[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Solomon nods, a bit proud.

(Did HP do damage, Iron?)

Nathan has a big smile on his face.

"Perfect.  I'll need your help with translating it later, then.  Now, where were we...oh yeah, mid battle.  I'd recommend using Water Gun a few times every few seconds, Solomon.  Seems that fish is going to be a tough opponent for you no matter what move you use, so might as well use your strongest one.  If you think of a better plan, though, feel free to try that instead."

3 Water Guns for further rounds until Solomon hits a -2 pain penalization, then 2 Water Guns per round after that.

Accuracy: 2* Dex + 3 Fight + 2 Canalize = 7 D6 base (then subtract 2-5 for multiple actions)
Damage: 4* Strength + 2 Power + 1 STAB + 1 MW - 4 Defense - 1 Resist = 4 D6 - 1 Damage

[Iron]

(Ready to continue the Roleplay Iroh! Since we finish the little side mission, lets continue!)

After the little thing Heart made, he decided to finish go shopping and buy the food to cook for everyone.

Almost any culinary ingredient in the world can be found in Stair City, at any hour! There's shops from all the other regions. 

You can get basic meals for "free" (it's not worth quibbling over), and if you spend more money you'll get a more impressive meal. 

You can follow a recipe and it will turn out as expected, or if you want to attempt something fancier and impressive you can ask me for a Crafting or Cooking roll, at your option.

[Iron]

Receptionist (it takes her some time to compose a reply): "I thank you for the compliments and further advice. We would have a therapist on staff, but unfortunately the schooling they must go through makes their services rather costly. I kind of like the Attract idea...hopefully it wouldn't produce more Eggs. We do have basic sensory deprivation, as you saw in the Tool Room. It would be fun to experiment with more sophisticated techniques on that subject."

"This rooftop provides browse for the quadrupeds upon it; indeed, that's the reason it exists! But we couldn't give up our groundspace, which is where recess occurs! The Pokemon love recess."

She thanks you again for all your advice, and informs the two of you in the playroom that the director acceded to your request for a meeting.

Apsis gains 1XP, flexing her scales as Tyrogue goes to town on them. It takes about an hour for him to wear himself out with nonstop attacks, none of which do more than faintly bruise the bigger Pokemon.

As Ventus and Shiva leave the playroom, another assistant brings in the Dark Purple egg as a surprise! "For the lady," he says, and hands it to Shiva.

"When you're ready, the fastest way out is through that door."

Signs point to the Technophile cafe, not too far away!

Spoiler

This is what you see when staring in the window of the cafe.

People of all walks of life sit at the various surfaces of the cafe. There are broad benches, conventional tables, floor cushions near walls, retro-futuristic furniture reminiscent of stairs where the table and chairs are both steps, and even normal PCs. There's also wireless access for use with your own devices. The weirder furniture is more likely to be vacant and a bit private, but the room is also designed in a spacious way to show off the cafe's shtick.

Your waiter, if you end up at this cafe, is dressed in suitlike clothing, except it shimmers with colors and lights, imitating the computer screens. His tie switches colors in between synthesized bursts of static. It's not a functional computer, just an imitation, but he is there to instruct you if need be on how to use the computer surfaces to order food. Other than that, he's tasked to stay out of the way of patrons, unless they summon him!

[Iron]

Round 1 actually isn't over yet! Sheldon declared 4 moves. I can't remember if I ever responded to your money proposal. If not, Sheldon will choose your lower bound, $300.



Sheldon Round 1, cont

Iron Head
(2)(4)(2)(4)(1)
(6)(6)(3)(2)(3)(4) Slowking takes 2 dmg 8/10hp -1 pain.

Iron Head
(6)(1)(5)(4)
(4)(2)(5)(2)(2)(6) Slowking takes 2 dmg 6/10hp -1 pain

"And finally, Feint Attack!"

Feint Attack
(4)(2)(4)
3 Str +2 power -4 vit = 1d6+1
(3) Slowking takes 1 dmg 5/10hp -2 pain.

Sheldon Round 2

Obedience: (3) vs (2)(3)

Water Gun 1
7 dice, -2 actions, -2 pain = 3 dice
(5)(5)(1)
(4)(4)(2)(5) Daikatuna takes 2 dmg. He's about the size of Charizard, even a little lighter, and he's a third form, so just 5 base HP. 7/9hp -1 pain.

"Keep putting that metal coat and Sheer Force to good use, Daikatuna! Sheer Force is Daikatuna's hidden ability, you know! Do you have those in Creshire? In Tandor, they require special breeding or careful searching."

Iron Head 1
(6)(4)(1)(2)(3)
(4)(5)(6)(1)(3)(1) Slowking takes 1 dmg 4/10hp -2 pain.

Water Gun 2
(6)(2)
(4)(6)(4)(5) Daikatuna takes 3 dmg 4/9hp -2 pain.

Iron Head 2
(5)(3)(3)
(6)(3)(2)(4)(2)(1) Slowking takes 1 dmg 3/10hp -2 pain

Iron Head 3
(2)(1) The fish lunges, but misses due to pain, which mostly manifests as dizziness.

Feint Attack 4
(5)
(6) Slowking takes 2 dmg 1/10hp -3 pain.

Sheldon Round 3

I'll pause in case you have further advice or corrections.

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

This is what you see when staring in the window of the cafe.

People of all walks of life sit at the various surfaces of the cafe. There are broad benches, conventional tables, floor cushions near walls, retro-futuristic furniture reminiscent of stairs where the table and chairs are both steps, and even normal PCs. There's also wireless access for use with your own devices. The weirder furniture is more likely to be vacant and a bit private, but the room is also designed in a spacious way to show off the cafe's shtick.

Your waiter, if you end up at this cafe, is dressed in suitlike clothing, except it shimmers with colors and lights, imitating the computer screens. His tie switches colors in between synthesized bursts of static. It's not a functional computer, just an imitation, but he is there to instruct you if need be on how to use the computer surfaces to order food. Other than that, he's tasked to stay out of the way of patrons, unless they summon him!

'Impressively modern' were the words that came to mind when Ventus first gazed upon the Technophile Café, looking the not very humble at all coffee shop with an appraising gleam in his eyes, before turning towards Shiva with an inquisitive smile on his face. "From what I have heard, this place was chic when it came to computer technology, but knowing and seeing it for yourself are two different experience indeed! Hmm....how about we find ourselves a private spot for us to fully enjoy our own company,  and see what amenities this place has to offer, shall we?"

Order: Ready and willing to enter the café, but since this is a two person Encounter and Phantom's idea in the first place, I'll wait until she comes back and leads the conversation once more! Hopefully they have good Espresso!

[Dragonstrike]

"Yeah, Hidden Abilities are a thing here.  Not always what you expect, though.  Once saw a Wingull with Water Absorb, believe it or not.  Wouldn't have even known if Kirlia hadn't Traced it and subsequently been hit with a Water Pulse.  One of my companions also has a Wobbuffet with Telepathy, and another an Espurr with Own Tempo if I remember correctly.  No idea where she got him from, though...oh, but regardless of that, rare abilities aren't the only strange things about some Creshirean pokemon.  I think you'll find my next pokemon...interesting.

"Good job, Solomon, but now you need to bow out with your strongest attack possible.  I'd like to see your best Water Gun. Or maybe you have a better idea for a last hurrah?  Either way, let's try and make this as easy on our next friend as we can, since he'll be at a slight disadvantage."

A Single Water Gun
Accuracy: 7 Base - 3 Pain = 4 D6 (shame this can't crit because we scratched the +2 accuracy for single actions in this campaign :/ )
Damage: 4 D6 - 1 Damage

And when Solomon inevitably faints:

Spoiler

"Well, Solomon did well, all things considered.  Shame I'm not going to get to translate that text tonight.  Gives me time to set up what I need to for that, though, so I guess it's not completely a bad thing...anyways, next pokemon.  If you could, go a little easy on him, Sheldon.  He's likely a little out of practice because he's been cooped up in his pokeball for two weeks straight out of necessity, except when I needed to care for him."  

Nathan's finally, finally got that Flash Ball in his palm, ready to throw.

"Alright buddy, this is it...I trust you.  Let's finally stretch your legs a little."

And then he throws the Flash Ball.  The image of complete darkness saved on the pokeball is shown for a brief moment when it bursts open, concealing the contents for a few seconds...

...and when it fades, standing there is Orthros, the Delta Houndour.  And he's stretching, relieved to finally be free of the confines of his pokeball.

"I can almost guarantee you're not going to see anything exactly like this anywhere else, so let's have some fun, shall we? You ready, Orthros?"

Nathan's now probably baffled Sheldon (and possibly the crowd as well) twice in the span of 5 minutes.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

'Impressively modern' were the words that came to mind when Ventus first gazed upon the Technophile Café, looking the not very humble at all coffee shop with an appraising gleam in his eyes, before turning towards Shiva with an inquisitive smile on his face. "From what I have heard, this place was chic when it came to computer technology, but knowing and seeing it for yourself are two different experience indeed! Hmm....how about we find ourselves a private spot for us to fully enjoy our own company,  and see what amenities this place has to offer, shall we?"

Shiva was just admiring the potential power of her newly hatched panda when Ventus and the receptionist came back from the Discipline Room - he was around half a day old by now, and already up and about AND strong and noble... She got the feeling that Pancham will make a decent Pokemon to raise. With such abilities, did he even urge to prove himself being someone to be taken seriously? Maybe, but the urge is probably lower than on usual Pancham. He knew his place and was aware of his skills and strength, a thing his Master...

Tropius has been collected and withdrawn from the Green Roof by now as well, the first thing Shiva conscientiously and a little worrysome checked was whether he suffered any injuries from the barbed wire at the fence. He didn't, and earnerd some appreciating strokes over his forehead and a handful of dried berries to eat up. "Glad to see you back... And I'm even more glad to see that you cared a little for the non-flyers on the roof by bringing them fresh leaves from nearby trees. The fruit you are growing will benefit this place as well. We'll come back here tomorow in the morning as I desire to talk with the owner, so if you like you can see the Pokemon on the roof here again then and enjoy some fresh air. As long as you take care to not get hurt or accidently hurt yourself..."

At being handed a Mystery Egg out of a clear sky, Shiva had not much of an idea what just happened. She gladly accepted the incubator and held it kinda close to herself, but still... "What? Ehm, thank you, but I guess I...reserved that pink one oozing little threads...for me...? Must be a mistake here?" The others nearby didn't gave the impression that this was a mistake at all however as a different assistant handed her the particular egg with eager and not even asking to pay for it , and a careful and wondering glace moved over to Ventus' side. "Did you...? How... When?" The look and expression he gave her were enough for Shiva to go for 'Accept the mysterious egg now, ask questons later'. She kinda enjoyed the shape of purple the egg was held in and looked at it for a little with a very shy yet thankful smile before packing the egg away. (End of the tour through the Shelter for disobediant Pokemon, I enjoyed this location!~ The pink Mystery Egg is reserved with Shiva's name and ID and will be picked up alongside (hopefully) Gothitelle.)


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Ventus was actually the first one to notice that Café with a small advance, as Shiva silently started pondering about how to gain enough money to pay for the adoption fine again, but looked up as he gave her an inquisitive smile (which she returned in a moderated way). Taking a closer look at the location from the window, that smile evolved into joyful anticipation. "Looks promising with all that technology! A good way to let our day in city come to an end... Accepted~"

Inside the Café, she rather quickly felt well. Stair City was a city where Steel could wait around evey corner, but the advanced technology here was surely a thing to forget about that for at least a little while enjoying the benefits of this technology and a few caffeinated beverages. The cushions looked very comfortable for Shiva's eye, but the retro-futuristic touch of the stairs-like furniture caught her even more, and luckily for both her and Ven one of that particular seating accommodation was free currently!

Shiva had no problem to operate the computer surfaces. Watching through the menu, she decided to go for an Iced Cinnamon Latte (with whipped cream and everything) if available, while watching what the menu could recommend as a speciality of the house.

[Lord Windos]

Ventus was actually the first one to notice that Café with a small advance, as Shiva silently started pondering about how to gain enough money to pay for the adoption fine again, but looked up as he gave her an inquisitive smile (which she returned in a moderated way). Taking a closer look at the location from the window, that smile evolved into joyful anticipation. "Looks promising with all that technology! A good way to let our day in city come to an end... Accepted~"

Inside the Café, she rather quickly felt well. Stair City was a city where Steel could wait around evey corner, but the advanced technology here was surely a thing to forget about that for at least a little while enjoying the benefits of this technology and a few caffeinated beverages. The cushions looked very comfortable for Shiva's eye, but the retro-futuristic touch of the stairs-like furniture caught her even more, and luckily for both her and Ven one of that particular seating accommodation was free currently!

Shiva had no problem to operate the computer surfaces. Watching through the menu, she decided to go for an Iced Cinnamon Latte (with whipped cream and everything) if available, while watching what the menu could recommend as a speciality of the house.

Shiva choice of seating was a bit surprising to the empath, as he would have though that she'd preferred more comfortable/rustic place to sit at in accordance to her Fairy like nature, but in the end he shrugged it off and followed her to it. It took him only a couple of minutes of observing his dear friend work the intergrated table computers to learn for himself how to do it, before he fiddled about and ordered himself a cup of Turkish Coffee ( made with sugar, anise spice, and cardamom) and Dead Eye for himself (3 Shots of Espersso, and then filled to cup size with Drip Coffee).

Ventus then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring  the wonderful smells of roasted coffee beans and spices/sweeteners of all kind that wafted through the café, before he said: "Its been years since I've tread into a coffee shop, but the aroma always brings back pleasant memories of my barista days. I do wonder if the coffee and espresso they serve us will be of a high enough quality that I'd fully appreciate it, but then again I've never had a bad cup in my entire life, so I hardly envision that this time will be different. Hmm.....have you been enjoying our outing today, Shiva? In my opinion, today thus far has been utterly splendid and a nice respite from our long, weary journey through Cheshire, but I'd lik to her your thoughts on the matter as well."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

At hearing 'it's been years since he was ina  coffee shop', Shiva looked up from the Computer screens. They were fascinating, but it's rude to not pay attention to your company on an outing! "Wait a moment... If you say 'years', where you never in Café Sonata? I've been there a few - or rather many - times, the atmosphere there is pretty interesting. The Musician there is a quite talented one as well."

As Ven asked her about her thoughts and feelings about the so far day and outing, she considered for a little while replaying the events and happenings of this so-far dayin her mind and very carefully thinking about what else she wanted/needed to do in Stair tomorrow. "Now that you ask, dear..." (Whoops. Why did you say that, my dear? I dunnooo, it must have slipped my tongue!!! [That 'dialogue' came a little too fast for Ven's empathy to pick up]) "I greatly enjoyed the day so far!~ It's as you say, it's nice to spend a pleasant day in the city, and Stair is indeed quite a beautiful city despite the... Steel Aspect *barely noticable cold shivers* and certainly more advanced in technology than Castelia City. Therefor, we have a harbour and an Art Gallery..." "Azurill wasn't even sad as we saw her old Master on a photo at the Fountain... *pleased and warm smile*... And, uhm..." The next reaction was relatively interesting. Actually, Shiva urged to take Ven's hand laying there within reach at the table, but for some reasons she didn't. Seems like she was simply too coy to do so. In the end, it remained at a sweet and shy smile for him. "I also...enjoyed your company. Therefor, thank you for joining me at all... And if it was indeed you that brought that Dark Purple Egg to me, many thanks as well."

[Lord Windos]

At hearing 'it's been years since he was ina  coffee shop', Shiva looked up from the Computer screens. They were fascinating, but it's rude to not pay attention to your company on an outing! "Wait a moment... If you say 'years', where you never in Café Sonata? I've been there a few - or rather many - times, the atmosphere there is pretty interesting. The Musician there is a quite talented one as well."

"I greatly enjoyed the day so far!~ It's as you say, it's nice to spend a pleasant day in the city, and Stair is indeed quite a beautiful city despite the... Steel Aspect *barely noticable cold shivers* and certainly more advanced in technology than Castelia City. Therefor, we have a harbour and an Art Gallery..." "Azurill wasn't even sad as we saw her old Master on a photo at the Fountain... *pleased and warm smile*... And, uhm..." The next reaction was relatively interesting. Actually, Shiva urged to take Ven's hand laying there within reach at the table, but for some reasons she didn't. Seems like she was simply too coy to do so. In the end, it remained at a sweet and shy smile for him. "I also...enjoyed your company. Therefor, thank you for joining me at all... And if it was indeed you that brought that Dark Purple Egg to me, many thanks as well."

"Between my research at the University and the various projects I've worked, I'd haven't had the time nor energy to visit Café Sonata , much to my charign since I was employed their for a year or so in high school. Ah, and before you ask, I worked the graveyard shifts and early mornings there and refined my coffee making techniques + skills simulatanously, so unless you looked vastly different when you were younger and were prone to wander Castelia at night, I'm disappointed to say I never say you there. Hmm....what could have been indeed," Ventus responded, a reminiscent smile on his face as he thought of his time at Sonata, the music and ambiance of the place mixing well with the food and beverage he helped serve with great cheer and gusto.

'If I had meet Shiva far earlier in my life, perhaps she could have help guided him onto gentlier pursuits and made me reconsider my involvement in Team Plasma....or I could have ended up invariably recruiting her to the cause and ruining her life as well. .......I will choose not to think of such a 'what if' any longer,' he though to himself, smile still his place as his internally wilted at his own morbid stray ideas for a instant, just enough time to miss Shiva returning his endearment to them and missing the quick 'conversation' between her two halves, but also not enough time for her to pick up on his distress as well. "It heartens me to hear that, dear! I already had the suspicion that you were enjoying yourself the same as I, but its nice to have that confirmed rather than left unstated! Personally, I find the Steel elements of Stair to be a delightful curiosity, and its tech a marvel to behold, but at the same time it doesn't hold a candle to our fair city's bustling harbors and metropolitain hub. Or maybe that is my unproffesional bias talking... In any case, both cities have their own merits in the end, but home will always have a higher place in hearts, hmm?" he said, his smile now even more nostalgic as he though of Castelia, and what it meant to him. Good or bad experience regardless, the city shaped his life into what it is this day, and while he is found VERY wanting at a few particular moments, at the same time he's (currently) at peace with his past.

"Oh, you acquired a photo of the trainer who lost Azuril in the river, for one reason or another? Did it show their face or any easily distinguishable features, as it would certainly make it easier to spot them on the off chance and confront them about why that happened, for one reason or another... "

(...)

The empath let out a chuckle at the bashfulness of his fae (in a good way?) friend, reaching over to grab one of her hands, and gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze. He didn't to verbally to her thanks, as the content smile and the prior gesture more than showed his appreciation in turn. When she talked about receiving the Deep Purple Egg, he only gave a single nod of his head as well. He stayed with her in cosy silence for the time being, waiting on their coffee and/or for her to bring up whatever topic she wished for more pleasant conversation, as he just wanted to enjoy this moment with her for however long it lasted, before it was consigned to memory.

(Here is your cue to introduce the Phone Call and Other Stuff to Ventus, my darling! I'll be eagerly awaiting!)