[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

(Terra was close when Heart show his rare to Bill? Like the Flying Stone Serpent Ventus trade with Heart? Or the Gargoyle Pokemon and Eletric bug? Sorry to ask, but I just curious...)

(No, he was not, and he's already aware of the existence of Delta Onix/Ele Bug via Ven telling him about it via the Portfollio/in person, so no notable reaction/event regarding my chara. to report!)

[Iron]

"Heh, nah, those Eevees just enjoy those hamsterballs. It's just something different. But you're right, I did initially buy the balls for part of an experimental quarantine thingamajig, long ago."

"Aw, these chocos are cute! Let me take a picture of them...*SNAP*...then me and my Pokemon will share them right now!"

When Terra opens his mouth to critique the workout, Chansey holds up a finger to her lips. Bill comes over with a mouthful of candy and says "Mmf, Mrachoke isf undergoing a spfefic rrootine. Hasf to be the fame eagh fime. Gif him fife mrinutesf." Then you can have a turn!

[Dragonstrike]

"Dark types make him nervous, but I'd say he might not be as fast even in the best of times!" Anyone can see that Nathan knows how to train fast Pokemon.

Bill leads you into the kitchen away from the rest of the group (feel free to flash backward and forward). Alakazam starts throwing spoons at the wall and recalling them just before they hit.

Nathan just smiles at that comment from Bill.  He listens very carefully to everything being said about the Time Capsule and the lurches, but doesn't make any comments yet.


Flash Forward!
In the kitchen, one look from Nathan, and Gallade uses his own Psychic abilities to anticipate exactly when Alakazam throws the next spoon, stop it midair halfway to the wall with Telekinesis, then float it back to Alakazam mere seconds later.  "Not really enough room in here for Calam to show off his speed, to be honest.  Gallade's still pretty fast though, even without Steadfast triggered, right?"

A chuckle, followed by Nathan clearing his throat.  "So, uh...awkward question, Bill, but...how much do you know about Orre and...what happened there?"

[Iron]

"Dark types make him nervous, but I'd say he might not be as fast even in the best of times!" Anyone can see that Nathan knows how to train fast Pokemon.

Bill leads you into the kitchen away from the rest of the group (feel free to flash backward and forward). Alakazam starts throwing spoons at the wall and recalling them just before they hit.

Nathan just smiles at that comment from Bill.  He listens very carefully to everything being said about the Time Capsule and the lurches, but doesn't make any comments yet.


Flash Forward!
In the kitchen, one look from Nathan, and Gallade uses his own Psychic abilities to anticipate exactly when Alakazam throws the next spoon, stop it midair halfway to the wall with Telekinesis, then float it back to Alakazam mere seconds later.  "Not really enough room in here for Calam to show off his speed, to be honest.  Gallade's still pretty fast though, even without Steadfast triggered, right?"

A chuckle, followed by Nathan clearing his throat.  "So, uh...awkward question, Bill, but...how much do you know about Orre and...what happened there?"

"A little. I've been involved in a bit of a technological arms race there. Think that's all I can say right now."

[Dragonstrike]

"A little. I've been involved in a bit of a technological arms race there. Think that's all I can say right now."

"...well, what if I were to say that an organization in this region was doing something similar to what happened in Orre?  Pokemon almost completely devoid of emotion and willpower, turned into little more than slaves to the ones that captured them...if something like that were happening, would you be able and willing to help with developing a solution to the problem if one could be found?"

A pause as Nathan lets what he's implying sink in.  If Bill needs some proof and/or secondary sources of info to double confirm that Nathan's not pulling Bill's leg, then all he has to do is ask for it and Nathan will provide some.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

"Heh, nah, those Eevees just enjoy those hamsterballs. It's just something different. But you're right, I did initially buy the balls for part of an experimental quarantine thingamajig, long ago."

"Aw, these chocos are cute! Let me take a picture of them...*SNAP*...then me and my Pokemon will share them right now!"

When Terra opens his mouth to critique the workout, Chansey holds up a finger to her lips. Bill comes over with a mouthful of candy and says "Mmf, Mrachoke isf undergoing a spfefic rrootine. Hasf to be the fame eagh fime. Gif him fife mrinutesf." Then you can have a turn!

Awwww! How Bill gratefully accepted her thanks and small gift of appreciation AND reacted so cute to it made Shiva very happy, she couldn't help but to smile warmly to herself. She could even feel a faint blush awakening from within her, but given that she chooses to ignore that and/or not give herself too odd or embarrassed, all should be fine. It shouldn't be a suprise either that she's somewhat coy and shy towards the famous Pokemaniac given how much he is making a Breeder's (and Trainer's of course!) life easier via the Storage System. People tend to take it for granted these days, but a few times, especially when browsing through the big collection of Pokemon her father has build up on the screen, she found herself wonderng how things were before there was a way to keep Pokemon inside a virtual reality of the PC.

Her impression of Bill-in-person is a rather positive one, he seems to be just as kind, welcoming to pleasant guests and in a good way nerdy as she has thought he'd be from what she has heard, read and seen. How pleasantly~, she'd certainly shyly hug him if she wouldn't feel that it might be a little to much to do or ask for. For now, she's feeling like having made his day a little better by bringing along selfmade candy which in return caused her feeling well and at ease at his place and presence. Eeeek, bet at home barely anyone would believe if she's share that she met THE Bill here on her journey!

After a bit of interaction she also gets the feeling that it's hard to fool him, or in other words that he's rather attentive to small changes in body language, consciously and unconsciously. Huh! This increased her appreciation for him to a good degree.

If she's being very honest to herself, she's not too amused that Nathan excludes himself again from them all for some sort of private chat, she gives him and Bill a raised eyebrow as they make their way towards the kitchen. An impercible sigh escaped her as she turned towards the Eevees in their loved hamsterballs again, an uncomfortable feeling of history threatening to repeat herself shortly after she promised to attempt a fresh start with the boy. Thin ice, thin ice... Will it suffer a crack once more? She didn't know, she opts to not think about that too much now while being sure that he had a good reason to talk with without the others.

She'll be passing the time by playing with the Eevees, joining Raphael in interacting with the small Togepi, finding and admirering the orange Florges (she didn't spot that before it's been mentioned) and observing with great interrest what's going on on the huge PC Screen attended by Porygon2. Yes... If she wanted to increase her own computer skills a bit, she feels sure to have come to the right place and person. Maybe - probably - if Bill agrees to her request she'll show some of her special, rare or just enjoyable Pokemon, or first showing them and then bringing that up?


++Onwards to the time- and lurch-related things then before eventually coming to that!++

Original posts

"The old so-called Time Capsule system could send Pokemon back in time, up to about three years, and only under certain circumstances where the older timeline sent something forward to initiate the time loop...if that makes any sense. Soon, I should be able to send Pokemon back in time all the way back to 1871 when the Analytical Engine was invented. Just need to iron out a few paradox prevention measures."

"I worry that what's happening to you is some sort of...time lurch. Not a hallucination, not a transportation in space, but in time. I don't know if you're really traveling in time or just sending some kind of perception back there. Either way, it could be dangerous, so I will definitely try to offer you what help I can. So far, our time-travel technologies are extremely, extremely, extremely limited - we only send information, not matter. And that means humans can never be sent back : ("

Heart was fascinated with that Time Capsule system, after all, he is Sinnohsian and Dialga is the Pokemon of Time the ArcHeart Clan once worship along with Palkia, Giratina and Arceus itself. "Its not dangerous use such technology in manipulate time? I mean, there is the butterfry factor to consider (something who happen in the past cause distortions in the future, like destroy the seed of a tree may cause the end of a entire forest). Time its a powerfull force, so it may be dangerous to know such thing. And there is paradox factor to consider too."

"Great point, my man. We've been experimenting with such things since the turn of the century. The PC system is designed to sanitize paradoxes - no new information can be passed along. No new discoveries, no Pokemon or technologies the recipient wouldn't have heard of. Not only is it sanitized by our software, it's thought to be physically impossible to send such info. That time loop would be wiped out. And the old PC system wouldn't recognize the new information anyway; the cryptographic handshake would fail."

"Some time loops are stable - like the time loop which established the original Time Capsule in the first place. Some people say those time loops have Celebi's or Dialga's blessing."

"Basically, if it happened, it happened!"

With great attention Shiva listened to what's been discussed about that 'lurch glitch' (that's how she's gonna call it from now on) and the time capsule Bill's working on, all while doing her best to conceal the nervousness and dwelling paranoia rising up within her. Talking about this issue is somewhat uncomfortable for her, but how Bil is able to help on this eases her mind. Cottonee all suddenly summoning herself and placing herself in Shiva's lap to encorage her stroking through her soft fluff adds to that quite well.

"It does make sense, yes. Ah... Bill, excuse me for asking this, but why would it be of advantage to send a Pokemon or information back in time? Why would one wish to do that, what could reason this? It sounds very interesting indeed, but I fail a bit to understand the benefit of this invention. I'm sorry..." She averts her gaze to the floor in embarrassment, hoping that she didn't offend Bill by asking to explain this.

She also nods in agreement when Heart voices his concern of how such technology could be dangerous, Bill's assurance that it's safe to use though quickly wipes these fears away. "Time loops... Celebi's blessing...", she whispers to herself while staring at her reflection in the glass of soda Alakazam brought to her. She faces Bill straightly in the eyes when carefully speaking up once more, a serious and worried expression on her face. "Y-your help with this phenomena would be greatly appreciated, thank you. Especially anything that'd serve to...well, fix this glitch again or understand the reason of it more. Deep within Mount Sentry it already gave us a very dangerous and scary moment, nothing serious has happened YET luckily. But... it's so uncanny, uncomfortable as well... And why is it US that experience it? Please, if you could...aid and stay in contact with m...me - or us - concerning this, I'd be very thankful."

[Iron]

"A little. I've been involved in a bit of a technological arms race there. Think that's all I can say right now."

"...well, what if I were to say that an organization in this region was doing something similar to what happened in Orre?  Pokemon almost completely devoid of emotion and willpower, turned into little more than slaves to the ones that captured them...if something like that were happening, would you be able and willing to help with developing a solution to the problem if one could be found?"

A pause as Nathan lets what he's implying sink in.  If Bill needs some proof and/or secondary sources of info to double confirm that Nathan's not pulling Bill's leg, then all he has to do is ask for it and Nathan will provide some.

"Well, of course I would help. But the neutrality of the PC system comes first, so it couldn't come from that end."

[Iron]

"The Time Capsule started more as a proof of concept. Remember, you aren't just sending information across time, you're trading it using the same principle as a Trading Machine. Old as the hills, the Trading Machine technology. Perhaps that concept is built into the fabric of Creshire. Trading across time gave us access to Pokemon to research from first three years ago, then ten, and soon a hundred! And don't forget, the time loops that turn out to be stable can enable new technology."

"I don't know what is causing these lurch glitches. No clue! Never seen them before. BUT I have a way to study it, and to help you out of a jam if you get into one."

He taps a big-faced wristwatch on his warm. It opens up like a Pokedex, displaying some coiled wires and boxy devices next to a small computer screen.

"This device is a very experimental portable Time Capsule. It's forward-compatible up to the day it's installed. If you are caught up in another lurch, you can send me a message and I will manually go into the PC system and make a trade with you. Take these too - it's a stack of Pokemon Mail designed to play nice with the PC. Remember, I can only trade things that were known in the past, but still I could send you a Pokemon holding a map that people back then would already have access to, or I could send you a more powerful Pokemon from your collection if it had already been discovered in Creshire at that time. I can't send you any new Delta species or mutants, for example. Oh, and I could send medical supplies if you get in trouble. Also, sending information forward in time is always safe. The worst that can happen is a self-pruning time loop, which would be as if it'd never happened."

"Now, these portable Time Capsules are very experimental, like I said. I want you to think carefully before agreeing to wear one. We should discuss everything we can before making a decision. But I do have enough for each of you."

[Dragonstrike]

"Well, of course I would help. But the neutrality of the PC system comes first, so it couldn't come from that end."

"It might not have to, given that Orre's Professor Krane found a mechanical solution to Orre's problem.  It just might require getting in contact with the right people who know what kind of tech is required to solve the issue."

Another pause.

"...so, I've got a pokemon I'd like you to meet, Bill."

Out comes Solosis, who immediately skittishly hides behind Nathan.

"...this is Solosis.  She...was one of the pokemon victim to having her independent will shut down.  If it weren't for Celebi's help, she'd still be little more than a slave to the one who originally caught her...or she'd have been lost to the dangers of the depths of Mt. Sentry like some of the others of her evolution line..."

...he shakes his head to clear those thoughts.

"...Shiva, Heart, me, and two others were exploring Mt. Sentry's deeper parts when we encountered the willless Solosis and Reuinclus.  An organization known as Scimitars was using them to scout the caves and tail us.  It's...far, far to similar to what I've read about Shadow Pokemon...but it also means it's similar enough that similar solutions exist.  Legendary Pokemon with powers over emotions, willpower, and memories can all restore the willless pokemon to their original state.  And I hope that something similar to Professor Krane's Purify Chamber might be able to work as well.  I don't really understand how that machine works, to be honest, I just know that it does."

Another pause.

"...part of the reason I wanted to pay you a visit was to ask if you'd be willing to help with potentially developing a mechanical solution for this issue.  I've already informed Tanuki about what happened, so the League's aware of what's going on.  She figured that maybe you might be able to help, and recommended that I get you to go speak with Dagny in Stair City about this if you're willing to help.  If you and Dagny could also get in touch with someone in Orre who knows a little about developing a solution to this problem...well, that'd probably make things even easier in theory."

"So, in short...can I actually ask for your help with this very, very real problem?"

[Iron]

"Well, of course I would help. But the neutrality of the PC system comes first, so it couldn't come from that end."

"It might not have to, given that Orre's Professor Krane found a mechanical solution to Orre's problem.  It just might require getting in contact with the right people who know what kind of tech is required to solve the issue."

Another pause.

"...so, I've got a pokemon I'd like you to meet, Bill."

Out comes Solosis, who immediately skittishly hides behind Nathan.

"...this is Solosis.  She...was one of the pokemon victim to having her independent will shut down.  If it weren't for Celebi's help, she'd still be little more than a slave to the one who originally caught her...or she'd have been lost to the dangers of the depths of Mt. Sentry like some of the others of her evolution line..."

...he shakes his head to clear those thoughts.

"...Shiva, Heart, me, and two others were exploring Mt. Sentry's deeper parts when we encountered the willless Solosis and Reuinclus.  An organization known as Scimitars was using them to scout the caves and tail us.  It's...far, far to similar to what I've read about Shadow Pokemon...but it also means it's similar enough that similar solutions exist.  Legendary Pokemon with powers over emotions, willpower, and memories can all restore the willless pokemon to their original state.  And I hope that something similar to Professor Krane's Purify Chamber might be able to work as well.  I don't really understand how that machine works, to be honest, I just know that it does."

Another pause.

"...part of the reason I wanted to pay you a visit was to ask if you'd be willing to help with potentially developing a mechanical solution for this issue.  I've already informed Tanuki about what happened, so the League's aware of what's going on.  She figured that maybe you might be able to help, and recommended that I get you to go speak with Dagny in Stair City about this if you're willing to help.  If you and Dagny could also get in touch with someone in Orre who knows a little about developing a solution to this problem...well, that'd probably make things even easier in theory."

"So, in short...can I actually ask for your help with this very, very real problem?"

"Ah, the Purify Chamber. That is a potentially neutral PC application. I can definitely add this to my list of projects!" He's excited. "I know just who to contact...well, you can't have too many apps!"

"But hold up. Celebi? Celebi healed your Solosis? That might explain the lurches...did you interact with one of my Time Capsules after meeting Celebi? Could you be part of a stable time loop? ...or going through an unstable one?... or maybe even part of a glitch in reality? What all interactions with Celebi did you have?"