Team Rocket: The Next Generation

[Arcran]

Episode 0: Trainers Assemble!

The five of you arrived at the old Silph Company Building at different times, from different parts of the world. For Talitha, Cyril and Conwenna that meant being recalled from the field; for Xavier, being recalled from, well, his apartment while for Gemini it meant a new set of orders in that cold cell.

The fact that you had been called to Rocket Headquarters was odd enough in of itself. Now, in a modern world, all orders were relayed through burner phones and secure lines, not in person. In the back of all your minds is the strange feeling that, for whatever reason, you've been recalled to be, well, terminated. After all, since when did Ethan Halsey himself make personal requests?

One by one you were all filed into the elevator with a conspicuous "Out of Order" sign on it. You'd think after however many months of that sign somebody would grow suspicious but, for whatever reason, nobody ever was.

As you approach the office you can't help but notice how pedestrian it all seemed. Aside from the nameplate reading "Ethan Halsey" you never would have suspected that the room was the head of Team Rocket. No guards, no golden door; just another office.

There is a short wait as Ethan presumably finishes an earlier meeting. Fortunately, a small TV is on the wall, apparently playing the news. Champion Paul Ticker, a man who would be more at home in his parent's basement than garbed in the Champion's Cloak, was pinning a badge on the chest of a pale, dark-haired woman with glasses.

"In wake of Sabrina Natsume's... absence," the Champion says, either fumbling with the word or simply hungover (with him you could never tell), "I hereby appoint Artemis Frerin the Gym Leader of Saffron City."

For whatever reason, the Champion does not seem particularly happy about the appointment, if his glare at Frerin is anything to go by. Still, he shakes her hand, although the mocking grin on Frerin's face does a bit to explain the Champion's frustration.

Finally, after a few long minutes and dull speeches, the door to Ethan's office opens, Sabrina Natsume walking briskly away, not even regarding the Rocket agents. While she had not been seen as a Gym Leader for over twenty years, the former Leader has not seemed to age a day.

"Next," you hear from within the room.

As you all enter you see a lithe man with thick glasses sitting in a rather spartan chair. While he seems tired, as the small group enters he visibly brightens, placing a device upon his desk as the operatives enter. There seems to be no security, at least of the visible variety, but Gemini can clearly detect the psionic field between Ethan and the operatives and it doesn't take a detective to determine that there is something massive behind him.

Without any proper introductions, Halsey begins to speak.

"I'm nearly positive the five of you are wondering why exactly I brought you here today," Halsey states, idly tinkering with the device upon the table. "The answer, oddly enough, is this."

With a push of a button, Halsey activates the device, a holographic globe appearing above the table.

"This is our world. Up until three months ago, we believed here," he says, gesturing towards the image, "To simply be ocean, as our satellites said. As you can guess, that is obviously not the case."

"A new continent," he says, no dramatic flair involved, "One as-of-yet unexplored by the current regions. It seems similar in size to Hoenn. We don't know how it has escaped our notice for this long, especially in regard to our satellites. That is where you come in," Halsey says, eyes invisible behind his glasses.

"We need information on the region. Who is in control? What makes their economy function? We have sent two operatives in the past but, unfortunately, we have yet to hear from them. For all intents and purposes they have disappeared," Halsey says, with perhaps a bit more emotion than his stoic facade would indicate?


- .... . .-. . / .. ... / -.- -. --- .-- / .. -. -.. .. -.-. .- - .. --- -. / - .... .- - / ... .-.. .- - . / .- -. -.. / ...- . .-. ... .- / .- .-. . / -.. . .- -..

A red light rapidly blinks behind Halsey before he lifts a hand, cutting it off.

"I know Mjolnir, I know."

"As I was stating, we need information. You five are among the top operatives within Team Rocket and, as such, have highly technical skillsets. We want you to infiltrate this new region, find out what makes it tick. If you complete this job, well, you can pick and choose what you want for the rest of your life. As you know, Team Rocket rewards its agents handsomely. We have constructed enough of their language from hijacked signals to create a basic translation so that will not be an issue."

"Now, all I need to know..."

Halsey leans back in his chair, fingertips pressed together.

"Are you in?"


Episode 1: Calm Seas and Calmer Nights

The boat rocked back and forth, over and over again. Halsey had you traveling in a boat, of all things. According to him, the previous two agents had gone in using an aircraft. As they had not been heard from for months and were, despite the machine's insistence, presumed dead, Halsey had decided that an aircraft would be too great a risk to the agents. Of course, that was a logical statement but it did little to alleviate the boredom aboard a ship for weeks at a time.

Of course, there were things to do. Everyday lessons on Rocket's best guess at the new language was hammered into your reluctant skulls. The psychics seemed to have the easiest time of it, for whatever reason, but learning a language without much real baseline is understandably difficult and you are all positive that your accents are atrocious.

Yet, while the trip may be rather dull, it is the dull of a good variety. No Gyarados leaping from the depths to sink the ship. The weather was warm without being painfully so, making the trip somewhat relaxing, oddly enough, despite the fact that you may never return.

Up above the familiar hum of robotics can be heard. One of the nine Genesects currently possessed by Rocket had been assigned as an escort, intended to keep threats away, a fact that most of the crew was thankful for. Most had seen them in action during the war, thankfully fighting for Rocket's side and calling them a weapon of mass destruction would be an understatement. The only thing that had managed to go toe-to-toe with the robots was Mewtwo and, frankly, the psionic Pokemon had been far too unstable to make a practical weapon as the entire world had soon learned.

And so, the group moves on, the hum of the Genesect and the boat accompanying the sounds of Rocket sailors on the deck, giving each member more than enough time to review their objective files.

Name: Cyril Theron
Objective: Exploration of the new continent. Enclosed within are the proper accolades and information to pose as a rich big game hunter traveling from the lands across the sea. Your primary objective is to focus on the wildlife of the new continent, capturing samples in order to allow Rocket to discern what is different about the life on the new continent. A cover alias is not required; nobody within the new region should have the capacity to identify you. As a secondary objective, attempt to place yourself within the local criminal faction and gather information.

Enclosed are various small badges and various photos of Cyril posed with large, unconscious Pokemon of various species propped up in humorous poses, clearly intended to be his quarry.

Name: Talitha mi-Chelicerata
Objective: You will be posing as the representative of the Virdian Nation, a fictitious group comprised of the various tribes that currently reside within your homeland. Hopefully this role should not prove too difficult. You will attempt to integrate yourself into the high society of the new region or, if that proves to be unsuccessful, integrate yourself with the local tribes in the area in order to build rapport among the local populace. As a secondary objective, analyze the local Bug life, a task that you should find rather entertaining.

Inside are various credentials and identifying badges, clearly labeling you as the representative of the Virdian Nation.

Name: Xavier Enkea
Objective: Your objective is to pose as a member of the Kanto media, sent with the first group of travelers in order to report on the current situation to people at home. Of course, your true objective is simply what it has been all along: Gather information. Your primary objectives will be the gathering of said information while also finding a way to relay that information back to us in Kanto. For whatever reason, it would appear that the new continent blocks even satellite information, meaning your task may be extremely difficult.

Enclosed within are various media credentials.

Name: Conwenna
Objective: Within the new region your objective is simple: Find the local criminal element and, through the use of your talents, find your way inside in order to gain rapport among the criminal element. As a secondary objective you are to attempt to recruit a new Team Rocket, this time within the new region, in order to create a local base of operations for when operations in the new region begin in earnest. While it may be obvious, do whatever is required to accomplish these objectives.

In addition, hunt for any Kantoans that have fled to the new region. While unlikely, there is a small chance that we are not the first ones here. Gemini Castor will be tasked to assist you in this matter.


Instead of credentials or new information, there is simply a handwritten note with WHATEVER IS NEEDED scrawled on it.

Name: Gemini Castor
Objective: Within the new region your objective is simple: Find the local criminal element and, through the use of your talents, find your way inside in order to gain rapport among the criminal element. As a secondary objective you are to attempt to recruit a new Team Rocket, this time within the new region, in order to create a local base of operations for when operations in the new region begin in earnest. In order to facilitate the best possible chance at success in this endeavor, your implants have been removed save for the essential ones. Do not abuse your newfound freedom.

In addition, you are to assess the current status of psionic prowess and psionic technology within the region in order to determine if it may be used as a weapon. Conwenna has been tasked to assist you in your primary objective.

The pain from the removal of your old implants has all but faded as have the scars and, yet, the dull ache in the back of your head, as if something is missing, is more than slightly annoying.

This is a chance to post what your character would be doing with their endless free time, whether it shooting things, twiddling their thumbs or just standing idly about. This is your chance to continue to establish who exactly your character is.

[Zelphas]

Xavier kept himself busy in the weeks before they made landfall. He constructed a set of four "outfits" for use while on assignment, each one geared towards a specific espionage concept. The first was his "general" reporter's outfit: a button-down blue shirt with a white tie, khakis, and cheap loafers. A brown, short-haired wig, blue contacts, and light tan foundation completed the look, allowing him to become a nondescript on-the-streets reporter relatively quickly.

The second outfit was his "sports" reporter. This outfit was a full grey suit complete with green, blue, or red tie, button-down black shirt, and black shoes with modest, nearly-unnoticeable lifts, giving him and extra inch of stature. The entire suit was carefully padded, giving Xavier the physique of a minor athlete gone slightly to seed with age rather than his true utterly average build. A wig with shoulder-length black hair, deep amber contacts, dark tan foundation, and a fake Sharpedo-tooth earring rounded out the former-athlete-turned-reporter persona, allowing Xavier access to contests of strength and skill of people--and more importantly, of Pokemon.

The third outfit was a generalized "contest" reporter's outfit. Stylish but understated black pinstripe pants followed by a muted grey dress shirt formed the basis of the outfit, with purple contacts. The accessories were specialized for each Contest: roll up the sleeves, put on some sweat-soaking wristbands, a bald cap, and a fake eyebrow scar for Tough; fake Evee ears, brown wig, and a dopey grin for Cute; wraparound grey shades, slicked back midnight blue wig, and a faux-expensive watch for Cool; square-rimmed glasses, a red short wig, and a pocket protector for Smart; and jangling wristbands, flowing shoulder-length white wig, and a whitened smile for Beauty, along with a judicious use of cosmetics.

The final outfit was his "nondescript", which he packed for every mission. Blue jeans, a plain black T-shirt, grey hoodie, and sneakers for the clothes, with grey contacts, light green hair, and paler foundation. Most of the Trainers starting their journey were younger than even he was, and looking like them was the best way to vanish into the crowds, he found.

"Who knows what the locals actually wear, though," Xavier muttered to himself, looking critically over his choices near the end of the trip. All of these costumes would have to be revised as soon as they hit the new Region, but a baseline was always good to start with.

Xavier made sure to talk with all of his teammates as they headed towards the new shores, getting a feel for their strengths and weaknesses as best he could. He made sure that they knew how to recognize his three reporter costumes, though he kept the "nondescript" to himself, as always. It's best to have a fallback for everything, he reasoned.

Each day, Xavier made sure to train with Morrigan and Ammit, running the two mon through their drills and exercises. He also checked in with Morrigan every morning and evening, making sure that her premonitions sensed no oncoming doom.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril sighed. A lot. For most of the journey. Every time someone called his name, or started a conversation. Every time he woke up only to see endless ocean. If anyone was stir crazy on the boat, it was Cyril.

Cyril, as much as he dreaded conversation with people, made a point of getting to know his teammates in his own curt manner. Talitha, she was an odd one. Somewhat of a kindred spirit, their conversations were brief and to the point. Starting off, he liked her and enjoyed her 'company' so much as two loners enjoy company. The bug stuff was frankly a little unsettling. He had no issues with the oddities of pokemon, even Bugs, but she took it to another level.

Xavier. Xavier, Cyril already disliked before talking to him. If not for individuals like Sabrina, Cyril wouldn't believe in Psychic powers or any such things. He believed in what he could see. His title as a "fortune teller" didn't help Xavier in Cyril's eyes. Even more so than normal, Cyril was brief with the man, and made a point of avoiding him.

Conwenna was interesting. They had at least one thing in common, though she was much more focused on fighting, while he was focused on fighting. If he were to tolerate someone, she'd be the best compliment to his abilities. Overall, Conwenna and Cyril were neutral. She would at least be useful in the field.

Gem... Gem confused Cyril more than anything. By her appearance, she looked too sickly to be out of bed, not going out and exploring a possibly hostile region. To make matters worse, she was some kind of Psychic. He feared she would not survive the boat ride. And if she did, she would fall to the first foreign disease that came their way. To some degree, Cyril felt pity for her, being on what he believed a suicide mission for her. While it was likely suicide for the others and himself, they had a chance. Gem likely didn't. Though after talking with Gem for a while (longer than any the others), his pity only grew.

Cyril's time, when not talking to the others (which was most of the time) was spent watching, waiting, scanning, pacing, racing and some light sparring. But mostly waiting. It was so dreadfully slow and the boat was so dreadfully boring. With that metal Pokemon above them, he couldn't even try his hand at fishing. Nothing had the guts to get near enough for a line. Overall, the boat ride was slow, boring, and annoying.

[Esprit15]

Talitha observes her co-workers for the coming job. An eclectic group, as always. It seems that they would all be acting independently together. Mingling in high society? Was she really the operative to choose for that? Certainly one of the more pterygota-like operatives could fare better. The information broker, for example. Then again, he had his own role. No matter. This was her job, she would perform it to her utmost.

The others treated her like everyone else did. Useful, helpful, but clearly unsettling. Irrelevant. Friendship was not needed for the job at this time. If it developed, so much the better. If not, no loss. Cyril's attempts at friendly behavior were awkward for all involved. It seemed clear that he and her had little in common aside from lack of sociability, hardly something to build an alliance on. Still, it was a sign of being cooperative. This however was counteracted by his complaints of boredom. Hastiness. Proof that any positive trait taken to an extreme can become negative. A shame.

Observing the others, they ran the full spectrum.

The broker, Xavier, reminded her of the aspects of outsider society that she despised, especially with his numerous outfits, even if she consciously knew those were part of the job. The outsiders would call him ambitious; a tribe member would call it dissatisfaction, or even disloyalty if it were serious enough. But, it was not her place to judge. His morals were not those of her upbringing, an uncomfortable but recurring experience for the chelicerata.

On the other end was Gemini. Mission oriented, an outcast who didn't wallow in it. She had a quiet respect for the telekinetic experiment. She considered getting to know Gemini more, if nothing else than out of a curiosity of how she differed from the rest of these people. Less positively, her ragged appearance did give cause for concern. Would she survive the first sign of danger? This doubt was reinforced by the complaints of illness due to the motion of the boat. If a simple boat trip caused this, what of actual stress? Obviously Gemini had proved her worth to Ethan, but she didn't look it. Oh well, he had his reasons.

Conwenna and Cyril she mentally lumped together: Strong combatants with differing specialties. No doubt the former would end up outfitting them with basic weaponry later, while the latter would likely serve a similar role of any ambush operations that are needed. Conwenna was an interesting one. Her ownership of a Scyther caused her immediate interest in the weapons designer, though her attitude was off-putting enough that Talitha decided the question could wait until later.

Talitha spends much of her time practicing combat below deck. Killing blows, ensnaring prey, coordinating with Vespa and Taranto, as well as anyone who is interested. As they near land, she focuses more on practicing the new language, doing her best to adopt the accent. If she was to mingle in high society, she had to at least attempt to blend in somewhat. While tribal work would be easier, it was not the primary goal. By half way through the trip, there are several hammocks of webbing around the boat, much to the annoyance of the crew, though nobody voiced compalints to the crazy bug-woman. Did they honestly expected her to sleep on one of those uncomfortable, square bags of fluff and springs?

[gearHead]

Despite having access to more open sky and sea than she had ever seen in her life, Gemini spent most of the voyage either clenched in fetal position in her bunk or losing what little she ate overboard. Her newfound "freedom" was difficult to comprehend; she viewed the ship as just another kind of cell. The constant motion of the sea and the damp, salty atmosphere played havoc with her sinuses and stomach, and she complained about her chronic headaches and seasickness loud and often to anyone who gave her the chance. On top of that, the removal of her limiters and, more importantly, her collar, left her feeling constantly disoriented and unfocused. It had come as a surprise to Gem, though she had given no resistance to the surgeries. She had rarely given her handlers reason to employ their punitive measures, and the implants had become a familiar and comfortable weight over the years; without them, she felt naked and empty. By the second week, she was out-surlying the most grizzled sailors on board. The crew learned quickly to avoid her whenever she came on deck, but some of her teammates were more persistent. Gem didn't need telepathy to understand it wasn't for the sake of friendship; though it wasn't uncommon for Rocket teams to form strong bonds, the young psychic held no illusions about how inapproachable she was.

For her part, Gem was nominally interested in learning what her new teammates were capable of, at the very least enough to do her job properly, though she did so more via sifting through surface thoughts than actual conversation. Any attempts at socialization they initiated were met with little sharing of personal information; she answered any questions asked that she knew the answer to, but offered no information on her own. The other psychic on board was an interesting puzzle, but curiosity had been drilled out of the girl at a young age. Conwenna in particular she made more than minimal effort to speak with, since the woman had apparently been assigned as her direct commander for the mission; or at least, Gem always assumed she was meant to take a subservient role in any partnership. She wasn't sure yet what to make of Halsey's offer of reward; she had never been "rewarded" for any of her previous missions beyond basic sustenance, reading material, and a place to live. The idea of freedom was as foreign to her as the region they were travelling to.

Her Pokemon remained contained during the voyage, both accustomed to long stays in their Pokeballs until they were needed.

[gearHead]

Yeah, not sure how an edit turned into a double post. :/

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

In her cabin, Con pauses a moment - rifling tool in hand - as she tries to find a rhythm in the rocking of the ship. After all the work she's put into the damn things, she's not going to louse up a simple barrel correction on her .33 because she's too impatient to wait for the waves to settle enough not to jog her arm. At least the others don't seem to bother her in her cabin - not that she particularly minds them, but doing something fiddly with someone leaning over your shoulder is quite irritating when you want to get it right.

The ship lurches again, and she sighs. Apparently she's not going to get to do any more work until they hit shore, so she carefully puts the gun back down and methodically cleans and reassmbles the pieces - there's no telling when she'll need it next, and no excuse for being sloppy. Without conscious direction, her hands locate her cigarettes, pull one out and light it. Then they pour her a whisky. She goes to stand by the porthole, or starboard hole, or whatever the hell it's called. The window.

So... she thinks, staring across the ocean, or possibly the sea. A team.

It's something of a new experience to be working with other humans. Pokemon, certainly - and not a problem. Docile, for a given value of docile, and thanks to their training somewhat predictable. With a human, though... with a human you never quite know if they'll throw themselves into your line of fire in the deeply mistaken belief they're helping. It's going to take time to learn them; learn their routines, and figure out how they'll react when their lives are on the line - and unfortunately there's not a great deal of opportunity to learn that on a ship. Which means it will be trial by combat, which is jsut going to be messy.

Staring out over the wet-thing-that-might-be-an-ocean, Conwenna sighs to herself. She hopes - really and truly hopes - that there isn't anyone on the team who takes pleasure in carnage and slaughter, death and destruction. Dealing with that could be problematic to say the least.

[Arcran]

And so days pass, common in their dull monotony, regular in their routine.

That is, until a day comes when things are slightly less than regular.

It all starts early in the morning when Xavier releases his two Pokemon for training. Ammit seemed to be fairly typical but Morrigan, well, to say that she went insane upon being released would be an understatement. For the Xatu, natural disasters were commonly regarded with a sense of unease, the Xatu often alerting Xavier without any fuss.

This episode, however, can only be described as pure terror.

As the bird flies about the deck, telekinetic power toppling boxes and generally acting a nuisance, a voice comes on over the speakers.

"This is your Captain speaking," it begins, a fairly redundant statement. Captain Amara's voice was distinctive with the rasp and the general sound of nails on a chalkboard. The crew claimed that a Kingler had cut the Captain's throat open long ago but with sailors who can know the truth?

"We have just lost all radio contact with headquarters. We're getting close folks," the Captain rasps, a rare tone of unease in her voice. Of course, that's completely understandable. After all, no radio contact meant that, should something bad happen, the crew would be on their own.

"And get that damn bird under control!"

Above the ship the constant whirr of the Genesect can be clearly heard.

Far out on the horizon, hardly visible, a few choice, fluffy clouds linger in the otherwise clear sky. They seem benign enough although the stark contrast of white on the otherwise blue sky is more shocking than would seem the norm.

While the clouds seem benign enough anybody with a great deal of knowledge about the weather can clearly tell that they are as far from benign as they come. While inland that formation of clouds would likely be a simple rainstorm out at sea? That meant a storm, and if the size of the clouds was anything to go by it would not be a small one.

If you read those without successfully making the check in the OoC first I will grind your bones to make my bread.

[Zelphas]

Upon seeing his bird panic, Xavier's eyes widen slightly, but he gives no other outward indication of worry. He swiftly recalls the Xatu, noting the horizon as he does so. I need to warn the Captain... another's word would bolster his own. He quickly flicked through his options.

Cyril was discounted almost immediately. The man was a hardcore loner, and Xavier could tell the man disliked him. Talitha quickly followed; he had little to no information on the Chelicerata, and that scared him. She would be given a wide berth until he knew more. If they were heading into a storm, Gemini would be even more useless than she currently was on the ship, and he doubted the sickly Psychic had the social skills to support him with the captain anyways.

That left Conwenna. As Xavier began to walk briskly towards Conwenna's cabin, he mulled over his choice. The "Holy Hound" was the most senior of the group, and her track record could not be ignored. She had her idiosyncrasies, but they were well documented, and Xavier thought he knew how to exploit them. He smiled quietly to himself. Conwenna was his best bet for an ally among this motley group, and it was better to start early or something to build into.

By the time he reached Conwenna's room, the smile was gone, replaced by a worried frown. He knocked quickly on the cabin door, waiting for Conwenna to answer. "Conwenna, I need your help. My Xatu sensed a massive storm of some sort that's going to hit us very soon, and I need someone to back me up when I tell the captain," he said quickly, his words coming out in an urgent rush. "My...profession makes people less likely to trust me," he continued, wincing slightly as though his reputation pained him, "but you are known to be true to your word. Please, I wouldn't ask, but this ship is in serious danger and I've never known Morrigan to be wrong."

To play the part of the concerned, conscientious info broker: [roll0]

[Esprit15]

Talitha heads up to the deck, Taranto sitting obediently on her shoulder. She stays in silent communication with the small tick as she stops her training to investigate the commotion on deck.
[roll0]
The Joltik taps her shoulder, pointing towards a cloud formation in the distance. Storm clouds... Muk. That's not good. Without further delay, she runs to find the navigator.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Frak. Cyril noticed the looming clouds on one of his many trips to sigh at empty ocean. He knew those clouds. They were storm clouds and they were nasty sort. And out at sea, with no solid ground, it was going to very rough. Fraking crap! Cyril dashed from his perch on the forward bow, heading towards the helm. Captain Amara! There's a storm approaching from the East! Cyril called out as he ran, for anyone to hear.

[gearHead]

"Urk..." Gem was on deck when they lost radio contact, sitting with her back to the rail and her arms wrapped tight around her shins, rocking slowly back and forth in a vain attempt to counter the boat's own swaying. Her hands were clenching each other so tightly that her usually pink and dry-skinned knuckles had gone white. The 'fresh' ocean air was doing little to alleviate the twisting of her guts, but there was no one nearby to moan about it to at the moment. She was almost ready to consider letting one of the Pokemon out to gripe at for a while when her gaze happened to be drawn upwards, noticing the billowing clouds in the distance. The weather was not normally something Gem paid much attention to - rain or sun, being outside was pretty much 100% miserable for her - but before she could even begin to speculate if the clouds would make the air even more humid someone's bird went crazy. Gem winced, gritting her teeth as she tried to block out its intense psychic distress. Everyone else began scrambling across the ship, and she overheard a couple of her teammates shouting warnings about a storm.

Gem pulled her legs in tighter, groaning as she shover her head between her knees. "Awesome! As if this tub wasn't enough of a queasfest." She'd been better off in the lab - at least it had been clean, quiet, and motionless. "Got my own problems, but what's everyone else so worked up about? Sure these sea dogs've seen their share of nasty weather." She muttered to no one in particular - whoever happened to be close enough to hear - for all Gem knew she was spitting uselessly into the wind. Wouldn't be the first time.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

The door opens almost as Xavier's first knock connects - she'd actually been about to leave after battening down the booze, and making sure her ammunition press wasn't in danger of coming loose. Conwenna listens intently to Xavier for a moment, then nods decisively.

"I saw it too. I'm sure the captan is already aware, but there's no harm in being doubly sure," she says, twisting her body slightly in a you-go-first-because-you're-in-my-way gesture. As they walk, she gives Xavier a slightly odd look; "How do you manage without a reputation for honesty?" she asks after a moment of silence. Honour amongst thieves may be total nonsense, but reputation is important outside of the law where trust is a scarce commodity.

[Arcran]

Cyril and Talitha

As the operatives burst in to the command center Amara turns, shouting at Cyril and Talitha.

"What the frak do you think you're doing!" she screeches until somebody points out the storm to her.

"Frak," she repeats, the rage gone from. "How the hell did we miss that?" She snatches the microphone from the table, speaking rapidly.

"This is the captain. We have a large storm approaching from the east; repeat, large storm approaching."

Down on the deck, sailors begin moving about, lashing down everything and generally preparing for the storm.

"Non-essential personnel should remain in their cabins until this all blows over."

As the storm approaches, the clouds turn from white to black in a matter of seconds, huge flashes of light visible even from this far away. If the look on Amara's face is anything to go by, that's not how a storm should be behaving.

"You all are going to want to go to your rooms," she says, face blanching as she turns back to Talitha and Cyril. "It's going to be a big one."

"Whelst!" she shouts, turning to the navigator. "Set a course due south. Let's see if we can dodge the damn thing!"


Gemini

As you muse on the deck, the chuckle of a large sailor some ways behind you is the only indication you were heard. The man seems about to speak until something comes over the intercom.

"This is the captain. We have a large storm approaching from the east; repeat, large storm approaching."

Soon followed by:

"Non-essential personnel should remain in their cabins until this all blows over."

The sailors quickly make their way across the deck, hurriedly beginning to work. In the distance, massive grey clouds can be seen, the flashes of light visible even from distance. The ship turns almost ninety degrees, clearly intending to try to outpace the storm.


Xavier and Conwenna

As the two of you make your way towards the command deck, an announcement comes on over the intercom.


"This is the captain. We have a large storm approaching from the east; repeat, large storm approaching."

Soon followed by:

"Non-essential personnel should remain in their cabins until this all blows over."

A burly sailor nearly knocks the two of you over as he races down the hallway, making his way towards the deck. You feel the ship turn abruptly, likely to attempt to outrun the storm.

[Zelphas]

Xavier turns and walks quickly towards the navigation room, smiling slightly as he answers Conwenna's question. "My superiors know that my information is always sound, and act on it as such. Others, on the other hand... well, they see a fortune teller with a vast array of disguises and a knack for getting information that is closely guarded, and they draw their own conclusions," he ends with a sigh.

As the announcement comes on over the radio, Xavier's eyes flash quickly with annoyance, swiftly covered by a wide smile. "Oh, good! One of the others must have seen it too. I guess we don't" he is cut off by the sailor nearly bowling them both over. "I guess we should head back to our cabins, then. I'm not sure about you, but I'd only be in the way," he says, gesturing towards the retreating sailor for emphasis.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Glancing up at the speaker's announcement she gives a short shrug and stepping out of the way of the hurrying crewman.

"Oh, well, good. That saves some time," she looks around for a moment. "I hope we get there soon," she adds without rancour. "There's only so much I can do on board ship, and parts are impossible to acquire if I don't already have them,"

Con puases for a moment, looks blank, and goes to the old socialising fallback; "Drink?" she asks, miming a tipping glass. "Can't do anything to help, so might as well pass the time,"

[Esprit15]

"Cyril, I will follow you. Should anything happen, two people may be needed." She doesn't look like no is an answer.

So with that, Talitha sticks to Cyril, keeping his door unlocked in case they had to move quickly. After a few consoling pheromone messages to Taranto, she begins to mentally plan for the worst. If they had to leave her room, what are the paths out? The primary exit is simple enough, no massive maze of corridors. Should that be unavailable, she could climb out the window and up the side of the ship, though that was risky in such choppy water. She had a bad sense, as though the ship wasn't going to make it to shore. Who could she carry? Most of them, but only one person without having trouble swimming. The sickly one would likely need help if they went over, being the highest risk. Should she be fine, the weapons specialist and the broker would be the next most likely to need help. And if a wild shows up...

If-then-else scenarios spread out in her mind like a web. If she gets blocked off, if the ship sinks, if a team member goes overboard, if a wild attacks.

[Zelphas]

"I'd be glad to," Xavier responds, smiling. Perhaps this storm won't be a total disaster, after all. "So, any speculations on the new region?" he asks, making general small-talk as he follows Conwenna back down. "The higher-ups must think it's pretty dangerous, judging by the team they've sent along. Excluding me, of course," he adds with a small chuckle.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Back in the cabin, Con pours a couple of drinks, and flicks a record on (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJaf1k_EdNg). Scotch on the rocks, to ward off boat on the rocks with any luck.

"No idea," she shrugs. "Not sure why they think there's anyone there, though. I hope it's inhabited; I'm not interested in wandering a deserted wasteland for weeks on end,"

To be fair, she doesn't look like she's cut out for wilderness exploration, either; smart business casual is more her style. Grey suit jacket, white shirt and a dark slit-sided skirt with low-heeled black shoes. The innocuous professional look is somewhat disconcerting combined with the fact that the cabin appears to be a portable weapons factory. A press on the table, along with a scattering of brass cases, suggests that Con prefers to manufacture her own ammunition, and a full gun cleaning kit is laid out on a velvet roll on the desk.

"Suspect I'm here to get you all out of any trouble you can't talk your way out of,"

[Zelphas]

Xavier's eyes are a flurry of movement as he enters the cabin, taking in every detail that he can to familiarize himself with his potential ally. Definitely a professional. Makes her own weaponry, guns completely presiding... the reports were right. Probably not one to get in close and dirty with her marks, if the more expensive clothes are any indication. He accepts the drink and sits where he can, sipping the scotch appreciatively.

"If there's no one there, my job becomes pretty much useless," he responds. "You can get some info from Pokemon, but that's not my specialty, and I'm not really the outdoorsy type either." He pauses for a moment, then decides that divulging a little info to get some in return is a good plan. It's nothing he's worried about anyways. "You've seen my disguises for this trip; I'm supposed to pose as a Kanto reporter and collect as much information as I can. It seems there's no sure way to get the info back to headquarters, so I'm planning to pose as a sports reporter and scope out the fastest and strongest Pokemon in this reason, then obtain them and send them back with my information to Kanto. It's dual-purpose: the higher-ups get their report, and the R&D crew get a new Pokemon to research." He paused again to sip the scotch on the rocks. "What do they have you doing here? I'm guessing it's more than just keeping all of us out of trouble."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril nods stiffly. He wasn't going to argue. If not for the captain's orders, he'd not even go to his room. Regardless, he made his way to his room, shutting the door. He didn't speak, instead making a point of tying down every thing he could, before nervously pacing and fiddling.

[Esprit15]

"Quit panicking. It's out of your control. Just be ready to move when something goes wrong." He's no good to the team stressed out or dead.

[MesiDoomstalker]

I'm not panicking. I'm pacing. I'm not used to sitting still for long. The one break in monotony on this trip and I'm confined to my cabin.

[gearHead]

Managing to push herself to her feet, Gem fought against the deck that seemed to roll wildly under her feet - though it had grown no worse yet than it had been before the alarm was sounded. The only truly bad part was her legs almost buckling as the ship suddenly turned away from the oncoming clouds. Grumbling under her breath the whole way, she stumbled belowdecks, leaning heavily against the wall as she made her way down the corridor to her room. Every sailor that rushed past her earned a tirade of curses, largely ignored; they were obviously too busy to deal with her attitude, but that didn't stop her from wasting a few choice insults she'd been saving up for a couple weeks.

Gem felt safer once she was in her bunk with the door closed - confined spaces usually had that effect on her - but another part of her, the part that was always focused no matter how miserable of a show she might be putting on, had enough presence of mind to make sure she had all her important possessions on her, including both her Pokeballs. Not that she had any personal property; just all the gear she'd been assigned for the mission. After a moment of hesitation, she tentatively reached out to Xavier. Hey, uh, you're the fortune-teller - just how bad is this storm gonna get? Gem was no clairvoyant herself, but even she could sense something wrong in the atmosphere.

[Zelphas]

Xavier winced slightly as Gemini's voice resounded in his head. "Sorry, incoming call," he says, tapping his temple and smiling. "Gemini's a bit worried about the storm is all."

He thinks back to how Morrigan had reacted. He had never seen her panick like that; she was always cam and collected, even shy. Either this storm wasn't natural, or something else was coming. This storm is going to be bad, but the sailors were trained to handle this, he answers, trying to downplay his own worries to keep them from bleeding over the psychic connection. Best be on our guard, though. I'm getting a feeling that the storm may not be all our worries.

[Arcran]

As the three groups are confined to their cabins, they slowly feel the waves chopping against the side of the ship harder and harder. They don't seem to be doing much to actually disrupt the ship but they certainly make fine tasks, such as getting a drink, somewhat more difficult.

Should anybody look out the porthole, however, they'd be met with the sight of the storm not being far to the east, as it should be with the change in direction, but actually closer to the ship, although whether that is simply the sheer size of the storm or something else is impossible to tell.

Still, even from the great distance it still is from the ship, giant cracks of lightning can be seen, illuminating the dark of the storm for the briefest of seconds at a time.

Up above, shouting can be heard, although it's impossible to make out the words through the ship.

[MesiDoomstalker]

This storm. It's not normal. It shouldn't have gotten so dark so quickly. We should be skirting its outer edge, but its right here. Cyril absent-mindedly tapped his fingers on the porthole as he stared out.

[Zelphas]

Xavier glanced casually out the porthole, then did a double take and stared intently. "Is... is the storm following us?"

Claircognizant, Dailyx3: Instead of making an Education or Intuition Check, you may make a Perception Check instead and use the result.

Perception (to see if Xavier can 'see' anything about sentient storms): [roll0]

[Esprit15]

Talitha nods, and goes to open the door, Taranto shuddering on her shoulder. "Follow me if I'm not back in a minute," she says to the outsider.

Talitha crawls along the upper portion of the wall to stay out of anyone's way, heading to the source of shouting. Losing any crew would be bad for travel.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

As she listens to Xavier, Con nods to herself.

"Interesting," she says after a moment. "Halsey talked about a language and translations, so I would assume there are people there," she hesitates, considering how much to reveal; it's hardly anything sensitive or secret, but if it wasn't common knowledge...

Well. Halsey will have to live with it.

"I'm establishing Rocket's presence in the new region, and searching for Kantoan expats," she frowns at a sudden thought; could Real Rocket be in the region? They have been quiet recently, and it would make sense to hunt them down even this far away...

"What?" she looks up, startled from her thoughts by Xavier's talk of a 'call'. She gives him an odd look as he stares into space.

"It... what?" Conwenna stares out the porthole for a moment. "Oh. So it is. Wonderful," she glares sullenly at the porthole, the storm and then the sloshing bottle. That's going to make drinking it more difficult.

[gearHead]

Do you think something's... making this storm? Gem shot back nervously after a few pensive moments daring to glare out a porthole at the clouds. Apparently she wasn't a strong enough psychic to simply will the weather away. Plenty of documented cases of Pokemon influencing the weather. Never heard of anything on this scale though, outside Hoenn... or could be some kinda weird Kalos tech... Gem knew she was mentally babbling at this point, but it helped ease her hackles a little.

[Arcran]

As Xavier attempts to use his psychic powers to understand the storm rather than his eyes he receives a shock of the literal variety.The clairvoyant had hardly attempted to understand the storm with his power when out of nowhere a great burst of electricity strikes him in the chest, launching him across the room and slamming him in to the meticulous far wall. Fortunately, the shock didn't seem to have any damaging effect on the room or Xavier besides the sheer surprise of it.

Talitha soon reaches the deck where the source of the shouting seems to be coming from.

"The storm ain't natural, I'm telling ya!" a burly sailor shouts, glaring at a smaller one. "This land ain't ours! The satellite can't see it, hell, we don't even now where it is! We should be turning back, not trying to outrun it!"

"Who cares if it's unnatural?" another sailor says, clearly skeptical. "We've got a goddamn Genesect! Those things are nicknamed City Busters for no reason man. One of those things could wipe out half of Saffron, Sabrina included! If a Pokemon is doing it the robot will just kill it!"

A slight exaggeration perhaps, but not as much as one might expect.

The ship continues to run for some time, the storm coming ever nearer. Amara changes course multiple times; north, south, west but it doesn't seem to matter. The storm seems to simply change direction, coming closer and closer. Gauging by how far away it is it will likely reach the ship in a few short minutes. The flashes of lighting are now accompanied by thunder that shakes the very ship. The winds have already begun to pick up, howling by like a great storm. On deck, the sailors become more and more unnerved, even the one that boasted of the Genesect's power.

Then, out of nowhere, the ship stops completely.

"Anchor is down folks. We can't outrun this thing. All personnel on deck, even you lazy operative types," Amara says rapidly, clearly panicked far beyond what you would ever expect of the woman. "We've got to batten down everything we've got."

Strangely enough, it seems that the storm is primarily wind and lighting with little in term of rain and waves. A storm of this size should be accompanied by massive waves and great amounts of rain. For a sea storm, even from this distance, you can tell that it's drier than most storms on land tend to be.

[Zelphas]

Xavier was about to explain the psychic connection Gemini has established between him and her to the confused Conwenna when the electricity blasts him across the room. He picks himself up after a stunned moment, uninjured. His eyes are glowing, and he's... smiling? "Oh yes, something's making this storm, all right," he says, speaking both aloud to Conwenna and in his mind to Gemini. "It seems whatever it is wants to keep its information to itself." He rubs his hands together. It had been too long since he'd had a good challenge.

Then the captain's voice came over the intercoms, and Xavier snaps back to reality. He smiles apologetically to Conwenna. "Sorry, whatever just hit me must have scrambled my brains a bit more than I thought. Shall we head to the top deck?" Inside, his mind is racing. Air and electricity, but little rain or waves. Ammit might actually be useful against this threat. He readies the little Sandile's ball, just in case, as he hurries to the deck of the ship.

[Esprit15]

Talitha follows instruction right away, ordering Taranto to help web down everything they could. All the while, she thinks on countermeasures to dealing with the cause of the storm. The Genesect should keep them safe from anything too dangerous, but if it is a school or swarm of some kind of Pokémon, they were in trouble. Her hand rests on Vespa's ball. Vespa was not like Taranto. Taranto listened to her like an obedient underling, but Vespa was an equal at least. She was not commanded so much as she was directed. The only one who directs a worker is their queen, and Talitha wasn't Vespa's queen, simply another worker.

A thought occurs to Talitha, and she runs to the captain. "Does the ship have any lightning rods, or any safe grounding for a lightning rod?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril dashed from his room, bursting the door open excitedly. He stormed out to the deck, quickly buffeted by a rogue gust. He surveyed in a second. No ordinary storm for sure. There should be rain, waves. Some kind of water movement. Cyril twisted around, searching for answers in the air but nothing came to him. This was completely unnatural and the only explanation was something, or someone, from the new region was doing it. He hoped it was a pokemon. That he could deal with.

[gearHead]

"Awww dude, no..." It wasn't in Gem's nature to disobey orders directly, and so she made her way back on deck. Still, she did so as slowly and with as much huffing and groaning as possible. The anchor almost made the ship's rocking worse, as it was no longer riding the waves. She quickly proved useless in helping secure the ship, her clumsy fingers taking forever to manage simple knots, but proved her worth telekinetically holding material (and unlucky sailors) in place while the others worked to batten things down properly. Though her focus was on the task at hand, she kept sending furtive glances skyward.

Spending 1 AP for +1 General Ed [roll0]

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

She just stares as Xavier goes flying across the room, gets up and starts glowing and ranting to himself. She shakes her head slightly, finishes her drink and then follows him out onto the deck, checking her shoulder holsters as she goes - she doesn't normally bother with them, but right now she wants her guns with her, and within easy reach.

Arriving on the deck she glances out across the storm and gives a little tch sound. Shouldn't the storm be bumpier than this? And wetter?

Conwenna looks around the deck and the bustle and thrum of activity and panic, and feels slightly lost. Batten things down? How, and with what? She nudges the first sailor that comes hurrying past.

"What is it you want us doing?"

Hmm. Making a Pokemon Edu check, because I'm sure I remember something about a pokemon that accidentally generates electrical storms when they swarm in sufficient numbers. Thing it was a steel-type. Might have been something out of another game, though.

[roll0]

[Arcran]

"Just lash down anything and everything!" the sailor shouts at Conwenna, struggling against the wind to put a tarp over some boxes.

And still, every second, the storm grows nearer and nearer, the booming flashes of lightning becoming louder and louder by the second. It seems every time the group looks up the storm is twice as close as it had been before, the ominous booming coming closer and closer after each flash.

Finally, when the storm is almost upon you, the Genesect above stops humming and floats in place for a brief second before flying forward, a sonic boom erupting in its wake a it goes right into the heart of the storm.

"Told you the damn thing wasn't natural!" a sailor shouts, his voice hardly audible over the great storm.

And then the storm is upon you.

The group's work to batten down the hatches is soon proven to be futile; so great is the force of the wind that tarps and supplies go flying across the deck, many tumbling in to the sea as sailors futilely try to slow their progress.

Then the lightning strikes begin.

They aren't the great booming strikes that had heard before; rather, these are quick, rapid bursts of lightning that hardly are seen before they are gone. The first sailor to be struck by one drops the crate he was trying to carry, shouting in pain, only to be blown overboard by the hurricane winds.

All around you the storm swirls, the ship hardly moving from waves and absolutely no rain, although the air is so charged with electricity that the hair on the arms of the various Trainers is standing almost completely on end. Every few moments a great yellow flash of lightning illuminates the sky while blue bursts from the Genesect occasionally can be seen through the clouds. One flies almost directly at you, freezing a great iceberg next to the ship.

Then, with a sudden crack of lightning, great bolts strike the ship in rapid succession. Small burns marks are the only physical indication of the strikes save for the things deposited by the beams.

They look vaguely like Pokemon, whether they be Jolteon, Electabuzz or something completely alien. At first they appear benign, at least until the first Jolteon-esque construct leaps at a sailor, the man's skeleton showing briefly through the powerful electrical shock delivered instantly.

Across the deck sailors attempt to fight back with hastily released Pokemon, the Jolteon-Constructs assaulting them from all sides, leaving the five of you a handful of very large, very angry constructs, their bodies composed entirely of electricity and their eyes pure hate.

And now we have a map! I'm just using temp sprites for now. The green haired guy is Cyril, Bugsy is Talitha, Sabrina is Gemini, Juan is Xavier and Karen is Con. Yes, they don't match the appearance for most of you at all. These are just temps until I can make real sprites.

And we are live for a fight! If you're ahead of the Sparky Dudes in Initiative feel free to post your action! Assume that you all have your full inventories. Es, Taranto is on your shoulder and is in the same square.

Oh, and a link to the map/tracker. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Akuo1v6xJCoXdERPaDJfUmlCNEU1ektSQjdfZFFKa mc&usp=drive_web#gid=13)

[MesiDoomstalker]

What the void are these things!? Argos! Cyril palmed the pokeball, releasing the massive hound. Argos, Bite that thing! Be careful! The hound barked in response, lunging at the electric monstrosity its maw gaping. Cyril ducked behind the crate he was next too. He pressed his body against the wood. Likely the cover would not last long, either from the beasts attacks or the wind. But for now, he took the shielding.

[roll0]
[roll1]
Released at D6 by the by

[Arcran]

As Argos leaps forward, fangs barred, he bites in to the massive electric construct, the creature recoiling as the teeth bite in, somehow hurting the incorporeal creature. However, it comes at some small cost; even as the fangs tear in to the electrical Pokemon waves of electricity wash over Argos, paralyzing him and limiting his movement.

In fluid movements the electrical constructs dash forward, bodies crackling with every movement. Two instantly move towards Argos, great electrical fists slamming into the Arcanine like hammers. Each hit is punctuated by a loud yip from the magnificent beast until, finally, the Arcanine collapses to the ground, smoke rising from huge electrical burns all over his body. Whatever the creatures are, they're clearly powerful.

Another of the Electabuzz-constructs is struck by a bolt of lightning and, with a point of his finger, redirects it across the four others, forming an electrical shield around each and every one that will make combating them far more difficult.

Finally, the two remaining ones shoot out their arms, bolts of light flying our like small shooting stars, impacting the deck far away. Only Gemini is saved from the blasts which, while painful, are hardly enough to take down our mighty Trainers although the bursts do leave small burns across the skin of the Trainers.

Up above, the thunder is punctuated by a shriek that sounds oddly bird-like and threatens to rupture the eardrums of all those below on deck. A bright flash accompanies this, quickly followed by another blue burst, likely from the Genesect.

Shocky Dude triggers Static on Argos! Argos is now Paralyzed!

Shockey Dude #1 uses Light Screen!

Shockey Dude #2 uses Swift on Cyril and Conwenna!
Critical: [roll0] Hit
Damage: [roll1]

19 Damage to Conwenna and Cyril.

Shockey Dude #3 uses Thunderpunch on Argos!
AC: [roll2] Hit
Damage: [roll3] 61 Damage to Argos. 1 Injury from Massive Damage, 1 Injury for passing 50%. Injuries affect HP and Attack.

Shockey Dude #4 uses Thunderpunch on Argos!
AC: [roll4] Hit
Damage: [roll5] 66 Damage to Argos. 1 Injury from Massive Damage, 1 Injury for passing 0 HP. Injuries affect Special Attack and Defense.

Shockey Dude #5 uses Swift on Xavier and Talitha!
Critical: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

18 Damage to Talitha, 15 to Xavier.

In case of Injuries:
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]
[roll13]
[roll14]

Shock 1 is at E3, 2 at D4, 3 at D5, 4 at E6 and 5 at F4.

I've updated your HPs in the Tracker. Let me know if I messed up.

[Esprit15]

Talitha gives a grunt as she and Taranto are slammed by the stars. She tosses a Pokéball out of her left hand, a large hornet not quite as tall as her taking the field by one of the electrical aberrations (C6 or D7, depending on which one is next to Enemy 3). Injured intruder. Attack. The Beedrill does so immediately, slamming a barb into the already injured creature. At the same time, Talitha throws out a Sticky Web of threading, falling all over the creatures.

Sticky Web: The following 8 squares are now Slow Terrain - D4, D5, E3, E5, E6, F4, F5, F6.

Drill Run, targeting Enemy 3
Ground, Physical
AC: [roll0] 3, Crit 18-20
Damage: [roll1]
If Crit: +[roll2]

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Ow, ow, ow!

Con hisses as the thunder roars over her.

Deadly threat, and she doesn't have any tranq darts on her? Dammit! They'd been too much bulk to pack, and too much trouble to make - plus she doesn't exactly have the rifle on her at the moment... Curse it, she's going to have to try and catch the things if she doesn't want to shoot them. At least Fia can be useful, though.

"Fia!" she grits her teeth, and releases the raticate. "Get them,"

As the raticate unleases mayhem on whatever poor creture gets in her way, Con prepares to throw a greatball at the unfortunate victim, drawing a gun with her free hand. Just in case it doesn't work, and these things really don't like capture attempts.

"Anyone have any bright ideas?"

Release Fia (pronounced Fee-ah, if anyone was wondering) to E8, shifts to E7 and uses Hyper Fang on the electric beastie in E6.

[roll0] vs. 4+Evasion, Flinches on a 19-20
[roll1]

Con takes pity on the electro-thing, and throws a greatball at it then draws one of her guns as a free action.

[roll2] vs. 6+Evasion
[roll3]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril whirled around the box, chucking a pokeball at the electrical beast as it swung at Argos. The ball flew but the beast connected and the hound fell. Muk! Argos, come back! Xco! Another pokeball flashed as it released the dimiutive Mixcoatl where Argos had once been. Xco, Ice Punch! He figured a physical attack would do the same as with Argos. But not attacking was worse. The weasel balled a glowing pale blue fist, rocketing it towards one of the beasts.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Zelphas]

Xavier grimaces in pain as the light shoots through him, trying to take in the rapid attacks as they go. He pulls out Ammit's ball and sends him into the battle, commanding the little crocodile: "Drop the wounded, then evasive maneuvers!" Ammit nods and rushes towards the Electric creature hit by the Beedrill, zigzagging across the deck to make himself a more difficult target.

Xavier uses the command Capricious Whirl (+3 Evasion, -5 Damage for Ammit). Releasing Ammit to C6, moving up to C5 to attack Elec Dude #3 (or E5 to attack Elec Dude #4 if #3 is down).

Assurance, Dark Physical AC 2 on Elec Dude #3, if he's still up (Elec Dude #4 if not)
Accuracy: [roll0]
Damage (if target is already hit this round): [roll1]
Damage (if target is unhit): [roll2]

Xavier's eyes snap upwards as the birdlike sound screeches. That can't be good... he thinks, searching his mind for whatever could make such a terrifying noise.

To see if Xavier knows the sound: [roll3]

[gearHead]

The conditions on the ship had left Gem feeling put out and even more snarky than usual. But combat - that was something she could deal with. Her main directive was always "complete the mission," but her secondary goal in every battle was to make sure every Rocket operative made it back alive - as long as it didn't interfere with her primary goal. She wasted no time wondering what the heck the things attacking them were, or how their physiology even worked, observing the enemy for a few moments while the rest of the team sprang into action. Witnessing how hard the lightning constructs could hit, Gem shuffled to take cover behind the closest crate and called out her Duosion. "Get a Reflect up," she ordered, any trace of whining gone from her voice; she was all business for the moment. The Psychic Pokemon complied, glowing as an aura of shimmering light settled over the Rockets before going mostly invisible.

Gem's training had included briefings on the world's most powerful Pokemon, including legends and rumors; she wracked her memory for anything that might be capable of the phenomena attacking the ship - let alone apparently going head-to-head with a Genesect.

Gem Shift: Move to 8B.
Gem Standard: Release Duosion.

Duosion Standard: Use Reflect.
Duosion Shift: Move to 6B.

Occult Ed [roll0]

[Arcran]

The battle continues with Talitha lobbing webbing into the air, completely covering the far side of the battlefield. While the electrical constructs seem like they should be able to pass through harmlessly, it soon becomes very clear that they are anything but immune, the webs sizzling and cracking even as they limit their movements.

As both Cyril and Conwenna lob Pokeballs at the strange constructs they can only watch as the balls fly forward, their aim true. However, rather than opening some distance and shooting out a capture beam both balls sail harmlessly past, clattering against the deck of the ship. Fortunately, a wave comes up, sending them rolling back to their owners, but it seems that either the electricity was interfering with the balls or, well, these aren't Pokemon.

The Pokemon across the field dash forward the combat resolves itself in a flurry of blows. Vespa crawls forward, struggling against the wind, only for his drills to spin rapidly, glowing a bronze color with the power of the earth then slam in to the already weakened construct, the electricity dissipating into the storm instantly. Mixcoatl leaps forward, fist coated in a pale blue glow that fills the construct with small ice crystals, forcing it to step directly backwards into a sneak attack by Ammit, the electricity once again flowing outward back towards the storm. Mixcoatl stumbles after the attack, body coated in waves of electricity.

The constructs are quick to resume a counterattack. The one furthest from the battle struggles against the webs, finally simply throwing the beams of light from earlier outwards, striking Mixcoatl and Vespa straight on, their bodies becoming covered in small burns. Another lunges forward, fist aimed directly for Vespa, only for a hastily erected pink barrier to slow the assault, the Duosion erupting from the Pokeball just in time. Still, the Beedrill flies about haphazardly, its defenses clearly disrupted.

The final construct lashes out with a leg, aiming for the prone Ammit only for the small Sandile to roll across the deck like a log, easily escaping the clumsy attempt at an attack.

Throughout the entire fight small bolts of lightning criss-cross the deck, stinging all save for Taranto and Ammit, the electricity slowly taking its tole on the bodies of the various Trainers. All around the sailors struggle against their own constructs, the vast majority losing horribly.

Up above a great crack is heard, followed by a metallic whine. From on high a metalic form falls, fired like a missile, and collides with the ship, the impact sending the ship careening sideways despite the anchor. It quickly corrects itself, yet all can hear the water surging in to the ship. It doesn't take a genius to determine what exactly struck the ship, especially considering the blue flashes from above have ceased.

While both of you have extensive knowledge when it comes to Pokemon and the supernatural, this one escapes you both. It is clearly both ancient and powerful beyond compare, not resembling any known Pokemon.

While the notion is absurd, it does seem extremely similar to an ancient tribal god called Zapdos, but that was just a tale to explain the storms by primitive man, right?

Sparky Man #1 Swift v. Mixcoatl and Vespa
Critical: [roll0] Hit
Damage: [roll1]
23 Damage to Mixcoatl and Vespa

Sparky Man #2 Thunder Punch v. Vespa
Accuracy: [roll2] Hit
Damage: [roll3] (assuming Reflect) 24 damage. 1 Injury for crossing 50% HP which will affect Special Defense.

Sparky Man #5 Low Kick v. Ammit
Accuracy: [roll4] Miss
Damage: [roll5]

Potential Injuries:
[roll6][roll7][roll8][roll9][roll10][roll11][roll12][roll13]

If you threw a Pokeball you have it back.

#1 - D4
#2 - C5
#5 - F5

The hole will add a block of water radius every other round, starting with the next.

And map link so it's easier for everybody. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Akuo1v6xJCoXdERPaDJfUmlCNEU1ektSQjdfZFFKa mc&usp=drive_web#gid=12)

[Zelphas]

Xavier, eyes still up to the sky, mouths the word "Zapdos..." just as what he assumes is the Genesect falls from the sky. He swears and begins looking around for an escape. "Where are the lifeboats on this thing? Whatever's up there is angry, and it might come looking for the Genesect. I think it's time to abandon ship." He glances over at Ammit just as the little Sandile dodges away from the heavy kick. "Good, Ammit! Trap it and get clear!" Ammit summons up a vortex of shifting sands, throwing it at the creature, and then scuttles swiftly away. Xavier sends a blast of mental force at the same creature. The quicker these things go down, the quicker they can get out of here.

Move Action: Xavier shifts to G9, behind cover. After attacking, Ammit Shifts to E6.

Ammit: Sand Tomb, AC 4 Ground Physical, Vortex
Accuracy: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Xavier: Confusion, AC 2 Psychic Special, Confuse on 19+
Accuracy: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[Esprit15]

Talitha feels a pang of pain as the Genesect slams into the deck and below. A strong warrior, lost. But that wasn't important yet. "Split them up so that we can swarm!" Talitha fires a shot of web at the fifth electrical construct, yanking it over to her. "Conwenna, its lined up for you and your Raticate!"

As others attack the second construct, Vespa joins into the attack, driving her other stinger into the construct for another kill.
Threaded Shift rolled in OOC, assuming that a creature made of plasma is less than 110lbs and as such would be pulled towards me. Also, it was dragged through webbing, if that matters.

Drill Run
AC: [roll0] Crit on 18-20
Damage: [roll1]
If Crit: +[roll2] (I forgot Sniper last time)

[gearHead]

Gem gave a girlish scream that cracked at the end and almost tripped ungracefully away as what was no doubt the only thing holding back whatever was attacking them plummeted straight through the boat. She stared down into the gaping hole for a moment; looked like it had either punched straight through, or done enough damage to cleave the hull. "Mother Fraxure that was way too close!" Xavier seemed to share her own unlikely suspicions about what might be to blame for the assault, which made her feel a little less silly for thinking of it in the first place. "Magical mystery thunderbird or not, no way in hell we got time to waste fighting these morons anymore!" Reaching out a hand, Gem focused as her eyes flared up with a brilliant pink aura, and a grid of shimmering, translucent hexagons rippled across the breach. A bit winded from the effort, she waved offhandedly towards the creature Talitha had just lasso'd. "Duosion, Psywave that one's face off. Doubt that'll hold long, but it should buy us time to finish these goons off and ditch this tub."

Gem Standard: Barrier to cover the BIG HOLE.

Duosion Standard: Psywave vs. Enemy at F8 [roll0]
Target loses 1=12 HP, 2=25, 3=37, 4=50. Do not apply stats or resist/weakness.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril cursed as the electricity coursed through Mixcoatl. We must finish them quickly! If the boat is lost, the sea is our only retreat. Cryil dashed from his hiding spot, making a mental bullseye over the furthest energy being. Cyril lunged towards the being with his Kukri. He normally didn't use the blade for its normally intended purpose. But haste was of the essence now.


Swift: Choose #5 as my Quarry
Shift: Move to F6
Standard: Struggle attack
Due to marking #5 as my Quarry from the Hunter feature, I gain a +2 to AC and Skill Checks versus my Quarry for me and my mon.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Well... that's not going to work. Con grimaces as the great ball rolls back and hits her low-but-still-unsuited-for-a-ship-in-a-storm heels, then scoops the ball up. That means lethal violence, which she'd really hoped to avoid today - but with something out there that can take down a Genesect? Well, lethal violence is probably the only option left if she wants to live.

Heh. Story of her life.

"Thanks. Fia, do your thing," she calls out as Talitha ropes the creature - then does her level best not to think about how creepy it is that the girl can apparently shoot web. This journey is not turning out as she'd expected.

Still...

She takes a step back, and assumes a proper firing stance - both hands holding the pistol, bracing it properly, none of this one-handed nonsense in the movies - and opens up on the lightning-things.

Sorry.

Fia shifts to F7 and chows down on lightning-beastie.

Hyper Fang (again) [roll0] Flinch on 19-20.
[roll1] Physical, Normal.

Con shifts backwards 1m to D10, and uses Drill Peck on Beastie #1
[roll2]
[roll3] Physical, Normal

[Arcran]

The storm rages on, flashes of lightning briefly illuminating the combatants as the battle rages on.

As Xavier and Ammit prepare to brutally assault one of the constructs, the ship sways violently, sending the mental assault and the swirling sands far wide, the attacks missing by a large margin.

Somehow, despite being made of living lighting, Talitha is able to wrap threads of silk around one, dragging it past Cyril and depositing it behind him. The Duosion's clumsy attempt to hit it with a Psywave is blocked entirely by a nearby crate, the attack failing completely. Vespa is met with far more success, his drills tearing in to a construct. However, the construct manages to lash back out, electricity creeping up the Beedrill's arms to completely paralyze it.

Cyril's knife seems to hardly touch the beast, the body almost instantly reforming around the tiny cut. Conwenna's attack is met with far more success, the bullet tearing straight through the monster, leaving behind a gaping hole, the beast stumbling despite its nature. Fia is met with similar success although the Raticate, just like the Arcanine only a few seconds before, finds herself paralyzed as her jaws lock around the construct.

Despite the vicious onslaught by the Rocket Operatives, no constructs fall this turn and, with a vicious efficiency, turn to dismantling the party. The one nearest Vespa backs up and, with a savage roar, dives towards the Beedrill, the electric body itself becoming a weapon. As it connects with the Beedrill, body delivering a powerful shock, the construct fades away into the storm just as the Beedrill falls to the ground, carapace covered in electrical burns.

Another spins low, leg lashing out towards the Sandile. A hastily erected Reflect barrier slows the attack to a level where it doesn't quite drop the Sandile but the electric limb still slams the crocodile Pokemon's head into the deck, leaving it dazed and less capable of defending itself. The last construct grabs the Raticate biting painfully into its leg and, with a toss, prepares to slam a heavy fist into it. A Reflect barrier again stops the brunt of the blow, leaving the Raticate in far better shape than it should be in.

Up above, a loud shriek can be heard, although it seems closer this time.

Vespa triggers Static! Vespa is now Paralyzed!
Fia triggers Static! Fia is now Paralyzed!

Sparky Man #5 Thunder Punch against Fia!
AC: [roll0] Hit
Damage: [roll1] 25 Damage after Reflect

Sparky Man #2 Wild Charge against Vespa!
AC: [roll]1d20-2[roll] Hit
Damage: [roll2] 64 Damage 2 Injuries are gained (Massive Damage, 0 HP). Special Defense and Attack.

Sparky Man #1 Low Kick against Ammit!
AC: [roll3] (You are Flanked)
Damage: [roll4] 38 Damage after Reflect 2 Injuries are gained (Massive Damage, 50%). Special Defense and Defense.

More Injuries:
[roll5][roll6][roll7][roll8][roll9][roll10][roll11][roll12]

#1 - D5
#2 - C5
#5 - F7

Also, Mesi, drawing your Kukri is a Standard Action. I'll let it slide this time but, in the future, mention it in a post.

[Esprit15]

Talitha's blood goes hot as the Beedrill falls. She lives, though. Talitha makes some quick guesses at the best course of action. Vespa needs to be protected in her state. Her attacker's attack was a suicide charge, so there's no need to finish it off at least. Next best target is the one in front of her. Talitha stands her ground, recalling the fainted Beedrill. Took two before they could take one. Well done. Where the Beedrill stood and around there, she throws more webbing. Best to prevent a repeat of that by limiting possible movement.

Taranto, defend, ranged. The Joltik shoots a web from Talitha's shoulder to the ground, yanking itself to the deck, and looks for the nearest target that appeared to be hostile, stopping on the fifth construct. The tiny electrical tick flashes with electricity, the pattern increasing in rapidity before letting a beam of light out at the electric thing.

Talitha:
Shift Action: Recall Vespa
Standard Action: Sticky Web - C4, C5, C6, D5, E6, F7, G7

Taranto:
Shift Action: Threaded Shift to F8
Standard Action: Signal Beam on Enemy 5
AC: [roll0] Confuse on 19-20
Damage: [roll1]
If Crit: +[roll2]

[Zelphas]

Xavier cursed as the Low Kick hit its mark. He made a mental note to thank Gemini later for the Reflect after the battle--gratitude can beget an alliance, after all--before the shriek came again, closer this time. His eyes flicked around the battlefield. Only two left. "Ammit! Hit and run!" The Sandile shook a little of its dizziness off, though it still looked dazed, as it opened up its jaws and clamped down on the electric being quickly before running as close to Xavier as he could. Xavier hesitated for a moment, glancing over at the injured Sandile before letting loose with another psychic blast at the electirc beings. Ammit would survive another hit, and these things needed to go down now.

Move Action: Xavier does not move. After attacking, Ammit moves to E9.

Ammit: Bite, AC 2 Dark Physical, Flinch on 15+ on Elec Dude #1
Accuracy: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Xavier: Confusion, AC 2 Psychic on Elec Dude #1 (or #5 if #1 goes down first)
Accuracy: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Good work Gem! Xco, keep it up! The Sneasel went for a right slash but quickly swiped with his left. Cyril twirled his knife in his fingers, going for a low strike, only to hook the curved blade around the lighting-leg.

[roll0] Can't Miss, Crti
[roll1] vs #1
[roll2] Trip vs #5
[roll3] combat vs acro or combat
Forgot my Quarry bonus, so it should be 22

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Gritting her teeth as Fia gets zapped, Con takes steady aim again and unleashes a fullisade of shots at the spark-creatures. This isn't going at all well; the others are losing pokemon, and they don't seem to be armed either. If Fia goes down - she hisses at the thought - then it's bullets against the storm, which... well. There's only one way that's going to end.

"Good girl; again!" she shouts over the wind and the waves, as the Raticate skitters forth to do battle once more.

Using Rapid Assault to attack each of the lightning-things in order.

#1 [roll0] [roll1] Normal, Physical
#2 [roll2] [roll3] +14 = 31 ""
#5 [roll4] [roll5] +14 = 29""

If the attack on #5 hits (and doesn't KO), Fia's Pack Hunt ability triggers [roll6] causing Spark-Thing to lose 1/10th max HP if it hits.

Fia will Bite #5. (Fia gains 2 ATK CS from Guts)

[roll7]
[roll8] Dark, Physical


Final note; I messed up on Fia's sheet, all her Evasions are actually 2 higher thanks to Instinct. Correcting it now, so if the totals look different that's why!

[Arcran]

Skipping Gear as they are all down.

Under the combined assault of the party the final two beasts finally fall apart, their electricity quickly returning to the storm.

However, the assault is far from over. Across the deck the smaller constructs assault the sailors with deadly efficiency, many falling to the ground covered in waves of electricity, unable to move or dead. Before you can move to aid them in their struggle, the shriek comes from on high again.

Almost against your will, all of you look skyward to see a massive shape descending on the ship. Calling it massive would be a disservice; a single wing is larger than the entire ship. As the storm rages on, strike by strike you become weakened, sinking closer and closer towards unconsciousness. As the creature gets closer and closer the storm intensifies until, with a great flash of light another bolt strikes the ship, flinging all of you across the deck, the powerful blast sending you all instantly unconscious, even Ammit who should have been immune to the assault. As you black out, you all hear the sound of crunching metal and get the strange sensation of... flying?

Talitha, Conwenna and Fia got Injuries on that last round.

But fun stuff! 3 EXP to each Trainer for fighting! 60 EXP to each Trainer to divide up among Pokemon that actually fought as they will!


Episode 2: WILSON!

The first thing that you notice is the sun, the light threatening to melt your eyeballs out of their sockets. The second is your skin, seared and sunburned by the midday sun above, every movement threatening to crack open your skin and create a great oozing, bloody mess.

The third thing you notice is the wreckage. All around you, as if some gigantic child had torn the ship apart and cast the pieces across the beach. The bodies of sailors litter the beach, some already beginning to bloat under the sun. A small flock of Wingull, a familiar Pokemon at least, are already tearing into one, pieces of flesh tearing away from the corpse with a sickening sound. Belongings, yours and those of the sailors, litter the beach, some broken, others less so. Pokeballs are also strewn across the beach, likely those that belonged to the sailors although, curiously, they seem to have been shattered and their contents released, something that is extremely atypical, especially when considering the toughness of a Pokeball.

The final thing you all notice, aside from one another, is the sound of tides washing against sand. From where you are currently lying down it would seem you're on nothing more than a small sandbank with many other sandbanks nearby, all within a giant bay. Far off on the horizon you can see land although any path there using the sandbanks is currently beyond you.

You are alone, in the wreckage of a shattered ship in god knows where with Wingull already circling above you, preparing for your collective deaths.

Everybody that was out got 2 Injuries, 1 if they're Immune to the storm damage! Ouch! You're all at 1 HP as well.

Injuries:
Cyril: [roll0][roll1]
Mixcoatl: [roll2][roll3]
Talitha: [roll4][roll5]
Taranto: [roll6]
Gemini: [roll7][roll8]
Duosion: [roll9]
Xavier: [roll10][roll11]
Ammit: [roll12]
Conwenna: [roll13][roll14]
Fia: [roll15][roll16]

[Zelphas]

Xavier woke up coughing, his throat parched with thirst. Slowly, painfully, he reached down to his belt and released Morrigan from his ball. "Report," he croaked, setting off another fit of coughing. As he listened to the Xatu's premonitions, Xavier pulled out a can of soda and slowly drank it. Moving a little more smoothly, he pulls out a bandage and wraps it around a particularly tender spot on his left arm. He glances around, trying to see if any of the crew or cargo survived.

Xavier uses a Soda Pop (heals 30 HP), and applies a Bandage.

Perception: [roll0]

[Esprit15]

Talitha doesn't initially move, but eventually gives a weak groan. Alive... damn. The chelicerata blinks rapidly in the bright light. She makes a silent call for her team. Others? She gets a weak response from next to her, Taranto hiding in what little shade he could find under his leader. Okay... mission... survival... keep everyone alive... Is there anyone, even? She tries to speak, but her throat is too dry to even speak.

Fumbling around, Talitha finds her pack, pulling out a lemonade. She sips slowly, savoring the taste. As she drinks, she applies a bandage (sliced into small strips) to Taranto, covering the Joltik's cuts and allowing hairs to safely regrow. To her own wounds, she applies a poultice. Unpleasent, the poultice itched like crazy and stung some. Nodding at her work, she helps the tiny Pokemon to her shoulder, beneath her hair to keep it in the shade.

Hm... What now... She could get water with... Muk, it's not a desalination unit, just rated for fresh water... And she didn't have the materials to make a desalination unit... all she needed would be some containers for the water and something to burn. Talitha looks at her mostly empty lemonade bottle. She could likely scavenge some stuff from the boat to finish things up. She looks at the dead sailors. Most likely rotting already... And the outsiders would likely object anyways, questioning the meat source... She drags a less rotten looking one into the ship.

"IF ANYONE IS ALIVE, I'LL BE IN THE WRECKAGE LOOKING FOR SUPPLIES!!!" Probably more noise than she has made in the past week.

Used a Bandage on Taranto, a Poultice on Talitha and a Lemonade on Talitha (50 HP)

I'm guessing a survival check to scavenge a wreckage: [roll0]

Things in particular that I'm looking for:
- Food (canned, fresh, I don't care)
- Medicine (potions, bandages, etc.)
- Water
- Desalination unit
-- Barring that, a pot, metal rods/wire or string, wood, a smaller pot, cups or water bottles
- Inflatable life boats
-- Really, any life boats, but inflatable ones are more likely to be stored in a way that keeps them safe from damage
-- Oars would be nice too, but anything flat works
- Wood anyways, and some paper
- Fishing rods w/bait

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril jolted upwards with a sudden gasp. He twisted around quickly gasping, but just as quickly stopped as his sunburned skin screamed in pain. Slower this time, he surveyed the area he was in. Sandbars. And likely land. Need to find higher ground, before the tide rises. Food, water. He dunked his hand into the water, and brought his fingers to his lips, sampling it. Salty. Of course. Food, water, shelter. I have my tent- Cyril's train of thought was cut short. Where was his bag?!

He spun around again, this time ignoring the pain till he laid his eyes on his pack, hanging from a twisted bit of metal, but otherwise unharmed. He rummaged through it, finding all his gear safe and secure. He inwardly thanked his skills in packing, else-wise he might have lost something useful. Right, first two priorities. Water and shelter. Cyril started when he heard Talitha call out, rather loudly. Good idea! I'll join you. Two eyes were better than one, and at the very least help carry more supplies. As he rummaged, he sipped from a soda pop. His supply wouldn't last too long, but it was better now than later when it was too late.

Looking for the same things Es is as well as:
Piece of wreckage that could be salvaged into shelter (Piece of hull that could possibly be carried for example)
Rope
Flares
Any kind of portable communication (CB radio)
Any kind of intact canvas or tarp
survival!
[roll0]
Oh and heal 30 from SODA!

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Con stares at the big, blue sky as she lies on back in her itchy, salt-stained, damp clothes and wonders if it's worth the effort of moving.

Ouch.

Talitha starts shouting.

Ouch. Why is she making so much spirits-damned noise?

Taking care to move her aching body as little as possible, Con rolls her head to one side and looks out across the sandbank to the distant shoreline. It looks an awfully long way away.

Oh, looks like 're going to die after all.

She rolls her head the other way to find her vision's blocked by a fuzzy lump of brown fur. With some effort, she reaches out and gives the sodden lump a poke. It squeaks, and Con's face splits into a sunburnt grin.

"Glad you made it, hairball," she says weakly, before going back to staring at the sky. She's pretty sure there was something she meant to do, but it seems to have completely slipped her mind. She'd better remember it before she burns too badly though, or... Oh. That was it. Shelter.

With a groan, Conwenna levers herself to her feet. She's a mass of bruises, and it feels like she's sprained her ankle at some point which is going to make walking - or possibly swimming - out of here deeply unpleasant. She's also lost a shoe which is a nuisance, and her cigarettes seem to have gone missing. On the plus side, one of her pistols is still in it's holster, and apparently she'd been lying on the other so she's at least fully armed.

...and distracted again. Right. Recall Fia first, let her rest. Find shade second. What's left of the boat should help out there.

Con starts stumbling across the sand towards the wreckage, looking for a place to rest and something to drink. The Wingull shriek above her, and she scowls. Stupid noisey water-things... Oh, wait. Wait. Water things. Con grins slowly and reaches for - and, with some delight, finds - Andraste's pokeball and releases the scyther. She points to one of the Wingull on the fringe of the flock.

"Bring it to me,"

It'd probably be sensible to have a healthy guard, anyway.

Finding the most isolated Wingull in the flock and using False Swipe on it.

[roll0] [roll1]

Vanguard adds +5 to the Damage roll if the target hasn't acted in that round yet. Technician increases DB by 2 for all Five-Strike and Double-Strike moves, and any move with a DB of 6 or lower. Both of these are accounted for in the rolls.

Con throws a Great Ball at the victim if False Swipe hits, and doesn't if it misses.

[roll2] [roll3]


Yes, I'm aware this is probably a stupid idea, and the wingull probably spit salt water or something (also, the whole thing's kind of icky) but Con's not exactly thinking clearly right now.

[Arcran]

Xavier

Morrigan seems to have calmed down considerably and, for the most part, seems to be back to her regular self despite a palpable sense of unease.

From what you can tell there seem to be quite a few crates of supplies that have not yet been smashed apart either by the assault, crash (natural or otherwise) or simply the tides although it would take a much more thorough look through to determine that.

The crew, on the other hand, seems to be much worse off. While there are a few that are clearly breathing, their burns (both electrical and solar in nature) as well as their general state seems to imply that they won't be lasting long.


Talitha

Finding food among the wreckage is trivial, although finding good food is a bit more difficult. Anything that was not canned has already spoiled between the sea and the sun although you quickly find at least two days worth of food, although split among the team it would be considerably less. The ship was carrying very little combat medicine, meaning Potions and the like are in short supply. However, you do find an undamaged first aid kit with four bandages within.

The ship had a large onboard desalination unit for drinking water but it seems to have been damaged beyond repair by the electricity. Pots and pans, on the other hand, are easy to find in addition to a few waters. You find a single lifeboat that was only lightly damaged, the others providing more than enough supplies to (hopefully) patch it up. Fishing Rods are also and easy find, although it seems that the bait was broken open during the storm and, well, died.


Cyril

Finding a large piece of the ship to serve as shelter is easy enough; massive parts of the ship are strewn about, any one of which could act as adequate shelter. Rope and flares are both easy finds as well, although the current state of both seems to be waterlogged. The ship's radio, from all appearances, seems to be in one piece although any smaller units are impossible to find or clearly damaged beyond repair. Finally, you manage to find what remains of an emergency sail for the ship, providing more than enough canvas for your needs.


Conwenna

Finding an isolated Wingull is an easy matter, the large bug slowly stalking across the beach before erupting into a blur of motion, the brutal blades quickly rendering the Wingull on the brink of unconsciousness, Con's Great Ball easily capturing the noisy bird.

While Con had been expecting some sort of hostile reaction from the birds she was not prepared for the one that occurred. Wild Pokemon in Kanto were angered by their compatriots being captured yet these Pokemon seem to have gone almost completely feral. Oddly enough, their fury seems to be oriented towards the ball itself, not Conwenna or the Scyther.

As a single, whirling body the Wingull take flight, swirling up above and shrieking angrily, a few shooting bursts of water randomly that splash harmlessly against wreckage.

Level 4 Male Wingull!
Mild Nature, Keen Eye Ability
Full Health, No Conditions
Knows Growl and Water Gun
No Trainer/Pokemon EXP for this

[Zelphas]

Xavier frowned, assessing the damage. The crew was done for; anyone they saved would be dead weight and another mouth to feed. Some of the cargo might be edible, but he'd have to get into the crates to find out.

His train of thought was interrupted when he noticed the small, brown form lying beside him. Xavier was abruptly furious with himself; he should have taken care of Ammit first, then himself. "Well done, Ammit," he crooned softly to the Sandile, fishing out a Super Potion and spraying it over the little crocodile. He paused, and then on impulse took out his last bandage, winding it around Ammit's head where he had been knocked around. "You did very well in that last battle," he continued, petting the Sandile. "Now you need to rest, though; too many Flying and Water Types are around here for you." He pulled out Ammit's Pokeball and tapped the little crocodile on the snout, recalling him.

His Pokemon safely stowed away, Xavier watched the others' actions. Conwenna's capture of the Wingull and the flock's subsequent reaction in particular caught his eye. He took a quick look around, noting that the crew's Pokeballs were all broken. What happened here..." he murmured, before smiling slightly. Time to do what he did best; gather information. "If any hostile Pokemon attack any conscious members of the crew or their Pokemon, make an example," he tells Morrigan, before settling himself into a more comfortable position on the sand. Xavier closes is eyes and, with a well-practiced mental effort, casts himself back to view what happened on this island in the last day.

Xavier uses a Super Potion (35 HP) and a Bandage on Ammit, then recalls him.

Xavier then uses Scry (2 AP--see the past 24 hours of current location. Images may be jumbled or unclear, at DM's discretion).

If any Wingull attack anyone, Morrigan will use Ominous Wind.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Ow! Ow! Ow! What is with all the freaking noise?!

So, that wasn't her best idea ever. Con glances warily at the other wingull and wonders what would happen if she tried to pick the pokeball up.

Hmm.

A few other details start to filter in through the fog; the dead, the injured, and the fact that the rest of the team seems to have survived. Which would probably be pretty strange if it didn't feel like her brain had been filled with damp sand.

"Andraste, if any of the others come down, they're yours. Keep us safe," she licks her cracked lips, and then wants to spit as she tastes salt. Except spitting would waste valuable moisture. Ugh. At least Andraste can keep the scavengers away from the injured.

She walks forwards carefully, keeping a wary eye on the wingull, to retrieve the ball; if things go south, she can always release the wingull and hope for the best.

If any Wingull attack or try to land, Andraste will hit them with Swift.

[roll0] Can't miss, rolling for Crit.
[roll1] Normal, Special, Ranged 8, Friendly, Blast 2.

Factoring in Technician and Vanguard.

[Esprit15]

Talitha smiles as she finds the bandages. The lack of potions was annoying, but at least they would be able to patch up somewhat. And there was food and water. Not much food and water, but food and water.

And then she finds the lifeboat. Oh good, they weren't going to be living out Castaway. She takes the one in the best condition and drags it outside, going back in for parts. "One who is good with repairs get over here! We have a damaged boat to the mainland!" She would be useless in trying to even figure out how to fix this. And there were other things that needed doing, like drying any useful equipment. The rods could serve as kindling, as could any wooden cookware. Talitha hauls out anything that could be used as either food (keeping that in the shade still) or to burn (putting that in the sun).

Her limbs were sore and it felt like one of her antennae had been twisted while she was unconscious. Her head was throbbing from dehydration. Unimportant. There was work to be done. And watching the tide, making sure nothing would be taken by the sea

She thinks on the surviving sailors as she works. Should they simply kill them now? If we let them live, they become a threat to our food and water supply, and our boat. But killing them also distracts from work... She'd find someone else to fill in for either removal of the sailors or scavenging supplies.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril dragged his findings, specifically the canvas and the rope out of the wreckage, placing it with what Talitha had found to dry. Wet didn't matter beyond making them undue-fully heavy. A boat!? Amazing! Then we can leave this sandbar before it is swallowed by the tide. I'm not sure how to fix it though. We should keep the rope, canvas and rods. They can all be useful. Nothing else I've found is salvageable or practical. We should focus on fixing the boat, loading up and heading towards more solid ground. This sandbar leaves us too exposed and at the mercy of the tide.

to see the time of day, relevant giving the tide.

4d6+

[gearHead]

Distant voices drifted into in and out of Gem's awareness, the words obscured by a constant sloshing noise and the rush of water moving up and down. She was in the lab, suspended serenely in a dim specimen tank, a thin membrane against her face making breathing uncomfortable but possible, interesting chemicals pumping through a myriad of tubes around her. Something tickled at the back of her mind - a weak but familiar presence, urging her to open her eyes. Gem cracked one unwillingly open, sand and salt making her instantly regret it; it took her a moment to parse her surroundings. Dark, hot, wet, pain. She couldn't breathe. I can't - Sitting up with a start despite her body's protests, she felt a muffled impact almost instantly, and froze as several things registered. First, her Duosion was partially wrapped around her, shielding her head from the worst of the trauma she probably would have otherwise experienced. The gelatinous membrane was terribly shredded, but its actual body seemed mostly intact, and she could feel its mind still fighting to live.

Second, though suffering from extensive electrical burns - nothing she hadn't been through before - and extreme dehydration, Gem had mercifully been spared the sun's wrath for however long she'd been lying in the sand; a good thing, as it probably would've finished off the frail psychic. And third, unfortunately, this was because she was trapped under a large, twisted mass of wreckage.

Awakened fully by her movement, Duosion peeled itself off her face, and she gasped raggedly for breath. It didn't even occur to Gem to try physically extricating herself. C'mon, we gotta - move - At her prompting, the battered Pokemon assisted her with a mental push, and with a groaning creak the broken sheet of metal pulled itself from the damp shoreline high enough for Gem to roll free. Letting it fall with a wet smack that pelted her with sand, she shuddered unsteadily to her knees, catching herself from falling facefirst as she spent a minute or so dry-heaving.

She was alive. She'd returned from worse missions, though surviving an attack from an apparent god Pokemon was something new to add to her stats. Pull yourself together. Now that it was conscious, the Duosion's overcoat began rapidly repairing itself; fumbling for the Pokeballs at her belt, thankfully still there, she recalled the psychic Pokemon to allow its accelerated regeneration to continue uninterrupted. Gem attempted to stand, but a stabbing twinge called her attention to a nasty gash along her left leg. Grimacing, she made sure all her supplies were intact, fishing out a med-spray to disinfect the wound before wrapping it inexpertly with a bandage. Pulling herself awkwardly to her feet, she managed to stumble a few steps as she took stock of the situation before stabilizing her movement with her telekinesis, making walking a much less difficult process but adding to a quickly-intensifying migraine.

While the sailors were pretty much dead (literally or functionally), it looked like Gem's fellow Rockets were in no worse shape than she was; Conwenna was dealing with a flock of Wingull, but seemed to have it under control for the moment. Though to them, the bedraggled girl probably looked like the walking dead herself. Releasing her Koffing and ordering it to stand sentry, she approached her teammates that were gathering supplies. "Mission-" She squeaked hoarsely from cracked lips, her throat parched and filled with grit; she scrambled for some of the water that had been recovered, gulping it messily down for a second before realizing she couldn't afford to waste any of it and proceeding more carefully. "Uh... mission continue?" While she spoke, Gem surveyed the water surrounding them for any submerged items that could be salvaged.

Duosion uses Recover, then Regenerator once it's recalled, putting it at 69 HP.

Gem uses a Super Potion and Bandage on herself, putting her at 36 HP; not sure if drinking the water also counts as using a Bottled Water.

Perception [roll0]

[Arcran]

Xavier

Ammit looks at you gratefully for the potion before being recalled as you begin to slip into your trance.

It begins with a ball of blinding light on the horizon. It burns yellow, but not the bright, clean yellow of the sun. It is an angry, roiling yellow, pulsating with hate and energy. It comes closer and closer to the beach before dropping a great weight from it, the object crashing into the sands. In the distance you see two other lights, one red and one white, both full of the same hate as the yellow, before the three disappear on the horizon.

The night becomes day in an instant, the storm clouds peeling away which, had you been looking with mortal eyes, would have blinded you momentarily. A great flock of blue and white circles overhead. A few men below release great Pokemon, stones flying towards the creatures in the sky. The birds divebomb the sailors, seeking their Pokeballs, not their Pokemon, before finishing off many and consuming them.

More time passes before, finally, you awake, both on the beach and from your trance.

As you awake you see three Wingull on the ground, Morrigan looking at you in fear. As you look down you see three triangles seared into your chest.

While differentiating between burns can be difficult, it is very clear that one is an electrical burn, one a more typical burn from fire and another is a burn as a result of frostbite.


Conwenna

A handful of Wingull begin to dive bomb as soon as you reach for the ball but a quick Swift from Andraste breaks their ranks, the birds scattering as one falls to the ground unconscious. They still circle you, clearly intent on hurting you somehow although they keep their distance, at least for now.

As you pick up the ball you see a flash of light from the direction that Xavier is in as an unearthly shriek escape his lips. He doesn't move for some time before starting awake, conscious again.


Talitha

Your work goes easily enough; placing wet objects in the sun, fortunately, is fairly easy. Using your webbing you are able to drag a few crates that are near the shore further inland, ensuring that they aren't swept out by the tide.

As Cyril inspects the boat you see a flash of light from the direction that Xavier is in as an unearthly shriek escape his lips. He doesn't move for some time before starting awake, conscious again.


Cyril

If your estimate is correct it is currently a bit before noon, judging solely by the position of the sun although, for all you know, it could track differently here than in Kanto. Seemed like enough other things are wrong as-is.

As you inspect the boat you see a flash of light from the direction that Xavier is in as an unearthly shriek escape his lips. He doesn't move for some time before starting awake, conscious again.


Gemini

As the Koffing is released the Wingull above shriek angrily, glaring at the red beam before it dissipates completely. However, as soon as it is gone, they stop, continuing to focus almost all of their attention on Conwenna. A few dive-bomb the apparently defenseless Xavier only for the Xatu to cut them out of the sky.

In terms of battle supplies in the water, there isn't much. Just about everything that fell into the water seems to be damaged, including a great number of Pokeballs that have been cracked open, the two halves sitting not too far apart. That's when you see the grey hand in the water, just out of sight, but you are interrupted from investigating it by a flash of light from the direction that Xavier is in as an unearthly shriek escape his lips. He doesn't move for some time before starting awake, conscious again.

[Zelphas]

Xavier looks down at his chest, the remnants of his Psychic trip into the past allowing him to see the burns for what they were. He momentarily felt a flash of fear--nothing had ever struck him through a scry before--before swiftly crushing it, keeping his mind calm, rational. Zapdos had possibly been what had attacked them, and so had been the yellow light from his vision. The red and the white light, though... Xavier tried to recall the stories about Zapdos, if there had been any other Legendaries connected with the great bird.

To remember old legends: [roll0]

Regardless of what he recalls, Xavier turns to the others, speaking quickly. "Some of the sailors were conscious when we landed here. They released their Pokemon to defend against the Wingull but were overcome. Their Pokemon were freed from their Pokeballs by the Wingulls' attacks and apparently ran. I think we should get away from this flock before they realize we still have Pokemon captured."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cryil whirled around at the sudden noise and light. That can't be good... Cryil left the lifeboat, carefully navigating towards his 'psychic' companion. What was that!?

[Zelphas]

Xavier debated a moment whether or not to be mysterious with his answer, and then realized the solitary Cyril would have no patience for it. "I can see into the past if I make an effort, up to 24 hours about wherever I am. I checked to see what had happened when we were dropped here. Whatever dropped us seems to be related to two other beings, and they left me a souvenir," he says, pointing to his chest.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril leaned in close, looking at the burns. You've got burns. So does everyone else. I'm not following. Cyril's tone was flat and condescending. He knew that tensions would run high, but he didn't think before he spoke.

[Zelphas]

"New burns. Only one's electrical, all three are perfectly triangular, and they didn't hurt," Xavier responds, quickly trying to defuse the conversation. He didn't have the know-how to get himself off of this little desert in the midst of the ocean or survive in the wilderness; Cyril did. "It isn't important at the moment," he continues. "The Wingull are getting braver, and they seem to especially hate our Pokeballs. I suggest we get off of this island as quickly as possible." He notices a few of the downed Wingull around him, and sends Morrigan some quick mental praise.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Well, while you were having some quiet time, me and Talitha have found some supplies. We have a lifeboat, but it needs some repairs before attempt to use it. And if my guess is right, its about noon, so its high tide. If were lucky, in a few hours the tide will lower and we can walk to land. But I suggest we get moving before then. The more daylight we have, the better. As if a second thought. Do you have any ideas of how to patch up a lifeboat? Cyril was not looking directly at Xavier, instead looking off at the supposed land in the distance, contemplating options and possible dangers.

[Zelphas]

"If Gemini can do that Barrier trick again, we should be good for any holes on the floor of the boat," Xavier says, looking over at the withdrawn Psychic. "Besides that, I wouldn't know. Perhaps some of the other lifeboats would have the parts we need?" Noticing that Cyril is no longer really paying attention to him, Xavier instead turns his eyes to the flock above, trying to gauge their mood.

Perception: [roll0]

Poke Edu (if needed): [roll1]

[Esprit15]

Shrieking? Why was he shrieking? Possible danger. Be ready. Talitha jogs over to the growing group. "What happened," she asks plainly. "There was a flash and a scream."

[gearHead]

Gem jolted at the ambient psychic feedback from Xavier's vision, starting towards the clairvoyant and narrowing her eyes in confusion at his strange burns; but Cyril got to him first, and physically he seemed alright. She returned to the anomaly that had caught her attention, reaching out a hand and attempting to drag it carefully ashore telekinetically. "I can probably manage it," she called through gritted teeth as she focused, overhearing Xavier's comment, "long as it's not more hole than boat. And assuming we can get to shore before I pass out again."

Medicine Ed [roll0]
Focus check [roll1] in case it's necessary.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Oh, that just cannot be good.

"Keep it up, Andraste" Con croaks, before turning to limp across the sand bar to where the flash of light was. It takes a dozen steps to realize that, maybe, she'd move a bit better if she took off her sole surviving shoe.

Coming up to the others, she waves the great ball vaguely at them.

"Hey, I caught some water. Just need to teach it not to kill us," she glances around in bemusement. "What did I miss?"

As she listens, she scans the beach for anything more dangerous than the wingull. Which, in hindsight, should have been the first thing she did. Damn dehydration muzzing up her thinking. She licks her lips, and asks the important question;

"Anyone find anything to drink?"

Can't make the medicine roll even if I roll perfectly, so I'll pass.

Perception for threats in particular, anything of interest secondarily.

[roll0]

Andraste will continue Swift-ing attacking wingull.

[roll1] Can't miss, rolling for Crit.
[roll2] Normal, Blast 2, Special. Factoring in Vanguard and Technician.


On the high tide/noon thing - erm, you guys know that tide times change from day to day, right? It's usually a regular shift, but it does shift quite quickly. There's also two high tides.

...

A survival roll for Con to know that, and to confirm that the PokeVerse works that way. It might not :smalltongue:

[roll3]

[Esprit15]

"There's some water left in the boat, though supplies are limited. The desalination unit on the boat is shot unless someone here knows how to fix it.

More importantly, as Cyril has likely said, there is a lifeboat that is mostly intact from the wreck. If someone can fix it quickly before some of the other survivors catch on, we can make our way to mainland. Else, we're stuck here."
Given that Talitha was working by the water for a while, she'd have likely noticed a trend from the tide one way or the other: [roll0]

Well dang.

[Zelphas]

Now that everyone seemed to be gathering around him, Xavier took a deep breath and gave a slightly longer explanation. "I used one of my Psychic talents to see into the past, to try to gather information on what happened after we all lost consciousness. The bird that attacked us dropped us here on the sandbar and vanished with two other figures, one red and one white. They seemed to be of equal power to the creature, and all three hated humanity. After they left, it was daylight, and the Wingull descended, almost as if it was a routine for them. Some of the sailors tried to fight the Wingull, but the mob proved too much. The Wingull broke all of the Pokeballs they could find. Then we woke up. When I came to, I had these three triangular burns; one is electrical, one is from fire, and one is from frostbite. I think they are connected to the three powerful Pokemon. The burns themselves are not worrisome," he lies smoothly, "just some feedback from seeing a powerful force."

"If Gemini's excellent Barrier can patch the boat, I suggest we leave now."

For the lie: [roll0]

[Arcran]

Xavier

Going back to legends you haven't heard since you were a boy, you remember that there are two other Pokemon closely linked to Zapdos. There is Articuno, goddess of winter and snow and Moltres, goddess of summer and droughts. Both were regarded with far more fear than Zapdos for, while the thunderstorms of Zapdos were deadly, they often brought rain while the other two simply brought destruction.

It doesn't take a genius to determine that the flock of Wingull above would like nothing better than to peck your eyes out and eat your sun-roasted corpses. However, the attacks by Morrigan and Andraste have made them wary and, at least for now, they are keeping a good distance away although their perpetual squawking makes it hard to concentrate.


Gemini

From the distance you currently are from Xavier it's impossible to make out the burns, although it seems you have your own issues to deal with.

As you reach out to grab the grey fist you slowly and, quite easily, begin to pull up the frame of what is obviously a Machoke, something that would normally be impossible for you to lift, especially considering that it is buried beneath the sand. As you lift it further up, the reason for that becomes apparently clear.

Where there would normally be a chest for a Machoke there is simply a massive hole, clean through, in an almost perfect circle. Within said circle is an orb of electricity, arcing and snapping about, energy congealing in the massive wound like blood. As you lift it all the way from the sand its eyes snap open, glowing yellow with electricity, arms reaching out towards you...

Until it simply disintegrates, the electrical core burning out of control and searing the Machoke into nothingness leaving behind only the stench of burned flesh.


Conwenna

Looking around, aside from a small handful of Pelliper mixed into the swarming Wingull above there seem to be no obvious threats until your gaze reaches Gemini. As you watch, the psychic lifts a Machoke from the sand only, rather than a chest, the beast has a massive cavity that is filled with what can only be described as living lightning. As it reaches out for Gemini the body suddenly explodes into dust, disappearing completely.

As you remember your sparse knowledge of the tides the first fact that you remember is that, even at the best of times, they are unpredictable. While general trends do exist the fact that Pokemon can manipulate the weather almost at a whim inserts a rather large degree of uncertainty. Still, while there are waves here, it seems that the tides are hardly changing although it would likely be a very gradual process.


Talitha

Growing up in Viridian Forest, far from the sea, your knowledge of the tides is sparse, to say the least. Still, you remember some, the first of which is that even at the best of times, they are unpredictable. While general trends do exist the fact that Pokemon can manipulate the weather almost at a whim inserts a rather large degree of uncertainty. Still, while there are waves here, it seems that the tides are hardly changing.

[Zelphas]

Xavier fought down a groan as his memory caught up to him. Zapdos was the friendliest of the three, and look what it had done to them. Hopefully they won't meet the rest, but the way this mission was going...

His train of thought was interrupted by the Machoke Gemini pulled from the water. He watched with wide eyes s the unnatural Pokemon vanished into dust. What are we dealing with here? he thought angrily, frustrated that the questions were piling on faster than he could find answers. He rose to his feet, walking swiftly to the water's edge and peering in for any more creatures that shouldn't be.

To look for monsters: [roll0]

[Esprit15]

Well it's likely high tide or low tide then. If it's high, we may be able to walk to shore. If it's low, we have to hurry and work on the boat before we lose our only dry land. It is likely high, though, since we were apparently out for several hours without being swept away.

"Should Gemini's barrier not hold for the entire trip, we must have a backup. Can anyone repair the boat to the degree that it can survive the trip to shore? I can supply any adhesive or string that is needed."

[gearHead]

Gemini recoiled at the disfigured Machoke, releasing her hold as it turned to ash. "Never even met a Rocket that malicious," she muttered, turning back to the others. "Well c'mon then, Slowpokes, let's get this Mukin' boat together. Head already feels like it's ready to split." Standing by for the moment, Gem waited for orders in case they needed her to 'lift' anything.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Okay, so no-one wants to get murdered by their water. That's fair enough.

...and I need to avoid spooky dead pokemon. That looked really, really bad.

Tucking the pokeball away, Con makes her way to where the water bottles are being stored and grabs one.

"Don't look at me, I don't know anything about boats," she calls out, as she tries not to gulp the water down. Measured sips, swill out mouth and spit or everything will taste awful, and try to save enough to wash her face. Ugh. Never going sailing, or boating, or whatever again.

"I'm going to go and look for survivors," she adds, as she begins to walk along the sand bar again, with Andraste buzzing at her shoulder. Now that her head is a little clearer a few more things are filtering through. She should probably try and find a hat, too, come to think of it. And finding her other shoe would be nice.

Hmm... Edu: Medicine and Perception to find survivors and scavenge, right?

Edu: Medicine [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

Looking for (in order of priority) survivors, hats, her other shoe or a new pair that will fit her, water, intact pokeballs, anything else that might come in handy or try to kill the group.

Andraste is still Swifting anything that comes after Con.

[Esprit15]

"No!" Talitha tries to tackle Conwenna to the ground, but her eyes are still messed up from the excess sun they have received lately.

AC: [roll0] (Was there anything else to combat rolls? I don't remember) EDIT: Found it, missed. Dang, -3 is harsh. Plus accuracy is down too.
Combat: [roll1]
"How many people do you want to take on that boat? We don't even know if it will support us, let alone more weight. And do you want to share our supplies with them? They served their purpose - get us here - now we have ours."

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

As Talitha goes past her, Conwenna calmly draws a pistol and points it at her head. Andraste buzzes threateningly nearby.

"I'll be sure to remember that," she stares speculatively up at the sky as Talitha speaks. "They've done their job, and deserve to be left here to die by inches in the sun. Oh, yes. Pray I never stand in judgement of you," her eyes flicker to Andraste for a moment. "If she attacks me again, you can hurt her. Don't kill,"

Then - and only then - does Con lower the gun, and gives Talitha a look of pure contempt.

"They risked their lives to get us here. I intend to give them everything I can in return. Are we clear?" she says coldly.

[MesiDoomstalker]

And in return, they will kill you. Cyril was scanning the horizon, mostly idly, though the slimmer of hope he'd find more land. Talitha is right. Were in survival mode, and that means all resources are precious. Trying to save them all with kill us all and you'd have only delayed the inevitable. Cryil turned towards the trigger happy women, eyes locking. Besides needing far more resources, a large group is very noticeable. Any wild pokemon will know where we set up camp, where we go, before we find them. It makes hunting difficult with that many bodies. Now is not the time to have a conscious Conwenna. A conscious will get you and everyone else killed. Cyril's voice was even but held weight. He knew what he was talking about and he knew he was right.

[Esprit15]

"You're a fool is what you are, and I'm playing no part in it." Talitha picks herself up from the ground and moves next to Cyril. "If you jeopardize this mission, don't think for a moment I share any sentimentality towards you."
Tali tells Taranto to watch the gunhappy trainer, webbing her Scyther and her if either become hostile.

[Zelphas]

Xavier turned around as he heard raised voices, watching as the scene quickly went out of hand. "Hold on," he said, stepping between the two groups, his hands upraised. "This is getting us nowhere closer to fixing the boat or getting off this island." He looked over to Conwenna first. "If you wish to look for survivors, I won't stop you. However, what Talitha and Cyril are saying is true; we don't have the food to keep ourselves alive at the moment, much less anyone else, and we don't have the medical supplies to save anyone. A merciful, quick death may be our only way of thanking these sailors for bringing us this far." Xavier injected as much sympathy in his voice as he could, locking eyes with Conwenna for a long moment.

He then turned to the other two. "That Wingull swarm isn't exactly small. What are the chances that a Pokemon on land might know what it means and come looking for food? It's reasonable to assume that we may have something waiting for us once we reach the shore. If so, it's best to have all of us alive and functioning at our best," he says, looking back at Conwenna for a moment and stressing the last few words. "We're all competent enough here that we could probably wound anyone else trying to kill us. We need our strength."

"As for the boat: it seems that no one has any ship repairing skills. Talitha, I noticed earlier that you can shoot webs; are they watertight? If so, can you use them to patch the holes in the boat, or at least to seal whatever patches we make? Gemini already said she can give us a Barrier to cover the holes, but a second line of defense is never a bad thing." He glances back and forth between the two groups, not daring to move out of the way.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Of all the- She fights to avoid rolling her eyes.

"Personally, I'd rather take my chances with the sailors who Halsey trusted to explore uncharted waters. The ones who have experience repairing boats, sailing them and all that nonsense. Unless any of you have some nautical history you've not mentioned?" as she talks, Con pats herself down for cigarettes. What she finds makes a squelch that isn't usually associated with useable tobacco. "If you're really worried about food and water, then just look up. See the squawking things? They spit water, and they're made of food. We won't like living on them, but we probably can,"

She shrugs and begins walking along the sandbar again. Honestly. What made them think she'd planned anything other than a mercy shot? Not that she's telling them that, now. Not after the psycho-bug's sadistic outburst. Clearly, she's one to keep a close eye on.

Spirits-take it, this is why she hates working as part of a team.

[Esprit15]

If none of them have the skills, that changes things. "If none of us can fix it, we might have use of one. One."

[Arcran]

As soon as Conwenna pulls out her gun the Wingull swarm instantly becomes far more hostile, squawking and screeching above, clearly enraged beyond even what one of their own being captured caused. As they screech and rage above, storm clouds begin to form between the swirling white bodies and a heavy rain begins to fall upon the group, almost instantly drenching both them and the supplies left out in (what had been) the sun. The swarm begins to push lower, testing the range of both Andraste and Morrigan with every swoop.


Xavier

As you examine the water you mostly see sand through the cool, clean water. It takes some time before you spot the first one; a grey finger pointing out of the sand. And another, a few feet away. What is clearly a Quagsire's tail further, buried underneath. While it's impossible to tell without dragging one up, you can safely assume that, somehow, all of them are relieving the same treatment as the Machoke from earlier.

Unfortunately, seemingly out of nowhere, it begins to pour down rain, muddying the water and making further inspection impossible.


All

Even as you shout and argue, even fight among yourselves somewhat, you begin to hear an odd noise, constantly wavering in pitch across the bay. At first, it's so faint that the group hardly notices it but, as the argument begins to die down a bit, the sound becomes more obvious.

Whistling.

As the group attempts to trace the source of the sound, a great ball of light with electricity arcing off of it. While impossible to tell from this distance, you would wager that it is coming closer.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Too late! Everyone, in the boat, now! Cryil dashed towards the boat, ignoring the pesky wingull. Grab what you can, Gemini, get that Barrier up! Cryil scooped up some rope, though not all. Water logged rope were too heavy to bother with.

[gearHead]

As it suddenly began pouring, Gem grimaced; it would have been easy enough to deflect most of the water around herself, but her clothes were already damp, and it was actually a bit refreshing with the rain washing away the sand and seawater grit still encrusted to her. She almost allowed herself a tiny, private smile before an unfortunately familiar phenomenon began to manifest on the horizon. "Oh Shellos no, not again! That's it. I officially despisebirds. Next one I see when we're not about the get tazered to death, I'm snapping its pathetic feathery neck so hard its entire species will retroactively go extinct." Tugging Koffing along, she scrambled to get in the boat and erect Barrier panels where they seemed to be needed most. "D'we got any oars? I'll 'push' if I have to, but I don't know how far I'll get us alone."

Once everyone was on board, Gem slipped on her combat mask and placed her hand on her Pokemon's bulbous side. "This is gonna be unpleasant, and I'm not sure how much it'll help, but - Koffing, be ready to give us some cover if we need it."

[Zelphas]

Xavier's eyes widened as the source of the whistling became clear. "We're going to head towards the whistly ball of lightning?" he muttered under his breath as he rushed towards the boat.

"Conwenna, could you put your gun away, please. The birds don't seem to like it much." despite his haste, Xavier kept his words calm and polite. The Wingull's greater boldness was worrisome, tough, and he instructed Morrigan to mix in some Confuse Rays in with her Ominous Wind, hoping to sow some chaos into the ranks of the flock.

[Esprit15]

Talitha grabs any oars/long-flat-things that she gathered from among the wreck, as well as the water and supplies, then high tailing it back to the boat, tossing in supplies and getting it into the water once the barriers are up. "Everyone get in NOW!" Once they all are aboard, Talitha gives the boat a powerful shove before hopping in.

Attack birds on sight.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

...didn't know they could do that. It's kind of impressive, in a really-don't-want-them-to-do-that sort of way,

Conwenna wastes a moment staring at the rain-making wingull in stunned surprise, before giving herself a mental shake and running for the boat.

"You have a better idea?" she shouts to Xavier as she reholsters the gun. "Andraste, push us off, then stand guard!" she calls, as she vaults over the gun-wailmer-thingy and into the boat.

[Arcran]

As the party moves the Wingull instantly begin to dive, approaching the party. Under the combined fire of Morrigan and Taranto they begin to waver, pulling back, especially with the Scyther joins in against the incoming horde of Wingull.

With Talitha's and Andraste's quick pushes the boat quickly manages to get out into the (relatively) open water, Gemini's shimmering barrier managing to keep the water out of the base of the small plexiglass lifeboat. When the Wingull realize that a close attack will be heavily punished they begin to circle above, raining down powerful jets of water. (Un)Fortunately, Koffing begins to cover the nearby area with a noxious smoke that, while foul smelling, does little to actually harm the boat operators as they row furiously. The blasts splash into the ocean all around, spraying the party with mist but, for the most part, seem to miss the group.

Soon enough the Wingull turn back, at least half of their horde thinned out by the vicious attacks by the party's Pokemon.

Out of the rain the group is able to coast quite easily, although they are almost constantly forced to swap direction in order to avoid the seemingly ever-present sandbars. And, through it all, the whistling light grows closer. At this distance, it seems almost more like a song is being whistled and, unless you're mistaken, the light is coming from far more than one source.

[Esprit15]

Talitha mechanically rows the boat, not looking at her team. That whistling was a nuisance, but there were worse things it could be. Whatever the light was, it was not a concern of hers until it made itself one. Bleeding sandbars made rowing impossible.

[Zelphas]

"Beware below us!" Xavier called out as they left the sandbar. "There were more Pokemon like the Machoke Gemini found under the water." A thought struck him, and he glanced over at the balls of light, trying to gauge their size. Hmm...

Xavier attempted to row with the rest of the group, but he was not built for physical labor. Instead, he focused on where he could do the most good: information gathering. Morrigan, take up position at 9 o'clock to us, he telepathically instructed the bird. If anything gets close, respond with lethal force. Xavier then turned his attention to the floating balls of light, attempting to call on his psychic strengths to see what the new threat is.

Using another Claircognizant to try to recognize the threat (or threats) for what they are.

Perception: [roll0]

[Arcran]

As you look towards the apparent "threat" in your minds eye, the shapes become clearer, more distinct.

At the head of the group is an elderly man, head every bit as bald as a volleyball. He strides with a practiced step, sometimes on a sandbar, sometimes the water just going over the top of his feet. He moves with a sort of practiced grace, implying that this is hardly his first time in the bay.

By his side is one of the largest Ampharos the party has ever seen, even among the elite members of Team Rocket. Its tail burns with an inner light and its fur is coated in small waves of electricity. Calling it a prime specimen would be an insult to it. Behind it walks a herd of Mareep with a few Flaafy intermingled within the group. Their wool seems to be in great supply, as is the amount of electricity within it. They, like the Ampharos, are some of the most pristine members of the species you have ever had the pleasure of witnessing, each nearly a times and a half the regular size of their species. Like the Ampharos, their tails glow brightly as well, lighting up the area even under the midday sun.

[Zelphas]

"What..." Xavier breathes, awestruck by the sight. after a stunned moment, he tears his gaze away from the man and speaks quickly to the rest of the group. "Those balls of light are an old man and a flock of the largest Mareep I have ever seen, headed by an Ampharos which looked like a Legendary in its own right. If we fight them, we won't win. I can try to talk to the man, to explain our situation to him; it is our likeliest chance of survival, by my reckoning."

[Esprit15]

"A deific shepherd with his flock," Talitha describes absentmindedly. Which didn't normally happen... Why did that happen? She never spoke unnecessarily!

...focus. Focus. "Rowing towards the shepherd. Right."

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

"Does he look angry at all?" she asks, settling back so she's almost lying in the pointy bit and fishing around for the damp cigarettes. It's not like there's a great deal she can do now but wait for things to resolve, and there's no point in being uncomfortable. "Or Resigned, like he's having to deal with a some unpleasant but essential task? Sad, like he's going to regret what he does next? Or even gleeful - like he'll enjoy it? Because none of those looks would bode particularly well for us. On the other hand, I don't see how talking could do us any more harm than not talking to it," she adds with a shrug.

She fidgets slightly and squints at the sky, then flickers her lighter open and starts waving a soggy cigarette through the flame in the optimistic belief that if she an dry it, the blasted thing won't taste of salt. Even if it does, there's such a thing as going out with style.

[Zelphas]

"He looks... calm," Xavier responds, squinting at the man and his flock. "He's obviously done... whatever he's about to do before, but I can't get a read on how he feels about it. I'll talk to him as soon as we come within speaking distance, then." Xavier studies the flock for a moment more, and then quickly returns Morrigan on impulse. If it did come to a fight, she'd fall to Electric types in a heartbeat, especially ones as obviously powerful as these.

As soon as Xavier judges that they are within hailing distance, he calls out in Kalosian, <"Greetings, noble sir, noble Ampharos,"> he begins, addressing the titanic Electric Pokemon and the elderly man with equal deference. <"We are travelers to this land of Kalos, set upon in our voyage by a creature of storm and left to die on the sandbar. We seek shelter from the hostile swarm above us and a place to rest and recuperate from our wounds. Humbly we beseech you; may we pass your flock and your great presences and find respite upon yonder shore?">

Charm Check for the flattery: [roll0]

[Arcran]

The man and the flock suddenly stop, all eyes intent on the rowboat for a tense few seconds, even the ocean seeming to calm slightly. Then, the man speaks, voice carrying across the bay.

"Why're ya talkin' so funny sonny?" the man hails back, the words almost indecipherable due to both the alien accent and the fact that they seem to be slang derivatives of real Kalosian words. "If yer done beesechin' and beggin' and whinin' like a lot a' bumblin' schoolgirls, git yer asses over 'ere!" the man shouts louder. "Ye'll be stuck on that there boat all day if yer lot try to sail out of 'ere!"

The Ampharos' tail grows in intensity as if to provide a beacon to the shore.

[Esprit15]

Talitha sighs in relief that the man was peaceful, and rows a bit faster toward safety.

[gearHead]

Though most her effort was focused on keeping the boat afloat, it wasn't in Gem's nature to simply take the stranger at face value; once she was in range, she diverted a bit of attention to subtly brush the shepherd's mind and get a bead on what he was really thinking.

Focus [roll0] to scan surface thoughts.

[Zelphas]

A relieved smile crosses Xavier's face, and he nods his head to the man before turning back to rowing. As they near the shore, his mind races. It seems that the Kalosian they had been taught was at the very least a few decades older than the dialect the shepherd spoke. Did the Rocket's get their Kalosian from an old text, perhaps? It would explain how they knew the language but nothing of the actual land. Then again, this was only one man, and his profession tended to be one of seclusion, so it may be that the man simply had a dialect of his own and they had been taught proper Kalosian... Xavier decides to reserve judgment until he gets more information. A heavy accent is remembered, but so is a "hick" accent in a large city.

Once they reach the shore, Xavier once again speaks up, this time making sure to use slightly antiquated speech. He already made the impression that he 'talked funny'; he may as well play it up. <"Apologies. I was taught this tongue by one not native to it, and it seems that my learning was a bit... out of date. Thank you for guiding us to shore.">

Keep on throwing in Charm: [roll0]

[Arcran]

Gaining access to the man's mind is, thankfully, quite simple. At least on the surface, the man seems to simply be wondering how the hell people managed to get stranded on a boat out here.

"Donnae who could teach ya to speak this that ain't from here," the man says, your learning in Kalosian hardly allowing you to keep up, eyebrows raising suspiciously. "Yer not one of those wackjobs from down south, are ya? From tha' damn Pokemon City place? Eh, it don' mattah," he says, waving a hand.

"Wha' does mattah," he says, turning a keen eye onto the group of you, "Is how in tha' blazes you ended up here. Don'tcha know nobody sails 'ere?"

Saying the man appears suspicious would be an understatement. His gaze goes from party member to party member, lingering on Talitha as well as Con's firearms, a brief flash of fear appearing at those.

Behind him, the Ampharos bends forward, massive neck allowing it to reach Talitha where it begins sniffing eagerly as if searching for something.

[Esprit15]

Talitha flinches backward at the giant creature. "What? What do you want?" she snaps nervously.

I assume you mean Talitha (the character) and Con's firearms (the item). Seeing as Talitha is unarmed. The sentence reads either way.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril gasped in a small breath, not realizing he was holding his. He stayed quiet as the folks Shepard questioned them. He was never great at speaking with people and even if this man's language was far from perfect, he expected his was even worse.

[Zelphas]

Xavier considers for a moment, deciding what to tell the old man before him to hopefully calm him down. He carefully keeps himself from wincing when he decides on telling the truth.

<"We are not from this land. Our people discovered your land recently, and we were sent to explore and learn more about it. Our land is a dangerous one, and we did not know if your land was the same, so we brought what defenses we could,"> he said, taking a moment to nod at Conwenna's pistols. <"Had we known the dangers of this stretch of coastline, we would have avoided it.">

Xavier smiled at the man, extending his arm to shake. <"I should introduce myself. I am called Xavier. What may I call you, good sir?">

Charm, charm, charm: [roll0]

[gearHead]

Far as I can tell, grungy old dude seems legit, Gem projected to the rest of the Rockets, her obvious relief at no longer maintaining the Barrier for the boat washing over through the connection, though her expression remained somewhere between pained and annoyed. It would have been simple enough to adjust her accent to match the shepherd's - mastering what they knew of the Kalosian language had been trivial for the psychic, after all - but Xavier seemed to have a different plan in mind. Instead she remained silent for the moment, not even bothering to complain about her mounting migraine.

Koffing grinned goofily up at the giant Ampharos, apparently impressed by its size. Gem herself was nonplussed; she'd seen stranger beasts. Gem mentally commanded it not to drop its guard; not that it was allowed to ever relax anyways. Its Rocket trainers had been just as brutal and thorough in "breaking" it as they had Gemini.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Huh. Probably not going to die here after all. Well, that's interesting.

She treats the giant and his Ampharos to a level gaze, as she tries to keep up with the Kalosian - she'd initially taken to the language like a psyduck to merchant banking, and while her grasp of it was passable now it still wasn't the best. Andraste touches down on the boat next to her and treats the giant Ampharos with a similarly sceptical gaze.

"We're also here to protect the world from devastation," Con adds, almost absently, in Kantoan. It's just too good a chance to pass up, really. "And unite all people within our nation. To denounce the evil's of truth and love, and extend our reach to the star's above. I hope you're telling him all of this," she says sternly to Xavier. "And why is he staring at my guns?"

[Arcran]

A long tongue reaches out from the mouth of the Ampharos, electric blue in color, as it slowly reaches towards Taranto who, for whatever reason, continues to skitter away from the giant blue appendage. While it would appear to be slimy it is almost completely dry, although the static electricity is doing a number on Talitha's hair. So far it seems to be ignoring the Koffing, focusing almost entirely on its (slow) pursuit of the Joltik.

The elderly man leans on his staff, looking at Conwenna with confusion as she speaks in a foreign language.

"Yer a bunch 'a damn dir'y aliens?" the man mutters, looking at the group with disdain. "We ne'er get 'em from the north. S'all from tha' south, dir'y southerns comin' up 'ere and takin' all the damn jobs," he mutters, looking at the group with disdain as he begins to call his herd closer.

"Ye' can call me Wilson," he says, not offering a hand or anything of the like. "Even if yer damn dir'y aliens, I should be hospi'able-like," he says, obviously tired. "Mah sheepies have walked far 'nough anyways fer the day," he says, planting his staff as he begins to walk further up the sandbar. "I got a cabin up tha'away," he mutters, stretching out a tanned, wrinkled hand. "I suppose I kin get y'all a meal if ya' need one," he says grudgingly, beginning the hike back.

If you have questions/things to do, fire away! If not we'll just skip to the old man's cabin.

[Esprit15]

Talitha picks up Taranto as the Joltik nervously skitters away from the possible predator. "Willson, where on your continent are we?"

[gearHead]

If the others were willing to accept the shepherd's hospitality, Gemini was all to ready for a meal and some sleep. Even if the cottage was likely to be grungy and damp smelly, and the meal was probably some sort of gross Flaffy cheese or haggis or something else equally disgusting, and the sheep were already wreaking havoc on her allergies... it was far better than the alternative at the moment. She sagged a bit, leaning on the hovering Koffing to keep walking as Talitha chatted up the native on the way to his hovel.

[MesiDoomstalker]

If were aliens, as you say, why are you going to help us? Why not leave us to die? Cyril tilted his head inquistingly. This didn't make sense. Help those you liked, hinder (or at least do not help) those you don't. That was Cyril's philosophy and it worked for him.

[Zelphas]

<"It is good to meet you, Wilson,"> Xavier replies, carefully making his speech more informal as he talks. Suddenly switching to a more informal accent would be far more likely to be noticed by the shepherd than a gradual shift, though attempting to be not worth remembering at this point was probably a lost cause. <"Your hospitality would be most appreciated. Thank you.">

Xavier stays quiet as they walk, planning to save his questions until they were indoors. He approves of Talitha's question, though it was quite a bit blunter than he would have been; it was one of the first on his list. Cyril's question brought a quick wince to Xavier's face. Did the man have no sense of preservation?

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

As she tries to keep up with the torrent of mangled Kalosian, she twirls one of the many stray strands of her between her fingers. Then she stops, and glares at her fingers. They're brown, the same brown as her hair. Which means...

Which means her hair dye didn't survive an ocean dip. In the spirit of inquiry, she pulls some more of the tangled mass to where she can see it. And... yes. There it is. The turquoise is starting to show through - the nice, readily identifiable green-blue of her family. And the spare dye she'd brought is probably languishing at the bottom of the ocean with her spare shoes, and the rest of her clothes.

Wonderful. Today just gets better and better,

"...If he has a bath or a shower, we can fix the dirty part," she calls over to Xavier, still in Kantoan. "And... yes, tell him that I can't understand Kalosian. Doesn't hurt to have him underestimate us,"

[Arcran]

"Den even kna' basic geography," Wilson mutters with disdain. "This be tha' north par' o' Kalos. Pre'y far wes'," he adds almost as an afterthought, moving step by step through the sand.

"And yer obviously an angry alien," he says to Cyril, looking at the hunter with disdain. "Da ya' wanna piss off tha' gods? You be hospi'able ta people tha' be needin' help. I's wha' you da. Where ya' grow up, in the wilds? Dumb kids ignorin' gods."

Wilson simply grunts at Xavier's thanks, giving him a quick nod, his eyes going wide as he sees the small path of blue hair on Con's head. He turns back around, mumbling quiter than you can make out.

As the group makes their way across the sandbars, sometimes striding through rather deep water, the flock of Mareep scurries about, electricity jumping among their coats. Any aquatic predator must be able to sense the massive voltage as nothing even comes close, although the huge fin of some aquatic predator is seen at one point.

After walking for nearly fifteen minutes, Wilson pauses, pointing with his staff. If you squint you can just make out what he is pointing at; the wing of a plane.

"Crashed 'ere 'bou' a bi' ago. Didn' see nobody in i'. Damn thing jus' crashed ou'a tha' sky. Scared me half ta death," he mutters, continuing to wander seemingly aimlessly among the sandbars.

It would seem that, somehow, Wilson knows where he is going. While the path among the bars is erratic to say the least, you can clearly see that you're approaching the shore, albeit slowly. After nearly two hours of walking you finally are within easy distance of the shore, another half hour actually putting you on the coast. As you climb a steep slope covered in dying grasses, Wilson remains silent, occasionally telling one of you to watch your step. As you near the top of the bluff you see a small, almost ramshackle cabin up ahead. As you near, you see that while the cabin is small, the nearby fence is huge. It would seem that there are no more Mareep within, although an unknown Pokemon that almost looks like a green Mareep appears to be quite common within, calmly grazing on the grass.

"Marie! We go' company!" Wilson shouts, quickly falling into a coughing fit as he does so. The Ampharos is almost instantly at his side, acting as a horribly oversized crutch.

A wizened old woman flies from the house, a look of sheer joy on her face.

"Visitors?" she asks, her Kalosian far closer to what the party had learned. "Oh, you look like you've been through the wringer the lot of you!" she exclaims, a look of pity on her face. "Supper won't be for a few more hours, but I'd be more than willing to try to get you something now! Please, please, come in!" she exclaims, gesturing towards the door.

[Esprit15]

Talitha watches the green Mareep with curiosity. Don't have those back home, that's for sure. So we are at the northwest portion... "My thanks, ma'am," she says the the woman, keeping the sentence short and simple. They seemed good, hard working folk. "You are shepherds?" she asks as she gazes around the room. "I know of Mareep but the green Pokémon is not familiar."

[Zelphas]

Xavier breathes an inaudible sign of relief at Wilson's answer to Cyril. They had avoided any sort of incident, for now at least, and had gained a good tidbit of information as well. His eyes followed Wilson's, widening and then narrowing when he sees Conwenna's hair color. Several options run through his mind, but he pushes them all back for now. He nods to Conwenna, and then says quietly to Wilson, <"Some of us have a better grasp of our language than others. Our friends wished you to know that their silence is not meant to be disrespectful.">

As they walk, Xavier notes roughly where the airplane crash was and tried to keep track of their route. The other Rocket party may have been in that plane; if they survived, their information could be invaluable. He takes note of the green Pokemon, eager to see their abilities and strengths. This was what he was here for, after all.

<"Please, don't rush your meal on our account, ma'am,"> he answers the old woman, smiling brightly. <"Thank you for your hospitality, it is greatly appreciated."> He was about to inquire about the green Mareep, but Talitha beat him to it once again. Simple curiosity was a good information tool, after all. <"Your flock in general is very impressive,"> he adds in. <"I have never seen a flock so large and healthy.">

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

As people stare at her hair, she gives them a resentful glare.

"It's the salt, alright?" she mutters.

...stupid genetics.

...
Well, at least the hut looks dry and shady. For the last twenty minutes or so, she's been carrying her jacket over her head as a makeshift parasol. Or one of those... what is it the desert-dwellers use? Mufti? No? Something like that, anyway.

At the door to the hut, she pauses a moment to bow. Good manners and respect to the host never go amiss, even if they're somewhat old fashioned these days. Besides, it helps conceal your sneaky look around the room.

Still. It feels like there's something she's forgetting, it's just hard to think over Andraste's buzzing... Oh. Oops.

"Good girl. Come down and rest on the ground for a while," she says guiltily. The poor scyther's been hovering in overwatch for hours now. Con would recall her to the pokeball, but the extreme reaction of the wingull to pokeballs might just be shared by the humans.

Some paranoid perception; just looking for all the innocent things one might expect to find in a beach hut, and are absolutely not, say, the last set of explorers being chopped up for dinner. Nope, not interesting in things like that at all :smalltongue:

[roll0]

[gearHead]

Gemini noted and memorized the location of the downed plane as the passed it, along with all the tidbits of information their escort shared, intentionally or otherwise. If the locals were superstitious, there was a chance the craft hadn't been looted, and her team could scavenge it. Her knowledge about Rocket aviation tech was limited, but it was possible she'd read or seen reference to its make and model before; she searched her memory for similarities.

When their muddy trudging finally came to an end, the possibility of a warm meal and a dry spot to sleep were of far more interest to Gem than the odd local Pokemon. Not her department, unless maybe they were Psychic, but she could sense they weren't terribly bright. She was more concerned with the woman who seemed intent on mothering them. The Kalosian seemed innocent, and certainly friendlier than her associate, but Gem had seen people fooled by lesser facades than this. Even if the shepherd was harmless, that didn't preclude the possibility he was being manipulated. Her migraine flared again as her mind reached out.

Tech for any info on the plane.
Perception [roll]4d6+5 for signs of looting or other human/Pokemon involvement.
Focus [roll1] to scan surface thoughts.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Cyril stared long at the strange mareep. Possibly too long, barely recognizing the women talking to him and the rest of the group. Uh, thanks. He said with almost an afterthought. He began to count the strange colored Mareep, studying them as much as possible before 'social etiquette' and a good meal drove him inside.

to see what I can puzzle
[roll0]

[Arcran]

"Den' we look like shepherds?" Wilson asks, apparently growing angry over the very simple question before the older woman cuts him off.

"Yes we are dearie! We raise our very own Mareep and Skiddo! Best in the region, although some would argue with that...." she says, muttering incoherently at the end. "But how do you not know about Skiddo? They're big down south I thought."

"No, the' use Rhyhorn! How many 'imes do I 'ave to 'ell you tha'?" the older man says angrily as he guides his herd back into the pen.

"Fine, fine. They're a Grass Type. Like Mareep, but Grass instead of Electric. That's the gist, besides the damn things being more bullheaded too..." the woman mutters, glaring at Wilson.

However, her demeanor instantly brightens at the compliment from Xavier.

"Why thank you dearie. We do our best," she says, a wide grin on her face. "I'd like to think we do a pretty good job, although might just be hubris speaking."

"Damn righ' thar the bes'!" Wilson shouts from the massive pen, his accent even harder to understand over the distance.

The older woman continues without missing a beat, simply ignoring Wilson.

"Come in, come in! Let's get you all some dinner!"

As it seems to be less a hut and more a farm, the number of dangerous objects that could be expected go up by a rather large margin. There are axes, saws, pitchforks and a whole assortment of various farm implements that could be used to bludgeon, slash and stab the party into submission. However, one has to wonder why Wilson and his apparent wife would bother with the tools when they have such a large number of Pokemon at their disposal.

Don't forget Telepathy costs you 2 AP for the Scene if you haven't spent that yet!

While your knowledge of avionics is quite limited there is still a bit of information you're able to glean from the wreck. While the lone wing peeking out isn't the most useful tidbit, you are able to recognize it as part of the stealth transports commonly used by Team Rocket. The fact that it is covered with burn marks is also rather conspicuous, although it is rather difficult to tell whether they happened before or after the crash.

From your attempted surface thought scan, you are able to determine three things about the older woman. First, while she is annoyed with Wilson, she cares for him deeply. Secondly, she hates Skiddo a lot more than she lets on. And, third, that she is extremely excited about having visitors over for dinner.


The strange Pokemon looks almost as if a Mareep was shaved, given horns and coated in moss. While it is hard to tell, you would guess that the green coat isn't actually a part of the Pokemon and is actually part of a symbiotic relationship, similar to Paras and its mushrooms.

[Esprit15]

"I mean that with great respect, sir. It's a rarity back home to meet someone who works the earth and animals, and would take pride in such manual labor." She turns to the less irritable woman. "It brings back fond memories for myself."

So far, a good start, barring the loss of their ship and crew... "Out of curiosity, are Bugs ever a concern for the Skiddo? I would imagine raising Grass types would attract them and cause trouble." She wanted to find a local Bug. How dominant in the food chain were they? Primary consumers, tertiary consumer?

And thinking about consumers and hunting was all it took to realize how unfed she was. She sniffs the air, wondering how different food would be here. Would it be closer to the forest, or closer to Saffron, or something incomparable?

Vespa would need treatment at some point, but for now, Talitha would need to get a sense of her hosts before letting a Beedrill out, even if unconscious.

[Aneurin]

Conwenna

Pausing a moment to let the others go ahead, just to add to the illusion that she can't understand what's being said, Con enters the house. It's... not what she's used to. It looks very, very rural to her city-eyes. How can people live like this?

"Could you ask them if there's somewhere we can wash up, please? And if there might be a change of clothes?" she asks... well, whoever seems to be listening. Salt-caked skin and crackling clothing are distressingly uncomfortable - and, frankly, she'd like to soak the blisters on her feet. A few hours stroll without shoes has not done her any favours.

[Zelphas]

<"Your dedication and care to your Pokemon shows through their obvious health and happiness, and your own,"> Xavier replies smoothly. Conwenna's suggestion prompts him to speak again. <"Dinner sounds wonderful, but perhaps we should be cleaned up and better prepared to receive such a meal. We have been through storm and shipwreck today, and we would not wish to demean your lovely table with our filthy hands and bodies. Do you have a place where we could wash up, and perhaps a change of clothes?"> Xavier looks down, affecting a slight blush and adding a trace of shame to his voice. <"Excuse me, I don't mean to intrude upon your hospitality too much.">

Check: [roll0]

As he speaks, Xavier runs through what he's learned of Kalos so far. The western shore's "guardian", wild hostility to technology, native fear of weapons, the North-South divide, the honoring of "gods"--he would need to write a preliminary report as soon as possible, just to keep them from going too long. The excuse of a bath and exchange of clothes would likely give him an excuse to explore the house and discover even more.