PTA: Wuhtu (IC)

[Arcran]

Carn descends back to the ground and nods to you and Thales. "That was quite impressive. You have my respect, Thales."

The Charmander, already shell-shocked from having seen all the other Charmanders and Charmeleon ragdolled by Shovel, can do nothing but glance back and forth between the Charizard's body and its head a few times before falling flat on his face, unconscious.

Spoiler

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Your Charmander's HP is set to 0...and his loyalty firmly at -9000.

Carn laughs and adds, "That's edible. They all are," gesturing to the bodies that litter the clearing.

Pitch grins as the Charmander faints. It would fear him. No matter how strong it became, it would always fear him. If Thales could take out a Charizard now, imagine in a few months!

"Don't eat the others; I'll keep my word. They'll live," Pitch says, gesturung towards the others.

"He, on the other hand is fair game. Carn, help me get that skin off. Should fetch a pretty price at least," Pitch says, gestruing towards the Charizard.

"Outlet, make sure they stay down. They get up, zap 'em," Pitch says, gesturing towards the downed Pokemon. He releases Inigan for Dilos, then pulls out his knife and begins the grisly task of skinning the beast.

Thales picks up the decapitated head, looking into its cold, lifeless eyes. He had won. He was strongest. Even the talking Pokemon respected him now! He takes the head to Pitch, who looks at it in confusion but takes it, beginjing the skinning. When Pitch finishes, Thales starts to scrape the meat off with his shells, piling it to the side for Outlet.

[CosmicOccurence]

The sun magnifies Piri Piri's flames as they burn the Bisharp. It endures the painful blast and sprints toward Piri Piri to mete out his vengeance.

The Pawniard by Piri Piri resumes its assault as well, swiping away at him.

The other Pawniard finally joins the battle proper, picking on the weakest target and targeting the helpless Xianti.

Leo quickly applies a potion to Xianti, while Piri Piri dashes away from the Pawniard, and lunges at the Bisharp, hoping to take out the monolithic steel type.

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Potion Roll (2d12+10)[22]
Tackle (d120)[59] rolled a 7 in OOC. AC 3. Normal Physical. (2d8+19)[30]

[HZ514]

"....huh. Uh, wait"

Out came his pokedex. Kamoho stepped up, curious at Mordecai's reaction. "Dile?"

"I... uh." Dangit, this was /really/ familiar somehow. Mordecai wanted to say that he'd heard of something like this - it was very familiar, of something when he was a lot younger. Maybe it was in one of those storybooks - as that would explain why he didn't remember it. He was far too busy focusing on what was real to focus on silly storybooks.

So, he shook his head. Whatever the feeling was, it wasn't important - they were here to train. "Okay, Kaulu! That one looks like it's a speedster and it's yellow, so probably electric - punch it hard and fast!"

Along with his shout, his styler danced forward - about the blueish one.

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Due to order of operations, Mordecai will first go for the blue one with his styler!
[roll0]

Then Kaulu will move to H-7, and commence with fury swipes! (Acc 4)
Attack roll 1: [roll1]
Attack roll 2: [roll2]
Attack roll 3: [roll3]
Attack roll 4: [roll4]
Attack roll 5: [roll5]


Damage roll 1: [roll6]
Damage roll 2: [roll7]
Damage roll 3: [roll8]
Damage roll 4: [roll9]
Damage roll 5: [roll10]

Edit: I did fury swipes wrong. The damages should be:
28, 7, 4, 9 and 8.
(The first one was a crit, so I added the extra 8 from the OOC topic)

If it faints after any of those, Kaulu can then redirect the remainder of the attacks against red thing. If so, the first hit against the new target does +11 damage for his strength against the new target.

Your styler successfully incapacitates the blue one and as it struggles, it starts to...change? But you're distracted from that strangeness by Kaulu absolutely tearing through the other two. His first two swipes take out the yellow one, while his latter three put down the red one. The blue one moans as it sees its two compatriots get struck down.

Simultaneously, the three pokemon's differences fade and the three become nearly identical. They're each a dark gray hue with black manes and a tuft of red hair on the top of their head. A quick scan reveals them to be Zorua--the illusion pokemon. That explains why and how they were disguised--but what were they disguised as?

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You won the battle!
Kaulu gains 3*15*12*1.5 = 810 EXP! (*1.5 is your FLAWLESS VICTORY bonus, 'cause you deserve some sort of reward for those insane rolls.)

[HZ514]

Nikolas squints wearily at the remaining Spoink. Had this really just happened? Was it the norm for Pokemon to attack when they really had no ability to continue the fight? Feeling bad for the pig Pokemon he looks at Loki and jerks his head in the direction of the Spoink. "J-just spare it the embarrassment and knock it out Loki. I feel kind of bad about this whole thing..."

Loki
Fly to the remaining Spoink and use Lick (Ghost)~!
Accuracy Check: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

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OINK

Loki's ectoplasmic lick puts the Spoink out of its pointless misery. As you look about the campsite and note the fallen spring-pigs, you can't help but wonder...why? What possessed these hopelessly inept creatures to accost you during the night? 'Tis a mystery, 'tis a mystery indeed.

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You won the battle! (It was looking iffy for a second, there.)
Loki & Orobas each gain 4*12*10/2 = 240 EXP!

Praelia walks out of the tent and looks around, as befuddled as you are. "There were no...more threatening invaders?"

[Bad Situation]

"...no. Just," pointing at the scattered pig Pokemon, "these guys. I feel kind of bad for hurting them so badly..."

Bending down, Nikolas gingerly picks up a few of the Pokemon and walks deeper into the woods. "C'mon, we should put them somewhere safe in case someone attacks them while they sleep. Help me with this, would you Praelia?"

[HZ514]

Pitch grins as the Charmander faints. It would fear him. No matter how strong it became, it would always fear him. If Thales could take out a Charizard now, imagine in a few months!

"Don't eat the others; I'll keep my word. They'll live," Pitch says, gesturung towards the others.

"He, on the other hand is fair game. Carn, help me get that skin off. Should fetch a pretty price at least," Pitch says, gestruing towards the Charizard.

"Outlet, make sure they stay down. They get up, zap 'em," Pitch says, gesturing towards the downed Pokemon. He releases Inigan for Dilos, then pulls out his knife and begins the grisly task of skinning the beast.

Thales picks up the decapitated head, looking into its cold, lifeless eyes. He had won. He was strongest. Even the talking Pokemon respected him now! He takes the head to Pitch, who looks at it in confusion but takes it, beginjing the skinning. When Pitch finishes, Thales starts to scrape the meat off with his shells, piling it to the side for Outlet.

Carn happily obliges, relishing the chance to skin such a powerful foe. While you two work on the arduous but entertaining task, he tells you about the time he felled a Druddigon. That thing was a pain to skin...but its meat was nothing short of delicious."

Inigan and Dilos have an energetic discussion about the craziness that just went down, while Outlet occasionally zaps a stirring wild pokemon. Once Thales starts scraping meat off his shells, Outlet eagerly saunters over to lap some of it up. He continues to make sure none of the salamanders get back up, an enjoyable and slightly educational experience in itself.

Spoiler

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Outlet gains 100 EXP.

Being with such a tight-knit family has brought out a happier side of Outlet. With your team, he actually feels like he belongs. Feasting on this giant beast among friends, he doesn't feel so lonely anymore; he actually feels...jolly!

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Outlet's nature changes to Jolly (+Speed / - SATK)

[Arcran]

Carn happily obliges, relishing the chance to skin such a powerful foe. While you two work on the arduous but entertaining task, he tells you about the time he felled a Druddigon. That thing was a pain to skin...but its meat was nothing short of delicious."

Inigan and Dilos have an energetic discussion about the craziness that just went down, while Outlet occasionally zaps a stirring wild pokemon. Once Thales starts scraping meat off his shells, Outlet eagerly saunters over to lap some of it up. He continues to make sure none of the salamanders get back up, an enjoyable and slightly educational experience in itself.

Spoiler

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Outlet gains 100 EXP.

Being with such a tight-knit family has brought out a happier side of Outlet. With your team, he actually feels like he belongs. Feasting on this giant beast among friends, he doesn't feel so lonely anymore; he actually feels...jolly!

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Outlet's nature changes to Jolly (+Speed / - SATK)

Pitch continues to chat with Carn as he skins it, discussing the Drudiggon, specifically how he dropped it, well as if there is anything else worthwhile to gather from the Charizard. As he finishes the job he also cuts away a few steaks, planning to have food for later.

He leaves the snakes to their own devices; he'd let them decide what to think after that. Thales continues to dutifully clean the skull, occasionally using a jet of water to wash it off.

Pitch looks over to his Dewott and Shinx and is surpised to see him grinning. He was happy? The look brings a grin to Pitch's face as he resumes his task. He calls the Shinx over, taking a short break the pet the small Pokemon.

Throughout the time, Shovel practices small tremors, making pebbles quake.

[Kantolin]

"....they do what?"

Mordecai stared at his pokedex for a moment. Pokemon that could pretend they were actually /other/ pokemon. That could really mess you up - at least, if you knew which pokemon they were pretending to be, anyway.

So huh. That probably meant that whatever pokemon they were pretending to be were the alphas of the region. And that was handy! Meant that this area focused on those whatevers like the other half was Crustle. It was helpful to get a handle for the apex pokemon of an area.

So, briefly, he amplified the link his styler had made between him and the final Zorua... before pausing, as he stared at it.

...now he actually felt kinda bad. Only kinda, mind you, but a little.

"I kind of want to see those pokemon you three were pretending to be - your alphas, right? Mind showing me to them?"

That was not, however, an order. Or more accurately it /was/ an order, but it was an order that it was okay for them to say no to. But well... he wanted to see their opinion on it.

"Oh! And way to go, Kaulu! Wow - you just ripped through them! Haha, you did a great job!" He patted the mankey on the head. The mankey nodded, standing adjacent to him pacibly.

"Dile!"
"Mank."

The two nodded to each other. Weird.

Spoiler

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Mordecai (temporarily) makes the restrained Zorua his companion! That way it lasts longer, in case. ^_^

[HZ514]

Leo quickly applies a potion to Xianti, while Piri Piri dashes away from the Pawniard, and lunges at the Bisharp, hoping to take out the monolithic steel type.

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Potion Roll (1d20-2)[6]
Tackle (1d20-2)[9] rolled a 7 in OOC. AC 3. Normal Physical. (2d8+26)[40]

Piri Piri's bash does put a dent in the Bisharp's armor, but it's quickly able to shake off the blow and retaliate! It slashes at Piri Piri with its metallic claw while the nearby Pawniard continues its assault as well. The sun reflecting off of their shining metal exteriors serves to impede their eyesight just a bit.

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Metal Claw & Fury Cutter*
Both AC 3 (1d20-2)[6] & (1d20-2)[9]
Damage: (2d8+26)[40] & (1d12+17)[26]

The other one continues to poke and prod at Xianti, who wails helplessly.

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Scratch!
AC 2 (1d20)[9]
Damage: (1d12+17)[26]

"Try picking on someone your own size, bub." Sicarius shows up and jumps over Xianti to pop her abuser in the face.

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Dynamicpunch! (Because why not?)
AC: 20
Damage: a lot

The Pawniard goes flying back into a tree and bounces off of it with a loud thud. Sicarius nods to you and says, "You invite these guys to our little sleepover?"

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You can control Sicarius during this round in addition to whoever you would normally control (presumably Piri Piri).

[HZ514]

"...no. Just," pointing at the scattered pig Pokemon, "these guys. I feel kind of bad for hurting them so badly..."

Bending down, Nikolas gingerly picks up a few of the Pokemon and walks deeper into the woods. "C'mon, we should put them somewhere safe in case someone attacks them while they sleep. Help me with this, would you Praelia?"

Praelia shakes her head when you mention feeling bad. "Sometimes wild pokemon just get crazy. You have nothing to feel bad about; you merely defended yourself when attacked."

Praelia picks up the Spoink that you did not. "A kind gesture. Of course, I would be glad to help." She follows you in search of a safe spot.

[CosmicOccurence]

Piri Piri's bash does put a dent in the Bisharp's armor, but it's quickly able to shake off the blow and retaliate! It slashes at Piri Piri with its metallic claw while the nearby Pawniard continues its assault as well. The sun reflecting off of their shining metal exteriors serves to impede their eyesight just a bit.

The other one continues to poke and prod at Xianti, who wails helplessly.

[COLOR=DeepSkyBlue"]Try picking on someone your own size, bub.[/COLOR]" Sicarius shows up and jumps over Xianti to pop her abuser in the face.

The Pawniard goes flying back into a tree and bounces off of it with a loud thud. Sicarius nods to you and says, "You invite these guys to our little sleepover?"
[/SPOILER]

Leo smiled at Sicarius; he was finally starting to get the sneseal's humor. Glad you could join us, I'd started to worry you'd sleep through the fun parts.

Piri Piri shot between the two dark types and shot another jet of flame at the Bisharp while Sicarius vanished and reappeared to strike the pawniard unerringly accurately from behind.

Leo quickly used a potion on Piri Piri while Xianti watched the two pokemon fight, eyes wide at the spectacle.

Spoiler

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Incinerate. AC 2 (1d20)[2]. (1d10+7)[12]*1.5 fire special.
Faint attack. (1d20)[9] auto hit. (2d8+22)[36]
Potion (2d12+10)[19]

[HZ514]

Pitch continues to chat with Carn as he skins it, discussing the Drudiggon, specifically how he dropped it, well as if there is anything else worthwhile to gather from the Charizard. As he finishes the job he also cuts away a few steaks, planning to have food for later.

He leaves the snakes to their own devices; he'd let them decide what to think after that. Thales continues to dutifully clean the skull, occasionally using a jet of water to wash it off.

Pitch looks over to his Dewott and Shinx and is surpised to see him grinning. He was happy? The look brings a grin to Pitch's face as he resumes his task. He calls the Shinx over, taking a short break the pet the small Pokemon.

Throughout the time, Shovel practices small tremors, making pebbles quake.

"It was rather simple, to be honest. The dull beast insisted on chasing me through the air. It was no faster than I, so it was just a matter of focusing my energy and repeatedly throwing blades of wind through it. When it finally realized how futile the fight was, it tried to turn and run...I caught up to it and finished the job." Carn chuckles. "Too easy."

Carn examines the Charizard. "These teeth could make effective blades, I would imagine."

Dilos and Inigan are a ways away on their own. He is pantomiming the battle for her benefit--it's a comical sight, a snake imitating non-snake combatants.

Your Shinx purrs contentedly as you pet him.

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Did I say his loyalty increased? If I didn't, it did!

[Bad Situation]

Using the time away from the others, Nikolas asks, "So I guess we haven't had much time to talk what with all the craziness going down huh? I hope I've been a good enough trainer for you guys...I know my inexperience sometimes gets in the way but I like to think I'm getting better at it." Not many trainers could say they had a team full of loving Pokemon on only their first week, right? And fewer still could boast a 'shiny' Pokemon among their entourage. At least, that's what the Pokedex had to say on the matter. However, insecurities getting the better of him turns to Praelia and broaches the question that had long been plaguing him, "Do you think I'm doing a good job? I know you gave me your reasons when you first encountered me but just humor me for now. Why me? Wouldn't a strong and independent Pokemon like you rather stay on your own?"

[HZ514]

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"....they do what?"

Mordecai stared at his pokedex for a moment. Pokemon that could pretend they were actually /other/ pokemon. That could really mess you up - at least, if you knew which pokemon they were pretending to be, anyway.

So huh. That probably meant that whatever pokemon they were pretending to be were the alphas of the region. And that was handy! Meant that this area focused on those whatevers like the other half was Crustle. It was helpful to get a handle for the apex pokemon of an area.

So, briefly, he amplified the link his styler had made between him and the final Zorua... before pausing, as he stared at it.

...now he actually felt kinda bad. Only kinda, mind you, but a little.

"I kind of want to see those pokemon you three were pretending to be - your alphas, right? Mind showing me to them?"

That was not, however, an order. Or more accurately it /was/ an order, but it was an order that it was okay for them to say no to. But well... he wanted to see their opinion on it.

"Oh! And way to go, Kaulu! Wow - you just ripped through them! Haha, you did a great job!" He patted the mankey on the head. The mankey nodded, standing adjacent to him pacibly.

"Dile!"
"Mank."

The two nodded to each other. Weird.

Spoiler

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Mordecai (temporarily) makes the restrained Zorua his companion! That way it lasts longer, in case. ^_^

You spend about half an hour bonding with your new friend, during which the sun sets.

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You companion'd a Zorua! (Hooray!)
Female, level 10
Ability: Illusion (duh)
Nature: Calm (-ATK, +SDEF) (Because it's the Suicune one!)
HP 4
ATK 7 (-2)
DEF 4
SATK 8
SDEF 4 (+2)
SPEED 7
HP: 100%
Has met/seen/interacted with/something'd a Suicune.

The Zorua understands your request, but simply shakes her head. Something far more compelling overrides her desire to follow your wishes.

By now, it's almost completely dark. Hoots go back and forth from the trees and predators have started to prowl the woods.

[HZ514]

Using the time away from the others, Nikolas asks, "So I guess we haven't had much time to talk what with all the craziness going down huh? I hope I've been a good enough trainer for you guys...I know my inexperience sometimes gets in the way but I like to think I'm getting better at it." Not many trainers could say they had a team full of loving Pokemon on only their first week, right? And fewer still could boast a 'shiny' Pokemon among their entourage. At least, that's what the Pokedex had to say on the matter. However, insecurities getting the better of him turns to Praelia and broaches the question that had long been plaguing him, "Do you think I'm doing a good job? I know you gave me your reasons when you first encountered me but just humor me for now. Why me? Wouldn't a strong and independent Pokemon like you rather stay on your own?"

Praelia holds up the Spoink in her arms. "This, Nikolas. You chose to keep these Spoink safe, even after they attacked you. Not out of any great obligation or necessity, but because it was the right thing to do. This is why you.

I understand your curiosity. Humans have a natural desire to be free, independent. I suppose Pokemon are...different in that regard. No matter how strong or intelligent one is, there is always the inexorable urge to serve a master somewhere, somehow. Many find themselves at the whims of madmen. I am blessed to answer to someone as pure as you."

Praelia smiles and adds, "You're doing great, Nikolas. Just keep being yourself and we will all be better for it."

[Bad Situation]

Smiling as he hears Praelia's praise, Nikolas looks down to the short Pokemon and gives her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Praelia. It means a lot hearing that from you," he says very simply. Unless something occurs along the way or back, Nikolas is happy to continue the rest of the trip in companionable silence and return to his camp to get as much sleep in before the sun rises.

[Arcran]

"It was rather simple, to be honest. The dull beast insisted on chasing me through the air. It was no faster than I, so it was just a matter of focusing my energy and repeatedly throwing blades of wind through it. When it finally realized how futile the fight was, it tried to turn and run...I caught up to it and finished the job." Carn chuckles. "Too easy."

Carn examines the Charizard. "These teeth could make effective blades, I would imagine."

Dilos and Inigan are a ways away on their own. He is pantomiming the battle for her benefit--it's a comical sight, a snake imitating non-snake combatants.

Your Shinx purrs contentedly as you pet him.

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Did I say his loyalty increased? If I didn't, it did!

Pitch nods at the blades comment. Thales already had the skull for whatever reason he wanted it; he could pry some teeth from it later.

"Everybody, eat your fill," Pitch says, trying to start a small fire to cook with, using an unconscious Charmander's tail to light it. He starts to cook a chunk of the Charizard's meat, preparing to head out. His team digs into the carcass, most of them eating until they could barely move, Outlet included.

Once his meal was done cooking and he had eaten, Pitch finishes packing up. He tries to fold the massive Charizard pelt up as much as possible for easy traveling. The steaks were in his pack, and Thales was carrying the skull.

"Alright, let's go" Pitch says, looking back at the carnage wrought by his team. "We can travel for at least a few more hours."

His team follows close, Outlet prancing around for once, providing the rest of the group with plenty of entertainment.

[Kantolin]

You spend about half an hour bonding with your new friend, during which the sun sets.The Zorua understands your request, but simply shakes her head. Something far more compelling overrides her desire to follow your wishes.

By now, it's almost completely dark. Hoots go back and forth from the trees and predators have started to prowl the woods.

"...huh."

Now that was a curious response indeed. He couldn't recall a pokemon refusing like that. What... what would it take to prompt a lack of response like that?

And now it was dark. Did he risk attempting to find those alphas manually now, or try again in the morning?

...no, in the morning he was going to a different city. And when he did that, it was guaranteed to be night on the road. He stayed out, searching.

"Stay near me, then, Zorua." He stated calmly, as he returned Kaulu with another set of thanks. Zorua would need a name. "Keep a good lookout, Kamoho - we don't want another gr... poochyena ambush."

From his vantage point on Mordecai's shoulder, the totodile glanced down at the zorua who was following along relatively apathetic about the new pokemon, and thus instead focused on looking around.

[HZ514]

Leo smiled at Sicarius; he was finally starting to get the sneseal's humor. Glad you could join us, I'd started to worry you'd sleep through the fun parts.

Piri Piri shot between the two dark types and shot another jet of flame at the Bisharp while Sicarius vanished and reappeared to strike the pawniard unerringly accurately from behind.

Leo quickly used a potion on Piri Piri while Xianti watched the two pokemon fight, eyes wide at the spectacle.

Spoiler

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Incinerate. AC 2 (1d20)[12]. (1d4+11)[14]*1.5 fire special.
Faint attack. [roll2] auto hit. [roll3]
Potion [roll4]

The Bisharp is able to dive out of the way of Piri Piri's jet of flame and starts laughing at the fire Pokemon--but its laughter is cut short by Sicarius's blow, and the Bisharp promptly slumps over, unconscious.

The remaining Pawniard hopelessly turns its attention to Sicarius after seeing the Bisharp fall.

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Fury Cutter! (1st time on Sicarius)
AC 3 (1d20)[12]
Damage: (1d4+11)[14]

[HZ514]

Smiling as he hears Praelia's praise, Nikolas looks down to the short Pokemon and gives her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Praelia. It means a lot hearing that from you," he says very simply. Unless something occurs along the way or back, Nikolas is happy to continue the rest of the trip in companionable silence and return to his camp to get as much sleep in before the sun rises.

You and Praelia manage to find a small secluded clearing where the Spoink will be safe from prowling predators and deposit them there. You return to camp and enjoy some peaceful rest for the remainder of the night.

The next morning, you once again wake up to Ten nudging you. The air is a little damp, and a quick check of the weather shows that it's likely to rain today. A glance at a map will also show that the path the Rangers cleared is coming up on the side of your path, and you can travel through it for most of the day.

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If you choose to take the mentioned path, you don't need to roll for an encounter. Do roll a 1d20+Int in that case for something else, though. Otherwise, normal encounter roll. (And make an IC post! )

[HZ514]

Pitch nods at the blades comment. Thales already had the skull for whatever reason he wanted it; he could pry some teeth from it later.

"Everybody, eat your fill," Pitch says, trying to start a small fire to cook with, using an unconscious Charmander's tail to light it. He starts to cook a chunk of the Charizard's meat, preparing to head out. His team digs into the carcass, most of them eating until they could barely move, Outlet included.

Once his meal was done cooking and he had eaten, Pitch finishes packing up. He tries to fold the massive Charizard pelt up as much as possible for easy traveling. The steaks were in his pack, and Thales was carrying the skull.

"Alright, let's go" Pitch says, looking back at the carnage wrought by his team. "We can travel for at least a few more hours."

His team follows close, Outlet prancing around for once, providing the rest of the group with plenty of entertainment.

Once you step back out of Charred Clearing, it only takes a few minutes to reach the edge of Elrem Forest. Crossing that threshold is very much like stepping into an entirely different world. The light is dimmer, wind nonexistent, floor littered with shrubbery and leaves. The sounds and smells are noticeably different as well.

After a while, you're far enough into the forest that the difference between day and night is so negligible that the only way you can tell the time of day is to check your Pokegear. A glance shows it's getting pretty late, and soon you come across an area suitable for camp.

[HZ514]

"...huh."

Now that was a curious response indeed. He couldn't recall a pokemon refusing like that. What... what would it take to prompt a lack of response like that?

And now it was dark. Did he risk attempting to find those alphas manually now, or try again in the morning?

...no, in the morning he was going to a different city. And when he did that, it was guaranteed to be night on the road. He stayed out, searching.

"Stay near me, then, Zorua." He stated calmly, as he returned Kaulu with another set of thanks. Zorua would need a name. "Keep a good lookout, Kamoho - we don't want another gr... poochyena ambush."

From his vantage point on Mordecai's shoulder, the totodile glanced down at the zorua who was following along relatively apathetic about the new pokemon, and thus instead focused on looking around.

As the last light fades, your exploration is illuminated by only the moon and some roadside lamps. Amidst the flickering lamplight, you hear growls pop up around you.

Before you know it, four orange doglike pokemon with black markings and lighter fur jump out and surround you! They bare their teeth and snarl at you and your pokemon.

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Map!

[Kantolin]

As the last light fades, your exploration is illuminated by only the moon and some roadside lamps. Amidst the flickering lamplight, you hear growls pop up around you.

Before you know it, four orange doglike pokemon with black markings and lighter fur jump out and surround you! They bare their teeth and snarl at you and your pokemon.

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Map!

No way.

They were poochyena, right? Or... or more Zorua, right? Right?

Did he really assume this time? Or.... - wait a minute, there were four of the things, yikes! Enough speculation! He beeped his dex.

"Growlithes! For real I think! Kamoho - bring on the rain!" Mordecai called out, swiping with his styler as he moved to a slightly more defensive position.

Spoiler

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Mordecai moves to G-3 and will styler at K-4!
(1d100-20)[35]

Kamoho moves to H-3 and uses rain dance (for once)!

Zorua will go to G-2 for the time being!

[Arcran]

Once you step back out of Charred Clearing, it only takes a few minutes to reach the edge of Elrem Forest. Crossing that threshold is very much like stepping into an entirely different world. The light is dimmer, wind nonexistent, floor littered with shrubbery and leaves. The sounds and smells are noticeably different as well.

After a while, you're far enough into the forest that the difference between day and night is so negligible that the only way you can tell the time of day is to check your Pokegear. A glance shows it's getting pretty late, and soon you come across an area suitable for camp.

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I tossed my Pokegear in the river, remember?

Oh, also! How many meals did those Charizard steaks yield?

As Pitch goes into the forest, he finds himself more on edge. He was out of his element; there hadn't been a big forest near Elrem. Sure, the trees nearby were like it, but that would be saying a Trainer Battle was like fighting a muking Charizard. Completely different levels of depth.

Pitch gathers his team around as it grows dark, once again setting up camp. As he does and sets up sticks for a fire, he lets out his newest acquaintance, and watches to see if it is conscious. He calls Thales over, just in case.

[Bad Situation]

Sparing a quick pat on the head for Ten, Nikolas quickly gathers his things and looks to the sky worriedly. Being caught out in the rain would definitely be a bad idea, considering his relative lack of experience with the outdoors. Being caught in bad weather was likely to be bad enough, not to mention a Pokemon attack on top of it. Double-checking the map, Nikolas makes sure that he indeed continuing on the Ranger Trail before setting off onto the path. "If nothing is going to attack I guess it would be a good idea to to travel with my Pokemon..." With that thought in mind, Nikolas releases his team onto the path and leads them down the road.

Shenanigans: (1d20+4)[9]

[CosmicOccurence]

The Bisharp is able to dive out of the way of Piri Piri's jet of flame and starts laughing at the fire Pokemon--but its laughter is cut short by Sicarius's blow, and the Bisharp promptly slumps over, unconscious.

The remaining Pawniard hopelessly turns its attention to Sicarius after seeing the Bisharp fall.

Spoiler

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Fury Cutter! (1st time on Sicarius)
AC 3 (1d20)[14]
Damage: (5d12+42)[82]

Sicarius finish this, bury him in snow.
Sure thing chief.

The sneseal sent a giant wave of snow arcing at the pawniard, rushing through the pokemon and wrecking havoc to the clearing.

Spoiler

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Avalance! (1d20)[14]. AC 2. Physical Ice. (5d12+42)[82]

[HZ514]

No way.

They were poochyena, right? Or... or more Zorua, right? Right?

Did he really assume this time? Or.... - wait a minute, there were four of the things, yikes! Enough speculation! He beeped his dex.

"Growlithes! For real I think! Kamoho - bring on the rain!" Mordecai called out, swiping with his styler as he moved to a slightly more defensive position.

Spoiler

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Mordecai moves to G-3 and will styler at K-4!
(1d20)[17]

Kamoho moves to H-3 and uses rain dance (for once)!

Zorua will go to G-2 for the time being!

As rainclouds suddenly cover the once-shining sun and break open to release an impromptu rainstorm, the wild pokemon bay to the sky in confusion.

In that distracted state, your styler's target is unable to notice what's happening until it's too late--you successfully restrain it!

The other three shake their already-drenched heads out and each belch a fireball in Kamoho's direction. The rain serves to fizzle much of the fire before it even has a chance to reach Kamoho.

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Ember! x3
AC 2 (1d20)[17] & (1d20)[7] & (1d20)[7]
Damage: (1d12+15)[25] & (1d12+15)[17] & (1d12+15)[27] (That's without the rain factored in, so those will do 1/4 damage to Kamoho.)

[HZ514]

Spoiler

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I tossed my Pokegear in the river, remember?

Oh, also! How many meals did those Charizard steaks yield?

As Pitch goes into the forest, he finds himself more on edge. He was out of his element; there hadn't been a big forest near Elrem. Sure, the trees nearby were like it, but that would be saying a Trainer Battle was like fighting a muking Charizard. Completely different levels of depth.

Pitch gathers his team around as it grows dark, once again setting up camp. As he does and sets up sticks for a fire, he lets out his newest acquaintance, and watches to see if it is conscious. He calls Thales over, just in case.

Spoiler

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D'oh! Will edit that to say Pokedex instead, I suppose. And let's call it...10 meals' worth of steaks.

Your Charmander remains unconscious, though it does twitch from time to time. The fire on its tail looks to be at a normal intensity, but the little guy is just simply out cold.

[HZ514]

Sparing a quick pat on the head for Ten, Nikolas quickly gathers his things and looks to the sky worriedly. Being caught out in the rain would definitely be a bad idea, considering his relative lack of experience with the outdoors. Being caught in bad weather was likely to be bad enough, not to mention a Pokemon attack on top of it. Double-checking the map, Nikolas makes sure that he indeed continuing on the Ranger Trail before setting off onto the path. "If nothing is going to attack I guess it would be a good idea to to travel with my Pokemon..." With that thought in mind, Nikolas releases his team onto the path and leads them down the road.

Shenanigans: [roll0]

The path you take is just wide enough for your team to traverse. Many trampled leaves litter the ground beneath you, indicating it has been well-traveled during its short existence. Branches and thorns still loom just to the sides though, so you have to be careful of avoiding them, ducking or jumping when appropriate.

Luckily, there is a relatively thick canopy of tree cover over you during the worst of the rain so you don't get too wet. As the rain lets up sometime in the mid-late afternoon, you can see a majestic rainbow arc across the sky. While you're busy admiring that, however, you trip over something!

When you look to see what it was, the culprit is clear: a big root! Your pokedex chimes in, having been jostled into scanning mode during your untimely fall. It lets you know that this root is special in that a Pokemon who holds it will "absorb twice as much health from enemies" during battle.

Spoiler

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You gain 1 Big Root!

[Arcran]

Pitch grins, simply waiting for the Pokemon to return to consciousness. As he waits, he calls Thales and Shovel over.

"Do you know what sparring is?" Pitch asks the two Pokemon. When they both answer in the negative, he explains the basics. "The two of you will have a mock battle. No real attacks; Thales, you will try to touch Shovel with your shells. Shovel, you will do the same with your claws," he says, looking to the two Pokemon.

"Begin."

The two begin to duel. The first fight is over in seconds; Thales is quicker, faster, and stronger than Shovel now. The first touch happens rapidly. The second goes the same as the first, the third, and the fourth. By the fifth Shovel is beginning to figure out how to block attacks, but his claws are longer and more awkward to block with than Thales' shells. Finally, after Shovel's 6th loss, Pitch calls him over and whispers something into the mole's ear. The mole nods, a small grin crossing his face. As the seventh battle begins, the Drilbur jumps back, pounding his feet. As he does so, the earth lightly quakes. The change in movement upsets Thales, dropping the Dewott to the ground. Before Thales can react, Shovel leaps, poking Thales in the chest with a long claw.

A slow clap comes from the side, from Pitch. He looks at his two Pokemon with pride. Both could fight. Both were strong. He calls the two of them over.

"The two of you were amazing today. Shovel, you decimated those things. And Thales, well, that speaks for itself," he says, gesturing over at the Charizard skull. He then turns to Shovel specifically.

"You did a good job today Shovel. You acted as more than a tool, more than a weapon. You fought as a friend, as part of our family. As befits your new status, you no longer need the name of a tool. Your new name is Keb, for an ancient god of the earth. Is that acceptable?" Pitch says, looking at his tiny warrior.

Throughout this, Pitch keeps his eyes on the Charmander for any sign of movement.