[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Oh, finally arrived at the camp! With Nathan granted some needed alone time - let's hope he's getting along -, Shiva was absolutely relieved to having found her group back. Litwick was indeed bathing the campsite into an eerie lavender light that felt weirdly comfortable if one got used to it and enjoys the colour.

Sure, she was exhausted and just a little drained, but in a relatively calm and fine mood. "Greetings... No alone time, Ven... Just finally settling down and dinner" Naturally since she skipped dinner yesterday due to the aftermaths of that battle. "And true, that Litwick (that has been allowed to get down from her hand to rest by the campfire and/or get to know Heart's Phantump) joined me along the way - That's also the Pokemon I'll need your help with, AFTER dinner. You probably know that these species feed on life force or drain them in Litwick's case... I feel like it is drawn to mine to some degree while it still will NOT harm me deliberately and DID obey in a battle along the way, so, uhm... either you have an idea how to feed small healthy amounts of own energy to a Litwick until he evolves (since this trait seems to be unique to the base form) so that their Master serves as their source or you'd be willing to occasionally take me with you when hunting with Apsis and let my Litwick drain the prey's life force before Apsis will devour it... Eh... Whatever works better." Probably a good call that Nathan was not around just now, since he'll presumably be startled to bits by hearing such words from Shiva of all costs. But the wellbeing of her Pokemon has priority...

"Oh, right, also fainted a Tyrogue and fed his life force to Litwick as peace offering, bought some neat stuff in the clothing shop along the way, saw that white Donphan Valder mentioned in the distance, got some advice from that...STEEL Tutor about the field, met Nathan along the way and received an apology from him and encountered a very weird yet somewhat cute Pokemon that I desire to keep to myself as long as I haven't talked with Professor Mallorn about this. *her voice on this part was clear and won't allow any objecting* And what did you people ran across meanwhile?"

Yes, she did mean that elusive Poochyena there since Shiva still won't leave the encounter unless she somewhat captured it.


(I guess I'll pause here and head to bed, so take your time to reply here, Windos... 'Till tomorrow then.)

[Spiritmon]

(Good night and sleep well Phantom! Also)
(Don't forget to dream with Windos ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )

[Dragonstrike]

(Nathan's done for the day, so gonna flash forward to when he returns to the camp and dozes off)


It takes awhile for Nathan to return to the camp.

As in, the sun's gone completely down by the time he does, and whatever conversation the others got into has been wrapped up.

If anyone was waiting for him, he doesn't say a word to them if and when they spot him and Swiftfire walking back, the dim light from her mane illuminating their immediate surroundings.

He jut goes straight back to his section of the tent and closes it off for a little privacy.  He's tired.  VERY tired.

___________________________________________________________________________________________


Goodnight V2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSEyvqKxPT8

After a quick thank you to Calam for keeping watch and recalling the two quadrupeds he had out, Nathan gets comfortable in his usual spot across the small space from Kirlia's hammock.

Kirlia's feeling a little better physically now, but is a little worried for Nathan...he wasn't sure what happened, but he could feel his friend going through just about every emotion possible over the last few hours...a quizzical tilt of his head is all Nathan needs to see to know what Kirlia's asking...

"...*sigh*...I'll be fine, Kirlia.  Just...a little mixed up right now, that's all..."

Kirlia frowns at that statement, hops out of his hammock (wincing a little in the process due to the suddenness of the movement), and walks right up to Nathan's and joins him in his.  He wasn't going to let Nathan go through this alone.  Not now.  Not ever.  No matter the circumstance.

He could tell Nathan was primarily thinking about Shiva right now, now that he was in closer proximity to Kirlia.  Not surprising that Nathan was in an emotional whirl right now in that case...but there seemed to be fewer negative thoughts now.  That was good.  Things must be on the mend again.  Arceus knows Nathan has needed a little positivity over the last couple days...

Kirlia smiles and gets as comfortable as he can manage.  Nathan would be alright.  He'd make sure of it.  No matter what, he was always going to be there for him...

The two best friends end up dozing off back to back in the hammock, their worries for the past few days far behind them in their dreams...

...and both of them with a small smile on their faces.  Felt like ages since they last slept this well...

[Lord Windos]

The empath gave her an understanding look accompanying his kind, gentle smile, knowing full well that the past few days have been rough on her consititution. It was why he decided to make some hearty stew in the first place, and made her a double portion to aid her in regaining her stamina! Plus, that tolerably mystical relic he found would be the perfect solution in fully restoring her good cheer, or at the very least accelerate the progress towards that goal, showing them that they truly care for them as much beloved cherished friend! That, and he just liked giving gifts to people whenever he could afford to (Which was seldom, regretfully), especially if said act of kindness ends up helping them out in one manner or another!

Shiva's next inquiry concerning her new candlestick spirit nearly caused his eyebrows to jut right of his forhead in slight shock and disbelief, as he NEVER expected to hear them speak so freely/easily about such dire topics, least of all ask him for permission to join his hunts with his sister! 'Oh my, what could have brought about this....disconcerting course of action from my kind, loving, and compassonate friend? Is this due to her Ghost type partially possessing and overriding her own will, coercing them to do their bidding, or have they corrupted their pure heart into a much sinister form? '

'......No, they haven't, thank Reshirim. I detect none of such malicous alterations to her character, nor any form of distress that could be linked to the spector. She does seem to be anxious/fascinated about something in particular that isn't bound to Litwick, though, but that is neither here or there. Well, I do recall that she accepts my rational for raising Apsis the way I choose, so now that she has her own predatory Pokémon under her embrace, she's finally has incentive to indulge in the practice herself? ....Regardless, its my duty to assist her however I can, even if the circumstance make it somewhat uncomforting to ponder upon...'

Contrary to what one may thing, Ventus DOES understand that his hunting practices and general Darwinistic attitude concerning wild Pokémon are not very well appreciated in Cheshire or to 'civilized' people; its just that the vast majority of the time he's entirely unconcerned about such opinions. So long as he isn't breaking any laws or deliberately causing unwarranted suffering to others, he would continue to act in such a manners as he saw fit, as how he raised his own Pokémon or conducted himself is of no concern of others! The young lass tangently agreeing with his unscrumplous beliefs, however, does cause him to become more self aware of his the negativity associated with them. Not to the extent that is would permenantly alienate those ideas from him, of course (Something truly horrific would have to happen in that case!), but just enough that it took a moment for him to re-organize his thoughts and dispel such unwarranted misgivings, before he calmly/serenely responds with:

"I am well aware of the various methods that different Ghost types extract life force from other beings, being it voluntarily or....not, so I am able to enlighten you on how to safely conduct that exchange. The whole process is actually rather simple at its core for most species of Ghosts, though the finer details and preferred feeding habits are highly subject to variations, and can be done with relative ease once the 'donor' is aware of its particularls. First, the trainer and their spirt must establish a strong bond/connection with one another, usually via touch or the Ghost partially merging its own essense with your own. Next, imagine your own vital energy, your vim and vigor, you Life as a font, well, reservoir, etc. , so long as you Life is contained in some mental construct. Then, either by yourself or with the aid of your Ghost type, begin to mentally 'drawn out' an portion of the energy you wish to share, being especially careful to not 'tap out' by extracting too much life force."

"Finally, using the earlier connection you establish with your Pokémon, you send/force said Life through and straight into it, feeding them the energy and only THAT portion of energy. If they crave for more, do not give in to their desires, as their ravounous hunger can invariably lead them to emptying you out and leaving you a soulless, lifeless husk. Moderation is key in all things, especially in such sensitive matters as your very existence on this world and the next. After that, you sever the connect by disentangling yourself from the Ghost type, and take some form of respite to help facilitate the recovery of the piece of Life you gave them. If the portion was small, its not required that you rest, but I recommend doing so regardless, as I've heard that a Ghost type life draining abilities can be rather taxing on the volunteer or victim. A little experimentation might be required to create the most efficient and least exhausting life exchange possible, but other than that detail you have all the knowledge necessary to attempt the process yourself."

"I'm also more than willing to let you accompany me and Apsis on our hunting expeditions, if my sister's voracous eating habits and surely temperament isn't too much a deterent for you, or should you decide against donating your vital energy to Litwick. It would be no inconvenience to either of us, as having their life leeched out from them and subsequently expiring is hardly a worse fate for the prey than being eaten alive and slowly being digested in my snake's belly. If anything, it would be merciful....well, as merciful as you can possible be, anyway."

After he was speaking about such grim topics, the researcher took a moment to regain his breath and switch his thoughts over to what else his dear friend had said, both spoken and not. Ven was rather curious and somewhat concerned about Shiva's  secretiveness surround her encounter with said mystery Pokémon, but he could detect that whatever she was hiding from him, it was not the sort of information that directly impacted the group. Ultimately, he decided to not pry for the time being, as while he was not fond of secrets between friends, he could forgive a few being kept from himself or her; sometimes, it was for the best that truth to be hidden, lest it do more harm than good...

"Well, it appears that Reshirim must have blessed you this day, for it sounds like it has been most fortuitous and eventful, especially if you had the chance to witness such a variety of rare/odd Pokémon in such a span of time! I'm also glad to hear that Nate has apologized to you, as I know That Battle was a...unhappy affair for the both of us, so I'm glad we are all finally moving on from it. As for myself, today has been mostly one of discovery and lesure. I spent a few hours fishing with Apsis and managed to capture a great big Slowpoke for myself and the morning/evening treasure hunting with Lucifer! In the latter instance, we managed to excavate a couple of odd mystical relics from the Ancient Cheshirian age, both of them having odd yet very useful powers! One was a necklace that granted its wearer the an ability to Serene Grace in combat, which I have given to Apsis, while the other...." he said, trailing off as he brought the hand Eternally Gold was in up in front to her and revealing it to them!

" A watch with the odd ability to 'lock in' the vital life of the Pokémon that wields it, rendering them immune to any alterations into their Defenses, albeit at the cost of being 'locked in' to a certain level of Vitality. Seeing as I already have the necklace, and Nathan has that Pink Orb that fortifies his Kirlia's psychic powers, why don't you take this? I'm certain it would look wonderful on anyone of your Pokémon, and help shield them from some of the worst Stat modifications imaginable!"

[Iron]

Poochyena shows up again after everyone else goes to bed, following the trail of food. Shiva has been hoping for this, and she's doing a bit of stargazing (difficult, with the clouds, but a few twinkle here and there).

She enacts the plan, tossing a Pokeball and hoping Poochyena will move to intercept it!

(1)(4)
(1)(3)(5)(2) Poochyena is sucked into the ball, but escapes. Shiva scoops up the Pokeball again.

[Iron]

I think Viktor and Litwick would love each other. It's like when the smaller of two pets bosses the other one around. Phantump has been missing another ghost type to pal around with...but why'd it have to be a fire type! The other option is Valder's Gastly, a poison type!

But in general they get along very well, especially when their ideas align.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

@Lord Windos, there you go!~
That hearty stew helped to some degree. Given that Shiva was half-starving because the Route got her more busy then she thought it would, it was greatly appreciated, even if she almost immediately began to look forward to whatever restaurants Stair City as the capital would hold. Camping was fine, nice and alright and she certainly felt closer to nature by sleeping over in a tent – besides, the sleeping issues due to not being used to camping subsided meanwhile – but the beds in Pokemon Centers were surely comfortable and cozy, and Shiva was still horrible at assembling a tent. Ven's smile was warming as always.

She also DID notice that Ven was reacting...strongly on her asking about the issue of feeding energy/life/whatever to her new Litwick, maybe she shouldn't have overrun him with this and await things a little, as he might start worrying for her wellbeing or the Ghost posessing her since she anyway was a spiritual person... Eh, but now the Meowth was out of the bag, and seeing how Ven didn't react negatively in a way to better get rid of the spectral candle, he showed himself helpful and compassionate, which was GREATLY apreciated and Shiva listened attentive while holding the concerning Litwick still on her hand and showing him to listen as well. (Dunno, Iron, does Litwick react in any way to what Ventus describes about the future-feeding of him? EDIT: Thanks!)

...The process was actually way more simple than Shiva thought it would be. A positive bond to the Litwick she had, he simply wasn't very careful about his Master's wellbeing and might happen to crave for more energy, now to think about it. Probably going to put Ven's advice into action when being privately in a dorm of Stair City's Center, for the time being the provided vigor of a Tyrogue shall do it for at least one day. She actually hadn't much to reply on this, but the appreciation was surely audible. „Thanks... Eh... I'll surely try it out when there's time and privacy and will look out for warning signs of too much energy/life being given, like headaches and a proneness to illness.“

She silently accepted that watch from him and stared at it for a little with a coyly awestruck expression, before turning it around in her hands to examinate it closely and finally trying it on. It didn't matched her - but she got the feeling that there wasn't actually that much missing, given her delicate wrist. Maybe with a little crafting supported by Azurill's Helping Hand or a jeweler in Stair City Shiva could make it fit to her?

Facing Ven again, she actually wanted to thank him - but no words came out and she just kept on staring at him with an unreadable expression while her newest ghostly companion's flame was still bathing a small area around the campfire in an eerie violet light, resembling closeness to the Spiritual World. Though, her emotions were a weird thing to look at, since they're splitted as it seemed: Part of her was honestly delighted, joyfully and simply thankful to be here, another part was kinda mystified. Accompanying this was a deep yet not too big/overshadowing strike of unhappiness that barely had anything to do with how her battle skills were outclassed - those were a different call, and that unhappiness was relatively new and not always sensible - as well as similarly deep warm appreciation for the bond with that she and the sociologist forged within almost a month now.

Shiva herself had no answer for this and since she knew his empathy would pick this up, she found it the best idea to not say a thing at first and carefully lean into his side. Not caring whether Heart would see it or Nathan would arrive every moment. Why should she, this wasn't the first time she was close to him.

Her voice was pretty soft and calm, witha  whiff of drama. "Ven... I don't get it... Why do you gift me such a precious founding like it's nothing, and probably don't even expect anything in return? I do appreciate it, greatly, but why? How comes that we grew so close to one another when I'm the Fairy and you're Steel... That Move Tutor noticed that my Pokemon seemed wary of him, you know? How comes I'm not wary of you as well, but instead enjoy your presence and smiles to sleep peacefully next to you... With you and Nathan eager to argue, is it our two's task to serve as a positive example and bring some peace?  When I met him, I didn't scold him because I felt it's unfair if he doesn't remember." ... "But you... " *snuggling up closer and simultaneously increasing the melancholy* "I do like you, despite our differences. Thank you..."


Shiva gains +1 Loyalty to Ventus. (Not literally)

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Poochyena shows up again after everyone else goes to bed, following the trail of food. Shiva has been hoping for this, and she's doing a bit of stargazing (difficult, with the clouds, but a few twinkle here and there).

She enacts the plan, tossing a Pokeball and hoping Poochyena will move to intercept it!

(1)(4)
(1)(3)(5)(2) Poochyena is sucked into the ball, but escapes. Shiva scoops up the Pokeball again.

The stars were quite pretty and calming... Well, until...OH DEAR ARCEUS, THERE WAS THAT WEIRD BUTTERFREE-POOCHYENA-HYBRID AGAIN! *cough* It must have followed her.

It escaped from the Pokeball, though. Still, the urge to see her OT and ID next to this Pokemon's image hasn't decreased at all, lucky that Cottonee was still awake and beside her. "Cottonee, dear one... Approach that Poochyena, offer it your fluff as some sort of pillow, simply distract it a little please to give me a chance to roll a Pokeball into its direction again."


-----------
Mechanics:
Insight-Empathy-check whether Poochyena joins on its own because Cottonee's fluff is rather cozy, then Pokeball-check if that fails?

[Iron]

Litwick just smiles at Ventus' words, as if he knows everything will work out for him.



Poochyena is not interested in Cottonee - it doesn't want a pillow right now, nor does it want to mess with a fairy type.

She is able to distract him for a Pokeball attempt though!

Pokeball: (5)(5)
Will: (1)(2)(5)(6)

And so a game of catch begins, tossing the Pokeball back and forth as little moth scales float over the road.

(6)(5)
(3)(1)(6)(3)

This time, Poochyena just stays in the ball! Perhaps he has learned to trust its playmate a bit.

Poochyena was caught
Poochyena's butterfly wings give it Shield Dust!
It has 1 Disobedience, 1 Loyalty, 2 Happiness. It will obey you without issue.
Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack, Bite
It's not a Delta Doggo, just an adaptation of some kind.
2Xp to Cottonee, 1XP to Shiva.



More good news for Shiva: as she's preparing Helios' dinner, he is able to finally feed himself with Kinesis! A wave of psychic energy surrounds him and he grows and his eyes become focused and his whiskers and tail lengthen and solidify. He scoops up a spoon from the table....

Congratulations! Your Helios has evolved to a Kadabra!

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Even if Shiva was downcasted, melancholic and overall tired of difficulties within the group she's traveling with PLUS that streak of unhappiness was clinging to her like a Remoraid did to a Mantine, this day wasn't all that bad. It seemed like something/someone - the stars - had mercy with a weak fae-like Unovian and decided to lead things to her favour a little... Shiva hadn't even used Lucky Chant this day.

Got a neat Litwick that'll likely become her hatcher whenever she settles down and begins to care for and hatch many many Pokemon eggs.
Saw that elusive white Donphan Valder mentioned.
Found neat stuff in a clothing store and enjoyed some casual time with Cottonee while doing so.
Been gifted with an ancient golden watch by a valued sociologist.
Received at least some sort of apology from Nathan.
Snatched some weird yet cute Poochyena, that has been sent to the PC until though. She wasn't entirerly sure what it was, but now to think about it, it seemed wary of Cottonee, which implied that the dog was still ordinary Dark Type. Probably now Delta Species then - (yes, Shiva knew the basics about those), was it some sort of variant or adaptation?
And now, Helios decided to evolve all randomly. TO EVOLVE!!! That felt like the proof that all the effort Shiva put into him and enhancing his psychic powers was not pointless.

She had absolutely no idea what to say when Abra brought the food (just cookies and the usual Dry Food tonight) with the help of his psychic powers to himself, and even less when he has become a Kadabra. How long did she longed for this, and hoped to ever have an Alakazam on her side to serve as a protector and guard... Tonight, she seemingly came that goal a significant step closer. It was...meh, words weren't enough to describe it properly, so she resumed to stargaze despite the clouds - now to think about it, it luckily hadn't rained this day despite the clouds were present since the group departed from Ginger Town - and silently warm herself not only on whatever was remaining of the campfire, but also on a pleasant feeling that she achieved much today.


Have confidence in yourself and your skills, my dear...
I'll try to.