[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

To Shiva: Yes, he learned all the moves he was supposed to, I just didn't have any flavor text for that one.

To Nathan: "Oh, it's a lot more advanced than the standard Mallorn dex, so I thought you'd been tinkering with it. It has hyperthreading, improved voice recognition (especially for the main voice profile here, which I assume is yours), and a neural-net-like recognition function that can 'guess' what a Pokemon is even when the Dex doesn't have enough data to assess. Also, three password protected games that don't come with Mallorn's Dex."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

To Shiva: Yes, he learned all the moves he was supposed to, I just didn't have any flavor text for that one.

Yay! Yena expresses pride when Shiva asks about that new move of his, yet he knows that he has to be careful about actually using it. Shiva herself has quite the respect about it, especially with that additional biting force her special doggo has thanks to her care and training!

Still cuddling and hugging Yena, she asks Howl: "So, ehm, how has....Elanor been doing in the past few days, has nature managed to recover a bit with Heart's help?"

[Iron]

To Shiva: Yes, he learned all the moves he was supposed to, I just didn't have any flavor text for that one.

Yay! Yena expresses pride when Shiva asks about that new move of his, yet he knows that he has to be careful about actually using it. Shiva herself has quite the respect about it, especially with that additional biting force her special doggo has thanks to her care and training!

Still cuddling and hugging Yena, she asks Howl: "So, ehm, how has....Elanor been doing in the past few days, has nature managed to recover a bit with Heart's help?"

"Something changed drastically. All the Pokemon have been very organized since the flying Onix was seen over Elanor. They're acting almost like a team of their own. And there's been a response from nature that's more than can be explained by the activities even of organized Pokemon."

[Dragonstrike]

About the pokedex:

"That's all software stuff, right?  Nothing to do with the hardware?"

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Back on the topic of the fossil:

"...hmmmm...well, Dagny has a point either way.  Let's not get carried away with modifying it, though.  Personally, I'd rather not destroy it, either.  Doing either would rob us of a valuable historical find since there's little info on what Genesect was like before man and vastly powerful pokemon started artificially enhancing it.  I doubt we'll ever truly know what a completely unmodified Genesect looks like, but this is a rare, and possibly our only, chance to study what its natural enhancements did for it and how it adapts without direct outside interference."

"From my understanding, Ventus also doesn't wish to because he has a history with the species and would like to make up for past mistakes if possible."

"...honestly, I'm tempted to revive it as well.  If the Scimitars are looking into Legendary pokemon, we might need all the firepower we can get, and you could argue the fossil would be safer if it's able to defend itself on top of whatever else is getting in the Scims' way of taking it for themselves.  That, and...I know of at least one highly dangerous figure they've apparently already figured out how to harness the power of.  One that might threaten the entire region by itself.  Which brings us to problem number 2..."

Nathan gets his journal out and starts flipping through it, showing Dagny some of the notes he's taken as supporting evidence.

Long explanation

"The vines and the Prophecy of Stone weren't the only things Sarimanok left behind in the Skull Ruins.  Locked away in the final layer of the ruins is a power referred to as The Eye, and its presence is inextricably linked to the symbol of Sarimanok's Eye.  Anything its power affects becomes aggressive and driven to do its very best in whatever it does to dangerous degrees.  The closer you get to the Skull Ruins and the final layer of the underground maze beneath them, the more powerful the effects become, until you have no choice but to battle everything you make eye contact with in an attempt to improve yourself.  In addition, anywhere you see the symbol of Sarimanok's Eye, The Eye's presence can likely also be found there."

"We were unfortunate enough to find one such symbol on the floor of one of the lab's underneath Garlicburg's surface, and it was driving a normally docile and scared Girafarig to aggressive tendencies.  It was almost like a completely different pokemon, and I doubt the ancient symbol's placement in a modern lab was an accident.  If you also remember Corsage a few months back, when everyone was having trouble sleeping, that incident was caused primarily by a Mega Delta Houndoom with the symbol emblazoned on its chest.  After I evolved Orthros, I checked to see if he had the symbol when he Mega Evolves, and he does not.  I've seen the Eye in many different places throughout my journey, and I doubt I've seen the last of it, but those two particular incidents stand out because they directly affected pokemon in the general proximity of human activity."

TLDR; Nathan's worried that the power of the Eye's influence is spreading, and that the Scimitars may be trying to harness it for themselves.

"...I'm suspecting there's foul play at work just underneath the surface of our modern lifestyle in this region.  I don't know if it's the Scimitars that are the main issue or if the Eye is primarily to blame, but I do know that whatever is being planned, it's probably bad news for the entire region.  I'm planning to talk with Mesprit and maybe Landorus about this later, given the weight of the issue and its possible origins."

[Iron]

"True, there haven't been any modifications to the hardware that I can detect."

"I know a little about Sarimanok's eye. It does seem psychic in nature, but Steel and Dark are not immune to its power. It must be something more."

"As someone who fought and explored beneath those vines, I know firsthand how dangerous the Skull Ruins can be when its ancient powers are awakened. But it might be wise for us to send an expedition to figure out how to enter the bottom layers of the Skull Ruins."

[Dragonstrike]

Pokedex stuff:  

Well, if it's only software stuff, then Nathan has a question for Porygon-Z and Pulse.

"Have either of you been altering my pokedex's software recently?  There's a lot of unexplained changes I don't remember making. Honest answers, please."

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

Legendary Stuff:

"I have an idea for how we might get to the bottom layer already, actually, thanks to our own little foray taking us all the way to the second-to-last layer.  The last layer's sealed shut, and not even the Sword can force its way in, but there are likely keys hidden somewhere in the region.  All the doors that seem to lead to the lowest layer have the same symbols depicted on them, and this will likely start to sound familiar real soon."

"A tree, a sword, and a crown.  Kingdom, Knighthood, and Royalty.  If all three keys that represent the trio are gathered, the door to the final lair of the Skull Ruins should open.  I think the keys might be actual pokemon, but I honestly have little conclusive evidence of that.  I do know who the original members of the Legendary trio were, as well as the location of one of them.  I believe Sarimanok was looking to create replacements for the trio when it fell apart, though, which means the keys could be completely different pokemon entirely.  I might have to pursue a few rumors to figure out this one, but in my experience, rumors seem to be more true than you'd first expect around here. I'm guessing the Scimitars are looking for similar answers as well."

"...but the moment that seal is undone, the Eye's influence will likely grow in strength.  If the Scimitars get there before us, only Sarimanok knows what ancient powers they'll awaken this time, purposefully or not...but I expect it will be far worse than what the vines almost did."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Original Post: Shiva

To Shiva: Yes, he learned all the moves he was supposed to, I just didn't have any flavor text for that one.

Yay! Yena expresses pride when Shiva asks about that new move of his, yet he knows that he has to be careful about actually using it. Shiva herself has quite the respect about it, especially with that additional biting force her special doggo has thanks to her care and training!

Still cuddling and hugging Yena, she asks Howl: "So, ehm, how has....Elanor been doing in the past few days, has nature managed to recover a bit with Heart's help?"

"Something changed drastically. All the Pokemon have been very organized since the flying Onix was seen over Elanor. They're acting almost like a team of their own. And there's been a response from nature that's more than can be explained by the activities even of organized Pokemon."

Haha... Hearing about 'the flying Onix' made Shiva smile a knowing smile and chuckle to herself in a joyous manner. She's still not much of a fan of these deltamon, not at all, but that doesn't prevent her from being rather thankful what this special Onix - or rather, now special Steelix - has done alongside their owner and caretaker!~ "I see... That's so dear to hear!♡ Sounds like things are on a good way to recover and flourish again here in Elanor, are they? W...what do you mean by 'a response from nature' though, isn't it only natural that nature tries to claim back what has been taken from it if given enough space? Or is it more than that in this case?"

A bit more timidly yet honestly curious she drops another question to Howl: "Uhm, listen, I meant to ask something for a while... Howl, have you ever heard about the name 'Annie Wake' in relation to Elanor, as well as about a place where the logging of timber before the western savannah has been stopped loooong time ago?"

Related link.

[Iron]

You get guilty looks from BOTH PorygonZ and Rotom. Doesn't seem like they were altering it on purpose, with the express intention of improving it, but the accumulation of small changes over time has led to a better Pokedex.

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"If they keys are Legendary Pokemon, it becomes less a race with the Scimitars and more a clash of principles. The Legendaries who lived through Sarimanok's time, and served him, may have entirely different conceptions of morality than you do. I don't know if their perceptions will more closely match the prevailing societal morals of today, or the ruthless utilitarianism of the Scimitar organization."

"As for the Eye's influence, I'm not sure there's any way to know what to predict. I can say with confidence that Sarimanok seldom committed acts of pointless cruelty. He always had a reason for the tools he collected, even at the end."

[Iron]

"Nature takes time. It takes a long time, unless Pokemon fulfill their role as avatars of nature. It still takes some time, even then, unless a massively organized use of power takes place. I think the Pokemon have organized themselves after undergoing some kind of great spiritual experience."

"I knew an Annie Wake. She died a decade ago after a long struggle with some chronic disease. I even attended her funeral - some of the most beautiful flowers and poems I have ever seen. She became something of an environmentalist in her adulthood. She was so effective that even the son of the big logging corporation made an appearance at her funeral, despite Annie's opposition of his father. Elanor has been the site of hundreds of environmental battles, thanks to our flower fields and gardens, as well as the natural resources worth extracting, such as the Sunstone mines. There's bound to be conflict over that. Why do you ask?"

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

"Some kind of great spiritual experience, I see..." Shiva mumbles more to herself than to Howl. She's really enjoying this, finding it rather lovely and inspiring, and gently cuddles Whimsi in her arms more instinctively. "At that rate and with the dear Pokemon helping so eagerly, Elanor should be back at its natural beauty soon enough, I'll be... hehe, looking forward to this!~"

Concerning Annie Wake: "Oh, I stumbled across this name when I was reading and researching something!" That's no lie but Shiva abstains from becoming more detailed, knowing that the citizans of Elanor are somewhat 'sensitive' about the topic of Shaymin. "How lovely that she's been SUCH an effective environmentalist! C-can you point me towards her grave, Howl? Is it fine for me to visit it to pay respect and tribute myself...?"

Shiva already feels that Annie Wake makes a decent role model.