Adventures in Helnith: Assault on the Town of Ash (RPG)

[Gnomes2169]

“And if one of them isn’t a traitor but says no because, oh, they had an affair or something else unrelated they don’t want to get out, but half the Starlight Squad assumes they’ve been secretly working for Bandra because they said no and exacts some vigilante justice, then what?” Mina asked pointedly. “Or if the half of the Squad who trusted them well enough to choose them over the other lieutenant decides Mark is making it up, then what?” Mina was not sure how long Sesh or Lijan had been fighting Bandra but she expected it was longer than either her or Mark. “No, Mark’s right. This isn’t a problem that’s going to be solved with a few minutes of mind reading.”

Alright, this was going on a bit long, and they didn't have much time for an in-depth argument at the moment, so he popped in with a quipped, "Wait, I'm right? Well, there's a third time for everything, I suppose." Then flashed them a grin and said, "But I'll think up a strategy on how to approach this thing while we're doing our jobs today. Lijan is sending me a list of potential suspects for Elren's assassin, maybe it can help me get in the door. Who knows? We're certainly not going to figure it out while walking around before lunch. So let's drop it for now, come back to it later."

“Larissa.” The bird mask woman takes your number. “Was that all?”

He nodded. "That's all I needed today, yup. Thank you, Larissa." Looking at the line of trainers, he waved to the frazzled gym staffer and stepped back. "Hopefully this slows down soon."

With that, he returns to Mina and says, Hey, that went well! Now let's go pick your fruit."

[Lord Ruby34]

Meetup:

Spoiler: Xatu

Show

”No, she’s not,” Xatu agreed. “My human is being asked to go back to the place where a Legendary Pokémon almost killed her. I’m sure your human will be fine.”

Riolu looked up at this with surprise and alarm.

“That’s enough,” Mina (who was not privy to the details of the conversation but who could tell it was getting unfriendly) told her Psychic Pokémon, shutting his beak with a hand for emphasis.

Spoiler: Mina

Show

What is both of your problem?

<Buck is whining that he doesn’t want to stay in his Pokéball in the Spectral Dimension.>

Well he’s going to have to get used to it or he’s going to have to stay behind. But that’s Less’ problem.

Buck flashed his fangs for a moment and began to rumble something, before Less cut him off. "Buck! What's gotten into you? We're all allies here." With a sullen glance, the Arcanine fell silent with a grumble.

Spoiler: Buck, translated

Show

"Why you little -"

"Can you just have your human tell mine what I asked?" Buck finished, sullen, and with more than a hint of jealousy. It wasn't fair that Xatu could speak to his human, and he still couldn't. Clearly, the old dog was doing at least a fair bit of pouting.

“And if one of them isn’t a traitor but says no because, oh, they had an affair or something else unrelated they don’t want to get out, but half the Starlight Squad assumes they’ve been secretly working for Bandra because they said no and exacts some vigilante justice, then what?” Mina asked pointedly. “Or if the half of the Squad who trusted them well enough to choose them over the other lieutenant decides Mark is making it up, then what?” Mina was not sure how long Sesh or Lijan had been fighting Bandra but she expected it was longer than either her or Mark. “No, Mark’s right. This isn’t a problem that’s going to be solved with a few minutes of mind reading.”

"Or perhaps they both agree, and fences are quickly mended." Less shrugged. "But as I said, I leave the solution to you, Mark. All I ask is that you keep in my that one of these men might be guilty of the crime that they each accuse each other of committing."

Less raised his hands after he finished speaking, "But, as you've requested, I'll let the topic drop."

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

Less and Pinklady:

A scattered mix of responses echo back. “You can ask at the desk!”“Check the website!””Who were you looking for?”

Less nodded at Pinklady before she ran off. "I"ll chat with her. Hopefully this line will die down soon." But Less couldn't make that an immediate problem, because frankly, the old trainer didn't quite know who he was looking for. Asking the receptionist would likely waste her time as well as his own, and it seemed that they were both in high demand. "Thank you!" Less called back. "I'll check the website!" With that, Less headed over to borrow a library computer and start searching for faculty or departments whose biography mentioned knowledge or interest in the spectral dimension, spectral Pokemon, or at least an intent to investigate.

Spoiler: OOC

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I apparently started writing my post at around the same time Gnomes finished. I didn't even realize until today. Whoops.

[essCee]

Pinklady:

You circle the building in the growing heat. The external entrance to the Museum wing is well-marked and easy to find, some of the displays inside even visible from the entrance. The cart turns out to be farther along, out of sight and out of the way of most of the comings and goings of the student body. There’s a tangle of harness at the front of it, and some ropes and bungee cords inside.

Pinklady looks around for anybody that looked like staff - or, failing that, anybody nearby to ask or at least notify of her borrowing. Better safe than sorry, even if she was using it for a uni job anyways!

She is a bit distracted looking at some of the displays, and makes a mental note to find the time someday to enjoy the museum.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Meetup:

Spoiler: Buck, translated

Show

"Why you little -"

"Can you just have your human tell mine what I asked?" Buck finished, sullen, and with more than a hint of jealousy. It wasn't fair that Xatu could speak to his human, and he still couldn't. Clearly, the old dog was doing at least a fair bit of pouting.

Xatu, who still had his beak being held shut by his trainer and thus was unable to respond, just cast his eyes skyward.

"But I'll think up a strategy on how to approach this thing while we're doing our jobs today. Lijan is sending me a list of potential suspects for Elren's assassin, maybe it can help me get in the door. Who knows? We're certainly not going to figure it out while walking around before lunch. So let's drop it for now, come back to it later."

“Wasn’t he supposed to have sent that to Nurse Joy already?”

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

Mark and Mina:

With that, he returns to Mina and says, Hey, that went well! Now let's go pick your fruit."

“Hopefully the wild Pokémon haven’t already gotten it all…” Mina replies.

The pair of you head out of the city and Xatu Teleports you both to the first patch. Luckily, it seems you arrived before the wild Pokémon did - right before, as something leaps into the brush to avoid you as soon as you arrive.

Spoiler: OoC

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And I’ll calculate the numbers after I get my computer back in working order.

Mina picks the Nilla Berries and carefully puts them away before frowning. “Drat. I was going to put in some of the longer-growing Berries we need for Poffin, but if we’re heading off to the Spectral Dimension maybe I should put in more utility Berries instead - Sitrus or something.” She’d also forgotten to try to pick up some of the Poffin Berries Less had researched, though to be fair, there hadn’t really been time with all the standing in line. “Mark? What do you think?”

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

Less:

"Thank you!" Less called back. "I'll check the website!" With that, Less headed over to borrow a library computer and start searching for faculty or departments whose biography mentioned knowledge or interest in the spectral dimension, spectral Pokemon, or at least an intent to investigate.

You leave the main University building and cross the city to the library. It’s busy, but not overwhelming so, and you are able to secure a computer in short order.

The first record that comes up is Professor Hickory: not much help, given that he’s missing. But the second is a man named Professor Charles Maxwell, and he not only hasn’t gone missing but has apparently been pushing for expeditions into the Spectral Dimension despite the war.

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

Pinklady:

Pinklady looks around for anybody that looked like staff - or, failing that, anybody nearby to ask or at least notify of her borrowing. Better safe than sorry, even if she was using it for a uni job anyways!

There doesn’t appear to be any staff in sight, but there does appear to be a sign-out sheet by the cart.

She is a bit distracted looking at some of the displays, and makes a mental note to find the time someday to enjoy the museum.

You can only make out the contents of some of the larger displays from outside, but those include a wall of jade statuettes and what looks like half a shipwreck.

[essCee]

Pinklady:



There doesn’t appear to be any staff in sight, but there does appear to be a sign-out sheet by the cart.



You can only make out the contents of some of the larger displays from outside, but those include a wall of jade statuettes and what looks like half a shipwreck.

Definitely very enticing, even just those few visible... but Pinklady stays on her task and slowly letters out her name on the sign-up sheet.

"Alright, Whirlywhirly! Let's get this all worked out!" She takes up the harness and works out fitting it on Whirlywhirly with some difficulty, makes sure that all the other ropes and cords are resting in the cart, and then leads Whirlywhirly back towards the front. "Make sure to be clear if it's uncomfortable! You know as well as I do I don't exactly have experience with these..."

[Gnomes2169]

Meetup:

“Wasn’t he supposed to have sent that to Nurse Joy already?”

"Yeah, I'll have to check with her. I don't think she was awake before we left." The center Chansey had been behind the counter, after all.

Mark and Mina:

Mina picks the Nilla Berries and carefully puts them away before frowning. “Drat. I was going to put in some of the longer-growing Berries we need for Poffin, but if we’re heading off to the Spectral Dimension maybe I should put in more utility Berries instead - Sitrus or something.” She’d also forgotten to try to pick up some of the Poffin Berries Less had researched, though to be fair, there hadn’t really been time with all the standing in line. “Mark? What do you think?”

He nodded in agreement, making a mental note that his personal planters would probably be used to grow faster berries once the current crops were done, and he said, "Yeah, Sitrus and Oran berries would be good to have around. Most status-effect berries grow pretty quickly too, right? Maybe one or two of those if you have them, since we won't have access to pokemon centers and most conditions can be worse than hit point damage." A pokemon that was poisoned or paralyzed would basically become unusable until the condition wore off, at which point healing berries would be irrelevant anyway. "If we can't get any of those berries, then oran and sitrus are what we should focus on growing, and we'll need to spend our money on status medicines instead of potions."

[Lord Ruby34]

Spoiler: OOC Question

Show

Is there no closer Public Computerthat knows about?

Professor Charles Maxwell, That sounded like just the man Less needed to speak to. After a quick search for contact information, Less gave his office a call.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Meetup:

Spoiler: OoC

Show

I think we’re all done here but let me know if I’m forgetting anything.

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

Pinklady:

It takes a while, but eventually you get the harness untangled and then around Whirlywhirly. By the time you’re done the heat has intensified to sweltering, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get any better for at least the rest of the day.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Treat any battles for the rest of the day as if Sunny Day were in effect, minus the ‘wearing off after X many turns’ part.

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

Mark and Mina:

Drat, she was going to have to do more jumping back and forth than she’d originally planned.

<Tell him no if you don’t want to do it.>

We might need these.

“I can do Sitrus…” Mina started rifling through her pack to check what else. “…Oran, Chahal, Chesto, Persim, Pecha, Rawst, Cheri…and Ebet, Niptir, Ekon, and Ashion.” Mina made a note to sort through her Berries and put them in some kind of useful order when she got the chance; if she wasn’t careful she was going to forget one just when she needed it. “I think we can safely skip the Ashion.” Attract was very situational and they had a good mix of genders in their Pokémon anyway. “And some of the other Helnith Berries are…of limited use.”

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Less:

Spoiler: OoC

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You specifically said you wanted to borrow a library computer.

You find the number and call. A distracted voice picks up on the other end. “Maxwell’s office.”

[Lord Ruby34]

Less:

Spoiler: OoC

Show

You specifically said you wanted to borrow a library computer.

You find the number and call. A distracted voice picks up on the other end. “Maxwell’s office.”

Spoiler: OoC

Show

I guess I assumed that it was the university library? Either way, it doesn't matter too much.

"Hello." Less replied. "My name is Lester Douglass. I was hoping to schedule an appointment to speak with Professor Maxwell. I have a great many questions about the spectral dimension . . . and I plan to soon go there."

[Gnomes2169]

“I can do Sitrus…” Mina started rifling through her pack to check what else. “…Oran, Chahal, Chesto, Persim, Pecha, Rawst, Cheri…and Ebet, Niptir, Ekon, and Ashion.” Mina made a note to sort through her Berries and put them in some kind of useful order when she got the chance; if she wasn’t careful she was going to forget one just when she needed it. “I think we can safely skip the Ashion.” Attract was very situational and they had a good mix of genders in their Pokémon anyway. “And some of the other Helnith Berries are…of limited use.”

"Attract and confusion can also just be cured by switching a pokemon out, so that shouldn't be too dangerous to deal with... poison, burn and paralysis have the biggest threat, I think. So that would be Pecha, Cheri and... Rawst?" He was just guessing there. "Maybe more focus on poison curing, since Toxic can be horrible."

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Less:

Spoiler: OoC

Show

That is the University library. It’s a separate building from the part you were in with the receptionist.

“This is Professor Maxwell.” You can hear typing in the background. He still sounds mildly distracted, but now there’s some interest there too.

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

Mark and Mina:

“I can plant a couple Pecha. What else?” Technically, Mina could do three, but she was unwilling to put her entire supply out in the wilderness where they might be eaten. “That leaves two more. One Rawst, one Cheri?” That would at least keep all four plots on the same schedule.

[Gnomes2169]

“I can plant a couple Pecha. What else?” Technically, Mina could do three, but she was unwilling to put her entire supply out in the wilderness where they might be eaten. “That leaves two more. One Rawst, one Cheri?” That would at least keep all four plots on the same schedule.

Mark nodded, "That sounds good to me. I can help you plant them too."

While they replanted those plots, he'd casually add, "So now that I've been here, me and Tattersail should be able to pop over if you get busy or caught up in something." Though it looked like Mark's schedule was actually the more busy one between them. "And you've been to Hillsbreak in the past, right? So could Xatu bring us directly there since you connected, or will we still need to walk through the forest first...?"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Mark and Mina:

That decided, Mina picked out the appropriate Berries, to be planted and watered at each site. (She also took a moment to check her Planter Berries.) Fortunately the other plots were untouched too, there not having been enough time since they’d ripened for anything to get at them.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

And that will also be noted when my computer is back in order.

While they replanted those plots, he'd casually add, "So now that I've been here, me and Tattersail should be able to pop over if you get busy or caught up in something." Though it looked like Mark's schedule was actually the more busy one between them. "And you've been to Hillsbreak in the past, right? So could Xatu bring us directly there since you connected, or will we still need to walk through the forest first...?"

<That’s not how it works. Tattersail needs to come here. You humans don’t pay attention to the right things.>

Mina got a brief, dizzying sense of energy currents and distances and differences in elevation and staggered briefly before her Pokémon realized he was overloading her brain and cut off the information flow.

She came to her senses just in time to catch the second bit. “Huh? I’ve never been to Hillsbreak.” But I’m assuming you can’t take us up to Siltis or Aitel either then.

<Nope. Not directly, anyway.>

Drat. Aloud she said, “We were going to try and find some more Berries while we were passing through anyway, remember?” Though she supposed digging Less’ gardens out was being put on hold, since the man himself had other things to worry about presently.

[Gnomes2169]

He frowned a bit before grumbling, "Well dang. Was hoping to save some walking... Maaaybe Tattersail had a point about me getting lazy..." He thought about picking up Sengar to help with the berry hunting, but... well, with Less in Skybreak, it would only be Mark and Mina walking through the woods, and how the dark fox reacted to her last time did not bode well for that idea.

But he had noticed her moment of dizziness, so after giving her a moment he asked, "Are you... doing alright?"

[Lord Ruby34]

"Ah," Less replied. "Are you free to speak now? I find myself with very little information about the Spectral dimension, and a need to enter it nonetheless. Someone dear to me is trapped there, and I aim to find her and bring her back home."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Huh, I guess I assumed that the universitylibrary would he closer. No big deal.

[essCee]

Pinklady:

It takes a while, but eventually you get the harness untangled and then around Whirlywhirly. By the time you’re done the heat has intensified to sweltering, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get any better for at least the rest of the day.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Treat any battles for the rest of the day as if Sunny Day were in effect, minus the ‘wearing off after X many turns’ part.

"Whew! Not even the Desert Resort was quite this hot, huh..." Pinklady reminisces on a trip they took back home with Whirlywhirly as they head over to retrieve the packages. Whether the front desk area is manueverable enough to bring Whirlywhirly in and load up the boxes then and there, or Pinklady has to leave Whirlywhirly at the entrance and carry each box out, she gets it filled and then starts fiddling with the ropes and cords to strap them down.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Mark and Mina:

“I have too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in,” Mina replied. Then reminding herself that none of that was Mark’s fault, she added, “But other than that, yes, I’m fine. Anything else we need to do before we head up to Dewdrop?”

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

Less:

Spoiler: OoC

Show

To be clear, its not on the opposite side of the city either, it’s just a bit of a walk. Remind me in about a week and I’ll try to put the map somewhere visible, but said map is on the nonfunctional computer ATM.

“Oh, another one of those. Very well, I have a few minutes before my next lecture. What is it you needed to know? I will warn you up front it’s unlikely whoever you’re looking for is in any shape to be rescued.”

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

Pinklady:

The entrance doesn’t appear to be designed for the cart to fit through it, so you’re forced to park it outside. The boxes are quite heavy and a number of them make sloshing sounds as you move them, but by noon you’ve gotten them loaded up and secured.

[Gnomes2169]

“I have too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in,” Mina replied. Then reminding herself that none of that was Mark’s fault, she added, “But other than that, yes, I’m fine. Anything else we need to do before we head up to Dewdrop?”

"Yeah. Yeah, I get that." He said, flashing her a tired grin. "It feels like a hot day is coming on, so maybe we should refill our water bottles before we go? Otherwise..." He shrugged, not able to think of anything else.

[Lord Ruby34]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Can do!

Less fought down his immediate impulse to argue. If there was anyone who could survive in the Spectral dimension it was Emilia. He couldn't bring himself to believe anything else. But what the professor had said . . . these rifts had been accompanied by kidnappings, hadn't they? What did the Spectral Pokemon even want with human captives?

"Thank you. When you say that the person I'm looking for likely isn't in any shape to be rescued, how do you mean? I understand that the Spectral dimension is very dangerous. Is there some effect on humans that spend too long there?" Less asked. Best to understand the fundamentals first.

[essCee]

Pinklady:

The entrance doesn’t appear to be designed for the cart to fit through it, so you’re forced to park it outside. The boxes are quite heavy and a number of them make sloshing sounds as you move them, but by noon you’ve gotten them loaded up and secured.

"Whew! Good thing this'll be a familiar route! Or, as familiar as a route in Helnith can be so far..." Pinklady rambled aloud to Whirlywhirly. "Let's go!" Pinklady directs Whirlywhirly to the way out and to the road, glad to be heading out once again.

[Feathersnow]

Akio tries to take this all in. The father of one of the Wlite Four!? Spectral Dimension!? It was so much. He listened in stoic silence, as befitting a confused samurai. After a long pause, he simply says:

"We are here, and this is now. And there is work to do.

Which is to say, you can count on me in a fight."

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Mark and Mina:

"Yeah. Yeah, I get that." He said, flashing her a tired grin. "It feels like a hot day is coming on, so maybe we should refill our water bottles before we go? Otherwise..." He shrugged, not able to think of anything else.

“All right, we’ll stop by Rieva first then. Xatu?”

Not long afterwards the two of you are in Rieva. Mina gives her Pokémon a pass through the machine (“Sorry shorty but you’ve probably had enough walking for today anyway,” Mina says as she recalls Riolu) and you both grab water bottles from the kitchen. ((+1 Fresh Water Mark, 2 total, +1 Fresh Water Mina, 1 total))

Then it is a rapid-fire Teleport jump across a large chunk of Helnith before you appear just south of Dewdrop Forest. Mina recognizes the Pokémon Center from her previous visit.

“I forgot there was a Pokémon Center here too,” Mina remarks, fishing a Pokéball off her belt. She calls out Pidgey. “Pidgey, we’re looking for Berries on our way to Hillsbreak, so keep an eye out will you? And I don’t suppose you already know where we could find some, do you?” The last is obviously addressed to her Xatu, who makes a noncommittal noise.

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

Less:

"Thank you. When you say that the person I'm looking for likely isn't in any shape to be rescued, how do you mean? I understand that the Spectral dimension is very dangerous. Is there some effect on humans that spend too long there?" Less asked. Best to understand the fundamentals first.

“I mean they’re likely to be dead,” Professor Maxwell replies. His voice is professional but unwavering as he continues in a lecturing tone. “Humans may be resistant to the effects of the Spectral Dimension but we are not immune. Extreme emotional states - including panic because the individual in question found themselves trapped in another dimension - will overwhelm and control anyone stranded there. If they have Pokémon with them that aren’t of the Spectral type and try to use them, eventually those Pokemon will become Shadowed and dangerous. If they don’t, many of the native Pokémon are hostile as well, and have no compunctions against attacking humans. There have even been some anecdotal reports of one of the Lord Pokémon sending forces through the convergences to kidnap people…but I digress. It is highly unlikely that whoever you are setting out to find is still alive to be found.”

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

Pinklady:

"Whew! Good thing this'll be a familiar route! Or, as familiar as a route in Helnith can be so far..." Pinklady rambled aloud to Whirlywhirly. "Let's go!" Pinklady directs Whirlywhirly to the way out and to the road, glad to be heading out once again.

Whirlywhirly manages about walking speed with the wagon, but since you have to follow the flow of traffic and stick to the streets it feels slower. You manage to get out of Skybreak by 12:30 however, and begin the long trudge towards the Shrine.

The trip is mostly uneventful, but about 5:30 you meet a small group of trainers - two boys and a girl, all around mid-teens - coming from the direction of the Shrine who spot you and flag you down.

“Hey, are you a Pokémon trainer?” The boy in the lead asks - he’s dressed mostly in red and black, with hair to match, and despite that doesn’t seem at all bothered by the heat. There’s also a rather massive scar down one side of his face. “You look like you’re headed to the Shrine of Light! You know,” he adds, in a quasi-conspiratorial, heavily hinting tone of voice, “it’s very dangerous up that way. You should get some battling in before you get closer - get your Pokémon more experience.”

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

Akio (Meetup over the phone):

No one really has anything to add to that and eventually the conversation winds to a close and you’re able to focus back on David and his Trapinch hunt.

(After getting David back to town with his new Pokémon):

David heals his Pokémon at the Center, thanks you for your help, and asks to exchange numbers with you before he bounces off to a corner of the lobby to have a rambling, excited conversation via Pokédex phone with a friend or relative, you can’t tell which from David’s half of the conversation. From what you can overhear, apparently at some point in the last five minutes your cosplay armor has transformed into something out of legend: made of titanium, and battle scars all over it from imagined fights.

Aside from that it seems you’ve got some time to decide your next move, but the Spectral Dimension is a looming specter on the metaphorical horizon. Also, it’s still baking hot outside.

[essCee]

Pinklady:



Whirlywhirly manages about walking speed with the wagon, but since you have to follow the flow of traffic and stick to the streets it feels slower. You manage to get out of Skybreak by 12:30 however, and begin the long trudge towards the Shrine.

The trip is mostly uneventful, but about 5:30 you meet a small group of trainers - two boys and a girl, all around mid-teens - coming from the direction of the Shrine who spot you and flag you down.

“Hey, are you a Pokémon trainer?” The boy in the lead asks - he’s dressed mostly in red and black, with hair to match, and despite that doesn’t seem at all bothered by the heat. There’s also a rather massive scar down one side of his face. “You look like you’re headed to the Shrine of Light! You know,” he adds, in a quasi-conspiratorial, heavily hinting tone of voice, “it’s very dangerous up that way. You should get some battling in before you get closer - get your Pokémon more experience.”

"Yeah, I'm a trainer! I can always use some more battle practice, you're on!" Pinklady accepts without hesitation - though, after accepting, it occurs to her how vital it is to keep her guard up, adds, "Not a full-party battle, though! Like you said, pretty dangerous around here, plus one of mine..." she pats Whirlywhirly. "...is currently indisposed!"

[Gnomes2169]

“I forgot there was a Pokémon Center here too,” Mina remarks, fishing a Pokéball off her belt. She calls out Pidgey. “Pidgey, we’re looking for Berries on our way to Hillsbreak, so keep an eye out will you? And I don’t suppose you already know where we could find some, do you?” The last is obviously addressed to her Xatu, who makes a noncommittal noise.

Mark didn't change his team at Rieva, but he does stop by the nurse (if she's awake by now) in order to see if there's a message for him while Mina goes to grab some water.

Once they'd reached Dewdrop forest, Mark checked his region map app and mumbled, "I'm going to have to visit this place with Tattersail too... So we just go north along the road and should get there soon." There weren't any pokemon he felt like he should have out right now, so he settles his pack on his shoulder he said, "Alright, here we go!"

[Lord Ruby34]

“I mean they’re likely to be dead,” Professor Maxwell replies. His voice is professional but unwavering as he continues in a lecturing tone. “Humans may be resistant to the effects of the Spectral Dimension but we are not immune. Extreme emotional states - including panic because the individual in question found themselves trapped in another dimension - will overwhelm and control anyone stranded there. If they have Pokémon with them that aren’t of the Spectral type and try to use them, eventually those Pokemon will become Shadowed and dangerous. If they don’t, many of the native Pokémon are hostile as well, and have no compunctions against attacking humans. There have even been some anecdotal reports of one of the Lord Pokémon sending forces through the convergences to kidnap people…but I digress. It is highly unlikely that whoever you are setting out to find is still alive to be found.”

Less kept his voice as calm as he could against the rising panic. His daughter was not dead. He refused to believe that. He couldn't believe that and keep functioning. "What do you mean by controlled?" Less managed to ask through the surge of emotion that was effecting his mind.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Pinklady:

"Yeah, I'm a trainer! I can always use some more battle practice, you're on!" Pinklady accepts without hesitation - though, after accepting, it occurs to her how vital it is to keep her guard up, adds, "Not a full-party battle, though! Like you said, pretty dangerous around here, plus one of mine..." she pats Whirlywhirly. "...is currently indisposed!"

“That’s fair, that’s fair, hang on a sec…” There’s some quick discussion between the three, in which you can hear occasional snippets - “…want to battle too!” “…test out new…” “…Trainer Hill…” - before the trainer in red and black finally turns back to you.

“Right, so, here’s our proposal: a one-on-one fight, with each of us” he points to himself then both of his friends “so three total, and then you’ll still be able to make it to the Shatterhigh Pokémon Center afterwards, even if you lose all three. It’s just a few miles back the way we came.” He gestures in the direction of he mountains. “That fair?”

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

Mina:

“Pidgey, we’re looking for Berries on our way to Hillsbreak, so keep an eye out will you? And I don’t suppose you already know where we could find some, do you?”

<We don’t farm, you realize.> Mina got a mental image of a Natu with a watering can, visiting the same spot every day, until an unseen predator pounced on it. <And if we did you’d be asking me to take food out of my family’s beaks.>

Mina hadn’t really thought about that, and immediately felt bad for the oversight. I’m sorry. Do we need to not pick any Berries at all? Though it occurred to her that same problem applied to everywhere else in Helnith, just for different Pokémon…

<Don’t worry about it. If it’s obvious enough to find and no one’s eaten them already something else is bound to get to them if we don’t. There are a couple places where they like to grow, but I don’t know if there are any there right now.>

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

Mark and Mina:

“North to the intersection and then west,” Mina agreed, double-checking the map.

They hadn’t gotten very far in when Mina got a mental burst of static from Xatu. She winced just as Pidgey came fluttering back, cooing anxiously. “What’s wrong?”

Pidgey dropped a twig, which fluttered erratically to the ground. Mina was not a botanist but thought it looked odd: on closer inspection it was mottled with blue, and the attached leaves were erratically shaped - wavey on one side and spiky on the other, like someone had put them into Photoshop and messed around with the smudge tool, then pulled the result out into the real world.

<It’s a Nomernall, or maybe a Miznomer. It has to be nearby. There’s a lot of distortion in this area.>

“Mark, there’s something near here.” Mina pulled out her Pokédex to scan the twig, just in case that was helpful. The readings came back inconclusive, except to confirm that it was definitely the result of a Pokémon. “Do we check it out?”

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

Less:

"What do you mean by controlled?"

“Think of it as being Shadowed, or going into a Shadow Rage, but without the obvious physical signs - no outward color changes or Pokédex warnings.”

[Gnomes2169]

“Mark, there’s something near here.” Mina pulled out her Pokédex to scan the twig, just in case that was helpful. The readings came back inconclusive, except to confirm that it was definitely the result of a Pokémon. “Do we check it out?”

Mark tilted his head a bit as he looked at the stick, rubbed at his chin... "Yeah, guess we can take a moment to look at that." Weird reality-altering spectral pokemon? Could be useful in the spectral dimension!

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Mark and Mina:

Between the warped vegetation and (for Pidgey and the humans) the unfamiliarity with the area, no one sees it at first. Then there’s a gut-wrenching twist and it feels like everything goes upside-down and inside-out, except that nothing actually moves. Then what looked like blue vines turn out to be limbs made of tendrils, and the face of the thing becomes clear - reminiscent of a broken clock, with markings like hieroglyphics on it.

Mina tries to scan it with the Pokédex, but very little information comes back.

((Psychic Terrain in effect. Sunny Day in effect.
Trick Room in effect, 4 rounds remaining.))

Miznomer: ???/???

[Lord Ruby34]

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Map Reminder!

Now that, Less was worried about. Emilia had been in the Spectral dimension for approximately, what, a month now? If there were mental effects, they may well have set in. Nothing to do but ask. "How long does that take to set in, and can it be reverted? . . . And if it was to start effecting me, would I have any warning signs?"

[Gnomes2169]

Mark got his own pokedex out to try and get something from this freaky little reality warper, but at the same time he sent out Fisher and called, "Fisher, let's start this fight with a Sing!" If they couldn't get a read on its hit points, status effect moves would at least make it easier to catch in theory.