark of prideful laughter at the cyborg ninja's thanks, very much gratified to hear and see it! 

"Your damn right I am, and your welcome! And no, I don't mind. Here," the dwarven man says, handing over the Light Clay too "Don't necessarily trust a soul stealer like Dramsama with an Item that'll make them even more powerful, but if ya have a firm grip on her feathers I trust you can manage her all the same. That, and more powerful barriers protects everyone, so if we get Ambush as a group again - and I bet a sack of diamonds we will be soon, if not tomorrow - I expect to see her put that Light Clay to good use."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

+++ Concerning Kee's mining: +++


Ahahahahahahahaaa, even if things didn't work out as he hoped they'd do he's still rather delighted since he got what he desired for. With a big and wide smile on his face he quickly picks up the Dawn, Water and Sun Stone that fell right off the wall and admires each one's beauty for short before packing it away into his stuff. "Evo Stones, precious Evo Stones, I'm almost rich on them now!~ ☆(^o^ ) *more pleased laughter* ...I have no idea what to do with them!~" ☆(^ω^;)*more sarcastical laughter* Doesn't hurt to have and keep some, he'll find some way to them into good use.

When Stella starts to over-curiously poke and play with the Fire Stone - regardless Kee asked her to not touch it, oof - he's startled and is up and about to swipe his smol kitsune away from the stone: He quickly relaxes though since nothing happens. With a gentle smile and even more gentle hands he instead picks up both his young Vulpix AND the Fire Stone and lets the former touch and nudge the latter a little more while being in his arms. "Well done, VERY well done. How does it feel havin' obtained the VERY Stone that'll trigger yar VERY evolution one fateful day, hmm? Any feelings bar 'great', 'rewarding' and 'gratifying' ya'll have to explain to me... Regardless, with THIS Stone yar future's assured, when time's right ya'll become a graceful Ninetales like your dear mother...."

He then embraces Stella closely and fondly, whispering a "If only she could see us now, how could she not be proud of you" to her before safely packing away this Stone too.



+++ Concerning the End of the Day: +++


Dandylike Kee IS awake for a while after having turned in for some pleasant rest, so he DOES hear Lucas talking. All he does about that is turning around in his sleeping position/away from the talking and hug his pillow closer, Octavia huffs a bit over the noise too. Whatever Lucas's saying there, he appearantly couldn't care less and just wishes to doze away, regardless that he's usually staying up way longer: He's just tired and knows all too well that he can't afford to be exhausted when he too has to scale this ominous mountain ahead. Uggghhhh.... Thankfull Lucas doesn't talk for too long, otherwise Kee'd just put on headphones and drone him out with some tunes made for sleeping.

End-of-Day Mechanics

- The Berry planted lastly was 1 Custap Berry, after having harvested 1 nice Petaya Berry will be planted.
- Stella is fully healed after the rest.
- So is Draven, and he returns into Kee's party in place of Yurei.
- Will Points and 1 Chara-XP have been added.
- His Pokemon's Abilities all stay the same for now - BAR his Delta Grotle Juhani, which will have Overgrow for today.

+++ Concerning the next-Day's morning and this Scizor: +++


Kee ends up being the last one to get up and join the others of the traveling group, but this time he's NOT being super-late. He may be a late-riser and night owl, but there's stuff to do and a long hike waiting, plus sleeping on when there are four other people and their Pokemon close by proofs to be a pretty hard thing to do.

There isn't much of an opportunity to make a warm breakfast like at the cabin yesterday, so his and his Pokemon's breakfast turns out ordinary while still nutritious and filling. And without any hint of meat since Kee's a vegetarian and strictly refuses to feed any meat to his Pokemon unless they're exclusively carnivorous (He has none for now, so hooray).

It takes the colorfuy guy quite a while to brush both his own long and blonde hair as well as his faeveelution's fine and blue fur, so he's probably still busy with that once Lucas opens up that Scizor agreed to speak with them. When Ran suggests that some Psychic Types or Octavia can help in 'translating', the latter puts on a happy smile and eagerly nods, if Scizor himself is fine with it she can touch a claw of theirs with a ribbon of his and transfer their feelings to Kee or - even better? - Karen to interpret.

Ran has already proposed basically all questions which's answers Kee's interested in getting - apart from one about this strange blue orb Scizors' keeping: "Do tell meh if ya may, what 'xactly IS that round thing 'n what does it do? Never saw somethin' close to that b'fore." as well as "HOW the heck did ya end up here,  were ya on the way to Mount Coronet by chance?"


Kee's party stays as it is for now, consisting of Octavia, Stella, Mercury, Core, yet-to-be-named Drampa and Draven.

[Dragonstrike]

Sally gives Randolph a veeeeerrrry confused look at first before she sighs and just continues on as normal.

Trust me, you're going to need my help for this one.

Karen coughs nervously at this point, saying, "...I'll uh...be right over th-there if you guys need me..."  She points to a spot next to the tent, away from the campfire.  Sally rolls her eyes, but doesn't say anything this time.

Scizor listens carefully to the questions that are posed, then converses with Sally, who then translates.

How Scizor is feeling: He says he feels fine.  Slight headache and a little sluggish still, but he's still fit enough for exploration thanks to us.

Does Scizor have a trainer?: He's asking what a trainer is.  My guess: no, he doesn't have one.

Where Scizor came from: Scizor pulls out his map, unrolls it, and points to a few spots on it.  He says he's from...the Grass Continent?  I guess that's what's pictured on the map.  And he was exploring Blizzard Island (the island in the southwest corner of the map) at the request of the Explorers Guild before he ended up here, wherever here is.

"Explorers Guild?"

They're an organization that organizes Exploration Teams and Guilds, assigning them missions and such.

"Well, I still have some questions about that, but carry on."

How Scizor was frozen and how did he end up here: He says he was suddenly caught in a blinding snowstorm on Blizzard Island.  Next thing he knew, he was attacked by Froslass.  He doesn't remember much after that, but I think we can infer what happened from there.  Not much info to explain what exactly happened, apparently.

What is that blue orb?:  Scizor carefully pulls it out of his bag and holds it in one claw.  He calls it a...Wonder Orb?  There's apparently loads of different kinds with varying effects.  This one, he calls a...Totter Orb?  Apparently, it Confuses every enemy pokemon in range.  But...it only works in...Mystery Dungeons?  Scizor then puts the orb away.

"What the heck is a Mystery Dungeon?"

Mystery Dungeons: He says they're difficult to describe., but they're basically ordinary places that have somehow become a maze that differs every time they're entered.  Very dangerous, so it's only recommended to explore them if you're prepared.

What is Scizor exactly?: He doesn't quite fully understand the question, but he says he's a pokemon, the same as I am.

How much does Scizor know about what's going on?: He's not sure what exactly is happening.  He's asking if there's something he needs to be worried about...and wondering why there are so many humans here?  He...thought they were just mere legends?  Ummm...

Sally looks visibly confused after that question is answered.

What's Scizor's goal:  He's not sure.  He's asking where 'here' is exactly, and what we're doing.

"Well, we're in the Sinnoh region, near Mount Coronet, investigating some distortions in time and space.  Does that help any?"

Scizor thinks about it for a bit.

Will Scizor join the group?: After taking a moment to think about this and the previous question, Scizor nods.  He feels it'd be best if he stuck with us for now.  What's going on is lost on him, but if we're investigating that, maybe he can get some answers by sticking around.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Ah, when Karen opens up that she prefers to get some distance and stay by the tent away from the campfire, Octavia chirps and makes amends to join her - before she's stopped by Kee. He gently shakes his head, telling his dear faeeveelution that "Let her be this time. Let her have some time for herself. If she's feeling uncomfortable 'bout stuff, we should not interfere nor stress things, 'kay?" He looks calm as he says that, Octavia lets her long ears hang a little but eventually nods and sits down beside him where she promptly gets some pets and pats on the head. Every now and then Octavia will throw glances over Karen.


Now, about everything this special Scizor tells... It only serves to make Kee even MORE confused about everything. He can't help but to sigh, facepalm and hold his head as the long strands of hair cover his face. ALL of this is so f#cking weird.... But given the current happenings and situation, he starts to feel it's best to NOT think too much about whether or whether not something's even POSSIBLE to happen.

And so he looks up again, shakes his head once in an attempt to clear his mind at least a bit, and gives that Scizor a neutral glance. "Fine. Well, eh, yeah, thanks for all that answerin' of stuff then. What ya're say n'... It's JUST AS strange 'n weird for me like that question what ya are. Ugh, but it's okay, it's good..." He makes a 'No big deal'-handgesture. "Possible that ya've ended up HERE in a similar way like me 'n that dear Drampa did. ...If ya're goin' to stick with us now to find out more, that's fine, I've got no problem with that."

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Sally gives Randolph a veeeeerrrry confused look at first before she sighs and just continues on as normal.

Trust me, you're going to need my help for this one.

Karen coughs nervously at this point, saying, "...I'll uh...be right over th-there if you guys need me..."  She points to a spot next to the tent, away from the campfire.  Sally rolls her eyes, but doesn't say anything this time.

Scizor listens carefully to the questions that are posed, then converses with Sally, who then translates.

How Scizor is feeling: He says he feels fine.  Slight headache and a little sluggish still, but he's still fit enough for exploration thanks to us.

Does Scizor have a trainer?: He's asking what a trainer is.  My guess: no, he doesn't have one.

Where Scizor came from: Scizor pulls out his map, unrolls it, and points to a few spots on it.  He says he's from...the Grass Continent?  I guess that's what's pictured on the map.  And he was exploring Blizzard Island (the island in the southwest corner of the map) at the request of the Explorers Guild before he ended up here, wherever here is.

"Explorers Guild?"

They're an organization that organizes Exploration Teams and Guilds, assigning them missions and such.

"Well, I still have some questions about that, but carry on."

How Scizor was frozen and how did he end up here: He says he was suddenly caught in a blinding snowstorm on Blizzard Island.  Next thing he knew, he was attacked by Froslass.  He doesn't remember much after that, but I think we can infer what happened from there.  Not much info to explain what exactly happened, apparently.

What is that blue orb?:  Scizor carefully pulls it out of his bag and holds it in one claw.  He calls it a...Wonder Orb?  There's apparently loads of different kinds with varying effects.  This one, he calls a...Totter Orb?  Apparently, it Confuses every enemy pokemon in range.  But...it only works in...Mystery Dungeons?  Scizor then puts the orb away.

"What the heck is a Mystery Dungeon?"

Mystery Dungeons: He says they're difficult to describe., but they're basically ordinary places that have somehow become a maze that differs every time they're entered.  Very dangerous, so it's only recommended to explore them if you're prepared.

What is Scizor exactly?: He doesn't quite fully understand the question, but he says he's a pokemon, the same as I am.

How much does Scizor know about what's going on?: He's not sure what exactly is happening.  He's asking if there's something he needs to be worried about...and wondering why there are so many humans here?  He...thought they were just mere legends?  Ummm...

Sally looks visibly confused after that question is answered.

What's Scizor's goal:  He's not sure.  He's asking where 'here' is exactly, and what we're doing.

"Well, we're in the Sinnoh region, near Mount Coronet, investigating some distortions in time and space.  Does that help any?"

Scizor thinks about it for a bit.

Will Scizor join the group?: After taking a moment to think about this and the previous question, Scizor nods.  He feels it'd be best if he stuck with us for now.  What's going on is lost on him, but if we're investigating that, maybe he can get some answers by sticking around.

(Sorry for the late post, but yesterday was a busy one for me, and I had to help watch a cousin's kid for a bit. Sweet little bugger, but loud and distracting too!)

Ran doesn't overtly show any reaction to the aural jackal's being perplexed by his change in attitude, only nodding his back to them.

"I'll defer to ya judgement then, and leave the task to you. You know how to communicate with your own kind better than I ever can achieve."

For the more Empathetic/Insightful inclined, they could faintly pick up a sense of resignation later comment. That, and a very slight frown that indicated something was bothering him (If anyone's curious, they could ask Dragonstrike to do a Roll to find out more about it)....

He didn't say anything as Scizor 'answered' everyone's questions until the end, a more thoughtful and troubled frown forming as he learnt more and more about them, until finally he heaved a *Sigh* and shook his head in irritation as everything came together for him.

"Spark and tinder, I was right about'm. He's an explorer, alright, but based on what he's said and from the evidence I've gathered, I bet a $1000 Poke he's been ripped from his universe by that Tauros shit supernatural mystery force. Items and that footprint language on his map and document indicate he's more civilized that most other Pokemon from our neck of the words, came to be around Mt. Coronet under similar circumstances as Kee, mentioning stuff and location I've never learnt of, and saying that humans are creatures of myth to him....add'm all up, and I'd say my hypothesis is right as the angle on my triangle square ruler."

"*Sighs* ....Which strongly reinforces the idea that this wild phenomena is shaping up to be cosmic, multi-universal disaster that's ripping, tearing, dragging, whatever you want to call forcibly transporting creatures across different realities into our own and possible others. Perhaps the inverse is true as well, and if not, I can easily imagining it could get to that point if whatever is causing this calamity isn't ground out. And that's on top of the mind warping, possessing, or plain aggravating the Pokemon in areas most strongly affected or connected to this mystery, which I imagine will get worse too the further we get to the source behind it, or regardless as time keeps ticking right on by us."

The midget miner pauses for a moment, before collapsing his head in his hands and heaving a very much frustrated and unhappy *SIGH* .

"Heatran slag it all, and Giratina damn this mess beyond their Distorted World...."

He takes a few seconds to collect himself, taking a deep breath and letting it out, before he stands up and turns to Scizor, Sally, and Lucas (In that order) with the most serious expression they've seen yet.

"Alright, that's all the questions I have. Or rather, the most important ones that won't eat any more of the precious little time we have left to finish this job before everything in all realities goes to hell. I'm fine with Scizors joining our group, so if they're isn't any objections to them tagging along or anything else that absolutely needs to be brought up, I say we get prepared, packed, and continue on to our next destination. We don't have much time to waste, so let's make like Ninjask with a Speed Boost and buzz off."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(...) For the more Empathetic/Insightful inclined, they could faintly pick up a sense of resignation later comment. That, and a very slight frown that indicated something was bothering him (If anyone's curious, they could ask Dragonstrike to do a Roll to find out more about it).... (...)

(I'm curious so I'd like to have that Roll for Kee please. As well as that one how many Berries he harvested. Apart from that I'm fine with progressing and getting to the next set of Encounters!~)

[Dragonstrike]

Gonna do those Empathy rolls for Kee and Karen now (as Karen would definitely take some notice despite keeping her distance for now), as well as the berry harvest rolls.

Berries
(3) Kee harvests 2 Custap Berries
(1) Randolph harvests 2 Leppa Berries (which gives him a total of 10 iirc)

Empathy
Kee: (6)(2)(1)(5)(1)(1)(1)(3)(1)(1) What the...okay then.  0 successes.  Yikes.
Karen: (4)(3)(1)(4)(5)(5)(4)(1)(2)(5)(3)(1)(1) 4 successes

Kee's probably a little flustered and trying to wrap his head around what the hell Scizor's appearance means.  Or maybe he doesn't want to bother Randolph.  Or maybe it's something else.  Regardless, he doesn't pick up on the reason behind Randolph's current resignation.

Karen's having a little trouble too, given the distance between her and the rest of the group.  Something about Randolph's posture, though, and the fact that he isn't yelling at Lucas and Sally...she can tell something's up.  Maybe she'll act on that information later. She's not going to approach now because she's still feeling way to nervous to do so.  (If there's any additional info you wish to yield for Karen, Windos, feel free to do so.  You can assume she heard Lucas talking last night as well.  Karen's not an empath, but you don't have to be an empath to get the gist of how someone's feeling)

(If I have some time, I'll get to progression stuff later)

[Lord Windos]

(Well, since Karen was able to glean some more details about Ran's feelings, I suppose I can reveal it to all, as I can't imagine she wouldn't share it with Kee/Lucas in private if need be. She can tell from his frown from he's also confused by Sally's behavior towards him, as well as a little frustrated about it too. As for his resignation, she'd determined its connected to Sally and Lucas, but with an Empathy Roll of 4, that's about all she can determine. Let her do with that info as she pleases)

(Also Ran plants another Leppa Berry when he can, and feeds one to Brigid as a treat, and extra thanks for saving his bacon yesterday. That too!)

[Dragonstrike]

Karen's current team for the record:

Spoiler

Magneton (Metal Coat)
Lotus the Roserade (Big Root)
Nidoqueen (Expert Belt)
Lopunny (Lopunnite)
Skorupi (Poison Barb)
Mightyena (Razor Fang)

---------------------------------------------------------

The group packs up camp and recalls their pokemon, ready to begin the perilous climb to the top of Mt. Coronet and the Spear Pillar.  Ominous thoughts of what may await inside the mountain abound, and the very air seems charged with a nervous tension...

As soon as the group steps outside of the cave, everyone can see that it's fortunately daytime this morning.  Hooray!

Unfortunately, there's still a black shadow clearly darkening the surrounding area.  Those who look up see...



...a dark vortex swirling above the peak of the mountain, blotting out the sunlight.  The surrounding area is eerily silent, as if nature itself is holding its breath in anticipation of what's to come...

"...that doesn't look good.  Last time I saw something like that...well, let's just say things weren't very pretty.  Come on, we should hurry."

Understatement of the year, Lucas.

The group hurries into the mountain, a strange, unexplainable feeling passing over every single person and pokemon as they walk through the opening in the cliffside...

--------------------------------------------------------

The Caves of Sinnoh: Cave - Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

Mt. Coronet 1F

Lucas leads the way into the mountain itself.  As soon as everyone enters though, he holds up a hand to indicate that everyone should stop.  "...wait a second...this isn't right...this entrance is supposed to be a long corridor with a single turn and a side room..."

What everyone sees before them though is far, far different.

   

A large room with a small body of water in the middle and many paths branching off from it greets the party as they enter the mountain, the entrance they just walked through nowhere to be seen.  A rather unremarkable place at first glance, were it not for the fact that Lucas claims this should look entirely different.

Scizor glances down at his bag, then grabs it in one claw so he can get a closer look at the badge pinned to it, as said badge has begun to glow with a soft light.

Scizor lets his bag hang loosely by his side again and pushes toward the front of the group.  He tries to converse with Lucas, but upon remembering that the humans can't understand him, resorts to pointing at Lucas's pokeballs instead.  Karen nervously takes a step back as Lucas nods in understanding, and Sally is summoned once more.  The Lucario definitely looks a little annoyed at first.  What now?  Seriously, can I not rest for 10 minutes without...*sigh*...fine, I'll act as translator again.  What's going on, Scizor?

Scizor points to the badge, then at the room as he explains to Sally.  She looks thoroughly confused by what she's being told, but she conveys the message anyways.  Ooooookay...Scizor says that we've just wandered into a Mystery Dungeon.  Apparently, we need to find the stairs in order to proceed to the next floor, but there's no telling where they might be.  There's also no telling what we're going to find while we're searching for the stairs...treasure, wild pokemon, traps...anything could be in here.

Lucas scratches his head as he thinks about what that means.  "...soooo...we're stuck in a maze now?  Great...and I thought Mt. Coronet was hard enough to navigate already..."

Karen nervously speaks up to ask a question.  "Do you think this m-might have something to do with the t-temporal distortions?"

"...maybe...can't rule it out, anyways..."

Scizor converses with Sally again.  Are you sure that's a good idea?  Scizor nods, and Sally sighs.  Scizor recommends that we split up if we want to find those stairs more quickly.  And he highly recommends we don't linger for too long, lest...the wind finds us.  I...have no idea what he means by that, but he seemed serious about the danger it poses.

"I'm not sure about splitting up, honestly.  We do that, and we'll be more vulnerable to whatever immediate dangers are in here."

Scizor's confident that we'd be able to handle it in this case.  Parties of Explorers in Scizor's world typically travel in groups of 4-5 pokemon, apparently.  Given that humans can command two pokemon at a time, 2-3 humans per group would be more than adequate for tackling a Mystery Dungeon according to him.  He also claims that things can get...weird if too many explorers are in the same general area in a Mystery Dungeon, and that's primarily why large exploration teams tend to travel in smaller groups.

"I dunno...what do you guys think?  If what Scizor says is true, it's probably going to be risky either way."  Lucas looks to the rest of the group to hear their opinions on the matter.

Do you want to split the party into two groups to search for the stairs more quickly, or travel as one big group?
Notes:
- The difficulty of encounters will be adjusted accordingly for whichever decision is made.
- If the party splits, only one group needs to find the stairs for everyone to be able to advance

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

The group packs up camp and recalls their pokemon, ready to begin the perilous climb to the top of Mt. Coronet and the Spear Pillar.  Ominous thoughts of what may await inside the mountain abound, and the very air seems charged with a nervous tension...

As soon as the group steps outside of the cave, everyone can see that it's fortunately daytime this morning.  Hooray!

Unfortunately, there's still a black shadow clearly darkening the surrounding area.  Those who look up see...



...a dark vortex swirling above the peak of the mountain, blotting out the sunlight.  The surrounding area is eerily silent, as if nature itself is holding its breath in anticipation of what's to come...

"...that doesn't look good.  Last time I saw something like that...well, let's just say things weren't very pretty.  Come on, we should hurry."

Understatement of the year, Lucas.

The group hurries into the mountain, a strange, unexplainable feeling passing over every single person and pokemon as they walk through the opening in the cliffside...

--------------------------------------------------------

The Caves of Sinnoh: Cave - Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

Mt. Coronet 1F

Lucas leads the way into the mountain itself.  As soon as everyone enters though, he holds up a hand to indicate that everyone should stop.  "...wait a second...this isn't right...this entrance is supposed to be a long corridor with a single turn and a side room..."

What everyone sees before them though is far, far different.



A large room with a small body of water in the middle and many paths branching off from it greets the party as they enter the mountain, the entrance they just walked through nowhere to be seen.  A rather unremarkable place at first glance, were it not for the fact that Lucas claims this should look entirely different.

Scizor glances down at his bag, then grabs it in one claw so he can get a closer look at the badge pinned to it, as said badge has begun to glow with a soft light.

Scizor lets his bag hang loosely by his side again and pushes toward the front of the group.  He tries to converse with Lucas, but upon remembering that the humans can't understand him, resorts to pointing at Lucas's pokeballs instead.  Karen nervously takes a step back as Lucas nods in understanding, and Sally is summoned once more.  The Lucario definitely looks a little annoyed at first.  What now?  Seriously, can I not rest for 10 minutes without...*sigh*...fine, I'll act as translator again.  What's going on, Scizor?

Scizor points to the badge, then at the room as he explains to Sally.  She looks thoroughly confused by what she's being told, but she conveys the message anyways.  Ooooookay...Scizor says that we've just wandered into a Mystery Dungeon.  Apparently, we need to find the stairs in order to proceed to the next floor, but there's no telling where they might be.  There's also no telling what we're going to find while we're searching for the stairs...treasure, wild pokemon, traps...anything could be in here.

Lucas scratches his head as he thinks about what that means.  "...soooo...we're stuck in a maze now?  Great...and I thought Mt. Coronet was hard enough to navigate already..."

Karen nervously speaks up to ask a question.  "Do you think this m-might have something to do with the t-temporal distortions?"

"...maybe...can't rule it out, anyways..."

Scizor converses with Sally again.  Are you sure that's a good idea?  Scizor nods, and Sally sighs.  Scizor recommends that we split up if we want to find those stairs more quickly.  And he highly recommends we don't linger for too long, lest...the wind finds us.  I...have no idea what he means by that, but he seemed serious about the danger it poses.

"I'm not sure about splitting up, honestly.  We do that, and we'll be more vulnerable to whatever immediate dangers are in here."

Scizor's confident that we'd be able to handle it in this case.  Parties of Explorers in Scizor's world typically travel in groups of 4-5 pokemon, apparently.  Given that humans can command two pokemon at a time, 2-3 humans per group would be more than adequate for tackling a Mystery Dungeon according to him.  He also claims that things can get...weird if too many explorers are in the same general area in a Mystery Dungeon, and that's primarily why large exploration teams tend to travel in smaller groups.

"I dunno...what do you guys think?  If what Scizor says is true, it's probably going to be risky either way."  Lucas looks to the rest of the group to hear their opinions on the matter.

Do you want to split the party into two groups to search for the stairs more quickly, or travel as one big group?
Notes:
- The difficulty of encounters will be adjusted accordingly for whichever decision is made.
- If the party splits, only one group needs to find the stairs for everyone to be able to advance

Yeap, Ran would gaze upward almost immediately, and only had this to say, his expression grim as a overworked Dusknoir.

"Ihr Götter, ich hasse es, wenn ich recht habe. Bah ..."

Translation: Ye gods, I HATE it when I'm right.

Seeing the boy hero's confusion about the layout of this section of Mt. Coronet conjures up a dreadful suspicion within him, and it's soon proven correct when Scizor 'tells' everyone what they've just strolled into. Which prompts the bristly blacksmith to drag his hand over his face and let out a most aggravated *SIGH....*

"Goddamn it. Thought I'd get to put the other half of my skill set to good use getting us through this mountain easy as Bulk Berry Pie, but that cosmic disaster never fails to make or jobs all the more interesting and consequential. Outstanding. "

Lucas's complaint is meet with a sympathetic enough sounding sigh, followed by what he hopes is a reassuring pat on the leg. 

"I have ample experience navigating caves and tunnels, so this Mystery Dungeon shouldn't trip us too much. That, and all else fails I can get Sekhmet or my Excadrill to Dig around this Floor for the Stairs."

The wee lass's question is meet with only a frown and a solemn nod of his head. If the interior of Mt. Coronet being altered into a Mystery Dungeon ain't proof of that meddlesome Tauros shit supernatural mystery force, then he's a tall and extremely charismatic man!

The universal Explorer's suggestion to split the party almost instantly causes a huge frown to appear on his face, and he looked geared up to bite the head of the metallic insect for 'saying' such a stupid thing. Splitting the group is NEVER a good idea, ESPECIALLY in HIGHLY paranormal and dangerous situations like the one everyone is in right now! If they ever read or heard a adventure story, they should know that!

Fortunately for them (and perhaps everyone else), Ran remembered where exactly everyone was else, and bit his tongue before he could spew any vitriol at the ironclad insect. No....he shouldn't get mad at them for sharing their suggestion, 'cause no matter how asinine it sound to him he knew[i] they were speaking from experience. Like it or not, the group was in a Mystery Dungeon now, an completely [i]unknown phenomena to him and everyone else, but not to Scizor, a seasoned Explorer from a universe where they were commonplace and that had been delving into them for who knows how long. If they dividing their forces to search for this 'Floor's Stair's' is the right idea, it probably was.

Of course, that alone probably wouldn't have stopped him from gripping/complain about their proposed course of action a little, but logic was not the only thing making him hold his peace. What it is, however, is anyone's guess at this point.

So Randolph takes his time to deliberate Scizor's advise, not immediately giving Lucas or the rest of the group an answer for about a minute or so, before he heaved a mighty big *SIGH* and unhappily but calmly looked at them.

"I don't like the idea of us scattering off to the four winds trying to get through this Dungeon, as that sounds like a great way for us to be blindsided by whatever thrilling events this place and that arcane force will almost inevitably railroad us into. Plus, if something happens to one of our groups and none of us makes it to the Stairs in time....well, they probably won't be cashing in their paycheck by the end. *Sighs* ....But if Scizors says its a good idea to do things their way, I'm inclined to agree with him, no matter my reservations with it. They're the expert on Mystery Dungeons and how to get through them, not us, so I'll defer to their judgement on this, no matter how much it seems like a terrible idea to me. That, and the small merits of splitting our group is we cover ground more, so we should be able to find the Stairs faster and more useful things than if we'd stay together. Before we decide all make our decision, though...."

The dwarven craftsman switches a couple of his Pokemon out for Catherine and Amethyst and summons them, and give them a quick run down of the situation before asking them "Girls, ya think you can find these Stairs, or at least give a general idea of what's on this Floor? If ya can do the former, then we don't have to split the group yet, something I'd be very happy putting off long as possible."[/i][/i]