[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Quote Iron:
There are about 30 suits, maybe half of which are functional. The rest look like they were hit with some shrapnel and are just piled in a heap.

No passwords on either of the two potential Nucleon doors, though the green glow door has a retinal scanner that looks like it caught on fire in the recent past.
There is one quadrant of the lab that's covered in a thick layer of dust, and it is protected by a keypad you could ask Dagny about. It's within the disaster area so you aren't likely to get much support or hindrance from the military there.

Calam's danger sense would be overwhelmed on this island. Shiva's sixth sense picks up lifeforms in almost all these rooms I've mentioned, and Gallade senses considerable distress from many of the elemental rooms. And a weirdly calm, lordly emotion from the glowing green room.
(…)
The door pings and pops and sizzles - it was holding a LOT of heat. It even buckles a little as the metal warps. When you turn the cooled wheel, the door opens.

Bright orange light assaults your eyes. At the center of the room is a massive behemoth of a machine, miles of working (but empty) conveyor belts leading into its fiery maw. It has been built in the shape of an oversized Guzzlord, but you know it's nonliving, it's truly a machine. Seems they have set up an incinerator here, along with some simple robots to help disassemble the things that need to be incinerated. There are slots for smaller items, like files, but the heat is so high that close to the machine that it would be impossible to approach them right now. Out the back, the machine has a big wound, the metal bent sideways and drippy with melted alloy. Ashes and bone remnants have spilled from this side. The hole in the machine is mirrored by a similar hole in the wall behind it. A mechanical/electrical humming sound comes from the revealed room in that direction, but it sounds arrhythmic. Looks like the hole was torn through some kind of big conduit, which for some reason has chunks of concrete inside.

Apparently, opening the door has disturbed something. It drags itself forth from the flames inside the incinerator and hauls itself upright. At first glance, it looks like a Magmortar, wreathed in flames. A further look reveals that it is massively oversized, and its belly has mutated to resemble the Guzzlordian mouth of the incinerator. It launches a warning shot from one armcannon which melts the steel pillar between you and it.
Quote PhantomUnderYourDesk: Shiva pays close attention Ven's insight about how to hide away something from the League within a lab... Lots of silent hmmms and thoughtful looks + poses from her. Though she doesn't seem really convinced yet. "All of those are valid and great ways to hide away something, Ven... But what I'm looking down here is alive, is a valid Pokemon, so hiding it within a script or microchip is out of the way. Or rather, it should be alive still and down here still if the League hasn't been here first - doesn't look to be the case though thankfully!~"

"Furthermore, one password I have and know already... *cue sly smile*So let's not bother Dagny unless we HAVE to, alright? BUT we can surely collect some research papers or USB drives to show her later and check for any hidden information." That means, if there are any laying around by chance, Shiva will pick them up and hand them to Ventus for containment.

Ven quirks an eyebrow at his divine darling’s posturing as she mulls over what he said, and can’t help but chuckle at her polite rejection.

“Pokeballs containing ‘off the book’ experiments are among the many things researchers or other individual can Furret away from the League as I have described, and you never know if they isn’t some holding pin or room full of Pokemon secreted away or concealed by lab equipment or hidden doors. It’s also very much possible for Pokemon to be stored on private servers, but hardly anyone does that due to the considerable resources involved in doing so. *Shrugs* That, and Bill’s PC network exists, which is typically more convenient and boasts some of the best security systems and privacy policies and protection in the world, so building a private server for Pokemon storage is often considered overly extravagant and pointless.”

Other than saying that, he’d easily concede to her request to not pester his boss for more intel, and of course take care of anything she or the group finds/picks up that is deemed ‘interesting or sensitive Item and materials.’
It should be noted that the eccentric researcher is also sticking close as he can to Shiva without being completely smothering, as he does not and will not allow anything down in these hazardous labs to get at her without going through him and his family first. That, and more so than ever he’s taking great comfort from her soothing presence, as being here was doing his nerves nor his paranoia any good. Calam’s presence and their no doubt notable unease with everything doesn’t help much either, with the comfortably dressed scientist grimacing ever so slightly when they were released and scooting that much closer to his girlfriend.

(…)

Seeing the ominous and ruined disposal line quickly put Ventus on edge and high alert (well, more so, anyway), his eyes quickly picking up every detail, turning them over in his head and analyzing them for every last scrap of useful data like a overclocked Metagross look for its next meal. As such, he almost instantly noticed the Mutant Magmortor’s presence, his visage briefly contorting in horror and then palpable indignant disgust with its seemingly abominable and hellish nature before he managed to school it. Their warning shot caused him to leap back with no small amount of fear, alarm, and distaste, but when Shiva regains her stance and bravely stood against the hellmouthed Fire elemental, the empathetic ‘gentleman’ rallied to her side with angry, almost savage scowl! In one motion, he flicked his wrist and released Ao Guang, defiantly stretching the very same hand at the massive molten monstrosity.

“If that is your will, it shall be done. Ao Guang, snuff this hellfire beast flames out.”

The Dragon Lord of the Water trumpets out in response to his master’s impassioned and LIVID request, matching it with their own fiercesome, prideful temper as they deftly leap-weaved-surged-Dragon Danced onto the conveyor belt to build momentum, close the distance between himself and the Mutant Magmortor, and pump its fiery belly maw with viscous deluge after viscous deluge of close ranged Hydro Pumps! Formidable and frightening as the fiery abomination appeared to be, it had NOTHING on the PURE DRAGONIC FURY that HE, a MIGHTY Kingdra, wielded against them! Let’s see it handle its perfect counter, the monstrous curr!!!

(Sorry it this took so long, mates, but I had to make sure I got all the details right before I could go ahead and post!)

[Iron]

As soon as this happens, the Magmortar's more unusual energies dim a bit. But it grabs some scrap metal and scoops it into its second maw, and soon those flames are roaring again. It wings another piece of metal at Heart, who is forced to deflect it with Aegislash. Magmortar steps up onto the edge of the conveyor belt and braces his hip against the entrance to the incinerator of doom, waiting for his prey to come to him on the conveyor, quite automatically. Doesn't seem bothered that a water type and a crazy human wreathed in flames are heading straight toward him.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Original Post

Ven quirks an eyebrow at his divine darling’s posturing as she mulls over what he said, and can’t help but chuckle at her polite rejection.

“Pokeballs containing ‘off the book’ experiments are among the many things researchers or other individual can Furret away from the League as I have described, and you never know if they isn’t some holding pin or room full of Pokemon secreted away or concealed by lab equipment or hidden doors. It’s also very much possible for Pokemon to be stored on private servers, but hardly anyone does that due to the considerable resources involved in doing so. *Shrugs* That, and Bill’s PC network exists, which is typically more convenient and boasts some of the best security systems and privacy policies and protection in the world, so building a private server for Pokemon storage is often considered overly extravagant and pointless.”

Other than saying that, he’d easily concede to her request to not pester his boss for more intel, and of course take care of anything she or the group finds/picks up that is deemed ‘interesting or sensitive Item and materials.’

It should be noted that the eccentric researcher is also sticking close as he can to Shiva without being completely smothering, as he does not and will not allow anything down in these hazardous labs to get at her without going through him and his family first. That, and more so than ever he’s taking great comfort from her soothing presence, as being here was doing his nerves nor his paranoia any good. Calam’s presence and their no doubt notable unease with everything doesn’t help much either, with the comfortably dressed scientist grimacing ever so slightly when they were released and scooting that much closer to his girlfriend.

Oh.... Shiva gives her erratic love of a Sociologist an elighted and thankful look as he suggests that what she's looking for might just as well be hidden within a Pokeball, which is then Furret'ed away thanks to lab equipment or behind hidden doors. "Y....You're right, Ven-dear, I see now! Will keep an eye and my other senses open for hints of this, yes! (^0^)" She'd hug and kiss him for his insights, but not now. And not in front of the others.

But what she does is welcoming and embracing Ven sticking close to her side, given that she likewise just enjoys his presence. It gives her a warm and affectionate feeling as well as the sense of being protected in a way the Ancient Shield could not.



......ANd tHEN It wAS tIme To FigHt this HuGe iNCInERAGmorTAR tO prOCeEd!11! ( ÒωÓ)و☆

Original Post

Magmortar's heat and the cover makes it difficult to reach him with ranged attacks. You'll need to justify any such attacks.
However, if you approach for melee, I request a dramatic scene involving running on the conveyor belts!
This Magmortar's signature move is a Fire-type Rollout move that he sends wheeling along the conveyor belts. It gets stronger each time he blasts one.
And of course there's the Guzzlord mouth to contend with.

Despite this foe is one to really none to underestimate, Raphael and Azu showed little to no fear - if they were backed off by that fierly abomination of a Magmortar, it was too little to properly compete with the raw trust and loyalty they both held for their gentle fae-like Master!~

A delighted and merciless chirp is heard from the waterly fae-rabbit of a magician as she glows from being empowered by the Ancient Sword, conveying that she absolutely en joys this extra-portion of strength in her tiny arms and smol muscles. "Good move, Nathan! Now come, Azu, forward with you, please aim for a potential weakpoint and do not fear being engulfed nor eaten alive by your foe's monstrous maw as I've got you covered on that front!~ (･ω<)☆" Another, second faint glow rushes over Azu's body and the faints away, the Ancient Shield's protection on her synergies wonderfully with the Ancient Sword's offensive boost.

Feeling like the star of the show now, Azu has no qualms to rush forward into action before anyonelse (bar any Ancient Helmet-empowered attack) can, take a leap onto the closest moving conveyor belt, outrun it just like that, quickly close any distance between herself and that morbid Incineragmortar and then slam herself directly into their face while being engulfed not by flames nor pain but by the clearest of water. It's the power of her Aqua Jet move! Before Incineragmortar knows what happened, Azu jumped backwards against a wall and then back onto a conveyor belt to toy with her foe. Being so close AND many times smaller that the intimidatingly-looking opponent, this was quite a daring game for the fae-rabbit to play; but she soon found joy in pretending to trip and be auto-transported into the Guzzlordian maw only to espace in the very last second and smack Incineragmortar's head like it was a big boulder. She did everything she could to keep their attention and offensive attacks focused on her only to shrug them off via the Ancient Shield and protect her co-battlers from being attacked.


The graceful archangel of a Togekiss meanwhile decided to keep himself out of the direct frontline and instead glides over the heads of the battlers and their Masters like a guardian angel, he coos and sings in a low and melodious tone all the time. His voice is one that can melt even the hardest and most closed-off of hearts, regardless where they may hide from him: There's no escape route from Raphael singing himself into the hearts and minds of his foes to defuse their aggression and disarm them of their offensive desires. This Incineragmortar may be as much of an abomination of a modified and experimented-on Pokemon and as much aggressive and protective as it wants, but is it tough enough to not be softened up by the dear and lovely attitude of Raphael?

[Spiritmon]

Despite the size and power of Magmortar, Heart quick raise Lancelot shield. ''King Shield!" The scrap metal barely did any damage against the flaming warrior for 2 reasons: First, thanks to Lancelot defense, only super effective could do any damage. And second, King Shield is his ultimate defense move.

Seeing his friends going to the attack, Heart summon his power once more. He impaled Lancelot blade in the ground, and he beg to Quetzal lend his power: Tailwind. He then begin to chant. Not ordering to the Winds to be control, but asking for aid in this fight for the great forces who rule the wind:

Winds arise and flow from the east.

Screamed though the trees like a roaring beast.

On a tree branches you shall feast.

At my guide you shall be ceased.

With harm to none so mote it.

"Legendaries of the wind, hear my pray: Landorus, Moltres and Rayquaza. Please, grant me your blessing! Grant us feet quick as the wind!" When Heart end his chant, Ventus, Nathan, Shiva and all their Pokemons, could feel a warm breeze. It was not like the infernal heat from Magmortar, but more like a relaxing and good warm breeze from a sunny day, granting them speed and more agility.

Feeling quick as ever, Gustav did what he do better: He do his own ritual, using Swords Dance to increase his power. He then took aim from his canon arm, and huge ball of Water emerge, powerup by Swords Dance and the Helmet itself. The spheres of pure water pressure was launch against the Guzz beast, engufing him and trying to aid Azu in his attack.

As for Swampert, due to the speed grant by the helmet and the Tailwind summoned by Heart Earthpower, he launch into the battle, his punch filled with power, aiming right at Magmortar face! Rock Smash was summoned! Leaving his enemy with lower defenses, Swampert maw was filled with pure water and mud, and the torrent of swamp water was launch against his fiery enemy, leaving wet, and blind because of it! 

But Magmortar didnt forgive his enemies! He decided to give his hateful enemies a lesson! His own punch increase with eletricity, using Thunder Punch against Gustav! But Heart dont let that happen. He once more summoned a barrier, this time boost by the Helmet and Lancelot himself! "Wide Guard!" A barrier protect Gustav, leaving him most alive, despite a bit shocked by the last eletrict type move. He continue to do his job, launching a canon of water after the other.

While that, Heart doing his best to protect his friends. His Wide Guard might not protect better than Shiva Shield, but despite that, he keep doing his best.

[Iron]

Wide Guard definitely helps with the INTENSE ambient heat, and the scalding steam that is a result of Azu and Ao Guang's activities.

The Sword alone isn't enough to deal with this foe who has so many resources to keep enemies at arm's length. Using Heart's wind and Helm powers to back up its speed, Azu is able to make contact with that priority move. But without the effects of Rock Smash and muddy blinding water, Magmortar would have been able to take revenge as swift as any legendary sword.

Staggering from these combined efforts, Ao Guang is able to trip Magmortar with a close range Hydro Pump and make it fall into the crushing jaws of the incinerator. With these effects pinning Magmortar in place, Azu is able to easily go for the finishing move.

Ven, being a scientist, immediately spots another risk. If Magmortar fell back into the heart of the inferno, he might be able to recover even from a fatal wound. Luckily, the heat resistant Ao Guang is right at hand to prevent that from happening. Azu's Huge Power could help too.

Here's what you now see in the room:
-The still-functioning incinerator, full of destroyed items and the ashes of paperwork.
-The melted conduit to the next room, full of concrete. Closer inspection reveals that this entire wall was concrete except for this spot, and even the conduit could be pumped full of liquid cement by an automatic system, which indeed happened. Why, you don't know.
-The corpse of the freakish Magmortar.
-A working retinal scanner leading to one of the locked rooms.

That hole in the wall looks like it leads in the direction of the glowing green room, or perhaps a little behind it.

[Dragonstrike]

(corpse?  For clarity, is that Magmortar dead or unconscious?)

Nathan wipes some sweat off his brow.  Even with the protection of Wide Guard and Magmortar defeated, the heat in that room is INTENSE.  "Phew.  Wasn't expecting to be dealing with ultra powerful Fire type pokemon down here, honestly.  Good job, guys."

Nathan looks at the contents of the room carefully.  "...burned paperwork and items...Almanac must have been covering their tracks, destroying evidence.  Doesn't look like there's much salvageable here, unfortunately.  And that emergency cement pump...if it's between this room and the glowing one...and it was triggered...maybe they were trying to keep whatever's in there sealed inside..."

Brief assessment of the room concluded, Nathan follows up with his thoughts on what they could investigate next.

"...well, looks like we're in the belly of the beast now.  Not literally, thankfully, but definitely figuratively...if that glowing room was sealed off entirely at one point, Almanac must have considered whatever is or was in there incredibly dangerous...it goes without saying but...we should proceed with caution."

Nathan also looks at that scanner, and when he sees that it works, he smiles.  "Well now, what do we have here?  Working electronics, huh?  Alright, this is as good a chance as any, I suppose..."

Before Nathan does anything, though, he makes sure to address the rest of the party.  "I think I can probably get this door open if we want since the retinal scanner is functioning.  And I definitely want to check out as much of the facility as we can."

[Spiritmon]

Heart body of flames dismish now after the intense heat battle. The party show they have the greater flames. Heart remove the helmet and helmet, but Lancelot still in his hand, only this time returning to their normal size. Swampert return to normal form. He look at Ventus, fearing he might have scare the scientist after see Heart summon all these power of Fire and Tailwind. He already dont like magic, and Heart fear he might loose his friendship...

When Nathan share his information, Heart listen to all. "Awesome. If you want, Koa and Quetzal could break the door easily. My dragon finally reach his Haxorus form and he can easily destroy the door without many problems. And Quetzal? He is a metalic flying serpent. No door is a challenge to him."

[Dragonstrike]

When Nathan share his information, Heart listen to all. "Awesome. If you want, Koa and Quetzal could break the door easily. My dragon finally reach his Haxorus form and he can easily destroy the door without many problems. And Quetzal? He is a metalic flying serpent. No door is a challenge to him."

"As much as I'd like to trash this place, let's not destroy it if we can avoid doing so.  I have a more...elegant solution in mind that would be less likely to alert the locals to our presence if they haven't noticed us yet."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Phew.... This was an intense and burningly hot battle yet a fast one, Azu and Raphael visibly relax a little upon realising that the hardest part is over and quickly hop/glide over to their beloved faelike Master. "Well done, my dear ones... *heavy breathing from this intense heat in the room* And thanks to you all likewise, people, many thanks, I couldn't have... Uhm, done that myself." A few Water Sports from Azu can only do so much to cool Shiva and the surrounding off, but it's appreciated regardless.

Things WEREN'T defused quite yet however - assuming that dear Ven does point out the risk of Incineragmortar recovering again if falling into the heart of the inferno (because why wouldn't he ), Shiva immediately asks Azu to "Please, be quick my dearest, get that monstrous Magmortar OUT of the incinerator, haul it away a bit so that it CAN'T get in touch with the inner flames of it at all!" Towards Ven's Kingdra: "Please, Ao Guang, you too, let's combine extraordinaire strength and heat-resistance to make it work! (>o<)" Shiva sounds urged and almost desperate about this.

That should do the trick. And once it's done, Shiva gets AS CLOSE to that defeated Incineragmortar as possible for her with protection from the Ancient Shield and nudges them with the only Heavy Ball of hers - Yes @Iron, this is an attempt to capture this abomination of a Magmortar from Shiva. If even the Heavy Ball can't hold them, she'll try the last Steel Ball of hers. Shiva just....can't nor want to leave this 'Mon behind. (No need to give me Stats or moves though as they'll be given into custody of the military or the League at the soonest opportunity)



Lotsa ashes and paperwork down the incinerator - someone has been extra-cautious about not letting any sensitive leak outside of the lab. This intrigues Shiva quite a lot.

Same with the functioning(!) retinal scanner!! But before Nathan or Heart can do anything with it, Shiva checks it out (especially checks if there is any keyboard/pad belonging to it), then shakes her head. "....No. Not yet please, no tampering with electronics quite yet please... Beforehand, I wish to try a different way. Alright? Please, there's somethingelse about this room that...caught my eyes almost the very second we arrived here.... We can - shall! - still check and explore these locked rooms, but I'd kinda like and desire to go a different direction at first. *cue sly smile* Is it a dangerous desire? Yes, likely. But am I unprepared? No."

And so Shiva points and heads to that wall behind the incinerator, that one with the melted conduit and hole. She checks it carefully, very carefully, but just as interested. "Concrete... This whole wall was concrete, bar this conduit it seems, but even it could be pumped full of it! Concrete, hehe... It's quite useful to shield off nuclear radiation, the more dense and thick the better."

What's visible in the room behind the wall when Shiva takes a look? Can she spot any hints where this mechanical/electrical and arrhythmic humming heard earlier comes from? And: Is that hole big enough for a human to slip through or not?

[Dragonstrike]

Nathan shrugs.  "I'm following you right now.  Just assessing our options.  Doesn't matter to me where we go so long as we check the whole place out before we leave.  And also as long as we stick together.  Don't really want to think about what might happen if we were to split up and encountered another foe as tough as that Magmortar..."

He does nod in agreement at Shiva's assessment of the concrete wall, though he is frowning slightly at the same time.  He's got a bad feeling about that glowing room...