[Game Thread] Pokerole: Mount Coronet Mystery

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Karen continues theorizing.  "Well...we can't see those auras normally, right?  Only when it uses one of those weird, shadowy moves, so if it didn't use them, then you probably wouldn't have known.  Or maybe...maybe it was just really dark in that cave?  It'd probably be hard to see if the lighting was bad, I imagine...either way, I'm not sure we can rule out the possibility that it might have been a Shadow Pokemon...maybe it wasn't fully in control of itself for one reason or another..."

Randolph lets loose a low *Sigh* at her continued line of reasoning for the Black Onix's behavior, as if it was squeezing the life out of him, but he nods to it.

"Correct. Needed Diam's Foresight to see it myself on a Shadow Gyarados I fought, so you could be right about it not using any of them 'Shadow' Moves and it just hiding its true nature, intentionally or not. *Shakes Head* No, the sections of me mine were well lit by electrical lighting.....*Pauses and grimaces* .....well, until it came and started destroying everything. Lighting become pretty piss poor and patchy then, up until......*Grimaces* ....and I was plenty enough distracted by the mayhem it was causing, so I could have missed it doing any shadowy business...."

*Sighs*

".....Whatever the case is with that monster, I think I've had enough talking about it for one day. Or one lifetime, as a matter of fact. Didn't want to tell you anything about it at all in the first place, but you deserved an explanation for why I bloodied me hands after patching them up, so....there. Think about it however ya like, and take away whatever you want from that dark day of me life, but....please don't bother me about it . At least, not now....."

....And he none to subtly tries to close this window into his past to the prodigal young trainer. He's tired on multiple levels after recounting [b]that day to the girl, and would just like time to himself to get over it and settle down before he goes talk with Lucas. Which, considering the topic he wishes to discuss with them having the potential to be just as depressing as this recent conversation with Karen but for different reasons, is some respite he needs if he doesn't want to breakdown mid-conversation with the boy hero...

(Still, I imagine that the mood he got from talking with Karen about his past wouldn't be entirely dispelled by the time he went over to them + Sally, and that freshly revived trauma may also be visible in his aura when Sally does her check in on him. Up to you, Dragonstrike!)[/b]

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Randolph lets loose a low *Sigh* at her continued line of reasoning for the Black Onix's behavior, as if it was squeezing the life out of him, but he nods to it.

"Correct. Needed Diam's Foresight to see it myself on a Shadow Gyarados I fought, so you could be right about it not using any of them 'Shadow' Moves and it just hiding its true nature, intentionally or not. *Shakes Head* No, the sections of me mine were well lit by electrical lighting.....*Pauses and grimaces* .....well, until it came and started destroying everything. Lighting become pretty piss poor and patchy then, up until......*Grimaces* ....and I was plenty enough distracted by the mayhem it was causing, so I could have missed it doing any shadowy business...."

*Sighs*

".....Whatever the case is with that monster, I think I've had enough talking about it for one day. Or one lifetime, as a matter of fact. Didn't want to tell you anything about it at all in the first place, but you deserved an explanation for why I bloodied me hands after patching them up, so....there. Think about it however ya like, and take away whatever you want from that dark day of me life, but....please don't bother me about it . At least, not now....."

....And he none to subtly tries to close this window into his past to the prodigal young trainer. He's tired on multiple levels after recounting [b]that day to the girl, and would just like time to himself to get over it and settle down before he goes talk with Lucas. Which, considering the topic he wishes to discuss with them having the potential to be just as depressing as this recent conversation with Karen but for different reasons, is some respite he needs if he doesn't want to breakdown mid-conversation with the boy hero...

(Still, I imagine that the mood he got from talking with Karen about his past wouldn't be entirely dispelled by the time he went over to them + Sally, and that freshly revived trauma may also be visible in his aura when Sally does her check in on him. Up to you, Dragonstrike!)[/b]

Karen nods sadly.  "...alright...but if you need to talk about it or something, I'm willing to listen, okay?"

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

If Sally noticed (she probably did), she's not saying anything about it for some reason, so the scene starts out much as I described previously.  Feel free to continue from where we left off.

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Karen nods sadly.  "...alright...but if you need to talk about it or something, I'm willing to listen, okay?"

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

If Sally noticed (she probably did), she's not saying anything about it for some reason, so the scene starts out much as I described previously.  Feel free to continue from where we left off.

(...)

Sally's definitely surprised.  She blinks a few times, then looks at her Trainer.  Wha...Lucas, you're hearing this too, right?  Are we sure this is Randolph?

Lucas casually banters with the pokemon.  "You tell me, Sally.  You're the Lucario here.  If his aura's the same, then he's not a fake."

Sally narrows her eyes as she examines Randolph's aura.  Then she sighs, partially in disbelief.  Yup, he's the real deal all right...what the hell prompted this?

Lucas walks over.  "I'm not going to point any fingers, but I have my suspicions.  Now then, let's get back to earlier.  You wanted to speak with me about something, Randolph?"

".....I'll be fine, lass. Managed to live with myself for years after that disaster, so...I'll keep on doing, so the best I can. It's all I can do now, until I that that damn abomination.

*Pauses*

" .....But thank ya for the offer. Appreciate it, Karen."

And so ends that grim conversation between the youngster and old man. Not on a high note, but it did end well enough, one thinks.

*Flashback End....*
----

*...And Continues onto the next Scene with Lucas and Sally*

Ran had the decency to look a bit offended at Sally's disbelief it was him and not some other doppleganger, but whatever he'd say or do about it was forever banished into impossibility when Lucas intervened and re-railed the conversation back to beginning of things, that being what he wanted to ask the boy hero. Immediately the scuffy smith's expression became....withered as he was reminded about it and other related stuff, his eyebrows knitting together as he heaved a small but heavy *sigh* and looked Lucas in the eyes and simply asked thus:

"Lucas....why in the hell did ya recommend me to Rowan for this job? And don't give me any guff about me being a top-notch Trainer or this mission needing me skill set. Before our journey together you only witnessed that one Fight I had with Sally, and we both know my victory over her was more due to her being so arrogant and disrespectful of me and my partners capabilities and pure luck than anything else. *Scoffs* Heck, she almost did beat me despite her attitude. And if you needed a Trainer that was a smith or handy man for this godforsaken job, you could've easily gotten Riley or even Byron or his son to come and join you. Not like they we're doing anything important enough they could take a break from their duties to do a favor the Champion Hero of Sinnoh."

"*Look intensifies* So why on earth did ya decide to pick a rude, angry old bastard like me you knew next to nothing about yourself to join ya on a quest you knew on some level would be epic in the worst ways possible?"

His tone is frank and tired, but not unkind or really rude. In all honestly, he seemed genuinely confused by their decision to include him in their coalition before and after things developed with the Pixies, and after all they've been through so far and recent events weighing down on him, it appears he could no long keep silent about it.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Let's say Rui and Milotic help out.  Karen's been getting a lot of screentime and Sally would like to avoid translation duties for at least a little while since Randolph's Ditto is filling in for now (and I'm not sure if Kee would want to talk with that sassy Dittocario for very long).

Milotic, however, is more than happy to assist Kee with this problem.

Well, I can say that your new friend seems to be...disappointed for some reason.  They don't seem to really want to talk about it much with me, but I can hypothesize that it's likely related to recent events.

Sassy Littocario? No thanks, Kee has enough sass within him for two, talking with ladies is more fun. Especially if it's a beautiful Milotic!~

He frowns, looks from Milotic to Absol, tilts his head while calmly watching the latter, scratches his head and non-existant beard; overally appears like he's giving what nice Milotic just explained to him a lot of thought. "Disappointed, ya're sayin'.... 'kay...." He doesn't really feel smarter now, but definitely somewhat confused.

Eventually, he coughs lightly and gently takes the Ranc Berry Absol's playing with and gives her a Custap Berry instead (now counts as Held Item). That should do the trick of getting at least a bit of her attention/to make her listen to what Kee tells her now. "I'm... sorry that ya're feeling the way ya do. BUT, please tell me, does it have anythin' t'do with YOU havin' b'come a Shadowmon? For example, ya're disappointed 'cuz ya let yourself become one? If not... Would it help ya if we were to go find tha root of all those recent events? Ya see, me and the others *waves hands to them* are just on tha way t'do so. 'nd I captured ya because

1. I couldn't it bring myself to just leave ya here after ya gave me that thankful look once I purified ya
2. you're really beautiful, such clear blue eyes ya have are rare t'come by."
and also
3. Absol are capable Pokemon. Honestly, screw all those misunderstandings s'rroundin' yar species."

He tries to pet her a little. "So, letsa at least TRY to work together and enjoy each other's company, 'kay? Yar ready 'n okay with that? Would ya be fine if I were to summon ya to a battle 'gainst wild 'n feral 'Mon that I feel suits yar level or experience?..." He withdraws his hand again, it's involuntarily trembling a little.

(...) Kogeki nod his head. "Hmm...I see. And you see not to have many trainer skills." Then Kogeki decide to do something about it. He turn his back and say one last to Rui. "Follow me. We have some time before heading to our destination. Gonna teach you something who might save your life someday. And no Kee, its not something weird or gross so dont make that comment again."

I know a picture that perfectly depicts this scene and the expression Kee's giving Kogeki as a response to near-perfection. (◕‿◕)

This one

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Kogeki take Rui to some place. "Rookie, can you answer me why I carry with me a Katana? Despite the fact that I carry Pokemon with me?" He unshreat his sword. "My people, the Tsukinami Ninjas, we live for battle, and use all kinds of style of battle to beat our foes. Some weapons we have is made of Pokemon parts. But we also fight alongside our Pokemon partners, sometimes risking our own lifes, since we know sometimes we cant always rely in our partners, but also have to fight too."

"Rookie, you are not a ninja of Tsukinami, and you barely had the skills of a trainer, there are Pokemons who will target you in case your Pokemon faint." Kogeki show some scars he gain from his fight against Primal Rampardos who did not heal. "These scars was from a Rock Slide of Primal Rampardos. I not talking you to engage in battle against a Gyarados. But you might need to defend yourself without Pokemon."

Kogeki take a Kunai. "This...is a Kunai. One of the best friends of a Ninja. It can be used as a stealth weapon. As a close combat weapon. And..." He throw the Kunai on a close rock, who get crave there. "...A mid-range weapon. Useful to finish off foes or maybe delay them." Kogeki take the Kunai and give to Rui. "Take some time to pratice a few swings and throws. If you want of course. Consider this a precaution. You better have something to defend yourself and to not need, than need and not have."

There's not really anywhere to go that's truly private in this small space.  Except maybe in the tent the group set up.

Rui hesitantly and nervously takes the kunai.  She understands why Kogeki is handing her the sharp object, but she's not entirely sure what to do with it.  "...o-okay, I guess..."  If she needs to defend herself, she can try to use it, but she isn't trained in how to use weapons.

[Spiritmon]

"Just for the sake in be prepared, I am less worry. Be strong, and for the love of Aotios, don't die. I don't want to carry the burden about death of another one." 

Kogeki was walking to return to the group but he say one last word with Rookie. "You know. If you not come from a distance place, I pretty sure you and my son would be good friends. He is a quiet and serious boy, but he is a great person. Renji Kurayami is his name. If you found someone with that name in your universe, give him a call." 

Kogeki chuckle a bit, something very rare and he let Rui alone to practice the Kunai.

Ready for the encounters Dragon.

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

*...And Continues onto the next Scene with Lucas and Sally*

Ran had the decency to look a bit offended at Sally's disbelief it was him and not some other doppleganger, but whatever he'd say or do about it was forever banished into impossibility when Lucas intervened and re-railed the conversation back to beginning of things, that being what he wanted to ask the boy hero. Immediately the scuffy smith's expression became....withered as he was reminded about it and other related stuff, his eyebrows knitting together as he heaved a small but heavy *sigh* and looked Lucas in the eyes and simply asked thus:

"Lucas....why in the hell did ya recommend me to Rowan for this job? And don't give me any guff about me being a top-notch Trainer or this mission needing me skill set. Before our journey together you only witnessed that one Fight I had with Sally, and we both know my victory over her was more due to her being so arrogant and disrespectful of me and my partners capabilities and pure luck than anything else. *Scoffs* Heck, she almost did beat me despite her attitude. And if you needed a Trainer that was a smith or handy man for this godforsaken job, you could've easily gotten Riley or even Byron or his son to come and join you. Not like they we're doing anything important enough they could take a break from their duties to do a favor the Champion Hero of Sinnoh."

"*Look intensifies* So why on earth did ya decide to pick a rude, angry old bastard like me you knew next to nothing about yourself to join ya on a quest you knew on some level would be epic in the worst ways possible?"

His tone is frank and tired, but not unkind or really rude. In all honestly, he seemed genuinely confused by their decision to include him in their coalition before and after things developed with the Pixies, and after all they've been through so far and recent events weighing down on him, it appears he could no long keep silent about it.

Lucas keeps it brief and to the point.  "Well, for starters, I can count the number of people who could probably reliably beat one of my pokemon on two hands.  So that definitely caught my attention, regardless of what others make of the situation.  And second, this might sound a little strange, but I saw potential in you and your pokemon.  I like to think I know a strong, reliable trainer when I see one."

"Oh, and I heard about some of those strange occurrences at Stark Mountain, too.  Had a gut feeling they might be connected, and I knew you'd been poking around there recently. Buck gave me an update on what's been happening there when I checked in."

He pauses, sighs, and continues.  "Let me make one thing clear: before we visited Snowpoint Temple, Rowan, myself, and the League had no idea what the full extent of these dangers were.  Heck, even after the Temple, I still don't know.  If it had just been my decision at that point, I would have pulled all of you aside, thanked you for your help, and dealt with the issue myself if necessary.  But..."

He sighs again, then cracks a small smile.  "...I trust the Lake Trio's judgement, and they trusted you guys with a Red Chain.  They showed similar faith in me 8 years ago, in fact, though not in the same way.  Regardless, if they think we can do it, then we can.  Besides, seeing the sheer number of ridiculously powerful pokemon around, I think even I would be struggling if I had been traveling by myself.  So, thank you for your help, Randolph.  With everyone here working together, I'm confident we'll come out on top of this crisis, whatever it may be."

(As a reminder: whenever you're ready to move on to floor 3, Windos, we started Day 6, so I need you to do abilities and stuff before I can progress things)

[Dragonstrike]

Spoiler

Sassy Littocario? No thanks, Kee has enough sass within him for two, talking with ladies is more fun. Especially if it's a beautiful Milotic!~

He frowns, looks from Milotic to Absol, tilts his head while calmly watching the latter, scratches his head and non-existant beard; overally appears like he's giving what nice Milotic just explained to him a lot of thought. "Disappointed, ya're sayin'.... 'kay...." He doesn't really feel smarter now, but definitely somewhat confused.

Eventually, he coughs lightly and gently takes the Ranc Berry Absol's playing with and gives her a Custap Berry instead (now counts as Held Item). That should do the trick of getting at least a bit of her attention/to make her listen to what Kee tells her now. "I'm... sorry that ya're feeling the way ya do. BUT, please tell me, does it have anythin' t'do with YOU havin' b'come a Shadowmon? For example, ya're disappointed 'cuz ya let yourself become one? If not... Would it help ya if we were to go find tha root of all those recent events? Ya see, me and the others *waves hands to them* are just on tha way t'do so. 'nd I captured ya because

1. I couldn't it bring myself to just leave ya here after ya gave me that thankful look once I purified ya
2. you're really beautiful, such clear blue eyes ya have are rare t'come by."
and also
3. Absol are capable Pokemon. Honestly, screw all those misunderstandings s'rroundin' yar species."

He tries to pet her a little. "So, letsa at least TRY to work together and enjoy each other's company, 'kay? Yar ready 'n okay with that? Would ya be fine if I were to summon ya to a battle 'gainst wild 'n feral 'Mon that I feel suits yar level or experience?..." He withdraws his hand again, it's involuntarily trembling a little.

Ding!  Kee hit the nail right on the head.  Absol nods and smiles sadly.  She won't mind if Kee summons her to battle, but her confidence is definitely a little shaken, even after Kee's encouraging words.

She also doesn't mind if Kee pets her.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

OHHHHH! Now Kee understands, this sad smile Absol gave him speaks volumes.... And once he does, he fondly pets her a little more and gives her a CALM and GENTLE smile instead of a sad one. "Ah, I see. I guess. Well...~ Ya're with me and my fellow Pokemon now, and together we can certainly TRY t'make ya feel better 'bout it, 'kay? Just.... Try not to loose hope." And in a little more quiet words he tells her words that are only meant for the Absol: "And don't let the past ruin yar life 'n happiness, I didn't let mine do so neither. Wasn't easy... But it's NOT impossible."

(Ah, now I feel like the Disobediance of this particular Absol isn't really out of spite and being disobediant in the typical manner, but more out of sadness a lack of confidence? If she'd be unruly and proud, she probably would have backed up if Kee would pet her. I like that, reminds me on Shiva's smol Azurill.)

As for Abilities of the Day, those stay all the same. Kee's party for Floor 3 will consist of
Octavia/Shiny Sylveon @Quick Claw
Stella/Vulpix @Petaya Berry
yet unnamed Absol @ Custap Berry
Core/Paraboom @Black Glasses
Orpheus/Drampa @Oran Berry
and Draven/Minyan @Wide Lens.

That's all!~

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Lucas keeps it brief and to the point.  "Well, for starters, I can probably count the number of people who could probably reliably beat one of my pokemon on two hands.  So that definitely caught my attention, regardless of what others make of the situation.  And second, this might sound a little strange, but I saw potential in you and your pokemon.  I like to think I know a strong, reliable trainer when I see one."

"Oh, and I heard about some of those strange occurrences at Stark Mountain, too.  Had a gut feeling they might be connected, and I knew you'd been poking around there recently.  Buck gave me an update on what's been happening there when I checked in."

He pauses, sighs, and continues.  "Let me make one thing clear: before we visited Snowpoint Temple, Rowan, myself, and the League had no idea what the full extent of these dangers were.  Heck, even after the Temple, I still don't know.  If it had just been my decision at that point, I would have pulled all of you aside, thanked you for your help, and dealt with the issue myself if necessary.  But..."

He sighs again, then cracks a small smile.  "...I trust the Lake Trio's judgement, and they trusted you guys with a Red Chain.  They showed similar faith in me 8 years ago, in fact, though not in the same way.  Regardless, if they think we can do it, then we can.  Besides, seeing the sheer number of ridiculously powerful pokemon around, I think even I would be struggling if I had been traveling by myself.  So, thank you for your help, Randolph.  With everyone here working together, I'm confident we'll come out on top of this crisis, whatever it may be."

(As a reminder: whenever you're ready to move on to floor 3, Windos, we started Day 6, so I need you to do abilities and stuff before I can progress things)

The dwarven craftsman's face turned a bit sour when they did started to feed him lines about his prowess, but it smoothed out almost immediately when they mentioned his potential , and it grew pensive as they brought up his trips to Mt. Stark. His eyebrows were raised as they revealed how out of depth everyone in charge of handling this crises was and still is to an extent, and his stern but tired expression became bit shaken as they declared the Pixie's and their own faith and confidence in him. It was their gratitude to him that provoked the biggest reaction out of Randolph, as he looked more confused than ever upon receiving it , and underneath that.....frustrated?

For a short time, Ran said nothing after Lucas finished his explanations and justifications for their actions, looking so mixed up by it all. So old and lost. He did speak eventually, though, after slowly shaking his head to himself.

"....I understand ya, lad. Even if I can't begin to understand you. What you or the Pixies see in a man like myself I have no earthly clue, but whatever it is must be special or worthwhile enough to put up with me. *Sighs*.....But when has any of that kind of stuff that stopped me from working or getting along with others?" 
Randolph looked to the ceiling, his eyes searching the ceiling for answers that always seemed to elude him.

"...You know, I only became a Trainer a few years ago. Which was a funny thing for me, 'cause for most of my life, I didn't get along with most people, and had zero interest in Pokemon. Hell, I hated them critters for many years. Refused to work with them or have'm in my place of business, and hardly tolerated their lot when I had to. But as I got older, I found myself less....satisfied with the life I've made. Meanwhile, my old friends who owned Pokemon was hardly unhappy with how thing have went with them, and seemed....content with everything they have. As I realized that, I started to pay more attention to the younger generation of Trainers. *Snorts* Found a whole lot of fools and brats like I expected....but I also saw the same exact thing they had with their Pokemon, if rougher and less nuanced. "

"So based on these results, I decided to run a little experiment. Started letting Pokemon in my life for the first time.....ever, by putting up with others more than I ever did before. Tried to see if I could get the same feeling everyone else had for them beasts. And....it seemed to work a bit. Wasn't as much of a grumpy arse as I used to be, and things seemed....better for me and my relations with others. But for the life of me, I couldn't understand why. Couldn't understand why that was, or how people got along so well with their Pokemon. None of the idea I could come up with to explain that fit right to me. So after a long time of fruitless deliberating and some other deliberations.....I decided to take my experiment a step further. I'd become a damn Trainer myself, and get some first hand experience on what makes Pokemon so special and beneficial to people, beyond the labor or services they provide."

Now the bristly blacksmith looked down to his hands, and to the Pokeballs of all kinds hanging off his belt.

"In beginning, the whole Trainer experience was a disaster. 'Side from my Sableye Diam - who'd been hanging out and mooching off me for years while I mined Iron Island, long enough to form....some kind of bond between us - my Chatot Beethoven - who hit it off well with me - and my Mawile Puck - who I hadn't had any history with, but acted so much like Diam I knew how to get along with them anyway - no Pokemon I obtained got along with me, or vice versa, so I kept having to trade them away to get something out of them. It was just me and those three for the longest time.....until I meet you."

He looked to Lucas then, his expression still worn out, but a new investigative gleem was in his eyes now.

"After my battle against Sally and seeing how....causally ya handled her and that undine of yours, I decided to go look up any video I could of you battling with others or commanding your Pokemon. Wanted to figure out what you were doing to get such an ornery and cantakerous woman like Sally to not only follow your orders, but like and respect ya so much too, and use them methods for myself."

*Closes his eyes and sighs*

"And....I didn't find what I expect. You didn't employ any elaborate or strict training or disciplining regimen to get your Pokemon to like and obey ya from what I could see. You just....treated your partners as equals to ya, was patient with them, and.....found personal and unique ways to get along and work with them. *Shakes head* Couldn't understand why or how what you did worked, other than it did. But...I just decided to copy your methods anyway, as however they worked it was getting the kind or results I wasn't doing things my way. *Sighs* ....And needless to say, everything turned Sunny Days for me as a Trainer after I decided to do that. Got a whole bunch of Pokemon to like and care about me by doing things 'The Lucas Way' , and got farther and happier than I ever have as a Trainer. To this day, what I learned and copied by researching you has hardly failed me, and always served me well in the end. In a way....I guess you can say you were a mentor of sorts for me. Still are, even, as you got me changing my attitude around Sally to be like yours and see if that worked to make her less of a.....pain, and it did . "

Again, Randolph heaves another heavy *Sigh*  and closes his eyes, now looking the most confused, lost, and frustrated he's ever been.

"*Growls* And despite doing that, despite doing things your way, and despite all my years of being a Trainer, few as they are, I'm still no closer to understanding any of it. I still dont get what makes Pokemon so special and fulfilling, and what Pokemon see us humans special enough to want us as companions and partners, instead of competition, threats, or something to prey on or ignore with or without forcing them to be ours. None of it makes any sense to me, other that it just is and just happens if you find a way to get along with them, the method of which people use differs yet still works SOMEHOW. It's...it's like this whole thing is some big joke I'm not in on, and everyone's laughing, and I have no choice but be confused and laugh along if I want in on the fun. It's frustrating beyond belief, but....*Sighs* it like I said earlier: don't need to understand to still get along with everyone. *Tiredly chuckles* Heh heh....guess they're some mysterious I'll never be able solve, no matter how smart I am, or how much I learn, eh lad?"

Once more, the midget miner lets loose another *Sigh* and shakes his head, appearing so displeased and disappointed in himself.

"Don't know even why I told you all about that. It just....came out, I suppose. *Frowns at them* Sorry for bothering you about.....well, these past few days. I'll leave you and Sally alone now, and....get ready for tomorrow. Night..."

And that's that, I suppose. Ran would turn to leave and go to his own part of the cave to bed down for the....whatever time of day it was, and hopefully fully recompose himself for the trails no doubt awaiting him and the rest of the group tomorrow. Man, camp had be an awful moody affair for Randolph, huh?

(....And that should do it for all I had plan with Lucas, Dragonstrike. I leave it up to you if you want to continue this plot thread or not, now or later. )

----

The Next Day

Ran's 'morning' was thankfully uneventful as he woke up and felt more or less like his usual surely, grumpy old self. After having one of his MREs for breakfast, he'd contemplate what his Party for the next Floor will be for today will be, and settles on thus: Diam, Beethoven/Aerodactyl, Zorn, Amethyst, Paula, and Ditto. Diam because she's his ace, Beethoven/Aerodactyl because after rescuing Johnathan he realizes the need to have a Fly capable Pokemon on hand for sticky situations, Zorn because he wants to have his heaviest hitter with him, Amethyst partially because of Kee's recommendation, but also because he wants to work on improving his relationship with her too, Paula for much the same reasons he's bringing along Amethyst, and Ditto for the sheer versitility their Transformation capabilities bring to the table. It's not the most well rounded team Type Wise (~1/2 of the team is weak to Fairy, Electric, and Ice Moves, oh noes!), but in terms of pure firepower and utility it's not half bad!

As for his Pokemon's Abilities and Held Items for the Day (That Ran has the potential to use).....
Diam: Default for both
Beethoven: Keen Eye (Silk Scarf)
Puck: Intimidate (None)
Brigid: Drought (Fire Plate)
Stymph: Sturdy (None)
Zorn: Sheer Force (Assault Vest)
Sekmet: No Items
Belladona: Stench (Charcoal)
Catherine: Forewarn (Spell Tag)
Borreas: Snow Warning (None)
Amethyst: Super Luck (Life Orb)
Delta Wingull: Lightning Rod (None)
Excadrill: Sand Rush (None)
Paula: Cute Charm (Soothing Bell)
Aerodactyl: Pressure (None)
Ditto (Name is Omnia!) : Limber (Leftovers)

Regarding his reaction to morning activies, let's just say he doesn't pay attention to any of it unless somebody directs him to do so for simplicity's and time's shake as he's reading him, and let's get a move on to the next Floor! His mini-group will be himself, Rui, and Karen like last time, unless anyone objects to it! Now, it's finally time to go.

(Sorry for putting everyone through such a long wait. Just had to get all that out there when I had a reasonable in game chance to, as I think the in-game campaign is close to wrapping up and I'm unsure if Ran will be sticking around for Dragonstrike's main campaign of not, for one reason or another....)