[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

The coral shelf is a living hive of Corsola and Corsoreef, all constantly rotating and moving and grinding like gears. Small fish Pokemon take shelter in there, but bigger living things are kept out by the dangerous spikes.

The taller island is, of course, volcanic in nature! This is a safer spot than Mt. Molten, since it's surrounded by water.

Awww, lots Corsola and Corsoreef!~ Shiva is especially fascinated by the latter, not having been aware that this cute coralmon has an... evolution? Must be a Tandormon once again, and so it is as she checks her Almanac. She smiles dearly to herself over wondering whether Ventus' Corsola left at the Daycare will become a Corsoreef one glorious day too. It's very enjoyable and fun for the natural fae-enthusiast watching this living hive in the wild for a while, she encourages Vaporeon to go and play with one or two individuals of the hive if she wants. "Be mindful about their spikes though, alright? Protect yourself with Acid Armor if necessary."

In some way, Shiva doesn't especially feel like this coral shelf would have made a good new home for Huge Cocancer.

The taller and warmer island however would DEFINITELY be appropriate!~ Sadness and guilt strike Shiva as she explores this extension of Mt.Molten a little, yet the warmths and pleasant solitude here - it's just her and her most-beloved Pokemon - calms and sooths her nerves. She begins to wonder whether these Scimitars were 'just there', OR whether they waited for an opportunity to catch her and Huge Cocancer off-guard... She doesn't like it, but she's leaning into the latter.



Well  then, it's about time for the natural fae-enthusiast to fly back to Garlicburg or 'Garlicburg' on the leafy wings of her loyal Topius. Towards the military Shiva plays it cool and doesn't let it show at all what happened - for now. Depends on whether and how they greet her, whether they inquire about Huge Cocancer, that sort of stuff. (Do they?)

[Lord Windos]

I guess he could. He's very strong. He'd have to come back for Nathan, of course. In fact, it will take him multiple legs to reach Stair City with such a heavy object, but he can go to quiet locations scouted out ahead of time with FLY.

So yeah, you get the Genesect Fossil into the Gym, and the swarm of Magnemite bear it away to a vault for which only Dagny has the key.

Awesome.  Well then, now's probably a good time for Nathan, Dagny, and Ventus to discuss recent events privately (and I guess it's sorta relevant to Terra, too, if he wants to join in on the conversation).  Given Dagny's the only one around the gym right now, that presumably shouldn't be an issue since her office is also secure.

"So, problem number 1: what do we do with that Genesect fossil?  Lock it up for now, sure, but what about more long term?  I'm sure the Water Scimitars still want to get their hands on it to make their dream super weapon pokemon, but I doubt they're the only group that would like access to that kind of power.  Destroying it isn't really a good option in my opinion, for a few reasons.  It can't stay here forever, though.  And if we revived it...well, that causes a whole host of other issues..."

To give a brief description of what Ventus and Terra did prior to this point for the record: Terra managed to rouse Ven out of his awe-filled wonder at the Fossil and get him back on guard duty with him eventually, and together the two made absolutely sure that Nathan was not disturbed while he was excavating the literally Mythical find. Occasionlly they'd get their respective Water types to help clear away the rock debree and fragments, as well as one of them venturing back in the tunnel to clear out any pests trying to creep up on them and see if Shiva/Heart was coming. Finally after the G.F. is removed and a safely within Gallade's telekinetic hold, Ven would have Aspis totally bombard the entire undersea cave wall that held it with Gunk Shots (Sword charged ones with Nathan's help would be ideal, but not necessary!) to utterly destroy any trace of the prehistoric  DNA remaining, as I believe the trio of educated men could agree they didn't want ANY of it remaining for Scimitars or other would be villains.

Getting and guarding the G.F. back to the surface and to Dagny's secure vault has already been well explained, I won't recount it. Once the trio arrived in Stair (presumably), Terra would take all the Weird Eggs he had back to his Lab, requesting Nathan and Ven wait for him before they go meet with the Steel Wonder (as he very much wants to be fully in on anything to do with it). He wants his own eggheads to take a crack at finding out what those undersea mysteries hold, and if they can't do that their should be plenty of equipment to at least house them while they incubate. If Nathan wants one for himself before they hatch, he'd easily give them one; Ven is content to wait and see himself.

Now to the meeting at hand! Ven, after having a little time himself prior to the meeting to smoke one of his lavender incense to de-stress and mentally fortifying/preparing himself for the conversation, looked a lot more like his usually pleasant self as he listened to the Lore Master, though there was no smiling from him as he contemplated the fate of the ancient and monstrious insect.

"......That is quite the good question, Nate. *Sighs* One that I believe doesn't have an equivocally fine answers, or at least not ones without some sort of caviat to them. We retrieved the Fossil principally to keep it out of the hands of those.....mages, and keeping it in our friend's most secure care does achieve that, but with them still at large and the disgusting influence and capabilities they have it is an inevitably they'll make some play to get at it. The most assured method of preventing it from being exploited, destroying it, I am loathed to see too, as that denies us the resource and the Genesect sleeping within it a chance at a new life. That, and it makes us no better than any paranoid or power hungry fool that erase anything they fear or can't absolutely control."

"Currently, I see only three options as to what we accomplish with the Genesect Fossil. First, we can transfer it to a Pokeball capable of holding it and them storing it in Bill's PC network and keep a dummy fossil in Dagny's vaults, if we want to see it sealed away for the unforeseeable future. Hacking into the PC network is virtually impossible, so it would be completely safe there, and having a fake on hand to draw any dissidents and those clocked wretches would work well in our favor to keep it protected and extirpate those that seek to use it for ill. The Pokeball it's in could also be surgically implanted in a Pokemon if an extra layer of defense and secrecy is desired, such as in a Porygon or Goodra."

"Second, we could request one of the Legendary or Primal Pokemon the group is on good terms with to act as a guardian and gate keeper to the Genesect Fossil indeterminably, until such time we or the world need its power. Given the immense power they hold, their practically infinite life spans, and the secrecy and privacy they naturally cultivate, they're the perfect caretakers of such a invaluable treasure, and I don't believe any of the ones you know would be inclined to exploit the Fossil towards their own ends. I'm hesitant for us to go with this option except as a last resort, however, as Legends and ancient Pokemon can be a rather.....capricious and ineffable bunch even with those in their favor, and I rather not involve such beings in mortal matters, lest they.....over-complicate things with their ancient, detached, and/or non-mortal perspectives and power."

"Lastly....well, we Revive the Genesect from its stony prison, and put it the use in our own ends. If we can ensure its compliance and Loyalty to us, then nobody else can even attempt to misuse it unless they wish to incite its viscous wrath. If we can't control it, then at the very least nobody else can too, and we can it locked away in the PC network or release in a top secret location to live out the rest of its life in peace. *Sighs*  ....Of course, there comes the matter of how we Revive it, and if we can. Revification technology has advanced greatly and seen great success in recent years, and there has been.....recent success in reviving a Genesect, but I'm uncertain if anyone in Cheshire would be up to the task without having to make unsavory modifications to it or make compromises in the process to ensure it's successfulness, either of which will no doubt negatively impact it in some manner. We also have to involve more people to set things up, which presents huge liabilities for obvious reasons. And then there's the matter of the species notrious disposition and aggressive nature. If we can't control it it's just as liable to cause us problems as everyone else, even if we can deal with it like I said. Furthermore -


"*Coughs* .....I have.....a solution for Reviving Genesect and befriending it."

The eccentric researcher is cut off as Terra abruptly interjects, getting a irritated but curious look from them. Up until now he'd kept quiet and listened patiently, but with the Revification option now sufficiently explained he felt it was time for him to put his two Poke in the discussion. He looks a bit awkward doing so, though, rubbing the back of his head uncertainly before he took a deep breath and started talking.

"....My lab is focused on the research, study, and improvement of Bug, Fossil, Ancient, and unusual Pokemon. It is new, but is staffed with.....the brightest minds in their fields. All have been vetted by me, their universities, Dr. Mallorn, and.....Dr. Fossil Lady, and have all signed NDAs, so very low chance for.....loss of secrecy to Genesect and its Revification. Has most.....advanced and new technology too. We would need a lot of time to make......all the preparations for it, but I believe.....I know we can successfully Revive it without issue. Make it....nice and friendly enough not to be a problem for its keepers as well. Will make it easier to study and.....use.

That....is all. *Looks to Nathan and the Dagny* What do you think, Nathan? Dagny?"

[Iron]

I guess he could. He's very strong. He'd have to come back for Nathan, of course. In fact, it will take him multiple legs to reach Stair City with such a heavy object, but he can go to quiet locations scouted out ahead of time with FLY.

So yeah, you get the Genesect Fossil into the Gym, and the swarm of Magnemite bear it away to a vault for which only Dagny has the key.

Awesome.  Well then, now's probably a good time for Nathan, Dagny, and Ventus to discuss recent events privately (and I guess it's sorta relevant to Terra, too, if he wants to join in on the conversation).  Given Dagny's the only one around the gym right now, that presumably shouldn't be an issue since her office is also secure.

"So, problem number 1: what do we do with that Genesect fossil?  Lock it up for now, sure, but what about more long term?  I'm sure the Water Scimitars still want to get their hands on it to make their dream super weapon pokemon, but I doubt they're the only group that would like access to that kind of power.  Destroying it isn't really a good option in my opinion, for a few reasons.  It can't stay here forever, though.  And if we revived it...well, that causes a whole host of other issues..."

"You are perceptive to bring that up. Surviving remnants of both classes of Scimitars have been working hard to build new weapons, to obtain new Pokemon moves for their gauntlets, and even to bio-engineer new creations. They intercepted the Cocancer from Garlicburg. They've been seen researching Genesect adaptations. They've been looking into other Legendary Pokemon."

"Not only that, they seem to have begun a propaganda campaign to bring the citizenry closer to their ideals. Their scant communications talk about 'a new era of Scimitars.'

[Iron]

Well  then, it's about time for the natural fae-enthusiast to fly back to Garlicburg or 'Garlicburg' on the leafy wings of her loyal Topius. Towards the military Shiva plays it cool and doesn't let it show at all what happened - for now. Depends on whether and how they greet her, whether they inquire about Huge Cocancer, that sort of stuff. (Do they?)

Oh, they already know. You are met with stony glares by the military - the whole point was to know the location of Cocancer. Only Achilles among the military-minded has a warm smile for you and a pat on the back.

[Lord Windos]

"You are perceptive to bring that up. Surviving remnants of both classes of Scimitars have been working hard to build new weapons, to obtain new Pokemon moves for their gauntlets, and even to bio-engineer new creations. They intercepted the Cocancer from Garlicburg. They've been seen researching Genesect adaptations. They've been looking into other Legendary Pokemon."

"Not only that, they seem to have begun a propaganda campaign to bring the citizenry closer to their ideals. Their scant communications talk about 'a new era of Scimitars.'

Those comments and reveals elicited two similar yet distinct reactions from Ventus and Terra. The oranged haired scientist probably already knew about the Scimitar remenet activity, what with him working very closely with Dagny and his own vehement interest in keep tabs on those mages, but hearing that the TITANIC COCANCER got snatch by them made his eyes bulge out and him scream out in surprise "They what?!" before he got visibly and extremely livid. He looked about primed to start strangling something, with his hands clench and uncleaching angrily but futile in front of him, before he took a deep breath and expelled it from his nose in a great huff.

".....Excuse for a moment, everyone. I believe I need a break to.....take this news in properly. I'll be back in a few minutes. Continue discussion as normal, if you would please. Terra will update me about the things I missed, or I will get the rest of the proceedings from you Dagny."

And the eccentric researcher leaves the room, off to have another smoke and ring up his girlfriend and nicely ask why they didn't inform him or Nathan about what happened to the TITANIC COCANCER ASAP . This call doesn't need to be acted out, but for Phantom's shake assume he's rather angry and worried about this lack of promptness on her part, as well as not please with her ending up flaking on them in the G.F. excavation. Suffice to say, he'll be away until further notice.

The sagely monk, on the hand, was quite surprise to hear that Scimitar activity was still going strong despite the League's, Dagny's, and Nathan's best efforts to stomp them out or drive them off, and the news of the giant crab's abduction makes him frown in both worry and charinge. Oh....that was not a great outcome to that crisis. Maybe if he stayed with Shiva and Heart he'd could've prevented it from happening, or at the very least captured one of them and follow up on their crab catching and other secret activities. Another mistake he's made that he now has to live with.....

He puts his personal shame behind him for now, though. It was time to discuss the fate of the G.F. and those that seek it, not wallow in his own inadequacy.

"Dagny, could you....share your findings and information about the Scimitars with me? Want to do my part in stopping them, and keep myself......updated on what they are doing too."

[Dragonstrike]

"...wait, the Scimitars captured Cocancer?  I thought Shiva and Heart were escorting it...*sigh*...hope they're okay..."

Well, on one hand, this makes a certain other topic Nathan wanted to discuss with Dagny after the fossil's fate easier to bring up later since Ventus left the room and won't be back until further notice...

"Well, let's take this one step at a time, I suppose, starting with what we know and can do something about right now.  What do we do about this Genesect Fossil, then?  Any suggestions, Dagny?  I've had a lot of time to think about this since learning about where it was, but...still not sure what might be the best course of action, if I'm being completely honest."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Well  then, it's about time for the natural fae-enthusiast to fly back to Garlicburg or 'Garlicburg' on the leafy wings of her loyal Topius. Towards the military Shiva plays it cool and doesn't let it show at all what happened - for now. Depends on whether and how they greet her, whether they inquire about Huge Cocancer, that sort of stuff. (Do they?)

Oh, they already know. You are met with stony glares by the military - the whole point was to know the location of Cocancer. Only Achilles among the military-minded has a warm smile for you and a pat on the back.

O.... Oh, they.... already k-know.... ( ._.) Shiva flinches a bit whenever someone from the military gives her that STOOOONY glare and semi-tries to hide behind the Ancient Shield; at some point Whimsicott even summons herself and glares black at the military with menacing eyes while floofing up her fluff to look twice as big.

Achilles' kindness towards her is very appreciated, she carefully returns a light smile. "Hehehe... Hehe... He... I kinda failed, now did I...? I'm so, so s...sorry. These Scims ambushed me, didn't start a fight themselves though and instead just... Made good use of my kindness and s-soft heart o(TヘTo), I SHOULD NOT have fallen for it, I knooooow, please don't tell me...." She facepalms over herself, holds a faint sob.

"But, uhm... *smile of light hope* Does it help you all to know that I'm AWARE I made a mistake and will, well, do what I can to fix things caused by this m-mistake of m....mine...? I desire to travel further and explore more, so I can keep my eyes and senses open for any sort of trouble! C-can I help you all in some further way here or shall I better leave now....?

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(...)And the eccentric researcher leaves the room, off to have another smoke and ring up his girlfriend and nicely ask why they didn't inform him or Nathan about what happened to the TITANIC COCANCER ASAP . This call doesn't need to be acted out, but for Phantom's shake assume he's rather angry and worried about this lack of promptness on her part, as well as not please with her ending up flaking on them in the G.F. excavation. Suffice to say, he'll be away until further notice.(...)

Whatever Ventus tells her, it increases Shiva's guilt by 100%. She herself is already worried, scared, angry at herself and very aware that she failed, being reminded on it injects the instinctive shame about this mistake of hers further into her sensitive heart. Shiva will need a bit of time, at best alone time and distraction, to distance herself from these feelings and instead see it as a real opportunity and chance to grow further,

She also tells/semi-sobs towards Ven that she didn't insta-called him or the others because... 1. she needed to get a hang of the situation herself first and 2. even if she WERE to insta-call them, what would/could they have done about the situation? The Scims were already gone as fast as they came.

(Doesn't need to be acted out indeed and I kinda don't want to go through the drama of doing so, but I still wished to give an insight of how Shiva responds.)

[Iron]

"...wait, the Scimitars captured Cocancer?  I thought Shiva and Heart were escorting it...*sigh*...hope they're okay..."

Well, on one hand, this makes a certain other topic Nathan wanted to discuss with Dagny after the fossil's fate easier to bring up later since Ventus left the room and won't be back until further notice...

"Well, let's take this one step at a time, I suppose, starting with what we know and can do something about right now.  What do we do about this Genesect Fossil, then?  Any suggestions, Dagny?  I've had a lot of time to think about this since learning about where it was, but...still not sure what might be the best course of action, if I'm being completely honest."

"If I were in your shoes, I'd just destroy it. We don't owe anything to a Pokemon who died thousands of years ago. Genesect already had its life. On the other hand, they say it's very easy to raise a Genesect as a powerful Steel type... The things I could do with one! I could revolutionize... well, anything! Any part of society I wanted to just... just solve! The adaptability! I could create a Genesect who generated unlimited power, or guarded the League HQ, a Genesect who dispensed medicines, a Genesect who could delve into the Throne Room of Sarimanok! Anything at all..."

[Iron]

"But, uhm... *smile of light hope* Does it help you all to know that I'm AWARE I made a mistake and will, well, do what I can to fix things caused by this m-mistake of m....mine...? I desire to travel further and explore more, so I can keep my eyes and senses open for any sort of trouble! C-can I help you all in some further way here or shall I better leave now....?

"You might as well just leave now. Unless you can get Cocancer back, that is."