[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Frowning at the clear distress in Nathan's tone, he lost his grim cheer and tried to calm the boy down. "Now now, Nathan, I said that I would bring the Pinsir back, didn't I? Letting Apsis have them for lunch would be counterproductive to the plan, so please don't get yourself worked up for my sake! I have experience in handling such situations discretely, if my meeting with that vile trainer comes to a...definitive conclusion, so be calm. As for the Mega Stone...I have 'given' it to Sage as a gift for service rendered and to be rendered. You have to ask him for it, as the stone is out of my control now. Once I pick up Shelmet, I'll head straight back to town and meet up with you, if you desire. We'll turn in the insect, tell them about the base, and start planning our future actions from there, ok?"

Tapping his chin a few times, he decided to add another idea, something that might soothe his friend's worry. "Hmm...can your Kirlia detect me from this far out? If he can, it might be possible for you to Teleport to me, then swiftly return to town. It would save both of us time, and minimize the chance that bastard comes back to retrieve his partner in crime."

That's not helping either.

"WHAT?!  Who is this 'Sage' anyways?!  And why did you give a complete stranger a MEGA STONE?!  That's an absolutely terrible idea!  There is NO WAY the League is going to allow that!  AT ALL!  Ventus, I don't know how much you know about Mega Evolution, but it is STRICTLY regulated in Creshire.  You can't even breathe a word concerning it without the League cracking down on you if you don't have the proper authorization!"  Nathan's loud outburst can be heard very, very clearly, both just outside the back room in the Center he's in and in the general vicinity of Ventus's phone.  It startles Kirlia quite badly.  He'd felt the buildup, but he hadn't expected that reaction to happen so suddenly...

He takes a moment to try and calm down.  It only helps slightly, but he does his best to regain his composure.  He thinks on Ventus's suggestion for a moment, trying to regain his focus...

"I don't know if Kirlia can sense you that far out.  Besides, even if he could, Teleport can only carry the user and one other person or pokemon, as well as anything they're holding.  If you don't have Pinsir's pokeball, you can't Teleport it and a human together.  Unless you have some other clever way of getting that Pinsir and the mega stone here ASAP, you're going to have to bring them back here yourself.  NOW."

He still sounds annoyed, worried, and rather angry.  Then he remembers something...

"Shiva has an Abra, right?  See if she can get him to Teleport Pinsir and the mega stone back to the center of town.  Yes, BOTH of them.  And then you need to return here ASAP as well.  No games, Ventus.  You all are going to need to report what happened to the League.  I suggest you think VERY carefully about what you're going to say about what happened.  The last thing you want is the League getting on your case.  Even implying what you have is enough to lose your trainer license if it's a serious cause for concern."  Back to sounding serious, but with a hint of the annoyance, worry, and anger in it now.

[Lord Windos]

That's not helping either.

"WHAT?!  Who is this 'Sage' anyways?!  And why did you give a complete stranger a MEGA STONE?!  That's an absolutely terrible idea!  There is NO WAY the League is going to allow that!  AT ALL!  Ventus, I don't know how much you know about Mega Evolution, but it is STRICTLY regulated in Creshire.  You can't even breathe a word concerning it without the League cracking down on you if you don't have the proper authorization!"  Nathan's loud outburst can be heard very, very clearly, both just outside the back room in the Center he's in and in the general vicinity of Ventus's phone.  It startles Kirlia quite badly.  He'd felt the buildup, but he hadn't expected that reaction to happen so suddenly...

He takes a moment to try and calm down.  It only helps slightly, but he does his best to regain his composure.  He thinks on Ventus's suggestion for a moment, trying to regain his focus...

"I don't know if Kirlia can sense you that far out.  Besides, even if he could, Teleport can only carry the user and one other person or pokemon, as well as anything they're holding.  If you don't have Pinsir's pokeball, you can't Teleport it and a human together.  Unless you have some other clever way of getting that Pinsir and the mega stone here ASAP, you're going to have to bring them back here yourself.  NOW."

He still sounds annoyed, worried, and rather angry.  Then he remembers something...

"Shiva has an Abra, right?  See if she can get him to Teleport Pinsir and the mega stone back to the center of town.  Yes, BOTH of them.  And then you need to return here ASAP as well.  No games, Ventus.  You all are going to need to report what happened to the League.  I suggest you think VERY carefully about what you're going to say about what happened.  The last thing you want is the League getting on your case.  Even implying what you have is enough to lose your trainer license if it's a serious cause for concern."  Back to sounding serious, but with a hint of the annoyance, worry, and anger in it now.

(Going to bed after this post, but it is sure a nice conversation!)

Ventus was beginning to become a bit distress at his failed attempts at calming his friend down, but he still managed to keep what little grasp of emotional control he has. "I know quite a bit about it, or at least more than most dare I say! While Mega Evolution was not a research topic in my university, me and the staff there received plenty of data on it. Enough to piece together its mechanics, and know that it should not be in the hands of the average person! I can't force Sage to give back the stone, however, as he may just decide to take off without it. I'll try asking for it from him, but there is no guarantee that he'll give it back," he said, not sounding very happy that Nathan's anger at him. Why is he so mad in the first place?

Letting out a tired sigh, he just shakes his head before responding to the second half of Nathan's demand. "My friend, do not worry about my statement to the League. I have experience dealing with obstructive bureaucrats and government authority. They won't suspect anything amiss from me, because I won't give the due cause to. Neither will my friends, as I assume they have my back here. All they will see is a friendly, if overly worried, researcher that is just doing his civic duty. *Sigh* I'm only trying to do what's best for you, Nathan, but if reject my aid THAT strongly, I suppose I'll have to come up with a different way to punish your attacker... I will see if I can get Shiva to aquisit to you request, but if I can't get the Mega Stone from my new associate, then Abra will just be bringing Pinsir to your location. In the meantime, I'll make my way back to town with my group, after I completed my given task here. I need the money Nathan, no if, and, or buts."

Phone still pressed against his ear, he convey Nathan demands in the most polite way possible to Shiva and Sage, trying to persuade them to the young trainer's reasoning. He only hopes that everyone will be satisfied with these dealings...!

Order: Well, try to get Sage to relinquish the Mega Stone (Using Nathan's logic), and get Shiva to lend Abra to transport Pinsir and the Mega Stone to Nathan (Abra can hold Mega Stone). After that, he's going to coach everyone into giving the same statement (or similar enough ones) to the League authority, telling them what to say and what not to say. After that, Shelmet => Money => Statement to Police => Nathan. Simple. I hope.

[Iron]

The drive does not come loose. It's firmly attached to the door somehow.

[Lord Windos]

The drive does not come loose. It's firmly attached to the door somehow.

(Then Ventus just return to shore, and does the whole phone conversation with Nathan. He'll be back for it, though!)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(Ahh. You can assume Shiva stayed quiet the whole time, but present and nearby. Just a little in a shock maybe.)


Weird. Somehow, that Wizard got away... But if one thing's for sure, this was not the last time they saw someone of that kind. She just knew. Just a matter of time...and circumstances.

But... luckily they managed to get a hold of that Pinsir and Megastone... The first looked so calm when fainted... It still gave her cold shivers. As for the Megastone, Shiva actually did not mind Sage having that thing. She does not want to get a hold of it, Ven had enough to do, so Sage - what a melodic name by the way - was practically speaking the best choice.

Just wainting is it then... Recovering a little from all this mess... Why does Nathan on the phone have to scream? Even she heared him, and that surely means something...

... ... ... It became darker meanwhile... What a strange place they were currently. Surrounded by woods full of Bug types and a pond with herbs growing in the nearby area. A Healer's shack nearby... If one would not know about the mess that just occured here, one would dare to call this place 'beautiful'. It still was, in some way.

---------------
Mechanics:
If you update her in-game about what Nathan said - she only catched up he was screaming at some point, but did not get the words, she'll agree on using Helios for the sake of Teleporting. Let's hope he agrees as well.

[Sage]

"I'd prefer not to give it back, if that's okay." Sage said shuffleing his feet. He liked the idea of having one and it's nothing new for him to wanted by the law. After opening his bag he once more pulled out the PokeBall labeled NOYB and removed the pill case taking two more. He then put the pill case and the Mega Stone inside the ball and returned the ball to the bag, zipping it tight.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Oh. Shiva clearly picked that up. He wants to keep the Megastone... Well, in her view, nothing speaks against that. Even if Ven on the phone clearlay expressed his concerns about it. But... Who says he wants to use the Stone, actually? None. Whatever reason Sage may have, if he wants to keep the Stone, she'll let him keep it. It's securely sealed in the Pokeball anyway, right beside...more meds. Hmm... she gave him a barely noticable glance from the sight. Like if saying 'I hope you are aware of what you are doing.' None of her business, though... And she won't ask about it either. Pressuring a person for information, especially if you know the person just for short, isn't very helpful for the atmosphere.

There's another thing she noticed. During battle against, that Mega-Pinsir, he kept relaitively calm. There still was some sort of determination in him that reminded a tiny bit on Nathan. He also expressed barely any mercy, or maybe it was just Shiva's imagination, but had he no fear to kill in battle? Hmm... Interesting battle style, that's for sure though.

Anyway... Not the right time to mull over things. That fainted Pinsir shall be transported to the Pokemon Center, where Nathan resides. Good think she has the right Pokemon for that... Opening a side pocked of bagpack - the main compartment already held two books, the egg in incubator and that Iron Ball (yes, she still has that thing), so she developed the habit of keeping important items within quick reach - she drew the Ball containing Helios, and called him out. As usual, the Abra yawned upon being disturbed in his slumber, but at least he keeps awake when being out of his ball.

She then pulled out her own cell to type a quick message to Nathan: 'Hi. I'll have Helios teleport the Pinsir to you, as suggested. Without the Megastone, though. Please reply or call me as soon as they arrived at you.'

Next, she croached down to the Psychic Pokemon and spoke to it in a calm tone. "Listen up, Helios. Can you get a hold of that fainted Pinsir over there", she pointed to it, "and teleport both of you back to the Pokemon Center in Wineberry Town? We were there this morning, even if it was just for short to reserve a room for the night. Someone will await you there... Yes, with that Kirlia. Don't mind that though, just hand over the Pinsir to him and then return."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(Assuming that Abra agrees and fulfills the given task; if not, I'll edit this post.)


Once that has been taken care of and the only thing left to do now was to wait for a reply from Nathan, Shiva turned to Ventus who has placed himself down and leaned against a maple beside the pond. Apsis curled up close to him, sightly bruised from the firely battle. Of course both were exhausted... after all this...

"So... You found or saw anything intersting down the pond?" Then, in a more quite voice but with a coy smile, "Thank you for protecting me. Actually, protecting all of us."

[Dragonstrike]

(Going to bed after this post, but it is sure a nice conversation!)

Ventus was beginning to become a bit distress at his failed attempts at calming his friend down, but he still managed to keep what little grasp of emotional control he has. "I know quite a bit about it, or at least more than most dare I say! While Mega Evolution was not a research topic in my university, me and the staff there received plenty of data on it. Enough to piece together its mechanics, and know that it should not be in the hands of the average person! I can't force Sage to give back the stone, however, as he may just decide to take off without it. I'll try asking for it from him, but there is no guarantee that he'll give it back," he said, not sounding very happy that Nathan's anger at him. Why is he so mad in the first place?

Letting out a tired sigh, he just shakes his head before responding to the second half of Nathan's demand. "My friend, do not worry about my statement to the League. I have experience dealing with obstructive bureaucrats and government authority. They won't suspect anything amiss from me, because I won't give the due cause to. Neither will my friends, as I assume they have my back here. All they will see is a friendly, if overly worried, researcher that is just doing his civic duty. *Sigh* I'm only trying to do what's best for you, Nathan, but if reject my aid THAT strongly, I suppose I'll have to come up with a different way to punish your attacker... I will see if I can get Shiva to aquisit to you request, but if I can't get the Mega Stone from my new associate, then Abra will just be bringing Pinsir to your location. In the meantime, I'll make my way back to town with my group, after I completed my given task here. I need the money Nathan, no if, and, or buts."

Phone still pressed against his ear, he convey Nathan demands in the most polite way possible to Shiva and Sage, trying to persuade them to the young trainer's reasoning. He only hopes that everyone will be satisfied with these dealings...!

Order: Well, try to get Sage to relinquish the Mega Stone (Using Nathan's logic), and get Shiva to lend Abra to transport Pinsir and the Mega Stone to Nathan (Abra can hold Mega Stone). After that, he's going to coach everyone into giving the same statement (or similar enough ones) to the League authority, telling them what to say and what not to say. After that, Shelmet => Money => Statement to Police => Nathan. Simple. I hope.

"Both need to be turned in to the League.  If you can't get the Pinsirite back from this 'Sage,' he'll have to answer to them.  Pinsirite is not only dangerous, but incredibly rare.   There is no chance the League is going to let any of us hold on to that.  I'll head back to the center of town to wait for Pinsir to show up.  If ANYTHING more happens that's related to that trainer, call me immediately.  I expect I'll hear the full story from you when you return."

Nathan wraps up the phone call before he gets any rowdier, and checks his 'dex to see Shiva's texted him to say Helios should be on his way if she can convince him to help.  He heads back to the center of town with Kirlia, Swiftfire's pokeball at the ready.

[Lord Windos]

"Both need to be turned in to the League.  If you can't get the Pinsirite back from this 'Sage,' he'll have to answer to them.  Pinsirite is not only dangerous, but incredibly rare.   There is no chance the League is going to let any of us hold on to that.  I'll head back to the center of town to wait for Pinsir to show up.  If ANYTHING more happens that's related to that trainer, call me immediately.  I expect I'll hear the full story from you when you return."

Nathan wraps up the phone call before he gets any rowdier, and checks his 'dex to see Shiva's texted him to say Helios should be on his way if she can convince him to help.  He heads back to the center of town with Kirlia, Swiftfire's pokeball at the ready.

Hearing the call end with an abrupt *click!*, Ventus could only stare at the phone, completely baffled as to why Nathan go so worked up over his simple statements. 'Why? Why did Nathan react so negatively to what I informed him of? I thought he would be relieved by my promise to dispose of that vile, treacherous scum, but instead he just berated me for that. ...Well, I suppose I can request such data from him, as I update him on the entirety of my findings. Hopefully, he will have calmed down by the time I make my return trip to town,' the researcher thought, clearly worried for him friend mental wellbeing. It was not like him to overreact like that- the boy is surprisingly strong, even with his many emotional faults-, so it must have been something he said that triggered him so. But what, pray tell?

(To clarify, Ven has no idea why Nathan got mad at him acting like a nutter over Pinsir guy [Ven doesn't know he's a wizard]. In his opinion, he was acting completely normal, and think Nathan is the one that's been disturb by something he said!)

(Assuming that Abra agrees and fulfills the given task; if not, I'll edit this post.)


Once that has been taken care of and the only thing left to do now was to wait for a reply from Nathan, Shiva turned to Ventus who has placed himself down and leaned against a maple beside the pond. Apsis curled up close to him, sightly bruised from the firely battle. Of course both were exhausted... after all this...

"So... You found or saw anything intersting down the pond?" Then, in a more quite voice but with a coy smile, "Thank you for protecting me. Actually, protecting all of us."

Flipping his phone closed and putting it away in his satchel (the only dry thing on his person), he let of a suffering sigh. He wandered by the maple tree beside the healer's hut, Apsis crawling along after him with her quarry in coil. Resting his back against the old plant, Ventus decided to catch his breath for a moment, as multiple bouts of conflict and some lake diving took its toll. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he sat there for a few minutes, before turning to his two companions.

Seeing that Shiva already summoned Helios and command them to escort the Pinsir to the Pokémon Center, he beckoned them over to them, and point the Abra at the fainted insect. "Apsis, would you mind losing you Wrap just a bit? Enough so that Helios can transport this Pinsir over to Nathan's location? I promise on the way back to town, I'll let you hunt a few bugs to munch on, ok?" Staring at her master fornlornly, the regal Arbok just huffed a bit at the request, before following through with it. While she was both hungry and hurt because of this blasted Pinsir, she knew he master would feed her latter. Besides, she remember what the League does to vicous Pokémon. What better revenge than the bug to be buried alive?
(I'll edit this part later, if Abra doesn't teleport Pinsir to Nathan.)

When Shiva approached him and asked about the strange object down there, he let out another sigh, this time in frustration. "The object of interest turned out to be the entrance to an underwater base, with what looks to be a Burn Drive- one of Genesect Data Drives- and a Keystone engraving into it. I couldn't manage to pry the drive lose...wait. Apsis isn't holding Pinsir captive anymore. That means all her sinuous strength is completely free and at my disposal," Ventus slowly said, having a wonderful 'Eureka!' moment.

Turning over to look at Apsis, he gave her a command in the most polite way possible : "Apsis, I know that you are tired from our recent fights, but can you do one last thing for me? Go down into the pond, and find what looks to be a big red rectangle sticking out from a door. Then, I need you to coil around it and try to pry it free from its lodging without damaging it, if possible. If it can't be helped, though, I should be able to fix it, eventually..."
(Since this command is dependent on whether or not Abra will teleport Pinsir to Nathan, I may have to change this block of text as well...)

Just as he was about to get up from his rest and discuss Sage's options with the Mega Stone, he heard Shiva thank him for his protection. Facing her, it was apparent that some of the mania that entered Ventus bleed off at her thanks, and he gave her a genuinely bashful smile. "Oh, I was only doing what anyone else would have done, so your thanks are not necessary. Besides, if I recall correctly, taking down that Mega-Pinsir was a team effort, so please don't sell yourself short, my friend," Ven said, getting up from his position and patting her on the head, before going over to speak with Sage.

"I'd prefer not to give it back, if that's okay." Sage said shuffleing his feet. He liked the idea of having one and it's nothing new for him to wanted by the law. After opening his bag he once more pulled out the PokeBall labeled NOYB and removed the pill case taking two more. He then put the pill case and the Mega Stone inside the ball and returned the ball to the bag, zipping it tight.

Approaching him, the researcher noticed that the man was popping those blasted pill, and frowned at him. He decided not to comment on it for the immedianlty moment, though. 'I don't want him to be inclined against me by beratting him of his overuse of prescription medicine, as I have some important topics to discuss with him. An open mind is an receptive mind, as they say,' Ventus though, schooling his features in a more friendly smile to the brawler. "Sage, while I do not mind you keeping the Pinsirite, as you have more than earned it for the effort you put in that battle, my friend Nathan does not share that same opinion. He is likely going to inform the local League authorities about the Pinsir and Mega Stone, so I only see two option for you at the moment," Ventus said, looking worrily at the man. He hoped they listen to his advice, or they may be in more trouble
than desired.

"The first option is to accompany us to Winesberry Town, and turn over the Pinsirite when everyone conveines with the authorities. You lose a powerful and valuble item, but you won't gain the ire of the Chesire League by keeping it in your possession any longer. Most likely, we'll be rewarded for our part in helping take down that thug, so its unlikely you won't be compensated in some way for it. At the very least, you'll build up good reputation and favor with the League, which is always a boon," he says, before letting out yet another sigh.

"The second option, of course, is that you keep the stone. Now, I don't know if you run afoul with the law before, or commited any crimes, but keeping this item will brand you an outlaw just like that Pinsir guy,"  the researcher says, before looking back and forth furtively and dropping his voice in a whisper that only he and Sage could hear. "I've been on the opposite side of the line before, however, so I have some advice that could help. If you choose to keep this item, I suggest that on our way back, you depart from the group anyway you can, either stealthly or in a flashy manner. When Shiva and I return to town, we will say that on the trip back you abandoned the group, and that we have no idea where you went. After we have finished our business in town and depart, you can meet up with us some distance away from the exit to Wineberry. During the time we are apart, you can stash the Mega Stone away somewhere safe, and say that the guy robbed you and left you to die in the woods, or keep it on you to do as you see fit. My suggestion is selling it on a black market. My group is heading to the port city, so no doubt they have some form of shady business there, so it should be easy to trade it in for something of more use to you," Ventus quietly informed the brawler, making sure he got what he was saying.

Once he was done with the second part of his message, he raised his voice back to normal levels as he continued on like nothing dubious was going on. "Well, since I have to wait on the Shelmet to be treated, you have plenty of time to think over your choices. Give it some though, and tell me your descision. Or don't, if you want to keep me in the dark," he said, placing emphasis on his last word. Plasible deniability is a great assent, especially when one has a friend with an empathetic Pokémon!

Order: Have Apsis attempt to pry the Burn Drive out of the door (Read their dex entry, and tell me they don't have enough strength for the job!), inform Sage of his 'options', and continue to wait on the Shelmet until they are better, then return to town with it and get reward. Then, after we meet up with the authorities and tell them everything, he's going over to the statue and doing a thorough investigation on it. I hope this is the last time I have to type this....