[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

Spoiler

Heart feel embarrassed for the little psychic fairy give that hug in him. But he have returned the hug, like it was something he needed. "...I sorry you was hurt because of me Ralts...it was not my intention..." Heart silence hear Nathan words about not be alone. Heart then spoke again. "Yeah...its indeed in the past...but the always return to haunt you...no matter what I do I can't..."

Then Heart go silent again. It is indeed a good idea to share that piece of his past to Nathan? Heart never told that to anyone, not even his Pokemons. Nathan already know a piece...but not the rest. Heart don't even told the others about his family, the ArcHearts. It would be the right thing tell him?

Nathan and Ralts could easily noticed the indecision in Heart face.

Ralts squeezes Heart with another hug.  Apology accepted.

"...I know the feeling.  Ralts too...if you let your doubts and insecurities drag you down, though...well, you'll never be able to fix any of it..."

Nathan speaks from experience.  And he can empathize with the indecision.  He'd been uncertain as well about sharing something earlier...

"...if you need to talk with someone, Ralts and I will listen.  If you'd rather stay quiet, I won't pry.  Up to you, but we're here if you need us."

Heart still silent for a few seconds then he tap the head of Ralts. "...I know...And I think you right. I been holding this for a long and long time, thinking I could handle myself. Even after so many years..." Then Heart look to Nathan with sad eyes and look again to Ralts. "I think its time to say the truth here and now. I sick about holding this secret after so many years. You all been kind to me: Ventus, Shiva...and you now. We have our battles and disagrements before, but you came here to help." Heart look to Ralts too. "After I have say to you in the past, when you was a Kirlia...I say so many awful things to you...and you came to help me..." Heart feel bad. "I should have been more kind and compreensive with you. Forgive me, Ralts for the foolishness from this awful fool."

Then Heart look again to Nathan. "I think...I ready. I guess. Hope you sit and have time. Because thats gonna be a long story. A story about lineage. And..." Heart look in the ground. "About the end of the Clan ArcHeart."

[Iron]

*rolls*
*rolls*

I normally use Dexterity as the main stat for Medicine checks when you're actually trying to mend a wound, and Knowledge would be to assess a wound. Just so you know!

Heart is reasonably certain he was successful in saving both Nuzleaf.

Nathan and Heart both gain 2XP!

I will start typing up the next encounter, but if I finish before the clan story is posted, we will understand it to be a flashback! It's a long post on my side, though.

[Spiritmon]

Heart try to find the words about what he is about to say. 

"I guess you remember back in the Cathedral in Cress City about the Clans yes?  The Seven knights who once stop the chaos and evil who remain in the Great War of Kalos. Kaot the Crimson Knight from Kanto, Vaira the princess of the seas from Johto, Malos the Wise from Hoen, Ark the United from Sinnoh, Celenia the Master of Dragons from Unova, Oug the Keeper of Light and Darkness from Kalos and Koolu Koa Fists of the Dawn from Alola."

"After they have done the job in his adventures, they made a pact: Each one would create seven clans, each one with the important mission in watchover each region from the shadows, helping in these regions in times of need. But to reveal his indetities. With the think: Glory and famous its a easy path to power. And with power, come corruption." Heart stop for a second then continue the tale. "Ark have founded my Clan, the ArcHearts. What I didnt told you, it each one of the knights, was not come together by random chances. Legends says in my family: "Each knight was bless each one by the Legendarys of each region, choosen by finger for them. As the ultimate defenders of humanity." Then Heart take out the amulet. "Thats why the emblem of my family its the might dragons of creation and the creator of all: Its because the legend say she choosen by the creator itself and for my clan, the Creation Trio and Arceus was our guardians and gods." Heart hink how much it was ironic that idea.

"I this is true or not, no one know. Legends used to have versions. Like the gender of Ark. In some legends Ark is depicted as a woman, and other as a man. My mother used to tell me she propably used to dress a man to take the job of a knight. I would not be surprise, since that times was...different to say at least." Then Heart continue. "But I loosing the main focus of the story. Anyway, Ark create my clan, more or less 3000 years ago." Heart made a sad face. "In the first times, we indeed make some good job in keeping the peace in the shadows, never revealing the truth about our existence to the world...but as you can imagine, humanity flaws always cause the biggest mistakes. The ArcHearts begin to corrupt their goal, instead of protect, some of them used the power to take wealthy and power, and becoming a powerfull clan in our homeland, Sinnoh. You never heard of us because of two reasons: We have been secret and because we have been hiding. Expect of course by the other clans. It was not rare the seven clans have tension between them. And thats the only edge of the iceberg. The real its about to begin."

Heart stop for a second to take some air before continue the story. "I take the most important part very soon. Its only a brief story before going to the main part. To understand my story, you have to understand a bit of ancerstor story." Then Heart prepare himself to tell the rest.

[Dragonstrike]

Nathan quietly listens.  He doesn't have anything in particular to say currently.  He just lets Heart talk.  Ralts stays next to Heart to try and comfort him if needed.  Maybe Raphael helps Ralts out with that?

Heart's Story: Chapter 18: That Town Three Years Later (Girl) - Kid Icarus Uprising

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Nathan quietly listens.  He doesn't have anything in particular to say currently.  He just lets Heart talk.  Ralts stays next to Heart to try and comfort him if needed.  Maybe Raphael helps Ralts out with that?


Heart's Story: Chapter 18: That Town Three Years Later (Girl) - Kid Icarus Uprising

The archangel in question indeed does in helping soothing the emotionally wounded collecter, gliding over to his side and letting out its becalming aura while making gentle cooing noises. There there, we are here to help you out Heart, so don't fret......

[Iron]

Raphael would definitely want to team up with Ralts to comfort a party member. He sprinkles little Morning Sunbeams over Heart and giggles a little.

(Also what Windos said)

[Spiritmon]

"I was one of last members of the clan. My full name is...no, thats not important right now...all you need to know is what I gonna to tell ya. I used to live in a home back in my home region, Sinnoh. My father was once a inspire trainer with the dream in becoming the most powerfull ArcHeart in our Clan." Heart then begin to explain. "Because of our ancerstor Ark was a great trainer and knight, our family begun to train their member to become powerfull and skilled trainers in the first years after learning to walk. In many types of things: Stealth, survivor knowledge, pokemon anatomy, sword fighting, along other things...it was...a prison life. And the members of our team begun their pokemon journey very soon. The normal would begin the journey around the ten years of age when you receive your first pokemon. But with we once begin our journey around the seven or eight years of age. Its...a militar life as you can imagine. And our clan is guided by the Gran Arc Master, who is the head and most powerfull member of the clan. They used to say the Gran Arc Master have skills who rivals even the power of the Elite Four...or even the Champion himself."

"The only way to become a Gran Master is be a member of the Clan and be have win the pokemon league, and have challenge the Elite Four and have defeat at least one of them." Heart than stops for a second to caugh breath. "My grandfather was the last Gran Master. The dream of my father was to become the most powerfull ArcHeart who ever exist. Even more than our ancestor, Ark the United. He have been caugh the most powerfull pokemon he found around the wild. And tame them. He challenges the Elite Four." Then Heart stop for a second then look in the ground. "His dream become a obsession. His desire to become the most powerfull consume him. He was completely crush by the Elite Four. His team, completely destroyed. He coudnt even defeat the first Elite Four Member." 

"His dreams was crush in that moment. He receive honrou yes to be able to challenge the Elite Four, but he couldnt become Gran Master." Then Heart stop for a second. "He try again and again, even more and more consumed by his twisted dream. Until the moment he realized something: He find his limits. He get old and less powerfull. Then he decided one thing: If he cant become the most powerfull ArcHeart, then one of my child will." Heart remember. "That was the moment my father become the monster he was. Forcing his children to become strong trainers. Even more stronger then he was. He even search for a woman who skills would be incredible. Believing that combined skills would create a child with talent to become to be strong. That thing about gens or something. As you can imagined, my father was not a father figure, but a twisted monster."

Heart remember the pain of the training. "Life...was hard. But there was two things who keep me alive and with sanity in that place: My young brother, Angelo. And my mother...Rose." Heart then stop for a second. "Yes, my Infernape name was in honrour of her. And you soon knew why..." Then Heart return to the story. "My father force me to have the most hard, and difficult training ever. It not like the ArcHeart training was easy...but mine was even more difficult them others. He wished one of my children would become the ultimate ArcHeart ever. Everytime I failed in each test, he used to yell to me: "You useless child! Stand up and begin again! You are my son! Act as a proud ArcHeart and fight!" It was a terrible life." Heart them stop to hold his anger. "My mother used to hold me together after the training exaustation, told me stories, and taking care of me. And my sibiling, always give me force to stay sanity." Heart smiled a bit. "Sometimes I even try to make he feel better even inside such nasty place as our home. That was the time when I begin to have my love for puns, trying to make them feel better." He remember one thing Angelo tell to him: One day, I gonna travel to world and anote all the jokes who exist there big bro! So that way no one will have to feel sad or alone! So that way big bro dont ever be sad again!

Oh Angelo. Heart coudnt resist. That child so inocent and with so much energy to live. Some tears roll in his eyes with that memory. But he try to control himself. "I...sorry. Its...difficult to hold the pain...but the story...its not over yet. But its close."

Cleaning the tears, Heart decide to continue the story. The part 3: Tragedy.

[Iron]

Snivy is excited to move on. You're almost to...something.

The amount of hairy roots holds steady, as does the temperature.

Mr. Finder smells something unusual up ahead. Lots of plant life, and several Pokemon he doesn't recognize. "More Chingling up ahead, though." He breathes deeply. "Feel that air! Feels incredible for something so far underground." Slurpuff is incredibly invigorated by all the scents, and is running around excitedly like a puppy.

The tunnel descends, widening as it goes. The ceiling starts out within reach, then slowly ascends in contrast to the floor, until soon it is high above your heads and you are all able to walk abreast.

On the level below you, where your ramp is headed, you behold a wondrous cavern! Almost all of it is covered in the hairy roots, and the roots are frosted with ice. A light snow is falling in the cavern, and beautiful argent/aquamarine light shines off it. The source of that light is a thousand tiny phosphorescent ferns poking up through the accumulated rime.

Central to the cavern, bigger than any oak, is an enormous treelike fern. The outermost leaves brush the frost from the ceiling, creating the snow. Roots spread wide to split protruding rocks, to dive into rusty clay, and shepherd the snow into drifts. Lower leaves are hung with Chingling and Chimecho, all silent - but not asleep. In fact, there being not the slightest breeze in the cavern, no part of the great fern moves. It's completely stationary.

Behind it, Elder Unown sleep - living ones.


Though the scene is Christmassy, you don't get that warm and jolly feeling. No, you feel...watched. Warded. Protection, protection. Raphael actually looks a little bigger than normal, soaking in that protective aura. You find yourself glancing about to discover just who is watching you, from what dark corner.

Shadows wreathe the leaves and palmlike trunk of the fern tree, though all its tips glow with phosphorescent light. There is much hidden to your eyes here, though you sense little is hidden to the great tree. What that means, you cannot say.

Pokemon move about in the cavern. You see Torterra, modeled after the cavern, with tiny ferns at the foot of healthy hardwood saplings on their backs. They care for the mighty fern - pruning roots with their beaks, bringing in new soil, and exhaling frosty clouds of carbon dioxide. Members of the Bulbasaur line climb everywhere - these seem to have sticky feet that even allows them to hang upside down, until they reach Venusaur size and become too big. The Bulbasauri are planting spores. A ring of Snover stand around the room like little sentry trees, partially explaining the snow. Patrat hide in their branches.

*rolls*
Heart spots two Sudowoodo among the ferny plant life. They stand stock still. What their purpose is, you're not sure.

One more step forward - in a blur of darkness, three Weavile appear before you, claws unsheathed. Each has dark brown eye shadow and facepaint in an unusual pattern:

, with additional stripes running horizontally.

They block your path, blades crossed. All three are growling low.

[Spiritmon]

Heart then after a few minutes to recover finally it was better to tell the last piece of his story. "One day, my father awake me earlier. He say: "The Grand Master, you grandfather call you son. Get ready already." After that, I was in the presence of my grandfather." Heart thinks for a second. "My grandfather...I think you could say he was...nice I guess. I mean, he was difficult to handle, and sometimes he was harsh, but he was more father figure than my father itself. It was the time to begin my pokemon journey. Like the old tradition, each trainer would receive a starter to begin the journey. But with two differents: First you make some tests. Both physical and mental. And based in the results, and personality you would receive one of the starters: Chinchar, Torkoal or Piplup would choose the trainer. Yes, it not the trainer who choose the starter, but the starter who choose the trainer. And the second difference: You would receive a female starter, as representation of to the founder of the the Clan, Ark who once used female starter." Heart stop and say. "I have just only 8 years in that time. I....have failed in that test." Heart remember the face of anger and disaprovation. "My father become irate for I loosing the test. He call me a failure, and a useless." I cant remember but I become anger with him and say various words to him. "No..." I have say. "YOU ARE THE USELESS HERE!" I yell to him. "YOU COUDNT BECOME CHAMPION! YOU COUDNT BECOME GRAND MASTER OF THE ARCHEARTS! YOU TORTURE ME WITH HIS STUPID TRAINING! YOU DONT GIVE CARE FOR US! AND YOU ALL" I have looked to the other members of the Clan. "YOU DID NOTHING TO STOP HIM! I WISH...I WISH YOU WOULD BE DEAD!" 

Heart then stop the story. "The only thing I have remember was running though the night, a raining night. Running to only Arceus where. Then I have see. Our home, engufing by flames. I was terrifying. I run back to our house, fear what could have happen. When I was close, I could hear: The screams. Screams of people be burning alive. The smell of flesh be burning by the flames. I have see my father suffering in such flames. My mother holding my brother Angelo, trying to protect him when the fire consume then. I could only look in horror when the flames consume our family." Then Heart trying to hold together, remembering that night. "In the middle of that place, I see something I will never forget when I live. A woman, wearing dark clothes, dark as the most deep night with red Crinsom hair like blood to could be see even with her hood she have. The hood hide her face but what I could see hunt me in my most terrific dreams: Red eyes, with pupils similar to a serpent, and a big grim terrified smile, almost like...she was enjoying the carnage it was around her. Then with a simple wave of his hand she disappear in the flames."

Heart then keep a few minutes trying to recover himself from that last piece. "...I never could discover what I have see before my eyes: If someone was indeed there. Or that things was the Grim Reaper itself. Or it was my imagination." Heart than begin again. "Before that tragedy, much member of family before was mysterious dying after such long time. And our family it was not that strong or numerous was used to be. In the end, the last remaine of my family was in Sinnoh. We once believe with our Grand Master with us, no one would dare to attack us. And we could and then retaliate." After such long time he talk again. "We were wrong."

Then Heart for a second then share the last part of the story. "I was alone. Without family. Without clan. Without love. And no place to go. All members of my family, dead. My Grandfather, dead. All of my clan, forgothen. Forgot and abbandoned by the same god we once worship. Arceus dont care for us. Perhaps it was a punishment from the Arceus perhaps? I will never know." Heart then hold his hands together. "I am the last remained member of my Clan. The last ArcHeart in this world."

And with this Heart fall in tears again. "...I lost my way after that. Asking myself: Why? Why? WHY? Why such thing have happen? Arceus, why you forsaken us?" Then Heart stop. "After that, I lost my way, with no place to go...and that tragedy have happen when I was 9 years old...I have 21 years. Its been 12 after that tragedy happens."

Then Heart stops. "...And thats the tale of my family. The creation of the ArcHearts, they ascension, corruption...and ultimately end." Heart then put his hands in the head. "I always blame myself for what happen. I-I I couldnt save any of them! My mother...my brother...my grandfather...my whole clan...THEY ARE ALL DEAD BECAUSE OF ME!" Then Heart begin to punch the stone he was almost like a crazy person. After some minutes, Heart finally stops. "...I sorry..." Then Heart finally stop. He put his now bloody hands and say again. "...after that I walk in a dark path. A path I did things I will never forgive myself." Then Heart stops. "...things I not ready to tell any of you. I simple...can't." Heart tremble. "It's....already painful enough. One day I may tell you guys...but not today."

Then Heart finally stop. He coudnt continue. This the far Heart can tell. He already tell to much of his story. And his emotions, its already in shreads.

[Dragonstrike]

With Heart

Nathan puts a hand on Heart's shoulder.

"...if you're to blame for your family's death, then Forthright the Rapidash died because of me too.  And if Arceus, Aotius, and Mutios have forsaken us...well, I don't think pokemon would still be around if they did."

...

"...I think the best thing you could do to try and move on from this...is make them proud.  Don't focus on the past, move forward to the future.  Don't let the clan die with you.  And once you're strong enough and have enough allies...maybe find out why that fire started in the first place."

He looks into the inky black darkness again...

"...there's more than one kind of strength.  Sometimes, all it is in reality is having the will to persevere, to just keep going...it'll all be okay in the end, so long as you don't give up.  That's what I hope and believe, anyways.  Just take one step at a time, alright?"

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Back to the present!

A Cold Reception: Frosty Grotto - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red/Blue Rescue Team

Nathan can't help but marvel at the sheer...weirdness and beauty of the scene.  Snow?  Underground?  And that plant is huuuuge...but the Old Unown are what REALLY catch his attention right off the bat.  Not only are they rare, but they're spelling something, too...

Nathan looks at those Old Unown carefully for a minute or two, speaking out loud as he does so.  He's been trying to memorize some of his notes...

"Let's see...those first two are THE, the next is...S...E...N...T...R...um...wait, that looks like...hmmm...and then the next four are...F...E...R...N...hmmmm..."

He thinks for another minute.

"Those Unown are spelling THE CENTRAL FERN.  I'm almost certain of that.  The E and AL in CENTRAL are a weird combination of symbols, though...if it weren't for context clues, I don't think I would have figured that out..."

When those Weavile show up, Nathan's eyes immediately dart to the dots that are part of their facepaint (he's also immediately on guard and ready to send out some pokemon should the Weavile attack).

"Seven dots...does that mean..."

He can think of four pokemon that sport patterns like that from what he's read about them.  Except none of them have that particular pattern...

How do Calam, Ralts, Swiftfire, and Snivy react to the scene when the Weavile appear, @Iron?