Adventures in Helnith: Assault on the Town of Ash (RPG)

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Less and Pinklady:

You make it to the Pokémon Center without issue.

There is no sign of Todd or Layla, but they have been replaced by a different pair: a boy with a prosthetic arm and a pale girl whose hair looks like she tried to dye it with her fingers and no mirror. The latter looks up from her notepad briefly to wave.

Spoiler: Pinklady

Show

You recognize Mark and Mina.

----------------

Mark:

It’s time for the meet up you’d promised earlier, so you make your way to the Rieva Pokémon Center lobby.

Within minutes, Pinklady and an older gentleman come through the door; a large fluffy Arcanine trots obediently behind the latter.

----------------

Matt:

A few hours pass after you check the status of both eggs and your Pokémon. You make it to the meeting at the Pokémon Center just in time: Less and Pinklady are right in front of you, and both Mark and Mina have arrived as well.

----------------

Flotsam and Akio:

((You guys are welcome to continue your dinner conversation, you’re just going to be in two places at once.))

Despite the leisurely dinner, you are both able to arrive at the Pokémon Center with time to spare. A number of other people have arrived, most of whom you recognize from the fight against the Murkrow flock. Of those unfamiliar to you, the most noticeable is a boy with a prosthetic arm.

[WindStruck]

After a bit of a delightful meal (or rather, given how much it was all split up amongst everyone, just another snack) and some conversation with Akio, Flotsam decides to return to the Pokémon Center to see what is going on.

As far as she was aware, there was talk about a strange device on the Murkrows, as well as human remains and such back at their outcropping. She wondered if they had found out anything else.

Entering the Pokémon Center, she wave to Less and Matt. She also smiles at Mark, Pinklady, and Mina, every so friendly like. Her Pokémon still follow her around, like a little gang, or an entourage.

[Gnomes2169]

Looking up from his sketchbook when he hears the center doors open, he'd been working on fleshing out a few of the art pieces he's just put the outlines down for earlier since he hadn't seen anyone he recognized when he'd arrived, Mark closes the book as he spots Pinklady and he waves to her and the person walking with her. "Hey there Pinklady! How's it been? And..." Looking at the new guy walking with her, he goes from waving to pointing at Less and asking, "Are you one of the guys that Matt was talking about when he called me? And hi, I'm Mark, nice to meet you." His prosthetic limb, a sleek, black limb that was built to look somewhat like a normal arm with latches that could be opened up to deploy solar panels, whirred as it extended out so he could give the new person a handshake.

Behind Mark, there was a gardevoir who waved to the other two trainers and gave a low, greeting trill as well. Tattersail was also the one who spotted Mina, since Mark is blind, and she nudged him in the side to point her out. This made him jump a bit, and he turned his head to call, "And hi Mina! Didn't see you there!"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

All:

Flotsam nearly gets tripped by her entourage as her Clamperl almost immediately clams up at the sight of strangers and her Horsea tries to hide behind her.

Meanwhile Mina breaks her attention from her notes again long enough to smile at Mark. “Hi Mark! Sorry, I’m a little distracted right now.” Definitely not going to have the Salac Berries in time for the next mission…

[Gnomes2169]

Meanwhile Mina breaks her attention from her notes again long enough to smile at Mark. “Hi Mark! Sorry, I’m a little distracted right now.” Definitely not going to have the Salac Berries in time for the next mission…

He didn't seem bothered by her continuing to be a nerd, figuring that she was still setting up plans on her end, and he responded, "Don't worry about it, I think we're still waiting for everyone to show up anyway."

[Lord Ruby34]

Less stops chatting with Pinklady as they head inside. The trip in the jeep had only taken a couple minutes. The bulky vehicle was now parked outside the Pokemon Center. Frankly, Less was pleased at how the day had turned out. Two Banrda goons captured, and two potential leads on a Bandra base. Now he just needed to follow through with those leads tomorrow, a plan, and probably people to help. It seemed like Pinklady would probably we willing, though he hesitated to ask until he had an actual plan.

Those thoughts bounced around Less's head as he entered the Pokemon Center again. Less was immediately struck by how many people there were, and how young they all were. Matt, the man he had met earlier, was the only person in the room who looked older than their early twenties. Nurse Joy was probably older too, but managed not to look it. Less nodded in polite greeting nonetheless. Perhaps it wasn't that everyone else was young, but that he was simply old. When he had been a teacher, being the oldest person in the room had been a matter of course. He just needed to keep reminding himself that these particular young people probably weren't looking for a lecture.

When the young man approached him, Less shook his metallic hand with only a single glance at the prosthetic arm. The young man was hardly the first person with a battle injury that Less had met. "Lester Douglass, though I suppose you can call me Less." Nothing for it other than to trust people. If they were friends of Mark and Pinklady they probably weren't Bandra spies. Buck woofed behind him, echoing the greeting. "A pleasure to meet you."

[Feathersnow]

Akio acts cool after getting to the pokemon center.
He decides on sending out his Crobat and not announcing he is a heroic samurai or a deranged cosplayer more than is absolutely necessary by dint of his armor...

"Hello, I'm Akio. I haven't met all of you yet." He is unsure if shaking hands is the thing to do here. It seems very unbecoming of a Samurai, but he wants to fit in in this land. And the fact one of the newcomers has a prosthesis makes it even more awkward. He accepts any proffered greeting, but otherwise just nods.

[essCee]

"Hey there, Mark! Mina! Tattersail! Pinklady waves back. "Less and I just took down some Bandra goons! Well, mostly Less! Actually, it was entirely you, huh?" Pinklady refers the last bit to Less rather than Mark.

When the final pair arrives, Pinklady waves to them. "Glad you could join us, Flotsam, Akio! And the rest! She turns her attention to Flotsam's entourage with the last greeting.

[Lord Ruby34]

"Hey there, Mark! Mina! Tattersail! Pinklady waves back. "Less and I just took down some Bandra goons! Well, mostly Less! Actually, it was entirely you, huh?" Pinklady refers the last bit to Less rather than Mark.

"Nonesense," Less said. "You and Leapsy scared out that Ariados. Without that it could have easily taken us by surprise." Less smiled.

[gorman]

*Fidgets nervously*

[Gnomes2169]

When the young man approached him, Less shook his metallic hand with only a single glance at the prosthetic arm. The young man was hardly the first person with a battle injury that Less had met. "Lester Douglass, though I suppose you can call me Less." Nothing for it other than to trust people. If they were friends of Mark and Pinklady they probably weren't Bandra spies. Buck woofed behind him, echoing the greeting. "A pleasure to meet you."

Akio acts cool after getting to the pokemon center.
He decides on sending out his Crobat and not announcing he is a heroic samurai or a deranged cosplayer more than is absolutely necessary by dint of his armor...

"Hello, I'm Akio. I haven't met all of you yet." He is unsure if shaking hands is the thing to do here. It seems very unbecoming of a Samurai, but he wants to fit in in this land. And the fact one of the newcomers has a prosthesis makes it even more awkward. He accepts any proffered greeting, but otherwise just nods.

Mark shook Less' hand, the mechanical bits of his arm whirring with the motion, and he says, "Pleasure to meet you both! Less and Akio, I see that you've already started working with Pinklady and Matt. I'm guessing that you were part of the group when Matt called me earlier?" Letting go of Less' hand, he pulled out his journal again and said, "I heard you guys had questions, though I wasn't sure exactly what you wanted to know, but let's start with them! What did you guys want to ask about?"

[Lord Ruby34]

"Well," Less started, "I had originally intended to ask some questions about shadow Pokemon, but I received a crash course of my own in the last few hours." Less smiled, and continued. "And I do still have a few." Less turned his head towards Matt. "First though, I wanted to thank you again for helping to de-shadow the Pokemon we found earlier. You have my, and Connie's, gratitude." Less patted his newest Pokeball as he spoke.

"Still, I had a few questions remaining on the nature of shadowing. Primarily, what's the root cause? And what exactly does it mean. It seems to put well, a shadow, over a Pokemon's mind, but what can they still remember? Is their cognition impaired? And is it always natural, or could someone artificiality shadow a Pokemon?" Less asked, rapid firing a few of the questions that had been rattling around in his head since he had first looked a shadow Pokemon in the eye.

[gorman]

"Ah no problem. When your pokemon get shadowed it's a fast learning experience to undo it."

[Gnomes2169]

"Well," Less started, "I had originally intended to ask some questions about shadow Pokemon, but I received a crash course of my own in the last few hours." Less smiled, and continued. "And I do still have a few." Less turned his head towards Matt. "First though, I wanted to thank you again for helping to de-shadow the Pokemon we found earlier. You have my, and Connie's, gratitude." Less patted his newest Pokeball as he spoke.

"Still, I had a few questions remaining on the nature of shadowing. Primarily, what's the root cause? And what exactly does it mean. It seems to put well, a shadow, over a Pokemon's mind, but what can they still remember? Is their cognition impaired? And is it always natural, or could someone artificiality shadow a Pokemon?" Less asked, rapid firing a few of the questions that had been rattling around in his head since he had first looked a shadow Pokemon in the eye.

Mark paused at the initial remark, and when Less was done speaking he admitted, "Honestly, I don't know too much about shadowed pokemon themselves. I thought you were going to ask about Bandra. But... well, I guess I know some of the answers." Adjusting his glasses as he thought a bit about it, he said, "The cause seems to be energies from a spectral realm, the same energies that spectral types use for their type attacks. If a pokemon is even so much as hit by a spectral attack, it shadows them ever so slightly, and being knocked out by one of those moves is enough to leave a pokemon fully shadowed. I'd guess that shadowing causes them pain, and leaves them feeling like they are surrounded by enemies, given how Sengar and my Chevlain were acting when we were trying to de-shadow them, but until they actually enter a rage they can be reasoned with and given commands... even if they might ignore them. I could actually ask my pokemon if you'd like, I'm psychically connected to my gardevoir and she could translate their responses for you."

Rubbing at his chin on the last question, Mark said, "As for if it can be done artificially... well, I guess that's technically down to how you define artificial. A spectral type's attacks could be seen as such, but if I'm right and it's simply down to the spectral energies, then it's not only theoretically possible, but probable that someone could use a machine to inject those energies into a pokemon and shadow them. We've seen Bandra at a rift too, though we had no idea what they were doing with it and decided not to investigate too closely... they were wheeling pokemon cages into them, though. Maybe they also had a few machines inside and were trying to harvest spectral pokemon and energies to experiment more with shadowing?" He'd heard rumors about shadowed pokemon in other regions without spectral types, but he'd always assumed them to be baseless rumors or fairy tales. Now, though, if tech could be used to tap into the spectral realm and induce shadowing...? "Again, though, that's just a guess on my part. A ranger or a researcher could probably give you more accurate answers."

[essCee]

"Nonesense," Less said. "You and Leapsy scared out that Ariados. Without that it could have easily taken us by surprise." Less smiled.

"Oh, I didn't realise that! Hooray for teamwork!" She pumps her fist.

"Ah no problem. When your pokemon get shadowed it's a fast learning experience to undo it."

"Oh, didn't notice you, Matt! Hello to you too!"

Pinklady pays close attention to Mark's explanation. She'd been meaning to ask about it, herself, so this was very helpful to her, too.

[Lord Ruby34]

The spectral realm. Some of the books Less had read over his lifetime had mentioned such a thing, and he had known it was real, in the same far off way that he knew about other planets, as a faraway place, beyond his need to visit or understanding with more than passing familiarity. The rifts that had started opening had always been a distant problem, something for gym leaders and Pokemon trainers to handle. You are a trainer now, old man, and you need to learn fast. The thought came to him distantly, in the voice of his youth. Less took a moment to nod greetings to everyone else at the Pokemon center while he considered what Mark was saying.

If Bandra was wheeling cages into the rifts it could mean that they didn't have a machine that could shadow Pokemon directly, though they hardly needed one if they had a few spectral Pokemon with them and a willingness to be cruel to to their stolen Pokemon. That shadowed Pokemon were capable of occasionally listening to reason was notable. Less had assumed that they were completely senseless to anything but their anger. It made sense though. Not all of Connie's flock had been shadowed, but they had all followed her. The young man's psychic connection to his Pokemon was also notable. Less hadn't realized such a thing was possible, though he knew that powerful psychic Pokemon could sometimes be understood by humans.

"That was immensely helpful, thank you. I may ask a few questions of Ranger Wain when I see him next, but I think I have a better understanding than I did before. I recently made the acquaintance of Pokemon who had lost her trainer, and was shadowed. We've been able to communicate somewhat, but if you would be willing to translate that would be helpful." Less looked up at the clock on the wall. "Though perhaps that would be better saved until tomorrow. She's had a difficult day."

Less nodded at Matt as he chimed in. "It was certainly a quicker lesson than I had expected."

Less grimaced, thinking of Bandra. He disliked the idea of talking about them so openly, but if anyone here was a Bandra spy he had already proved his opposition to them by driving up in a commandeered Bandra vehicle. Nothing to do but forge ahead then. "I suppose I do have a few questions. But I know what I need to of them, I believe. Murders, opportunists, or cowards, depending on when and why they joined. I have little sympathy for them no matter the cause of their allegiance. They are lead by their officers, foremost among them our former Pokemon league champion, all of whom are extremely dangerous." Less sighed, "But I have no desire to underestimate them, given that I expect to find myself at loggerheads with them in the future. What should I know?"

[gorman]

"Yes hello Pinklady," Listening to Less talk with such disdain about people that joined Bandra reminded me of my old days. It's strange how I did so much to protect a family that left me in the long run. Yet here in the strange land, far from any sort of familiarity, IS something familiar. At least as far as crime goes.

[Gnomes2169]

"If you had questions, Tattersail and I could help translate the answers." Mark said with a nod, happy enough to help the older man connect with his new pokemon. Considering it for a bit, he offers, "I was going to be doing some odd jobs tomorrow to try and make some money to replenish my empty wallet, and one of them was set up and tear down for a presentation in Skybreak. They wanted multiple people for it, so if you don't have a job or other obligations that you need to worry about, it would be a good job for you to do while asking questions."

"As for Bandra..." His slight grin turned into a slight frown as he considered that he didn't know any of these people. Less had made his disdain clear, and Matt seemed to trust him and had helped the older man take down some grunts, but the samuri hadn't said all too much and the other girl was a literal child. Well, that last one at least wasn't likely working for Bandra, to be fair. Still, they were in the lobby of a pokemon center, so even if everyone was trustworthy Mark decided he should hedge his bets and be a bit circumspect. "Bandra as a team function as a strict hierarchy. On the bottom you have the grunts, who are mostly used as fodder. They seem to be kinda dumb, lazy or risk adverse as a whole, but recently they've become more alert and vicious. I think we might be somewhat responsible for that... we've been hitting them hard, and a good number of grunts have been captured by us.

"Regardless, Bandra's leadership is entirely different. They are not fools, and they were already making plans to make their grunts more dangerous and effective before we started fighting back effectively. We've encountered grunts that have pokemon with poffin stat boosts, and we know they've been using breeding centers to make pokemon that have useful egg moves." Now to drop the hint. Mark paused before saying, "We aren't able to fully stop either of these activities. They have too many contest halls, and too much territory to do the breeding in. Still, if we can take down some of their poffin makers we could at least slow that down to give ourselves time to make poffins and get boosts of our own..." He let the thought linger, then shrugged and said, "But anyway, Bandra's leadership are not incompetent like their grunts. They plan ahead, have powerful pokemon, and are fully willing to sacrifice parts of their group if it will give them a long-term advantage. They've lost a taskmaster at the Shrine of Light and their nose has been bloodied... it probably hasn't improved their mood much." Tapping at the side of his fake arm he adds, "Not that they had much chill to begin with."

[WindStruck]

After nearly tripping on Hilda, Flotsam frowned briefly and giggled. "Oh, you shy girl. Don't think I want to leave you outside on your own just yet.. after what happened. Maybe we could.." she grunts a bit trying to push Hilda's shell along. "I could take you to a quiet corner? Or um.. how does the Pokéball sound?"

"Hey there, Mark! Mina! Tattersail! Pinklady waves back. "Less and I just took down some Bandra goons! Well, mostly Less! Actually, it was entirely you, huh?" Pinklady refers the last bit to Less rather than Mark.

When the final pair arrives, Pinklady waves to them. "Glad you could join us, Flotsam, Akio! And the rest! She turns her attention to Flotsam's entourage with the last greeting.

Flotsam smiled again and approached. "Hi! Nice to meet you! I guess you already know my name.. what's yours?" she asks.

From about then on, Flotsam was mostly distracted trying to eavesdrop on the conversation about shadowed Pokémon and Team Bandra.

[essCee]

Flotsam smiled again and approached. "Hi! Nice to meet you! I guess you already know my name.. what's yours?" she asks.

From about then on, Flotsam was mostly distracted trying to eavesdrop on the conversation about shadowed Pokémon and Team Bandra.

"I'm Pinklady! Pinklady Pomegranate!" She puffs out her chest proudly and grins. "I could name the others here for you, if you'd like. Oh, and, if you don't mind me saying so... one of your Pokemon is shrinking away a bit... is it there being other people here that's a bit much for them, or just how crowded this place is getting overall?"

[Lord Ruby34]

"If you had questions, Tattersail and I could help translate the answers." Mark said with a nod, happy enough to help the older man connect with his new pokemon. Considering it for a bit, he offers, "I was going to be doing some odd jobs tomorrow to try and make some money to replenish my empty wallet, and one of them was set up and tear down for a presentation in Skybreak. They wanted multiple people for it, so if you don't have a job or other obligations that you need to worry about, it would be a good job for you to do while asking questions."

Lifting chairs for money. Less immediately felt older. Up until a week ago he had been drawing a salary, a consistent salary that he had been making for thirty years. To be doing odd jobs for cash again . . . Less reminded himself that he had little left. The war had devastated his retirement investments, and between Georgia's care and sending money to Emilia it hadn't left him with much, and that had gone to his neighbor to pay for him to look after the house while Less was gone. Frankly, setting up chairs for money wasn't a terrible option. What else was he going to do? Gamble on the outcome of Pokemon battles? That didn't seem at all sustainable. And if he could manage to use the time to talk more effectively to Connie it was hardly as waste of time.

"I suppose I could help with the . . . presentation. I have to be in Skybreak first thing in the morning anyway. The Bandra goons that Pinklady and I," Less says, with a gesture to the green-haired young woman, "apprehended are being held there. I was hoping to ask them a few questions before they end up transferred to a high security facility."

"As for Bandra..." His slight grin turned into a slight frown as he considered that he didn't know any of these people. Less had made his disdain clear, and Matt seemed to trust him and had helped the older man take down some grunts, but the samurai hadn't said all too much and the other girl was a literal child. Well, that last one at least wasn't likely working for Bandra, to be fair. Still, they were in the lobby of a pokemon center, so even if everyone was trustworthy Mark decided he should hedge his bets and be a bit circumspect. "Bandra as a team function as a strict hierarchy. On the bottom you have the grunts, who are mostly used as fodder. They seem to be kinda dumb, lazy or risk adverse as a whole, but recently they've become more alert and vicious. I think we might be somewhat responsible for that... we've been hitting them hard, and a good number of grunts have been captured by us.

"Regardless, Bandra's leadership is entirely different. They are not fools, and they were already making plans to make their grunts more dangerous and effective before we started fighting back effectively. We've encountered grunts that have pokemon with poffin stat boosts, and we know they've been using breeding centers to make pokemon that have useful egg moves." Now to drop the hint. Mark paused before saying, "We aren't able to fully stop either of these activities. They have too many contest halls, and too much territory to do the breeding in. Still, if we can take down some of their poffin makers we could at least slow that down to give ourselves time to make poffins and get boosts of our own..." He let the thought linger, then shrugged and said, "But anyway, Bandra's leadership are not incompetent like their grunts. They plan ahead, have powerful pokemon, and are fully willing to sacrifice parts of their group if it will give them a long-term advantage. They've lost a taskmaster at the Shrine of Light and their nose has been bloodied... it probably hasn't improved their mood much." Tapping at the side of his fake arm he adds, "Not that they had much chill to begin with."

Less decided not to mention just how much territory that Bandra occupied. If the young man was talking about the trainers in the room, the numbers deficit painted a fairly grim picture of their chances in the long term. Still, any disruption to Bandra activity would be a boon. Less wondered exactly what Bandra was using the contest halls for. If they were storing information there as well as those expensive Pokemon snacks then it could be worth hitting one. Less considered mentioning Emilia to the young man, but decided that it wasn't the time, at least not yet. Still, he could at least plant a seed of his own.

"It sounds like their officers are the only thing keeping their operation afloat." Less stated, then let out a breath. "But that confirms much of what I know. I suppose, though, that I do not see the relevance of these Poffins? I thought they were just expensive Pokemon snacks?" Emilia had always asked him to buy them for her Pokemon, so Less supposed their was probably something to it. He had always gotten Buck a jar of PokeDelights bone snacks for his birthday. Should he have been getting his Pokemon something different this whole time?

[gorman]

"I'm not certain any place is secure if Bandra's leader really has a legendary pokemon if the rumors are true..."

[Gnomes2169]

That would also give them a chance for Mark to tell the older gentleman about the current plan. While at this point he was almost certain that Less could be trusted, talking about what the group was plotting in small public spaces was the fastest way to make Bandra aware they would be attacked. "Excellent, I look forward to seeing you there!" Mark said, before telling everyone else, "Oh, and the offer is open for everyone. The university was looking for multiple people, and set-up and tear-down pay 2000pd each, so it's really not a bad job for one afternoon."

"And poffins... are expensive pokemon snacks, yes, but they have tangible effects on the combat effectiveness of the pokemon that eat them." Mark explained, before getting jabbed in the kidney by his gardevoir, who glared at him and mentally demanded, <You will be feeding me more poffins.> He rubbed at his side and told her, "Yeah, yeah, I know. If you scan her with your pokedex, you'll see the effects that the few poffins I've been able to feed her have already impacted Tattersail. Mina and I were going to try making more sometime tomorrow, to see if we can get a few more boosts on our teams before... well, encountering Bandra again, since that's inevitable in this region." Smooth Mark. Smooth recovery. No one will notice the pause.

[WindStruck]

Flotsam continues to greet Pinklady. "Pinklady! That's.. wow! I thought that was your surname at first." She grins and says, "I think I met most everyone? Except the guy with the arm..."

"Oh, Hilda? She's just shy.. usually always like that around strangers."


Flotsam turned to Mark and asked, "An odd job to build and tear down something for a presentation? Huh, what is that? What are they talking about?" The girl felt sort of interested, but work seemed like.. a lot of work... hm..

[Lord Ruby34]

"I heard the city won't let anyone in before 6 a.m., and there's usually a line. I'm planning on being there by 5:30 at the latest." Less stated. It would be an early morning, especially if he needed to provide transportation by jeep to everyone. Still, Less didn't intend to waste time standing in a line that could be put to more productive use.


"Hmm." Less pulled out his Pokedex, fumbled about with it for a few seconds, and scanned Tattersail. The young man was right. His Pokemon was showing a small but significant increase to her special defense from Poffin boosts. It wasn't much, but it could potentially turn the result of a close fight. And the way that young man was talking, and Matt's earlier reference to freedom fighters, suggested that this group was actually seeking out conflicts with Bandra, which meant that these were, in fact the people that Less was looking for. Less looked around the lobby. Pinklady, Matt, Mark, and the girl who Mark had been talking to earlier, presumably Mina. As far as the others here the young man in the faux armor had proven competent when fighting the Murkrow flock, as had Flotsom, though she was far too young to be risking her life. It still might be worth it to get the other young man onboard.

"It seems you're right. I assume there's a limitation to how much a Poffin can help a Pokemon, or making these things would have supplanted training entirely."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'm assuming that a scan will show be basically what's in the excel sheet.

[Gnomes2169]

Flotsam turned to Mark and asked, "An odd job to build and tear down something for a presentation? Huh, what is that? What are they talking about?" The girl felt sort of interested, but work seemed like.. a lot of work... hm..

... This literal child probably was too young to work. In general. What even were the labor laws of Helnith? "You don't need to worry about working, little one. I'm not certain they'd even let you...?" He glanced at Less and raised an eyebrow at him to imply a question. Could kids work in Helnith? But hi, I'm Mark. Are you on your pokemon adventure?" Did they even have the standard pokemon adventure going on in Helnith, what with the war and all?

"I heard the city won't let anyone in before 6 a.m., and there's usually a line. I'm planning on being there by 5:30 at the latest." Less stated. It would be an early morning, especially if he needed to provide transportation by jeep to everyone. Still, Less didn't intend to waste time standing in a line that could be put to more productive use.

"Hmm. It seems you're right. I assume there's a limitation to how much a Poffin can help a Pokemon, or making these things would have supplanted training entirely."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'm assuming that a scan will show be basically what's in the excel sheet.

Turning back to Less, Mark said, "Well, technically Mina could teleport us to Skybreak since she's been there with her Natu... but we're still going to have to wake up early regardless. The seminar sets up from 10am to 11am, and has tear down from 1pm to 2pm, so we should have some time to get things done before and after all that. Maybe some time for a discussion over lunch in between them too. And yeah, poffins, just like vitamins, can only take you so far. But if you wanted to do things in pokemon contests, that will also be helped with poffins. You know. If contests start up for real again."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Yeah, that spread sheet shows all the EVs, vitamins and poffin boosts... as well as some of the other miscellaneous boosts that crop up from time to time. Mark used a rare candy to evolve his gardevoir while she was unconscious, for example, and while that brought her back up it also left her with a semi-pemanent -2 HP from the stress of that transformation, which can be healed by giving her HP-ups to counter-act the effects.

Turning to look at Akio, Mark asked the samuri fanboy, "But also, how about you? Are you doing anything tomorrow, or are you open to helping around with some odd jobs? The seminar runners were looking for a group to help them out, but there were other jobs available too if you didn't want to mess around with chairs."

[Feathersnow]

Akio looks to Mark. "There is nobility in service, and everyone starts somewhere!" He breaks character. "Yeah, sure, I'm free to help, whateveryou need."

[Lord Ruby34]

... This literal child probably was too young to work. In general. What even were the labor laws of Helnith? "You don't need to worry about working, little one. I'm not certain they'd even let you...?" He glanced at Less and raised an eyebrow at him to imply a question. Could kids work in Helnith? But hi, I'm Mark. Are you on your pokemon adventure?" Did they even have the standard pokemon adventure going on in Helnith, what with the war and all?

Less shook his head no. "This job is unlikely to have an age restriction." Most natives didn't seem to agree with him that children should be kept children through their early teenage years. The whole concept of a Pokemon adventure at 10 years old was ridiculous and dangerous. He hadn't let Emilia go on her adventure until she was sixteen. And she had become a member of the Elite Four, which Less felt vindicated his position.

Turning back to Less, Mark said, "Well, technically Mina could teleport us to Skybreak since she's been there with her Natu... but we're still going to have to wake up early regardless. The seminar sets up from 10am to 11am, and has tear down from 1pm to 2pm, so we should have some time to get things done before and after all that. Maybe some time for a discussion over lunch in between them too. And yeah, poffins, just like vitamins, can only take you so far. But if you wanted to do things in pokemon contests, that will also be helped with poffins. You know. If contests start up for real again."

Teleportation. That was something Les had seen done in a few movies and online videos, but nothing he had ever experienced himself. Less still remembered a theory he had read once that teleportation actually killed you, and reconstructed you again at the destination. The theory was probably wrong, but Less had to a repress a shudder nonetheless. Saving time was useful, and there wasn't a method of travel faster than instantaneous. Less forged on. "We can aim to meet in the center lobby at 5:20. That should leave a little extra time in case we're delayed."

Less nodded along with Mark's explanation of Poffins. Buck was paying even closer attention. His ears had perked up at the mention of contests, and he had already left a small puddle of drool on the floor just from hearing the word Poffin repeatedly. He had been considering entering Buck into a contest before he met Georgia. That had been such a long time ago, and their whirlwind courtship had banished the idea into the depths of Less's memory until now.

"I suppose" Less started, looking at Mark, but with his meaning aimed at Buck, "that investing in some of these Poffins makes sense." Less paused. Buck let out a deep, happy woof from behind him. "I imagine the circuit itself is closed, but there might be a contest hall or two still open. Perhaps if Bandra can be driven out of Helnith, than the Contest circuit and the Pokemon League Challenge could return."

Less nodded at the young man in the armor. Was he doing a character of some kind? Less decided he was willing to let the young man have a second chance at a first impression.

[Gnomes2169]

Mark looked at Akio for a few moments, trying to decide if this guy was serious about the samuri formality thing or if he was just a giant dork cosplaying... but not falling one way or the other. If he was a giant dork, that would at least make him less likely to be Bandra. Bandra didn't seem to allow dorks in its ranks. "Uh, yeah, we'll be happy to see you there." He'd say, nodding. "If you'd like a ride, let us know."

The time that Less told him made Mark's eyes widen a bit, and he looked at the older man like he was crazy for a second. 5:20? AM? As in 5:20 in the morning? What madness was this? Teenagers were usually lucky to wake up at 7, let alone be out of bed and dressed by that time. "I... guess I'll... get to bed early, then. And set an alarm." And try not to hit snooze on it too many times.

[WindStruck]

Flotsam shrugged at Mark. "Uh, that's okay! I was just curious anyway."

"Well thanks for the help, everyone, and good luck!"

Flotsam begins to round up her Pokémon and heads outside again. If it wasn't obvious by now, this girl did love being outside.

"Hm. The restaurant was nice but it's pretty pricey. We could try to find our own fruit."