PTU - Crime Doesn't Pay

[dmarks]

Jack, Blake and Eli in Violet City

The summer sun has barely crested the forest when it lights a bustling scene in the middle of the town-come-city. Falkner stands on a small wooden podium, hastily erected before his gym, whilst 30 or 40 townsfolk mill about chattering. Each of you see the crowd from a distance, and despite the early hour, none are surprised by this strange sight. All know that violet city has suffered strange attacks of late, and as the leader of the gym, it has fallen to Falkner to reassure his people.

It is the rumours of these pokemon attacks that have drawn our intrepid heroes to the city, and just in time it seems as Falkner clears his throat and addresses the crowd.

"Calm people, calm. Don't turn into the superstitious rustics the city folk think you are! I know last nights attack was worse than we expected, but be assured the people and pokemon who were injured are being well treated in the pokecentre. The police of Goldenrod have offered us their assistance and a delegation will soon be arriving, but when they get here I intend to have brought these attacks to an end: we'll show them that Violet city is more than capable of looking after itself!"

"I will be mounting an expedition into the forests south of here, but should anyone have any more information that could help stop these attacks, then I implore them to visit me and the trainers at my gym. In the meantime, my trainers and I will be using our bird pokemon to warn of future attacks. Be assured, you are safe." Falkner finished his speech with a firm frown of determination that was perhaps meant to convey assurance, but looked decidedly grim in the morning light.

The crowd didn't disperse when Falkner stepped down, but continued to chatter.

Feel free to begin your investigations and we'll tie you all together

[GameOfChampions]

I nod my head as Falkner finished his speech, he was a pretty good public speaker but it seemed like the townsfolk were still wary and somewhat scared. I'd only arrived here with Eli a day ago and didn't really know what was going on but something was deeply wrong here to terrify a town like this. I could practically smell something was wrong and had to resist the urge to flare my nostrils and take a deep breath through my nose... it would probably just freak people out.

Though not as much as my own little devil. I spot him as I feel a small tug on my boot laces and hiss at him "Loki no! No tying together shoelaces you little monster, one broken nose is more then enough and I'm not in the mood now." I give him a little nudge with my foot and he retreats back into my shadow with a small cackle. I sigh at my crazy little ghost, he was still young so he may grow out of the prank in and whatnot but I doubted it. Young and wilful as he was he was still good for me, helping me cheer up after tough fights or when my moods struck.

I turn to my traveling companion who I'd met not to long ago while we were heading for Violet city, he was pretty good to travel with but stubborn as a Rhyhorn sometimes. Like when I said I was more stealthy then him and he tried to spend the better part of an hour trying to sneak up on me with all the stealth and grace of a Mamoswine. Still I counted him as a friend for the short time I'd known him. "Hey Eli I'm going to check out the tower and talk to the monks there. I was going to ask about the spiritual ways and how they deal with spirits in particular but maybe they know something about what's going on here. Your welcome to join me if you want, I've heard the sprout tower is a very moving place."

[Writtensanity]

"Ha, moving. I see what you did there because the tower sways and all," Eli smiled back at Blake as the subtler boy made his way toward sprout tower. The speech from Faulkner had been a lot of things, but none of them really worked for Eli. Sure, it was a decent message telling the people to take care of themselves, but how many of them had the Pokemon or will to do it? Plus, it sounded like he was shifting the blame over to the townsfolk for being suspicious of new trainers. Bull**** like this didn't happen when Jhoto had been disconnected from the world. At least that's what Eli had heard from his father. Jhoto was also greener then, and Pokemon would just walk up and ask to come along with you by saying their name over and over again.

Blake kept his Pokemon out of his Pokeball, which was something that Eli couldn't do in town. For one thing, Melony the Ponyta was taller than a ghost and took up too much space. The second thing was that Melony was on fire at all times, she wasn't going to burn Eli, but if you caught a Ponyta by surprise... well he'd learned how to treat burns back on the ranch.

Plus, the pair were heading to Bellsprout tower, and grass types and fire types got along like... well like fire and grass generally do.

[Dudeons]

Attraction. A very mysterious property, but one that is fundamental in nature. Despite being universal, they way it worked varied between them. It drew weaker men to attractive women, it drew searching Combees to nectar-filled flowers, and it drew determined detectives to unsolved mysteries. But why was attraction so... attractive? Attraction was what made someone think something would benefit them. Attracted men might acquire mates, attracted Combees might find honey, but what did an attracted detective find to gain? Money? Fame? Satisfaction? Which of these did aspiring detective Jack Ward seek?

Man, that one sounded deep. Jack had the idea hit him this morning, and thought it'd be a great monologue to ensure a client of how hardboiled he was. He had been editing it in his mind until Falkner started his speech, whereupon he gave his focus to the Gym Leader. The call for determination was clear, as well as a sense of pride. After Falkner stepped down, Jack pulled up his scarf and walked through the crowd, hands in his pockets. Conversing among themselves, the townspeople wouldn't pay any mind to him as he tried to glean rumors. He hovers around anyone who had anything especially interesting to say.

Perception: [roll0]

[dmarks]

Blake and Eli

The pair make their way through the town towards Sprout tower. On their way, they notice a number of the houses bear what appear to be scorch marks and signs of damage, perhaps from the earlier attack.

There are a pair of robed monks standing outside the tower, but they make no move to halt the two trainers. Inside, they can see a ring of monks sat peacefully around the central column which appears to shift just slightly. The movement is so slight it could be the ground settling, but as the two watch they see it shift back again, giving the tower its swaying reputation.

A nearby monk, one who is not sat in the ring steps forward and greets the two trainers kindly.

Jack

As Jack weaves between the townsfolk he strains his ears to catch any hints of what they are discussing. Snippets of their words reach him through the chatter:

"...he's in the pokecentre. I knew I should have stopped him.."

"...damn fool leader, we'd never have had this in his father's day..."

"...what are those folks from Goldenrod even going to do?"

"...said it was a swarm of bugs this time..."

"...do you think we should ask professor Elm for help? Maybe he'd know..."

"...you heard him, he thinks it's the south, you should tell him..."

"...I've heard the pokecentre is running short on supplies..."

It's not always easy to determine where the words are coming from, but Jack is fairly confident he could put a voice to a face.

The crowd begins to disperse, though some groups continue to chat as they leave the square.

[Dudeons]

Jack contemplates the snippets he listened to. Mostly confirmations of fear and concern, which didn't surprise him in the least. Something about bugs, most likely details on the attacks. Knowing the type of Pokemon Falkner used, he was surprised that the attacks were that big of an issue. There had to be something more to this case. Pokemon Center... Something was going on there. That was where he'd stop by next.

Completing his course through the crowd, Jack meanders his way to the Pokemon Center. He does a walk-by on the front, looking in to see what was going on inside the building, before walking in the front door to get a more direct perspective on the situation. With his coat and scarf coupled with his height, he imagined himself quite an imposing figure. Surely a figure that would draw attention, he thinks as he analyzes the situation.

[GameOfChampions]

I gaze around at the marks on the houses as we pass and lean over to Eli "What do you think caused this kind of damage? Those scorch marks are intense."

[roll0]
As we get to the tower I greet the monk "Hello Brother. My friend Eli and I just arrived in the city and saw what was going on in and figured if anybody was aware of what was happening then the knowledgeable brothers of the Sprout tower would." I look around with a small smile at the monks meditating and the tower, it reminded me of my home in Ecruteak and visits to the towers there. I snap my fingers as I remember another reason I wanted to come to the tower "Also I was wondering if you know of any wandering spirits lingering around here?"

[Writtensanity]

"On a scale from 1-10 it's probably a fire type," Eli responded to Blake as they walked up to the tower. There wasn't a ton of room for interpretation there. That being said, as soon as a Pokemon could use fire, it could start one. Maybe Blake could see something that he couldn't, but Eli was new to interpreting Pokemon signs. Back on the ranch you could tell what made damage based on the hooves. Hell, you knew if there were scorch marks it was a Ponyta. Eli patted the Pokeball on his waist, the scorches were just another reason not to bring out Melony in town. Last thing he needed was an accusation.

Eli scoffed at Blake as he tried to work his way around the monks. They were people too, you just needed to speak to them like they were here for an interesting time. It wasn't like politeness was required in this situation.

That being said, Eli wasn't going to stop Blake, there was a reason he was letting the Ghost trainer keep the reins on the conversation.

Finally Blake finished his greeting and switched his topic to his preferred type. Eli shivered at the idea of ghosts in the tower, why was the one person who thought like him someone who messed with the resting?

Not going to roll for the Poke Ed, figure there isn't a point to both of us doing it so... yeah. I assist if I can I guess, but my only assistance is sass.

[dmarks]

Jack

Jack finds the pokecentre in a whirl of activity despite the early hour, a middle aged man in a nurse's uniform turns to him when he enters and frowns, but the cries of the nurse's patient distracts him. Jack can see that the waiting room of the pokecentre has been turned into an ad hoc triaging area, with humans and pokemon waiting to be looked at by a trio of haggard looking medics. Lights at the back of the room indicate that there are also a number of patients in surgery, likely with much more significant injuries. One of the 'in theatre' lights begins to flash and the nearby nurse stands up and hurries towards the theatre and shouts for the other nurses to "hold down the fort". As the man leaves, everyone's attention is drawn towards a young woman who begins to sob loudly. The other medics look towards her, but clearly don't have the time to spare.

Blake

Blake can't quite decide what sort of move would cause damage like this, but it does seem to be the work of multiple pokemon rather than one powerful one: the marks are many, but the damage is comparatively light.

"Alas, I don't believe any in Violet truly know what is going on, not even Falkner," the monk sighed. "My brothers and sisters are meditating now, hoping that by discussing their shared experiences and then contemplating them they might find some insight, but it is hard to find peace in such troubled times."

"In fact, the few spirits that did linger in this place seem to have vanished in recent weeks: perhaps they've been disturbed by whatever is causing these attacks."

[GameOfChampions]

I sigh, letting a little frustration seep into my voice, "It's all right Brother, we're just keen for knowledge on this threat. I think we'll be heading to Falkners gym soon so if you discover or remember anything please send a messenger over to warn us. That's too bad about the spirits though, I'll come back after we deal with this to see if any have returned then. Peace be with you Brother." I say my goodbyes without thought though bease all I can think of is what could scare away spirits on a mass scale 'What could scare away Spirits like this, the dark maybe? Are the Pokemon attacking giving into some vicious and cruel nature that has scared the spirits with its darkness...' I calm myself with a deep breathe and with some effort look around trying to sense anything that would have driven off the spirits.

I turn and move a short distance away with Eli and mutter under my breath to him "Well this was a waste, the monks don't know anything... hell I don't think anyone in this town knows anything about what we're facing. It seems like the only way to find out is to hunt them down. Want to head to Falkner now so we can get this show on the road?"

Occult Ed roll: 4d6

[Writtensanity]

"Well not on the road maybe, unless they've left town." Eli scrunches his nose at the idea of going right to the gymleader. They couldn't exactly tell him what they planned to do, Faulkner would lynch them if he figured that they wanted to start a fight. They were going to need to lie, or at least dance around the truth, neither of those seemed like fantastic ideas.

Eli opened his mouth to offer a different plan before he realized that he didn't have a better idea. With a sigh he waved goodbye to the monks before heading down the steps of of the tower. Blake would want to come back for the spirits, and he would probably try to drag Eli along.

Either way, Faulker had the answers they needed.

[Dudeons]

Jack's gaze flicks about the room. Three nurses, one just left. It's clear that they were busy, judging by the number of people and Pokemon waiting on treatment. Jack had read a number of books on first aid, but he didn't want to get in the way of the more experienced personnel. Instead, Jack takes interest in the crying woman. If she could speak coherently, he could potentially learn more about why there were so many people injured. He tugs at the scarf concealing the lower half of his face with a finger, letting some air in as he walks over to the young woman. He drops his hands to his sides, confident but relaxed.

"You look troubled, miss," Jack says, pulling the scarf down to reveal his face.

[dmarks]

Blake and Eli

Blake knows that rarely do ghosts leave their haunting ground, and also knows that they aren't a herd species. In fact, even if there is an exodus, loners are known to stay behind, hiding in the shadows and making the most of their furtive nature. This place still has the echo-y, intense feel of a place inhabited by ghost pokemon, and that feeling lingers as Blake casts his eyes around the hall.

The pair stepped out of the tower, Blake still trying to figure things out, when both of them noticed something moving behind the tower: it could have been a stray shadow cast by the swaying trees, or something else entirely.

Jack

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "it's my brother. I'm not sure if he'll be alright. He came back, just before the attack: I only saw him for a second, but he looked so hurt. I hope he'll be alright."

[GameOfChampions]

I squint a little at the shadow I see behind the tower, I wasn't sure what it was but my gut was saying to go and check it out. "Hey hold on a second Eli, I just want to check that shadow out. I'll be right back."

I quickly crouch down to my shadow and call to my little Sableye "Hey Loki we're going to check out that shadow over there okay. I want you to go invisible and lead the way for me and I'll just follow a few seconds behind." I then start to make my way over to the Shadow, trying to employ all the stealth at my disposal.


Ok so to break it down I'm having Loki go Invisible, which he can do for 4 min at max and lead the way. I pretty much wait one round and follow. Loki has the Stealth, Dark vision, invisibility and Dead Silent capabilities while I only have Dead Silent.
Stealth Rolls if you need them.
Loki:
Blake: [Roll]3d6

[dmarks]

Loki fades from view and heads towards the treeline. Blake followed closely, though it was impossible to know for certain where Loki was.

They enter the shadow of the trees, but neither of them can find any trace of whatever Blake had spotted. Suddenly Blake's skin prickled and he turned to see a ghost pokemon shimmering into view: a floating orb of darkness with a grinning expression.

[GameOfChampions]

I blink in surprise and have to stifle a brief gasp as I spot the floating ball of darkness, 'Well I think I can safely say it's a ghost. Either way if I can catch it maybe it can help me figure out what was happening here and if nothing else he seems cheerful.'

I take a breath and bark out some orders "Loki! I need you to use Foresight and then Scratch this guy now." I then palm a ball from the outer pocket of my pack and prepare to through it at the floating ball.

So Loki is going to use Foresight as a swift action and then move and use scratch on the Gastly. I'm going to delay until Loki goes and throws my ball at the Pokemon, I'll do the various rolls here.
Accuracy: [roll0] and the AC is 2 + whatever evasion
Damage for Scratch: [roll1]
Capture Roll: [roll2]

[Writtensanity]

"Okay so you do whatever you-" eli cut himself off when he realized Blake wasn't listening. Whatever heebie jeebies they'd felt obviously meant something. "I'm just going to go on to Faulkner then, alright?"

Blake was already gone so Eli simply got off the steps of the tower and released Mel from her ball. The ponyta sprung out with flames dull and patient. After a moment they perked up about coming out of the ball, and she spun around looking for Eli. "Okay okay girl," Eli started, "don't get too excited, it's just a quick ride across town."

Faulkner had to know something.

[Dudeons]

Jack nods solemnly, taking a seat next to the woman.

"What was your brother doing out there?"

[dmarks]

Blake

The ghost grins at the two and though it looks determined, it does not strike first. Loki eyes the gastly but though he is prepared for the ghost's intangibility, he is not prepared for its speed, and the creature dodges the attack.

Despite this Blake's pokeball is perfectly timed, and catches the pokemon square in the face, engulfing it in light before dropping to the ground and beeping that the pokemon had been captured.

One level 4, bold, Male Gastly with levitate, that is at 100% hp with no injuries.

Eli

Mel didn't waste anytime speeding through the town, and a number of townsfolk leaped back out of her way in surprise.

Falkner could be found just outside his gym, and as Eli approached he glanced at the flaming pokemon with a nod of respect. "Greetings rider, have you come for the expedition?"

Jack

"He went to find out why the pokemon had been attacking us. But he'd been gone so long, we thought he might never come back. And now this..."

The woman attempted to lean on Jack for support as she continued to cry. As she did the light above them stopped flashing and the haggard looking nurse from earlier stumbled out. He looked at the pair, and then gestured for them to come with him.

Inside was a glass panel where they could see a teenager on a table with a number of injuries. Although he appeared to have suffered a number of burns and cuts, Jack noted that his wrists and mouth showed signs of bruising and rope burns as though he had been tied up and gagged.

[GameOfChampions]

I grin down at Loki as he ball pings signaling the capture of the Pokemon. I grab it and start playing around with it as I think 'This little guy stayed while all the others left, either he wasn't afraid of what's going on or is to bold to care about it. Either way he'll make a good addition for this journey.' This is a moment I would remember for the rest of my life, however long that would be, since it was the moment I took one of my first steps to understanding the ethereal world.

I shake my head, I couldn't get caught up with what could be when I needed to be focusing on what was happening now. I let out the newly caught Gastly from the ball and note the swirling poisonous gases that make up the ghost and an idea strikes me and I step up to get his attention "Hey little guy I just caught you and we'll get to know each other over time but for right now I just need to know if you can help me with whats going on in this town. I'll just call you Miasma for now. Come on lets walk and... talk for lack of a better word" I gesture to Loki and the newly christened Miasma and start walking back to the gym.

[dmarks]

Miasma shakes itself, looking hale and hearty (for a ghost), though clearly adjusting to its capture. The creature follows Blake as he sets off, but halfway through the town, pauses and refuses to go any further. At the same time, Loki also pauses, and he too looks unsettled.

[GameOfChampions]

I walk past them a few steps before I realize both my Pokemon were a ting funny and turn back to look at the pair. "Hey you guys OK?" I see how hesitant Miasma is and how Loki is reluctant as well.

I look around the area to see if I can notice anything and ask the pair "Is there something wrong? Can you guys show me?"

Perception roll to notice anything: [roll0]

[Dudeons]

Jack looks over the wounded man. Although many of the wounds seemed natural, some of them didn't look like they would come from a Pokemon. He looks at the nurse.

"Do you have any idea what exactly he encountered out in those woods?" Jack asks.

[dmarks]

Blake

Blake's pokemon glance around, but Blake can't tell what it is that they don't like: both creatures just shake their heads and step backwards.

Jack

The nurse gave Jack a weary look: "Your guess is as good as mine: but I see you've noticed his wrists. This wasn't all the work of mad pokemon."

[Dudeons]

"Indeed," Jack says, "Those are rope burns. After whatever attacked him finished, someone - some human - tied his hands and gagged him. These aren't just wild Pokemon. There are people behind this."

Jack starts pacing.

"Either someone stumbled upon him after he was attacked, or someone possessing Pokemon attacked him directly," Jack continues, "This comes down to two questions. What was he doing that resulted in Pokemon being set upon him, and why did the human who found him want him alive but captured?"

[dmarks]

Jack

The nurse shakes his head: "I've no idea, but you best speak with the gym leader about this, he's the one who is going to do something about this. But I think some of these wounds are fresh: he definitely suffered them today, though the rope burns look to be older."

[GameOfChampions]

I frown as I look around, I can't help but think I'm missing something but either way I nod to my Pokemon and continue on my way to the gym. There was something off in this area and it would be safer to group up with other people.