[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

Counselor Core Round 5

Leech Seed 1
(4)(4)(3)(2)

Bite 1
(1)(4)(6)(2)(4)
4 Str + 2 power -3 vit = 3d6+1
(3)(6)(4) Viktor takes 3 dmg 1/6hp.
Flinch: (1)(3)(4)

Phantom Force 2
Nidorina's 2nd Bite misses!

Phantom Force 3
(5)(2)(5)
(5)(3)(1)(5) Nidorina takes 2 dmg 5/7hp -1 pain
Poison Point: (4)(2)(3) Phantump is careful to avoid the pointy bits.

Heart uses a potion! 5/6hp. (You said you would last time Viktor was out, so I assumed you would again)

Bite 3
(4)(5)(1)
(3)(5)(6) Phantump takes 3 dmg 2/6hp -2 pain.

Leech: (5) Nido takes 1 dmg 4/7hp.
Phantump heals. 3/6hp -2 pain.

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

Counselor Core Round 5

Leech Seed 1
(4)(4)(3)(2)

Bite 1
(1)(4)(6)(2)(4)
4 Str + 2 power -3 vit = 3d6+1
(3)(6)(4) Viktor takes 3 dmg 1/6hp.
Flinch: (1)(3)(4)

Phantom Force 2
Nidorina's 2nd Bite misses!

Phantom Force 3
(5)(2)(5)
(5)(3)(1)(5) Nidorina takes 2 dmg 5/7hp -1 pain
Poison Point: (4)(2)(3) Phantump is careful to avoid the pointy bits.

Heart uses a potion! 5/6hp. (You said you would last time Viktor was out, so I assumed you would again)

Bite 3
(4)(5)(1)
(3)(5)(6) Phantump takes 3 dmg 2/6hp -2 pain.

Leech: (5) Nido takes 1 dmg 4/7hp.
Phantump heals. 3/6hp -2 pain.

"Time to finish this! Phantom Force and Feint Attack! At least lets bring him down!"

Phantom Force: Dex (3) + Fight (3) + Brawl (3) - Actions (3/4) - Pain (2) = 5d6/4d6
Damage: Power (3) + STR (3) + STAB (1) = 7d6
Effect: Know

Feint Attack: Dex (3) + Fight (3) + Brawl (3) - Actions (5) - Pain (2) = 3d6
Damage: Power (2) + STR (3) = 5d6
Effect: Never Fail

[Lord Windos]

They stay like that for 10 minutes or so.  Once they break the hug, they both sit there quietly, trying to figure out what to do or say next...what kind of pace to set...

"...emotionless killing machines that don't even care for themselves...creatures of pure hatred, fury, and insanity...humanity has done some awful things to pokemon recently..."

The researcher stopped caressing Raphael as Nathan stated his latest piece (earning him a disappointed coo from his child....), looking calm and sedate as he thought how to respond, puffing his incense all the while. After spending a couple minutes of ponderous though, he voiced what Insight he has to offer.

"Shadow Pokemon don't even possess negative emotions, from what I know of them. Cipher designed and produced them to powerful, soulless machines fit to do any heinous, diabolical task without moral objection or others possing a tangible threat to them, and I have to say they did a positively abominable job on the whole. Ultimately, they (Shadow Pokémon) akin to like string puppets, doing any task with a mindless passion for anyone that controls them, 'friend' or 'foe.....' "

A look of pure distaste flashes across their face as they finished this comment, as if he (indeed did, in his opinion) utter one the most vile things imaginable, before he let out a sigh, puffed his incenses, and continued.

".......You are generalizing, Nathan. Cipher and......other nefarious groups represent only the very worst of humanity, the part that would do anything to further its own goals, disregarding ethics, morality, and good reason in order to do so. Some are paragons of virtue or heroism like the heros of yore, or others like the heroes of modern times like Hilbert, etc.. that strive to do truly beneficiant and self sacrificing things in order to help the majority, doing great things and serving as a example for all to follow. Most, however, are simply average and unassuming individuals who will be born, live, and die without doing anything particularly or spectacularly demonic or saintly, and more often than not simply caught up in the wakes of 'good' and 'bad' people."

"The point is thus: parts of humanity may have done wrong by Pokémon, one we should persicute and villianize with a vengeance, but not everyone is that polarizing or 'bad' , and never will be. Blame and lambast those who are responsible for the sins laid at our collective feet, not the hapless majority that ill deserve such repute......"

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

The researcher stopped caressing Raphael as Nathan stated his latest piece (earning him a disappointed coo from his child....), looking calm and sedate as he thought how to respond, puffing his incense all the while. After spending a couple minutes of ponderous though, he voiced what Insight he has to offer.

"Shadow Pokemon don't even possess negative emotions, from what I know of them. Cipher designed and produced them to powerful, soulless machines fit to do any heinous, diabolical task without moral objection or others possing a tangible threat to them, and I have to say they did a positively abominable job on the whole. Ultimately, they (Shadow Pokémon) akin to like string puppets, doing any task with a mindless passion for anyone that controls them, 'friend' or 'foe.....' "

A look of pure distaste flashes across their face as they finished this comment, as if he (indeed did, in his opinion) utter one the most vile things imaginable, before he let out a sigh, puffed his incenses, and continued.

".......You are generalizing, Nathan. Cipher and......other nefarious groups represent only the very worst of humanity, the part that would do anything to further its own goals, disregarding ethics, morality, and good reason in order to do so. Some are paragons of virtue or heroism like the heros of yore, or others like the heroes of modern times like Hilbert, etc.. that strive to do truly beneficiant and self sacrificing things in order to help the majority, doing great things and serving as a example for all to follow. Most, however,  are simply average and unassuming individuals who will be born, live, and die without doing anything particularly or spectacularly demonic or saintly, and more often than not simply caught up in the wakes of 'good' and 'bad' people."

"The point is thus: parts of humanity may have done wrong by Pokémon, one we should persicute and villianize with a vengeance, but not everyone is that polarizing or 'bad' , and never will be. Blame and lambast those who are responsible for the sins laid at our collective feet, not the hapless majority that ill deserve such repute......"

"...yes, I'm generalizing, but...not everyone who's done wrong by pokemon should be villianized either...I'm just...concerned we might have another instance of what occurred with the Swords...or that one Sinnohese myth about the human who found a sword and abused it..."

...

"...eventually, something might happen, and nobody will stop it, and we could lose our friends forever because of that...whether they leave us willingly or are forcefully separated..."

...

"...Cipher had two goals.  10 years ago, they constructed Realgam Tower and created Shadow Pokemon to...make money.  With pokemon that had no qualms about killing, they could hold the highest level and most brutal battles possible as 'entertainment'...disgusting...'

"...the second goal was world domination, which they attempted 5 years ago...no more needs to be said there..."

...

"...and yet, even despite all of that and more, they're still here...*sigh*...maybe it's thanks to those like Wes and Lucille that they haven't..."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

It was dark, moist, somewhat cold, loud and slippery from the crashing water here, or in short: Quite a place Shiva would not enjoy staying at for too long. Why has her psychic fortune teller wandered of here of all costs...? Kyuu's appreciated Light Screen has not only shielded her from getting soaked and eventually ill, it was also giving out a faint glow that barely illuminated her surroundings among any sunbeams that broke through the wall of water. She brought her psychic kitten safely in her arms controlling the screen a little closer to herself and eventually her eyes got used to the half-darkness as the Screen faded. Darn it... Currently, she neither had Litwick nor Braixen for illuminating her surroundings more, and she won't even try to light a candle from her belongings with this moisture and haze around.

Though it was enough to find her Pokemon though, she was there, right up against the cliff, and she didn't look too well before she noticed her now-Master having arrived. This now-Master released the breath she was unknowingly holding in a silent relieved manner, she was simply happy and delighted to see Lilith again, to find her. There was no sadness nor anger over her having wandered off on her own, it's just that Shiva wouldn't have thought that she'd wander off that much.

Placing Kyuu down for now and allowing him to walk up to the mighty Psychic Type as well, the first thing Shiva does is half-croaching down by herself and carefully keep a bit of eye contact with her. She's smiling between the lines. "Found you", she said calmly. "My my, I wouldn't have thought that you'd make me search for you, but I did and eventually I came to you... Here, please place this under your feet and wrap it around 'em a bit, you may catch a cold if you don't, dear one." She hands Gothy the white gift towel from Fireweed Forest's Spa Resort. "If you're cold, you can also have my Ranger's cloak to wrap around you. You're not injured, are you? Show me if you are, please." She offers a hand for Gothy to take if she likes, so far Shiva does not feel like she is worthy to take or touch Lilith's hand on her own.

"You...you are worried for something or someone, pretty much, are you? You don't have to hide it from me, Lilith, worry and fear are no bad emotions unless they take your whole mind over. Something's here... I can't see anything wrong here though? Is someone in danger? Will someone be in danger according to the stars you read in?"

[Iron]

Counselor Core Round 6

Phantump starts things off by fading out of sight, just as Nidorina is chomping down on his location!

Phantom Force 2
(3)(3)(5)(5)
(4)(6)(1)(1) Nidorina takes 1 dmg 3/7hp -2 pain

Bite 2
(2)(5)(1)(3)
(4)(5)(6) Phantump faints!

Leech seed: (2)

Hopefully Clauncher can clean up this mess!

[Iron]

Lilith shakes her head. No one is in immediate danger. She runs her hands over the wall, and a perplexed expression keeps flitting across her face. Eventually, she shrugs.

She ignores the towel for now since she keeps getting wet repeatedly.

She closes her eyes and removes the tin foil hat. For a brief second, the Falls waver, as if space itself has altered there, then the water re-asserts itself. Gothitelle gasps for breath, and sits down in the water. Struggling, she puts the hat back on.

She's mostly ignoring Shiva during this episode.

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

"...yes, I'm generalizing, but...not everyone who's done wrong by pokemon should be villianized either...I'm just...concerned we might have another instance of what occurred with the Swords...or that one Sinnohese myth about the human who found a sword and abused it..."

...

"...eventually, something might happen, and nobody will stop it, and we could lose our friends forever because of that...whether they leave us willingly or are forcefully separated..."

...

"...Cipher had two goals.  10 years ago, they constructed Realgam Tower and created Shadow Pokemon to...make money.  With pokemon that had no qualms about killing, they could hold the highest level and most brutal battles possible as 'entertainment'...disgusting...'

"...the second goal was world domination, which they attempted 5 years ago...no more needs to be said there..."

...

"...and yet, even despite all of that and more, they're still here...*sigh*...maybe it's thanks to those like Wes and Lucille that they haven't..."

"Fair points, Nathan. Not all people are forever monsters because they've done questionable things, after all. Redemption should always be available to those that choose to seek it, and are willing to undertake the arduous, soul aching demands it imposes on them. Its something hold in utmost respect, as.....I understand more that most what it entails." 

...

"......I doubt anyone will want Cipher or any like minded group resurrecting the art and practice of Shadow Pokémon besides wretches like them, so its rather prudent and justified to be concerned if their are any signs of them making another foray into the vogue.  Humanity being forever divided from their Pokémon counterparts.....their trusted friends and more.......its not a thought that worth lingering on, Nathan. Take it from me: thinking constantly of the worst possible outcomes will do naught but make one miserable and bitter, not to mention overly cautious and constantly stressful edge.

"My suggestion is that you only worry about it when absolutely necessary, or if a situation or event forces you to dwell upon it. You have plenty enough other pertinant problems and responsibilities demanding your attention, so focus on them and what you can solve instead. Brooding on things you have no control over regardless if it does or does not happen, or do not know whether or not if it will ever come to pass to begin with, is not only ultimately pointless, but needlessly hurting yourself too. So be calm, Nathan. The worst has not yet to come, and it likely never will if we continuing acting as we have...."

Nathan's comment about Team Cipher Prime (The Original) caused a sigh and a shake of his head in disguist, neatly mirroring the boy's own on the news. However, that was not his only reaction to it, as the empath seemed suddenly a lot more.......unnerved and unhappy as that comment recalled a tibit he wished he'd forgotten about entirely.

"I'm aware of Cipher's original incarnations goals, and I find them as loathsome as you do, if not more so given my strong empathy towards others. I first learned of them while I was a part of......Plasma, while conversing with Ghetsis about possibly expanding operations by affiliating with other like minded groups and use them as a means to an end. He told me that he already considered and tried such with others groups including, one of which was Team Cipher. From what he told me, neither nor the command at the time could reach an sastifactory agreement for long term cooperation due to our goals being too different at the time and distance between regions, but they have done favors for one another regardless on past occasions, and held them in positive neutralaity. "

"Once such arrangement.....*Heavy Sighs* it was prior to my joining Plasma, Ghetsis agreed to send The Shadow Triad to help investigate and 'deal' with so matters he choose not to elaborate on, and offer 'consulation' services. The endevour was a success for both parties, with Team Plasma receiving great windfall from the deal.....including the Shadow Triad obtaining a Shadow Pokémon for themselves as a bonus for doing a 'stellar job'. I believe Ghetsis described it as a 'rather fitting payment for his own shadowy beings' . He declined to tell me what it was or anything else, telling me it was 'old business' and that I should speak with them if I wanted more answers for myself. Given how secretive and nebulous they were to all but him and to a certain extent myself, inquiring such things quickly lead to me being stonewalled. They did tell me they only used it in 'extreme situations, or when collateral damage and stealth was not a factor to be considered,' which meant to me they only used it as a last resort or for more......blunt ways of handling problems. To my knowledge, they still have it in their possession, wherever they are now......"

"The discussion lead me to conduct my own investigations on Cipher and Shadow Pokémon........which I soon end up regretting as I learned more and more horrific things about it. Needless to say, I was quite glad at the time Ghetsis ultimately choose not to affiliate with them, but it put me ill at ease with him and Shadow Triad for quite some time. ......Shame it was only a temporary thing, and not the catalyst for my departure. Oh, how I was a blind, trusting, forgiving fool back then.........."

Ventus went silent after saying this, head downcast as he morosely started to take longer and deeper drags of his lavender incense as he tried to smoke those bad memories and the feelings they carried away/repressed them. Raphael, being rather empathetic themselves and rather in tune with their father's moods, was alarmed by this sudden change into bleak melancholy, letting out a worried chirp before getting up to waddle behind him and wrap their wings around them in a hug, trying their best to expunge those nasty, no good feelings. Don't feel bad, that happened a long time ago and you've changed for the better now. You never let yourself be put down by negativity for long, so please cheer up.....

[Dragonstrike]

...

"...I wonder if they've ever run into Mirror B., then...or maybe Wes is hunting them down since nobody knows where he's gone in the last 10 years...I think Michael's helping with the rebuilding and continued research...it's just so...unnerving that Cipher was so deeply ingrained in Orre's infrastructure...before they'd even started their production of the vile creatures, they'd taken over the entirety of the region...and even when they got the boot, they reestablished themselves so quickly, took over the entirety of Phenac City without breaking a sweat...guess the Shadow Triad might have taught them a few tricks about stealth..."

...

"...that being said, it takes a technical genius to create Shadow Pokemon artificially, and I can't think of anyone besides Ein and Lovrina who had the know how to do it (Nathan doesn't really know much about Colress, btw), and they've turned over a new leaf since then.  Any information and locations pertaining to the creation of the creatures has been long wiped out...Citadark Isle, the Cipher Key Lair and Lab...all long demolished.  Cipher would be starting from scratch if they returned again..."

...

"...I don't want to know how they made pokemon completely emotionless anyways...I almost wish I hadn't stumbled on those ONBS news archives myself...but I'd rather know in the event something like it happens again so I could...maybe do something about it instead of standing completely idly...I...wouldn't want to be on the front lines...but..."

...

"...what scares me most is that it could still happen again...and not even Legendaries could fully stop it the previous times...I just...hope it doesn't...I hope Orre's scrubbed everything clean enough to prevent another disaster like those..."

...

"...you're probably right in that there's no point in worrying about it if it's not happening again...but that doesn't mean we should be unprepared for it...I'm sure Almanac would LOVE to get their hands on anything concerning the creation of Shadow Pokemon..."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Oh... Well, in that case Shiva placed the towel over her shoulder to have it drain any moisture from her hair tips instead or wrap Kyuu in it shall he desire. It relieved her to no degree that none was in immediate danger.

It wasn't just Gothy who gasped for breath over this quick display over space alteration (!!!), as Shiva silently dd so as well and couldn't help but to be both fascinated and a tad bit spooked about it. Once again it filled her with awe, being able to call a Pokemon of such skill a companion of hers. She also noted mentally that the tinfoil hat had indeed quite a significance, more than she thought at first and more than Lilith herself has hinted on. If she wouldn't wear it, would she be plaqued by visions and energy from space on a constant manner...?

She seemed fine for the most case though, which eased Shiva's worry about Lilith's state and health. "It's alright then. I'm here shall you need anything, I won't leave unless you express that we can leave and head to town. Take your time to recover a little, Lilith." With that said, she began to look up the wall she has run her hand over shortly ago, hesitating and pondering for short at first, before doing exactly the same, wondering whether she'd get any sensations. Mesprit... She must be behind this wall, hiding, sleeping, being drained from emotions... It just couldn't be otherwise. Stay safe, little Emotion Pokemon, fret not, we're working on it... For now, you're probably capsuled away from any threats that may disturb your sleep, and unless it's really necessary otherwise, Shiva would let her sleep.