Start Ups PMD: Realm of Sutekh (Start-Up)

[Master Simm]

CHAPTER 1: New Guild Recruits​

So where is this place?
Xinxiu was strolling through Hibou City, looking for the guild described on the map. Looking around, he noticed the familiar flag of the EGF flying from the other side of town.
Wait? That said "east"? It looks like it's been scrawled by a Pichu!
Xin smiled slightly and headed over to the Guild.

As he approached it, it dawned on him how big it was. There were sharpened wooden logs used as a fence the same size as the walls around the city, and the door had no handle on the outside.

"Hello? I wasn't aware this was a summer camp!" Xin smirked.

"Who are you?" said a withered old voice from behind the wall.

"I'm the dude who signed up a couple days ago," he said, "Can I come in now?"

"Your invitation. Pass it under."

Xin folded up the horribly-scrawled note and slipped it under the door.

"Okay, it all seems to check out. Welcome to the Guild, Xin."

The door creaked open and a very elderly Noctowl instructed him to come into a tent.

"Stay calm," the Noctowl said.

"What do you meee-?" Xin said, before suddenly collapsing to the floor.

When awoke, Xin was strapped to a chair in the same room, with the Noctowl on the other side.

"Don't worry. Every new recruit has to go through this interview. Anubi, your turn."

A Yamask suddenly appeared in front of Xin, touching its hand to his cheek. Xin suddenly felt weaker.
"That's just supressing your ability," the Yamask said, "Stops people with Run Away or Illusion from escaping."

"The Interview will now commence. Ability?"
"Reckless"
"Level?"
"Fifteen"
"Items?"
"Nope"
"Hometown?"
"Malachite"
"Father?"
"What?"
"Just answer the question."
"Machamp" Ace hung his head in shame.
"That's Fine. So you have Low Kick and Vital Throw?"
"Yep."
"Now, why did you want to join the guild?"
"Because I don't have anywhere else to go."
"What about your parents?"
"Can we please not talk about my parents?"

The Noctowl had a faint smile to his beak, as if he knew all. "Okay, you can go. Wait for your fellow recruits in the main tent. It's the big one in the back corner."

---

OOC: Now you have to make your way to the guild, take the interview, and come over to the main tent. Xin'll be seeing you there...
Also, here is the discussion thread.

@Lucius; @Blathers; @Clef; @xelda57; @AmazingCrobat;

 

[Golden Knight]

Deandre was aimlessly walking around Hibou City, Not aware of the area he was in, he seemed rather timid. He was aware of this and tried his best not to make a fool of himself. He looked again at the scribbled note, trying his best to follow the instructions to the guild. Not looking up he walked into a door. He then looked up marveling the size of how big it was.

 

[thestarjar]

OOC: What pokemon is Xin?

The Scorpion Queen, who was currently disguised as a Vulpix, looked around Hibou for the guild that she had been told about. She saw the flag on a nearby structure, and she quickly trotted over to it. Walking up to the door, which for whatever reason lacked a knob or any opening mechanism from the outside, she said, "Uh, hi? Is this the guild? I signed up for it."
"Pass your invitation under the door."
The Zorua turned her head at an odd and somewhat painful angle, then pulled out the paper that was tucked into her scarf with her mouth and slid it underneath the door. The voice decided that the invitation was not in fact a forgery, and she was welcomed to the guild and brought into a tent by a Noctowl.
"Stay calm," he said. The Scorpion Queen, who did not particularly like the phrase 'stay calm,' instantly began to look for something that would be stressful or dangerous, but before she could do much, she blacked out.
She awoke to find herself strapped down to a chair, which she found very uncomfortable due to her being a quadruped. Her Illusion was also off since she had been knocked out earlier. "What's going on? Where am I?" She snarled. "I signed up for a guild, not... whatever this is supposed to be!"
The Noctowl from earlier was in a corner, and she scowled at him. A Yamask then appeared in front of her. She tried to pull away, but he touched her face, and she felt weird, as if touching her face was actually something more than touching her face.
"I only suppressed your ability, so pokemon with Run Away and Illusion can't escape." Well then. Evidently touching her face actually had been more than touching her face.
"That's stupid. Illusion can't help me get away if I'm tied to a chair," she said, annoyed. Oh great, no Illusions. This is going to suck.
"This is just an interview that everyone has to take before entering the guild, so please answer the questions honestly."
"Okay, whatever."
"What's your ability?"
"Technician," she said sarcastically.
"What?"
"What do you think it is? Obviously, it's going to be the only possible ability for a Zorua, Illusion!"
"It's just a formality. Please cooperate. Level?"
"I'm level 15."
"Do you have any items?"
"Well, let's see. I have fur, eyes, a nose... Look, do you see anything on me? No, I don't have any items. Unless you actually were referring to my fur."
"What's your hometown?"
"Don't have one."
"What do you mean?"
"I move around a lot. For now I guess it's here in Hibou, so you can just say that."
"Okay... What species is your father?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes, actually. Please just tell me..." the Yamask was clearly losing patience.
"Fine. Lucario."
"So... you've got Counter, Dark Pulse, and Detect?"
"That's right."
"Why did you want to join the guild?"
"I'm tired of moving around. I need somewhere to be. To stay."
"What do you mean? Where are your parents?"
"That's... classified."
"Well, if you say so..."
She was untied and directed to a large tent.

After going through much a similar experience in finding the guild, Max began the interview, his ability suppressed. What, are they going to make me flinch or something?
"Please tell me your Ability."
"Inner Focus."
"Level?"
"Level 15."
"Any items?"
"No."
"What's your hometown?"
"Er... Here. In Hibou." It was pretty much a lie, though he guessed this was his home now.
"What species is your father?"
"No."
"No? What do you mean? Just answer the question, who's y-"
"No."
"Look, we need to know, okay? Just say it."
"Mightyena," Max finally said, his voice barely audible. He almost sounded like he was choking on something.
"You have the moves Bite and Crunch?"
"Yes."
"What's your reason for joining the guild?"
"I felt like it."
"Did your parents give approval...?"
"Their input doesn't matter."
"Why's that?"
"Because it doesn't exist."
"Oh... why?"
"Because they're not there."
"'There' meaning where, exactly?"
"Anywhere. Not anywhere. Can we stop this conversation? It's not giving you any new information."
"Well... okay, then. Go down to the big main tent," the Yamask directed Max as he was untied.

 

[Blathers]

Poe: Drifloon

Poe lazily drifted towards the guild, letting the gentle air currents carry him. It wasn't often that he dropped in a town. In fact, it wasn't often that he dropped down at all; the drifloon loved to float in the breeze. However, rumors spread about the guild's reputation, and Poe became very interested in what they have to offer. They described tales of pokemon working as a team, of pokemon who were companions. Poe wondered what that was like... he didn't know very many people, due to his wandering nature.

As Poe approached the wooden walls, it donned on him that there was no door handle. Poe considered simply floating over the wall for a moment, but he thought it would be more polite it he introduced himself first. He looked down at the invitation he was given once more before speaking up; his weak limbs were not suitable for knocking on doors.
"Excuse me? Is anyone in there? I have a guild invitation!"

"Slip it under the door." Came the curt response. Poe slipped a very thin arm underneath the door to hand the invitation over to the person on the other side. He could feel it quickly being yanked from his grasp.
"Welcome to the guild, Poe." Came the voice once more.
"Thanks sir! I look forward to it!" The door creaked open, and Poe made his leisurely way in.
"You'll be alright." said the voice; it belonged to a Noctowl.
"I hope so. I'll do my be-" Poe began before blacking out.

Poe woke strapped to a chair. Poe began to panic; he was claustrophobic and hated to be stuck down.
"Sorry, but this is standard for all guild members. ...Are you alright?" The Noctowl inquired.
"I'm... a... little afraid of tight spaces, sir." He managed to stammer. A Yamask appeared and touched Poe's cheek.
"This is just to disable your abilities while we do the interview. We'll make it quick; just breathe in full breathes."
Poe managed a nod before the Noctowl approached.

"The Interview will now commence. Ability?"
"Unburden."
"Level?"
"Fifteen"
"Items?"
"Does this hat count?" He indicated his head with a free arm. (They were too thin to strap.)
"Yes. Hometown?"
"Drifloon don't often stay in one place, sir. They're usually traveling."
"Oh, right. Father?"
"A Wheezing, sir."
"So what two moves do you have?"
"Haze and Destiny Bond."
"Now, why did you want to join the guild?"
"Because I want to know what it's like to work with others. My kind aren't very sociable among themselves, sir."
At this point a sweat began to form on Poe's head from being held down so long. The Noctowl studied him for another moment before untying his bonds.

"You check out, lad. There is a tent to the back. Please wait there." Poe appreciated being free. He nodded his head obediently and moved to the tent, eager to see who was there.

=============================================================
Sigmund: Nosepass

Sigmund made his way to the high wooden walls, interested in what lay before him. Back home he wasn't very appreciated. He hoped in a group with more varied pokemon he would relate better. The brutes back home were, well.. brutal. Sig was glad to be away from them. However, as he approached the tall doors, a little bit of apprehension overcame him. He also noticed that there was no handle. Why would a simply guild need so much security? It seemed to go rather overboard, in the nosepass's opinion. He rechecked his internal compass to ensure he was in the right spot before knocking his stone arm on the door; he didn't even need the invite he was given to find his way to the guild.

"Who's there?" Came a voice. It sounded like whoever was at the other side was aged.
"Sigmund. Nosepass."
"You have an invite, correct?"
"Yes. By the way, the guild wasn't true east. Closer to north east relative to the planet's poles."
There was a pause. "Just slip the invite under the door, please."
Sigmund did so. He struggled due to his short arms and bulky figure, but he managed.
"You check out. Welcome, Sigmund." The doors opened.
"It's nice to be welcomed." Sigmund said as he began walking through the door.
"What we're about to do is stander procedure."
"What is that, exactly?" Sigmund blacked out before an answer came to him.

He woke up strapped to a chair in a rather odd position because of his stone body and stalky stature. The Noctowl was standing nearby.
"Sorry about that, it's just another security measure. Everyone goes through it."
"You have a lot of security. More then seems necessary, actually. If I could give you a recommendation-"
"Not now. We need to interview you first."
A Yamask drifted into view. It gently touched Sigmund's nose, and suddenly his magnetic powers stopped. He lost his natural sense of direction, and his glasses fell off of his face since magnetism was the only thing keeping it in place.
"I need to suppress your abilities, in case you are using illusion or abilities to let you escape."
"That's because of Yamask's ability Mummy, correct?"
"Errmm.." The Yamask hesitated. "Well, yes."
"Just checking." Sigmund seemed pleased with himself. The Yamask moved out of view, and The Noctowl entered.
"The Interview will now commence. Ability?"
"Magnet Pull."
"Level?"
"Fifteen"
"Items?"
"A pair of glasses. That's all."
"Hometown?"
"A cave within the mountain range to the North. The mountain I came from had many more ores then most, including-"
"Please, just focus on the questions asked. Father?"
"A Golem. And a rather crude one at that."
"So what two moves do you have?"
"Endure and Stealth Rock."
"Now, why did you want to join the guild?"
"My home was filled to the brim with pokemon who valued strength over intellect. I was hoping that a facility like this could approve of my unique talents much more then those savages I used to share accommodations with."
The Noctowl nodded knowingly. "You check out." He undid Sigmund's bonds.
"There is a tent in the back. Wait there, please." Suddenly, his magnetic energy returned to Sigmund, and the glasses levitated through the air before they once again rested on his nose. Sigmund nodded before making his way over there, the Noctowl looking at him curiously as he left.

 

[SquishyFace]

A Deerling in her Spring form (despite the fact that it was Autumn) strolled through Hibou City with a paper on top of her head. It looked a bit odd, but for her it was considered normal since all she had were hooves. Approaching the guild with a paper covering half of her face, she handed it over to another Pokemon and slightly crumpled it in the process. As she walked in further, she saw a Pokemon standing there.
"What is your name?" the Noctowl asked.
"The name's Ivy."
"Hold still"
And suddenly, she had blacked out.

Not too long later, Ivy had awoken with a rope tying her down to the ground.
"What the heck!? Are you holding me hostage!?" she said while pulling on the rope.

"No no no, we just suppressed your ability for a while. It's all part of the interview, it keeps others from running away."
"Have you considered that maybe they wouldn't run away if you don't scare them like you scared me?"
"Just answer the questions, please."
Ivy sighed, "Alright."

"Ability?"
"Chlorophyll"
"Level?"
"Fifteen"
"Items?"
"Does it look like I can carry anything? I had to hold my invitation on top of my head for goodness sake!"
"Don't be so rude."
"I was not being rude!"
"Next question,"
"Ugh"
"What two moves do you have?"
"Double Kick and Leech Seed"
"Hometown?"
"Emerald Forest, it's quite a ways from here."
"Father?"
"Unknown, I guess. Every time I asked my mom she would stray away from the subject..."
"Now, why did you want to join the guild?"
"To become stronger in order to defend my friends and myself"
"What about your parents?"
"My Dad's still a mystery as I said before, and my Mom's a Sawsbuck named Willow."

"Alright, your interview is done. There's a tent in the back where the new recruits are waiting." The rope was untied and Ivy bounded off towards the tent, eager to see her new teammates.

 

[Golden Knight]

Deandre called over to the other side "Hello is anyone there?"

An aged voice responded with a slight pause "Who's there?"

Deandre stuttered while answering "D-Deandre. Totodile"

"Slip the invite under the door." The aged voice rasped again. Deandre proceeded to do so and slipped his invitation under the door.

The door then opened, and Deandre walked inside. "Welcome" said the aged voice "Dont worry....this is standard" Shortly after the aged voice finished talking, Deandre became light headed, in an attempt to leave, everything went black.

Deandre awoke to find that he was strapped to a chair, and across the room was a Noctowl. Before he could speak to protest the Noctowl quickly interuppted "We must go through the interview...don't worry it will be quick" A Yamask appeared and put its hand on Deandre's head. "What are y-"

He was cut off by the Noctowl "Its standard, we are suppressing your abilities so you wont attempt to run away..." Now onto the interview. What is your ability?"
"Torrent"
"Level?"
"Fifteen"
"Items?"
"Water Float"
"Hometown?"
"I lived near a lake quite for away from here." Deandre responded.
"Your father?"
"A Seadra"
"So what two moves do you have?"
"Water gun and Scratch"
"Why do you want to join the guild?"
"For years I always wanted to explore the outside world in great length. Find treasures! Explore! I just want to.....see what others may have not, and explore the great world around us."
After a moment, the Noctowl once again spoke "Your interview is finished proceed the tent in the back and await the other new recruits." The Noctowl untied Deandre.
Eager as he was Deandre quickly ran towards the tent of the back.

 

[thestarjar]

"I thought Deerling were supposed to be orange at this time of year," the Scorpion Queen remarked as she saw a pink one come towards the tent.

Max had settled himself in the darkest corner of the tent. He clearly wasn't going to be very social at all.

 

[SquishyFace]

OOC: Correction, she's Pink.

"I was surprised that the Noctowl back there didn't mention that," Ivy heard the Scorpion Queen, "Actually I just have Opposite Season Syndrome. It's a real pain during Summer and Winter."

 

[thestarjar]

OOC: Whooooops. I fixed it XD

"Really? I've never heard of it," the Scorpion Queen replied. Trying to keep the conversation going, she thought of something to ask. "Hey... what happens if a Deerling walks back and forth across the equator? Since they'd technically be switching seasons every time they crossed?"

 

[SquishyFace]

"Well, maybe that would happen. I don't think anyone from my herd has gotten anywhere near the equator so you can't really be sure." She answered.

 

[Blathers]

Poe lazily floated around the tent, wondering who he should meet first. He spotted a Riolu sitting in the corner. Poe wanted to say hi, but halfway there he realized the small pokemon probably wasn't going to say much. He steered clear, looking to find someone else to speak to. He spotted a totodile, and decided he would be as nice to meet as anyone. He drifted over to Deandre with a happy expression on his face.
"Hello! My name is Poe! What's your name?" He asked, evident glee on his face.

=============

Sigmund looked over the group assembled. They had an interesting array of pokemon here, but he didn't really know who he should introduce himself to. He kept to himself, trying to figure out what he could by studying their conduct.

 

[Golden Knight]

Deandre looked up from his daydream at poe "Who me? The Name's Deandre"

 

[thestarjar]

"Huh. You're from a herd? That's cool," the Scorpion Queen responded.

Max saw a Drifloon float towards him then stop and go in a different direction as if changing his mind. I guess that's good, that nobody's going to bother me, he mentally shrugged.

 

[SquishyFace]

"So what's your name?" She asked, "Mine's Ivy."

 

[thestarjar]

"My name is the Scorpion Queen," she replied. "Nice to meet you."

 

[Blathers]

Poe looked at the totodile oddly.
"Deandre? That's a weird name... but that doesn't mean it's bad!" Poe quickly added. He didn't want to offend the Totodile the first time he's met him.
"We're going to be working as a team that. That could be awesome! I wonder what kind of combinations we can put together. Like, maybe I could combine Gust with Water gun. Or shadowball with watergun. Of course I don't know shadowball yet..." He trailed off. "Ah well. I wonder who that Noctowl guy is. Maybe he's the leader!"

===========================================

Sigmund noticed that the Drifloon talked. A lot. Sig hasn't met one before, simply because caverns aren't the ideal place for a balloon and they are already thinly scattered to begin with. Everything he knows about the pokemon is second hand knowledge, something which is shaky at best. Maybe this would give him more time to study them in person. However, the Nosepass decided enough was enough and that he'd just introduce himself already.
"Hello everyone!" He declared. "My name is Sigmund.. I don't think I need to say anything else really."

 

[thestarjar]

Giving a start at the sudden self-introduction by the Nosepass, the Scorpion Queen looked at him and introduced herself for the second time in a row. "I'm the Scorpion Queen. Nice to meet you as well!"

 

[Golden Knight]

Deandre turned towards the Nosepass, and happily introduced himself. "Nice to meet you Sigmund. My name's Deandre"

 

[Master Simm]

"Okay, so now I know everybody's names, except for Mr. Antisocial down the back," Xin smirked, appearing behind the chair.
"I'm Xinxiu, BTW, but you can just call me Xin."

OOC: Xin is a Mienfoo.

 

[thestarjar]

OOC: Oh.

"Hi," the Scorpion Queen greeted Xin.

Max looked up coldly, from his seat on the floor. "I'm Max," he said in a monotone voice.