The loud sound of clacking heels knocked against the pavement, one after another, causing a slight echo down the street from where Hammer was watching the children enter the gym itself. One hand on her hip as she walked closer to the man with a fairly irritate look drawn across her ebony skin, her cold eyes deadlocked on the man she had been looking for since day before yesterday. As she closed in on her target she pulled a Pokeball from her sleeve and released the being inside, revealing it to be a regular Rotom that floated aimlessly around its trainer snickering out loud.
“Overload, short out every camera this man has following him, and every cell phone with a recorder on it around the area” she commanded the ghost Pokemon disappearing without a trace.
She worked fairly hard to build a professional image for her coordinator career and the last thing she wanted was the internet buzzing about her throwing down with detective hammer. As the cameras were shut down one by one Hollow made her presence known to the crew as she walked right passed them without so much as a second glance. Long purple hair flowing wildly in the wind, cold piercing eyes, one could mistake her for someone else entirely.
“Detective hammer I presume?” she questioned moving her hand up to take the Pokeball off the necklace around her neck “I believe we need to have a little chat about abuse of power and harassing children, and after maybe you can tell me something what gang you’re looking for exactly” she spoke clear and loud enough for him to hear her a burning anger through each word clear and distinct.
"I see..." With a slight frown, the research assistant took in the story. An Aerodactyl that could destroy an ambulance with one Hyper Beam. A man in a bizarre inflated outfit. A group of innocent people who'd thankfully escaped with their lives. A girl, strange activity happening around her, blurting that there had been a corrupt, shadowy aura surrounding the Pokemon. The assistant winced inwardly, but kept her formal demeanour. "Well, thank you for telling me what you know. I'll report this back right away."
Once the student had bowed his head and left, the woman sighed. "Just like I assumed," she said, patting Pixel again. "Someone's going and tampering with Pokemon." Given her field of expertise, she'd heard of quite a few possible ways their strengths could be enhanced. A Porygon Z was living proof of this, and it had taken a lot of research and reassurance that the modification, while causing unprogrammed behaviours, didn't actually give the Pokemon any distress, for her to let Pixel evolve. What had happened with this Aerodactyl, though... She didn't want to imagine what it must have been through, but she'd have to find out.
Taking out her phone, she dialled a number and reported what the monk had told her.
Sophia couldn't help chuckling along with Oscar as she watched Aurora and Roadrunner play. Lacey joined in, running around after them and giggling. Maybe, just for a moment, Sophia thought, this would be a chance to put her worries aside. "Well," she said, with a proud grin, "Remember Solanna's challenge? Of course, it'll be all too easy for me, but practice can't hu-"
She spun around to see the Darumaka darting off again. "Lumas! Come back!" she called, but the monkey clambered up the leg of a smartly-dressed woman who seemed to have just made an important call. A Porygon Z at her side reeled back. The woman, who'd been about to put her phone away, staggered and dropped it.
Sophia reacted instantly. The phone stopped, suspended in midair for a second, before floating back into the woman's hand. "Ehh, Lumas here is a little overexcited about his first battle," the psychic explained, as the Darumaka let go of the fabric of the trouser leg, leaping down and running in circles. "Either that or he just always acts like he ate too many Poke Puffs."
The other woman's eyebrows raised as she looked from her cell phone to Sophia. "It's... ok," she said. "Hm, a psychic? Well, that's quite something. I can imagine a place like this would be perfect for you to train. Thanks, for just now."
A smirk grew across Sophia's face. "Pretty neat, huh?"
The Porygon Z's trainer nodded, although her expression settled into a more neutral, less impressed one at the psychic's tone. "And about your Darumaka, I spend a lot of time around Electric types. They can be the same."
That stern gaze shifted from Sophia to Oscar. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask something," the stranger said, clearly not one for small talk. "If you're ok talking about this..." Her attention flicked over Sophia's injuries. "Do you know anything about the incident around here two days ago? I'm helping to look into what could be causing such unusual behaviour in a Pokemon."
Sophia stood there, taken aback for a moment. Just great. Was this woman some kind of detective? Would anything she got told get back to Hammer? Was saying something worth the risk?
“No problem. Glad I could be of help,” Aedre said, meaning it. It always felt good when she could swerve white lies and just tell the truth and have people be happy with that. Somehow, it felt like an invisible burden had been lifted off her even though there was never one to begin with.
When Nyxx introduced herself, Aedre flashed the girl a bright smile. “Hi! I’m Aedre,” she said. “As for the rock- and ground-types, I agree completely. I have a couple Pokeballs stocked up for that very reason, even though the main purpose of this trip is to mine and explore.”
When Rachel handed out the mining kits, Aedre’s eyes rounded, and her curiousity perked its ears. She’d just been handed a set of tools she’d never touched before, another career she’d never explored much, and another life she was about to live.
The life of a spelunker — always in the dark, scouring the crust and below for treasures unseen but present and Pokemon hidden but very much alive, Aedre thought, opening the bag and peering in. Inside was a flashlight, a pickaxe of sorts, a pair of gloves, and a few more things hidden under them.
Aedre’s excitement was mutedly contagious at that point, and it quickly drew her Togepi to her side.
“To, To!” Pasithea said, reaching her arms up and waving them with her face scrunched into a frowning pout.
“Of course! Go ahead and look,” Aedre said, bending down and showing the normal-type the bag of tools.
The metal clinked and clanked as it touched the floor, and Pasithea scrunched her face again, this time with a disapproving and disappointed frown.
“It’s going to be a rough trip, Thea, but I’ll feel much better if you’re with me along the way,” Aedre teased. The Togepi crossed her arms but had refrained from whining to be recalled, and that was enough for Aedre. “Thanks very much, Thea. We can pick up some poffins after — your favorite!”
Team:
Pasithea “Thea” ♀ — Togepi (11)
Attacks:Growl, Charm, Metronome, Sweet Kiss
Ability:Serene Grace
Alitis “Little” ♂ — Fletchling (11)
Attacks:Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack
Ability:Gale Wings
Decus “Dee” ♂ — Honedge (6)
Attacks:Tackle, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter
Ability:No Guard
Bag Items:
Pokedex (with Kosei Region Map)
Smart Phone
Credit Card linked to a private account that houses a decent amount of money
Poke Radar
Collapsable Bike with two gears (third for bike ramps, fourth for muddy slopes)
@Noxx "You're making a mistake lady." Hammer said as he glared at the woman strolling past his crew. He couldn't help but notice the aura this woman projected. It was almost the same feeling he had gotten when Ray got between him and those kids before. He ignored the impulse to back down and faced her instead. "Those children are involved with one of the most dangerous organizations in Kosei and they're too tight lipped about it to be innocent. He reached for one of his Pokeballs, hands slightly shaking.
"And don't think I've never heard of you, Hollow. A contest coordinator has no business interfering with an investigation. I'll let the destruction of my equipment slide this time, but I'd suggest you back off and deal with your child before they get hurt."
This could be bad, without his fans to shame his opponent he couldn't take the moral high ground...and given this woman's confidence and intimidation factor that would be the only way for him to inflict any real damage.
It was early afternoon, the sun high and bright in the sky, by the time the group reached the caves. Wiping sweat from her forehead, Amber followed Rachel, peering into the mouth of a cavern. From what she'd read, Drilbur, Diglett and Onix dug many of these tunnels. What else would be in there? This was her chance to find out. As risky as a Pokemon training journey was, witnessing these creatures close up made it all worthwhile.
"Come on back out, Larimar." At the press of a button, the Anorith reappeared by her side. Walking alongside the others, three of her Pokemon in tow, Amber switched on the flashlight. Distant shapes flitted around, their squeaks echoing. "Woobats," she said, noticing a heart-shaped mark on the stony wall. "It hasn't been officially proven, but they're believed to bring good fortune to anyone they land on." She glanced over her shoulder at Aedre. "Of course, you should have plenty of that anyway, with your Togepi."
As the researcher-in-training pointed the flashlight around the cave, multicoloured glints shone from the walls and floor. "Well, we've definitely come to the right place for mining," Amber commented with a chuckle, shrugging the bag from her shoulder, putting on the gloves and pulling out the pickaxe. The pendants she could make from these crystals would hopefully sell for enough to keep her fed, and who knew, maybe some of these rocks would be useful to Pokemon later on. There would surely be evolution stones and type gems around.
"Kyra, you wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for wild Pokemon?" she asked the Rockruff. With a yap, the puppy cast an alert look around and sniffed the area, prepared to guard the group of trainers. Amber set to work, chipping at the rocks. At her side, Larimar did the same, swiping the ground with her sharp claws, revealing a piece of clear quartz. "Wow, Larimar! Those claws of yours are like steel!" Amber watched in fascination as her newest Pokemon assisted her. "I read that an Armaldo can break rocks... So, it turns out they can do that even before they evolve."
After Chalcedony helped to work the gemstone free, Larimar pushed it, sending it clinking across the ground towards the trainer. Bending down, Amber patted each of the shellfish and tucked the crystal into her bag. "Aw, thanks, both of you!"
If they worked together, it seemed likely they'd dig up plenty of items before the day was out.
Oscar rolls his eyes and goes after Sophia and her Pokemon. Once Oscar catches up, he sees Sophia with a new person and a weird blue and pink Pokemon. Once the Team Noble incident was brought up, Oscar's expression turns serious. "I am not sure but I think where to start looking. I think there is a trend between Team Noble and teams from other regions." Oscar hopes that he will get more research in among all the other things. "If there is any information you can offer, it would be a great help in bringing down Team Noble."
“No, I think you’ve made the mistake here, pressuring my baby and her friends after a traumatizing experience” She growled clicking the button on the Pokeball causing it to expand showing off just how aged it was old and rusted decorated with scratch marks and cracks along the bottom. “They were attacked and you think they might be involved with anything deeper than that, if you actually did your job instead of flaunting your primape hide in front of a camera for views you might have some real clues” Mistress Hollow continued to bash and belittle the man brushing her long hair to the side and out of her eyes showing off those piercing cold eyes dead locked on the detective.
“If this were a legit investigation, I would agree with you, but I’ll have to relieve you of any information you have on this gang so I can teach them the same lesson you’re about to learn” M. Hollow snarled tossing the ancient looking Pokeball into the air releasing a large beam of light from inside taking the form of a fairly large Dragonite landing in front of his trainer shaking the ground beneath its feet and roared loud enough to shatter glass “Don’t mess with my child”
Nyxx didn’t say much on the way to the caves themselves having little knowledge of excavating fossils or anything like that in the first place, one they got to the caves she pulled out her Bunnery and Bounsweet being that both Swablu and Jolteon were weak to rock type attacks and with them being in a cave and everything she figured the chances of that happening were entirely too high for her not to take a precaution.
“I really don’t know much about digging and excavation Amber so I’ll keep myself awake by being your body guard” she said with a loud yawn covering her mouth right after “Ah, ready guys?” she called out to Nellz and Ivy who were a little too busy sizing each other up being that they hadn’t actually meet without Lupin being around.
“Um, I’m going to need you two to actually work together on this one, you can have a girl fight all you want when we're out of this cave” Nyxx barked staggering just a little having been low on energy since leaving the pokecenter and having no real rest she was literally running more empty than usual.
"Team Noble..." the woman muttered. "People are saying they're the ones behind this. Given what I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised." She frowned. "I've only been in Kosei for a few months, so my knowledge is limited, but as for comparisons... In Kanto, Team Rocket once planned to take over the world with stolen Pokemon, and funded rather less than ethical research. What happened here certainly sounds like some kind of experiment gone wrong."
Although she didn't want to, she thought over the possibilities, her eyebrows furrowing further. "Thanks, uh... what's your name? I haven't introduced myself. Vivianne Cypress. The professor asked me to investigate some strange Pokemon behaviour around the town, but I wasn't expecting this."
Her gaze shifted towards Sophia. It wasn't so much the fact that the girl was a psychic that intrigued her. Having grown up in Saffron City with two Silph Co employee parents before leaving to assist scientists around Kanto, Vivianne had met a few psychics who had sought mentoring from gym leader Sabrina. Rather, it was that this girl had to be the person the monk had just mentioned, the person who might have some idea what was going on with the Aerodactyl.
"And you," she said, not sure how to continue. She didn't want to make this girl any more uncomfortable. "You didn't... see anything noteworthy, by any chance?" It was best to be honest, she decided. "I heard one of the people involved was a psychic. And that she said she'd seen something out of the ordinary. I take it that was you."
As Vivianne made her rather formal introduction, Sophia studied her, allowing herself to relax slightly. So this woman wasn't working with Hammer. The detective most likely wouldn't be smart or subtle enough to get somebody else to investigate anyway. Besides, the Riolu would probably know if there was anything off about the researcher.
"I'm Sophia," she replied, "and about what I saw... I have no idea what it meant. It was something I'd never seen before. All I know is it looked... it felt... wrong. Like something was missing. No, more like something had been shut away. Shut away by this cloud of black filth."
She shivered, the memory of the sight and sensation etched deeply into her mind. If only she could be more helpful right now. Someone like her should have been able to figure out more. She had these extraordinary abilities, and yet she couldn't even help her friends with them? Or do anything useful, in any way, for anyone?
"It's a shame I've never really explored this cave before." Rachel said smiling wide. "Caverns covered in crystals like this are always just so fascinating!" She said in a half squeal.
Calming herself down, she let her Cradily out. "Cradily, use flash!" She shouted. Instead of what one would expect from a move often used to temporarily blind opponents, the grass type instead let out a soft light that managed to illuminate the cave around the group. The crystals seemed to light up in response to the new source of light painting much of the cavern in a myriad of colors. "You guys should have seen the first few times I tried that in a cave, she used to overdo it and scare all of the Pokemon nearby."
Hammer
Mesalon
@Noxx "Oh, that's just terrifying." Hammer said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. It was a front, certainly, but he wasn't going to just back down. Besides, even if this were to end in a battle he could easily claim that he had won.
In a red flash, his Krookodile was on the field and squaring up with the orange dragon. While it didn't quite have a direct type advantage, a move like Stone Edge would undoubtedly do notable damage. It probably wouldn't win the battle, but if Hollow were to assume their Pokemon were on the same level...it could dissuade her.
When the crazily used flash the cave illuminated with an array of sparkling colors, like being able to stand inside of a rainbow. The bright light reflected particularly strongly off one round stone tucked neatly into the cave wall. As he got closer he saw the stone was turquoise and opaque, but it closed with a radiant white light, like it was reflecting the sun. "Beldum, do you think you can get that stone for me bud?" Alex said to his Pokémon, looking around clearly just as in awe as his trainer. Beldum nodded and floated over to the stone.
He positioned his single limb to the stone, his claws burrying themselves into the stone of the cave wall, and wrapping around the stone from the inside of the rock, and pulling it out. Beldum carefully placed the stone in his trainer's hand. "Its beautiful..." Alex whispered to himself, before carefully placing the stone in his bag. He could still see the faint glow of the stone while it was inside the bag. "Speaking of the Pokémon, Rachel, are they farther down in the cave? I was hoping to catch one of them."
Addressing Vivianne Cypress, Oscar does a short bow before saying. "The name is Oscar Berg. Pleasure to meet you." After listening to Sophia and Vivianne explain the respective stories, Oscar ponders over it. "I am curious about the research that you mention, Vivianne. The Team you described does fit the basic mold so far. All teams seem to have a grand goal and they use pokemon, sometimes even legendaries, to achieve it."
Vivianne frowned. "Well, I heard about Gyarados going into a rage in Johto one time - more of a rage than usual. Turned out to be linked to Team Rocket. Some kind of forced evolution project. Like that was going to go unnoticed." Studying artificial and altered Pokemon meant inevitably hearing about the darker side of science - and she couldn't ignore these teams anyway, what with the attempted takeover of Silph Co way back. "Now, Aerodactyl can't evolve, but it can mega evolve. If I can find that old report about the Gyarados, it could reveal similarities."
She thought back to another story. "Also, there was this whole fiasco with a genetically engineered Pokemon in Kanto. Mewtwo. Broke out of a lab and caused all kinds of chaos. There are rumours that Team Rocket's leader had something to do with the experiment."
Her cool blue gaze remained on Oscar. "There really do seem to be patterns everywhere. I was going to go to Hoenn, and according to its history, apparently someone once had the bright idea of stirring up two legendary Pokemon there." She shook her head. "There's just no avoiding human stupidity..."
By her side, the Porygon Z twitched.
"Hm? What's wrong, Pixel?" Vivianne checked her phone to make sure it hadn't been damaged, then looked back up at the two trainers in front of her. "Are all your electronics ok? Pixel gets like this around malfunctioning technology."
The next moment, an almighty draconic roar from outside filled the air, most likely disrupting every Zen practice in progress. Raising an eyebrow, Vivianne glanced in the direction of the sound. "So much for peaceful..."
"Someone mentioned the Mewtwo story the other day," Sophia told Vivianne. She'd been too tired to remember all the details, but it hadn't been the first time she'd heard of Mew, an ancient being that supposedly had the DNA of all Pokemon. That pink Pokemon she'd seen - she couldn't be sure, but it had fit the description.
Before she could mention the attacker's pursuit of it, a roar caused her to whirl round. "What was that?!" Glancing at the window, she quickly pulled back at the sight of an all-too-familiar face. "Uh..." Stepping to the side to keep out of Hammer's view, she turned towards Oscar. "We might want to wait just a little longer before we go outside. N-not that I have any reason to be afraid, of course... It's just there's no way we'll get a break."
At least someone was out there dealing with that brute of a detective. Someone Sophia was sure she recognised... Realisation hit. Was that the woman from the poster in Windshire Pokemon centre?
“Varying degrees of Flash?” Adrielle asked, observing the gym leader’s Cradily with interest. “Well, it’s definitely possible in theory, but to think of that takes an amount of experience and creativity.”
Do I have that knack for Pokemon as well? Aedre wondered, eyes sliding towards her Togepi, who was continuing to struggle through the cave herself despite multiple indications from her trainer that Leisy would be more than happy to carry her. I’d call my relationship with Little and Thea good, but with Dee, and with the Pokemon I may catch in the future…
The shimmering glimmers embedded in the cave wall around the group was a stunning sight. Seeing Alex’s Beldum fetch him a stone spurred Aedre into action as well, plucking her Togepi off the ground and making for the wall.
“I’ll be over here!” Aedre informed the group as she jogged for the wall to her left. Upon arriving at the base of the multicolored cave wall, Aedre set down her Togepi gingerly and leaned down.
“Wanna fetch me one of those?” Aedre asked with a grin.
Pasithea gave her trainer a snivelling glare before turning away and crossing her hands. The message was clear: she didn’t appreciate her trainer ferrying her around she was some sort of struggling, short-limbed Pokemon.
“Fine, I’ll get one myself,” Aedre said, sighing and patting her Togepi fondly before rising and retrieving her pickaxe from her pack. “Let’s hope I don’t shatter the stone before I start.”
The first few tries, Aedre either missed her mark completely or was too soft to even make a dent in the rock face. Soon enough, however, she got the hang of things — control strength, aim carefully, and no smash glittering rock — and managed to pick away most of the gray-brown cave surface from the deep maroon blue stone that she suspected was a water stone.
“Alright,” she said, wiping a bead of forming sweat from her forehead. “Got it.”
Bending down, Aedre attempted to remove the stone from the cave wall, only to find that it was stuck. When she applied more force, a snap sounded, and the rock came away from the wall with one side clearly broken from the rest.
“Oh!” Aedre exclaimed, quickly bending down and pointing her headlight into the now-empty crevice. Inside was all purple-blue, a fist-sized chunk of water stone remaining.
“To,” Thea said, approaching her trainer.
“Wanna look?” Aedre asked, bending down and lifting her Pokemon up so the Togepi could see the crystal as well. “Well, I’ll be happy with the chunk I got. Digging that out — well, it’ll take way to long, and I don’t need everyone waiting on me.”
Giving the stone in her hands a final glance, Aedre wondered whether breaking elemental stones caused them to lose their unique evolution-triggering attributes. She figured, however, that even if the water stone had been rendered useless, she’d still have a pretty stone on her hands, so into her pocket the stone went.
“Let’s keep moving then?” Aedre asked, hearing Alex’s question. While she couldn’t say for sure whether or not she would want to catch a Pokemon, Aedre still wanted to see the Pokemon in their natural habitat.
What kinds of Pokemon make their home in the midst of elemental stones? she wondered, peering into the unilluminated darkness ahead.
Team:
Pasithea “Thea” ♀ — Togepi (11)
Attacks:Growl, Charm, Metronome, Sweet Kiss
Ability:Serene Grace
Alitis “Little” ♂ — Fletchling (11)
Attacks:Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack
Ability:Gale Wings
Decus “Dee” ♂ — Honedge (6)
Attacks:Tackle, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter
Ability:No Guard
Bag Items:
Pokedex (with Kosei Region Map)
Smart Phone
Credit Card linked to a private account that houses a decent amount of money
Poke Radar
Collapsable Bike with two gears (third for bike ramps, fourth for muddy slopes)
"I could teach you, if you like," Amber offered to Nyxx as she carefully loosened a piece of smoky quartz from the wall. A soft glow from Rachel's Cradily lit up the cave, making her and everyone else's work easier.
She stared in fascination at the fossil Pokemon through the multicoloured beams that reflected off the crystals. "A Cradily! And that must take a lot of skill, to have that level of control over a move!" Setting down her tools and tucking the gems into her bag, she whipped out her notebook. At least she'd have all sorts of exciting things to tell Coral, as well as the difficult news.
As she felt the nudge of a smooth shell aganist her leg and heard a grumble of "Kabu! Kabuto!", she looked down. Chalcedony scuttled back and pushed a freshly excavated stone with his head, rolling it towards her.
"Ah, sorry." She stopped scribbling, putting away the notebook and picking up the gem. "Got a little distracted there. Not going to leave you two to do all the work." Chalcedony mumbled something to Larimar, who responded with a sound like a giggle.
Amber studied the crystal. A dark purple one, like an amethyst, except it didn't have the same bright shimmer as the other gems. Instead, a shadowy core could be seen at its centre. "Is this...?" Picking up the bag and tools, she approached Aedre, who'd snapped a chunk of blue rock from the wall. Smooth as a tumblestone, and gleaming blue like a clear pool, it was unmistakeably a Water Stone. "I think I've found a Dusk Stone here. Is it true that a Honedge needs this to reach its final evolution? If so, it'll be more useful to you than to me. And yeah." She glanced from Aedre to Alex. "Let's see what Pokemon are around he-"
She whirled around at a loud bark. A clawed hand shot out. With a yelp, Amber pulled back, watching Kyra stop the attacker just in time with a bite. The creature shook off the attack, grinning and snickering, a pair of crystalline eyes fixed on the Dusk Stone.
"What is it with Pokemon trying to steal things from me?" Amber wondered aloud. "As interesting as their natural behaviour is... Larimar, use Water Gun! Chalcedony, Absorb!"
The imp-like Pokemon shrieked as a jet of water and a red beam knocked it back. Its eyes turned black, shooting out dark energy blasts. Kyra jumped in front of Chalcedony and Larimar, howling as she took the attack.
"Kyra!" Amber stared as the Rockruff landed, staggering a little but standing her ground. "Bite it again!" The dog sprang forward, jaws clamping down. With another cry, the would-be thief scurried away down a tunnel.
Still tense, Amber watched for its return, but when it failed to reappear, she sighed with relief. "Are you alright, Kyra?" she asked, treating her with a potion and swinging her bag back onto her shoulder. "Good job there, you three. Now that's over with, let's move along."
A golden, glowing blur leapt at her. "Wha... Recover?!" Instinctively, the researcher dodged. The Sableye's claws connected with her bag. There was a tug, and a tearing sound, followed by clattering as several Pokeballs fell out. In a flash of light, the Sableye vanished. The only sign of it was a green capsule - a Dusk Ball - wiggling on the ground, then becoming still.
Stunned into silence, Amber stood there for a few seconds. Then, she took a cautious step forward and picked up the Dusk Ball, holding it at arms length as if fearful its occupant would jump out. "Well... That just happened."
And just like that, she'd caught her sixth Pokemon, albeit not quite in the way she'd expected.
Nyxx was doing a decent job at keeping the rock and ground Pokémon in check, but their first encounter with a ghost type, this being the Sableye left Bunneary and Bounsweet feeling a tad unneeded being that between the two of them there were no actual damaging moves they could perform. Thankfully, all well that ends well and in this case, it ended with Amber catching the little ghost type, the whole ordeal stirred Gengar awake in her shadow who pulled itself free to float freely among the young trainers. Just when Nyxx had been about to dismiss the ghost type Gengar floated out front and center and began to charge a fairly large shadow ball; at first glance, it didn’t look like anything was actually there until a few ghost types floated into view. Two Gastly and a Misdreavus crept around the corner warry of the overprotective shadow Pokémon, thankfully Nyxx didn’t have to actually set it straight to protect her pride another wild Pokémon she had never seen before hit the scene with its fists balled up and began punching the other wild Pokémon.
The diminutive little protector landed between the trainers and the endless black void of the caves, hands on its hips with chest puffed out. The entire display caused Gengar to laugh a little harder than usual, taking it a good sign to go back to sleep in Nyxx’s shadow disappearing in an instant. Nyxx herself couldn’t help but smile a little pulling out her Pokedex to learn more about the little guy.
Dex: “Golett the Automaton Pokémon, Ancient science fashioned this Pokémon from clay. It's been active for thousands of years.”
“Well now you’re a little different, aren’t you?” She said walking forward and kneeling to get on its eye level. Golett turned around and pounded it chest with pride before turning back to play defender, Nyxx grinned and stood up behind Golett “Ivy, Nellz take a powder I wanna try something” she said pointing at the same pitch-black unknown as Golett.
The next few minutes were Nyxx ‘bonding’ with a complete wild Pokémon, learning its moves and behavior
Mistress Hollow
Mistress Hollow wasn’t about to backdown, not after being called out like that; after this battle, she’d have to teach the man some manners but right now he deserved to be disciplined. Dragonite was especially irritated by the ordeal, for one Hammer sent out a Krookodile to fight him which was fine normally if he couldn’t smell just how green the ground type was like it was a challenge of his pride.
“EoD, walk all over him” M.Hollow commanded causing the dragon Pokémon to roar out charging in without a second thought causing the wind to kick up violently.
Krookodile didn’t have the change to actually use a move as Dragonite plowed into its body taking it completely off its feet and into the wall of a nearby building. It was clearly using outrage to its fullest extent grabbing Krookodile by the tail and slamming it around like a sack of potatoes creating one creator after another giving the poor dark type no honest room to breathe until the attack was over and Dragonite was struck with confusion. It was at that moment Stone edge made a solid hit on the dragon making it stagger backward slightly which only seemed to fuel its bottomless pit of rage when it used aqua tail as a finisher combining it with slam to create a devastating attack that knocked the poor dark type out cold.
“Feel like talk yet or do you have something else for EoD to step on?”
"Ohhh." Rachel gasped in amazement. A Golett was an almost sure sign of ancient activity. As the Pokemon was manmade to be a protector, it stood to reason that it must have been created somewhere nearby...probably further into the cave. She quickly took out her notepad. "There haven't been any recorded signs of ruins in this area, and yet here stands an obvious protector of an ancient civilization. Perhaps there's something that Lan never mentioned?" She mumbled while pacing back and forth. Obviously she had to inspect the area ahead, but would it be wise to bring the fledgling trainers along? It could be dangerous, or they could accidentally damage an important find.
She calmed herself in an effort to make a decision. "Okay, so..." She started with a mix of excitement and regret, not entirely certain what to say. "I'm sure you are all aware that a Golett...isn't exactly a normal find in a cave." She said, smiling at Nyxx. "And while that alone is an excellent find, what it points to is even more incredible. I believe, despite all odds, that there is an unexplored system of ruins further into this cave. Of course, I plan to venture down and explore it and I would love for you all to follow...but, well..." Rachel suddenly brightened up again. "You know what? I think it would be great for all of you to come along. I just need your word that if you find anything of interest at all, you won't touch it. These places tend to either be very fragile, very dangerous, or in many cases both."
The situation was worse than he could have expected. There was only one real option, with a slight signal from his hand. One of his crew members stepped back and took out a Pokeball. There was a single silver lining to the situation, Dragonite was probably this woman's main mode of transport. Slowing it down would make getting away much more plausible.
"Bravo, of course a famous coordinator could see through such a clear facade." Hammer said sounding as complimentary as he could fake. What his opponent didn't realize was that this wasn't the first time Hammer had to make a quick escape. "Klefki, thunder wave now!" He shouted the moment his Pokeball opened. Thankfully due to the Pokemon's Prankster ability, even a Pokemon as fast as Dragonite couldn't get the first move.
Just as the attack launched, the crew member from before let his Pokemon out of the ball to reveal a Kadabra that quickly encased Hammer and his group in a pink bubble. Hammer had lost the battle, and had anyone been recording, he may have even been humiliated. All of that said, he had still escaped with most of his pride intact.
"I'll give credit where it's due lady, you're terrifying but-." Before Hammer could attempt a witty line, the group vanished. Obviously the Kadabra took that as a good cue to use its teleport.
Sableyes, it turned out, weren't the only ghosts around here. As the Gengar's Shadow Ball alerted Amber to two Gastlys and a Misdreavus floating out of the darkness, Kyra growled, then gave a yip of surprise when a little blue form began pummelling the other wild Pokemon.
Putting the empty Pokeballs into an undamaged compartment of her bag and clipping the newly occupied one to her belt, Amber kept her distance, staring ahead all the while. "I've never seen so many Ghost types before!" she commented with a mixture of wariness and fascination. "A Golett? Well that's one I wasn't expecting to see in here."
While Nyxx bonded with the clay automaton, the researcher-in-training took out her notebook and began frantically scribbling notes. "Pretty amazing to think people have been creating artificial Pokemon since the beginning of civilisation. I wonder what kind of ancient science was involved in its creation? It's something nobody's been able to figure out yet. Maybe it has things in common with Baltoy and Bronzor, Ghost types have similarities to the Psychic type after all."
She took another look, this time a somewhat sad one, at the Golett. A certain somebody, if she'd come along, would have jumped at the chance to see this manmade Pokemon for herself...
As Rachel spoke, Amber turned her head. Excitement and anxiety coursed through the researcher in equal measures. This was an opportunity she couldn't pass up - but, as she already knew, the world was to be ventured into with caution. She thought back to what she had to tell Coral, what she had to warn her about her own travels. If they weren't careful, would the group get into even more trouble? One little Sableye had been tough enough to deal with. Who knew what else would be in here?
The usually excitable woman was silent and pensive for a few moments, before nodding. "I'm in," she replied. She was here to explore. There were risks, she had to accept that, but they were worth taking. "And yeah, you have my word." She glanced down at Chalcedony and Larimar. "You've both been incredibly helpful, but please, don't dig anything up while we're in the ruins."
Turning, she faced the rest of the group. "You all ok with this?" she asked. "And here." Approaching Aedre, she held out the Dusk Stone she'd managed, with difficulty and luck, to protect. "Quick, I'd put it away before any other Pokemon try to steal it."
“Whoa—a Gengar?” Aedre asked, recognizing the iconic ghost-type. It took a moment to place the deep shadow of a Pokemon, but—having seen Ghastly and Haunter before—she knew the species’ general form well enough to hazard a guess.
It became quite obvious in a moment that the ghost-type meant no harm to Nyxx, maybe even protecting her. Not expecting the Gengar’s seemingly independent decision to use Shadow Ball, Aedre tensed up, ready to grab Nyxx if it seemed something would happen, but not sure if she would get there soon enough. But, again, the Gengar appeared to be helping the girl rather than trying to hurt her, and Aedre was surprised to see more shadows drift over—wild ghost-types.
“Is he yours?” Aedre asked, flinching as the ghost-type burst into laughter before disappearing. She was ill-equipped to deal with anything of the Gengar’s tier, and the danger she may have faced if the ghost-type left her slightly shaken, although she did her best to play it off as the cool cave air.
Hearing Rachel’s comments on one of the Pokemon—an almost automaton-like being of stone chunks and strange symbols—Aedre grinned excitedly. Danger was daunting, yes, but the possibility of uncovering an ancient civilization’s untouched ruins was more than tempting. Although she’d never had much interest in archaeology, fossils being more to her tastes than ancient artifacts—it occurred to Aedre that the Pokemon were also deeply connected to ruins, be it that they dwelled in them now, or that they lived with the ancient civilization. The Golett seemed to be proof of such, having unnatural symbols that seemed to have been drawn by humans.
“Could we really?” she asked, then coughed, trying to keep the childish delight out of her voice. “I mean, I promise not to touch anything. The oil on our skin would cause rapid deterioration of anything well-preserved, so it’s more for the ruins’ sake than for ours.”
When Amber walked up, offering the Dusk Stone, Aedre received with a grateful smile. “You should have found one for yourself, not for me. Now what are you going to use to remember this adventure?” She paused, looking at the stone in her hands. “Thank you, though. I really appreciate it, and so will my Honedge when he evolves—someday.”
Team:
Pasithea “Thea” ♀ — Togepi (11)
Attacks:Growl, Charm, Metronome, Sweet Kiss
Ability:Serene Grace
Alitis “Little” ♂ — Fletchling (11)
Attacks:Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack
Ability:Gale Wings
Decus “Dee” ♂ — Honedge (6)
Attacks:Tackle, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter
Ability:No Guard
Bag Items:
Pokedex (with Kosei Region Map)
Smart Phone
Credit Card linked to a private account that houses a decent amount of money
Poke Radar
Collapsable Bike with two gears (third for bike ramps, fourth for muddy slopes)
Dragonite growled as it was reduced to a crawl being inflicted with paralysis forced the dragon Pokémon to its knees looking up at Hammer with even more contempt in its eyes moreso for running away than anything else. Hollow walked up running her hand over its skin to soothe the anger emanating from its very soul before healing its affliction and recalling the creature for a well-deserved rest. Well, she still doesn’t know much about much about this organization other than its most defiantly a terrorist group, as much as she’d have liked to just let him go to be done she still needs actual information to work on. Scratching the back of her head and sighing heavily Hollow picked up another old looking Pokeball, well maintained but has its own share of battle damage and scratches all over the surface. Tossing it forward the ball opened up in a flash of light revealing a Lucario whose forehead bore a massive ‘X’ shaped scar the extended down its face and covered its eyes making it completely blind.
“Justice, think you can find the aura’s that were just here and track them?” Hollow asks, sitting down in a nearby chair that seemed to blow in this direction during EoD’s fight with Hammer.
The four appendages that hang off Lucario’s head stood up and the canine Pokemon began to walk around the street where the battle took play re-creating the entire battle in its head with the power of aura. Justice stopped right where Hammer stood and looked around where the Kadabra appeared as well as pausing for a moment to laugh at Dragonite for being subdued the way he did. Eventually, he caught a trace of them and bolted in a direction, Mistress Hollow not far behind him, she wanted to give Dragonite a good rest being so old he can’t fight like he used too and Gengar a pokemon who doesn’t subcome to old age protecting her daughter she’d have to make due with Lucario and her other three.
Nyxx snapped out of her own little world after catching Golette when her brain caught her up with current events, Aedre was the only member of the group who hadn’t met Gengar. This prompted the specter to make another appearance and greet her cackling in its usual fashion. Seeing as the actual danger had passed the ghost Pokémon slid itself back into Nyxx’s shadow to sleep again promising it wouldn’t come back unless something actually serious was going on.
“It's my mom’s Gengar, supposed to be playing watch dog over us given recent events I’m not exactly complaining, but he can be very overprotective at times” she complained sliding her hands into her pockets and yawning. “In any case, I’ll tag along with whatever life-threatening spelunking you plan on doing, as far as touching stuff…. that sounds like a lot of work so I’ll leave that to all of you”
"Right then." Rachel said, now much more serious. After a quick assessment of her gear, Rachel led the group down further into the cave system "I wonder how far down it could be..." She said to herself as the group continued. It took several minutes to reach any indication of unnatural activity in the cave, though it seemed to be a simple marker with three strange figures on it. The first two symbols were in a language Rachel had never seen, while the last seemed to be a pokemon that Rachel had never seen. Bipedal with a large head that faintly looked like a fire? It was hard to tell without any sort of coloring on the sign, but this could possibly signify that the area was some kind of shrine to a pokemon that the inhabitants worshipped.
With a few quick movements, Rachel sketched the sign and stood back up. They had to be close, the appearance of the occasional load bearing pillar now was proof of this. From this point on, the cave showed signs of human interference. A few Goletts watched from just outside of Cradily's light, clearly watching for the group to do something to show them as a threat. One or two Golurks were even within the mix. As a precautionary measure, Rachel let Armaldo and Gigalith out of their Pokeballs to help watch the rear and sides just in case. She wasn't going to risk the safety of the young trainers in her charge.
Of course, she would also avoid harming the native Pokemon here. It was imperative that the group avoided a large scale battle in an area like this. This deep, the cave could easily collapse and trap them all.
