Jason had joined her. Charlotte observed the Elgyems' behavior for a bit longer, before shrugging. "They're communicating with someone, is my guess. I'm not a hundred percent sure, so I'll hve to do a bit more observation over the next couple days. The mystery of Elgyem and Beheeyem has baffled researchers for a while, and what their place is in the ecosystem of our planet is of importance."
Charlotte smirked grimly. "I suppose if one good thing came from the Ultra Beast incident, it's our knowledge of how extraterrestrial Pokémon behave in a world not of their own. The Ultra Beasts tended to stay close together, and most didn't seem overly aggressive so much as frantic. There were the reports from over a decade ago about GLUTTON, but I heard someone managed to subdue it shortly after the crisis."
Charlotte shrugged again. "I mean, that's what I was told. I wasn't around for any of that. And I'm glad I wasn't, too. The Alola branch got pretty sketchy, so I heard. Never let that stop me from studying Pokémon ecology in this region's branch, though."
Charlotte packed up her materials. "I'm going to come back here tomorrow to make some more observations. I need to know if Elgyem has any predators that could threaten it while exhibiting this behavior... or, well, I should say, communicating in this manner. See you tomorrow, Jason." She gave a kind wave to Jason, and started heading back to the Pokémon Center.
The next day, Charlotte was watching the Elgyems prepare for another round of communication. There were a number of hypotheses about this. Were they preparing to invade? They would have done so already if they could, would they not? Perhaps their homeworld was dying, and Earth was another suitable habitable planet? Charlotte preferred the refugee hypothesis to the invader one; the Elgyems' passive behavior supported the former rather than the latter.
Hardly any Pokémon came out to attack the Elgyems. At one point, a Mightyena snuck up to get a bite out of one of them, but the Elgyems simply disappeared, leaving the Mightyena confused. They reappeared once the gray hyena slunk away.
Charjabug's eyes glowed under the blue lenses on its carapace. On its face was a worried expression. Charlotte got up and looked around. "Is something the matter--"
Suddenly, the docks underneath her shuddered, the gas lanterns swaying above the pier. The shaking intensified, causing a wave to splash into Charjabug, drenching it. Charlotte stepped back; good thing she did, too, because the pier that she had been standing on gave out.
One of the gas lanterns shook off its hook and shattered on the remains of the pier; the gas set the rotting wood ablaze. Charlotte's eyes widened. The fire was starting to grow, and the Elgyems began to panic.
Charlotte placed a hand on two of her Poké Balls. The fire would surround the Elgyems, given that other lanterns along the pier were tumbling down.
"Klang, Crabrawler, go!" Charlotte shouted, opening both balls. The gear and the coconut crab emerged in a flash of light; Crabrawler stumbled, not expecting the earth to shake. "Klang, Gear Grind on the lanterns; knock them into the water. Crabrawler, use Crabhammer on the opposite pier. Kick up as much water as you can," she ordered.
Klang fired off miniature gears at the structurally insecure gaslamps, tearing them out of the pier and blowing them into the bayou. Steam fizzled from the points of impact. Meanwhile, Crabrawler scooped up water from the bayou in its huge glovelike claws and jumped onto the pier, braving the fire to smash the burning wood with its watery Crabhammer. KERSPLASH!
The Elgyems, meanwhile, flashed their fingers frantically to the sky in what appeared to be Morse code. One Elgyem seemed more terrified than the others, flashing more erratically. It was trapped in a ring of fire.
Klang turned back towards Charlotte as the tremors stopped; the pier in the general vicinity was safe. "Klang, return," Charlotte said, calling the gear Pokémon back. "Golett, go." She sent out her clay automaton, and Golett landed near the frightened Elgyem with a thud. "Mud Bomb on the flames, and get that Elgyem out of there."
Golett nodded, and scooped up a large blob of dripping silt, before dropping it on the flames. The silt exploded all over the fire, fizzling it out. Golett then scooped the cowering alien up and stoically tromped out of the flames.
Charlotte turned and saw that the other Elgyems had fled, unknowing of their lost companion. She could deduce that Elgyems were significantly less experienced in alien society, even for Pokémon.
Golett brought the stranded Elgyem to Charlotte, not seeing the other Elgyems.
"I'm going to try to take care of it," Charlotte suggested. The Elgyem was burned, and on closer inspection, two of its limbs were badly scratched. The Pokémon's lighted fingertips flashed and blinked weakly.
Golett nudged Charlotte's bag. Charlotte shook her head. "Can't catch it; I have to respect its original mission," she said. She picked the alien Pokémon up. "C'mon, guys. Let's go to the Center. It's a good thing we took care of that fire before it got out of hand," she said.
Charlotte, cradling the Elgyem in her arms, returned to the Pokémon Center.
@Holy SoldierI'm sorry for being so silent for a while; my schedule has picked up quite a bit, and I think I'll have to drop out of this RP since I'm not sure how well I'll be able to keep up. It's been fun while it lasted, though. I wish everyone well.
As if suffering the loss itself weren't cruel enough, a cat-thief holding a green bag thrust out a palm and swiped Mario's essence, before bolting. Luigi immediately sprinted after. Reacting quickly, Hapu started running as well, throwing her Poké Ball and jumping in the air as Mudsdale materialized beneath her. "Hyah!" she goaded, and Mudsdale snorted as it galloped after the thief.
Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Mudsdale's mud-caked hooves shook the halls as Hapu gave chase to TAC. She looked around at the angry star children, and the passing folks on the Chocobo - Frisk and Bartz. Samus and Cloud, too, moved to capture the copy-ability--and apparently, soul and headgear--thief.
As Guile said, surely the TAC must have a master. Mudsdale tirelessly ran after the thief, its eyes peering straight forward, glaring at the cat.
Disembarking from the train, Juana noticed that Steenee was starting to wilt a bit under the heat. “Fiery volcanoes got you down?” Juana asked her dry friend. The fruit Pokémon coughed. “Why don’t you go back into your ball?”
Steenee gladly escaped the heat into its Poké Ball, visibly fanning itself within the capsule. Juana clipped the ball to her belt. “I’m going to go see if I can put some of my Pokémon away in the box,” she said to Cillian and Tora. “Meet you outside the Pokémon Center.”
Carrying Togepi in her arms (the little Fairy-type found it quite warm), Juana walked over to the Pokémon Center and found a public computer for use with the Pokémon Storage System.
“Corphish might have a hard time so far away from water,” Juana remarked. “Dewpider has its water bubble to protect it from the heat, though…”
She deposited Corphish in the box; she’ll come back for the Pokémon later. She also decided to put Stufful and Honedge in the box for now, leaving her with Steenee, Skorupi, Dewpider, Togepi, Rotom, and Turtonator.
Then, she decided to purchase a few items. She would have to travel quite a bit in the blistering heat; she managed to get her hands on some bottled water, and when she reached the Mart, she purchased two more Poké Balls. Gotta catch ‘em all, right?
Juana watched in awe as a Flygon soared overhead, trailed by a flock of Vibravas. Sandiles and Krokoroks plodded down the street, with people skirting past them as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Canvas tents fluttered in the hot wind. Juana figured that she should have bought a sun hat back at the mall, but thankfully, Dewpider could cool her off.
Juana held out the Great Ball containing Turtonator, and let the sluggish dragon out. The Blast Turtle looked up at Juana and snorted. Looks like it was still mad about the cinnamon.
“Look, I’m sorry about the cinnamon,” Juana said, patting Turtonator on the head. Turtonator made a low rumbling noise; though it was still miffed about the overly sweet candies, it liked being stroked on the head. “I’ll get you something you like…”
Juana made a mental note to find out Turtonator’s preferences and tastes. For now, since Turtonator seemed to enjoy the pats on the head, Juana continued to do so. Turtonator purred like the engine of an automobile, feeling right at home in the heat. Juana wiped some sweat off her brow.
Charlotte walked down the docks, whistling to herself as she admired the natural landscape. A host of lights distracted her attention.
She had gotten a lot of field work done that day, and now night was falling; a perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of some nocturnal behavior. And nocturnal behavior there was; the lights came from flashes of Elgyems’ fingertips as they pointed towards the sky.
“Elgyems,” Charlotte remarked. “Apparently they came from outer space, like Clefairy, or the Ultra Beasts…”
She watched the Elgyems communicate. “I wonder who they’re signaling,” she said.
The Elgyems disappeared into the night. Charlotte decided to follow.
“All good, amiga,” Juana replied, clapping Tora on the back. “If someone’s following you I’ll make sure Corphish gives them a nip en las nalgas.” She pointed at her rear and gave a mischievous grin.
The train shuddered and began to move. Juana sat and watched the windmills pass by, as the scenery gave way from plains, to hills, to crags.
Juana listened to the wheels click and clack underneath her. She thought back to her childhood in Unova, and how often she would take trains to get around the region. Though she never had need for anything larger than a subway.
Juana’s thoughts were interrupted when the train’s wheels went, like, “KKKKRREEEERRKKKKSSGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
Juana jerked forward and banged her head on the tray table.
“OW!” she yelled, rubbing her forehead. She looked out the window. The train had ground to a halt.
“What the heck is going on out there?” Juana asked, standing up. She headed to the edge of the train car and looked out.
Sitting in the middle of the train was a red-and-yellow Pokémon with an explosion-shaped shell. Juana stared; it was as if an explosion out of a Technicolor cartoon had attached itself to a turtle with a helmet. The turtle’s schnoz looked like the nozzle of a hose, and the turtle had a pair of stubby arms with yellow thumbs. It was curled up as if sleeping.
Well, because it was sleeping.
Juana looked up. Tefan Village’s volcano was quite visible, but the train still had a ways to go.
Juana looked at her Pokédex.
”Turtonator. Blast Turtle Pokémon,” it reported.
“Turtonator, eh?” Juana remarked. “Can’t be sleeping on the tracks like that, bud.”
She jumped off the train and walked to the Turtonator. The conductor stopped her. “Wait; Turtonator has been known to explode. Don’t get too close; you might set it off and take out the train tracks. And the locomotive. And everything within a fifteen yard radius.”
Juana jabbed her thumb to her breast. “Relax! I’m a Pokémon trainer. Catching Pokémon is what I like to do.”
“I don’t get it, this happens every time we go to Tefan Village,” the assistant conductor complained, scratching his head.
Juana held up her Poké Ball. “Well, let’s see if we can clear these tracks once and for all!” she declared. She approached the Turtonator. “Hola,” she said, cautiously walking up to the Dragon-type. “Would you please get off the tracks so you don’t… blow up the train?”
Turtonator snorted. It liked this nice warm spot and didn’t want to move.
“Lazy tortuga,” she muttered to herself. “Come on, you’re holding up the train!” she chided, tugging at the Turtonator’s arm. The conductor flinched, expecting the turtle to explode.
Turtonator just snorted again.
Juana rooted through her bag, and found a tin of spicy cinnamon candies. “Maybe since it’s a Fire type, it likes spicy food?” she wondered. Contests weren’t really a thing in Unova, so the Perez family confectionery didn’t really pay much attention to the affinities of Nature and flavor; they just sold the stuff and left it to Trainers to decide what to do with it.
Turtonator sniffed the tin of mints, and tentatively ate one.
It was pretty darn spicy.
Turtonator got up and howled, fire blasting through its snout. The turtle comically stamped around the railroad tracks, fanning its mouth, before turning towards Juana with a look like, ”What was that gross sweet and spicy thing you made me eat?! I’m gonna roast you for that!”
“Oops,” Juana gulped.
Turtonator used Flamethrower and started chasing Juana around the train tracks. “Ay, caramba! Go, Corphish!” she yelped, hopping around trying to evade the Turtonator’s fire.
Corphish popped out of its Poké Ball and pinched Turtonator’s snout with a Vice Grip. The fire abruptly stopped, but Turtonator rattled its head, flinging Corphish off. Corphish scuttled to its feet and put up its claws like dukes. ”Come at me, turtlebro!” it seemed to be saying. ”I’mma snap ya!”
Turtonator let loose a jet of flame at Corphish, but Corphish countered with a stream of bubbles. The bubbles staved off the fire long enough for Corphish to slide under and nip Turtonator’s left leg. Turtonator hopped up and down, gripping its foot and loosing embers from its snout. This gave Corphish the opportunity to shoot bubbles into Turtonator’s chest cavity.
Turtonator, not expecting this, fell over on its back and wiggled around, the spiked crags in its shell trapping it in the earth. Juana pulled out her Great Ball, and tossed it at the flailing Turtonator. The capsule cracked open, and the Turtonator disappeared in a flash of light. One shake… two shakes… three shakes… Click!
Juana rushed over to the fallen Great Ball and held it in the air triumphantly. “This train stops for no mine turtle!” Juana shouted, as her Pokédex updated its entry on Turtonator:
“It gushes fire and poisonous gases from its nostrils. Its dung is an explosive substance and can be put to various uses.”
Juana stared at this dex entry. “So… it literally has explosive diarrhea.”
Not the best dex entry in the world, but hey! It was educational.
The conductor wiped sweat off his brow. “Okay, looks like we can keep moving. Thanks, kid; that Turtonator’s been getting on those tracks every time we pass through this route.”
“Hey, my friends and I need to get to the village, and no turtle on the tracks is gonna stop us,” Juana replied.
Getting back on the train, Juana set Turtonator down on her tray table. “I’m going to have to send some Pokémon to the PC first opportunity I get,” she remarked.
Level: 3 Day/Time: Day Two; Morning Location: Platform City - Tetris Castle Garden; Mario's Funeral Tag: Luigi @Bright_Ops Mention:
Hapu understood the value of family; her venerable grandparents were her models for behavior and speech, and she held a great respect for them. To lose one who you loved, who you looked up to... Hapu could vicariously feel Luigi's pain.
Hapu had not packed black clothing, but suitable formal wear had been provided; a black blouse and skirt, sans her bonnet, which she held in her hands as Toadsworth conducted the procession.
She listened grimly as Guile, in grief and frustration, blamed Luigi for his brother's death... Luigi was assigned to a different team from Mario's, so how could he have known what would happen? She kept silent, for Guile was indeed their superior, though she continued to listen as Luigi lashed out at the American fighter.
Hapu felt that her own performance reflected a little poorly, though perhaps it was based on her limitations... after all, she was merely human, and Pokémon, while powerful creatures, were not gods. Perhaps it would pay for her to be more attentive and offer insight when close-ranged horse kicks would not work. She wished not to reflect poorly upon the world of Pokémon, or on Poni Island, or its sacred Tapu Fini.
Hapu stood next to Luigi, and placed a gloved hand on his. "Luigi, I cannot imagine what kind of pain you are going through right now," she said, looking up at the tall plumber. "You are not, however, to blame for this tragedy. Regardless of strength, of cleverness, there will be tragedies... I do not wish for you to feel that this is your fault. If you would like some counsel after the procession, I am willing to talk with you." She patted Luigi's white glove.
Sorry I've been out for a while; I was hit with a pretty heavy loss a couple weeks ago and everything went out of whack for me... there's a few essays I still need to finish up but I'll try to get back into the swing of things this week.