MankeyMankey

Pokémon XD: Chasing Shadows

Shannon Blaine

Amber the Joltik, Falc the Scyther
[Aether Sanctuary]

@Ninian@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord

Keeping half of her attention on the group with one ear, Shannon waited calmly, keeping her hands in her pocket as she reflected on the day so far. It wasn't too eventful yet... or interesting at all but with the strange group of finalists, there was no telling what could happen next.

The bubbly pink haired girl's cheerful voice rang out in her ear and caught the rest of her attention. With a soft sigh, she lowered the volume of her music and gave the blonde man a curt nod. After allowing everyone else to go before her, she trailed behind, enjoying the pleasant scenery as they were led to their next destination. Despite her cold exterior, she always enjoyed seeing little Pokemon frolic about and relax. With her eyes fixated on a little Surskit skidding along the top of a man-made pond, she was completely unaware of the commotion ahead.

Hearing a panicked voice almost exclaim a profanity, she looked away from the Pokemon and saw that the pink-haired girl had been apprehended by their guide. Strange... With a curious eye, she glossed over the black robed man, studying his appearance as he gave his question. The terms rang a faint bell in her head. She had definitely read about them before...

"...I believe they are some villainous group based in the Orre region... right...? And their Shadow Pokemon are scientifically modified to be..." She paused for a moment, looking down at the ground as she tried to find the right words. Looking back up, she continued. "...void of emotion... I think..."

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

Piper the Skitty

[Cloister of Tremors]

@Ninian

"Really? You never have? Hm... It must be super ra-" Piper stopped herself as the Delphox picked up the pace, panicking as she fell a tiny distance behind. Raising her voice just a bit, she called out, "W-Wait! It's dark, don't go so fast!" With quick little steps, she trotted to his side and continued along, matching his pace.

Lowering her voice once more, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I hope it doesn't get mad... It looks... really strong..." She looked ahead, squinting her eyes as she discerned the Pokemon's massive silhouette. I wonder what types of moves it knows... The amount of damage it can do must be scary...

Following her partner's gaze along the wall, her eyes widened with astonishment as the letters of the wall's ancient text began to shift and move about. "Woah... They are alive... I've... never seen anything like it before..." She asked herself, mesmerized by the sight of dozens of symbols coming to life.

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

Piper the Skitty

[Cloister of Tremors]

@Ninian

Looking up at Alodi, Piper smiled brightly and nodded her head. "I see, that makes sense! And yeah, at least we'll be safe in here!" She lowered her voice and glanced in the direction of the huge four-legged behemoth that had allowed them entry. "I mean... I doubt there's anything that weighs as much as our friend over there..." With a little smirk, she stifled a giggle and turned around, trotting down into the dark ruins.

Even with the faint ember given off by her partner's wand behind her, it was difficult to discern the dungeon's depth. Due to the vibrations of the other Pokemon's footsteps from below, it seemed as if there were still many steps ahead. "Yeah... I can't see anything either... Well... besides you and the small area around us." She said, glancing over her shoulder. Turning back to focus to where she was going, she continued. "And really? Hm... I have never seen or heard of a dungeon like this... Well... The description doesn't really match anything I've heard about... And..." Trying to be discrete, she lowered her voice once more. "...I've never seen that Pokemon before either... I mean... I think I've heard rumors about one like it but... I have no idea what it's called. Do you happen to know anything? I mean, it seems indifferent to our presence now but... you never know..."

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

Piper the Skitty

[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

A resounding thud was heard as Piper's tail slammed into the door which failed to respond with even a slight crack. Falling onto her feet, she looked up at the indestructible door in complete disbelief. "W-What?! B-But how?! That... That doesn't make any sense!" Now frustrated, she turned to her partner and shook her head. "Don't apo-" Met with the gentle tremor along the ground, she peeked past Alodi to find a gargantuan four-legged Pokemon meandering towards them. As it approached, she quickly shuffled to the side, not wanting to get crushed by its massive hooves. "Er..." She watched it with a confused expression, glancing over to see her partner's reaction before hearing the unmovable door slowly slide open.

In sync with the Delphox, she whipped her head in the direction of the door with wide eyes. "No way..." She mumbled, a bright smile creeping onto her face as she moved her head to meet her partner. Left speechless, she gave a quick nod and hurried through the door. Upon entering the ancient ruins, she looked behind at Alodi. "We are so lucky..."

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

Piper the Skitty

[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

Piper looked up at the Delphox, beaming proudly before giving a quick nod and following suit. "Yes!" After returning his wink, she trotted behind, allowing him to take point as she scanned their surroundings and watched his back to prepare against surprise attacks.

When her partner stopped and started inspecting the tile before the sealed stone door, she sat on the ground and continued her watch, listening for any signs of progress. Met with some frustrated grunts, she looked over her shoulder. "Is everything going alright back the-" Stopping her question at his warning, she quickly backed up to give him space. Cautiously, she watched the bright magical flame surge from his wand and slam into the door to no avail. "That's a strong door..." She muttered under her breath, taking a couple steps forward to inspect where the blast had hit. It seemed to have done nothing aside from giving the door an ashen tint.

"Maybe fire doesn't work on this one...?" Piper asked, stepping back and looked up at Alodi with an inquisitive tilt of her head. Hm... I can try too... Fighting usually beats rock... I'm pretty sure... She thought to herself, briefly contemplating the decision before confirming it to herself with a confident nod. "Alright, step back a bit in case something happens. I don't really know if this will work or not... I mean... it's worked on almost every door I've seen before buut... this one could be different." Taking a deep breath, she stepped back, a faint dark red glow enveloping her tail. [PIPER used WAKE-UP SLAP!] After a deep exhale, she burst into a sprint and leapt into the air, flipping forwards to vertically swing her tail down into the door.

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

Piper the Skitty

[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

With a paw over her mouth, Piper hid a wide grin as she noted the Delphox's reaction to her touch. Seeing the serious look cast upon his face, she threw away her grin and nodded, frowning slightly. As he took a moment to consider their options, she closed her eyes, focusing on his soothing voice over the howling sandstorm above.

"Hm..." After he finished, she nodded and looked up at him with a light smile. "...I think entering the dungeon would be our best bet. The sandstorm won't be an issue down there and if we clear a room, we can hold it to ourselves. I'm sure we can take the Pokemon around there and besides, there could even be some artifacts for you to find! Plus, there's also more places to hide and run, well for me at least... So, shall we find the entrance?"

Pokémon XD: Chasing Shadows

Shannon Blaine

Amber the Joltik, Falc the Scyther
[Aether Sanctuary]

@Ninian@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord

With her hands stuffed inside her pockets, Shannon exited the elevator last, trailing behind the others and scanning the interior of the Aether Sanctuary. Seeing all the beautiful lush plants complimented by the colorful little Pokemon bouncing about was breathtaking. It was a understatement to say that she was amazed despite her stoic expression not showing it. Mesmerized, she continued looking around, idly walking until the group came to a stop.

Halting just before she bumped into the chatty pink haired girl, she stepped to the side and extended a hand to take her key. With a light dip of her head, she took the card and put it into her pocket before heading off to her room.

Closing the door behind her, she sighed and stretched out her arms, letting out a soft groan as she looked around. "Nice..." She mumbled to herself, taking her bag off her shoulders and setting it on the floor besides her bed. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out two Net Balls and released her two Pokemon. "Sorry about not letting you out earlier... You can relax here for now." She said kindly with a gentle smile. Putting the empty Net Balls back into her pockets, she headed to the corner terminal and turned it on to record a quick video message for her family.

"Okay... Here it goes..." After clearing her throat, she pressed 'record' and took on a light cheery tone, smiling happily into the live webcam. "Hello! This is your daughter Shannon here~ I just wanted to check in and say that I have arrived here safe and sound." Gesturing to the room behind her, she continued. "Anyway, I'll try to do my best here. Love you all! Bye~" She waved and stopped recording, hitting 'send' with a deep sigh. "Now that's over..."

Shannon turned off the terminal and looked over to her Pokemon. "Alright, I'll be back later..." She stretched once more and let out a soft yawn, checking her pocket for her phone before heading outside to meet back with Lucius. Entering the hallway, she closed the door and took out her earbuds, putting one in her ear and leaning back against the wall to wait for the others.

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

Piper the Skitty

[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

With a quick nod, Piper took the cloth and let out one more raspy cough before tying it around her neck, adjusting it to cover her mouth. She furrowed her brow at the sight of her partner in pain but she remained quiet, only giving a nod to his response. Gently wiping the tears from her eyes, she listened to his rambling, frowning underneath the silk fabric of her scarf as he began to apologize.

She waited for the right time to interject before shaking her head and quietly walking over to him. "Don't apologize... It isn't your fault..." Tenderly, she placed a soft paw on his lower leg and looked up at him, her eyes crinkling in their usual friendly manner. Perking up with optimism, she continued. "I've been through things like this before! Just not with someone else... It honestly feels better... I mean, now I have someone to cover me!" Meeting his eyes, she nodded once more. "And I'm alright, I've been through worse, hehe."

After giving his leg a light comfortingly pat, she moved her paw away and looked around the ruins, noting their choice of corridors. "Hm... Well, a dungeon might have weaker Pokemon because there's no way they'd be able to survive out in the sandstorm... buuuut then again, they could also be stronger... It's a fifty fifty gamble there..." She looked back to Alodi then to the storm raging above them. "Staying here would leave us with the potential of being surrounded by stronger one, but if we each defend a side, then I think we could handle it... What do you think?"

Pokémon XD: Chasing Shadows

Shannon Blaine

Amber the Joltik, Falc the Scyther
[Orre - Aether Sanctuary Exterior]

@Ninian@Shiny Keldeo@Light Lord

Waiting patiently as they remained outside, Shannon quietly tapped her foot on the ground and looked around with her arms crossed. I wonder how much this all cost to build... It's an interesting choice of location as w- With the group being led inside, she'd interrupt her own thoughts and place her hands into her pockets before following suit, trailing behind as if avoiding social interaction.

Despite her silence and stoic expression, she remained attentive to the exchange ahead. Overhearing the little girl's inquiry, she'd shake her head in response, knowing the area's uninhabitable state. Hearing the employee's answer to the question regarding battle format, she lifted her head and looked over at him. It was music to her ears to hear of the Finals being Doubles. Two Pokemon allowed for more strategy and creativity after all. Looks like it'll be even more fun than I expected... Although the competition doesn't seem too... difficult... besides that other guy...

Having walked at a faster pace than expected, she moved into the elevator following the bubbly pink haired girl. This turned out to be a mistake as the girl's loud useless comment about the interior rang right into her ear. Disgruntled, she let out a small sigh and moved to the opposite corner of the elevator, leaning against the wall and resting her head back as she waited for the rest of enter so they could descend.

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Crossroads of Time [Full]

Piper the Skitty

[Altepa Desert]

@Ninian

Shifting her gaze from the fiery fray between the two frenzied Pokemon, Piper looked to Alodi and gave a quick nod. With a small muffled sigh, she fixated her eyes on the ruins up ahead and burst into a sprint, lowering her head to the ground and moving her tail away from her mouth so she could move comfortably. Remaining right besides her partner, she'd take a beeline downstairs before letting out a series of violent coughs from the rough sand inhaled during her dash.

"Ah...cough...shit...are we...cough cough cough... safe for now?" She asked, looking up at the Delphox with watery eyes. After getting rid of the debris in her body, she'd take a deep breath and lean back against the walls of the ruins, savoring their safe respite.