Kenza looked up at Derrick's prompt, realizing that -- frustration or not -- she'd held up the group, not living up to her part of the informal pseudo-leader. But, on the other hand, there was no sign of that the gargoyles in pursuit -- no noise at all echoing up from the stairwell, in fact. Have the given up chase? she wondered, relieved confusion relaxing her. If the immediate threat was gone, the group could afford to stop for a moment to rest. However, that time would be better utilized if put to keeping the hunters ahead. Luck was hard-found for prey, and Kenza knew they shouldn't waste it.
"Let's keep moving," she said, meeting the other hunters' eyes as to let them know that she was back to trying to be -- to being -- the leader they needed. "We need to stay ahead, but the route split a while back and I it's worth checking out the last floor. Or should we continue up?"
Relieved to see that Kenza wasn't struck with despair after her battle with the spruce -- she'd seen many a hunter fall into a pit, unable to climb back out after they see their chance at hope stolen away from them -- Mistletoe straightened back up, considering the other woman's question. "I'd say keep going up -- we can always go back down, but if that's a dead end, I don't want to be stuck fighting until my last breath while backed into a corner." Such circumstances were never favorable for the weaker pursuant, and Mistletoe had little confidence in the rubble -- flimsy shards and time-worn spears -- that the group had scavenged.
The way up was perilous at fast speeds due to the scattered rubble, but Kenza managed to outskirt each scattering of stone. Mistletoe did the same, proving herself just as agile as the other hunter on the way up. A glimpse of light glancing off the cobblestone walls of the stairwell caught Kenza's attention, causing her to move faster in excitement. Clearly there was a gap in the walls, and any glimpse of what lay outside the stone would be readily welcome. Noticing the light as well, Mistletoe followed suit, hope of escape blossoming.
It was a window, and it was too small. The observation caused Kenza's heart to sink, a quick, mental run-through of the hunters' tools confirming that this was not their escape route. Still, she bounded up the last few steps, coming to a panting stop by the opening and thrusting her arms out and around in an attempt to get a proper glimpse of the landscape. Mistletoe arrived as well, prioritizing catching her breath as she watched the other hunter struggle.
Kenza's pulling, bending, and cracking quickly gave way to frustration as realized that the spruce was too well-placed and well-grown to be beaten. giving the branches on more fierce pull -- the scratches on her hands finally breaking open -- she gave up the attempt, crashing her weight against the window's base as she finished her panting.
"Damn it," she said between pants. Mistletoe was silent at her side, reaching a comforting arm out to the other hunter.
Seeing the the white-striped Pokemon relax, Naunet did the same, finally stepping forward since it appeared that there was no immediate threat. Leisy was too absorbed in watching her Pokemon to perk up at the light rustling, but Ella warned her with a cry.
“Thanks,” she said quickly to Ella, pivoting to face the trembling shrubbery. “Naunet,” she said, meeting her Pokemon’s eyes. The Piplup gave her trainer a nod, taking two steps towards the bush and bracing herself for the unseen enemy.
The bushes gave a final shudder of defeat before a familiar sleek, purple shape emerged, a smug grin curled on its lips. The Purrloin! Leisy realized, having pinned the Pokemon down in her Pokedex after their initial meeting. Giddiness bloomed in her heart when she realized what the Pokemon’s reappearance might mean.
The key word’s ‘might,’ Leisy, she told herself sternly as she bent down to greet the Pokemon. Don’t get your hopes up too much.
“Hello there. How can I help you?” she asked the Pokemon. The dark-type gave her a “meow” of hello, licking its lips to make its goal crystal-clear. “Ah,” Leisy said, heart sinking a little. Well, that was what she got for feeding wild Pokemon. “Sure — I have some extra berries, yes.”
As his trainer reached for said berries, Bidein shot the wild Pokemon a dirty look. The feline responded with a satisfied smirk, planting itself firmly in front of the trainer as its food was delivered.
“There we are,” Leisy said, opening a carton of berries and setting it in front of the wild Pokemon. “This is the last tray though — you’re still a wild Pokemon, so you have to keep your skills sharp. You can’t always count on trainers being kind enough to give you food, so consider this your last freebie.”
The Purrloin chewed slowly as the trainer spoke, yellow eyes focused on its food. Inside its brain, however, cogs were turning and churning out a clever ruse, which it carried out by looking up at the trainer with a pair of bright, shiny eyes that screamed, “Love me!” Leisy, of course, was not immune to cute animals pleading to be pet, so down she went.
“Aw, you poor baby!” she said, squatting and reaching a hand out for the feline to sniff. The Purrloin, hoping to speed the entire process along, headbutted straight into the trainer’s hand to start the petting frenzy — which Leisy gladly played her part in. “Wow, your coat is so silky! Who would have thought a wild Pokemon could be so soft?” she complimented, half to herself. The dark-type sent its deemed rival, the flying-fire dual, a victorious grin — which the Fletchinder responded to with a death glare.
Looking to Ella to see if the girl wanted in on the pseudo-petting zoo, Leisy realized that she was wasting time, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. “Ack, we have to be on our way,” she told the Purrloin with a sad smile. “Go on home — being wild seems to suit you just fine.”
The dark-type shook its head vehemently, confusing the black-haired girl.
“What—” Understanding clicked in her head, and Leisy beamed. “Oh. Really?” she asked, eyes wide. The Purrloin nodded, and Leisy grinned.
Needless to say, Leisy was in a pretty good mood when she and Ella entered Feyhollow’s main square.
@LuckyBlackCat I think it's best if we adopt everything from the site since differences between the site and the may serve to confuse users that are thinking about the hop. So yes, we will be going with the site's rules on ranking up. To make this easier, I will -- sometime in the near future -- set up a new thread so that my post will be the first post OOC (thus making the doc unnecessary). @Balthazar007 and I have discussed this a few times, and now that the site is becoming functional I think it may be proper to start living up to my roles here on the Guild.
Battles: Friendly VS. Competitive VS. League: Friendly battles are done just for fun; there is nothing to loose, and you can even opt out of using Pokemon Showdown. Competitive battles happen when two trainers want to put their own trainer points and/or items on the line if they loose, and these must be done with Pokemon Showdown. League battles are sponsored by a certain type of Functional Organization called a Battle League; the leagues themselves determine what sort of prizes will be handed out, and you must also use Pokemon Showdown.
Pokemon Showdown: If you have never used Pokemon Showdown, be sure to familiarize yourself with the site before using it for this RP. For all Friendly and Competitive battles, we will be using the "Anything Goes" format. When building your Pokemon, be sure to use the following guidelines:
One, use the same level, gender, and shiny status as listed here in this RP. Two, refer to bulbapedia when choosing your move sets; only use moves that the Pokemon can learn through leveling up (unless you have bought and used a TM within this RP). Three, only use hold items that you have purchased within this RP. Four, there are no restrictions on setting a Pokemon's happiness levels, ability, or stats spread.
Once you have recreated your team on Showdown, simply click find a user and search for your opponent (let your opponent know if your Showdown name differs from your user name on this RP). From there, everything works just like the handheld games; battle back and forth until you have a winner.
Dramatizing the Battle: After your battle concludes and all awards are dealt out accordingly, you are encouraged to reenact your battle. This serves three purposes. One, it makes things more interesting for readers that haven't seen the outcome yet. Two, you still rack up one CP per post you spend reenacting the battle. Three, all Pokemon that participated in the Showdown battle and reenactment battle will earn two extra bonus levels. Finally, when the reenactment is over, provide a link so that people can re-watch the showdown battle if they would like. As we said before, you may skip using Showdown all together and only use post-by-post battling to Dramatize the battle, IF your battle is only a "friendly". If you choose to not use Pokemon Showdown, we encourage the participants to kindly talk through the outcome of their battle via PMs (this way the illusion isn't ruined for observers).
League Battles: League Battles can vary from League to League. They can use different formats on Showdown besides the "Anything Goes" format. They can have further limitations such as typing, tier, or level restrictions. Be sure to read the Battle League section of the "Create an Organization" thread.
So Showdown is optional (as it is in Spiral) but mandatory for Gym battles. And contests are totally a thing now, and the end results can either be settled beforehand (since our "crowd" is so small) or by vote -- either or.
Sunset was upon the girls when the set foot in Feyhollow proper, but Leisy was still wide awake — most likely an aftereffect of the late-morning nap earlier that day. The same could not be said for the Fletchinder on her shoulder, however, who was constantly adjusting his stance on his trainer’s shoulder in an effort to fend off sleep.He must have stayed up while I slept, keeping a lookout, Leisy realized, smiling at the bird and reaching a hand up to pet it. Silly Bidein — loyal to a fault.
“Bidein, I’m going to swap you out for Naunet,” Leisy told him, using two fingers to smooth out the out-of-place feathers on the fire-type’s chest. “She could use some exercise, and you could use some sleep.” Bopping him on the beak to silence and chirping protests, Leisy flashed him a grin. “You need to rest well, though. I might need your help later, and I don’t want you to be too worn out.”
With that the Fletchinder relented, allowing himself to be returned. Leisy’s Piplup was at her side a moment later, looking around her surroundings curiously before meeting her trainer’s eyes and giving the girl a happy chirrup of greeting.
“Hello to you too, Naunet,” Leisy said, smiling as she watched the Piplup waddle over to Ella. “You’ll have to excuse her rudeness. Naunet doesn’t really pick up on any social cues — other than the ones she wants to, of course,” she told the other trainer. “She’s a Piplup — my second Pokemon. I caught her back in Central a little under a week ago.”
The Piplup, bright eyes practically boring into the other trainer’s Stunky, was cautiously holding her place in front of her trainer as she looked at the poison-type for any indication of anger. She’d been spurned by the rock-type of the team — the grouchy, dratted Larvitar — a few too many times for comfort, and she didn’t want a repeat experience with this sharp-eyed Pokemon.
“I don’t think I need anything right now,” Cillian said, frowning as he ticked mental boxes off in his head. Counting the mission rewarded Heal Ball, he was currently in possession of five Pokeballs, so he figured that he had enough to last him. For now.
“Where should we go next though?” he asked, pulling out his Pokedex to check out the nearby locations. “We’ve all been to Feyhollow and now Zephyr. I started in Central City, but wasn’t half as interesting as Zephyr. Central’s a city proper,” he said, shrugging. “I don't have a huge urge to head there like I do some other places.”
And other locations there were — the mysterious Stillwater, the treacherous Atana Mountain Range, and the lore-ridden Tefan villages just to start. There were so many places to go now that Cillian opened his eyes to them, and he didn't know where to start if not all of them.
“Er, do you two have any preferences?” he asked Tora and Juana, hoping they had a better reason than him.
As it turned out, Marvin was a better guide than Shanae had hoped for, doubling both as a mission guide and as a tour guide. Pointing out major landmarks while riding his Onix, Marvin proved himself a local history buff by rattling off random pieces of trivia attached to structures and locations easily overlooked.
“That over there is the oldest tree in west Ironforge,” he said, indicating an innocuous but ancient-looking wrangle of a tree. “It was planted by the founder’s family — his youngest son, who went on to become the first silversmith in town.”
This was one of many facts Shanae sat through on her ride towards the likely location according to Marvin. Although some of the boy’s tidbits made her zone out and opt for staring at his Onix rather than him, some of his tangents were fairly interesting. For one, Shanae learned that the abandoned mine she’d been wandering around was home to a colony of Marcago. According to Marvin, they hibernated through most of the year, emerging during the hottest months to bear young before disappearing down the tunnels again.
“So they moved into the coal mine?” Shanae had asked, frowning as she pictured the dark-shelled Pokemon trying to squeeze down tight mine shafts. Marvin laughed, shaking his head.
“No, they were there first. The cavern was there home, but the allure of the coal deposits was too much for people not to go digging,” he explained, smiling wryly. “You’d think people would be smart enough not to go into a nest of fire Pokemon, let alone go into a mest that was made of combustible fuel.”
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
@LuckyBlackCat There are currently no rules about having more than seven Pokemon. You could theoretically have your character carry around an infinite number of Pokeballs, but I'd prefer if everyone used common sense and steered away from unrealistic situations.
A moment of hesitation passed, purple feline silent and still as it weighed its options. Leisy held her breath as the Pokemon made up its mind, consciously hoping that the Pokemon would taker her up on her offer. Then, slowly and cautiously, the cat Pokemon leaned forwards and deposited its first prize on the floor before picking up the other bag in its mouth. Unable to resist the grin that spread over her face, Leisy found herself childishly giddy that the purple Pokemon had dropped its walls enough around her to take offered food despite the fact that the Pokemon had only just met her. Before she could do anything else other than grin goofily, however, the cat Pokemon disappeared into the forest again.
“Oh,” she said, disappointment nipping at her heels as she stood up. Quickly shaking the feeling off, she retrieved Ella’s paper bag and returned to the girl’s side, stilling for a moment so that Bidein could reclaim his perch on her shoulder. “Congrats, on the Pumpkaboo, Ella. This is your sixth Pokemon, right? Welcome to the Skilled club,” she said, smiling brightly. The disappointment now put firmly behind her — after all, what good would it do to be caught up on something like that? — Leisy was truly happy for her friend. That the pink-haired girl’s smile seemed too wide on one side and too tight on the other did not escape Leisy, and black-haired girl honestly hoped that Ella found it in her heart to be at least a little happy that her progress was clearly marked somehow. That she was making progress rather than stagnating.
“Alright, off we go then?” she asked. The girls set off for Feyhollow again, this time at a faster pace than before. It wasn’t long before the scrawny swampland made way for lush green forests, and the quaint Feyhollow rooftops were soon able to be seen.
“Excuse me?” Shanae asked, not understanding what the boy meant.
“Well, for starters, you forgot to get the Greatball mentioned in the mission guidelines,” Marvin said, pulling out the mentioned red-striped-blue on white Pokeball and tossing it to Shanae with an easy underhand motion. “Secondly, you have no idea where to start looking.”
“‘No idea where to look?’” Shanae echoed, brows furrowing. “Sure I may not be from around here, but some basic rules apply to Pokemon tracking — including one that points me to the farthest deserted spot on the map,” Shanae said with a frown.
“That rule might be true for most places, but not here in Ironforge,” the boy said, landing on the dusty ground with both feet and leading the way around the bend of the mound confidently. “You see, this is an abandoned coal mine. ‘Abandoned’ not because it became too difficult to extract the remaining deposits of coal, though. This mine was cleaned out,” Marvin explained, nodding to the boarded-up entrance of the mine. A signpost beside the nailed pile of wooden boards told the same story the boy had, and Shanae grimaced.
Being shown up by someone never feels good, she thought. Especially when he’s a kid over five years younger than me.
Still, Shanae knew how to admit her own faults, and she did so — albeit a little begrudgingly. “Alright then, Marvin. Clearly being a local has its perks. But did your father clear your participation?” It’s not me being competitive and begrudging, she told herself, at least not entirely.
“Er, well, about that,” the boy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Shanae dropped her frown, her heart going out to the boy. There was a time in her life when she’d been discriminated against too. Her age, her gender, her upbringing — they were all pitted against her at least once in her life, and each time Shanae had done her best to push past the frustrating judgement passed upon her. A helping, encouraging hand reached out to her once, and she felt that it was only right for her to do the same.
“Nevermind then. Just don’t get in my way during a battle,” Shanae said, flashing the boy a grin. “Alright then, Marv. Where to?”
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
@Lord of Evil Windows -- do you suppose the hunters could use the monster's blast beams (whatever they're called) to break down the walls and make their escape? If not... I dunno what else they'd do right now haha
And sure I'd be open to taking over Mistletoe. I agree that she's probably not hesitant (being a hunter and all), and quieter for sure. Mk then, I'll be looking forward to your post?
Remram
Achronum