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

[gorman]

"Whoa, WHOA there girl, if you're looking for your eggs or babies... They won't be here, you kinda came here alone as far as we can tell... Uhm, Ranger Wain you wouldn't be able to communicate with pokemon with your fancy styler tamer thing would you? I'm under the impression she's...well... clearly looking for something..."

Thinks for a moment... Oh god I hope those eggs I found weren't HER'S....

As for Gastly we'll replace Confuse Ray.

[WindStruck]

Flotsam gazes out one of the windows, trying to decide if she wanted to go out again. She thought her pokemon would enjoy it. It would have been a really nice day otherwise, and she didn't mind all the rain.

Looking over at the tall, lanky boy with a Ditto, she says, "Hmm? No, I don't think it usually rains like this. I mean.. now it does rain like this frequently. But it didn't used to. Or so I hear."

Oddly enough, this girl was wearing just a pink little swimsuit, and cradling a Goldeen in her arms.

“See? I told you no one in their right mind would be out there right now,” said some girl. Flotsam looked over at the pair briefly, just knowing they'd think she was crazy.

Then a stream of people started coming in. "Shadow Pokémon in the wiring? That's... weird." Flotsam says. Oh well. Maybe it was actually safer outside then? "Thanks for checking my Goldeen!" she calls out to the nurse, who was disappearing into the back.

Rascal, her favorite Pokémon usually liked being outside of Pokéballs, but unfortunately also tended to get dried out in the process, and also got in lots of trouble. Hence the nickname!

"Let's play outside, Rascal," Flotsam says casually. They step outside, and the girl immediately gets soaked again. Well she didn't mind, she was dressed perfectly well for the occasion. Rascal immediately started trying to wiggle out of her hands, eying a big puddle that was forming in the nearby fields.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Matsubara, Less:

The soaking-wet newcomers loiter around for a moment, before an older woman in a chef uniform – somewhat fancier than the others, and with more pockets in her apron – clicks her tongue and gets the attention of the rest.

“We have customers who did not get breakfast!” she says in faintly accented speech. “We are fixing this now!” And with that she herds the rest of the cooks into the Pokémon Center kitchen. Shortly thereafter wonderful smells waft into the lobby.

Spoiler: Less

Show

Less may recognize the older woman as Sonya Zakuski, a master chef who is somewhat famous in Helnith. Originally from overseas, she used to work as a cook for Mr. Tetherburn, a very rich man who owns (or used to own, seeing as it’s in Bandra territory now) the nearby hotsprings. When Bandra took over, she discovered an inner patriotic streak and started cooking for the non-Bandra masses instead; there was one notable occasion where she successfully bribed a Bandra patrol to leave the town alone solely with her cooking.

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

Matt:

((

Also, move list updated.))

Ranger Wain has the Styler out before you can finish the request and the little spinning top zings around the distressed Dragon type a few times. Her chirps gradually subside and she stops knocking things over, instead sitting in place and looking around uncertainly.

Ranger Wain pats her nose reassuringly. “I’m sure your babies are fine, Fieberdra, but my friend is right; you won’t find them here. You need to go home, I’m sure they miss you.”

And he gradually coaxes her out of the restaurant, yelping briefly when she decides to hop back into the electrical system and then hop out again outside the building rather than squeeze through the door. Then she takes off into the rain; you see her circle the town a few times before she veers south, out of sight. You can barely make out her sad little chirps starting up again as she disappears into the rain.

The Ranger comes back inside, finds a clear spot near the wall and slides down it into a sitting position, swearing at Bandra quietly but vehemently.

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

Flotsam:

You get a couple of concerned looks as you head out the door, but no one stops you. As wet as it is outside, Rascal slips out of your grasp in fairly short order before flopping over to the puddle, where he splashes around happily sending mud and water flying in all directions.

Not long afterwards you notice an electrical flash to the north, near the inn. A pale, long-necked Pokémon with three tails materializes from the light and glides gracefully upwards. You’ve never seen one in person before as they’re quite rare, even in Helnith, but you’re pretty sure it’s a Fieberdra.

It circles the town a few times before flying south, and as it vanishes you can hear it making sad little chirping sounds.

[Lord Ruby34]

Spoiler: OOC

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Looks like the notifications I set up for the threads aren't working. I'll attempt to troubleshoot that in the future.

Less is sitting by the window, slowly sipping at a steaming cup of tea between flipping pages in a well worn brown book. "Storms like this have become unfortunately regular in the last few years. The war, and it's consequences, have disrupted the local guardians of the area, and nature shows her abhorrence by these displays." Less says, his tone slipping into the professorial. He absentmindedly slips a weathered hand down to scratch at Buck's ears. The large Arcanine is doing his best impression of a lap dog. His muzzle, slightly grey from age, is pressed into Less's stomach, and the rest of the pokemon is wrapped around the table, and clearly far too large for the space he's occupying. With a few motions Less manages to get Buck to shift enough that he can reach the rest of his pokeballs. "Leo," he say, as the frog-like pokemon appears, "head outside and keep an eye out for any stragglers." Despite the orders, it seems more like an excuse to let Leo indulge in the downpour.

When the chef enters, Less nods his head in respect. "We are in for a culinary treat at least, to chase some of the dour cast of this morning away. Chef Zakuski is reputed to be a master of her craft."

Spoiler: Description of Less

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Less is an older man, though still in good shape for his age. His salt and pepper hair is mostly salt now, and kept cropped above the back of his neck. He has dark green eyes that often seem to be far away, though that distance disappears whenever he has the opportunity to give a lecture, or teach someone something. His face is lightly lined with age, and he sports a thick mustache and a similarly thick triangular patch of grey hair on his chin. The style manages to give him an air of discipline, rather than the free spiritedness the style often seems to produce in younger men. He is dressed tolerably well, in a brown tweed suit and vest, with a patches at the arms and a solid red tie tucked into the vest.

When standing, Less walks with a stick it is clear he does not need, but does add to his gentlemanly outfit.

[WindStruck]

Flotsam giggles as water gets splashed onto her, as well as some mud, but in any case, that mud quickly gets washed off. After some moments, the flash of light catches her attention, and she looks up at the Fieberdra. "Whoa..." she says, exhaling slowly in amazement.

Soon it was gone, and at about that time, a Croagunk exits the Pokémon center. Hmm, it looks like they might have some company and some new friends.

Flotsam decides to bring a few more of her pokemon out to see how they liked the weather. It may be understandable if the lightning scared them, though. Soon, however, they'd probably be having a nice little party!

Spoiler: ooc

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I'm not sure how many pokemon I can have out at one time. At least we're not battling. I'll go down the list, first trying to bring out, my Horsea (nickname undetermined yet!), then Staryu, then Finneon, then Clamperl.

Hmm.. I REALLY SHOULD come up with nicknames for all of them.

Horsea: Gypsy. Playful, yet sometimes skittish.

Goldeen: Rascal. Also playful, but curious, brave, and quite protective.

Staryu: Orion. Curious, poised, very intelligent, but not that playful.

Finneon: King. Lazy, cuddly, enjoys belly rubs, can sometimes get a bad temper.

Clamperl: Hilda. Shy, but quite kind!

Flotsam waves at the Croagunk and says, "Hellooo~" beaming happily.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Less and Matsubara:

Being by the window, Less notices in short order that Leo is making a new friend: a little girl in a swimsuit who looks just about old enough to have been starting her Pokémon journey if circumstances in Helnith had been otherwise.

Meanwhile inside, the cooks have monopolized the kitchen. One of the assistant cooks comes out with a stack of cups and a pitcher each of coffee and tropical fruit juice (the teapot from earlier is already making the rounds). He’s trailed a short while later by a bipedal Pokémon with hands like oven mitts and a tail that seems to have grapes growing off it - Less recognizes and Matsubara can identify with the Pokédex that it is a Copiakurn (Kitchen Form), which is carrying a big platter of hors d'oeuvres Chef Zakuski and her crew have somehow put together with record speed out of the standard (cheap, frequently boring and bland) Pokémon Center kitchen materials and whatever they brought with them from the restaurant. There are deviled eggs boiled to the perfect consistency, pieces of French toast with simple designs dusted onto them in cinnamon and powdered sugar, and tiny sandwiches cut artistically. These get passed around to everyone, human and Pokémon, which seems to go some distance to reconciling the Chansey who found their Center unexpectedly overrun with people.

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

Flotsam:

You can tell your Pokémon are overjoyed to be out in the rain; even Orion is loosening up a little.

The Croagunk waves back; Hilda snaps her shell shut upon seeing the newcomer before tentatively opening it back up the tiniest crack to peer out, and Gypsy hides behind you and Rascal, but the others take the new arrival in good stride.

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

Mark:

You finish your conversation with Pinklady (and feeding your Pokémon) and find a dry place to train; once you’ve finished with Jessia the rain lets up at last. ((About 4:30 PM. In case you see this before you see it in the OoC, 2 levels for Tattersail will put you at 10:30 PM, not 8:30 PM, because she’s level 30 now. Do you still want two levels of training for her?))

((Pokémon: Froslass (Jessia)
Type: Ice/Ghost
Ability: Snow Cloak
Gender: Female
Level: 30
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 91 +8
Attack: 62
Def: 56
Sp. Attack: 62 +11 +2
Sp. Def: 56 +3 +6
Speed: 80 +11
Moves:
Powder Snow
Ominous Wind
Double Team
Bite
Icy Wind
Protect

No new attacks.))

[gorman]

"Well that went... Surprisingly well I think! Uh... Ranger Wain, are you alright? Something on your mind you'd care to share? It helps to get things off your chest you know... Don't be like me and bottle your emotions up, they tend to come out poorly when they DO come out."

[WindStruck]

Flotsam continues to play joyously out in the rain. It was a little chilly, but she didn't mind. In fact, she thought she actually liked this weather. If not for all the rain, she probably would have never traveled this far inland with all her Pokémon. Mud squished under her feet and between her toes, and it sometimes splashed up on her, but about as quickly as it came, it left again, washed off in the torrential rain.

The other Pokémon had waved back, and two of her friends were pretty shy of it. Though the Croagunk looked sort of like a frog, Flotsam wasn't sure if it actually had much affinity to water? Well. Probably. Otherwise why would it be out here?

"Hey it's alright, they're just saying hello," she said, trying to comfort Hilda and Gypsy.

Eventually she sat down in the widening and deepening puddle next to Hilda, and then King flopped over. Flotsam started to rub his belly.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

I could potentially be out here a long time doing nothing. Hope you don't mind!

If anyone has any plothooks, all you probably need to do is just ask Flotsam if she'd like to help or come along.

[Lord Ruby34]

Less looks out the window and shakes his head, though he can't entirely hide the look of satisfaction on his face. That look only grows once the food comes out. "My compliment to Chef Zakuski," Less says to one of the servers after eating an egg and a bite of sandwich, "her reputation is, if anything, understated." Buck also shows his appreciation by wolfing down any food that happens to go near his muzzle, which includes two miniature sandwiches that Less procures for his longtime friend.

Less takes a long look around the pokemon center. While the room is warm and hospitable, there's always the chance that one of the travelers could have been a Team Bandra member in disguise. Less spends a moment weighing the chances after examining everyone's face, and takes some time to consider what, exactly, he might ask about the criminals and the nearby town.

[Gnomes2169]

Once the train stopped, Mark went outside and teleported Pinklady wherever she needed to go before training Tattersail up a little bit. (Just 1 level, if you haven't checked the OoC yet) When he was done, he grabbed some food for dinner before calling Wain so that he could tell him about his plan to go after Bandra's operation in the town of ash, and to ask how the lines from Piez ran to it (by land or by sea).

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Matt:

“Nothing you can do anything about. It’s just that this isn’t the first Shadow Pokémon I’ve had to wrangle recently, and this is egg-laying season for most of them. Even if they don’t smash their own nests or kill their own hatchlings, they’re leaving them unprotected. Everything has been dying off, there isn’t anything replacing it, and I don’t see it getting better.

…you should get your Pokémon seen to. I’ll follow in a while.”

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

Flotsam:

((That is perfectly all right! Let me know if you decide you want something else to do; right now I’m trying to steer Matt over to you three so you can at least meet but if you’re bored I can dig something up.))

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

Less and Matsubara:

The server thanks Less and promises to pass the compliment on to the Chef.

Meanwhile, the Copiakurn swings its tail to get the attention of Matsubara and his Ditto, then holds up the platter to offer each of them hors d'oeuvres.

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

Mark:

You train for three hours; it’s about 7:30 PM when the Pokédex registers progress:

Pokemon: Gardevoir (Tattersail)
Type: Psychic
Ability: Synchronize
Gender: Female
Level: 31
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 92 +8 -2
Attack: 54
Def: 54
Sp. Attack: 92 +11 +2
Sp. Def: 85 +5 +6
Speed: 64 +10
Moves:
Growl
Confusion
Double Team
Teleport
Lucky Chant
Magical Leaf

((No new attacks.))

Your dinner goes uneventfully. Ranger Wain picks up the phone almost immediately when you call.

((I’m going to ask you to role-play it; you’re getting a little far ahead of everyone else.))

“Wain here. It’s Mark, isn’t it? I hope you’re not calling to ask me to go with you on another adventure, I’m still tracking down Shadow Pokémon from the rift that I was supposed to keep contained during the last one.”

[Feathersnow]

Matsubara Akio

The tall man takes an hors d'oeuvre absent-mindedly after thanking the spirits and his host graciously.

He wants a second, then does a little stretch, getting into character.

"Hello," He announces, "My name is Matsubara Akio, but, if we are all guests under this roof, you may call me Akio! I am a traveller to this land seeking adventure and glory!"

[Gnomes2169]

“Wain here. It’s Mark, isn’t it? I hope you’re not calling to ask me to go with you on another adventure, I’m still tracking down Shadow Pokémon from the rift that I was supposed to keep contained during the last one.”

"Uh, yeah, this is Mark. I wasn't going to try to recruit you for this mission, and hopefully I'm not interrupting anything with those shadowed pokemon, but I figure I should let you know what we're planning to keep someone in the rangers in the loop." Checking around him to make sure no one was listening in, Mark shuffled off to the side and explained, "So we're planning to take out Bandra's poffin making capabilities in Quibir. We were going to sail from Tidepath in two days, landing on a piece of the coast that's accessible, and then knock out the power to the town just before sundown to disrupt their power and lights. After that, we were going to hunt down the backup generator in the contest hall, hopefully rescue the town natives, and then get out via the safari zone."

Scratching at his chin with his prosthetic limb, he asked, "So, uh, what do you think about the plan? And we've been told they get power from the Piez power plant, do you happen to know how the power lines run to them?"

[gorman]

"Is there some way to close those shadow rifts to stop the shadowing from happening? Would that help?"

I'll ask that before heading to the center to heal my....not... injured pokemon. :P

[Lord Ruby34]

Less takes a long look at the young man who has boldly declared himself, and lets silence linger for a moment after the samurai speaks. "There is no adventure in this land anymore, lad. Team Bandra has murdered it, along with those that stood too loudly against them." Less says, his voice cracking like a whip as he speaks, though the anger seems more general than directed at Akio. Less's voice softens as he continues. "If you seek adventure and duty, then look past these shores. There are places in this world untouched by the ravages of war."

Spoiler: OOC

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It's early morning of those of us in the Pokemon Center, right?

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Akio and Less:

((Derp, I should have realized that was the last name!

And yes, it’s about 9 AM for you guys now.))

Aside from Less, Akio gets a few weirded-out looks at his out-of-the-blue announcement from the other patrons, but the original pair on the couch both react positively: the girl waves and the boy (too wrapped up in blankets to do the same without spilling tea or food) grins widely.

“I’m Layla, this is Todd,” she tells Akio, ending the somewhat-awkward silence. “Are you here for the rift Pokémon then, or—?” She gets briefly distracted as the door opens again, admitting a soaking wet middle-aged man. “Oh hey! It’s that guy from earlier! Hey guy, did you find that Shadow Fieberdra?”

Spoiler: Less

Show

Fieberdra is Helnith's equivalent to Dragonite.

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

Mark:

There is a pause on the other end. “…I should tell you it’s too dangerous, but I know what I’d say if someone told me not to do my job because of that.” He sighs. “I still can’t go with you, but I can warn the Ranger Union to be ready with medical supplies for when you get back. If you have to leave the Safari Zone by boat, be very careful; Bandra Officer Darrin has been reported attacking ships off the coast.

As for Piez, the power lines to Quibir are connected to more than one point in the grid; it’s for redundancy in case the power lines get knocked down by a storm or Pokémon battle. They come down from Seapoint and continue down to Shadowbeach. What I’m trying to say is, if you want to cut the power to the town completely you’re going to need to do it on the north end of town and the south.”

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

Matt:

The Ranger shakes his head ‘no’ and the Combee buzz unhappily. “They’ve been part of the region for as long as anyone can remember. It would be like stopping the tides, or the wind. Even if you could, who knows what the side effects would be? Anyway, we only get a lot of them like this about every ten years, and it’s like a year of drought: we make it through, and things settle back down afterwards. But with Bandra meddling as much as they have, it’s compounding the problems they’re causing.”

((After leaving the restaurant: ))

On your way back to the Pokémon Center in the pouring rain, you see a little girl in a swimsuit, about ten or eleven, playing in puddles with a Croagunk and a large handful of Water Pokémon. The Clamperl and the Horsea skitter behind the others as you pass, the rest don’t pay you any special attention.

Inside the Center, it’s very busy, as many of the people from the restaurant seem to have come here for shelter. And it appears the cooking staff have been hard at work: someone is passing around juice and coffee, and there’s a Pokémon you’ve never seen before carrying a mostly-empty platter of deviled eggs, tiny sandwiches, and French toast with little patterns dusted on it in cinnamon and powdered sugar. (The Pokédex identifies the Pokémon as a Copiakurn (Kitchen Form); it has oven-mitt-like hands and a tail that seems to have grapes growing out of it.)

But you can see the pair on the couch from earlier, and Layla breaks off her conversation with a man in what looks like a full suit of armor (!) to exclaim: “Oh hey! It’s that guy from earlier! Hey guy, did you find that Shadow Fieberdra?”

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

Flotsam:

Gypsy and Hilda are just starting to get used to the newcomer when they break off their play suddenly to skitter around the other Pokémon. With this cue you notice a middle-aged man come out of the restaurant to the north, and make his way to the Pokémon Center. Judging by the sounds (and the wonderful smells) they’re having their own party inside right now. Before the door closes, you hear the voice from earlier (the one who said no one in their right mind would be outside) exclaim:

“Oh hey! It’s that guy from earlier! Hey guy, did you find that Shadow Fieberdra?”

The door then swings shut, cutting off the sound of any further conversation.

[WindStruck]

As this other stranger approaches, of course Hilda and Gypsy get kind of scared again. Maybe Flotsam would have said something, but he had already changed course, turning to go into the Pokémon center. Also, the smells of food and the cutoff conversation attract Flotsam's attention.

Just thinking about the food caused her stomach to growl. "Oh.. it smells good in there..." Flotsam says. While she was probably perfectly content to be playing out in the rain for hours upon hours, the distraction made her begin to consider if she wanted to pop in there briefly for a snack.

Then again.. it's not like any of that food belonged to her. She was pretty certain of that. It would be pretty rude to just go in there, eat stuff, and leave...

"What do you all think? Do you want to stay out here or see if we can have a snack inside?" She was patting King and rubbing his belly, though he seemed to perk up at the word 'snack'.

[gorman]

"Yeah, Ranger Wain and I managed to clear the beast of it's shadowing and it has vacated the premises. It should be safe to return back to the restaurant. I'm sorry for any inconveniences caused by the disruption."
Nodding to myself thinking, yep, that should be all the information people need, I take a look at the map and try to think of what to do next.

[Feathersnow]

Akio

Akio falters for a moment but doesn't break character. He was a nobleman, a samurai! That meant something!

"Adventure may be gone, but that cannot mean but that duty remains!" He puffs.

Then he considers something- acting out in public was suspicious as all get out. If Team Bandra was actually monitoring them, as the man implied was possible, he was going about finding a useful mission exactly backwards. A sensible organization would use him as a bellwether, ambushing whoever him and he was with.

Buy he couldn't not be a samurai, that would be dishonorable!

He responds smiling to Layla and Todd. "HI! Yes, I've heard stories of the rift Pokémon, and came to challenge myself. Don't mind the armor, it's a Johtoan tradition I couldn't shake."

As the man comes in from the rain, Akio greets him and listens attentively for information about the shadow Pokémon. As he hears the update he asks "Is there any way I can help? I know you don't know me, but I was raised on the noble tradition to aide the unfortunate, and today, the place that seems to really need it is Helnith."

[Lord Ruby34]

"Duty remains." Less agrees. He takes a moment to observe the conversation and scratch Buck under the chin.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Flotsam:

The Croagunk is already headed back towards the door, so it’s clear what their opinion on the subject is.

As for your own Pokémon, Rascal and King both seem to be in favor of snack time, Hilda and Gypsy less so – though you know them well enough to realize that might be less ‘they don’t want food’ and more ‘there are an awful lot of strange people in there making them nervous.’ Orion spins over to the door to peer in, then spins back to you, apparently undecided. It would seem it’s up to you.

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

Matt, Akio, Less:

"Yeah, Ranger Wain and I managed to clear the beast of it's shadowing and it has vacated the premises. It should be safe to return back to the restaurant. I'm sorry for any inconveniences caused by the disruption."

“Aww, I wanted to catch it!” Todd sulks. Layla just rolls her eyes. The assistant cook with the drinks excuses himself to let the staff in the kitchen know the good news, but as there’s food here and it’s still raining quite hard, no one appears interested in returning to the restaurant just yet.

Matt’s attempt to check the map is interrupted as a few more of the restaurant’s staff come out with plates of waffles, bowls of sliced fruit, and other various toppings. It seems Chef Zakuski is really going all out.

"Is there any way I can help? I know you don't know me, but I was raised on the noble tradition to aide the unfortunate, and today, the place that seems to really need it is Helnith."

Layla responds, “There are probably some Shadowed Murkrow or something still around; there were a lot of Pokémon that came out of the last rift, and the Ranger wasn’t around to keep them contained when it happened, so they got all over the place and he’s having some problems rounding them up now.”

[Gnomes2169]

Mark:

There is a pause on the other end. “…I should tell you it’s too dangerous, but I know what I’d say if someone told me not to do my job because of that.” He sighs. “I still can’t go with you, but I can warn the Ranger Union to be ready with medical supplies for when you get back. If you have to leave the Safari Zone by boat, be very careful; Bandra Officer Darrin has been reported attacking ships off the coast.

As for Piez, the power lines to Quibir are connected to more than one point in the grid; it’s for redundancy in case the power lines get knocked down by a storm or Pokémon battle. They come down from Seapoint and continue down to Shadowbeach. What I’m trying to say is, if you want to cut the power to the town completely you’re going to need to do it on the north end of town and the south.”

He thought about what the ranger said, checked the region map on his pokedex (since he has a cell phone in addition to the 'dex), and he said, "Well dang. Guess I should try to find more people than just me, Mina, Matt and Pinklady... maybe when I meet up with Lijan to evolve our 'mon, I can see if he's willing to send a few Starlight Squad members to help us out." Or maybe a member of their group would be able to find some more trainers to assist them.

"And we were planning to surf a good way around the coast, or to teleport-skip back to Tidepath from the volcanic island after collecting some ash for the flute maker, depending on Bandra water presence. Guess Darrin makes the choice there pretty obvious." Tucking his pokedex away and pulling out his drawing journal and flipping to the back of the last page, he would ask, "Do we know what pokemon Darrin has on his active team?"

[WindStruck]

"Oh, you guys~~" Flotsam says, bordering on complaint. "Ugh, fine, I'll go inside! And, um. You can stay here if you want." She looked at Gypsy and Hilda in particular, knowing they were pretty shy of the strangers.

"Well, unless you're too afraid to be out here by yourself too? I guess King can keep you company. And Orion..."

Looking down at Rascal, he began flopping energetically and leaped up into Flotsam's arms. "And yeah, Rascal comes with me, as usual.." she giggled again. If there's one thing Rascal liked doing, it was brandishing his horn threateningly at anyone that was going to give the girl a hard time.

"Well, okay! Be back in a minute! Or two.. or.. I dunno!"

Flotsam trotted off to the Pokémon center and went through the doors, seemingly dragging in a mini rainstorm of her own as water cascaded from her and Rascal's bodies, not to mention the rain outside briefly pouring in through the door too. She looked around at all the people milling about, and then she spotted it: the food! Plates of waffles and fruit and whipped cream, syrup, nuts, french toast, eggs...

It smelled so good! Flotsam's mouth began to water just looking at it all. But she wasn't just going to start stuffing her face like some savage. She approached, ever so slowly, forming slippery puddles as water still dripped from her hair. She looked about at the various people with a demure smile every now and then, but her eyes always went back to the plates of food. She was trying to figure out one thing.. was this food free for anyone to take?

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Mark:

"And we were planning to surf a good way around the coast, or to teleport-skip back to Tidepath from the volcanic island after collecting some ash for the flute maker, depending on Bandra water presence. Guess Darrin makes the choice there pretty obvious."

“Do any of your Pokémon know Surf?” the Ranger interjects. “Because if not, you’re going to need to leave at high tide, or around then at least. The currents around Tidepath get very powerful when the tide is going in or out, people have gotten knocked off their Pokémon and even small boats before this and drowned.”

"Do we know what pokemon Darrin has on his active team?"

“Darrin still has most of Tethys’ Pokémon, so expect Acquegon. Expect powerful Water Pokémon in general. The latest reports mentioned Swampert and Lanturn.”

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

Flotsam (and Matt, Akio, Less):

Flotsam gets her question answered quickly as the Copiakurn waddles over to her and holds its mostly-empty platter up to her, making a questioning sound. Rascal slips forward to get his horn under a tidbit and flips it into the air, catching it in his mouth; the Copiakurn looks pleased and makes the questioning sound again.

[WindStruck]

Flotsam looks down at the platter and beams broadly. "Oh thanks! I was hoping I could get some!" She grabs a thing wrapped in bacon and eats it: eggs wrapped in bacon sort of like a filet mignon.

"Wow, that's good!" She grabs another, and half a waffle. "Um.. hey, I have some friends outside who wanted something too..." she begins, hardly even finished chewing the second portion of bacon and egg.

"You don't mind if they, um.. I mean, if I took some out to them too, do you?"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Flotsam (and Matt, Akio, Less):

The Copiakurn babbles something at you in Pokéspeak – it doesn’t sound like a negative, but other than that you have no idea what it said – and gives you a thumbs-up with one of its oven-mitt hands. The platter wobbles a bit as it peers into the pocket on its front (which appears to be part of the Pokémon, rather than a garment like the humans are wearing), grumbles something under its breath, then points at you with its thumb, then at the clock on the wall, then at the floor where you’re standing before it waddles away towards the Pokémon Center kitchen.

One of the cooking staff passing out waffles notices this exchange and translates for you. “He says wait here.”

[Lord Ruby34]

Less hands Leo a sandwich as the Croagunk ambles back inside, and nods in approval. "No stragglers so far? Good. Eat your fill and head back out when you are ready. Eyes on the road could save a life in this weather. Come back in if it gets too cold. Princess can stand a watch if you need relief."

Less turns his attention back towards the conversation for a moment before speaking up. "Though I am loathe to interrupt a conversation, I have a question about these shadowed Pokemon, if you are able to answer. I have heard of them, but only in the broadest terms. What exactly makes a Pokemon shadowed, and how does the shadowing affect the Pokemon?"

[WindStruck]

One of the cooking staff passing out waffles notices this exchange and translates for you. “He says wait here.”

"Oh.. okay..." Flotsam says, a little deflated but hopeful nonetheless. She idly stands around, rather unaware of the conversations about shadow Pokémon and Team Bandra. That is, up until now.

[Gnomes2169]

Mark:

“Do any of your Pokémon know Surf?” the Ranger interjects. “Because if not, you’re going to need to leave at high tide, or around then at least. The currents around Tidepath get very powerful when the tide is going in or out, people have gotten knocked off their Pokémon and even small boats before this and drowned.”

“Darrin still has most of Tethy’s Pokémon, so expect Acquegon. Expect powerful Water Pokémon in general. The latest reports mentioned Swampert and Lanturn.”

Ahhhhh... butts. That was going to be awkward. "Fisher doesn't know surf, no... would you know a move tutor or a person who sells HM's who might be able to teach it to some of our water types?"

And he wrote don the pokemon that were mentioned, adding a note to look up Acquegon in the Helnith pokedex since he had no idea what that was, and writing that he really needed to find a grass type one of these days.

[gorman]

"Ah, as far as I'm aware the shadow rifts are a naturally occurring thing... Though it seemed, or sounded, like Bandra is antagonizing the rifts in some way making them more frequent? I'm not from around here so nothing really makes sense to me, though I've seen the corpses Bandra's left from their.... gruesome experiments... Ah, but your wanting to help is appreciated. I'm afraid I'm a bit awkward, name's Matt, nice to meet you."