[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Nathan closes his journal, still wondering where the others are.  He checks his 'dex for new messages, and plays back the previous message Ventus had left when he sees there's no new ones.

Ventus mentioned they were in the sothern part of the forest...wait...southern part of the forest...

Uh oh.

Nathan immediately dials Ventus's number.

"Ven, there might be trouble.  I had a bad run in with a trainer who has a Pinsir in the part of the forest you're in.  His Pinsir was capable of Mega Evolution, and he was rather...ruthless.  I got away and informed the League of his actions, but he slipped away from the search party.  Be VERY careful when you return to town.  He's probably still pissed off that he wasn't able to get what he demanded from me, and might still be in the area.  I'll fill you in on all the details when you return to town.  I'll be staying in the Center, as usual."

He hoped they wouldn't run into that trainer...

(Ventus probably receives this message either at the hut or on the way back.  @Iron?  Your call, I guess?)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

@Lord Windos, there you go:
And a theme I find fitting for that whole Healer-scene.


... He touched her again, this time by the shoulder. But given that familarity they've built up so far, she let him. Aside from that, while watching over him and the injuries Scyther has infliced on him while Nathan was busy, she showed on her own yesterday evening that she did not mind that and even felt inclinged to return some of that habit.

Having a slightly worried and counfused tone in her voice. "Well... If he doesn't want to share why we found him passed out there, we should not pressure him, should we... Reshiram will watch over him. Hopefully." Maybe they'll even meet up again later, as Ven suggested...

So he was staying with her then waiting for the Healer to have finished... That's fine... It'll surely make time pass faster, as well give the opportunity to ask something that was on her mind. He already offered and opened the scene. With one of his infamous smiles on top of that.


Shiva placed herself beside him, as he offered, thankful for the gesture. The rest of the Tea has cooled down by now... What remained was a slightly bitter liquid. Still tasteful and refreshing though.

It took a few moments before she turned towards him and began speaking. Weird situation... They were alone in a Healer's shack, surrounded by herbs hung up to dry and glassware filled with liquids and powders of all colours. "If you say so... I've been... actually wondering where in Unova you originate from. And where you studied. Back then in Trillium, you mentioned having a Doctor's Degree. It took me a while to mull over in what subject... Until you answered that already at some point- Sociology. That...came suprising for me  to be honest - You mentioned classes in 'Advanced Pokemon Handling' and 'Breeding'... Wondering whether it was a small private college you attended that I must have missed somehow while gathering up information..."

Her voice only grew calmer the more words she spoke out aloud. „... ... ... You know, before I came here, I've been looking for an apprenticeship in a Daycare. I know that I just could have just stayed with my father and help him out in the job, but actually it'd be better to get a real professional education in this field. Now, surely he is experienced and professional in his job as an independent Pokemon Breeder – but it's something different because it's within the familiy, somehow. … However, the main one near Nacrene City refused, telling me that they don't offer any education in this field at all. No success in several Pokemon Shelters either.“

"Next up was the thought of studying something into that direction. ... No University around specialized in the subjects of Pokemon Care and/or Breeding. At least none I found. Castelia's University lays her main focus on Research and Medicine, that that did not came into question."

"I was...quite disappointed by being hindered in my future plans without it being my fault, to put it bluntly. Staying with my father was it then, he continued teaching me on his own in the field. Until... I was told that he and Mum have found something that might be something for me. It'd be in a far region called Chreshire, and I'd be offered the tasks of a Pokemon Trainer. I was absolutely puzzled at first by their intention and how this would help me... Saying that I don't feel inclinged being a 'Trainer' and am fine with watching battles instead of involved in them... However, being assured that it'll be for my own good and they got in contact with the local Pokemon Professor there tawed me over time. One month later, I found myself in the plane for departure."

She paused a little before continueing, all while keeping and slowly twisting the twig of red herb in her hand. And not facing Ventus. She was not used to talk about herself, she did not even felt inclinged to share - it just happened, she was probably lured by the fact that he alredy shared so many of his thoughts with her... Good thing that the herb does not stare back at her... "By now, I think I begin to understand why this journey through the region will be benefitial for me." Right... the care of own Pokemon. The responsibility for them, the fact that they rely on Shiva for their well-being. They belong to her, they see her as their Master and caretaker. "They showed respect and trust in me in Ginger Town's Daycare... There's also a Univerity in this region, in Botanville if I'm not mistaken... You see, such experiences are precious. Same when you wake up in the morning and have a Cottonee all cuddled up to you for no other reason than its fondness and loyality to you."

The latter thought indeed made her smile a little... the species of Whimsicott is known to be an affectionate and cuddly friend to a humans... if it has grown a fondness to a selected person. Als Shiva was missing was a precious Sun Stone...

-----------------
Mechanics:
Then it's conversation time with Ven instead (until the Healer has finished) since he already offered! I won't ask about his 'connection' to Genesect though, since I feel this should be elaborated while Nathan is present as well. C:

[Iron]

Sage only just outside the door of the cabin went over to the nearby pond, removed his shoes, and sat there with his feet and calves in the water. After doing so Sage thought he might as well let his Rufflet and Oshawott sit by him. After letting them out of their PokeBalls he asked Rufflet if he might fly up and scan the surroundings for rangers and/or doctors.

Order: Send Rufflet out to look for various persons about the forest.

~Sage

Good move - Rufflet comes back and indicates that he saw someone on the far side of the pond! And he didn't like the looks of them, either! And they had a Pokemon!

Nathan closes his journal, still wondering where the others are.  He checks his 'dex for new messages, and plays back the previous message Ventus had left when he sees there's no new ones.

Ventus mentioned they were in the sothern part of the forest...wait...southern part of the forest...

Uh oh.

Nathan immediately dials Ventus's number.

"Ven, there might be trouble.  I had a bad run in with a trainer who has a Pinsir in the part of the forest you're in.  His Pinsir was capable of Mega Evolution, and he was rather...ruthless.  I got away and informed the League of his actions, but he slipped away from the search party.  Be VERY careful when you return to town.  He's probably still pissed off that he wasn't able to get what he demanded from me, and might still be in the area.  I'll fill you in on all the details when you return to town.  I'll be staying in the Center, as usual."

He hoped they wouldn't run into that trainer...

(Ventus probably receives this message either at the hut or on the way back.  @Iron?  Your call, I guess?)

Sure, at the hut. I'd say Ventus' party probably had a little further to go than Nathan did - after all, Ventus is at the far end of a similar path.

[Sage]

Sage decides to go investigate the man on his own. Sneaking around the pond as swiftly as possible Sage thought of his plan: "A battle wouldn't be wise since my Pokemon aren't leveled, hand to hand combat just suicide for someone as frail as I, what about knocking him down or something? It would give me the element of surprise... It's settled, I'll knock him into the pond!"
I sneak up and open the pokeball and knock him into the water.

Orders: Poliwhirl makes an Ambush check and a Knockdown maneuver.

~Sage

[Iron]

Ambush

2 Dex + 3 Survival + 0 Stealth

(2)(1)(5)(4)(2) - 2 successes.

For those inside the hut, click your Spoiler if you glance out the window. Insight rolls inside.

Ventus

Insight 4 + survival 3
(6)(6)(3)(2)(5)(1)(2)
You see Sage acting really suspiciously, sneaking sneaking sneaking around the lake toward the far end.

Shiva

3 Insight +1 survival = 4
(6)(6)(5)(4)
You see Sage acting really suspiciously, sneaking sneaking sneaking around the lake toward the far end.

I'll resolve your Ambush after this is resolved.

[Lord Windos]

Ventus sat there silently, enjoying his friends' company while patiently absorbing all of the little details of her life. After she was done talking (for the moment), he sat there in his chair mulling over what she reveled to him, carefully considering the personal nature of the knowledge. 'Shiva is like me, in the aspect that we keep our past close to our hears. The fact that's she's telling me why she came here in the first place...it can only mean she holds great faith in me now. Enough that she feels comfortable sharing part of her life's story with me, at the very least. I believe if she is willing to give me something so precious, then its only natural I return the gesture,' the researcher though, draining the last of his tea before placing it down on the small table between the two.

Clasping both hand together in front of him, he carefully regarded her for a moment, before he launched into his answer. "I do believe you are the first person that has asked that question in quite some time. Perhaps I was around your age when someone last asked me the same thing, or maybe it was a few years earlier? Hmm...well, I suppose it doesn't matter too much. I was born in Opelucid City, and it was my home for about 9 years or so. Its a place of tradition and veneration of Unova's ancient past, and subsequently is a place that stubbornly refused to embrace modernity like the rest of the region. Opelucids were, and probably still are, remarkably resistant to changes in their lifestyle or culture, so the city and its people has gained an isolationist status of sorts. I believe the phrase 'Stubborn as a Dragon, and twice as quick to Outrage' was coined because of this, but such quotes are notoriously hard to verify."

Giving Shiva yet another winning smile, he continued his story. "Despite the being stuck in with regards with their lifestyle, my childhood in the Opelucid was remarkably enjoyable; idealic, really. My natural empathy, even at such a tender age, was an ever present force in my life, bringing me into contact with a varietable amount of people and Pokémon alike. The fact that I got along well with the local Dragon types and, more importantly, those same Dragons got along with me with relative ease certainly made me stand out among my fellow youth. My ability gave me a rough insight on a person's true feeling at the time, but that was more than enough for me to become friends with almost everyone, regardless of age or status, and this is without factoring in my kind hearted nature. Needless to say, from the moment I could walk and talk, I was never without a friend or good company. My family was baffled by unique traits, for a time, until they finally just accepted it as it was."

"Of course, all that constant attention and affection just caused my inate empathy to grow even more. This ended up forcing me to learn very quickly on how to manage my own emotion state, how to separate and filter outside emotions from my own, and develop an iron clad control of myself so that, if my emotions went wild for whatever reason, I would still remain in some form of control. As a result, I matured far, far more swiftly than my peers, something else that my parent noticed and where greatly concerned about. I always managed to waylay their worry, however, and simply continued on my path of growth. I felt, and still believe to this day, that my gift, my empathy, and my very nature asked for me to be responsible for others and their needs, there wellbeing. So it was that my childhood was not of innocence, but of reflection and self dedication to my beliefs. I do not know how my life would have turned out, had I been but a normal child, but I never have regreted the path I choose. After all, its lead me to experience so many thing, and meet wonderful people like you, Shiva."

Taking a deep breath, he unclasped his hands and briefly searched in his satchel, before he pulled out his photo album. Flipping it open, he searched his pages before finding the picture he was looking for. Gently taking it out, he reach across the table to hand it to the young lass. The photo was a family picture, with five people all standing together, hugging each other and looking into the camera. Standing very tall in the picture was a man with raven color hair, deep green eyes, and a smooth pale face. He had a full beard on him, neatly trimmed to just a few centimeter off from his face, and he was wearing a bright white shirt with the words 'Best Dad in Unova!'. He had a simple smile of his face, conveying his contentment with his life. Besides him was, by comparison, and absolutely doll of a woman in size and stature, yet somehow seemed to have a presence far larger than herself. She had long flowing hair the vivid color of orange, with bright blue eyes that twinkled with barely conceled mirth. She was grinning fiercly at the camera, enjoying the moment to its utmost.

The three children, as it were, were a varietable mix of those above traits. A young adolescent boy, not quite as tall as his father but was closely reaching that point, was leaning with an arm slinged across his dad's shoulder, and his other behind his head in mock relaxtion. In contrast to the rest of his family, the teenager had hair the color of platinum blond, and his eyes were a deep, almost piercing icy blue. He had a lazy smile on his face, as if he was smirking while enjoying his family good mood simultaneously. A small girl, with hair color taking after her father but eye just as black, stood in the middle of the gather, with a wide smile on her face that was missing a few teeth. Finally, close to his mother's side with both arms around her, was Ventus himself. He was just a child at that age, but he already stood even height with his mother. His eyes were closed, but there color should have been obvious to Shiva, and he had that same heartwarming smile that he always wore, both in good time and bad. All of them were together, looking as happy as they could possibly be.

If one knew of the tragedy that would follow later, the picture was extremely heartbreaking to see. A fact that Ventus was keenly aware of, but showed no outward sighs of distress or discomfort. "Naples, Deliah, Zansibar, Rachael, and myself," the researcher said, pointing to each person in the photographs, "My family. Despite the...difficulty we face down the line, we were joyous up until the very end. But that is neither here or there at the moment, so let me continue on with my story," Ventus said, taking back the old Photo and returning it to its rightful place in his album, before returning that to his satchel. "When I was on the cusp of 10, my family moved to Castila City, as dad had gotten a new job in a far away region, and wanted us to be close to him as possible when he returned to Unova with his brief days of rest leave. My mother, a florist in her home town, sold her old business in Opelucid and started a new one here, and cared for us while my dad was gone on work. Sans had already become a trainer by that point, so it was just me, my sister, and mom most of the time. The whole family got together when they could, but life was different here than in my old home. It would soon become much more different, but that is a story from another time. One best told in private and safe location," Ventus concluded, sighing in slight tiredness from his long winded speal. He had a look in his eyes, cloudy and faded, as if he was lost in his own narrative. They looked happy, yet so sad at the same time...


The look quickly faded away, however, as his eyes refocused on Shiva, and he smiled a bit abashedly to her. "Sorry for drifting off there. To skip ahead, I eventually finish my schooling with phenominal grades. My empathy, natural intelligence, and the connection I managed to build managed to net me a Scholarship to The Science and Arts University of Castila. The class you are interested in, Pokémon Breeding and the Pokémon Handling classes, where present at the time I attended the institution, but its possible that the University dropped the course in favor of more medical classes, and relegated them to its more specialized and private auxiliary schools.  Its been almost half a decade since I left the University, so I am not entirely privy to all the changes it has since undergone. If you are still interested, however, I could get in contact with my friends there and see if I can't find where those courses are being held. Before you ask, it would be no burden to me. After all, friend help friend, correct?"

Order: Ventus has side his side of the conversation, now let's hear what Shiva has to say!
EDIT: Nope, now its time for confrontation!

[Lord Windos]

Stretching for a bit after his long winded tale, his line of sight happened to pass over the window of the hut. Through it, he saw that mysterious man acting in a highly devious manner, and, from what he can tell faintly, was certainly up to no good. Immediantly standing up straight, he looked over towards Shiva and simply said : "It appears that our mutal stranger is living up to his name right now. I'm sorry that I have to cut this discussion short, but I have must investigate this right now. If you desire, come follow me," Ventus told her in a serious tone of voice, completely detatch from his previous serenity. Quickly leaving the hut, he flick out his hand, summoning Apsis once more into the woods. Quickly picking up her master's intentions, she slither right besides him, going to confront the now shady stranger!

Order: Conversation is now cut short, as Ventus has some question he needs to politely ask that stranger now... As for Nathan's message, the good conversation with Shiva distracted him from his phone vibrating in his pants. Thems the breaks.

[Iron]

It seems Ventus is not sneaking at all, so Sage, it's clear that you've been discovered. You can see Ventus heading toward you with his massive Arbok. It looks like the guy Rufflet saw hasn't noticed either of you.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Shiva listened with great interest and care what he had to tell, taking care not to miss anything. Such moments were just as precious as the loyality of her closest companion Pokemon... He was willing to share some of his childhood without even asking for it. It must mean something to him... She must mean something to him as well since he shared it to her... Although he feares the fae and magical, which Shiva holds great fondness and interest in? This was probably one of those unique experiences... Thank the Tao Trio that they blessed her with the meeting of that Sociologist that was with her right now. They only knew one another for a little more than one week, and yet so much happend that he felt somewhat close to her. Don't lie, she can feel that. It would be another lie to say that she doesn't return this. Wondering where their friendship will lead them along the further journey... Only time will tell.

He's been an empath his whole life... And got along with the Dragons in Opelucid at a young age... "That's surely impressive... Even if I never personally met those Dragons in Opelucid. Just read about them... In fact, I've been living in Castelia ever." But she never encountered young Ventus or his family. Or ventus alone. Never saw them even if the distance... IF, she doesn't remember. Plus, Castelia was quite a busy city, and she didn't appeared on the alleys that often. Whether Ventus has encountered her sometime before they met up in Trillium... Well, she cannot know that. Only he can. But if he temporarly lived and studied in Castelia, he might have heared of her father. 'If you need a good Pokemon breeded, go there... Hasn't disappointed anyone yet, even if some requests may take more time than others!'

Wasn't very hard to spot Ven on the photo as well, he didn't even had to point out. They all... looked happy... Happy as they can be... Actually, this filled her with grief. Ven was such a good person... Why does fate enjoy picking such good persons to inflict the worst pain to? What has happened until now? What's with that fear of Fairies? ...Bad karma? No... Much more. But it's as he said by himself, this was not the place to get into that direction. She...could spot that this was making him somehwhat gloomy as well...

Sans..."Wait a moment. Who of them is Sans then?" It must be a nickname of some sort...most likely of the oldest. That one who...commited suicide.

It took a moment for her to realise that he finished speaking, and that silence dwelled now. Oh, good old silence... the pleasant one after speaking out something important... It felt even better in the current surrounding, with all the herbs giving out a grassy scent.

... "Oh. You...glady can take a look for me about those classes! That can wait until we return to Unova, but I'd surely appreciate it.... Thank you... as well for sharing such details of yourself with me."

Just as she was about to ask more... His possible knowledge on Psychic Types... her glace grazed the window opposite to her. Apart from the ivy that was growing there in a black pot, the sight was free. And... there was...something out there... Ventus already spoke out what she was thinking. And immediately she was concerned by that, as well somehat sad over the fact that they got disturbed mid-conversation. However...she agreed on Ventus that this might need their immediate action. After all, they cared for him as he passed out... No more shenanigans.

She followed Ventus out of the shack, but not before paying the Healer a short visit and informing him about the state. "Wise man, we greatly appreciate your help. We're also sorry that we have to leave a little earlier, but one of the people we came to you might be in trouble. We take care that this does not to cause any distress to you and your surroundings. ... I'll come back later to pick up the Shelmet. For now, thank you for your generosity and be well."

As soon as she made her way close to Ventus again - better stay together now - she called out both of her Electric rodents. They did not suffer any damage in the battle against that huge Poliwhirl, and proved themselves useful in the current surrounding. Both were eager for another battle as it seemed! We'll do anything for Master now!


-------------
Mechanics:
As said, I'm practically just following wherever Ventus goes. Ready for battle, if needed. We should not split up at this point.

[Sage]

Sage, seeing the Arbok approach, was disappointed. "Why'd this have to happen now?" he thought perturbed "it's none of their business what I do." Sage had a deep loyalty to his blood brother, Rufflet. Sage would trust Rufflet before listening to anyone else and if Rufflet thought the man was a threat so be it. Sage and Rufflet had been together since just after Sage was born.

Order: Don't wait for the Arbok, continue with the plan but with more haist.

~Sage