[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Mikaruge108]

Spira is still slightly shaken from seeing the Spiritomb in his battle with Howl. Of all places to run into one... tears well up as memories of that day, the day that he last talked with her, rush forth; "Leigh, don't do it, it was sealed away 401 years ago for a reason!" "Don't worry, Spira, I'll show that Spiritomb can be tamed!", as the memories flood forward, he remembers her smile, how happy she always was; That's what drew me to you, how you always seemed happy, no matter what happened, even though I knew that we wouldn't be allowed to be together as long as we were co-workers, feelings for you had arisen, thankfully, they were mutual. "When I mentioned the Spiritomb attack, Howl said to be careful in the ruins, does that possibly mean Spiritomb also make their homes in those ruins as well?" Spira consults the Pokedex to see what it says about Spiritomb, mainly, their habitat in Creshire.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Original Post 1

Togepi tries a Wish, then falls down backwards onto Shiva's foot, quivering with the effort. But a second later, a wash of healing energy falls over the two of you. For the first time she meets your eyes as she briefly looks to see if that was OK. Then she looks at the floor again. She did seem to enjoy using the move though.

Looking at Togepi's movelist, you can see how any of these might have fueled Scimitar "spells." Juni could heal herself, swap items around, or even cause random things to happen by drawing on Togepi's power. You've even seen her use Metronome, you now realize, though it didn't go the way she'd hoped in that desperate situation for her.

Eeeeeeeekkkkkk! Shiva's quick to try grab smol Togepi, but it was too late already! >o<; At least she managed to prevent her from crashing hard onto the ground by soft-catching her with her pink converse.

Shiva felt like many many unspoken words were exchanged as Togepi meets her gaze if only for short, but the expression she met was a pleased and delighted one. It wasn't hard to guess that Whish, this magical and rare healing move, belonged to her favorite ones, she hasn't felt this reenergizing power since leaving home for this journey. Since Spectral used it on her as her personal wishing well and sign of affection.

"That wasn't just okay, dear one... That was GREAT! It's a wonderful move, and now I know you DO have potential. I... I think I understand why this blue-haired woman kept you, not to serve as a battler, but as a supporter. But don't worry..." All carefully Shiva strokes her new baby fae  just the way she seen Ventus do when Raphael was still a Togepi, "None will abuse your powers anymore. NONE, you hear? Me and my lovely archangel - " She points up towards the sky to Raphael, " - will make sure of that. Try giving us a chance, alright?"

For the waiting time until both Nathan and Professor Mallorn show up, Shiva will keep smol Togepi out of her Ball and by her side simply to get her used to her presence, as soon as they arrive she has to recall her. And send her to Bill's PC, she has ignored the Pokeball blinking for long enough.

(EDIT: We've once agreed on using Dext + Fight + Channel for the Accuracy Roll of Wish, haven't we?)

Original Post 2

Mallorn will meet you in Cress whenever you choose. He's sitting on a crate, but rises to meet you. His Rapidash is grazing nearby - it gives you the staredown when it sees you, then goes back to eating.

"Shiva! Nathan! It's been a long time since you left my lab, boss! Your Pokedex entries show you've traveled much of Creshire - more than half of it already - and seen a ton of Pokemon. You've trained hard and won some difficult battles. Only about 5% of trainers who leave our labs with a starter Pokemon collect all six gym badges, and you've got four and five badges respectively. Nathan said your party is in Elanor, so I imagine you'll soon have a fifth, Shiva. Howl has nothing on Fairy types. How is Cottonee? Er, I don't mean to get distracted, boss! You've seen all kinds of Pokemon and learned to use all kinds of moves. But something especially rare to experience in Creshire is a Hidden Machine."

He goes off on a little lecture about what that is.

"Well, I happen to have one! It came to me for research purposes, and I was granted permission to use it as my research saw fit. I must return it in at the end of June. Guess what? I'm going to loan it to you two for your journey into the Skull Ruins. There's no reception down there, and it's very dark, and electronics often fail. Even flashlights. But this HM never fails... it's Flash! Most Pokemon can learn it, though not all. I'm sure you two will know just what to do with it. Bring it back to me when you're done, and whatever you do, don't lose it. It's a mark of my faith in you that I'm trusting you with taking this into the second layer of the Skull Ruins. Questions?"

Shiva seems very happy to see Professor Mallorn again - in real, not by the screen when calling him - and waves and runs and smiles towards him as he rises from his crate. "Professooooor!~ Ah, it's so nice to see you after so long!" She eagerly shakes his hand. "Haha, ahrdly anything about you has changed, but that's good! Yes, we're... We're finally in ELANOR, we've finally arrived!!" Suddenly though her expression becomes somewhat gloomy and she looks down to the super-interesting ground. "But, ehm, we'll have to leave tomorrow morning to head down the Ruins, I guess. Busy!! But... There's so much I'd like to do in this town of lil' yellow flowers!~" ... "Including... a meeting with Howl, yes", she timidly and quietly adds. It flatters her how the good professor soft-encourages her though, aww.

On the question how Cottonee's doing, she instantly summons herself before Shiva could do anything, floats over to Professor Mallorn and gives him a very faint peck on the right cheek, then turns around to take a comfy seat on her Master's head again. Shiva immediately understands what this mischievous gesture meant. "She's very thankful that you've given her to me, professor, as nowhere else she'd rather be. ^_^"


Eh... Now to the more serious part. Shiva too is aware what a weight HM have in this region, but still eagerly listens to the professor's lecture. When he even opens that he'll LOAN ONE to them, Shiva becomes thrilled to bits! She intuitively outstretches her hands to take this HM from the prof. "For reeeal? That's very kind and benelovent, professor, thank you!!" She turns it a bit in her hands to get a close look at this special machine. She doesn't say it openly, but from her interest in this HM and how she holds it close to her it's not hard to guess that she likes to hold onto this HM for the time being. She even throws a somewhat questioning gaze over to Nathan and Gallade: 'You've got Rock Smash already, so please let me carry this! Pleaseplease!' "We'll take good care of it and return it on time, promise! May I... May I ask where you've got it from, professor? I heard that Telperion Uni's got a copy of Flash...?"

Shiva can't help but to feel a bit left behind as both Nathan and Prof.Mallorn go somewhereelse to talk privately, she lets out an impercible sigh and gazes over to Rapidash. But, ah well... At least she's got something interesting to pass the time, yay!~
The first thing she does is whisper something to Ophelia through the Pokeball, then summoning the gentle unicorn. She all gracefully trots over to the fierly horse to show her in a playful manner that she too, despite she's so smol and delicate, is able to spit flames like a boss too! (Read: Minicorn and Rapidash get to interact or even play a bit, with Flamethrower breaking the ice. Shiva will pay attention how the first impression between 'em is, as she remembers Ponyta and Minicorn can breed with each other!)
The next thing she does is showing this HM of Flash to her most dear fluffball, she has already expressed curiosity about this 'device' by nudging it with her leaves and giving a wondering look to Shiva. "This is a very special kind of a TM, my dear, you know, those disks that let your learn a move if compatible! This one decodes a move called 'Flash' that lets you, well... illuminate the nearby area. Very helpful." ......"Say, would you like to learn it and try it out right away, display it to Professor Mallorn even when they're back? Of course we'll explore the Ruins with one another, and you already know how to glow pleasantly pink (Dazzling Gleam) and crimson red (Night Daze)!"


Shiva too is curious about her Starter learning Flash. As soon as Nathan and the good professor are back, she's got one thing to ask about before he leaves again.

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Sounds good to me! As for training...I have two options I was thinking about either Iron Defense, Ice Punch, Psychic, Zen Headbutt or Bullet Punch as possible moves for Metang and Iron Defense or Rock Blast for Heracross to give gim a buff move or maybe a move capable of counter Flying and Fire types. I have more preference with the second one, but hey, options need to be open right?

When Nathan enter the Pokemon Center he find Heart in his room, reading some of his notes, with Moltres Egg resting on a pyre (you know the roll @Iron, craft roll). And for the second time of his life, he also sees the strange book with chains around it, and a big lock in the middle, with the already symbol of the ArcHearts around it. "Hey Nathan, howdy mate. Ready to make the trade?"

"Yeah, got the cash right here.  You'll have to give me a little time if ya want me to teach one of those moves, though, alright?  Need to familiarize myself with them first.  I'll give ya a tip that's helpful right now, though: go find and talk to Sid.  He's the guy on rollerblades, and he's teaching a bunch of priority moves at no charge.  He taught my Metang how to use Bullet Punch earlier.  Sid won't be in town for too much longer, though.  You'll want to take advantage of that service he's offering before we leave for the Skull Ruins tomorrow, because Sid will probably have left by the time we've finished our business there."

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Shiva seems very happy to see Professor Mallorn again - in real, not by the screen when calling him - and waves and runs and smiles towards him as he rises from his crate. "Professooooor!~ Ah, it's so nice to see you after so long!" She eagerly shakes his hand. "Haha, ahrdly anything about you has changed, but that's good! Yes, we're... We're finally in ELANOR, we've finally arrived!!" Suddenly though her expression becomes somewhat gloomy and she looks down to the super-interesting ground. "But, ehm, we'll have to leave tomorrow morning to head down the Ruins, I guess. Busy!! But... There's so much I'd like to do in this town of lil' yellow flowers!~" ... "Including... a meeting with Howl, yes", she timidly and quietly adds. It flatters her how the good professor soft-encourages her though, aww.

On the question how Cottonee's doing, she instantly summons herself before Shiva could do anything, floats over to Professor Mallorn and gives him a very faint peck on the right cheek, then turns around to take a comfy seat on her Master's head again. Shiva immediately understands what this mischievous gesture meant. "She's very thankful that you've given her to me, professor, as nowhere else she'd rather be. ^_^"


Eh... Now to the more serious part. Shiva too is aware what a weight HM have in this region, but still eagerly listens to the professor's lecture. When he even opens that he'll LOAN ONE to them, Shiva becomes thrilled to bits! She intuitively outstretches her hands to take this HM from the prof. "For reeeal? That's very kind and benelovent, professor, thank you!!" She turns it a bit in her hands to get a close look at this special machine. She doesn't say it openly, but from her interest in this HM and how she holds it close to her it's not hard to guess that she likes to hold onto this HM for the time being. She even throws a somewhat questioning gaze over to Nathan and Gallade: 'You've got Rock Smash already, so please let me carry this! Pleaseplease!' "We'll take good care of it and return it on time, promise! May I... May I ask where you've got it from, professor? I heard that Telperion Uni's got a copy of Flash...?"

Shiva can't help but to feel a bit left behind as both Nathan and Prof.Mallorn go somewhereelse to talk privately, she lets out an impercible sigh and gazes over to Rapidash. But, ah well... At least she's got something interesting to pass the time, yay!~
The first thing she does is whisper something to Ophelia through the Pokeball, then summoning the gentle unicorn. She all gracefully trots over to the fierly horse to show her in a playful manner that she too, despite she's so smol and delicate, is able to spit flames like a boss too! (Read: Minicorn and Rapidash get to interact or even play a bit, with Flamethrower breaking the ice. Shiva will pay attention how the first impression between 'em is, as she remembers Ponyta and Minicorn can breed with each other!)
The next thing she does is showing this HM of Flash to her most dear fluffball, she has already expressed curiosity about this 'device' by nudging it with her leaves and giving a wondering look to Shiva. "This is a very special kind of a TM, my dear, you know, those disks that let your learn a move if compatible! This one decodes a move called 'Flash' that lets you, well... illuminate the nearby area. Very helpful." ......"Say, would you like to learn it and try it out right away, display it to Professor Mallorn even when they're back? Of course we'll explore the Ruins with one another, and you already know how to glow pleasantly pink (Dazzling Gleam) and crimson red (Night Daze)!"


Shiva too is curious about her Starter learning Flash. As soon as Nathan and the good professor are back, she's got one thing to ask about before he leaves again.

Nathan sighs when Shiva effectively gives him and Gallade the puppy dog eyes.  There's no need to beg.  "...yes, you can hold onto it, Shiva."  It does mean that Shiva will have the bulk of the responsibility as well, though.

I'm done asking Mallorn questions in private now, so you can go ahead and ask him what you need to.

Plenty of the group's pokemon will want to learn this new move, of course, so I think a group meeting at the end of the day to do that is probably in order.

[Dragonstrike]

Spira is still slightly shaken from seeing the Spiritomb in his battle with Howl. Of all places to run into one... tears well up as memories of that day, the day that he last talked with her, rush forth; "Leigh, don't do it, it was sealed away 401 years ago for a reason!" "Don't worry, Spira, I'll show that Spiritomb can be tamed!", as the memories flood forward, he remembers her smile, how happy she always was; That's what drew me to you, how you always seemed happy, no matter what happened, even though I knew that we wouldn't be allowed to be together as long as we were co-workers, feelings for you had arisen, thankfully, they were mutual. "When I mentioned the Spiritomb attack, Howl said to be careful in the ruins, does that possibly mean Spiritomb also make their homes in those ruins as well?" Spira consults the Pokedex to see what it says about Spiritomb, mainly, their habitat in Creshire.

I think Gallade would probably pick up on some of those feelings as Nathan goes to talk with Heart about that trade.

If it's okay with you, Nathan could talk with Spira about some of this stuff.  He also knows a little about where Spiritomb can be found in Creshire. Not a whole lot, but some.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Plenty of the group's pokemon will want to learn this new move, of course, so I think a group meeting at the end of the day to do that is probably in order.

In the morning of the next Day suits me and Shiva much better since this won't mess up any of my plans.

Original Post

Spira is still slightly shaken from seeing the Spiritomb in his battle with Howl. Of all places to run into one... tears well up as memories of that day, the day that he last talked with her, rush forth; "Leigh, don't do it, it was sealed away 401 years ago for a reason!" "Don't worry, Spira, I'll show that Spiritomb can be tamed!", as the memories flood forward, he remembers her smile, how happy she always was; That's what drew me to you, how you always seemed happy, no matter what happened, even though I knew that we wouldn't be allowed to be together as long as we were co-workers, feelings for you had arisen, thankfully, they were mutual. "When I mentioned the Spiritomb attack, Howl said to be careful in the ruins, does that possibly mean Spiritomb also make their homes in those ruins as well?" Spira consults the Pokedex to see what it says about Spiritomb, mainly, their habitat in Creshire.

I think Gallade would probably pick up on some of those feelings as Nathan goes to talk with Heart about that trade.

If it's okay with you, Nathan could talk with Spira about some of this stuff.  He also knows a little about where Spiritomb can be found in Creshire.  Not a whole lot, but some.

EDIT: And, I dunno, for some reason I feel that Shiva would be the better choice IF Spira desires to talk about that sort of thing at some point, big biiiiig if. She's just more compassionate, careful with words and more in tune with love-related things. Please don't take it personally! >o< Nathan already is more knowledgable about Heart's backstory than the others, and I do wish for Shiva to bond closer with other charas after Ventus has dropped off.

[Spiritmon]

@Iron, before I teach my Pokemon other moves, gonna teach Aqua Jet and Bullet Punch to Clawitizer and Metang.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(Before I fully doze off, here's what Shiva would ask the prof. once he's back and once Cottonee happily has shown Flash to him: )

Spoiler

"Oh, eh..... May I ask something else, professor? Concerning the Ruins...." She doesn't really want to say that she still somewhat scared of heading down there. "Is there any further advice you could give us about a trip down the ruins? For example, anything you'd highly recommend us to bring along, apart from the obvious healing Items. Maybe a particular Pokemon or so, what do those that make it back from this ominous place usually bring?"

"Also... I, well, realized I'm unfortunately rather susceptible for any calls or lures, be it from Pokemon or other forces, a side-effect of my awakened mind perhaps. Am I right that I should expect some strong ones down there? You see, professor, if I'm aware of this threat I can brace myself for them."

[Dragonstrike]

Once the money has changed hands, Nathan has a simple question to ask Heart (@Spiritmon).  "That book with the lock on it...is that a family heirloom or something, Heart?"  He's curious, and it feels...okay to ask, I suppose?

--------------------------

After Nathan's done with the trade for the Thunder TM, he immediately puts it to good use!  He finds a queit place outdoors where he can teach it to Grid.

"Got a new move for you to use, buddy, and it's gonna be your strongest one yet!  I think I can trust ya to use it responsibly, but just for good measure...this move is incredibly powerful and highly Lethal, so use it carefully, alright?"

Assuming Grid has no complaints about that (it's unlikely he does, right?), he'll get to learn Thunder right then and there!  I'm sure he can't wait to use it!  Nobody is going to be safe from getting struck by lightning now, even if it's a cloudless day!

-------------------------

And then after all of that is done, it's time for the next thing on Nathan's checklist.  He's sending a text to Terra (@Lord Windos) saying:

Hey Terra.  Got some time for that battle we were talking about now.  Kinda nervous, to be honest...hope it goes well...meet me at the Pokemon Center, alright?  Then we can go find a suitable battlefield somewhere where we won't be interrupted.

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Terra uses the Pick.
(5)(5)(2) 2 successes. You find a Sunstone and a three shards of petalglass.
(5)(3)(5) Another 2 successes. Diggersby finds a Revive crystal and a piece of fireglass.

Shiva uses the chisel.
(5)(2) She gets a Sunstone and a shard of dawnglass.
(4)(2) This time she finds a mold fossil, an imprint of an ancient flower. It doesn't look like it'll have any DNA, but it's pretty cool nonetheless.

Spoiler

(...)

Oh.... It did take Shiva a tad bit off-guard to be praised for her success here, causing her to timidly look away from Terra and instead muster the suuuper-interesting stony ground. "...You think so? *happy blushing* That's very dear of you, thank you!~" A bit hasty and rushed, she adds "B...B-but it wasn't that hard maybe, I was a having a clear advantage with Primal Glaceon here against that turtle! You others are...more natural and enthusiastic fighters than I am! >o< ....E-either way, thank you, haha." 

Terra could only lightly smile and chuckle as the mystical lass turned bashful over his honest praise/assessment of her ability, before he reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder as he nodded.

"I do. Only speaking truth, so you don't have to thank me. But you are welcome. *Beat, then his grin widens just a bit* True. But you.....pressed your advantages well. Prevented much harm to our Pokemon, and took it down quickly. Many can do some of those things, but not many can do all. So be proud of what you have done, Shiva. Be proud."

That's about it for that moment! Onward to the next!

(...)

The mountain of a man was pleased when he managed to unearth a Sun Stone without smashing it into bits, and Inari's Digging up an all natural Revive only improved his good mood. He didn't have the slightest clue what was or what to do with what appeared to be fragments of colourfull glass the two of them found, but never the less he still pocketed them. They looked valuable enough, and perhaps Shiva could enlighten him on what they truly were.

Shiva needn't have feared that the sagely monk would misinterpret her tears and quavering body, for even a man dense as he could easily tell all that was due to her pure joy at finding a Sun Stone at long last, judging by the way she was holding it up and staring into it like it was a dream come true. Which it was - in a good, metaphorical way, mind you. He'd know from Ven and the files he gave him that Evolving her Cottenee was one of her most sought after goals and that a S.S. was necessary for that to occur, so he perfectly well understood why her find brought her such near fervent delight. A long term plan finished or particularly tricky transaction/scheme coming to fruition.......those were experiences that anyone could smile about.

Due to the nature of her celebrations (and the fact she was still excavating at the time), Terra refrained from going over a joining in, but he never the less sent smiles and nods of comradery over her way before he returned to his own work. 

Genie, on the other hand.....well, she couldn't help but invite herself to their party, gliding down from the ceiling and landing silently behind Shiva and getting a good look at the Sun Stone herself, then giving a faintly curious but still playful grin as she shared a buzzing laugh with them. She didn't know why or for what reason her fellow female fae fiend friend was so enamored with the Evo Stone, but that didn't mean she couldn't share in the camaradance of finding such a rare treasure! If she was any less scrupulous/was not as on such delightful terms with the girl/or her partner watching her like a Swellow (Take your pick, or all of the above!), she might have been......tempted to add such a babble to her own private horde, but no, she'd let them keep it, and  without a game of catch or hide and seek for it too, Drrrzzzzzt! Such a merciful Desert Djin, is she not? Tehehehehehe!

(...)


After they've finished up their mining and reunited with Shiva more closely, Terra promptly handed her all his Glass to her and said she could keep it, and that he was open to negotiation for trading her his Sun Stone and keep it on him for the unforeseeable future, bar any unusual circumstances. Since he has no Pokemon that would Evolve from the starburst stone and hasn't a clue as to what he wanted to do with the smaller shards of Evo Stone, he decided the above arrangement was the best solution that would benefit them both. Simple as that!

Regarding her comments, he gave her his biggest smile yet (Which still looks pretty small on him) and decisively nods back to her with arms crossed, a sense of satisfaction and plain companionable air radiating off him.

"I am too, and I did. Very much did. Thank you for inviting me to come with you, Shiva. Should do something like this again in future. *Beat, then another nod* Okay. Have a good day, and stay safe, Wise Woman. Let me know if you need anything."

And so the two conclude their business at the Sun Stone Mines, and depart their separate ways in due time. Terra opted to explore Elanor a bit more now to further satiate his explorative curiosity and ponder what his plans were going to be for the rest of the day.....

Spoiler

-------------------------

And then after all of that is done, it's time for the next thing on Nathan's checklist.  He's sending a text to Terra (@Lord Windos) saying:

Hey Terra.  Got some time for that battle we were talking about now.  Kinda nervous, to be honest...hope it goes well...meet me at the Pokemon Center, alright?  Then we can go find a suitable battlefield somewhere where we won't be interrupted.

.....When he gets a text from Nathan that neatly reminds him of their arrangement, and their willingness to finally initiate it! Immediately Terra texts them back with a simple 'Okay. Meet you there.' , and then headed over to the Pokemon Center to meet up with the boy. He had his arms crossed and himself stoically composed, but their was faints hints of anticipation and excitement lurking in his features and eyes as he regarded his friend in a serious but somehow amiable manner.

"It is time for our battle, Nathan? Are you ready?"

A simple reaffirmatory question, but the rugged wanderer's tone was ever so slightly laced with hope and eagerness.