Individual RP: VeloJello

Non-battle post 1

The sun was setting on the sloping pastures of Meteor Valley. As the fading sun dipped over the rim of the miles-wide bowl, a nearly reverent kind of silence blanketed the plains, and even the wind faded to a standstill. That's not to say everything was peaceful, however-- along a flatter stretch, where the grasses only reached about ankle-high, a hulking monstrosity of metal and muscle furiously tore at the innocent earth. The beast's three ironclad horns dug in deep and threw away huge chunks of dirt and rocks, forming a hole deep enough to hide in before tromping a ways over to repeat the process. Already a line of ditches stretched behind it, the piled-up soil casting an increasingly long shadow over the proceedings. Abruptly, the colossus completed its hole and stopped, pausing for a few moments to look over its handiwork before nodding faintly and trudging back towards the center of the row.

Just a few minutes later, the beast's partner arrived, cresting the lip of the hill as the squeaking of far outdated wheels drowned out the evening's ambience. As the distance closed, the source of the noise became clear: the man was hauling a wide pallet covered in potted saplings. Squinting to count the holes himself, he grinned widely and threw both arms into a massive wave. "Two dozen exactly! Great job, Bolin! Now we just have to transplant them once I- whoa!" In his enthusiasm, he'd taken both hands off of the pallet, and now it careened down the hill with wild abandon! Using one hand to keep his cap on, he charged down after the gaggle of seedlings, before almost immediately losing his balance and tumbling down the slope about as gracefully as a tap-dancing Rhydon. Mercifully, the pallet flew down the rise directly at the Aggron, who was able to catch it as easily as a rolling baseball... though more than a few of the saplings were shaken off the cart entirely by the impact. As for the ranger, he was nowhere to be seen... until his arms rose out of one of the ditches to unsteadily lift him back to his feet.

Well, on the bright side, hopefully that's going to be the hardest of my duties tonight! He certainly had a lot more to look forward to than just planting trees, since he'd finally have an opportunity to carry out a Park Run in the valley. This cloudy evening was shaping up to be a real event to remember. Wiping away the last of the mulch from the previous task on his park uniform, Oliver Haralson reached into his backpack, rustling around until he picked out a small folder. Opal Roleau. Teenager, parents involved in the pro training circuit. Nice! Pro trainers were always a treat to see in action, particularly in the park where they inevitably challenged one of the champions of the ecosystem. Hm, that reminds me. Did I pack a map? Oh, well, no big deal. She probably was diligent enough to pack one of her own. Besides, I remember the important parts of the place.

Character Count: 0

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 0/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100%
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave.

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf.


100%
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse.

 

((@CowboyJake))

The sunset over the Meteor Valley gate was positively radiant. Deep blue, shot through with streaks of indigo, faded downward into brilliant yellow. The sun was just barely visible; only a sliver of its fiery light remained, rising up and tinting the edges of the dark cobalt clouds with rose-gold light. The sight of it put a fire in Opal’s chest. “This is gonna be good.”

A pleased chuff sounded off from her left. Eliza the Hydreigon floated forward to hover by Opal’s shoulder. The coarse, matte-black feathers that covered the dragon’s three heads and long black wings weren’t illuminated much by the light, but her blue scales glinted with bright golden sparkles. Red eyes shined as Eliza exchanged a glance with Opal; the dragon was clearly raring to go just as much as her Trainer. Quite frankly, Opal wasn’t one to deny her. “Let’s get going!”

While riding on dragonback was all well and good, Opal wanted Eliza to conserve all of her strength for the battles they would face in the Park today. As a result, Opal jogged down the path on her own two feet with Eliza floating abreast of her, occasionally stopping to sniff at a tree or trail or fleeing wild Pokemon before realizing her lapse and darting ahead to keep up with her Trainer. Opal laughed; she’d worked with a lot of Dragon-type Pokemon before, and she’d never met a Hydreigon as friendly, curious, and gentle as Eliza.

Diligent raising and a good community had helped with that. Most of the time, Pokemon of the Deino line would become more aggressive and confused as they grew, divided into a pair of bickering heads, then had the two warring brains shoved back together into one. However, with care and coaching, Hydreigon could be just as sweet and calm as any other Pokemon. Growing up in Opelucid City, Opal had been able to raise Eliza around Dragon-type Trainers and other Deino, and that socialization had been extremely helpful for the Hydreigon’s growth. A Pokemon as ferocious as a poorly-raised Hydreigon would never be able to come along with Opal to Meteor Valley for fear of her burning it down or mauling the local fauna; Eliza, on the other hand, was a trustworthy beast.

After a few minutes of journeying down into the valley, Eliza let out a noise somewhere between a cough and a bark and pointed forward with her right pseudo-head. Opal looked, and she realized that if she squinted her eyes and leaned forward, she could see a person and Pokemon in the distance. With a loud whoop, she barreled downhill, hiking boots digging in hard to the dirt and preventing her from falling comically on her face.

Up ahead was a mud-covered Aggron and a mud-covered Ranger, as well as what seemed to be one of the Park’s golf carts, weighted down with potted saplings. Without hesitation, Opal ran up to the Ranger, reaching out to take one of his hands and shake it with both of hers. “Hi!” She grinned a grin that could illuminate even the darkest moonless night. “Name’s Opal Roleau; your name’s Oliver, right? It’s great to meet you!” She turned away from the Ranger for a moment to look back at the Aggron, who Eliza was sniffing at curiously. “I love your Aggron; they look so strong! What’s their name?” She stayed firmly away from calling the Aggron an ‘it’; to her, that wording would have felt exceedingly rude. After all, Pokemon were friends and partners, and even unfamiliar ones should be treated with respect.

Especially unfamiliar ones, Opal reflected as she watched Eliza tucking in her false heads in a gesture of deference to the behemoth Aggron. The Steel-type didn’t seem aggressive, but better safe than sorry with Pokemon that were armor-plated, many-horned, and capable of smashing most creatures with a single blow.

 

Non-battle Post 2

Out of nowhere, Oliver heard someone shouting out from the slope of the valley. Turning to the very same hill he'd tumbled down earlier in the evening, he identified the source as a young woman, dashing down the incline and just barely maintaining enough balance to keep running. He was barely able to turn to face her before he found himself caught in an overenthusiastic handshake. After a split second of shock, he grinned widely and returned the handshake and then some. "Yep, Oliver Haralson, that's me! Good to meet you, Opal! I'm looking forward to the Park trip tonight, I don't normally get much of a chance to explore this place after dark!"

Meanwhile, her dragon was sniffing around Bolin, stopping in front of him to pay respects with a mock bow. Bolin, meanwhile, took this opportunity to sweep up the newfound friend in an eager hug, lifting the floating hydra a few inches further above the grass. Oliver caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to give the dinosaur a curt shake of the head, prompting him to reluctantly let go of the dragon. "I'm sorry about Bolin, he gets a bit... excited around new people. But to answer your question, don't let him fool you. He's never once been in a battle, he's a big ol' softy!" Oliver remarked, reaching over to scratch the seven-foot behemoth under the chin. The ranger continued the conversation while the beast grumbled contentedly. "On the other hand, what about your pal there? They've gotta be well-trained to not completely freak out when Bolin invaded their personal space. Congrats!"

Oliver rambled on as he recalled his partner to his Poké Ball. "Park policy, gotta keep the boy out of trouble in case a wild 'mon pops up, you know? Anyways, you're the guest here, so you tell me! Are you here for just some sightseeing, or did you have something else in mind? There's a bunch of great landmarks in Meteor Valley I know, and they're close enough that we could probably even tick 'em all off on one night! But if you had something specific in mind..." He quietly trailed off, clearly trying very intently to look at nothing in particular. Using a rather overcomplicated series of hand gestures (and trying to nod in the general direction), he attempted to get the guest and her dragon to turn around. They had an audience.

Behind the pair stood a tiny black-clad figure, its large purple head adorned by a pair of fetching white ribbons. It would have looked adorable if it weren't for its eyes. Cold eyes, blank eyes, human eyes, far too big for its foot-high body and completely unblinking. For a moment, stillness blanketed the clearing. Oliver jerked his head to regain the group's attention, then silently mouthed the words Do Not Make Eye Contact to Opal, pointing at his eyes with two fingers. Gothita were usually too busy staring into space to do much of anything, but there were no guarantees in the park.

Gothita Encountered!

Character Count: 3726/9000

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 0/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave.

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf.


100%
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse.

 

Oliver and Bolin seemed awesome. Oliver was full of energy and spirit, and Bolin was a hugger, which was objectively adorable. Opal couldn’t help straight-up giggling when the Aggron swept Eliza up into his arms. Once Bolin let go of her, Eliza glided back to Opal’s side, but apart from the places where Bolin’s claws had mussed her feathers, the dragon looked unruffled. While she couldn’t really smile without looking like a demon out of a nightmare, there was a gleam of delight in her red eyes, and her high head and tail told Opal that she was still in a good mood.

“Don’t worry about it,” Opal said to Oliver, hoping that he didn’t feel too bad about his Aggron’s actions. “Eliza and I did a lot of training in the Opelucid Gym, early on. She’s used to big Pokemon that like to throw their weight around.” The two of them were both pleased by Oliver’s praise; it was nice to get some recognition for the work they’d put in together.

Once Oliver withdrew Bolin, Opal walked with him, keeping pace. The idea of sightseeing hadn’t really occurred to her; she was mostly here for the battles. She’d heard that there were plenty of rare, interesting species in the National Park, and that Meteor Valley held some particularly strong ones. She was fond of exploration, though; she was just about to ask if there were any cool waterfalls or good stargazing spots when Oliver went silent with no warning.

Right before she came out and asked Oliver what was wrong, she saw him gesturing frenetically toward something in the clearing ahead of them. A small, purple-faced Pokemon bedecked with white bows was there, looking blankly in the group’s general direction with glassy blue eyes. The Gothita didn’t seem phased by two humans and a giant dragoness walking up to it, but Oliver was agitated. He gestured to his eyes and mouthed something - Opal couldn’t read lips, but he seemed to be telling her not to look at it. She didn’t really think a little Pokemon like that could be dangerous, especially since she had a Hydreigon at her back, but she hadn’t dealt with Pokemon in the Gothitelle line very often and she trusted the Ranger’s judgement. With no desire to square off against the diminutive Psychic-type, she gestured to the path and wiggled her middle and index fingers to indicate walking away. Hopefully, Oliver would get the message; she got the feeling he’d be just as willing to leave this thing to its business anyway.

 

"Battle" Post 1

After an uncomfortable moment, Opal quietly motioned for the group to simply exit the premises. Usually, that was the best option to deal with a stargazing Gothita. The party crept past the diminutive esper, but Eliza, not having noticed Oliver's warning, couldn't help herself but take a look at its face. Immediately upon making eye contact, a surge of psychic energy rushed between the two Pokémon as the Gothita peered into the immediate future of the dragon. If it was either worried or excited by the future it saw, it certainly didn't show.

With a start, Oliver realized what technique it had used. "That's a Miracle Eye," he whispered, hoping not to be the next one spotted. "The little dude knows every move Eliza's going to make now. Wait, no, Hydreigon's a Dark-type, isn't it. That means her mental shield against psychic attacks is kaput too!" Still, the Ranger wasn't yet bracing himself for a knock-down drag-out fight between the two, as although Gothita interrupted from its soothsaying can often be dangerously unpredictable, so far all it had done was carry out a natural reflex. It was hardly a surprise it would try and tell Eliza's future, since it was already trying to observe fate when it arrived at the spot behind the group in the first place.

However, even Oliver couldn't have predicted what happened next. After staring into Eliza's timeline, the creature blinked out of its reverie and smiled widely. Chirping happily, it ran with stumbling steps to give the massive hydra a hug. Eliza was clearly taken aback, confused as to whether this was an enemy or a newfound friend. If she was confused, however, Oliver was flabbergasted. "Well, how about that! Guess it's trying to be friendly? Your call as to whether we hang out with it, or get moving before it changes its mind."

Gothita/?/?/Competitive/100%
Used Miracle Eye, Charm


Eliza/F/Naive/Levitate/100%/Atk-2/Miracle Eyed
Attempted to flee, failed​

Character Count: 6162/9000

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 0/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave.

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf.


100%
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse.

 

There was some sort of flash in the Gothita’s eyes, like a camera activating. Opal frowned, confused, as Oliver reacted. Miracle Eye… that was some anti-Dark-type Psychic thing, she guessed? She hadn’t personally witnessed its use much - most people didn’t send their Psychic-types out against a rampaging three-headed shadow dragon. As such, Oliver’s explanation was really helpful. She doubted that such a tiny, nonsensical little creature could actually see the future… but hey, weirder things were possible when Pokemon got involved, right?

In fact, as much of an inconvenience this stop was, it was kind of downright precious. Eliza was floating low as Gothita grabbed a hold of her and hugged her, trying to wrap stubby arms around Eliza’s massive body. After a few seconds of surprise, Eliza chuffed her amusement, the sound imitating human laughter. Tentatively, she maneuvered her pseudo-heads into a hug - though she kept the mouths closed just in case the Gothita moved, and she removed the heads after a few seconds so that the Gothita didn’t get uncomfortable or threatened.

Afterward, Eliza floated backward, looking a little bit bashful. She didn’t often socialize with Pokemon that small, except unevolved Dragon-types on occasion. She had a cheerful expression, though; her wings and tail were held high, and her pseudo-heads were relaxed and tucked close to her body. That being said, she didn’t really seem to know what to do. She decided to try and show off for her new friend - she lifted her main head and let loose a loud roar. While it was nowhere near the volume and power of her Roar attack, it was quite the noise.

Opal had been around Eliza enough to know that she might have startled the Gothita with that noise, well-intentioned though it was. Quietly, she said to Oliver, “Um, I’m not sure if the Gothita liked that. Should we try to keep going? Worse comes to worst, I can recall Eliza.”

 

Battle Post 2:

The Gothita grinned grotesquely, though to be fair most any emotion would seem unsettling on its enormous face. Already the Hydreigon was hesitant in its movements, unwilling to hurt a newfound friend. However, to its surprise (though hardly that of a Dragon-type expert), the massive hydra responded with a resounding bellow, echoing off of the valley gorge. One tense second passed, then another. With unctuous grace blatantly marking its practiced movements, the tiny humanoid applauded and bowed low, its oversized ribbons scraping over the tall grasses. Inwardly, it cackled, already claiming the psychological victory. This Flattery would disorient even the most hardened opponent, leaving the prankster free to strike.

Yet to its shock once again, Eliza responded not with confusion but with relieved acceptance, nodding as though it was indeed a marvelous roar and she couldn't be happier that her new friend appreciated it. This was...not as planned. The psion had no clue that its foe was such a master of psychological warfare! Against an enemy not just physically but mentally superior... the only option was retreat. Not wasting a moment's time, the schemer leapt away, its toddling run punctuated by soaring telekinetic jumps over the grasses. Eliza, meanwhile, looked on, more than a bit confounded by the wild Pokémon's apparently erratic behavior.

It seemed Oliver had no more comprehension of the situation than the dragon. "Huh. Well, I guess that psychic types do have minds that work in, uh, unique ways! Maybe it saw something it didn't like in the...stars." As he turned his eyes upwards to the overcast night sky, the Ranger's mind drifted back to the application. She did say she wanted to see star patterns. Nuts. Guess I'll have to make up for it with the tour! "Alright, anyways! Now we can get started in earnest! I know from here the closest landmarks are the Selene Riverbed down that way," as he motioned in an entirely too vague direction, "or the Standing Spires up that hill. We could follow the river all the way up to Fullmoon Lake or tick the spires off early, it's your pick. Otherwise there's always the tried-and-true park standby of heading off in a random direction and seeing what kind of 'Mon you run into first!"

Eliza Gothita fled successfully!

Character Count: 0

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 1/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave.

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf.


100%
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse.

 

@CowboyJake
It took a ridiculous amount of willpower for Opal to produce a straight-up ‘squee’ when she saw the Gothita bow for Eliza’s performance. Apparently she’d been wrong about the Gothita’s appreciation of the fine art of roaring. Eliza seemed just as relieved as Opal; the dragon seemed very satisfied, and was eagerly awaiting the Gothita’s reply.

And it was… quite the reply. The Gothita couldn’t run very well with its short little legs, but it could motor like nobody’s business. Little flashes of purple-and-pink light flared at the tips of its feet as it boosted itself with some sort of move, rushing away into the woods. “... Huh,” muttered Opal, while Eliza watched the Gothita go, seeming confused and almost a bit disappointed. Opal walked over to her and gave her a gentle pat; Eliza perked up a bit and let out a deep hum in response.

Oliver was about as flustered as Opal and Eliza. What the Gothita could have seen in the stars was beyond Opal; there weren’t really any stars out tonight to see. And the Selene Riverbed was… what way? Oliver was naming some really cool-sounding places, but he could have been much, much clearer on the directions.

“The Spires sound cool,” Opal said, “and I really want to see the lake and the river…” She scratched her chin and glanced at Eliza, but the dragoness didn’t seem particularly swayed by one choice or another. “Do you think we’d have time to see all of them? I think the Spires would be a good start; those hills look like a nice warm-up."

 

Non-Battle Post 3:

"Standing Spires, gotcha! Meteor Valley is a great size to hit up everything in one night, so let's go for it!" Swinging an arm around to point at one hill in particular, Oliver stepped forward to lead the way. "So anyway, you gotta tell me. How'd you get into the professional training biz? I think you mentioned you were from Unova, right? Wait, no, that's silly. How else would you get a Deino? Oh! That means I'll bet Eliza was your starter!" Rambling both through the conversation and along the path, it wasn't long at all before the travelers arrived atop the rise.

Though the hill was rimmed by the valley's trademark long grasses, here and only here was it absent, leaving a flat dirt surface roughly twenty-five feet in diameter. The only real points of interest amid the circle, though, were the spires themselves. Around the perimeter, placed seemingly without regard to spacing, five massive gray stone monoliths reached a good ten feet into the air, obviously weathered by untold ages of time. Upon reaching level ground, Oliver promptly switched tones, launching into a practiced spiel about the history of the area.

"These menhirs have stood atop this hill since before the park was first discovered, and from what we know since before any form of modern civilization! According to recent analysis, they used to have ancient writing on them, but time and exposure have worn away any real chance of deciphering them. From what we can estimate, they were originally intended to serve as... oh, heck." Though it could hardly be seen on the way in, a small yellow figure sprawled across one of the spires. Even from this distance, the group could hear it snoring.

"Gosh diggity," the Ranger muttered under his breath before whispering to his charge. "Sorry for the language, but this is the second time a Pokemon's broken my patter. Don't worry too much about the Abra, if you want I can wake it up and it'll just warp away the moment it realizes it's not alone up here. Well, unless this little guy is more interesting to you than the spires!"

Abra Encountered!

Character Count: 1,499/15,000

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

@VeloJello
VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 1/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave.

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf.


100%
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse.

 

The hiking was great; the night air was nice and cool, keeping Opal from overheating on her way up the hill. She smiled at Oliver’s rapid-fire questions; she didn’t mind talking about her Pokemon or her Training career in the slightest.

“Eliza was my starter, yeah,” she said, “I lived in Opelucid and my mom’s best friend is a breeder. She bred this clutch of Deinos, and I wanted Eliza pretty much right away.” The Hydreigon beside her crooned primly in response. “My parents weren’t super sure about letting me get a Pokemon whose line is famous for being vicious and accidentally hurting people… but it was Opelucid, and I was literally surrounded by Dragon-type Trainers, so there were plenty of people around to help us out.” With a hearty dose of pride in her voice, she added, “I was actually a Gym Trainer under Brycen for a little while before I decided I wanted to strike out on my own.”

She thought about adding more - her plans to meet dragons from all sorts of regions; the series of travel and informational vlogs she was thinking about starting; her dreams of meeting foreign Champions and Gym Leaders and Professors and all sorts of people - but her train of thought was derailed when she saw the spires.

Driven by curiosity, she stepped forward toward one of the… ‘men-hears’, Oliver had called them? The whole ‘ancient writing’ thing sounded so cool; what kind of legends and tales could have been recorded here and lost?

Apparently, she wasn’t going to find out. She looked up, following Oliver’s gaze to an Abra lying atop one of the men-hears. She’d heard and seen that they were super-strong Pokemon when they evolved, but… “I think I’ll pass,” she said, keeping his voice quiet to match Oliver’s. “These spires are really great, but uh… I don’t know if this is too specific, but do you know where Ralts are here? Oh, or Minior?” She had to struggle to keep her voice down, “I know there’s others super-great Pokemon around here, but there’s a few I’d really love to meet. And catch, hopefully,” she added a bit lamely, to Eliza’s apparent amusement.

 

Battle Post 3:

"Well, let me think," the guide whispered after a few seconds' pause. "If memory serves, tonight should be a full moon, and Minior are a bit too shy to come out with the extra traffic from fairies and psychics. Ralts, though, that should be easy enough, especially tonight. Funny story, actually, so there's... well, hang on. Oughta deal with this little guy before getting sidetracked." Looking back up towards the snoozing figure, the ranger pursed his lips and let out a low whistle. As he'd predicted, the Abra jolted before vanishing with an audible "pop", not even bothering to sit up from its reclining position. "See, just like I said, the moment it realized it wasn't alone..."

His reassuring words were interrupted by one of Eliza's heads snapping 180 degrees, shrieking a warning. The dragoness half-turned lazily before her eyes widened, immediately throwing her entire body to the side. The jolt of movement was just enough for her to narrowly dodge a yellow blur blasting head-first through the space she had occupied mere moments before. Wait, is that... Oliver squinted through the dust clouds thrown up to find the assailant, but by the time it had settled he'd disappeared again. Another flash of movement alerted the group to the same Abra atop the same pillar, now upright in what was clearly a fighting stance.

"Oh, heck, it's one of these guys. OK, Fun story real quick!" Oliver was practically shouting now, his words running together in a panic. "Bad blizzard up at Oktori last winter. Forced a lot of Mons to migrate down. Bunch of Mienfoo ended up here in the valley. Had a lot of trouble getting them out. They taught a couple of Psychics their fighting style. Looks like this guy's one of them." In reaction to the Ranger sharing its tale, the psionic pugilist warped down to the level ground and gestured to Eliza in what could only be a threat. Nonetheless, the meaning of the Taunt went completely over her head, leaving the hydra glancing eagerly to Opal for orders as she closed in on the esper. Their wild foe, meanwhile, opened his short arms wide, apparently dropping his guard.

Abra/M/?/Inner Focus/100%/ Def+1
Used Skull Bash (missed), Taunt!
Also used Teleport a couple times...
Seems to be prepping for something!


Eliza/F/Naive/Levitate/100%
Attempted to flee, failed!​

Character Count: 3576/15000

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 1/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave.

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf.


100%
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse.

 

((@CowboyJake))
How in the world did a full moon make Miniors hide? Or make the Psychic-types come out, for that matter? The Fairy-types thing was understandable - they had a strong attack called Moonblast for a reason - but how did the sky affect anything…?

Opal’s ponderings were disrupted when Oliver whistled, spooking the Abra into poofing away. Opal opened her mouth to ask something when a panicked screech escaped one of Eliza’s throats. Both Eliza and Opal dodged backwards to get out of the way of the yellow cannonball that came careening in Eliza’s direction; the former with feathers and wings flared in fear, the latter letting out a completely undignified yelp of surprise that she desperately hoped that no one had heard.

“What was -” Opal started to ask what was going on, but she stopped when light flared at the top of the pillar. She gaped at the sight of the Abra standing on top of the pillar like some sort of kung-fu fighter.

… Huh. So this Abra had been taught fighting by Mienfoo? It sounded like some Mister Miyagi nonsense, but Oliver would be the one who would know about all of this, and the Abra certainly seemed to mean business. Before Eliza and Opal’s very eyes, the Abra extended one paw and motioned to Eliza, as if beckoning the dragoness to come at him. Given that Eliza didn’t seem to give half a crap about the Taunt, Opal was free to just be impressed by the Abra. Maybe she should try to catch the little guy. Was he worth the other Pokemon she was wanting to catch?

After a few seconds’ thought, Opal gave Eliza her orders. “Alright, Eliza; I need you to use Roar, this time for real! Throw that Abra off his stride and scare him right off!” Eliza nodded with one head before focusing all of her attention on Abra and pulling back three pairs of lips to show six rows of razor teeth. After a deep breath, she let out a rumbling bellow so loud that the air in front of her rippled. Opal pressed her hands to her ears; the noise was terrible back here, and it would be even worse for the Abra, who was getting the full force of three Hydreigon heads at maximum volume focused on it all at once.

 

Battle Post 4

After brief consideration, Opal commanded her protege to scare off their opponent, who was by now visibly channeling psionic energy into its body. Rearing forward, the hydra unleashed an earth-shaking roar, so astoundingly loud that Oliver had no choice but to cover his ears and crouch into a ball. The Abra, meanwhile, launched into what should have been a devastating blow to Eliza's body, but was quite literally thrown off-course by the sheer power of the dragon's lungs. Blasting off with the force of a rocket, but hurled to the side by the hellacious shout, it instead slammed fist-first into one of the standing stones, careening into the dirt as the gray spire crashed to the ground.

"Oh no, no, no no..." To call Oliver "distraught" would be an understatement. In fact, to call him "panicking and worried sick" would still be a ways off the mark. The Abra shuffled to its feet, took two charging steps toward Eliza... and fell back into the dirt, snoozing once again. The Ranger immediately dashed to its side, but cooled down a bit once it was clear that the psion was totally uninjured. "Okay, that's way better than I was worried! This happens all the time, they just get a little crazy with their power and end up burning themselves out. Abra need a whole lot of sleep for a reason, I guess! But man... a little guy like that using a full-strength Focus Punch. No wonder he needs to recharge now! Haha...hm."

Try as he might, Oliver couldn't help sighing as he turned back to the fallen pillar. "Bolin ought to be able to handle this, I guess. Hey, how much can Eliza lift?" He was already rustling around for his partner's ball by the time he spotted something else. In the gap where the spire stood before, the group could clearly see a tunnel leading downwards, clearly man-made judging from its size and round shape. "Um. Okay. So! Earlier, when I said that there were a couple theories on what the spires were made for! There was one idea that they were a holy site, and another that they were to cover up a holy site! So, uh... Wanna go exploring?"

Eliza roared her foe into submission escaped!
Secret Tunnel discovered!

Character Count: 0

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 2/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave.

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf.


100%
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse.

 

Oops.

Eliza’s Roar attack didn’t seem to scare the Abra much; what it did do was send him flying, throwing his trajectory off so badly that he breezed past Eliza and slammed his curled fist into one of the spires. Opal winced. She was no stranger to collateral damage - it was inevitable when one worked with dragons, honestly - but she’d mostly seen stuff like trees or Gym floors get torn up. These spires felt a lot more… irreplaceable, if not sacred.

Abra was still going on the offensive; Opal opened her mouth to issue another command, but before she got the chance, Abra collapsed in a sleepy heap on the ground. Satisfied that Eliza was in no danger from the little fox, Opal turned to Oliver, who was visibly terrified as he checked on the Abra’s health. She was glad the Abra wasn’t hurt; he and his wild spirit seemed pretty dang cool, even if he’d kind of vandalized a landmark.

Not that that was entirely his fault. Eliza’s heads lowered in vague guilt as she looked at the fallen stone. When Oliver asked how much Eliza could lift, the dragoness’s main head lifted, but Opal shook her head. “Eliza’s strong, but she’s not super dextrous. Darius might be better for this job… Eliza, why don’t you take a break?”

When Eliza nodded, Opal recalled her and pulled out another Pokeball. The red beam that shot out of it didn’t change form drastically; it curved and curled into an elegant arc that, when the light faded, resolved into a proud green serpent with a curious gleam in his red eye.

“You don’t get to laugh, Darius,” said Opal as the Serperior looked between her and the fallen stone. “I’ll have you know that this was the fault of a kung-fu Abra. And I would really appreciate if you could help put the stone back in place; the Ranger has a big Aggron who can help, and your vines are really strong.”

Darius seemed skeptical of the whole thing, but he and Opal were both distracted when Oliver pointed out the big tunnel that the Abra had inadvertently unearthed. “A secret tunnel?” Despite the rather… unorthodox means of the discovery, Opal was excited. “I’d love to see what’s down there! Though, uh… will it be okay if we leave this,” she gestured vaguely at the whole hilltop, “like this?”

 

Non-battle post 4:

Though Opal was clearly concerned about the state of the spire, her guide had all but forgotten about it, consumed by curiosity and wonder. To his credit, he only jumped a little when he turned around only to find that Eliza had been replaced with the verdant reptile now poking bemusedly at the wreckage. "Oh, er, right! Well, I'm not sure if this tunnel counts as "part of Park history" yet, so it may wind up that HQ wants to leave it like this. Either way, it'd be a waste to just cover it back up and pretend it didn't happen, right? Well... here, how about we do this first."

To begin with, Oliver turned back to the pooped Abra lying on the ground. With casual ease, he took several quick, decisive steps toward the creature, prompting it to vanish instinctively. "There we go. Get close enough to one while it's asleep and it'll just warp away, no harm done. Just wish it were on the ground to begin with, eh? Now then, Your Grassiness, care to give us a hand?" Even as he turned to Darius, the ranger released his Aggron to assist, though not without first coaxing the dinosaur to stand down and give the serpent some space.

"Okay, Bolin, you're taking point on this one. Ready?" After a few moments of stretching, the grinding of his metal plates audible a quarter mile away, the beast grunted his approval, digging in his feet and hefting the pillar back upright. Darius, meanwhile, extended the vines that composed his collar, wrapping them around the pillar. With Bolin rocking the spire side to side and Darius pulling it into place, the pair completed the task effortlessly, leaving the pillar leaning against the nearest one. "Yep, think that's all we can do for now without digging a new hole as a foundation. Now then! Let's see what we have here."

The tunnel was a good deal too tight for Bolin, but it was just as well that he had to be dismissed, as entering unknown territory was practically begging to be attacked by wildlife. After a few feet of sloping dirt, the tunnel leveled off into a somewhat larger stone corridor, the ranger's pair of spare flashlights illuminating old, old masonry. A few smaller side paths stretched off into darkness, but for now the main path seemed like the safest bet.

After a few minutes of walking, their patience was rewarded. In a wider room, roughly the size of Oliver's apartment, a lone decoration stood in the center: A metallic sculpture in the shape of a Poké Ball. Perhaps once, it was that trademark red-and-white that marked Silph Co's signature product, but here the sculpture was faded to a dusty pink and grey, the lone artifact atop an eroded table in an old, crumbled ruin.

Found... something?

Character Count: 2220

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 2/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse

100%
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf

 

@CowboyJake
‘Your Grassiness’, heh. Opal grinned as Darius glanced from Oliver to Opal, as if to say that this human knew how to properly defer to such a sovereign snake. The flattery seemed to be super effective, getting even the high-strung Serperior to tolerate Bolin’s overly-familiar advances and exceedingly loud, metallically screeching stretches. Between the two of them, Darius and Bolin managed to move the pillar up off of the ground, propping it up against another, apparently more stable, stone.

Once the pillar was taken care of - as best as it could be right then, at least - Opal followed Oliver down into the tunnel. She frowned when she saw Bolin recalled again, wishing that the friendly Aggron could come with them, but heart-pounding excitement tempered this sentiment. Even Darius was curious about all of this tunnel stuff; Opal had done a lot of spelunking in her days, but she rarely got the chance to explore actual, honest-to-gods, man-and-mon made ruins. The flashlight that Oliver had given her darted around eagerly to pick up every crack and crevice in the old stone. Darius rolled his eyes when Opal caught his gaze, but she didn’t miss the curious looks and sniffs that he gave several of the rocky outcroppings and lesser tunnels.

It took a few minutes for things to get exciting, but soon enough, they stumbled onto a wide room with a statue smack in the middle of it. For a second, Opal held back a bit. The statue looked like it might have been a giant Pokeball, but ‘might be a Pokeball’ tended to translate to ‘wild, dangerous Pokemon’. However, the pink-and-white orb couldn’t have been an Amoongus or Foongus, given that it was a full-on sphere; it couldn’t have been an Electrode or Voltorb, either, because the colors were all wrong. Curiosity and reason won over caution, and Opal stepped forward toward the statue with Darius following doggedly beside her.

“What in the world could this be?” The metal statue and its pedestal looked old, old enough to where it probably predated actual Pokeballs. The best theory that Opal could put together was that it was some sort of altar for Voltorb worship, but she somehow doubted that this was even remotely accurate. She turned back to Oliver, hesitant to touch the statue for fear of damaging it. “You didn’t know about these tunnels, right? So I don’t suppose you have any idea what’s going on with this?”

 

Non-battle post 5:

Back atop the hill, a straggler was practicing its routine. Pink arms jabbed and hooked in the night air, legs sliding into a boxer's stance. A high-pitched voice growled and then boomed, nearly perfectly copying the sound of a dragon's roar. Satisfied at its ability, the creature slunk back into the tall grass. Back within the catacombs, however...

"I mean... to be honest, I don't have a clue what this is. What I do know is that it belongs back at the Park museum, where people who can understand it will be able to get a crack at it. Just have to see if I can..." With that, he valiantly struggled with the sculpture, straining to lift it. "Wow, okay, no. That thing's gotta be like eighty kilos! Best call in an assist..." Rummaging through his fanny pack, he grabbed a ball before hesitating. Apparently rethinking his decision, he shuffled in his pack for a different one, throwing it to release a pink-furred dog with a gem in its forehead.

"Usually I just use Jareth to chat with the wild folks here in case of emergency, but I figure Bolin deserves the break, plus he's still too big to fit through the entrance. If you'd be so kind?" With that, the Espeon raised his head, and after a few seconds of effort, the massive sculpture lifted off the pedestal. Unfortunately, it was followed by an audible "click". A loud hissing noise filled the chamber for a few moments, the main entrance slamming shut while small passages slid open all around the perimeter, before something began to drift into the room from all sides.

Thick pink fog, spilling out of the side corridors, slowly permeated the air. "Wait! This is..." The ranger took several deep breaths to confirm, gasping heavily in and out for several seconds. "Hm, I think it's Dream Mist. First off, don't breathe it in... oh." With that his legs gave out from under him, collapsing to the stone floor. "There's... probably a source for all this mist somewhere. Either we find a way out, or you (yawn) stop the source... think I'm just gonna take five," Oliver mumbled, his eyelids already drooping as his Espeon panicked by his side.

Munna encountered... somewhere!

Character Count: 4606/9000

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 2/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse

100%
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave

100%
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf

 

‘It belongs in a museum’, Oliver declared after inspecting the strange artifact, and Opal wasn’t one to argue. She thought about volunteering Darius again when she saw Oliver trying to brute-force the thing onto the ground, but something told her that his tolerance for manual labor wasn’t going to hold for very long. Plus, Oliver had this under control. Jareth, an absolutely adorable Espeon, managed to move the orb.

The illusion of control died pretty much instantly. Doors that were open slammed shut; doors that had been shut lifted menacingly. Darius’s hiss of indignation was strident above the ominous, low hissing noise that started up out of apparently nowhere. Out of these new openings came some sort of cotton-candy looking smoke, which Darius hissed at and shied away from. Opal glanced at Oliver, “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”, but he was lost in some sort of weird contemplation as he huffed in air like a landed Magikarp.

“I think it’s Dream Mist,” said Oliver quite suddenly, and Opal’s heart pounded just a little faster. She was already starting to feel a little woozy as she pulled her shirt collar over her mouth and nose, hoping desperately to filter out the smoke. Oliver was collapsing, Jareth was panicking, Darius was giving Opal an expectant look with his leafy tail curled over his nostrils -

“Okay,” Opal’s voice came in staccato, rapid-fire bursts. “Okay, okay. Darius, if Jareth needs help carrying Oliver out, help him.” Without bothering to check if the snake was following her orders - in a situation where they might be locked in gods-knew-how-long comas of fever dreams if they didn’t find a quick escape, he’s smart enough to play along - she grabbed another Pokeball from her belt. The extra expense of bringing in a third Pokemon was the most ‘worth it’ thing in the world, given that it meant that she had a Pokemon who could knock down doors without possibly setting the room on fire or collapsing the cavern.

As soon as Mazer materialized, the great blue frog turned to Opal and shrugged in a 'what the heck is this' gesture. “Don’t breathe in this Dream Mist, Mazer, or you’ll fall asleep.” Opal said, doing her level best to keep calm. Alarming herself and her Pokemon would just make the situation worse, especially given that it would just lead to heavier breathing on all their parts. “See that door, over there?” she pointed to the nearest exit she saw - she was pretty sure it was where they’d come in, though she could have been wrong. “I need you to give it an absolute barrage of Power-Up Punches until it comes open. The rest of us will follow you out.”

Picking up on Opal’s energy - though without a trace of any of her fear - Mazer nodded, then turned toward the door and raised one great, webbed fist. Golden light formed around his big frog hand and he swung, leaving Opal and Darius watching in eager expectation to see if Mazer could force the door.

 

Non-battle(?) Post 6:

With one mighty strike after another, Mazer's fists rained against the stone door, though apparently to no avail. The massive door stood solid as any wall, and it took a supreme force of will on the fighter's part to even continue with the mist sapping his strength. Nevertheless, as the frog picked up speed, each blow landing harder and faster than the one before it, a tiny chink appeared in the wall, swiftly growing into a massive crack before, with an earth-shaking rumble, the entire door collapsed, freeing the explorers to exit the way they came. Darius wasted no time in coiling around the nigh-comatose ranger before the whole group made a break for it.

A few moments later, they were back out in the open, thin tendrils of the Dream Mist following them into the clearing and diffusing harmlessly into the clear night air. A second or two passed, then their hapless guide's Espeon pranced out of the tunnel, telekinetically carrying the artifact with ease. Setting the massive orb down gently, he ran over to his owner, jabbing at his chest with surprisingly rough paws until he got a reply. "Okay, Jareth. Okay. I'm awake. You can stop, Jareth. I'm UP!" Forcing himself to his feet, Oliver turned back to his ostensible guest, an apologetic smile creeping awkwardly onto his face.

"Is everything okay? Nobody got hurt, did they? I'm really sorry, I should have paid more attention, I was just focused on the ruins and got careless. You guys are alright, right?" A few deep breaths later, he'd composed himself enough to continue. "Thanks for getting me out of there. Most of the Park is known territory, but... Stuff like that is usually handled by a crack team of rangers. They'll probably assign a group capable of, y'know, handling it once I let them know about it. And thank you for the wake up call," he concluded, reaching down to scratch his Espeon's massive ears.

After confirming everyone was unharmed, he turned back towards the artifact. "But man! To think there really was a treasure down there! Hm... There's a Ranger outpost in the middle of the valley, not too far from here, actually! We could just drop it off there and get back to the trip at hand! Well, or we could just leave it here and I pick it back up after your run ends. I doubt that any of the wild 'Mons here will mess with it! Your call, though, since these detours are cutting into your run."

Munna Escaped!

Character Count: 0 (you escaped, them's the breaks)

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

VeloJello (Opal Roleau) in Meteor Valley!
Items:
- Park Balls (x5)
- Super Balls (x2)
- Hyper Ball (x1)
- PokeDolls (x2)
- Energy Powder (x3)
- Energy Root (x1)
Completed Encounters: 3/15
Captures: 0/3

Pokémon Stats

Spoiler

100% - Active
Mazer/Greninja/M/Jolly/Protean
EMs: TM Acrobatics, TM Power-Up Punch, HM Surf

100% - Active
Darius/Serperior/M/Adamant/Contrary
EMs: TM Substitute, MT Dragon Pulse

100%
Eliza/Hydreigon/F/Naive/Levitate
EMs: TM Thunder Wave

 

Was it worry or the Dream Mist making Opal lightheaded as Mazer attacked the door, giving it everything he had in an attempt to brute-force the obstacle. As she and Darius watched tensely, Opal began to worry that they were stuck here, that not even Mazer at his strongest could take down the door -

Then she saw the cracks forming below Mazer's barrage of attacks, and a grin spread across her face. “That’s my boy!” she yelled, though her voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of stone shattering and crashing to the floor. Still using her shirt as a makeshift ventilator, she followed Mazer and Darius to the surface, pausing only to make sure that Darius had Oliver with him.

Once they were out in the open again, breathing in fresh night air, Opal wrapped her arms around Mazer and Darius. The serpent let out a faint chirp of annoyance, but neither of the two protested. Both boys were pretty easy to sway with praise.

“Say, Darius, did you see -” She stopped when she saw Jareth hoisting the giant orb seemingly effortlessly with psychic energy. “Never mind.” While Jareth got Oliver up, Opal turned back to her Pokemon. She was pretty sure that she needed to put one of her Pokemon back in their ‘ball… “You did a really good job saving our butts, Mazer,” Opal said. “Why don’t you take a break for now? Don’t worry, you’ll get a fair share of action.”

Once Mazer was recalled, Opal turned toward Oliver again. “We’re all okay,” she said, a bit of a smile on her face. “Honestly, that was kind of an adventure. I think adrenaline and Dream Mist is a bit of a weird combination, though.”

However, there was still a figurative Munna in the room. She turned back to the artifact as Oliver mentioned it again. On the one hand, it seemed like a bad idea to leave the thing in the middle of nowhere like this. On the other, maybe whoever they dropped it off with would know something about it? It would be interesting to learn about this weird relic, especially since some ‘mon had been standing guard over it like that.

In the end, though, eagerness - and probably a bit of selfishness, if she was being honest - won out over curiosity. “If you think it’d be okay to leave it here, then I’d be okay with that.” She paused, scratching her chin thoughtfully as she looked the relic over again. Really, what was so special about it? “Though, would it be okay if I got back to you after you’ve dropped it off? I have to admit, I’m super curious what this…” she gestured at it with a vague hand wave, “thing is all about.”