Main RP: Ruined Manor

Banner by Mistral​

"An old, abandoned mansion that Pokemon have taken residence in. Tucked away in a corner of Meteor Valley, it covers a large amount of area. The house is in disrepair, with broken boards and windows, holes in the ceiling and floors, and a thick layer of dust and cobwebs on everything. There are a lot of shadowy crevices."

 

@Seppe; @Meyneth; is Cephia still a Ranger? Or are you differentiating her and Sammy?

NBP#1

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Ivy frowned as she leaned up against the steel desk, watching Haji sleep on the couch in her office. The Espeon had a crease on his forehead, and his body jerked sporadically. For the last three days, he'd also been waking up in the middle of the night due to dreams, with sweat budding on his purple fur. He whimpered, and the red-haired woman clenched her fist, curling it into her long, canvas vest. Haji was the most level-headed of them all. To see him like this was... wrong.

Coincidentally, the newest rumors surrounding the Ruined Manor sprang up three days go.

Except Ivy doubted they were rumors.

Beside her, Vergil shifted, crossing his green-bladed arms across his front. He made a sour sound, but for once, it wasn't directed at her.

“Yeah,” the Ranger agreed, “I don't buy it either.”

Lately, strange things had been happening at the Manor. That wasn't anything new, since ghosts abounded and were known to play pranks, but this was... different. This was darker and unnatural. Something Ivy and the other Rangers hadn't encountered before.

While it was true that sometimes things were moved or broken, even ghosts playing tricks had never tried to purposefully injure someone before. Not of this magnitude anyway.

Three days ago, it was pretty minor. A Trainer and her Ranger had been chased out by some scary illusions. The Ranger had tried to calm his client, but the girl had shrieked and fled, opting to go home and try the Park again some other day—in another area of it.

The next day, a pair had roughed through the illusions only to be forcefully pushed out by some sort of entity. Ivy'd had a talk with Angelo, the Ranger on duty, and he hadn't been able to identify what it was. Logic said it was a Pokemon, but he hadn't seen anything he could name. She believed him too, since he had been involved in a couple other dangerous incidents. After that, the front door had been sealed for a few hours, keeping everyone else out.

It didn't get bad until yesterday. Not to be deterred, Angelo set out with a Trainer that morning. Everything had gone fine until something possessed him and tried to throw him down the stairs.

Thankfully, his Diggersby had been on point and wasted no time zooming down the stairs to catch Angelo's shirt with his ear, inches from the Ranger smacking his head on the floor. Some of the other staff were skeptical, but not Ivy. She had encountered a possessing Froslass in Oktori—she knew all about that. Plus, Angelo was pretty dependable. He wouldn't make something like that up.

Hence their problem. The Manor was one of their most popular sites—if they couldn't make it safe for Trainers, they'd have to shut it down. Business wouldn't like that, but safety was their top priority, for both people and Pokemon.

Until yesterday, she hadn't thought much of the Manor rumors or Haji's illness. Now, though, she had a feeling the two were connected. The Espeon didn't just get sick out of the blue, especially not with nightmares. But he did often pick up stray psychic wavelengths. If something was going on in the Manor, he could've subconsciously tapped into it. He just couldn't tell them what it was.

Next to her, a file folder sat open, calling for a Team Run into the Manor. This would be her chance to check it out. The only problem was that she was down one partner.

Ivy eyed the Gallade next to her. Haji hated when she went anywhere alone after a poacher break-in had severely injured her. However, the Gallade just hated her. At least, he made it seem that way. He was always caustic ever since she caught him, even though she'd done her best to help him get stronger and evolve.

But if she was going into the Manor, she needed some serious back-up.

“You game?” she asked him, somewhat casually. It was semi-phrased like a challenge because he responded well to those. He loved to prove his strength—at anything. Even more so if it was a competition. If they really did run into whatever was causing trouble, he wouldn't back down.

Vergil shifted his look from Haji to her, narrowing his eyes slightly. She narrowed her own back, folding her arms for a second before she realized they mirrored each other. She dropped them with a huff. If he wouldn't go with her, she was still going.

He seemed to know that, despite his best attempts at not paying her much attention. The Gallade glanced at Haji and back to her. Then, he nodded. Something in her gut unclenched.

“Right, let's go then,” she said.

Ivy took a second to check the pockets of her long, red vest to make sure she was fully stocked on supplies. Then, she smoothed the fur on Haji's head back before striding out the door. Vergil followed, only sulking slightly.

As she passed the front counter, she waved down one of the secretaries there. “Anna,” she called. A young woman with curly brown hair in a bob snapped her head up. “These two Trainers,” Ivy said, pulling up her phone to show the data. “They don't go into the Manor alone. If they come here instead of out there, you tell them to wait for me.” There would be no more accidents.

They exited the main outpost and started south down the trail, leading to Meteor Valley. Due to the location, there was a short travel through the Valley first, which veered off on a path into the trees. Eventually one hit the Manor. They had yet to finish building an outpost down there—just the maintenance shed. That's how busy they'd been.

Vergil followed her without a word, threading through the trees in near-silence. Tension eased out of her shoulders as she caught view of the decrepit old mansion—she didn't see the Trainers, so that meant she beat them there. Still, now that she was in the presence of the place, despite her relief, something uneasy was growing in her stomach.

Too agitated to sit down on the bench against the shed, Ivy started scanning the perimeter, walking partway around—but still in view of the shed, waiting for her Trainers to arrive.

---

Current Encounter Stats: N/A

---

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

Name: Victor Vega (Seppe)
Name: Cephia (Meyneth)
Location: Ruined Manor
Encounters Remaining: 15
Area Effects: Normal so far.

Seppe Pokémon Encountered: None
Meyneth Pokémon Encountered: None

Seppe Pokémon Captured: None
Meyneth Pokémon Captured: None

Seppe MCR: 0
Meyneth MCR: 0

Seppe Items: Park Ball x3, Super Ball x2, Hyper Ball, PokéDoll, Lava Cookie x3, EnergyPowder, EnergyPowder Plus x3, Digital Camera, Apricorn Box
Meyneth Items: ParkBalls x3, Energy Powder, Hyperball, Digital Camera, Lava Cookie, Superball

Seppe Pokemon Stats

Pokémon: Feraligatr
Nickname: Crunchbite
Gender: Male
Ability: Sheer Force
Nature: Naughty
Taught Moves: TM Swords Dance, TM Ice Beam, TM Earthquake, TM Rock Slide, TM Substitute, TM Roar, HM Waterfall, TM Ice Punch, BM Aqua Jet, BM Dragon Dance

Pokémon: Gengar
Nickname: Soulmaster
Gender: Male
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Impish
Taught Moves: TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, TM Psychic, TM Taunt, TM Energy Ball, TM Will-O-Wisp, TM Dazzling Gleam, BM Haze, MT Foul Play, SM Sludge Wave

Pokémon: Exploud
Nickname: Goliath
Gender: Male
Ability: Scrappy
Nature: Timid
Taught Moves: none

Meyneth Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Scrafty
Nickname:Scrag
Gender:Male
Ability:Shed Skin
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Strength BM Dragon Dance

Pokemon: Galvantula
Nickname: Jolty
Gender: Male
Ability: Compoundeyes
Nature: Calm
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Thunder TM Hidden power(Fire) TM Energy Ball

Pokemon: Whimsicott
Nickname: Puffball
Gender: Male
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: none

 

Cephia looked down at her map, excited for the park run she was going to partake in. It had felt like such a long time since she had gone on a run! In fact the last place she had been was the gardens, and those would be a great contrast to the place that she would be going to this time. She had herd things about this place, the ruined manor, that it known to eat something. Or was that in a movie? That may have been a movie. There was also that sometimes the walls would bleed and write out ancient cures in a forbidden tongue. Which was odd considering that the manor did not look old. Well not that old. Maybe it had ben reformed, or burned down and it just reformed to match the times, to trick new people to come in and be devoured.

Cephia searched the road ahead for the hunted house. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to do this, since would be spooky, likely too spooky for her. She hoped that she would not do anything too dumb, like fall down a trap door and get lost. That would be bad.

She took a second to wonder if her companion for this run was also nervous for this trip. Victor was a friend of hers and she had finally gotten someone to do the park with her. It would be so exciting! Or Terrifying! Or Both! Wasn’t excitement and terror cousins? Well it would hopefully result in some cool Pokemon for the both of them.

At last the sepals of the manor came into view and she saw someone waiting out front. She quickened her pace to a jog and waved at the person.

 

Victor Vega

---

He looked down at his map, then shielded his eyes and looked back up towards the sky. The sun was slightly off to the right, giving Victor some peace of mind. He hadn't lost his way just yet. Victor put the visitor's map in his bag and continued forward along the trail he had been following. It wouldn't be such a bad day to get lost in the National Park though. The sun was shining brightly, but not oppressively, and only the faintest of breezes could be felt.

Still... there would always be those who complained for the sake of complaint.

He glanced back at his companion, a sulking, hulking blue beast that was tailing him grudgingly. He might be irritated about the trek or perhaps the lack of action or maybe the good weather, Victor could never tell. "Damn, Crunch." Victor smiled as he called out to his Pokémon. "You've certainly become a miserable bum since evolution, haven't you?" The Gatr perked up at this; he gave a roar of what seemed to be indignation, but was really just disinterest. Victor refused to be dismissed that easily, however.

"Alright, alright, what is it you want?" Victor asked with a hint of condescension in his voice, but only just. Crunchbite howled back, stomping both feet into the ground as he did so. The intention was obvious enough. "I already told you, you're too big for that crap. I would literally die trying to give you a ride on my shoulders." Crunchbite bellowed loudly in response, head forward, body tensed. Victor was unimpressed. He knew by now how whiny his Pokémon could be. Still, he couldn't help but grin at his Pokémon's antics. Crunchbite was like a huge man-child, though Victor supposed that calling him such would be a case of pot-and-kettle.

He wouldn't be out-teased by his own Pokémon though; Victor would play along, just as he always did. Assuming the most furious look he could muster without breaking into a smile, Victor marched up to Crunchbite. Even though his Pokémon stood nearly two feet taller, he managed to look him directly in the eyes. "You think this is effort? I'ma show you real effort. Right." Victor placed his hand onto Crunchbite's shoulder and prepared to push downwards. "Now." He vaulted himself onto Crunchbite's upper back, eliciting a groan of surprise and strain from the Gatr.

"Now, after all this time, you can finally give me a ride on your shoulders." With Crunchbite's back arched and head lowered, Victor had a fairly comfortable seat in the space between the two sets of red spikes. "Onward, mighty steed!" Crunchbite lumbered forward, even more grudgingly than before, growling and hissing all the while.

It definitely wasn't flying, but it would do for now.

---

They were nearing their destination; the trail had taken them through the Valley to the more densely wooded area surrounding the Ruined Manor. The trees blocked the breeze from coming through, but they also blocked the sun, and the temperature had dropped considerably. More cries from wild Pokémon could be heard in this area, but the added ambience somehow made the atmosphere only more peaceful. Even Crunchbite had quieted since they entered the woods; the blue beast of travel was now bearing his load stoically.

Victor closed his eyes and allowed the sensations to wash over him. He could smell the richness of the Valley earth beneath them, hear the Pokémon chittering in their homes, feel Crunchbite's sway as he put one foot in front of the other.

It had been a while since they traveled like this. Most of their time was devoted to official Pokémon battling and training for official Pokémon battling. And they had indeed come a long way from the Totodile and Trainer that didn't understand what a battle was. Dozens of those and a few badges later, Victor and Crunchbite had found themselves more powerful and more capable than they were before. They had learned how to win, but, more importantly, had learned how to lose. Well - Victor grinned, eyes still closed - that last part was a work-in-progress.

He had met new people and made some friends along the way, too. Trainers and Gym leaders, writers and artists, there were so many different kinds just wandering around the place, sharing their knowledge and craft with others. One of those new friends, Cephia, was the reason he was here today. Because, between the constant competitions and training, Victor had realized he was missing the thing that drew him to Pokémon in the first place - adventure.

So he accepted Cephia's invitation to a Team Run in the National Park, as it gave him an easy excuse to go back. She seemed the kind of person who prioritized the fun in Pokémon over the competition, and he appreciated that. Victor knew Crunchbite would appreciate some time away from training as well, even if the blue load acted as if he didn't. And he'd get the chance to spend some quality time with a couple Pokémon he didn't normally walk around with.

Victor opened his eyes and yawned, apparently having fallen asleep in his seat. Crunchbite had stopped moving, though, and it was easy to see why.

In front of them was the Ruined Manor, looking every bit worse than Victor had imagined. The place looked ready to collapse and was most definitely haunted if he had actually believed in such a thing. Why had he and Cephia chosen this place again...?

Nearby was a shed with a bench that would be as a good a meeting place as any. Victor dismounted and walked over to the bench, motioning for Crunchbite to do so as well. "Ahh, the great Ranger Outpost. Hey, Crunch, I knew these Ranger-types were minimalists, but this is something else..."

 

@Seppe; @Meyneth;

NBP#2

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Ivy was still wandering around, scanning the area, but it didn't take long for another presence to show up. Although he didn't say anything, Ivy read the way Vergil stiffened and suddenly disappeared. The low murmur of a voice. She just barely caught the gist of it when the same voice let out a startled noise.

She sighed. She supposed Vergil never did promise to behave.

“Vergil,” she called, heading back to the utility shed and shaking her head. The Fighting-type Pokemon was standing ominously with his arms crossed, glaring down at who she guessed was one of her Trainers. A Feraligatr hovered near him.

The Gallade leveled his gaze at her for a second, but then he relented and went to go lean against the shed, not quite sulking but clearly unhappy. Ivy sighed again and rubbed her temple.

“Hey, you must be Victor,” she said. “I'm Ivy, and that stick in the mud over there against the tool shed is Vergil.” Ivy nodded her head in his direction. “I'd say he didn't mean to startle you, but I'd be lying. He's grumpy today.”

It wasn't long before she saw a girl approaching, waving at them. “Looks like we're all here,” Ivy said as the girl reached them. She introduced herself again and then waved them to start walking toward the house. Vergil paced behind—but at a distance so he wasn't so close.

“Okay, here's the deal,” she said, weaving through the grasses that were starting to grow taller than was easily passable through. The house groaned in front of them. “There's some rumors that something strange is going down here at the manor—little things, but nothing is confirmed.” She kept her concerns of foul play to herself; no need to scare them if it turned out to be nothing after all.

“That doesn't mean we're not going to be careful, and if I tell you to retreat, do it,” she added, her voice semi-stern. She wasn't as good at striking fear into people as some of the other Rangers—barring Jathan, who seemed to be terrified of her—but she needed them to listen. If she told them to run because something bad was happening, she wanted them to do it. Probably it wouldn't come to that.

She set her hand on the leaning banister as she dodged a hole in the first step. Looking back at the two, she said, “Got it?”

The way she was turned allowed her to catch a glimpse of Vergil's eyes going wide for just a second. Then, she felt what seemed like a gust of wind, except it traveled from the wood, up her hand, and into her shoulder. She was knocked off the steps and sent stumbling but thankfully managed to keep her feet. Whirling around, she only spotted Vergil as he teleported up to the porch, swiping at nothing. Had something really been there? Or had it been her imagination?

But something had tried to push her off the stairs.

Granted, it wasn't super dangerous at just one step, but it had tried, just like with Angelo, the other Ranger. Something roiled in her gut. This wasn't going to be fun.

Ivy brushed off her vest and ascended the stairs again, narrowing her eyes. Nothing bothered her this time, and she made it all the way up to the porch. Those six steps seemed like quite a feat under the current circumstances.

The group below looked at her a little skeptically, but she nodded her head. “Nothing to it. Watch the steps where the wood is weak. We'll have to be on the lookout once we enter,” she added.

The door creaked open behind her. Vergil rushed it, but nothing was there. Ivy waved the group up.

From where they were, she could see the little square entryway, a place formerly for things like shoes and coats. “A servant's corridor actually leads part of the way around the perimeter of the building—not sure how far since we've never taken it all the way around. There's an open parlor after the next door that opens into a wide room with lots of branches and a staircase to the next floor.”

She waved them up, all of her senses alert for any interference. Vergil relaxed slightly, and that let her know more than anything that whatever had been around was gone. He was way more sensitive to that sort of thing than she was, even while being connected to Haji.

“It's up to you guys for where we go,” she said.

---

Current Encounter Stats: N/A

---

Trainer Stats

Spoiler

Name: Victor Vega (Seppe)
Name: Cephia (Meyneth)
Location: Ruined Manor
Encounters Remaining: 15
Area Effects: Normal so far.

Seppe Pokémon Encountered: None
Meyneth Pokémon Encountered: None

Seppe Pokémon Captured: None
Meyneth Pokémon Captured: None

Seppe MCR: 5,597
Meyneth MCR: 1,484

Seppe Items: Park Ball x3, Super Ball x2, Hyper Ball, PokéDoll, Lava Cookie x3, EnergyPowder, EnergyPowder Plus x3, Digital Camera, Apricorn Box
Meyneth Items: ParkBalls x3, Energy Powder, Hyperball, Digital Camera, Lava Cookie, Superball

Seppe Pokemon Stats

Pokémon: Feraligatr
Nickname: Crunchbite
Gender: Male
Ability: Sheer Force
Nature: Naughty
Taught Moves: TM Swords Dance, TM Ice Beam, TM Earthquake, TM Rock Slide, TM Substitute, TM Roar, HM Waterfall, TM Ice Punch, BM Aqua Jet, BM Dragon Dance

Pokémon: Gengar
Nickname: Soulmaster
Gender: Male
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Impish
Taught Moves: TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, TM Psychic, TM Taunt, TM Energy Ball, TM Will-O-Wisp, TM Dazzling Gleam, BM Haze, MT Foul Play, SM Sludge Wave

Pokémon: Exploud
Nickname: Goliath
Gender: Male
Ability: Scrappy
Nature: Timid
Taught Moves: none

Meyneth Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Scrafty
Nickname:Scrag
Gender:Male
Ability:Shed Skin
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Strength BM Dragon Dance

Pokemon: Galvantula
Nickname: Jolty
Gender: Male
Ability: Compoundeyes
Nature: Calm
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Thunder TM Hidden power(Fire) TM Energy Ball

Pokemon: Whimsicott
Nickname: Puffball
Gender: Male
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: none

 

Randy was sprinting as fast as he could. The last time he could remember running this fast was during his last trip to the park, which was cut short due to a close encounter with a hive of Combee in the thick vegetation of the Botanical Gardens. This time, he wasn't in danger; at least, not directly. Randy's friend Victor had invited him to a group run in the National Park. Randy had replied that he would consider it, but never gave a definitive answer. Albeit a little late, Randy wound up working the National Park into his trip around the world to train his Pokemon.

Randy glanced down at his watch. Victor had his run scheduled for ten minutes ago. Randy made it to the ferry to the National Park on time, but the ferry was damaged and unavailable during repairs. Randy wound up having to ride Alice, his Dragonite, over the treacherous waters to the National Park. Flying on his Dragonite wasn't particularly fast- Alice had to make sure that she wouldn't go too fast so Randy wouldn't fall off- so once he made it to land, he began running on foot.

Another quick look at his watch. Now he was fifteen minutes late. If Randy hadn't glanced up in time, he would've ran face first into the building in front of him out of incompetence. It was the shed that he was going to meet Victor at. Randy's head darted around violently before spotting the nearby mansion. Not wanting to go back to the Botanical Gardens, Randy was happy with the change of scenery. He remained oblivious to how creepy the mansion would've appeared to most trainers and greeted the building with an eager smile.

"...up to you guys for where we go," Randy heard from the entrance as he threw the front door open with full force.

"Victor! Long time no see buddy, sorry I'm late, boat broke down and I had to fly over on my own Dragonite," Randy explained as he looked at his friend.

He noticed the woman who was talking when he walked in and cut his story short, extended an arm to offer a handshake, and introduced himself.

"Hey there, I'm Randy! You're the ranger, right? Your secretary said you already left with my buddy here, glad I was able to catch up!"

CC: 2149