[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

(Sure, let's time skip.)

All that evolution business being said and done for now, Nathan recalls the duck, then proceeds to the next topic.

"Alright, so...Gym Leader.  He apparently goes by Chuckles.  And before you laugh at that, I was told to take him VERY seriously.  He apparently likes surprising challengers.  And is said to be able to communicate with the dead and summon pokemon from the shadows.  Sounds to me like he prefers to use Ghost types.  And with behavior like that, I'm not surprised everyone living outside Corsage dislike him.  I was also told he's a good person, though I guess few non-residents ever see that side of him..."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

This happens upstairs in the Pokemon Center's dorm.



Looks like Espurr prefered to silently appreciate the gifted scarf and more careful strokes. Well, no problem with that! Shiva did not feel like lil' one would run away soon enough, so approaching it with a Pokeball can wait. Maybe the kitten had his own pace to walk. Or it was still feeling anxious about being chased by...what were those? At first glance, they looked like ordinary Houndour to her, but on the second glance - before their 'prey' completely caught her attention - Shiva notice that there was something wrong about them. Yet she couldn't tell what or why. Were those the mysterious dream demon? Houndours...? Ugh... Hellhounds.

It was a little cold in her room, how long has she been here? Eh, anyway... First things she did as she decided to get out of bed and take a look at the city from the window, was change clothes to a more comfy lilac nightdress with a row of Oddish and Morelull imprinted below. She could as well go downstairs for breakfast, but quite honestly, she didn't felt like doing so. Back to bed we go. There'll be enough time to look for a way to earn some funds for Breeder's Lisence and restocking on items later this day.

Not taking a look at her burn Dream Catcher - it'd only pain her more... - she took a view at Corsage from the window. The city was busy as always, and at the distant harbour some ships anchored already. However, she also got the feeling that something...was different about the city, yet she could not tell what and why.

Just as she turned around to indeed go back to bed, she noticed...something on the table. It was an envelope! It contained...money...and a note from Nathan. His handwriting was clear and easy to read to Shiva. How cute by him... So it was indeed he helped her out after the battle. Smiling into herself, she packed both away into bagpack for safety. There was something else: It looked like a small glass bottle with a fizzy liquid in it. It had a note from him attatched as well. Haha... Now that was surely a handy mixture! However, since Shiva was confident that she'll be better with just a little rest in her room, did not suffer any physical damage AND wasn't very fond of fizzy drinks, she packed it away as well. Will be useful later - hopefully not too soon.

Then, her gaze fell onto the necklace with the black tuft of fur. It was just laying there close to the wall. Formerly a symbol of her fascination for the origin, it now radiated nothing but grim malice. Luckily there on the table were the Pokeballs containing her companions - someone, most likely Nurse Joy, must had brought them upstairs to their rightful owner after they got healed up again. Without much ado, she selected that one containing her magical fox and summoned him to her side in aflash of white light, before explaining him what she wishes Fennekin to do (see here) and opening the door of her dorm just a little for him to go out.

But now, back into the comfortness and warmth of the bed... While getting in, she picked up that her salt circle was not only still present, but had a gap in its left half... Welp, it was morning already, so there was no actual need to redraw it on her own or sweep the salt up right now.

The Espurr gave her a silent 'meow' at this point. Aww, was it greeting her? No need since she wasn't really 'away', haha. Was it thanking for the rescue and scarf instead? If so, Esp... no, Kyuu received another gentle stroke over his right cheek.

Sitting upright in bed with Kyuu close, blanket pulled over her lower body and her star-patterned journal open, she carefully nudged Helios awake who was STILL snoring there at the end of the bed. His Master's voice was still somewhat weak, but as she spoke to he Abra, she took care to put at least some confidence into it.

"Awake, dear one. You were sleeping well and peacefully? I do hope so,because please listen to me now. See, I greatly appreciate your help there. You saved me from possible injuries I might have induced on me on the fall, so you deserve my thanks. Thank you." ... "Now... I can see that we made some good process in your psychic powers. You're still not able to actively use them in a battle, but I feel we are close to reach that spot. At this point, you might even feel and experience what is known as 'evolution' to us - you'll know when you're there. If you are, don't be afraid and welcome it. You'll grow stronger this way."

"Besides, I promised to reward you for your efforts. And I am keeping my word! See, I wish to tutor you in a new move. One that actively uses some of of your psychic powers on top of that. Not in a way that allows you to attack the foe directly, but it'll surely be helpful to prevent you from damage. That move... is called 'Double Team'. You already hinted to me that you are capable to create some illusionous copies of yourself, and his move utillizes just that. So please, could you give it a try? Concentrate to create not more that two copies of yourself for now. We first improve the authenticity of your copies, before we increase the number slowly. Something between 4 and 7 sounds ideal to me. Kirlia, I know you know that one well, knows this move as well. No way we allow ourselves to lag behind, no?"

------------
Mechanics:
After sending Fennekin to do as his owner wishes, first Tutor Session out of ? is held with Helios. Double Team requires 10 successes, the roll is 3 Insight + 3 Knowledge + 2 Move Tutoring = 8 d6, no XP are granted for tutoring sessions. If Ventus decides to pay me a visit around now to check on my state, he'll likely to catch up on some of this training.

[Lord Windos]

(Sure, let's time skip.)

All that evolution business being said and done for now, Nathan recalls the duck, then proceeds to the next topic.

"Alright, so...Gym Leader.  He apparently goes by Chuckles.  And before you laugh at that, I was told to take him VERY seriously.  He apparently likes surprising challengers.  And is said to be able to communicate with the dead and summon pokemon from the shadows.  Sounds to me like he prefers to use Ghost types.  And with behavior like that, I'm not surprised everyone living outside Corsage dislike him.  I was also told he's a good person, though I guess few non-residents ever see that side of him..."

At hearing the gym leader was named 'Chuckles', Ventus was barely able to retrain his own laughter from escaping, forcing him to cover his-smirking mouth while his body shook. When Nathan mentioned the leader affinity with Ghost and the dead, though, the researcher's cheerful attitude quickly dried up, and caused him to pay very close attention to his friends words. He was silent for a moment, staring at his own hands morosely, before letting out a depressed sigh.

"Oh dear, this could be a...complicated match indeed. I know quite abut about Ghosts, the type being one of my personal favorites, and I can plainly say that fighting them is an extremely hazardous experience. You don't have to worry about them possessing your Pokémon mid fight, but landing a hit on them is  a tricky prospect, and they love to use miss direction and sketchy moves as much as any Dark type' perhaps even more so in some cases. They also have nasty moves like Curse, Destiny Bond, hHex, or heavin forbid Grudge, " the researcher said, a shudder racking through his frame.

He's heard literal horror stories about what a capable Ghost type could do, and there is a reason that so many regions have a Spirit user in their Gym Leader or Elite Four ranks.... Still, there was some light at the end of the tunnel, as the empath calmed himself and continued : "Ironically, though, Dark and its own typing are best in taking down these spectral menaces, as they can't escape the negative energies as easily as the other elemental types. Normal types are able to neutralize their power as well, but they too are unable to use their true power against the specters " Ventus said, before just shaking his head sadly his head somewhat frustratedly.

"You have a Normal type in your digital duck, and my Lucifer and Apsis have access to Dark type moves at our disposal, but we don't have any actual Ghost or Dark types of our own to face his spirits down. You also happen to have two Pokémon that fare poorly against his spirits, so your options are even more limited in dealing with his suspected Pokémon. Unless you have some sort of ace in the hole, you are going to have a difficult time against....Chuckles. Looks like we have more training to do owrsekves, if we hope to stand a chance against him..."

[Dragonstrike]

"I think I can maybe take him. Just going to have to be clever about it since I don't really have any consistently effective moves, that's all...and I was serious when I said don't laugh. He apparently shows ZERO mercy as it is, but he doesn't like it when people laugh at him because of his ridiculous and unfitting name. He's not going to be like Zamboni and use a slightly weaker team just because."

Dark types though...if only...no, he doesn't even know that Absol's intentions yet, or if it's even wild...and Houndour knew Beat Up, but that was a risky move as well since the dog wasn't likely to listen to him...hmmmm...yeah, being clever was likely his only option here...

[Lord Windos]

"If he doesn't like how people react to his name, then he should see fit to alter it into something more fitting of his tastes. I plan on using Apsis, Lucifer, and Ariel in battle, as they all have a lot of ways to sustain themselves while hobbling the enemy, and can inflict huge amounts of damage with their moves. I also plan on riling Chuckles up as much as possible, in order to unbalance him and cloud his mind with anger. After all, if he isn't thinking straight, or is so furious at me that he battles poorly, then I can only gain from making a mockery of him. I have plenty of strong Pokémon at my disposal, so I should be able to weather his assault relatively well, I hope," Ventus responded, crossing his arms as he laid out the framework of his plan to Nathan. The boy could use guile and cunning, but he'll use misdirection, crippling, and hobbling for his own purposes instead. 

With his gift delivered and information exchanged, Ventus told his friend, "Since we both have our own plans to develop and refine, and ever more training to steel ourselves for our upcoming Gym battle, I say we part ways for now. I want to go and check up on Shiva before I get started, as last night was...difficult for all of us, and I want to be absolutely sure she's fine. If you wish to bring up anything else to my attention, now is the time." He knows that Nathan has been morbidly curious about his own actions in the nightmare world, and that he caught onto something that caused the boy to be so evasive over the phone in the morning. If they started to question him over that, he could raise his own inquiries with far more effectiveness...

[Dragonstrike]

With his gift delivered and information exchanged, Ventus told his friend, "Since we both have our own plans to develop and refine, and ever more training to steel ourselves for our upcoming Gym battle, I say we part ways for now. I want to go and check up on Shiva before I get started, as last night was...difficult for all of us, and I want to be absolutely sure she's fine. If you wish to bring up anything else to my attention, now is the time." He knows that Nathan has been morbidly curious about his own actions in the nightmare world, and that he had something that caused the boy to be so evasive over the phone in the morning. If they started to question him over that, he could raise his own inquiries with far more effectiveness...

(Initiate stall tactics, I guess?)

When Ventus mentions he wants to check on Shiva, Nathan sighs.  "I think it's just better to let her rest if she still needs it for now.  She'll be up and about in a little bit, I'm sure, and we can both make sure she's feeling fine then.  And the last thing I think either of us want to see right now is a moody Shiva..."

Nathan doesn't really want to talk about much else currently, but he sure as heck doesn't want to disturb Shiva's rest.  He'd come close enough to doing that as it was...and faced her wrath more than enough times to know making her angry or annoyed probably wasn't a good idea...and...he didn't really want Ventus to see that he'd left a note for her...it wasn't...super personal....but it was still...likely to be awkward if he saw that...oh, right, he'd attached a note to the Lemonade too...

"Oh yes, that reminds me.  One more thing.  Here."

Nathan reaches into his bag and pulls out a bottle of his mom's Lemonade, then slides it across the table to Ventus.

"It's my mom's special recipe.  I know it looks like an innocent Lemonade, but don't let that fool you.  It packs a PUNCH.  Really energizing.  Well, as long as you can take the time to enjoy it, that is.  I left one in Shiva's room for her when she wakes up, since she'll likely need it the soonest.  I've got 2 more in my bag, since my mom sent me 4 of them last night before...all that stuff happened."

(I wonder if Ventus is gonna notice the slip ups in this mess of text...)

[Iron]

As she spoke to her new companion(?), her voice was still low and weak, but at least she wasn't sheding any more tears. "Hehe... You're okay, lil' one? Don't be scared... How do you feel here, in reality?"

She hoped this exemplar was a male one, because she liked their apperance more than the females.

Wait... 'Scottish Fold'... Before lil' Espurr could react, it found itself being loosesly wrapped into the red tartan scarf Shiva took with her from home. It was her favorite scarf and most likely smelled like her if the cat decided to sniff on it.

"Besides, you're okay if I call you 'Kyuu'? This name has...a personal meaning. Only if you decide to come with me, though."

Espurr purrs, showing he is not scared. He's indeed a male (note they have a different Hidden Ability when evolved, see Bulbapedia). The cat enjoys the scarf, though he doesn't know what Scotland or a Scottish Fold are. He just likes the smell of his rescuer. He blanches at a speck of ash caught on the scarf, which Shiva had not at all noticed until now.

Espurr doesn't care what Shiva calls him, because he probably won't respond properly to his name until he evolves and becomes a bit less wild and fickle. He'll still know what Shiva wants, though.

Without much ado, she selected that one containing her magical fox and summoned him to her side in aflash of white light, before explaining him what she wishes Fennekin to do (see here) and opening the door of her dorm just a little for him to go out.

That move... is called 'Double Team'. You already hinted to me that you are capable to create some illusionous copies of yourself, and his move utillizes just that. So please, could you give it a try? Concentrate to create not more that two copies of yourself for now. We first improve the authenticity of your copies, before we increase the number slowly. Something between 4 and 7 sounds ideal to me. Kirlia, I know you know that one well, knows this move as well. No way we allow ourselves to lag behind, no?"

------------
Mechanics:
After sending Fennekin to do as his owner wishes, first Tutor Session out of ? is held with Helios. Double Team requires 10 successes, the roll is 3 Insight + 3 Knowledge + 2 Move Tutoring = 8 d6, no XP are granted for tutoring sessions. If Ventus decides to pay me a visit around now to check on my state, he'll likely to catch up on some of this training.

Fennekin quickly does as suggested. He comes back bearing a twig from the roof, a nice piece of light basswood.

Move Tutoring: (2)(3)(6)(3)(6)(5)(4)(4) - 5 successes!

[Iron]

Ventus crouches down so that he's at eye level with the data ducky, takes a deep breath, before rattling off a stream of numbers at speeds that would boggle the mind of most people. To save space and not waste time (and the fact that it's almost impossible to C&P on a tablet), here is the translation of what he said:

"Hello, Porygon. The reason that Nathan asked for you to lend me your ear is that we wish to evolve you. Nathan has acquired a Upgrade Disc., and desires to conduct a round trade in order to evolve you into a Porygon 2. You will be traded to me to bring about your evolution, then will be returned to your master's possession directly afterwards. I stress the exchange is only temporary, and that your ownership will ultimately fall under Nathan. If you have any objection to this exchange, then say so, and we will not proceed with the trade. Do you understand, Porygon? "

(Now we have to wait on @Iron to come and continue this exchange. You want to flash forward and continue onto a different topic, @Dragonstrike?)

Porygon can't speak Binary to give a true response, just like all Pokemon can't speak English, but Ventus is still better at understanding even inscrutable Pokemon emotions like Porygon's.

Since Porygon's evolution doesn't necessarily require the trading machine, and Porygon understands computers, and it has been explained to him that this is round trip trade, I'm going to allow the trade to keep his loyalty and happiness.

Porygon comes out of the computer, glowing and swirling with data. His form is streamlined. His poly count skyrockets. His memory grows, and he can plunge efficiently in and out of computer systems. He becomes a little tougher to root. The glow clears, and the modern Porygon 2.0 is revealed!

[Lord Windos]

(Initiate stall tactics, I guess?)

When Ventus mentions he wants to check on Shiva, Nathan sighs.  "I think it's just better to let her rest if she still needs it for now.  She'll be up and about in a little bit, I'm sure, and we can both make sure she's feeling fine then.  And the last thing I think either of us want to see right now is a moody Shiva..."

Nathan doesn't really want to talk about much else currently, but he sure as heck doesn't want to disturb Shiva's rest.  He'd come close enough to doing that as it was...and faced her wrath more than enough times to know making her angry or annoyed probably wasn't a good idea...and...he didn't really want Ventus to see that he'd left a note for her...it wasn't...super personal....but it was still...likely to be awkward if he saw that...oh, right, he'd attached a note to the Lemonade too...

"Oh yes, that reminds me.  One more thing.  Here."

Nathan reaches into his bag and pulls out a bottle of his mom's Lemonade, then slides it across the table to Ventus.

"It's my mom's special recipe.  I know it looks like an innocent Lemonade, but don't let that fool you.  It packs a PUNCH.  Really energizing.  Well, as long as you can take the time to enjoy it, that is.  I left one in Shiva's room for her when she wakes up, since she'll likely need it the soonest.  I've got 2 more in my bag, since my mom sent me 4 of them last night before...all that stuff happened.

(I wonder if Ventus is gonna notice the slip ups in this mess of text...)

Ventus just shook his head dismissively at Nathan, not agreeing with his course of action at all. "Nate, it's our duty as friends to look out for each other's wellbeing, even if the task at time may unnerve or discormfort us. Shiva more than ever needs to know that we are willing to support and look after her, not just shy away and leave her to her own lonesome devices. If she remembers anything about her time in that hideous nightmare, then its all the more reason to make sure she has not incurred any lasting trauma from her coma. "

"Besides, both Shiva and myself have spent time enough time to gain deeper insight on ourselves, so I'm not liable to provoke her wrath like you. Come to think of it, I have never observed her to react wrathfully to any of my interactions, so I see no reason to believe that my checking up on her will cause a fuss. *Sigh* She may be prone to fits of emotional outburst, Nathan, but I never seen her lash out over concern centering around her, so I imagine I will be perfectly fine. Do what you wish, but I shall as well," he said, giving a disappointed look at the young trainer. He can understand the boy's nervousness around a Shiva, but was it necessary to just abandon her in her time of need because of it?

As Nathan handed him his Lemonade, the researcher gripped their wrist instead, and looked into their eyes. Ventus' expression was of concerned annoyance, as weird as that look playing across his face. "My friend, I have more than a distinct feeling that you are trying to hide something from me, and its only strengthing as you keep evading any opportunity to openly discuss our 'trip'. First, you hang up on me in the middle of our earlier phone call, right as we were discussing what we were going to do in the wake of our departure. Now you are trying to divert my attention away from further speaking about that literal nightmare world we briefly resided in by bring up our mutual friend bedside behavior. It's not like you outright ignore an opportunity to gain further insight in any given situation, so I ask you this: what are you hiding from me, Nathan? You and I both know that I hate secrets being keep between us, so out with it I say."

(You can't dodge a determined empathy, my friend! He KNOWS that your are intentionally trying to keep something from him now!)

[Dragonstrike]

Ventus just shook his head dismissively at Nathan, not agreeing with his course of action at all. "Nate, it's our duty as friends to look out for each other's wellbeing, even if the task at time may unnerve or discormfort us. Shiva more than ever needs to know that we are willing to support and look after her, not just shy away and leave her to her own lonesome devices. If she remembers anything about her time in that hideous nightmare, then its all the more reason to make sure she has not incurred any lasting trauma from her coma. "

"Besides, both Shiva and myself have spent time enough time to gain deeper insight on ourselves, so I'm not liable to provoke her wrath like you. Come to think of it, I have never observed her to react wrathfully to any of my interactions, so I see no reason to believe that my checking up on her will cause a fuss. *Sigh* She may be prone to fits of emotional outburst, Nathan, but I never seen her lash out over concern centering around her, so I imagine I will be perfectly fine. Do what you wish, but I shall as well," he said, giving a disappointed look at the young trainer. He can understand the boy's nervousness around a Shiva, but was it necessary to just abandon her in her time of need because of it?

As Nathan handed him his Lemonade, the researcher gripped their wrist instead, and looked into their eyes. Ventus' expression was of concerned annoyance, as weird as that look playing across his face. "My friend, I have more than a distinct feeling that you are trying to hide something from me, and its only strengthing as you keep evading any opportunity to openly discuss our 'trip'. First, you hang up on me in the middle of our earlier phone call, right as we were discussing what we were going to do in the wake of our departure. Now you are trying to divert my attention away from further speaking about that literal nightmare world we briefly resided in by bring up our mutual friend bedside behavior. It's not like you outright ignore an opportunity to gain further insight in any given situation, so I ask you this: what are you hiding from me, Nathan? You and I both know that I hate secrets being keep between us, so out with it I say."

(You can't dodge a determined empathy, my friend! He KNOWS that your are intentionally trying to keep something from him now!)

(Well, that worked both better and worse than I expected it to...on several subjects...)

"I never said I was abandoning her.  Just giving her time to recover.  Ventus, she was exhausted.  Completely.  I fully intend to make sure she's fine when I know she's awake, but I don't want to...intrude.  Let's just leave it at that."

Uh oh.

He mentioned keeping secrets between them.

Nathan stares right back at him.

"You mean like the one where Shiva told you more about why Ralts evolved than she told me?  Yeah, I figured that out." (Nathan just doesn't know the true extent of it yet...)