The Arcane Realm: Land of Freedom and Magicks

[Zelphon5]

Zelphon: Hastily recovering from your brief tumble, you take up the chase once again, with Naula bobbing and weaving between the underbrush while leading you as best as she can. The encroaching fog was only beginning to thicken as you went, now resting comfortably at knee height - and this came with it's own trouble. As much as you try to remain surefooted, it is as if the surrounding trees are intentionally trying to sabotage you, the roots threatening to trip you with every thundering step. Finally though, Naula darts into a nearby bush, and as you hack your way through the greenery, you find yourself in a small copse.

Looking around, this place looks more sinister than your intended destination. On all sides, twisted oaks loom over you, suffocating in their haggard presence. The ground underfoot, insofar as you can see past the mist, is crumbling and barren. The air here feels physically dense, the atmosphere oppressive and foreboding. As you furtively survey these hostile surroundings, Naula begins to bark loudly, and you naturally follow her line of sight.

Breaking beyond the treeline was an eerie display - two pale, flickering orbs. The erratic way they dance with one another is mystifying, and for a moment you are locked in place, staring at the peculiar spectacle. However, you are jarringly yanked back to reality as you hear the whispers fray at the edge of your consciousness, this time more palpable to your senses.

"Leave ... Flee ... Escape ... Help."

The voice was simultaneously grating yet soothing, the discordant notes sending shivers throughout your body. It was clear that something strange was afoot, and Naula was getting more desperate in her frantic yips towards this entity.

Taken aback by the sense of wrong permeating through the area Rylie takes care to avoid the twisted, rotting branches of the nearby trees, fighting through doubts towards the leadership of his partner as they permeate his mind. He hadn't felt this way in a very long time, the difficulties the area was giving him adding to the confusion of the seasoned hiker. "This just keeps getting weirder by the minute, I thought this area was supposed to be a pretty place frequented by pokemon and couples alike".

Turning around a tree Rylie briefly loses track of Naula before quickly noticing her estranged reaction towards something a bit more specific than the general craziness that had been taking place up until now, moving his gaze towards that of her own he quickly notices the two specters before them causing him to freeze in and out of a fear driven trance as the strange lights and his partners cries pull him in and out of reality like a game of tug-o-war.

Eventually gaining a semblance of composure Rylie takes a more confident stance and looks back up to the strange lights hovering overhead with a determined stare, replying to their chorus of whispers with "Leave or help, what do you want from us, why did you lead us here and what are we meant to be escaping from? Is there something you're having trouble with or do you just want us out of your territory? We're just trying to get to the Lover's Grove but we'd be happy to aid you two if there's something you need. [/Color=SeaGreen]

 

[Faiyaa]

Faiyaa- After processing what Marina had said, you ask if there was anything else you could do to help. Marina seemed distressed about something and was blaming herself for the Popplio's injuries, but why?

"I need help, yes", Marina continue to pace back and forth. "You see Gary, not everyone has a good heart like yourself. Most people are oblivious to the presence of my people, but some believe in our existence. Some even have the wealth and desire to see our kind brought into the light, at any cost. Remember that young scientist I mentioned? That one with the yacht full of traps? I trusted him once. He came here only the trail of my people and for a time I believed he had good intentions. I assisted him with his research, thankfully I didn't reveal my powers to him. When I found out that he planned to trawl and trap around the reef, I destroyed as much of his research as I could. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to throw him off the trail. He is the one that set the trap that hurt Popplio and countless other local Pokemon." Marina clenches her fists, "Gary I need you to help me take him down. We need to clear out all of his traps and then stop him from setting any more, even better would be if we could stop him from searching all together." It seemed Marina and the local Pokemon were under threat from this reckless young researcher.

You look over to Sensei and the Popplio. The young pup was looking much better. It was starting to move around on its own, the scarring from the wound was barely visible now. It flops over to you, a glimmer of thankfulness in its eyes. If there were other Pokemon out there suffering like it was, surely it was your duty to help?

Gary listened intently as Marina explained the source of Popplio’s injury. The scientist with the yacht full of traps and tools that she had mentioned before seemed to be the culprit, intent on tracking down and capturing her kind. Gary didn’t need to hear any more; his mind was made up. The purpose of science was meant to study and understand how the world worked so that they as humans could live within it without disrupting it. This was different, this was just destruction and subjugation for selfish gain. A pool of anger welled up within him as he thought about how someone could be so thoughtless to destroy the ecosystem and the creatures that live within it just to answer personal curiosity. “Say no more, count me in,” he responded as he looked down at the Popplio.

The small sea lion had wobbled over to his side in order to reassure him that its injuries seemed to have mostly mended. Gary’s intensity cooled off a bit as the small creature melted his heart and a smile crept onto his face as he reached down to give it a gentle pat. “Don’t worry about a thing, I’ll see to it that no more traps can injure you or any other creature around this reef.” Gary then looked over at Sensei and Apollo and smiled before returning them to their Pokeballs. “Great work guys, Popplio is still standing thanks to the two of you.” He then turned to face Marina. “So, what do we need to do?”

 

[TheKnightsFury]

Faiyaa- Upon hearing of the young scientists ambitions, you feel compelled to help in anyway you can. You manage to quell the rage brewing inside of you for now, although it was likely just a ticking time bomb, how would you react when you came face to face with the reckless fool? You agree to help Marianna before returning Sensei and Apollo to their balls. They'd done an excellent job and Popplio really seemed to appreciate it.

Sensei and Apollo gained 1 level!

"Alright Gary, this is my plan. We need to locate and destroy as many of the traps as we can. That's only a temporary fix of course, because any traps we destroy, Cedric can just replace. We need to stop him, I've had plenty of time to think about how to do so. Intimidate him, although I'm afraid he will be hard to scare. We could destroy his ship but I'm afraid he'd just purchase another, money is not an issue for him. Recently I've read some old tomes that make mention of a special seaweed that is meant to grow around here. When dried and ground into a powder, it can apparently be used to leave someone open to suggestion. I've searched and failed to locate the weed so far, but I'm confident that the tomes are true. Regardless, destroying the traps is our first task, so how about we get a move on?" Mariana turns towards Popplio, "Popplio, you stay here until I get back, got it?"

Pop! Pop pop lio!

The young pup barks back at her quite defiantly. It seems it doesn't want to sit around doing nothing. "I don't care how much you want to help Popplio, you've only just recovered from your injuries. You're staying here and that's final." Mariana speaks with surprising harshness, but its likely just driven by her emotions. Popplio cowers back, following Marianna's instruction. "Alright Gary, we should probably split up to cover more ground. Most of the traps should have been placed around the temple. Hang a right when we exit, I'll head left and we'll do a full sweep. Keep an eye out for that special seaweed, its gold with purple rings, should stick out like a sore thumb. Got it?" With a have of her hand, Marianna generates a swirling whirlpool, similar to the one that had dragged you into this room. You watch as she again transforms, this time turning from her human form to her Primarina form. It was just as weird as the first time......

 

[Faiyaa]

Faiyaa- Upon hearing of the young scientists ambitions, you feel compelled to help in anyway you can. You manage to quell the rage brewing inside of you for now, although it was likely just a ticking time bomb, how would you react when you came face to face with the reckless fool? You agree to help Marianna before returning Sensei and Apollo to their balls. They'd done an excellent job and Popplio really seemed to appreciate it.

Sensei and Apollo gained 1 level!

"Alright Gary, this is my plan. We need to locate and destroy as many of the traps as we can. That's only a temporary fix of course, because any traps we destroy, Cedric can just replace. We need to stop him, I've had plenty of time to think about how to do so. Intimidate him, although I'm afraid he will be hard to scare. We could destroy his ship but I'm afraid he'd just purchase another, money is not an issue for him. Recently I've read some old tomes that make mention of a special seaweed that is meant to grow around here. When dried and ground into a powder, it can apparently be used to leave someone open to suggestion. I've searched and failed to locate the weed so far, but I'm confident that the tomes are true. Regardless, destroying the traps is our first task, so how about we get a move on?" Mariana turns towards Popplio, "Popplio, you stay here until I get back, got it?"

Pop! Pop pop lio!

The young pup barks back at her quite defiantly. It seems it doesn't want to sit around doing nothing. "I don't care how much you want to help Popplio, you've only just recovered from your injuries. You're staying here and that's final." Mariana speaks with surprising harshness, but its likely just driven by her emotions. Popplio cowers back, following Marianna's instruction. "Alright Gary, we should probably split up to cover more ground. Most of the traps should have been placed around the temple. Hang a right when we exit, I'll head left and we'll do a full sweep. Keep an eye out for that special seaweed, its gold with purple rings, should stick out like a sore thumb. Got it?" With a have of her hand, Marianna generates a swirling whirlpool, similar to the one that had dragged you into this room. You watch as she again transforms, this time turning from her human form to her Primarina form. It was just as weird as the first time......

After Gary accepted the mission, Marina continued on to describe what they were up against. The scientist, named Cedric, would be hard to stop or even slow down due to the fact that money was no object to him. It would be easy for him to replace or repair any damage they caused to his traps or equipment, so in order to scare him off, they would need to resort to other tactics. As a man of science, Gary knew that it would be hard to faze him with something superstitious, but maybe it could be possible after all, considering the fact that Cedric came here while chasing a myth. Marina described a special kind of seaweed that grew in the area that possessed hallucinogenic properties when ground up into a powder. Gary was already intrigued, eager to learn more about the biology of this plant, but he needed to remain focused on the bigger picture.

The young Popplio seemed eager to lend its assistance as well, but Marina was stern in maintaining that it remain here, where it was safe from danger. Gary couldn’t help but empathize with it, but he agreed that it was probably for the best. It would be hard to accomplish the task at hand while also trying to protect it from danger. As Marina reverted back into her Pokemon form, Gary was a bit more observant and less in shock as he watched her. She created another whirlpool vortex to return them to the world he was most familiar with. He popped the breathing apparatus back into his mouth and prepared himself to be submerged underwater once again. Armed with instructions from Marina to hang a right and look for a gold plant with purple rings on it, Gary followed the shiny Primarina and prepared to set forth on his task.

 

[Zorchic]

Zorchic- You'd stumbled upon another massive Water Pokemon! You knew that Gigantamax Kingler was a thing, but wouldn't it need a power spot for that? Yeah, no this wasn't a Gigantamax Kingler, it was just a really big one, just like the super sized Seaking. Was there some connection between the size of these Pokemon and the full moon? You decide to take a similar approach this time, getting Lucario to reach out to Kingler like it had Seaking. It conveys its message via telepathy, but once again it gets nothing back from the other Pokemon. Maybe it was simply that both Kingler and Seaking had no desire to talk with you? Or maybe it also had something to do with the full moon's effects?

Unfortunately, Lucario's attempt has alerted the Kingler to your presence. A giant claw rises into the air before quickly descending between Heath and yourself. Giant waves force Heath and yourself apart, knocking you and your Pokemon off your board in the process. The levitating Gengar tries to subdue the Kingler with a Hypnosis, but the bubbles surrounding it seem to be shielding it from the attack! The claw rises again, shifting over to your position. Again the Kingler swings it down. You throw up your arms in a feeble attempt to shield yourself. Thankfully Lucario manages to slightly shift the Kingler's claw with its Psychic, causing it to miss you by only a few inches. If that Crab Hammer had connected, it likely would have been your end.....

There was no sign of Heath and his Pokemon, all you could see was a mass of bubbles all around you and the parts of the Kingler that were protruding above them.

Unfortunately for Jake, things started to go downhill (figuratively, of course; there was no hill in sight). Lucario and Jake's calling out to Kingler let it know exactly where they were, and it responded by smacking the water with its claw, kicking up a giant wave that sweeped Jake, Lucario and Buizel off the board. Gengar made to shield herself, though it proved unnecessary.

As Jake and the Pokémon that were now in the water hastily began treading water in place, the floating Ghost/Poison-type sent out waves of Hypnosis, hoping to subdue the giant beast, but that had no luck, either. The bubbles seemed to be absorbing the move entirely! With that, Kingler swung its giant claw again, aiming directly for Jake.

"Gah!" Jake yelped out of reflex, holding up his arms in front of himself. He braced for impact, but all he heard was a loud splash. He lowered his arms and glanced at Lucario, just as the Psychic glow was leaving the Aura Pokémon's eyes. The Trainer immediately pieced together what happened. Lucario had redirected Kingler's claw—slightly—with Psychic! Being in the water at the moment, Jake suspected that even if the Crabhammer had hit, he'd...just be pushed underwater. Not that bad, right? Well, now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.

Jake looked around, shifting his treading position. "Heath...?" he trailed off. Wait! Heath wasn't here! Oh no, that wasn't good. Perhaps Heath and his Pokémon were swept underwater by the waves. Maybe they were caught in the bubbles. Wherever they were, it didn't give Jake any peace of mind. Chace would surely be furious at Jake if his brother was gone when Jake got back. Besides, Jake was a nice guy. He wouldn't just forget about someone he worked with.
The young Aura Guardian motioned for everyone to stay put, so Lucario leaned back to stay afloat better. (Buizel, meanwhile, had already inflated the ring around his neck.) Jake leaned back a bit to stay afloat, before taking a Pokéball out of his pocket. Thankfully, Pokéballs were waterproof.

With a gentle toss of the Ball, Jake let out his unusually-colored Starly. Alright Starly, he focused, fly over the lake and look for Heath, a Hariyama, and a Heliolisk. Report back if you find any of them. Quick. Starly nodded without a word, picking up on the "telepathic" message. Understanding how dire the situation was, he flew higher, beginning his search.

Jake turned to the others, still using silent communication. Lucario, if you can, lift yourself out of the water with Magnet Rise, he thought. If not, then Gengar, levitate him with Psychic. Anyhow, Gengar, lift me out of the water with Psychic, too. Buizel, if you can, spin your tail and fly over the water. If not, then Gengar, please take care of that too. Point is, we all need to be levitating over the water, Jake explained mentally.

As Jake and his Pokémon floated a few meters above the ground, Jake reached into his pocket and took out an empty Pokéball, Gengar loosening her Psychic hold a bit to let him move his arm. The Pokéball probably wouldn't do much, but maybe it could distract the Kingler? The Trainer threw the Ball at the giant Water-type.

Now, let's go around the Kingler, Jake thought to his Pokémon. We need to get to the center of the lake. Lucario, use Psychic to hold Kingler back, just in case.
Buizel, Lucario and Gengar prepared to speed past Kingler, Gengar carrying Jake (and maybe the others) with Psychic.
The thing was, if they tried to attack the Kingler directly, that would probably just make it angrier, and without Heath's support, Jake didn't know if that was a fight he could win. So he opted to just not attack it outright.
If at any point Starly reported back with Heath or his Pokémon's location, Jake would immediately tell everyone to follow Starly to the aforementioned location.

(OOC: Pokéball is #5 out of 10.)

 

[TheKnightsFury]

Faiyaa- You follow Marina through the portal and out of the temple. As soon as you exit the temple, Marina turns and waves before swimming off to the left, leaving you to head in the opposite direction. You begin to weave your way through the reef, keeping your eyes peeled for both traps and the hallucinogenic seaweed. Your progress is slow to say the least. You find a handful of small snare traps, which you promptly dismantle without too much effort. There was no sign of the seaweed though. There was an odd absence of Pokemon around the reef, they were either staying well hidden or they'd moved on in fear of traps.

As you continue your search, you spot something thrashing about up ahead. As you close in, you find a much larger trap than the ones you'd already dismantled. The giant cage shook violently, the scarred, white Sharpedo inside was doing its best to free itself. While some of the bars were bending, there was no telling how long it would take for the shark to free itself. You look over the trap, trying to work out its mechanics. It seemed to be anchored into the seafloor by a heavy chain. The cage itself seemed to be made of two parts. The Sharpedo must have been drawn in by some sort of bait, then the cage clamped closed around it. If you could break through the hinge, the Sharpedo would be released, but was that the best thing to do right now? It had worked up quite a frenzy, if you released it like this, there was no telling how it would react.....

 

[Sneasel12]

Missingno. Master - Dismounting the Salamence as you land in the Meadow, the large dragon bows in acknowledgement of you, or perhaps to the mission you are now on, before flapping its wings and taking back off. It would seem you will need to find your own way back to the cave after your mission to find the mage is complete. Now left with just your Pokemon and your wits, you approach the gardener after a brief conversation with your team, wary of another potential attack after all that has happened.

The gardener turns to you, his tanned and freckled face bearing a wide, toothy grin that almost reminds you of your floating companion. "Oh, I'm terribly sonny. I know there's a mage that likes to frequent these fields, but he hasn't been by in some time." Gesturing around, it's apparent that some of the meadow is wilting, and the gardener himself is the only other creature you can see. "He used to come by regularly, but ever since the pack of Stunky moved in and the flowers started dying off there's not been hide nor hair of the man."

As if on cue, a bit of the meadow begins to rustle, a familiar vile smell piercing your nose as chittering sounds emanate from the various patches of wilting flowers. Still grinning, the man turns back to the garden, ignoring the smell of in its entirety as he proceeds to tend to the remaining plants. "What a shame, to not be able to see the meadow in its full glory. This is nothing more than a pale imitation."


TheKnightsFury - Happy to help out in an attempt to get a lead on Wolfgang's contact, you and Toxtricity begin moving crates about after showing off the silvered business card to Kojo. As Rookidee and Grookey poke around the shop, it becomes obvious that the crates are nothing shy of weighty, enough so that it requires both yourself and Toxtricity to move a single one at a time. Luckily there aren't too many of the boxes, and the shop is small enough that getting them where they need to go doesn't take overly long.

As you go to begin setting down the final crate, a soft melody rings through the shop, and you look up to see Toxtricity's eyes become heavy, the Pokemon dropping the crate with a clatter. Before you can take control of the situation, a sharp pain strikes the back of your skull and everything flashes white.

Regaining conciousness in a darkened room lit only by a few candles spread about across a multitude of surfaces, you spot your Pokemon all sleeping soundly in a heap against a far wall, and your own hands and legs are bound as you sit on the floor. Kojo and a puffed up Wigglytuff stand against the wall to the opposite side of your team, and the faint glow of sunlight can be seen peeking through a shroud covering the door behind you.

"Come now, there's no need to be uncivil." A smooth voice rings through the room as a man in studded leather, adorned with a small assortment of knives emerges from a room on the side opposite the entrance. "Untie our guest," a small wave to Kojo causes the young man to snap to attention, cutting through your bindings to allow you to move, "any friend of Wolfgang's is a friend of ours."

Taking a seat aside a small, round table towards the back of the room, the man makes another quick gesture, prompting Kojo to drag over a second chair. "Come, sit, and tell me what it is that has brought you here."

 

[TheKnightsFury]

TheKnightsFury - Happy to help out in an attempt to get a lead on Wolfgang's contact, you and Toxtricity begin moving crates about after showing off the silvered business card to Kojo. As Rookidee and Grookey poke around the shop, it becomes obvious that the crates are nothing shy of weighty, enough so that it requires both yourself and Toxtricity to move a single one at a time. Luckily there aren't too many of the boxes, and the shop is small enough that getting them where they need to go doesn't take overly long.

As you go to begin setting down the final crate, a soft melody rings through the shop, and you look up to see Toxtricity's eyes become heavy, the Pokemon dropping the crate with a clatter. Before you can take control of the situation, a sharp pain strikes the back of your skull and everything flashes white.

Regaining conciousness in a darkened room lit only by a few candles spread about across a multitude of surfaces, you spot your Pokemon all sleeping soundly in a heap against a far wall, and your own hands and legs are bound as you sit on the floor. Kojo and a puffed up Wigglytuff stand against the wall to the opposite side of your team, and the faint glow of sunlight can be seen peeking through a shroud covering the door behind you.

"Come now, there's no need to be uncivil." A smooth voice rings through the room as a man in studded leather, adorned with a small assortment of knives emerges from a room on the side opposite the entrance. "Untie our guest," a small wave to Kojo causes the young man to snap to attention, cutting through your bindings to allow you to move, "any friend of Wolfgang's is a friend of ours."

Taking a seat aside a small, round table towards the back of the room, the man makes another quick gesture, prompting Kojo to drag over a second chair. "Come, sit, and tell me what it is that has brought you here."

Xander was surprised by the weight of the boxes, but after a bit of heavy lifting, the job was just about done. As they were setting down the final crate, a soft melody begins to ring through the shop. Toxtricity quickly succumbs to the soothing song, his eyes growing heavy before he passes out. "What the fu....."

As Xander regains consciousness, he instinctively goes to rub the back of his head, only to find that his hands and feet are bound. Really, another fucking blindside? He was going to have to go to a hospital after this, being knocked out twice in one day surely wasn't good for the old noggin. At least these idiots have the brains to bind him instead of leaving him to roam free. Looking around the room, Xander quickly spotted his Pokemon. They seemed unharmed, they were just sleeping. The reason for their slumber was soon obvious, an inflated Wigglytuff stood next to Kojo. Another man soon joined them, adorned in studded leather and a collection of knives. What was he? Some sort of butcher? He instructed the young boy to undo his binds. Xander glared at the young boy, he didn't appreciate being blindsided while trying to help.

"I wouldn't call myself a friend of Wolfgang's, we just share a common interest", Xander spoke firmly as he took up the seat offered to him. "You see Wolfgang and a few of his duller associates recently misplaced some merchandise. Wolfgang sent me to hopefully retrieve the lost goods, or at least discover where they'd wandered off to. You seem like the type of man who knows what's going down in his neck of the woods, so what can you tell me?"

 

[Missingno. Master]

Missingno. Master - Dismounting the Salamence as you land in the Meadow, the large dragon bows in acknowledgement of you, or perhaps to the mission you are now on, before flapping its wings and taking back off. It would seem you will need to find your own way back to the cave after your mission to find the mage is complete. Now left with just your Pokemon and your wits, you approach the gardener after a brief conversation with your team, wary of another potential attack after all that has happened.

The gardener turns to you, his tanned and freckled face bearing a wide, toothy grin that almost reminds you of your floating companion. "Oh, I'm terribly sonny. I know there's a mage that likes to frequent these fields, but he hasn't been by in some time." Gesturing around, it's apparent that some of the meadow is wilting, and the gardener himself is the only other creature you can see. "He used to come by regularly, but ever since the pack of Stunky moved in and the flowers started dying off there's not been hide nor hair of the man."

As if on cue, a bit of the meadow begins to rustle, a familiar vile smell piercing your nose as chittering sounds emanate from the various patches of wilting flowers. Still grinning, the man turns back to the garden, ignoring the smell of in its entirety as he proceeds to tend to the remaining plants. "What a shame, to not be able to see the meadow in its full glory. This is nothing more than a pale imitation."

At Keith's words, the gardener turned to him, face bearing a positively Gengaresque grin as he apologized for the fact that the mage hasn't been around as of late. He gestured around, and as Keith looked, he came to realize that the flowers were wilting, and nobody else, person or Pokémon, was around but the gardener. Evidently a pack of Stunky were to blame for the flowers dying off, and ever since this, the mage had made himself as scarce as a Dunsparce.

As if on cue, some of the meadow started rustling. Keith could detect the smell, too- owning a Skuntank himself, as well as a Weezing, Garbodor, and Normal Form Muk, bad smells just simply didn't bother him anymore. And he heard the chittering sounds from within the patches of flowers. The gardener turned back to his work, lamenting that the meadow as it currently stood was but a pale imitation of what it once was.

"...Oh, geez," Keith sighed. "Y'know, the sad thing is, they probably don't even want this to happen to the meadow, either. My Garbodor always tries to pick flowers for me, but they always end up wilting by the time she actually hands them to me."

"So what's the plan?" asked Chuck. "Seems obvious to me that if we can fix the meadow, the mage might come back."

"Oh, is dat all?" Meowth asked dryly. "How do you propose we do such a ting? Last I checked, ain't none of us was da Mythical Pokémon Shaymin or nuttin'."

"Well, first things first, I say we work out exactly what drove the Stunky to come here in the first place," Keith stated. "Meowth, Chuck, I'm gonna rely on your help for that, since you two can report back to me and tell me directly."

"I had a feelin'," groaned Meowth, though he hopped down off Keith's shoulder regardless.

"Oh, indeed," grinned Chuck, the Gengar looking ready to go.

"Remember, you two, we're looking to resolve this peacefully if we can," Keith reminded them. "We're not fighting them off unless we absolutely have to. If something going on with their old home is the issue, then we'll try and fix that instead."

"And da meadow?" Meowth inquired. "I doubt just gettin' da Stunky ta leave would fix everyting."

"No, same here," Keith agreed. "Stewie," he added, turning to his Ledian. "I'm thinking you might be able to help out here, pollinating flowers and such. Maybe even use Supersonic once the Stunky have been taken care of, try to signal to the Pokémon that used to live here that they can come back and try to help make the meadow what it once was. And," he added, plucking a Poké Ball off his belt and grinning, "Dennis here happens to know Grassy Terrain, which should surely get things moving as well."

 

[Sneasel12]

Missingno. Master - With your mind set to figuring out what might be causing the Stunky to have come to the meadow, you and your team shortly set to work looking for the small Pokemon. Or rather, you would be, were it not for the fact that the moment Meowth approaches the flower beds two of the creatures jump out, having been hidden by the wilting lavender before you. One, clearly appearing a bit more aggressive than the other, rips into your feline companion with a Fury Swipes, which does a fair bit more than just muss up his fur before the Stunky jumps backwards towards its friend. The second Stunky proceeds to then envelope the area in a thick Poison Gas, the resulting cloud causing something of a coughing fit as it poisons Meowth and the two duck back into the field.

"Be careful, they're rather aggressive." The gardener notes with his grin still reaching ear to ear, seemingly not bothered by the fact that he conveniently forgot to mention this in the first place.

To make matters yet worse, the ground shakes in response to the words, causing yet more of the field to rustle as surely more of the Stunky move about within. Clearly there's something more sinister afoot than simply the invasive species having wilted a bit of the local flora. At the very least, the sudden fright seems to have caused the additional Stunky to release a bit more gas, wilting flowers in their retreat and making it rather easy to spot the various directions they are each running, a cursory glance revealing three separate paths worth of the Pokemon for you to take care of.

TheKnightsFury - As you glare at Kojo, the boy's face pales, clearly not exactly comfortable with the position he's found himself in. As you take your seat to speak to the leather clad man, Kojo and his accompanying Wigglytuff move towards the back room, leaving you alone with the man who is clearly running the show around here.

The man frowns at your statement that you're not necessarily a friend of Wolfgang's, a statement he likely wasn't expecting from someone holding onto a copy of the shimmering silver business card you currently have in your possession. The rest of your statement does turn his frown into much more of a smirk, however, at the bit of praise you offer in your final question.

"Well, I do try to keep my head above water, which can certainly a bit of a challenge when everyone in town is intent on seeing that you drown," he chuckles at the thought, "but misplaced merchandise is something of a sensitive matter..."

The man muses for a moment, before setting a singular Premier Ball on the table. "I could let you in on what information I do have, but it would require a bit of, shall we say, insurance, on your part." Tapping the ball on the table, a small black and white rodent appears, with large black star markings over each eye. "This little guy is an expert in sniffing out items, particularly those of interest to my organization."

The black and white Zigzagoon proceeds to sniff about the table, before staring up in your direction. "All I need from you is to escort him to the vicinity of some local guards," the smirk proceeds to disappear from his face once more as it becomes entirely deadpan, "and keep said guards busy for a moment as he does his job."

Twirling the silvered card in his fingers in order to reveal that it had been pilfered from your possession during your time out of sorts, he proceeds to slide it across the table back to you. "I trust anyone that Wolfgang was willing to assign to such an important task should be able to handle something this easy, correct? And of course your reward of information shall await you once you return."

 

[TheKnightsFury]

TheKnightsFury - As you glare at Kojo, the boy's face pales, clearly not exactly comfortable with the position he's found himself in. As you take your seat to speak to the leather clad man, Kojo and his accompanying Wigglytuff move towards the back room, leaving you alone with the man who is clearly running the show around here.

The man frowns at your statement that you're not necessarily a friend of Wolfgang's, a statement he likely wasn't expecting from someone holding onto a copy of the shimmering silver business card you currently have in your possession. The rest of your statement does turn his frown into much more of a smirk, however, at the bit of praise you offer in your final question.

"Well, I do try to keep my head above water, which can certainly a bit of a challenge when everyone in town is intent on seeing that you drown," he chuckles at the thought, "but misplaced merchandise is something of a sensitive matter..."

The man muses for a moment, before setting a singular Premier Ball on the table. "I could let you in on what information I do have, but it would require a bit of, shall we say, insurance, on your part." Tapping the ball on the table, a small black and white rodent appears, with large black star markings over each eye. "This little guy is an expert in sniffing out items, particularly those of interest to my organization."

The black and white Zigzagoon proceeds to sniff about the table, before staring up in your direction. "All I need from you is to escort him to the vicinity of some local guards," the smirk proceeds to disappear from his face once more as it becomes entirely deadpan, "and keep said guards busy for a moment as he does his job."

Twirling the silvered card in his fingers in order to reveal that it had been pilfered from your possession during your time out of sorts, he proceeds to slide it across the table back to you. "I trust anyone that Wolfgang was willing to assign to such an important task should be able to handle something this easy, correct? And of course your reward of information shall await you once you return."

The man certainly was a tough nut to crack. It was hard to get a proper read on him, making Xander really uneasy. He wasn't about to put his trust in anybody, he didn't trust Wolfgang, let alone this bloke. Everyone around here had motives, a secret agenda and this bloke was no different. He required an exchange of sorts. If Xander wanted information about the missing goods, he'd need to assist the man in return. The man's task seemed simple enough. Escort his Zigzagoon, a Galarian Zigzagoon at that, to some local guards. Xander would then have to keep the guards distracted while Zigzagoon worked its magic, likely stealing something of great value to the man. The task seemed simple enough, but Xander had a feeling it would prove more difficult than first thought. If this heist was so simple, why hadn't the man pulled it off himself? Regardless of difficulty, Xander had no choice, he needed the information and this was the only way to get it.

Xander accepted the card back, "I'll do the job, seems simple enough as long as your Zigzagoon is as good as you say. But if I'm to trust you, perhaps I should know your name?" Xander stood and looked over to his Pokemon. They'd slept long enough, it was time for them to wake up and get to work. "I suppose you have a direction for us to head in as well? A common hang out or post for these guards you want us to distract? A bit of guidance will get the job done faster, no point in us running around in circles after all.

 

[lilbluecorsola]

Liltwick – Upon hearing himself referred to as literal rubbish by a mere boy in front of a swiftly gathering crowd, the “(Not so) Marvelous Melvin” sputters in indignation and orders his Braixen to launch an all-out Psychic assault. Seemingly unimpressed with its own trainer’s ill-tamed temper, the fox’s eyes roll as it lazily twirls its twig at the earth, trailing pink translucent clouds like an artist’s canvas. A veil of cotton candy drapes over the field as Carrot fixedly watches the painter’s careful movements, spellbound by such masterful brushstrokes. The conductor grins at the successful distraction, as it suddenly lifts the baton and brandishes it directly at its captive audience, blasting a beam from the branch straight into the bunny’s unsuspecting face.

Carrot squeaks and blinks away the brightness, before retaliating with a double rock blitz of its own, might heightened by sharpened senses. Though the Braixen braces itself for the first impact, it succeeds in knocking the target off balance at least, so the second stone thrown deals further insult to injury thanks to the two projectiles’ rapid succession. None too pleased with his Pokémon being persistently pelted by pebbles, Melvin scowls as he makes his next mandate:

“Oi, don’t just sit there and take a beating – hit that blasted bunny with a PSYBEAM!”

Braixen brays and obediently waves its wand – but nothing happens. Confused, it flicks the stick once more; but rather than a radiant ray, only a few pathetic sparks emerge from its end, sputtering into silence.

“What? Don’t tell me you too.” Melvin glares pointedly at the puzzled Pokémon, before shifting his glance to Kadabra, who quickly redoubles its efforts to appear busy with perfecting its balancing act. “Can’t you creatures even keep your powers under control? Surely you can at least manage a simple WILL-O-WISP then?” he grumbles, turning attention back to the active combatant, who grimaces as it focuses all its energy into producing a faint purple flame. Despite flickering weakly, the orb manages to fire off and float across the arena, eventually finding its way to Carrot as it engulfs in a ghostly glow. The Carbink winces as it feels its core temperature rise, simultaneously sapping its strength.

You’re not sure what’s going on exactly, but something seems strange about the whole situation… As even the surrounding mist appears to be draining faster than normal, as if sinking deep into the soil, flowing towards… somewhere. Whispers start to circulate amongst the crowd, and although Melvin frowns nervously in concern over the murmurs, he looks determined to still continue the bout.

What will you do?

 

[lilbluecorsola]

XIV. Island of Temperance - An island off the coast of the city, another tourist attraction for visitors to the city and the patrons to make money off of. It was once a temple where monks practiced their beliefs in order, and those that have defiled this sacred land are said to meet with a grisly fate. Though, the temple remains intact, even if it is slightly submerged now. Spelunkers try to find the treasure still hidden in the temple, and the treasure that has been lost under the waves. Weather land or sea, there is something for everyone at this island.

lilbluecorsola:

Kanna thinks on how to help for a bit, before deciding on a good course of action to get the Caterpie out of the ship. Even if it didn't work, it was their best shot at getting them out without resorting to violence. With their resolve in place, the trio are led to the haul of the ship in order to deal with the infestation. The bug-types are scattered around the cargo hold, with at least twelve of them being seen. Most of them have fabrics in their mouths, eating through what they could get their little mouths onto. It seems that all of them are completely famished, from their ravenous looks and how quickly the textiles are being devoured.

Putting the plan into action, Kanna, Yufi, and Kief all put their efforts together into charming the bugs. Hearts start to fly through the ship, and the Caterpie are soon captivated by Kanna. With the helping hands of her Zigzagoon companions, she uses Follow Me. With a little wave of her finger, all the Caterpie flock towards her. The Furret then makes her way back through the ship, the horde of Caterpie following her like how small goslings would for their mother. The two Zigzagoon trail at the end of the horde, to make sure there are no stragglers left on the ship. The Chansey is relieved when the Caterpie all come off the ship, and gives Kanna a gleeful expression.

"Thank you so much!" She exclaims, and the Lopunny from earlier soon approaches the trio.

"Here, I think this would suit you for what you've done," the rabbit says, handing Kanna a Silk Scarf. "The Caterpie didn't seem to touch the box the scarves were in, and apparently they were over ordered. I hope you enjoy this!"

With all that said and done, there was still one problem left. The Caterpie horde remained, all looking at Kanna with expecting eyes. A faint voice could be heard from one.

"Mama."

And soon, the crowd erupted.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" They all cheered while looking at Kanna. Maybe her Charm worked a bit too well...

What will they do?

OoC - Continuing my Adventure from Incognito Isle. Thanks, Lilt!

Kanna inhaled deeply as she steeled herself and stepped onto the deck, following Lopunny down into the cargo hold – where she halted short at the image of so many creepy caterpillars crawling about the hull, like a scene out of a vermiphobe’s nightmare. There were at least a dozen tiny green pests wiggling and wriggling in every direction, digging into the crates and devouring every piece of fabric they could get their greedy little suckers on. From the speed at which the cloths were being consumed, it was clear the creatures were completely starved, and would eat the entire stock empty if not stopped soon.

Though Kanna cowered slightly at the sight of such an overwhelming task before her, her companions each patted her back with a reassuring paw to help bolster her confidence. Resolving her determination, she nodded to indicate she was ready, as the three then put on their most CHARMing performances to draw the insects’ notice. Once the Caterpie were thoroughly captivated by the sudden strangers’ cuteness, Kanna placed her paws together and cocked her head to the side in an adorably pleading pose, beckoning the bugs to follow her outside. The audience gladly obliged, trailing after their new leader in an orderly line formation, like the Pied Piper conducting the children of Hamelin. Kief and Yufi brought up the marching band’s rear to ensure no stragglers stayed behind, and soon they had all descended the ramp safely onto the docks, where Chansey and Lopunny were waiting with congratulations.

“Thank you so much!” the former exclaimed, as her partner approached to hand Kanna a Silk Scarf in gratitude. “Here, I think this would suit you for what you've done. The Caterpie didn't seem to touch the box the scarves were in, and apparently they were over ordered. I hope you enjoy this!”

Kanna blushed as she gingerly accepted the gift, murmuring a modest “It was nothing.” However, another small voice instantly arrested her awareness.

“Mama.”

She blinked, and turned around to see the crowd of Caterpie focusing on her with wide, expectant eyes as they all began slowly chanting in unison, crying and clamoring for attention as they all crammed together towards her.

“Mama! Mama! Mama!”

The Furret nearly dropped the fabric as she covered her face to bury an intense blush, just about to die from embarrassment.

“N- no, you’re mistaken… I’m not your Mama…”

“…Mama?”

Kanna’s ears perked at the different, yet familiar sounding voice. Lifting the veil, she looked down to see Yufi gazing eagerly up at her, wagging her tail as she repeated the word as well, blissfully joining in the chorus.

“Mama!”

Yufi yipped again, before rotating to the other raccoon.

“Papa!”

She gleefully declared, as Kanna almost fainted in shock. Not only was this the first time the young cub had finally formed a full phrase in their presence, but for her to boldly declare the both of them as her “parents” – it was too much for her heart to bear.

“Y- Yufi, I’m not sure that means what you think it does…” She stammered pathetically, casting a desperate glance to Kief for assistance, who merely grinned and shrugged, not the least bit bothered by the moniker. Kanna could only shake with rising shame as Yufi watched the two of them in confusion, when yet another surprising sound interrupted the conversation – this time the growling of one of the Caterpie’s tummies. Seems they all hadn’t eaten their fill yet, and Kanna softened at seeing the pitiful expression in its eyes. Gazing down at the silken garb in her paws – evidently of high (and surely expensive) quality judging by its sheen and smoothness – she gulped as she made a decision. After all, they did say it was a surplus…

“You know, I’m pretty sure Minchi already has one of these, so… Here. You guys can have it.”

Hoping the Chansey and Lopunny wouldn’t mind, she gently laid down the muffler on the ground. Upon witnessing her example of unprecedented generosity, Kief and Yufi immediately followed suit, gladly removing their bandanas to offer the hungry horde. As Kanna observed the Caterpie light up and chow down on the free feast, squeaking in satisfied delight, she couldn’t but help but feel a swell of pride. She may not have been their actual mother, but she still wished them health and happiness – so long as it didn’t cause trouble for others.

Revolving to her benefactor, she bowed her head in apology for sacrificing the present she had just so kindly received.

“I’m really sorry, I just wanted to make sure they’ll be okay and figured this was a better use for it… If you’d like us to pay for it to help cover the damages I’m sure we can work something out… Right, Kief? …Kief?”

Kanna glimpsed up to find her friend missing from her side, with Yufi gleaming mischievously as she attempted to appear innocent by batting the lids of her big baby browns. A sinking feeling began to weight the Furret’s gut as she gulped.

“…Yufi, where did Kief go?”

The kit beamed as she pointed a paw at the ship – which was starting to sail away.

“Boat!”

She barked simply as Kanna paled, realizing Kief must have sensed an opportunity to sneak back on board whilst the crew was away and everyone else distracted, in order to search for any other goods that – *ahem* – wouldn’t be missed. “Somehow” he must have drawn up the anchor as well, as the wind was already beginning to swiftly carry the craft out to sea.

“Oh no oh no, what to do what to do what to do…”

The Furret flailed as she panicked. In a flash of adrenaline-fueled inspiration, she abruptly grabbed Yufi and hoisted her onto her back, warning her to hold on tight. The rider squealed with joy as her mount then executed a magnificent U-TURN, managing to land on the vessel’s stern. Panting, Kanna peered back over the railing at the dumbfounded blob and bunny left behind on shore, surrounded by a squirming swarm of worms at their feet.

“I’m so sorry! We’ll bring it right back, I promise!”

She called out, hoping they could even hear her at this point. Ducking her head down in disgrace, she slunk along the length of the liner until she finally caught up with Kief at the captain’s station, prepared to give him a good scolding. Before that though, she stared at the steering wheel, which clearly no one was commanding at the moment.

“…Kief, do you even know how to steer this thing?”

He shook his head, as Yufi shared an oblivious smile. Kanna sighed and slapped her forehead, leaning against the rail in defeat. It was official. They were boatnappers, and currently drifting out into the middle of the ocean with only the currents to guide them, having no idea of where they were headed or how to get back.

…This was going to be a very long “vacation” indeed.

 

[Liltwick]

lilbluecorsola-

It's been a few weeks since the trio had saved the boat from the Caterpie horde and inadvertently stealing the boat. Incognito Island was a distant dream at this point. There was enough food for the three to survive off of, even if Kanna was starting to get at her wit's end. Their trainer must be worried sick by this point, and it seemed no one was really able to find them. All they could see was the open seas and a spare Wingull or two fly by every few days or so.

It really was a vast nothingness. The ocean was this blue void, and the sun red warmth bordering on death. With supplies dwindling, it would be a miracle for landfall to happen soon. Yufi and Keif were at least having fun being "pirates" even so this was just a simple merchant ship. Besides all of the cloth that was mostly eaten, there were still a few other valuables. Mostly jewelry and kits to make clothing or jewelry. If there was anything else, it was either eaten by the trio or eaten by the Caterpie.

Though, today seemed to be a little different. There were clouds forming on the horizon. It was a welcome sight, to say the least. After all, it's been nothing but blistering sun since they left Incognito Island. A huge thunderbolt then broke across the sky, and the smell of rain became incredibly strong.

A huge, whale like creature erupted from the ocean. It let out a huge roar, and as it did the rains came crashing down. The waves were now turbulent, and it was becoming obvious that the boat wasn't going to handle this sudden change in weather. The whale roared, and jumped up into the air before diving back into the ocean. The resulting aftershock caused a giant wave to wash over the boat and knock it over.

When the trio came to, they were washed ashore on a distant island. In front of them seemed to be the back of some kind of building, with most of it in the water. Wherever they were, it seems that they were stranded here. What a vacation.

 

[Liltwick]

Liltwick – Upon hearing himself referred to as literal rubbish by a mere boy in front of a swiftly gathering crowd, the “(Not so) Marvelous Melvin” sputters in indignation and orders his Braixen to launch an all-out Psychic assault. Seemingly unimpressed with its own trainer’s ill-tamed temper, the fox’s eyes roll as it lazily twirls its twig at the earth, trailing pink translucent clouds like an artist’s canvas. A veil of cotton candy drapes over the field as Carrot fixedly watches the painter’s careful movements, spellbound by such masterful brushstrokes. The conductor grins at the successful distraction, as it suddenly lifts the baton and brandishes it directly at its captive audience, blasting a beam from the branch straight into the bunny’s unsuspecting face.

Carrot squeaks and blinks away the brightness, before retaliating with a double rock blitz of its own, might heightened by sharpened senses. Though the Braixen braces itself for the first impact, it succeeds in knocking the target off balance at least, so the second stone thrown deals further insult to injury thanks to the two projectiles’ rapid succession. None too pleased with his Pokémon being persistently pelted by pebbles, Melvin scowls as he makes his next mandate:

“Oi, don’t just sit there and take a beating – hit that blasted bunny with a PSYBEAM!”

Braixen brays and obediently waves its wand – but nothing happens. Confused, it flicks the stick once more; but rather than a radiant ray, only a few pathetic sparks emerge from its end, sputtering into silence.

“What? Don’t tell me you too.” Melvin glares pointedly at the puzzled Pokémon, before shifting his glance to Kadabra, who quickly redoubles its efforts to appear busy with perfecting its balancing act. “Can’t you creatures even keep your powers under control? Surely you can at least manage a simple WILL-O-WISP then?” he grumbles, turning attention back to the active combatant, who grimaces as it focuses all its energy into producing a faint purple flame. Despite flickering weakly, the orb manages to fire off and float across the arena, eventually finding its way to Carrot as it engulfs in a ghostly glow. The Carbink winces as it feels its core temperature rise, simultaneously sapping its strength.

You’re not sure what’s going on exactly, but something seems strange about the whole situation… As even the surrounding mist appears to be draining faster than normal, as if sinking deep into the soil, flowing towards… somewhere. Whispers start to circulate amongst the crowd, and although Melvin frowns nervously in concern over the murmurs, he looks determined to still continue the bout.

What will you do?

Leo was in awe over the psychic display. The luminescent pink waves dancing through the air, dazzling all who watch it despite the Braixen's halfhearted attitude towards it. Carrot was certainly in awe as well, the the Carbink was soon blasted by the Psychic attack when his guard was down. It seems the fox Pokemon was at the very least twice the amount of talented compared to its dimwit of a trainer.

The boy was a little shocked at the interaction between his opponent and their Braixen. Even if he did appear as a kid, he was still an adult, and tended to actually act like when he needed to. This was a display of childishness that was incredibly off-putting. He was a little glad that he had stepped into this now. Lessons had to be learned, even if it was the hard way.

"Alright Carrot, I know we can burden our way through that burn. Bolster up with another Sharpen, that'll counteract the defense drop, then keep that Braixen Smacked Down! Slow and steady will win this for us!" Leo shouted, giving his orders to his Pokemon.

He was a little intrigued though, by how it seemed the psychic energy was being sapped into the ground. Something rotten was going on, he could sense it. And not the sugary rotten or the mischievous rotten, something that was for all intents and purposes vile. Whatever was interfering with this match, he had to know.

"Hey Custard, look around for me please. Something suspicious is going on," he whispered to his Togetic, who gave him a nod as he flew off.

 

[Missingno. Master]

Missingno. Master - With your mind set to figuring out what might be causing the Stunky to have come to the meadow, you and your team shortly set to work looking for the small Pokemon. Or rather, you would be, were it not for the fact that the moment Meowth approaches the flower beds two of the creatures jump out, having been hidden by the wilting lavender before you. One, clearly appearing a bit more aggressive than the other, rips into your feline companion with a Fury Swipes, which does a fair bit more than just muss up his fur before the Stunky jumps backwards towards its friend. The second Stunky proceeds to then envelope the area in a thick Poison Gas, the resulting cloud causing something of a coughing fit as it poisons Meowth and the two duck back into the field.

"Be careful, they're rather aggressive." The gardener notes with his grin still reaching ear to ear, seemingly not bothered by the fact that he conveniently forgot to mention this in the first place.

To make matters yet worse, the ground shakes in response to the words, causing yet more of the field to rustle as surely more of the Stunky move about within. Clearly there's something more sinister afoot than simply the invasive species having wilted a bit of the local flora. At the very least, the sudden fright seems to have caused the additional Stunky to release a bit more gas, wilting flowers in their retreat and making it rather easy to spot the various directions they are each running, a cursory glance revealing three separate paths worth of the Pokemon for you to take care of.

Meowth and Chuck were quick to get to work. Or, they would have been, except Meowth was very quickly met with a pair of Stunky that did not seem to take very kindly to this. One of them lashed out with Fury Swipes, while the other let loose Poison Gas that got Meowth spluttering and coughing as the pair of Poison/Dark-types retreated.

"Gah," Meowth spluttered as Keith quickly dug a Lum Berry out of his backpack. "Ya couldn't'a said dat a little sooner?!" he snapped to the grinning gardener as Keith fed him the Lum Berry, curing his poison. "Gah... alright, dat's betta, tanks," he mutted to Keith.

"You bet," Keith nodded as Meowth climbed back up onto his shoulder. "But sheesh, those Stunky- WAH!" he exclaimed, for at that moment, the ground had started shaking. This didn't last too long, thankfully, but Meowth was still, bad pun fully intended, shaken up. "WAT DA HELL?!" he exclaimed.

"OK, clearly, the problem here goes much further than simply the Stunky," Chuck stated.

"YA TINK!?!" Meowth exclaimed, clinging to Keith's arm as though for dear life.

"Alright, let's take it easy," Keith stated, looking out after where the Stunky had fled. "Finding the Stunky shouldn't be too hard- they left a few trails behind," he said, gesturing to the wilted flowers the Stunky left in their wake. "There's three ways to go here, so I suggest we split up. Chuck, you take one path. Stewie, use Safeguard to be on the safe side, then go down another path. Me and Meowth will take the remaining path."

"Oy," groaned Meowth.

"Oh, don't sweat it, Meowth," Keith said. "I promise I won't send you in to battle them unless it's necessary- I'll use Dennis," he stated, gripping his Venusaur's Poké Ball.

"Alright, fine," relented Meowth. "Let's get dis goin', den."

"Right," Keith nodded. "Remember, guys- we need to fix this field, not just for its sake, but for Yohan's sake as well- we need to find the mage if we're to save him."

"Led ledi!" nodded Stewie.

"But of course," Chuck nodded with his usual grin.

Keith and Meowth exchanged looks and nods, and then Keith set off, headed for whichever path Stewie and Chuck were leaving for him.

 

[Liltwick]

Raves-

The Meadow of Judgement. Once stained in the blood of heretics, its now a place with inherent magic. After all, death causes a massive swirl of ether to gather in places such as this. It is also said every flower here symbolizes a person who will be saved on judgement day. You notice that the flowers here seem... Surprisingly hearty. That they sway to avoid attacks and aren't affected by the effects of mage craft.

Making you way through the meadow with Xigua and Stasis, you notice a few people practicing some form of magic in one way or another. Most of it looked interesting, but it was obvious enough that they didn't want to be interacted with. Furthermore, nothing of what they were doing really seemed like it would hint to this place's dark past.

You then spot something intriguing. A small patch of flowers, stained blood red, blooming in the middle of the meadow. Nothing else seemed to be growing there, and the earth itself felt different. There was something here with this flowers that seemed to hold a key. Especially considering their color and shape was different from everything else from this garden.

Checking your little pamphlet, you see a small little paragraph about this flowers. Higanbanas - Red Spider Lillies. In the language of flowers, they represent final goodbyes. They also only grow in spots where those goodbyes occur. Only native to the Kanjohto region, it is quite an oddity that they would grow in this meadow. There seemed to be warmth emanating from these flowers... Almost like they were filled with blood.

What do you do?

 

[TheKnightsFury]

Zorchic- You had to act quickly, you were in a vulnerable position and needed to find Heath. You adjust yourself in the water as Buizel inflates his neck ring, then you manage to retrieve one of your Pokeballs. You release Starly and quickly set the blue bird to task. It zips out of sight quickly, heading off in search of Heath and his Pokemon. Hopefully they were okay and had managed to avoid the Kingler's wrath. With Starly set to task, you begin to solve the issue of getting your Pokemon and yourself out of the water. Lucario manages to pull himself out of the water with a Magnet Rise, which leaves him hovering just above the water's surface, although he looks a touch unsteady. Buizel attempts to lift himself out of the water by spinning his tail like a helicopter. He manages to get himself out of the water, but only just. He'd been powering the board and battling, his energy levels weren't exactly high. Gengar uses Psychic to lift you out of the water, but only manages so for a moment before having to release its hold. Its just too much. Looking around, the ghost comes up with a solution. She spots your board floating a little ways away and grips it with her Psychic, pulling it over for you to grab. You drag yourself out of the water and onto the board. Buizel drops onto the board as well, looking to conserve his energy. You pull an empty Pokeball out of your pocket and hurl it at the Kingler, hoping it would at least distract the Kingler.

The ball stops a few metres short of its target. You watch as it begins to crackle with a dark energy, then it suddenly explodes! What the hell was that?!

"Thunder Wave, Heliolisk!" You hear Heath's voice shout out and a few seconds later, electrical tendrils wrap themselves around the gigantic Kingler. "Jake! Over here!" You hear Heath shout again and turn towards that direction. Starly quickly comes into view and Buizel turns the board and begins to steer you in that direction. You're relieved when you spot Heath and his Pokemon, they seemed to alright, except Hariyama seemed to be nursing its left arm. Had it been injured? "Glad to see you're alright Jake, we need to get moving, I don't think Heliolisk can hold Kingler for much longer. I don't know which way to go though, with all these bubbles and that sudden attack, I've lost our bearing." You needed to put some distance between you and the Kingler, but which way did you need to go to get to the centre of the lake?

 

[Sneasel12]

Missingno. Master - After healing Meowth of his rather bothersome status, your group has a quick discussion as to the nature of this particular task, opting to split up a bit in order to round up the fleeing Stunky. Stewie sets a Safeguard up, a matter of protection from any further poison the small skunks may be throwing your way.

As your three groups approach each end of where the respective Stunky have been wilting flowers, it becomes clear that they want nothing to do with you, producing more Poison Gas and moving about further. While this doesn't cause any issues for Chuck and Stewie, it does mean that yourself and Meowth are forced to move about in such a way that you occasionally lose track of the Stunky, slowing you down a bit, though your choice to let Dennis the Venusaur do some following helps to mitigate this a fair bit.

Nonetheless, you all eventually manage to back the three groups into a corner where they can run no longer, causing them to burst out of the field, revealing a total of four Stunky, all of whom loose a Screech at your group, affecting each of your four currently present Pokemon before the skunks take a defensive stance.

With the flowers at least safe for now, it seems like your job is about to become a fair bit easier, at least up until the moment that the source of the earlier shaking makes itself known. A large Skuntank, easily bigger than any you've taken sight of in the past, emerges from the ground below Dennis, striking the Venusaur's underbelly with Dig. The Stunky seem to become instantly more aggressive as their evolved form appears, rushing to its side in preparation to face you in battle.

TheKnightsFury - Deciding that this man, much like Wolfgang who sent you his way, is not to be trusted, you nonetheless opt to take on his gig in exchange for the information you require, at least as long as this Zigzagoon is as good as he claims, anyway. Requesting the man's name causes his eyebrow to raise, watching you as you go to wake your Pokemon, who easily stir from their slumber at this point.

"Sorry, lad, but we don't deal in names 'round these parts. Dangerous enough you know my face at this point, after all." Chuckling, he digs a small map of the town out from the satchel kept on his side, sprawling it out in from of him before sliding it across the table to where you were just sitting. "But perhaps if old Wolfgang's feeling friendly enough to give out his own these days you might be able to fish mine from him with a firm enough request..." Once again his face turns near to stone as he makes this realization.

Shrugging it off, he takes one of his assorted knives from his back, shooing the Zigzagoon away from the map for the moment with his left hand before pointing said knife with his right to an alleyway on the paper. "This here is where you are now. Just outside the heart of the Devil's Playground." Tracing the knife along a circular series of small alleys, he continues. "Now this place is a bit too well known for startup pickpockets and various break-ins to be worth keeping a guard post nearby. Instead they parole along this path in groups of three, the formation is typically enough to keep most stray hands from their pockets." Glancing over at the Zigzagoon now on the floor, he reaches down with the same hand that had just shooed it off the table and pets it along the head. "Though if that's not enough the tough customer Pokemon they carry tend to dissuade anyone who would be stupid enough to try otherwise."

Tucking the knife away, he picks up the Zigzagoon and places it on the table, scratching behind his ears, a sly smirk reaching from ear to ear. "That's where you come in."

 

[Missingno. Master]

Missingno. Master - After healing Meowth of his rather bothersome status, your group has a quick discussion as to the nature of this particular task, opting to split up a bit in order to round up the fleeing Stunky. Stewie sets a Safeguard up, a matter of protection from any further poison the small skunks may be throwing your way.

As your three groups approach each end of where the respective Stunky have been wilting flowers, it becomes clear that they want nothing to do with you, producing more Poison Gas and moving about further. While this doesn't cause any issues for Chuck and Stewie, it does mean that yourself and Meowth are forced to move about in such a way that you occasionally lose track of the Stunky, slowing you down a bit, though your choice to let Dennis the Venusaur do some following helps to mitigate this a fair bit.

Nonetheless, you all eventually manage to back the three groups into a corner where they can run no longer, causing them to burst out of the field, revealing a total of four Stunky, all of whom loose a Screech at your group, affecting each of your four currently present Pokemon before the skunks take a defensive stance.

With the flowers at least safe for now, it seems like your job is about to become a fair bit easier, at least up until the moment that the source of the earlier shaking makes itself known. A large Skuntank, easily bigger than any you've taken sight of in the past, emerges from the ground below Dennis, striking the Venusaur's underbelly with Dig. The Stunky seem to become instantly more aggressive as their evolved form appears, rushing to its side in preparation to face you in battle.

And the chase was on! The Stunky were leaving more Poison Gas in their wake, trying to shake off their pursuers, but they vastly underestimated what they were up against. Chuck, of course, was a Poison-type, and Stewie had covered himself with Safeguard. Meowth groaned his displeasure as he buried his face in Keith's jacket to avoid breathing in the foul fumes. Keith, however, was not deterred. Normal people would have been, sure, but Keith was not normal; he was 25% Ghost/Poison. Nevertheless, sensing that things might get tricky, he sent Dennis out nevertheless, getting the Venusaur in on the chase as well.

At last, they had the Stunky cornered- four of them in total, and they each let loose a Screech, the grating noises cutting the Defense of everything Keith had out of their balls at the moment. But it didn't end there- the mystery of the earlier shaking was abruptly solved as its source erupted from the ground, striking Dennis with Dig!

"Arceus, Mew, and Helix!" swore Meowth.

"It's a Skuntank- and it's huge!" Keith exclaimed. "The leader of these Stunky, no doubt!"

"Saur! Venusaur!" roared Dennis, stamping his feet, eyeing his various opponents, but the Skuntank in particular.

Keith grinned- Dennis was raring to battle, and he was all for it. "Let's bring it, then, Dennis!" he declared. As he spoke, he casually aimed one of his Poké Balls at Chuck, withdrawing him. "Use Dragon Dance, then follow up with Shadow Storm and Earthquake!" Now Meowth realized why Keith had withdrew Chuck- the Gengar did not possess Levitate and was liable to be hurt by the move himself. Keeping this in mind, Meowth clung tightly to Keith's shoulder, as though for dear life.