Pokemon: Mind and Soul [IC / PG / Not Accepting / Co-Hosted by Skaia]

[reparoni 161]

 

---

"Finally..." Ivan said, shaking his head as he took in the view of his new location. Jacklyn seemed to want to go shopping again. "So we're doin' this every time we go to a new city?" Ivan said, shaking his head. He let out an annoyed sigh. "Alright, let's get this shopping done quickly then." He said, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets. The city seemed to not stop, people moving in and out of buildings at this hour. What had caught Ivan's attention was the lighthouse at the harbor. He turned to the rest of the group. "Say, before we go shoppin'. How 'bout we investigate that." He said, pointing at the lighthouse. He could see some birds flying around it, although it was hard to make out what Pokemon they were due to the distance.

[yui 576]

Location: Skrelp Harbor
Poké: 740

"We adventure...right?"

"For now anyway." Kanon was already pretty sure of what she wanted to do. Or so she'd thought. Being out here on an adventure had put a new perspective on the breeder life. Maybe it wasn't all that. Being a Pokémon Ranger sounded a lot better all of a sudden.

"Geez...putting so much responsibility on me?  Guess I have no choice, huh? I guess we should do what we always do, and explore the city. I really want to know what they're doing with the Skrelp here. You guys can come with, if you want. Probably not the most exciting."

No, it sounded interesting enough. Kanon was curious about that too. And so, the group headed over to the crane, stopped along the way by one of the workers who wanted to avoid them getting into any accidents. Then he asked if there was anything they needed. Kanon took the initiative. "We were wondering about the Skrelp. Are you guys fishing for them with that thing or something?"

"Not from around here eh?"

Obviously not.

"Well you see these buggers love this area. Guess their food is plentiful or somethin. I don't really know. Either way they start to gather and it can make it hard for the ships to come in. Dangerous even. So we gather em up and dump em off farther away."

Mhm... Well that just brought up a whole bunch of new questions. "Has anyone looked down there for why there's so many Skrelp? If it really is a food thing, it could probably be moved to a safer spot with a bit of work."

[Mr. Hyde 204]

"Well you see these buggers love this area. Guess their food is plentiful or somethin. I don't really know. Either way they start to gather and it can make it hard for the ships to come in. Dangerous even. So we gather em up and dump em off farther away."

Oswald rubbed his chin, nodding his head.  

"I see, I see.  Well I can always take one off your hands!  It'd be no trouble whatsoever!"  He added.  After all, if he took one Skrelp, maybe more people would be inclined to do so to reduce the population, and in turn, lower the hazards for docking ships.  "For a good cause, I can assure you." 

"Has anyone looked down there for why there's so many Skrelp? If it really is a food thing, it could probably be moved to a safer spot with a bit of work."

Oswald was surprised that he hadn't thought up the idea himself.  An interesting investigation had been added to the docket.  She'd make a good assistant!  

"Excellent questioning Kanon!"  He whispered with a smile.  He then turned to the operator of the net lift.  It was time for him to do his own investigation.  "I'd like to second that question.  Is it perhaps a toxin in the water?  Some corporation's runoff, that the skrelp are feeding off of?  We'd be happy to take a look."  

[Skaia 578]

Jacklyn smiled as Ivan asked his question about shopping, saying, "of course Ivan. After all, part of adventure is seeing and experiencing new sites and locations. And the best way to get a feel for where you are is through its shops!" Turning to the side, she said, "or so I've heard." In truth, Jacklyn still was an avid window shopper and she was greatly interested in seeing what it was that every where had to offer. However, as she was ready to start going forward, she was stopped by Ivan's next question. While disappointed at first, the girl looked in the direction Ivan was and her eyes lit up. An old looking lighthouse that, while seeming grand at first, more interestingly seemed abandoned on further inspection. Knowing that a place like this was ripe for the exploring, Jacklyn turned to her male companion. "Good work Ivan! Your adventurer's intuition is really showing." Now excited to go check it out, Jacklyn pointed towards the building saying, "onward team!" And with that, she began making her way over, dragging Belle along with her. 

[LordCowCow 840]

The Skrelp Harbor lighthouse. Up close it was clear just how large the structure was. It would tower over many buildings were it not separate from the rest. It also seemed to not be very well maintained. With vines covering much of the lower half of it.

The bird Pokemon that Ivan had spotted were nowhere to be seen, having scattered as the group approached, and there was an eerie silence besides the splashing of waves onto the side.

The one part of the building that seemed to be well taken care of was a ladder that looked newer than the rest. Which went all the way to the very top of the lighthouse, likely for maintenance.

There was a door on ground level however. It was metallic, and rusty, with nothing but a bar across it keeping it closed.

---

"I see, I see.  Well I can always take one off your hands!  It'd be no trouble whatsoever!" 

The man laughed. "Well these suckers are supposed to get dropped off but if you'd like to take your chances catching one of em feel free to. As long as you don't mess with the crane."

"Has anyone looked down there for why there's so many Skrelp? If it really is a food thing, it could probably be moved to a safer spot with a bit of work."

"I'd like to second that question.  Is it perhaps a toxin in the water?  Some corporation's runoff, that the skrelp are feeding off of?  We'd be happy to take a look."  

"Well we don't have much funding to really research that kind of thing. Specially with the League how it is these days. This may take more time but it's a lot cheaper than moving a whole mess of food. But if you really want to check it out you can go rent out some diving suits in the city. Just gotta wait a bit while we clear all this up first."

Naomi groaned and shuffled forward, flopping onto Oswald's, her head on his shoulder. "I dun wanna swim." She mumbled. "Too much...water. Too much movin'. Do we hafta?"

[yui 576]

Location: Skrelp Harbor
Poké: 740

"Excellent questioning Kanon!"

"Er-uh... thanks." That kind of hit her out of left field. Was it really that good of a question? It seemed pretty obvious to her. The compliment did bring a smile to her face though. And that warm fuzzy feeling that she did something really well. Oswald followed up with his own suggestions. Toxic runoff that the Skrelp may have been feeding from. Pollution was its own, different concern to Kanon, but it was probably best to take things one issue at a time.

"Well we don't have much funding to really research that kind of thing. Specially with the League how it is these days. This may take more time but it's a lot cheaper than moving a whole mess of food. But if you really want to check it out you can go rent out some diving suits in the city. Just gotta wait a bit while we clear all this up first."

Diving suit rentals. Noted.

"I dun wanna swim. Too much...water. Too much movin'. Do we hafta?"

There was also that concern. "You don't have to," Kanon sighed. "I want to see what's down there though. And maybe catch one of the little guys for myself." Which meant she'd have to go to the rentals. Maybe she could find one of those floatie rings for Nomi or something if she was lucky enough. No time like now. And it would give the workers some time to clear up the area around the crane too.

"What about you?" she asked Oswald. "Ever been diving before?" Not that I have.

[Skaia 578]

The closer they got to the lighthouse, the more she was sure that Ivan had made the right choice in adventuring area. The building itself was old and seeming to lose out in its fight against nature. Add to that, it was both massive and probably abandoned, which meant that people weren't likely to stop them on their journey up it. Looking at the ladder, it seemed to be the newest thing about the lighthouse, which definitely peaked the girl's interest. However, she was one to go the most direct route first. Looking to Ivan and  Belle she said, "well, let's see what this place has for us." Walking over to it, the girl saw there was a metal bar on the door barring her path. 

Spitting onto both of her palms, the girl rubbed her hands together as she took a deep breath and pulled the bar off with enough ease. The door was another story, as she attempted to brute force her way with it, pulling as hard as she could against the door. Though it definitely took some effort, of which Jacklyn was quick to tell the others to stay back and that she had it under control, she eventually managed to pull open the rusted door. The door itself squeaked loudly as its hinges moved, but once it was fully open, the girl took in a deep breath and let out a, "got it!" Which echoed greatly across the walls of the building inside. 

Looking in, there was a spiral staircase that lead up, with a ceiling that was about twenty feet high. The air inside was musty and the room itself was dark and hard to see in, with very little light filtering in. All the same, the group was able to see a few pokemon taking shelter in the building, though whenever they were spotted they seemed to be doing their best to avoid the people instead of attack. All the same, gesturing inside she looked to her companions as if waiting for one of them to go in first, she said, "shall we, team?" 

[Mr. Hyde 204]

"Well we don't have much funding to really research that kind of thing. Specially with the League how it is these days. This may take more time but it's a lot cheaper than moving a whole mess of food. But if you really want to check it out you can go rent out some diving suits in the city. Just gotta wait a bit while we clear all this up first."

Oswald was shocked that the place had such equipment.  Sure it was a run of the mill city, but to have scuba equipment for a port town was something else.  

"I dun wanna swim. Too much...water. Too much movin'. Do we hafta?"

"You don't have to.  I want to see what's down there though. And maybe catch one of the little guys for myself.  What about you?" she asked Oswald. "Ever been diving before?" 

"Can't say that I have."  Oswald said, stroking his chin.  "The waters of Johto aren't as tropical as these parts, so diving is extremely rare, unlike Hoenn's deeper waters."  Not to mention the risk of whirlpools in Johto.  "I say we find some scuba gear for ourselves, and some floaties for Naomi."  Oswald nodded.  "That's the plan then!"  Oswald started heading for the city, waiting for his partners to catch up with him.  "Let's go find that store."  It wasn't much time travelling deeper into the busy city that they found the shop that had a myriad of beach day equipment.  Umbrellas, beach towels, and surfboards.  Oswald perused the fishing rods a bit, before travelling to the desk.  "Excuse me, we're looking to rent some scuba gear...and some rubber floaties.  Do you have any in stock?"  

[LordCowCow 840]

"I want to see what's down there though. And maybe catch one of the little guys for myself."

"But why?" Naomi questioned, ambling after the two. "Whatcha gon' find? There's water lotsa places."

The shop they found wasn't large, so most things inside were crammed together and cluttered, merchandise hung over the aisles and, in some cases, in the aisle. As they made their way to the desk Naomi got herself hooked on a fishing pole. She felt the tug on the back of her shirt and just stood there. With a shrug she decided that this was as far as she was going to get.

Meanwhile the woman at the desk, a girl with wide eyes and blazing red hair, looked excited to see the group. "Hello hello, welcome to the shop and all that. So, you wanna go diving do you? Not many people hit me up for that. Guess no one wants a Skrelp in their hair." She then gave a short, loud, laugh. "Well, we do got some that we can rent out. You're gonna need a guide to help you out though. And it just so happens there's someone who can instruct you right here." She looked to the left, then right, then back at Oswald. She put a hand up to the side of her mouth as if whispering a secret and said, in the same volume, "It's me."

She stood up straighter and planted her fists on her hips. "And it won't cost you much at all, unless you break something. So where you folks intended to explore?"

[reparoni 161]

 

---

Jacklyn seemed to be on board with the idea, while Belle... well, she would have been dragged to wherever they went no matter what. Without hesitation, the trio made their way towards the lighthouse, which was much bigger than Ivan had anticipated. Jacklyn wasted no time, opening the doors, although it seemed like she was struggling to get it open. As Ivan was about to help, however, she managed to get the creaky doors to swing open.

As the team made their way through the door, they were greeted by a spiral staircase. Ivan took a look around the musty room, noting the silhouettes of Pokemon that seemed to very much want to avoid anything to do with them. Ivan let out a whistle as he looked around, turning to the other two. Jacklyn seemed to be waiting for someone to make the first move, and he knew that Belle wasn't going to make it. With a shrug, he stepped towards the staircase, gesturing the group to follow him. "C'mon, we don't got all day." He said, planting his foot onto the first step of the stairs. It was hard to see what was in front of them, but that didn't stop Ivan. Taking a deep breath, he continued, not checking to see if the others had actually followed. He knew at least Jacklyn would.

[yui 576]

Location: Skrelp Harbor
Poké: 740

"Hello hello, welcome to the shop and all that. So, you wanna go diving do you? Not many people hit me up for that. Guess no one wants a Skrelp in their hair. Well, we do got some that we can rent out. You're gonna need a guide to help you out though. And it just so happens there's someone who can instruct you right here."

Is it you? I don't see anyone else.

"It's me. And it won't cost you much at all, unless you break something. So where you folks intended to explore?"

"The area near that big crane where all the Skrelp gather. We wanted to find out what was bringing them all together like that." And maybe catch one for herself. Would regular Poke Balls still function underwater? She wasn't sure. Going through water was something she had some experience with, but never under it. Nodding in Nomi's direction, Kanon added "We're all looking to explore down there except for her. How much would two sets of diving equipment and some floatie rings or something cost?" The lady had said it wasn't much as long as they didn't break anything, but how not-much it was still mattered.

Kanon pulled an empty Poke Ball out of her pocket. "Also, do these still work underwater?"

[Skaia 578]

Jacklyn's upbeat attitude was slightly downtrodden as Belle seemed to not want to climb up the stairs, but all the same it was the girl's loss. So instead, she followed behind Ivan with a smile on her face. The two climbed up the spiral staircase, seeing that the lighthouse itself was actually several floors high, with the ground they were walking on getting a bit narrower as they made their way up to the first landing. Traveling, was made only more of an issue as the light from the doorway started to vanish the higher they went. Thankfully, as they reached the next floor up, there seemed to be window like slits to let light through. 

Jacklyn seemed to be on guard as they made their way up, though, the light also revealing a few Murkrow perched around. The girl walked closer to her traveling companion whispering, "wait up Ivan." Gesturing to the bird pokemon that were around, the girl said, "I've seen specials on TV where birds heckle mountain climbers as they pass them by. Think we should do something about them?"

[Sethera 290]

Belle breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she got off the boat. It had been uncomfortable, sitting there surrounded by people she didn't know. Sure, they had seemed friendly, but that was how everybody had acted at first. It was hard enough being around that Naomi girl, much less her two companions. Now, at least, she was alone. Alone in a creepy lighthouse, but nonetheless still alone.

Jacklyn had wanted her to climb the stairs with them, but climbing was one of Belle's least favorite activities, right alongside calisthenics, running, and all other forms of exercise. So instead she let herself sit on the bottom stair while waiting for them to be done exploring the place, glancing at the walls every so often.

It was quiet.

Eerily quiet.

So quiet that, maybe, it would have been better to go with the others.

The girl shivered in the dark alone.

Then a noise.

A slight pattering and clicking.

Licking her lips nervously, Belle shrank back against the stair she was leaning against, rifling through her pocket for the Poké Ball containing her Poamoo. Rather than shout out "who's there" however, like a suicidal moron, she just stayed silent. With any luck, whatever it was would pass her by.

Except luck worked against her this time, because out of the corner of her eyes stepped...a Rattata?

She would recognize that Pokémon anywhere. The elongated incisors, the purple fur, and that goofy tail.

"Raa," the Pokémon cried, stepping forward. It looked curious, ears perked, nose twitching. Its tail waved from side to side.

Belle looked down at the hand gripping her Poké Ball. I did want to get another Pokémon, she thought. And Rattata's supposed to be easy to train.

Mind made up, she narrowed her eyes, deadlocked in a staring competition with the rat facing her.

...

...

...

"Guess I should stand up first."

Edited May 22, 2019 by Sethera

[Mr. Hyde 204]

"Hello hello, welcome to the shop and all that. So, you wanna go diving do you? Not many people hit me up for that. Guess no one wants a Skrelp in their hair. Well, we do got some that we can rent out. You're gonna need a guide to help you out though. And it just so happens there's someone who can instruct you right here."

Is it you? I don't see anyone else.

"It's me. And it won't cost you much at all, unless you break something. So where you folks intended to explore?"

"The area near that big crane where all the Skrelp gather. We wanted to find out what was bringing them all together like that.We're all looking to explore down there except for her. How much would two sets of diving equipment and some floatie rings or something cost?"  Kanon pulled an empty Poke Ball out of her pocket. "Also, do these still work underwater?"

Oswald covered his mouth to halt the approach of a rather loud laugh.  The air hit his hand as it made a strange sound between the gap of his hand and mouth.

"I could answer that for you, Kanon.  Of course they work underwater!"  He then turned his attention back towards the clerk slash diving instructor.  "Exactly as my friend said.  There must be a reason these Skrelp gather here in abundance.  If the town hasn't figured it out, we'd be glad to play detective."  He said, scratching his chin with a smile.  

[LordCowCow 840]

Naomi started to hum as she swayed back and forth gently, caught on the hook, somewhere in the middle of the store. She could vaguely hear the voices of the others so she figured they had found whatever they had come here for.

What had they come here for again?

---

"Well, I guess you could use them underwater. Not the best chance to catch things though." The clerk said. "But you know, if you really wanna catch something down there, I've got a nice discount on Dive Balls. Three for 1400; a steal I'd say!" She looked left, then right, then winked at the two. "I'm not actually supposed to give that deal to newcomers but you seem like good kids."

She slapped her hands on the desk. "But regardless of that, diving equipment, and the necessary guide to show you how it works and to go with, why that'll just take 50 Poke each for a few hours. Not so sure why you two want floaties as well but I can probably throw them in for another 10 Poke. Which means if you want the Dive Balls and the diving that'd be only 1510. I know, I know, I'm really just giving this away."

She shook her hair out of her face and tapped a finger to her chin. "But I do wonder what you'll find down there. People don't really like getting too close since the Skrelp can get pretty protective."

[reparoni 161]

 

---

It only got darker and darker as the duo climbed up the stairs, up until they got to the next floor, which fortunately had lighting from the slits on the wall. It was dim, but it was better than nothing. Without any signs of fear, Ivan kept going forward, stopping when he saw what lied ahead. There were a few Murkrow hanging about the place, but not much else. Ivan was well and ready to keep on going, when Jacklyn stopped him.

"wait up Ivan." She gestured to the birds ahead, "I've seen specials on TV where birds heckle mountain climbers as they pass them by. Think we should do something about them? Ivan turned to the Murkrow, before scoffing.

"Only if they do something" Ivan said, before starting to make his way onward. While he was determined to keep going forward, he started moving slower, making sure to stand between the birds and Jacklyn in case they did something.

 

[LordCowCow 840]

The rodent Pokemon that had approached Belle was slightly larger than the rest in the area. It had decided that, unlike the rest, hiding and waiting for this human to move on wasn't going to do anything. So it had decided that the time had come to make the girl leave.

So it crept closer, slowly, with its head low to the ground as it watched her warily....And then it ran forward at the girl in a charge.

---

While this was going on, a couple floors higher, the Murkrow seemed to be getting closer. At first they were merely circling by the ceiling but then they ended up flying onto the stairs itself. Three birds stood, oddly silent, staring at the two adventurers. When the duo would get closer they'd hop a few steps back. This kept going until they were just crossing into the third floor when two of the three suddenly flew up and towards the pair. The third seemed to be waiting for either Ivan or Jacklyn to make a move.

Spoiler

Okay so for the most part I don't mind if you write out these wild encounters but here's some information to go off of.

Rattata, level 8, Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Focus Energy. Currently using Tackle.

Murkrow (3), level 7, Astonish, Peck, Pursuit. Two using Astonish. The other will use Pursuit if prompted.

 

[Skaia 578]

While Ivan seemed keen to let sleeping dogs lie, Jacklyn seemed to stay on guard. She slowed down her pace as well, keeping her guard up as the duo ascended the staircase to the top of the lighthouse. It didn't take long, however, for the circling birds to stop and, true to the girl's beliefs, heckle them. Shouting, "I knew it!" as the Murkrow flew straight towards her. Sending out her Buneary, the girl shouted, "alright Cherry, heckle them back!" Cherry was confused by the suddenness of this, but sprung to action quickly as she literally sprung to action. Leaping forward,  the Buneary met with the Murkrow in mid air, exchanging a pound for a peck as the two collided.

While Cherry managed to knock the Murkrow away, the Buneary was then caught off guard as the third Murkrow flew forward, striking Cherry in the side and knocking her down. Hitting the ground, the Buneary rolled before pushing her ears against the ground, launching her back into the air and back onto her feet. Both Cherry and Jacklyn seemed fired up, though the latter shouted, "hey, that's cheating! Alright Cherry, let's show these cheaters what for!" Letting out an enthusiastic, "bu!" in response, Cherry leaped forward to pound at one of them again. 

[yui 576]

Location: Skrelp Harbor
Poké: 740

"I could answer that for you, Kanon. Of course they work underwater!"

"Well, I guess you could use them underwater. Not the best chance to catch things though."

See? It's a good thing I asked after all. And them not working so well underwater probably meant...

"But you know, if you really wanna catch something down there, I've got a nice discount on Dive Balls. Three for 1400; a steal I'd say! I'm not actually supposed to give that deal to newcomers but you seem like good kids. But regardless of that, diving equipment, and the necessary guide to show you how it works and to go with, why that'll just take 50 Poke each for a few hours. Not so sure why you two want floaties as well but I can probably throw them in for another 10 Poke. Which means if you want the Dive Balls and the diving that'd be only 1510. I know, I know, I'm really just giving this away."

Yup. Kanon wasn't sure what the prices on these kinds of things usually looked like, but for three Dive Balls and the diving equipment, and a guide to help them out, that seemed like a pretty good price. While the lady behind the counter mused about what those Skrelp could be up to down there, Kanon was already digging into her pockets, pulling up every bit of cash she had on her person. She tallied it all up in her head... 740. Not quite enough.

Uh-oh.

"Oswald... how much money do you have on you?" Kanon asked, clearly hesitant to drain any more pockets than necessary. It was probably good that she didn't cough up any money after getting beaten by those other two at the Battle Royale earlier.

"It does make sense to go halvsies." He said, reaching into his pockets and shuffling around the money. He pulled out 770 and handed it to Kanon. "That should be enough, right?"

"Just about, yeah. Thanks." Kanon took the collective money from herself and Oswald, and handed it all over. "It's a deal."

[Sethera 290]

Oh fiddlesticks, it's running right for me.

It was true that Belle's entire walk through Route 102 was filled with Pokémon and trainers running at her and giving her the scare of her life. It was also true that somehow, she had managed to get through that route with just one Pokémon. However, that didn't mean she was any better at battling, or, well, anything to do with Pokémon. She was just one girl, one very much out-of-shape girl.

"Crap!" she shouted, running quickly to the side. I need to get out of the way, she thought, completely disregarding the idea of throwing out her Poké Ball. That would require stopping, which would require time, which would require her not getting hit.

Being bigger and having longer legs wasn't much of an advantage against a creature with speed to more than make up for the disadvantage. Belle didn't manage to get far before she was quickly Tackled in the side, falling down on the opposite side. "Ugh...that hurt," she groaned, before realizing that not only had she fallen over, but the Rattata was also standing on her, and those teeth were far too close to her throat for comfort. "Gah!" she flailed, dropping her Poké Ball in the process. Thankfully, it landed on the button, releasing the Pokémon within.

"Moo," the small, green cow-like creature lowed, taking in the situation in a slow glance of his sleepy-looking eyes.

"Moo...get this thing away from me..." Belle groaned.

The Poamoo nodded before releasing a couple vines that reached out and lashed the Rattata off of his trainer.

"Thanks, Moo..." the bluenette panted as she picked herself up from the ground. "Now...uhh..." she thought for a second. "Tackle."

However, the rodent Pokémon had already started to move even before the girl had said anything. Moo was not prepared to be hit in the face with a Quick Attack, halting his own attack in the process.

"Shoot, this thing is fast," Belle muttered, glancing around the area. It looked like the other Rattata had backed away, forming a small semicircle around them as they watched the battle. There would be no getting out of this fight unless she climbed the stairs. The girl clenched her fists in renewed determination. "No way...are you making me climb those stairs!" she declared. "I'll take you down here and now, and show you the power of a true couch potato." She turned to Moo. "Moo, Tackle!"

"Moo!" the Poamoo let out his own laid-back battle cry before charging at the Rattata.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Sethera

[LordCowCow 840]

The clerk seemed slightly surprised as the pair accepted so easily but quickly covered it up with a wide smile. "You two know a good deal when you see it! I'll get it all together for you. But you're gonna have to carry some of it. I'm strong but I'm no Machamp after all!"

She went about getting all the equipment and shouted in the back for someone to come take her place at the desk while she was out. She handed pieces of equipment, wet suits, tanks, masks, to the two and dragged them off towards a changing room.

Naomi in the meantime was comfortable hanging off the hook unless someone came around to collect her.

-----

Once back at the edge of the water, fully decked out in their gear, the clerk stood before them with one hand on her hip the other covering her eyes from the sun. "Looks like a good day for diving...well, that's every day! The crane isn't working anymore so it should be safe to go. I could go ask them but..." She glanced back and smirked. "What if they say no? Then we'd have to wait, and I hate waiting, if we don't ask we can't be told not to!"

She took out a Pokeball from a waterproof pouch on her side and let out the Chinchou that was inside. "If you have a Pokemon that can handle the water might wanna let them out now. It's always good to have one or two around in case of emergency."

She started to take off then paused. "Oh, yeah, guess I should tell you how this all works, shouln't I?" She said, thumping her head with one of her fists and laughing.

Spoiler

If ya wanna breeze over the explanation that's fine. Basically I'm posting this to allow you to come to me on your own time to get info of what you find as you start going down and such. Otherwise I'd just be describing everything and you wouldn't get a chance to.

 

[Sethera 290]

The stage: a lighthouse. The actors: a Rattata, a Poamoo, and a girl. The audience: yet more Rattata.

This was where one of the most important battles Belle had ever participated in was occurring. It would be the most important, but the battle where she backed out, resulting in being kicked from her team, or the later battle where she ended up joining another team were also pretty important. Except this battle had nothing to do with teams, no. This battle was about dignity, and the preservation of one's core beliefs.

This battle was about not being forced to climb up those darn stairs.

Belle gritted her teeth as she watched the Rattata evade the Tackle coming its way. This thing is fast, she thought with a flash of annoyance. "Too fast," she muttered out loud.

The Rattata glanced at her smugly before turning back to the match. Irritated, the girl spoke up, "Come on, Moo, you've gotta be faster than a stupid rat." Blanching when said "stupid rat" glared at her and started running at her, she backed up a few steps. "I-I mean, uh...beautiful and intelligent rat?" The rat ignored her and kept up its charge.

"Crap," she muttered, raising her voice soon after. "Moo, get it!"

The Poamoo let out a low as he started his own Tackle. Distracted as his opponent was, he managed to hit this time, knocking the rodent out of its trajectory toward Belle.

"Okay, keep it up," the bluenette said, mind thinking fast. It seems like we might have to make use of tactics like that to win this. It's too wily to let us attack it blindly. Nodding to herself, the girl narrowed her eyes at the rat. "Hah, looks like you're all bark and no bite." When there was no reaction, she continued, "Do you understand what I mean? I'm saying you're weak."

That seemed to get its attention. The Rattata raised its head to bare its long incisors at her. "Naaa!" it let out a savage cry, lowering its head again to charge at the girl on all fours.

What sounded like a good idea ten seconds ago was less good when one had a Pokémon barreling towards oneself with killing intent leaking from its gaze. Belle gulped. Is this how I die?

[reparoni 161]

 

---

As the duo walked up the tower, Ivan noticed that the birds seemed to have been following them. It didn't take long for these birds to start attacking them, as the birds started diving into them. Ivan managed to swat one of the ones diving towards him away as Jacklyn send out her Buneary. "Oh yeah." He muttered, pulling out one of his Pokeballs. "Go, Root!" He called, sending out the Pokeball. Out of it came the Bellsprout, leaves already curved into fists as it stared down its opposition, eyes locked onto one of the Murkrow that was standing there behind the trio.

While Jacklyn dealt with the other two, Ivan's attention was towards the third one. He wasn't sure what it was about this one, but it stood out among the others. A glint in its eyes - ready to strike down if they were to run. Ivan simply smirked, pointing towards it. "Root, use Growth!" Ivan commanded, Root letting out a rather disappointed sound as it uncurled its leaves. The root stood still for a bit, glowing as it's once noodle thin roots became a bit thicker and larger.

And that's when the Murkrow struck with surprisingly speed, dashing right into Root with a dark energy around it. While the Pursuit had landed, Root had managed to see this coming, bracing itself as the bird struck it. Ivan grit his teeth, pointing at the bird. "Now use Vine Whip!" The Bellsprout did not hesitated, letting out a kick as its leg expanded into a long vine, whipping the Murkrow. The Murkrow was struck right in the chest and was sent flying, however it caught itself in mid-air and wasted no time to retaliate. With a swift motion, the Murkrow dive bombed Root with a powerful Peck aimed right at its head. While Root was able to brace itself just barely, the force of the attack was enough to send the Bellsprout flying backwards.

"Root!" Ivan shouted as the grass Pokemon hit the ground. He was concerned at first, but let out a sigh of relief as the Bellsprout picked itself up, looking worse for ware but still kicking. Ivan turned back to the Murkrow, who almost seemed like it was smirking at the two. It was very clearly proud of the attack it had landed. This one was no slouch.

[Mr. Hyde 204]

After the transaction was completed, the girl shouted to someone in the back.  Was the girl sane...because she had said she was the only one running the store...but he waved it off as a joke of sorts, and followed her towards the dressing rooms.  On the way there, Oswald noticed Naomi had gotten herself caught by a fishing pole.  He laughed as he freed her from the pole's bind. 

"Guess we both got hooked on fishing, huh?"  He smiled, as he continued towards the dressing room.  There they dressed themselves in the form fitting gear, and headed towards the docks.  

"Looks like a good day for diving...well, that's every day! The crane isn't working anymore so it should be safe to go. I could go ask them but..." She glanced back and smirked. "What if they say no? Then we'd have to wait, and I hate waiting, if we don't ask we can't be told not to!"  She took out a Pokeball from a waterproof pouch on her side and let out the Chinchou that was inside. "If you have a Pokemon that can handle the water might wanna let them out now. It's always good to have one or two around in case of emergency."

"Great idea."  Oswald chimed, reaching into his suit to grab a Pokeball himself.  He tapped the button aiming for the water, and released Snipe the Remoraid from his ball.  "I'll be counting on you today, Snipes."  Playfully, the Remoraid shot a squirt of water at Oswald's cheek.  It pinged him good, but he laughed at the plucky pokemon's behavior.  

"Oh, yeah, guess I should tell you how this all works, shouln't I?"

"That would be rather helpful, yes."  Oswald said.  "It's our first time so show us the ropes."  

[yui 576]

Location: Skrelp Harbor
Poké: 0

"If you have a Pokemon that can handle the water might wanna let them out now. It's always good to have one or two around in case of emergency."

After some weird and concerining remarks from the guide, Kanon and Oswald had gone from being in the shop, to geared up for diving, to at the water's edge, ready to dive. She didn't like the idea of just not asking before going in though. It could be dangerous and all, but the crane was off, it seemed. Plus, she really wanted to know what was going on down there.

"Oh, yeah, guess I should tell you how this all works, shouln't I?"

"That would be rather helpful, yes. It's our first time so show us the ropes."

"It's part of why we needed a guide in the first place," Kanon added. The guide then went on with her explanation. It was simple enough that Kanon got the idea, but it seemed a bit too simple. Part of her felt like she wasn't getting the full picture. But this lady was getting paid, so surely she wouldn't half-ass it. With the explanation, the gear, and everything else ready to go, Kanon pulled forth a Poke Ball, pressing the button and releasing her faithful Poliwag. "Hear that, Bubbles? We're going swimming." The blue creature let out a happy squealy sound as it eyed the water, waiting for the others.

Kanon made to jump in, but suddenly stopped. It was bugging her way too much, scratching at the back of her mind like an overeager dog who was way past due to get his claws trimmed. If they just jumped in all buck-wild and reckless, there would probably be consequences that could easily be avoided if they'd just asked first. Her luck in Korova hadn't exactly been stellar so far, so it was probably better to just play it safe. She was surprised Oswald was fine with not asking anyone, in fact.

"I'll be right back." With that, Kanon took off at a brisk pace, toward the crane, where she found some workers she could ask about the diving. "Excuse me," she asked, "is it alright to go diving over here?"

"Ah, not right now, okay? There's still work around here; maybe wait until we've wrapped up, okay?"

"...okay." Hopefully they were done sooner rather than later. Kanon hurried back to where the rest of the group was, and stated "I couldn't just not ask, but they said it's not okay to go until they... finish up here..." Kanon surveyed the group again. Oswald, his Remoraid, Nomi, Bubbles, and... no sign of the clerk. She must have already jumped in.

"Where's the clerk lady?"