Main RP: Enigma Ruins

Banner by Mistral​

"A special area that can replicate all other areas and where any Pokemon in the Park can be encountered. It is a large underground laboratory that normally looks like a cave unless it has replicated another area. Ranger Outpost Number Five is located here."

 

NBP #1 @Dog of Hellsing; @Akinai;

Zor was absolutely beside herself with excitement--and nervousness.

Today was the day that she was bringing two of her coworkers--and good friends--on a run, watching over them to make sure nothing in the Park went wrong even though they were Rangers themselves. It was to keep everything fair and safe; a witness to make sure nobody messed up or damaged Park property without someone seeing it and paying the penalty. It was also to make sure people didn't try to poach Pokemon illegally and set traps and such. Here on the Island, everyone fought fair to gain their 'mons, and not even Rangers were an exception. It was up to Zor to uphold this responsibility and to take her friends through the park without a hitch. They'd chosen to go through the Ruins, of course. It was a mysterious place filled with every kind of Pokemon imaginable, a lab made to replicate nature at will. The Pokemon there were a bit more comfortable than other places on the Island; a lab made perfect environment was ideal and had more habitats than a 'normal' wild forest or something along those lines. The Ranger was so nervous that she decided to bring her whole team of Eeveelutions with her--a team made up of everything but Leafeon. Solum was a good 'mon, but he preferred to stay at home instead of work at the Park.

She looked over the paperwork again. They were both dragging along three Pokemon; Makina favored Dark types for this run, while Sara brought a few varying types that were simply her favorite Pokemon. The two were very powerful Trainers; she doubted they'd have too much trouble getting along and using teamwork to help catch each others' Pokemon. The door opened, finally, and they both walked in, having been talking on the way. Zor smiled, happy to see the pair.

"Hi girls!" she chirped happily. She first hugged Makina, then Sara. Backing away, she plucked a ball from her belt. "Hm, I think I'll bring Minerva out for some fresh air today," she mused, releasing the Vaporeon. The blue mermaid-like Eeveelution blinked her large eyes before stretching, her finned tail swishing gently. Zor turned again to the other blonde and the silver-haired Rangers, clapping her hands together.

"Okay! Y'all remember Minerva, right?" The Vaporeon looked up at them and seemed to smile gently, cooing. "Let's get going!" She led her two friends down to where the dock was before climbing into the well-used boat. She allowed the other girls some time to clamber in before starting it, heading down the river and to the bank near Enigma Ruins' gate. They walked into the cave mouth, chatting merrily along the way and catching up. The entrance looked cut as if by giant diamond hard scissors, with perfect 90 degree corners and a simple rectangular shape that was perfect for any sized human to walk through. And so their adventure began...

Trainer Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Items: Total Items: Park ball (x4), Super ball (x4) Hyper ball (x2), EnergyPowder (x1), Super Potion, Pokedoll (x5), Camera, Apricorn Box (Blu x2, Blk x1, Wht x1), Pokeplayer, Type Repellent (Fighting)
Encounters Remaining: 20
Pokemon Encountered: 0
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 0/000

Trainer Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Items: Park Ball x6 ; Super Ball x1 ; Hyper Ball x3 ; Family Repellant x10 ; PokeDoll x5 ; PokePlayer ; x3 Full Restore ; x3 Halloween Costumes (one for 3k, two for either 6k each or 12k together) ; Electric Battery (does 15% damage) ; x2 Energy Powder ; Riolu Voice Disc ; Ralts Voice Disc ; Digital Camera ; Apricorn Box
Encounters Remaining: 20
Pokemon Encountered: 0
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 0/000

Battle Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

N/A

Battle Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

N/A

Pokemon Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Ranar [UMBREON] | Male | Quirky | Synchronize | EMs: Attract, Hidden Power (Grass), Snatch, Wish | 100%

Loretta [HONCHKROW] | Female | Modest | Super Luck | EMs: Psychic, Hidden Power (Electric), Aerial Ace, Thunder Wave, Drill Peck
Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze, Wing Attack, Night Shade, Assurance, Swagger, Taunt, Faint Attack, Nasty Plot, Mean Look, Foul Play, Tailwind, Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Torment, Quash, Dark Pulse| 100%

Revel [SABLEYE] | Male | Naughty | Prankster | EMs: Ice Punch, Nasty Plot, Recover, Will-o-Wisp, Snatch
Scratch, Foresight, Night Shade, Astonish, Fury Swipes, Fake Out, Detect, Shadow Sneak, Knock Off, Faint Attack, Punishment, Shadow Claw, Power Gem, Confuse Ray, Foul Play, Zen Headbutt, Shadow Ball, Mean Look, Leer| 100%

Pokemon Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Vice [DRAPION] | Male | Docile | Battle Armor | EMs: TM Earthquake ; TM X-Scissor ; TM Substitute ; TM Toxic ; TM Taunt ; TM Snarl ; TM Struggle Bug ; TM Aerial Ace ; TM Sleep Talk ; BM Agility ; BM Confuse Ray ; BM Whirlwind ; MT Aqua Tail| 100%

Xen [BEHEEYEM] | Female | Jolly | Analytic | EMs: TM Skill Swap ; TM Substitute ; TM Energy Ball ; TM Shadow Ball ; TM Thunderbolt ; TM Reflect ; TM Light Screen ; TM Toxic ; TM Charge Beam ; BM Barrier| 100%

Ironbreak [BRAVIARY] | Male | Hardy | Sheer Force | EMs: TM Attract ; TM Pluck ; TM Bulk Up ; TM Shadow Claw ; TM Rock Slide| 100%

 

Trainer Sara​

Today was going to be an exciting day, I could feel it. It was the first time since coming to be the Head of the Park that I was actually going on a run as a Trainer, rather than taking someone else through. On top of that, a fellow Ranger was coming along with me for what was also the first Team Run I’d ever been on. Even more, the two of us, on top of our Ranger Zor (as I liked to call her), were all headed out to the Enigma Ruins. Today was going to be a day of exploration, as we were intending on investigating unexplored parts of the Ruins so they could be properly mapped. At first the task was going to simply be another job that needed to be seen to, but after thinking about it I’d decided to make it more of a fun outing than a mundane expedition.

I collected all the things I was taking with me, including the Pokemon I was bringing to the Park today. Imperious and Seagem had been rather put out that they weren’t coming with me today; in fact, the Pokemon I’d chosen to bring along hadn’t been used in a Park run, except for Vice. Really, I didn’t count him because he’d only ever escorted a single Trainer through the Park with me. My other two Pokemon, IronBeak the Braviary and Xen the Beheeyem, were seeing the Park for the first time. Xen in particular was excited about the adventure, but then again, she was cheerful and excited over just about everything.

Once I was ready, I called IronBeak out of his PokeBall and climbed onto his back. The large eagle was easily capable of carrying the extra weight I posed, and would have been able to probably carry someone else in his talons. He already knew his destination, so I didn’t have to tell him where to go once I was settled. Without a word from me, the avian let out a piercing cry and spread his wings before leaping into the air. About a minute later we were dozens of yards up in the sky, and we continued to gain altitude until the ground was far below and I could see the Park sprawling for miles in all directions.

We were leaving early, so there was no rush as IronBeak flew. I smiled a little as I enjoyed a view I hadn’t seen in ages. In the distance, Mount Oktori and Mount Deckbi rose into the air. The other areas were equally easy to spot. The Woods was a vast canopy of tall emerald-leafed trees, while Meteor Valley resembled a snaking fissure carved into the ground. The Abandoned Power Plant appeared as barren as always, though it was extremely rare to see any Pokemon that lived there venturing outside. Unless there was a thunderstorm, in which case it was rare NOT to see any of the Pokemon dwelling there outside. The Botanical Garden stretched for miles, a grassy plains in which I could spot herds of Miltank and Kangaskhan; from this height, the herds looked more like small groups of ants. Finally, the Great Lakes were a sparkling field of blue broken up only by the yellow sands that made up the beaches.

Eventually, we arrived at our destination. The Ruins, from this height, looked mostly like a giant hole, mainly because the bulky of the lab was underground. The area around the hole, though, was densely wooded, and there were a few structures on the surface that tied in with the area below. IronBeak began to descend, flying towards the Outpost as he circled lower and lower. Finally, he landed about ten feet from the door to the Outpost, and I slid off his back. I stretched for a moment, since the flight had taken about thirty minutes, then patted the eagle’s side affectionately and recalled him after thanking him for the ride.

I immediately spotted Zor when I headed inside the Outpost, and Makinai, the other Ranger who was coming along for the expedition, arrived shortly after. Zor greeted us both enthusiastically, and I returned the hug when it was given. The other Ranger then released her Vaporeon, who was named Minerva. I nodded at the Pokemon in greeting before we were led off. As we walked, I pulled Xen’s Ball from a pocket and called her out; mostly it was a habit to always have a Pokemon out, but also simply because I knew how excited the Beheeyem was to see the sights. She made an odd sort of humming-buzzing noise as she floated near my right shoulder, and I could sense the anticipation she was radiating through the mental bond that was common between Trainers and Psychic Pokemon.

We soon came to a boat that would take us to the most-often used entrance to the Ruins. The lot of us got in, and once we were all situated, Zor started the boat up. As the entrance we were using loomed, I felt a sense of giddiness rise up in me. It was going to be a good day, I could tell. Xen hummed happily, picking up on my optimism and clearly agreeing.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve been quite this excited in a long time,” I said, unable to keep back a grin. “I wonder what sort of Pokemon we’ll find, and what we might discover of the Ruins themselves?”

@Akinai @TheProtobabe

 

OOC: You guys are going to make me look bad XD


"Sonofa- that's the fifth time I've died today!"

A few heads, most of them unused to hearing such exclamations, turned towards the source of the outcry. A young woman wearing the standard Ranger uniform, flanked by a Gardevoir who was looking more and more embarrassed, was currently leaning against the front counter while holding a small handheld device. The slightly staticy sound of a monster's roar echoes from the device's speakers, and the Ranger looked towards a wall absently as if she wished to toss the object towards it.


"Yet another win for Rathalos," Makina grumbled, pocketing the game system before glancing over at the nearby clock framed on the wall. She was supposed to be exploring the Enigma Ruins today, along with a couple of the other Rangers. According to the time, they were supposed to show up ten minutes ago but neither Sara or Zorayda had appeared just yet. "I wonder where they are?"


<Are you certain you were supposed to meet them at the main outpost?> Aria, her Gardevoir remarked with barely concealed irritation. She was never a fan of electronic devices, and her partner's fascination for them was always a target of argument for the both of them. <They may have went straight to the Ruins.>


"I'm almost positive they said 'we'll meet at the Outpost'. Besides, wouldn't we have seen them pass through?" Makina replied out loud. It was impossible to enter the Park without first checking in at the front desk, and she was fairly certain that she had entered before either Ranger. Still, it was taking far too long. Seeing that one of the secretaries was giving her a strange look, Makina hailed the young woman. "Hey, I don't suppose you have seen either Zorayda or Sara today?"


"You mean Trainer?" the secretary answered, making Makina groan inwardly in response. Sara's first name was Trainer, but it seemed like such a strange way to call someone so it was rarely used save for official Park documentation. "I saw her taking off on a Braviary about twenty minutes ago. Why do you ask?"


It took nearly all of Makina's willpower to not shake the secretary for just now telling her. Why am I always the last to find out about things? she lamented silently. "She must have been heading towards the Ruins first after all. thanking the secretary, she then turned towards Aria "Think you can toss me a quick Teleport to the Ruins front gate?"


<Can Taillow fly? Give me just a moment...> the Gardevoir closed her eyes, and held her wispy arms forward towards Makina before becoming illuminated in a faint prismatic glow. In mere moments, the Ranger blinked out of sight to reappear miles away just inside one of the outposts dotting the island.


"Looks like Aria is sitting this one out," Makina mused, seeing that the Gardevoir had failed to Teleport herself as well. While it would be a little hard to prepare for anything with such a monotyped team (she had mostly her old teammates on hand from her days before becoming a Ranger, all sharing the Dark affinity), it was a little nostalgic to get back to her old roots as well. As she was reminiscing about her days of traveling the Johto region, the sight of a Braviary touching down caught her attention. Wanting to get their expedition started right away, she quickly exited the outpost and headed towards the Ruins gate.


Almost immediately, she was hailed by Zorayda. The young Ranger must have just arrived, or had been waiting outside for both of them. "Hi girls!" she called out happily, walking over to briefly hug Makina.


Makina stiffened out of instinct upon the contact, but tried to relax a little in order to not offend Zor. While she understood why some people preferred hugging instead of simply nodding or a handshake, old habits died hard. Seeing that the other Ranger had moved on to greet Sara, she lazily tossed one of her Pokeballs upward to release Revel, her Sableye. While she had yet to use Revel around the Park, all of her other normal partners were either busy or had not wanted to tag along. As she saw the Sableye's form materialize, Makina noticed that Zor had also released her Vaporeon to accompany them.


"You guys remember Minerva, right?" Zorayda asked, gesturing towards the Vaporeon. In response, Minerva gave a happy cry in greeting towards the two. With that, the three of them began heading towrds one of the boats moored on the dock near one of the Ruins entrances.


"You know, I don't think I've been quite this excited in a long time. I wonder what sort of Pokemon we'll find, and what we might discover of the Ruins themselves?" Sara remarked. She looked absolutely thrilled to be checking out an area that so little was known about, and as a group to boot. Closer examination revealed that she had called out as Pokemon as well- a Beeheyem.


"Beats paperwork, that's for sure!" Makina replied with a broad grin. "Plus, this area is always changing. Lots of chances of seeing something new, and even more experiences." She had entered the Ruins twice before, but both times it had been while escorting someone. This time, it would be her turn to be the Trainer. "Ready when the both of you are."

 

NBP #2 @Dog of Hellsing; @Akinai;

The blonde-and-purple haired Ranger felt Makina tense up a bit as she hugged the other young woman and quickly broke off, forgetting that Makina was a bit less of a touchy type than she was. Being a person who liked that sort of casual touch made it hard when she had friends who were the exact opposite, though Zor tried her best to give them their space when she remembered. Sara was a different case, however, and returned the gesture before Zor released Minerva. Makina did the same, choosing to allow a short, dark Pokemon with multifaceted gems for eyes out of its ball. Zorayda remembered Revel vaguely, but hadn’t taken him on a run or spent a lot of time near the Pokemon to get to know him. The Ranger introduced the blue fox, who cooed and cocked her head at the Ghost/Dark-type graciously before the trio headed out.

Taking the normal route was really the only option for Zorayda; she had a team of Eeveelutions, and none of them knew any moves that made travel any easier. It was a small sacrifice to pay to hold her best friends and most beloved Pokemon closer to her, both literally and metaphorically. Sara let her Beheeyem out to allow her some fresh air; the Pokemon buzzed excitedly as Zor started the motor of the small boat and headed off. At one point, Minerva chose to dive out of the side of the boat to swim alongside them, first shooting forward like a rocket and playing about the bow, then using her Acid Armor to disappear entirely—only to pop up here and there playfully, sometimes spitting water at the girls. The other Pokemon on-board seemed slightly irritated but couldn’t help but have their spirits lifted by the bubbly Vaporeon. Xen hummed happily while Revel bent over the edge of the boat to try and catch Minerva’s fins when she zoomed past.

"You know, I don't think I've been quite this excited in a long time. I wonder what sort of Pokemon we'll find, and what we might discover of the Ruins themselves?" Sara wondered aloud. Zor grinned, just as happy to be on the adventure as the other Ranger.

“Well, it is Enigma Ruins. It’ll be an… enigma.” Zor giggled at her own joke as Makina put her own two cents in.

"Beats paperwork, that's for sure! Plus, this area is always changing. Lots of chances of seeing something new, and even more experiences."

“Ooh, definitely! This place is so old now that scientists don’t know how the environment has changed, even though the program keeps shifting the atmosphere. I bet the Pokemon here have changed around, too, and toughened up.” The girls thought about that for a little while, the boat ride remaining silent for a bit until they reached the bank near Enigma Ruins’ gate.

"Ready when the both of you are," Makina said eagerly, climbing out of the boat as Zor dragged it ashore to make sure it didn’t float away while they were gone.

“All right, guys, here we go!” The trio made their way into the man-made cavern, which was shimmering in and out frequently into differing environments. Right now it was somewhat rocky, with sand covered stones littering the ground. To the left was a crevice in the rock wall, and to the right a sheer dropoff led down to unknown depths. Zor wasn’t sure if it was an illusion or not, but she dared not test it. As she and the two other Rangers walked along in the quiet environment, a low rumbling sound was heard as they passed the crevice. Cold air swept from within it, and as they neared they realized the crack was big enough to fit at least three grown men into all at once.

Zor came a bit closer, cautiously, but was distracted when a small, blue figure skittered out past her feet. She made an embarrassing squealing noise when the bug crawled nearby; she was NOT a fan of creepy-crawlies, and was still unused to them even as a Ranger. Recovering quickly to gain her dignity, she faced the thing to identify what it was. It had a small, curious little black face with bright yellow eyes and two tiny gleaming fangs, set on top of a pale yellow-bellied body and an electric-blue shell on its back. It teetered from one foot to the other, making angry little noises at them for impeding upon its territory.

So focused was her attention on the small Pokemon that when she heard a low, rumbling snarl behind her, she jumped about a foot. Turning, she saw that a huge, lumbering white bear was looming above Sara, icicles hanging from its chin like saber teeth.

“Sara! Behind you,” Zor called out, pointing.

The Karrablast decided that it was going to size up and threaten Makina in the meantime, chittering out little wild Pokemon expletives. Not altogether threatening, but again, Pokemon were very powerful beings, and even a small one could do a lot of damage.

Trainer Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Items: Total Items: Park ball (x4), Super ball (x4) Hyper ball (x2), EnergyPowder (x1), Super Potion, Pokedoll (x5), Camera, Apricorn Box (Blu x2, Blk x1, Wht x1), Pokeplayer, Type Repellent (Fighting)
Encounters Remaining: 19
Pokemon Encountered: Karrablast
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 5,132/9,000

Trainer Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Items: Park Ball x6 ; Super Ball x1 ; Hyper Ball x3 ; Family Repellant x10 ; PokeDoll x5 ; PokePlayer ; x3 Full Restore ; x3 Halloween Costumes (one for 3k, two for either 6k each or 12k together) ; Electric Battery (does 15% damage) ; x2 Energy Powder ; Riolu Voice Disc ; Ralts Voice Disc ; Digital Camera ; Apricorn Box
Encounters Remaining: 19
Pokemon Encountered: Beartic
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 4,894/25,000

Battle Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

N/A

Battle Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

N/A

Pokemon Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Ranar [UMBREON] | Male | Quirky | Synchronize | EMs: Attract, Hidden Power (Grass), Snatch, Wish | 100%

Loretta [HONCHKROW] | Female | Modest | Super Luck | EMs: Psychic, Hidden Power (Electric), Aerial Ace, Thunder Wave, Drill Peck
Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze, Wing Attack, Night Shade, Assurance, Swagger, Taunt, Faint Attack, Nasty Plot, Mean Look, Foul Play, Tailwind, Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Torment, Quash, Dark Pulse| 100%

Revel [SABLEYE] | Male | Naughty | Prankster | EMs: Ice Punch, Nasty Plot, Recover, Will-o-Wisp, Snatch
Scratch, Foresight, Night Shade, Astonish, Fury Swipes, Fake Out, Detect, Shadow Sneak, Knock Off, Faint Attack, Punishment, Shadow Claw, Power Gem, Confuse Ray, Foul Play, Zen Headbutt, Shadow Ball, Mean Look, Leer| 100%

Pokemon Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Vice [DRAPION] | Male | Docile | Battle Armor | EMs: TM Earthquake ; TM X-Scissor ; TM Substitute ; TM Toxic ; TM Taunt ; TM Snarl ; TM Struggle Bug ; TM Aerial Ace ; TM Sleep Talk ; BM Agility ; BM Confuse Ray ; BM Whirlwind ; MT Aqua Tail| 100%

Xen [BEHEEYEM] | Female | Jolly | Analytic | EMs: TM Skill Swap ; TM Substitute ; TM Energy Ball ; TM Shadow Ball ; TM Thunderbolt ; TM Reflect ; TM Light Screen ; TM Toxic ; TM Charge Beam ; BM Barrier| 100%

Ironbreak [BRAVIARY] | Male | Hardy | Sheer Force | EMs: TM Attract ; TM Pluck ; TM Bulk Up ; TM Shadow Claw ; TM Rock Slide| 100%

 

After a short boat ride (made more enjoyable due to Zor's Vaporeon swimming about the area while choosing to shoot water into the air every now and then,) the group eventually reached their destination. Up ahead, the entrance to the Enigma Ruins loomed into sight. Not wanting to waste time, Makina quickly made her way out of the boat, with the others close behind. While Zorayda slightly lagged behind in order to properly bring their form of transportation to land, in no time at all all three women and their Pokemon were heading into the rocky entrance.

For the moment, the area resembled something similar to a cave found deep in some remote desert. The rock walls were coated in sand, with a large crack marring one of the walls off to the side. Even stranger, on the opposite side lay a ledge where the bottom could not be seen. While Revel slowly crawled towards the dropoff, looking down as if curious to see just where it lead, his curiousity did not appear to be strong enough to actually check it out; after staring into the darkness for a few moments, the Sableye gave a shrug and made his way back to Makina.

As they passed the large crack in the wall, a rumbling noise became suddenly apparent. The sound, while barely audible, was clearly in the same direction of the crevice. In addition, a frigid air was blowing in the same area. Before anyone could investigate, a small creature quickly moved from its hiding place and skittered through Zor's feet, startling the Ranger. The insect Pokemon possessed a startingly blue shell coating a yellow body, with a small horn adorning its head. After letting out a string with what almost sounded to be explicitives, the Karrablast glared at the group angrily.

Revel stood stiil for a few moments, cocking his head at this new arrival. Once the Karrablast had finished its rant, the Ghost-type gave a grin marred with razor-sharp teeth and shot out a taunting statement in reply. To see a wild Pokemon so easily riled right at the start was far too tempting to pass by without reacting in turn, and the Sableye was all too happy to oblige.

Before Makina could rein in her miscievious partner, she heard Zor call out a warning, "Sara! Behind you."

Curious, Makina looked over to see just what Pokemon was making their way towards Sara. A large ursine creature towered behind the Ranger, with ice coating the bear's form. While for the moment it was simply staring at the nearby human, the situation could take a turn for the worse if the Beartic chose to suddenly become aggressive. "We need to move, and fast. I don't really want to battle either of these guys, but if Sara wants one I'll distract the other."

 

Trainer Sara​

The others seemed as excited as I was, and we all enjoyed the trip to the Ruins. Minerva eventually decided to follow along in the water itself, occasionally popping up to squirt water in our direction. Revel seemed fascinated with the Vaporeon and kept trying to grab her fins, while Xen simply hovered nearby and hummed merrily, taking in the whole spectacle. The three of us chatted, but soon enough we reached the entrance to the Ruins and exited the boat.

“All right, here we go!” Zor exclaimed once we were all set. We headed into the cavern, which was replicating various areas at a rate that was faster than normal. It finally settled on what looked like a section of Mount Oktori, complete with a chill in the air. However, we soon ran across the first Pokemon of the run; a Karrablast. I frowned a little at it; Karrablast weren’t native to Oktori, yet the area was clearly not mimicking The Woods right now. Perhaps the Ruins were switching through locations so quickly today that it wasn’t having time to send Pokemon back to their natural habitats before grabbing new ones.

“Sara, behind you!” Zor suddenly called, right at the same time that a low snarl came from that direction. I spun to see a Beartic standing barely a few feet away, glaring down at me with its lips drawn into a menacing expression. The lumbering ursine didn’t look very pleased with our presence, and from what I could hear of the Karrablast, it didn’t seem too happy with the situation either. Then again, insects didn’t fare well in the cold, and to suddenly be dumped into an unfamiliar area was probably surprising, to say the least.

"We need to move, and fast. I don't really want to battle either of these guys, but if Sara wants one I'll distract the other," Makinai said. I shook my head and slowly backed up a pace, not meeting the Beartic’s eyes and risking what might be seen as a challenge. Xen hummed beside me, a low noise that was almost a buzz. She wasn’t a fan of battling, preferring to make friends through playing and such, but she was a tough customer when she had to take the physical route. The sound she was making now was a warning of sorts. I waved a hand at her and she fell silent, but watched the Beartic with a surprising intensity for one who’d been so jovial a few short moments ago.

“I’m not particularly interested in either of these guys myself, though I do agree we should get moving as quickly as possible,” I said. “Let’s try to get around them; if worse comes to worst, I’ll just chuck a PokeDoll and see if that buys us some time to be on our way without having to engage in battle.” As I spoke, I slowly shifted my weight and reached into the pack on my hip, drawing out a small PokeDoll and readying it to be thrown if need be.

@Akinai @TheProtobabe

 

NBP #3 @Dog of Hellsing; @Akinai;

Zor frowned at the rate that the Ruins seemed to be changing. It was odd, certainly… and part of the reason it needed to be explored. The fact that the environment couldn’t settle on a singular type was troubling; Pokemon couldn’t possibly have time to settle and adapt to their surroundings when the surroundings morphed so often. The point was driven home when an unlikely Pokemon paired with a local one to attack the group. The Beartic that had appeared silently behind Sara looked displeased, canines bared. The Karrablast on the other side was also chittering angrily; less imposing, but dangerous nonetheless.

"We need to move, and fast. I don't really want to battle either of these guys, but if Sara wants one I'll distract the other," Makina told Zor, but Sara shook her head with a negative. Now it was time to try an escape. Minerva stayed close to her mistress, tail wrapping around the blonde’s calf protectively in the face of wild Pokemon. Zor eyed the cliff nearby, knowing they’d have to be careful not to get trapped against it.
“C’mon!” she called to the two others, and tried to run quickly past the Beartic. The Pokemon was a huge, lumbering animal, powerful but slow to react. This one, however, seemed to be… well, faster than the average bear. It slammed down from its standing pose to fall onto all four paws, looking up with an enraged expression before sucking in a breath. Zorayda knew what was coming next, but covered her ears too late. The icy polar bear let loose a deafening, intimidating roar, a thunderous sound that came from deep in its gut with anger. They needed a Doll or they needed to battle it—and the Karrablast pushed in towards the Beartic, enclosing them between both Pokemon and trapping them at the edge of the cliff, giving them nowhere to go.

“Throw the doll!” Zorayda yelled to Sara, who already had the doll in hand. The realistic-looking Clefairy doll sailed through the air and through the huge crevice, squeaking slightly as it landed. The Beartic stopped roaring and looked in the doll’s direction before lumbering in to check it out. “Quick, let’s go!” The girls took advantage of the Beartic’s curiosity and the Karrablast’s slow speed to get away. As they passed the crevice they could hear the ursine’s growls as its formidable teeth ripped the doll apart at the seams. They sprinted down the mountainside, shivering slightly now that the environment had decided to settle on the chilly air of Mt. Oktori.

“Eeek!” Zor squealed, her foot slipping on black ice. She slid hard into Makina, the force of the collision making her collapse backwards onto her butt. Zor got up painfully and rubbed it while Minerva cooed comfortingly at her human partner. “Ouch… Sorry, Maki, you okay?” she asked. Her Sableye snickered quietly at her side.

A noise could be heard somewhere ahead of them, in between two rocks that looked as if they’d just fallen recently. Interestingly, the rocks had dark, steaming black material that resembled ash… upon closer inspection it was almost like lava rock. Furrowing her brow, Zor gestured for the girls to come over. The noise was coming from the rocks themselves, which were cracking and settling in the cold temperatures.

“This looks like it’s from Mt. Deckbi…” she commented, confused. Was something going on in the Enigma Ruins? Was the program going haywire…? A sluggish movement to the left of the other rock caught Zor’s eye and she glanced over to see a huge, yellow-furred spider hiss and raise its front legs in defense. In front of it was a small, humanoid creature its hands balled up into fists and held close to its face, like a boxer. The tarantula’s eyes glittered dangerously, though the Ranger saw a bit of fear there, too, and perhaps confusion. It was as if the Electric-type was disoriented, confused… but why? And what were TWO Pokemon doing out of their own environments? Didn’t Tyrogue belong on Mt. Deckbi, or an area similar to it within Enigma Ruins? And Galvantula… it belonged in the Abandoned Power Plant, with its comfortable maze of wires and walls—the perfect Electric haven.

So, what were they doing here?

“Hey, do you guys want to battle these Pokemon or should we try to keep goin’?” Zor asked quietly, now taking refuge behind one of the lava-rocks. When Makina and Sara were close enough to whisper to, she asked, "...What do you think is going on around here?"

Trainer Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Items: Total Items: Park ball (x4), Super ball (x4) Hyper ball (x2), EnergyPowder (x1), Super Potion, Pokedoll (x5), Camera, Apricorn Box (Blu x2, Blk x1, Wht x1), Pokeplayer, Type Repellent (Fighting)
Encounters Remaining: 18
Pokemon Encountered: Karrablast, Galvantula
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 0/25,000

Trainer Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Items: Park Ball x6 ; Super Ball x1 ; Hyper Ball x3 ; Family Repellant x10 ; PokeDoll x4 ; PokePlayer ; x3 Full Restore ; x3 Halloween Costumes (one for 3k, two for either 6k each or 12k together) ; Electric Battery (does 15% damage) ; x2 Energy Powder ; Riolu Voice Disc ; Ralts Voice Disc ; Digital Camera ; Apricorn Box
Encounters Remaining: 18
Pokemon Encountered: Beartic, Tyrogue
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 0/4,000

Battle Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

N/A

Battle Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

N/A

Pokemon Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Ranar [UMBREON] | Male | Quirky | Synchronize | EMs: Attract, Hidden Power (Grass), Snatch, Wish | 100%

Loretta [HONCHKROW] | Female | Modest | Super Luck | EMs: Psychic, Hidden Power (Electric), Aerial Ace, Thunder Wave, Drill Peck
Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze, Wing Attack, Night Shade, Assurance, Swagger, Taunt, Faint Attack, Nasty Plot, Mean Look, Foul Play, Tailwind, Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Torment, Quash, Dark Pulse| 100%

Revel [SABLEYE] | Male | Naughty | Prankster | EMs: Ice Punch, Nasty Plot, Recover, Will-o-Wisp, Snatch
Scratch, Foresight, Night Shade, Astonish, Fury Swipes, Fake Out, Detect, Shadow Sneak, Knock Off, Faint Attack, Punishment, Shadow Claw, Power Gem, Confuse Ray, Foul Play, Zen Headbutt, Shadow Ball, Mean Look, Leer| 100%

Pokemon Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Vice [DRAPION] | Male | Docile | Battle Armor | EMs: TM Earthquake ; TM X-Scissor ; TM Substitute ; TM Toxic ; TM Taunt ; TM Snarl ; TM Struggle Bug ; TM Aerial Ace ; TM Sleep Talk ; BM Agility ; BM Confuse Ray ; BM Whirlwind ; MT Aqua Tail| 100%

Xen [BEHEEYEM] | Female | Jolly | Analytic | EMs: TM Skill Swap ; TM Substitute ; TM Energy Ball ; TM Shadow Ball ; TM Thunderbolt ; TM Reflect ; TM Light Screen ; TM Toxic ; TM Charge Beam ; BM Barrier| 100%

Ironbreak [BRAVIARY] | Male | Hardy | Sheer Force | EMs: TM Attract ; TM Pluck ; TM Bulk Up ; TM Shadow Claw ; TM Rock Slide| 100%

 

Trainer Sara​

It was a good thing I had a fair stock of PokeDolls on me, or else we could have been in a more dire situation with Beartic. It wasn't unusual for the icy bears to be so touchy; after all, Ursaring were like that too, and bears in general tended to be moody creatures. Still, it was a relief not to have to get caught up in an unwanted battle so soon into the expedition. Once I tossed the Doll, the group of us hastily pressed on while Beartic hunted the Doll down; the sound of growling and ripping fabric followed us as we slipped away. Unfortunately, our speedy escape resulted in a minor accident when Zor hit a patch of black ice and careened into Makinai, the two of them falling to the ground with painful-sounding thuds. I winced and Xen hummed in a concerned manner at the other Rangers, hovering over them to ensure they were all right. Thankfully they seemed relatively unharmed.

It wasn't until after Zor got up and started scowling at the rocks around where we were that I noticed something odd about them. They were black with what looked like a sooty covering on them, and I could see wisps of steam rising from stones. If I looked hard enough, I could even see rapidly fading lines of glowing red. They were popping and cracking quietly; these were magma deposits, it seemed, splintering from being thrust into the sudden icy environment we were currently in. I scowled as well, cautiously reaching out; there was still warmth coming off the stones, but it was dwindling away fast. The stones couldn't have been here for very long since they were still warm and, in some portions, still red-hot.

“This looks like it's from Mount Deckbi,” Zor murmured in a confused voice, confirming my suspicions. I shook my head aimlessly as I glanced back the way we'd come, my mind trying to make connections it didn't have enough information for yet. Something odd was going on with the Ruins, and it was very possible it might turn out to be a critical issue. If the Ruins couldn't remain stable, it could pose a substantial risk to visitors and, as was shown in the case of Karrablast, it could leave Pokemon temporarily stranded in an unfamiliar environment.

My musings were interrupted by a faint hissing noise to the left. I looked over and found, much to my surprise, a Galvantula standing behind a Tyrogue. The Galvantula was clearly disoriented, which was perfectly understandable, and it was acting defensively out of bemusement. Tyrogue looked a bit confused as well; their species was normally from Oktori, but it was completely possible that since the Ruins seemed to be malfunctioning for some reason, Tyrogue found itself teleported from where it had been and into a completely different area of the frosty mountain. Normally, the Ruins would replicate the general radius of where a Pokemon was to the very last detail, so the creature never realized it had been taken from its real location and put into an artificial one. It seemed to be doing anything but the norm today, though. I eyed the two Pokemon cautiously, watching them for any aggressive moves that may be made out of fear of being dumped into a random area with no warning.

“Hey, do you guys want to battle these Pokemon or should we try to keep goin'?” Zor asked from behind us. She then added in a lower voice, “What do you think is going on around here?" I could only shrug in a somewhat useless response to her second question, shaking my head as I continued to watch the two Pokemon before us.

“There has to be something wonky going on with the program that controls when the area changes and Pokemon are brought in,” I replied. “At any rate, I'm more interested in pressing on to see what else we can uncover. What about you, Makinai? If you want one of these guys I'll keep the other one occupied for you.”

@Akinai @TheProtobabe

 

OOC: Think you keep fusing Akinai and Makina, Jess


Unfortunately for everyone involved, it appeared as if at least one Pokemon was unwilling to let them pass. Before they could get too far, Beartic dropped down to all four feet and let out an earsplitting roar. As if this was some sort of signal, Karrablast took a more aggressive stance as well.

Zorayda yelled for Sara to throw her Pokedoll, and seconds later the plush Clefairy toy sailed towards the two Pokemon. Beartic's response was immediate, choosing to check out this strange object with Karrablast following closely behind. "Quick, let's go!" Zor cried out, and the group bolted away.

As the sound of ripped fabric could faintly be heard, Makina couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Karrablast. There was next to no chance that the little bug could salvage the doll from such a formidable creature like Beartic, and it was in an area far from its native climate. Before she could mull too much over the matter, she was jolted to attention as there was a yelp and something slammed into her side. After wobbling around on the slick ice in a futile attempt to regain balance, Makina fell to the ground. Thankfully, it only resulted in a slightly smarting elbow on her part.

"Ouch... Sorry, Maki, you okay?" Zor asked, picking herself up from the ice. Nearby, Minerva attempted to comfort the injured Ranger, the Vaporeon giving off a soothing tone.

"I've had worse," Makina replied, taking a quick glimpse at her arm. There would likely be a bruise later, but at least the skin wasn't broken. A cackling sound from off to the right caused her to look over, and the sight of her Sableye taking glee in seeing the two humans topple over greeted her eyes. "Right, I'm sure this would be so funny if this had happened to you instead," Makina stated to Revel.

The Sableye gave a toothy grin in response, phasing a claw into the ice as if to prove a point. Moments later though, Revel gave a yelp and pulled his arm out. Judging from the slight blue tinge the form had taken, the Ghost wasn't immune to cold in the least.

"This looks like it was from Mount Deckbi," Zor remarked, staring at some nearby rocks.

Curious, Makina looked over at the cluster in question. Sure enough, the rocks were nearly coal black; they almost looked to be cooled lava, but that had to be impossible... after all, why would there be lava in an arctic region?

There was hardly any time to think about what could cause this strange phenomenon. Two Pokemon were approaching, with the larger one shivering from the cold. The smaller creature, while possibly used to the colder region, still looked about as if it was in a daze.

"Hey, do you guys want to battle these Pokemon or should we try to keep going?" Zor asked. She then added, in a wondering voice, "What do you think is going on around here?"

"There has to be something going wonky going on with the program that controls when the area changes and Pokemon that are brought in," Sara replied. "I'm more interested in pressing on to see what else we can uncover. What about you, Makina?"

"I'm thinking that this place needs a tech or four that actually knows what they're doing," Makina said, looking over at the volcanic rocks in irritation. This wasn't the first time she had seen something like this happen; during her last time here the zones had blended into one another instead of simply transitioning from area to area like normal. This time, it looked as if Pokemon were merely being dropped off into random areas. "Let's keep going. I can use a Doll this time if these guys decide to block our way."

 

NBP #4 @Dog of Hellsing; @Akinai;

When they approached the rocks, the other two girls seemed just as confused as Zor, who crouched down by them as they witnessed the giant spider and the Fighting-type instinctively duke it out while they gained their bearings. They crept away, unseen, as the two Pokemon continued their minor altercation. Once out of earshot of the wild Pokemon, Zorayda turned to the other two Rangers, her brow furrowed.

“Something’s got to be going on with the program,” she said right away, knowing that they would understand what she was talking about. “We should probably go and figure out what it is; I know this place is old and sometimes mysterious... Remember when that one girl was forced to rhyme because the atmosphere was all out of whack?” Zor mentioned. That was a very interesting case, to put it mildly; the Rangers had all laughed about it afterwards, but now it seemed to be a much more pressing matter. Enigma Ruins would destroy itself at this rate, and the Pokemon would be unable to adapt and survive. As Rangers, the three of them had a duty to protect the wild Pokemon in all areas of the Park. Something had to be upsetting the balance... but what was it?

Minerva tilted her head at Makina, and with a soft coo she summoned a half-powered Aqua Ring that whirled around the Trainer’s wrist and lower arm. The healing waters helped to soothe the pain and prevent the bruising and damage that would show up later. The Vaporeon waved her tail and blinked before returning to Zor’s side. The Ranger smiled down at her; the Water-type was always trying to mother someone. Her gentle nature made it so she just couldn’t help herself when she sensed that someone was hurt and she had the ability to fix it. The Pokemon gave Revel a flat look when he snickered, sniffing daintily. Clearly she did not approve of such behavior towards his Trainer.

They moved on, the environment remaining in the icy mountain state. They came across a few new signs of trouble in Enigma Ruins along the way--all seemingly from Mt. Deckbi. More crackling, hot rocks, a river of lava that had hardened and blackened around the edge, and footprints belonging to Pokemon that hailed from Deckbi. The telltale claw-shaped marks they saw belonged to a Charmander that had run off somewhere recently, probably to find shelter and warmth somewhere in the cold weather. Fire types would likely be all right as long as they kept out of extreme winds... but the Ground types of Deckbi would suffer the wrath of ice and chill in this climate.

They began to make their way up a steep rocky landmark that lent itself to climbing to explore the surface over the ledge. Once over the edge of it, Zor reached out a hand to help Makina up. Revel had hitched a ride on her back like a little kid on a piggyback ride. Sara’s Beheeyem had simply levitated itself using its psychic powers, and Minerva had used her own four paws to climb nimbly up the rocks, coming in right behind the extraterrestrial Pokemon. They walked along, taking notice that the icy rocks were melding into metallic walls. Ahead there was a dark cavelike entrance, except it was man-made and made into a symmetrical hallway. Broken glass littered the floor, and darkened windows could be seen high above them. The glass panes were frosted over with swirling patterns and a cold draft swept through the halls. This looked like the Abandoned Power Plant; except the transition from one environment to the other was slow instead of a marked difference. The Plant was much, much too cold, and darker than usual. It looked like the Pokemon inside had scurried to find warm areas to huddle in.

“Hmm.” Zorayda took out a mini flashlight she always carried; though it wouldn’t provide much light, it was enough to at least see immediately in front of them so they didn’t trip over anything. “Minerva, get in your Poke ball, please? I don’t want you stepping on glass.” The Vaporeon seemed to be a bit saddened that she couldn’t safely walk alongside her mistress, but she complied. Zor would be sure to take her out again when she knew the mermaid-fox didn’t get hurt. They crunched along on the broken glass until the flashlight glinted harshly off of a polished metal surface. Getting closer, Zor saw gear teeth floating in midair... a beady eye suddenly opened to stare at them, wary. The Klang’s gear-body floated closer to them, looking determined. It apparently assumed they were going to attack it and it was ready to answer.

A faint hiss also caught their attention; it came from nearby. Looking back behind them, they saw a Pokemon that had apparently been following them. Two luminous eyes reflected Zor’s light, blinking. A small violet feline with a curled tail stared at them with shyly flattened ears. It held up a paw, mewing--apparently it had stepped on the glass and hurt itself.

“More out-of place Pokemon...” Zor murmured, feeling sorry for the cat. In the meantime, however, they were partially trapped on two sides. To their left was a bend in the hallway where they could run if they had to, but the Klang could pose a problem if it continued to think it was being threatened.

Trainer Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Items: Total Items: Park ball (x4), Super ball (x4) Hyper ball (x2), EnergyPowder (x1), Super Potion, Pokedoll (x5), Camera, Apricorn Box (Blu x2, Blk x1, Wht x1), Pokeplayer, Type Repellent (Fighting)
Encounters Remaining: 17
Pokemon Encountered: Karrablast, Galvantula, Klang
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 0/15,000

Trainer Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Items: Park Ball x6 ; Super Ball x1 ; Hyper Ball x3 ; Family Repellant x10 ; PokeDoll x4 ; PokePlayer ; x3 Full Restore ; x3 Halloween Costumes (one for 3k, two for either 6k each or 12k together) ; Electric Battery (does 15% damage) ; x2 Energy Powder ; Riolu Voice Disc ; Ralts Voice Disc ; Digital Camera ; Apricorn Box
Encounters Remaining: 17
Pokemon Encountered: Beartic, Tyrogue, Glameow
Pokemon Captured: 0
MCR: 0/9,000

Battle Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

N/A

Battle Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

N/A

Pokemon Stats (Makina)

Spoiler

Ranar [UMBREON] | Male | Quirky | Synchronize | EMs: Attract, Hidden Power (Grass), Snatch, Wish | 100%

Loretta [HONCHKROW] | Female | Modest | Super Luck | EMs: Psychic, Hidden Power (Electric), Aerial Ace, Thunder Wave, Drill Peck
Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze, Wing Attack, Night Shade, Assurance, Swagger, Taunt, Faint Attack, Nasty Plot, Mean Look, Foul Play, Tailwind, Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Torment, Quash, Dark Pulse| 100%

Revel [SABLEYE] | Male | Naughty | Prankster | EMs: Ice Punch, Nasty Plot, Recover, Will-o-Wisp, Snatch
Scratch, Foresight, Night Shade, Astonish, Fury Swipes, Fake Out, Detect, Shadow Sneak, Knock Off, Faint Attack, Punishment, Shadow Claw, Power Gem, Confuse Ray, Foul Play, Zen Headbutt, Shadow Ball, Mean Look, Leer| 100%

Pokemon Stats (Sara)

Spoiler

Vice [DRAPION] | Male | Docile | Battle Armor | EMs: TM Earthquake ; TM X-Scissor ; TM Substitute ; TM Toxic ; TM Taunt ; TM Snarl ; TM Struggle Bug ; TM Aerial Ace ; TM Sleep Talk ; BM Agility ; BM Confuse Ray ; BM Whirlwind ; MT Aqua Tail| 100%

Xen [BEHEEYEM] | Female | Jolly | Analytic | EMs: TM Skill Swap ; TM Substitute ; TM Energy Ball ; TM Shadow Ball ; TM Thunderbolt ; TM Reflect ; TM Light Screen ; TM Toxic ; TM Charge Beam ; BM Barrier| 100%

Ironbreak [BRAVIARY] | Male | Hardy | Sheer Force | EMs: TM Attract ; TM Pluck ; TM Bulk Up ; TM Shadow Claw ; TM Rock Slide| 100%