what the actual hell. Ok so a lot of these moves that are "have never used"? they are moves evee learns naturally, at low levels even. how on earth has he never used tackle? Detect might also be a clue, its an egg move so he was bread for it. Worringly, looking at the wiki? most of the mons that could pass it down are not from kanto. at least going by the Wiki.* so, at a guess whatever program bred him also somewhow, got him to evolve very young, to the point where he mostly has experience with moves learned by umbrion.
Bite seems to be the first move he learned that he actually used. That means he was not fighting before level 25. Did whoever is behind this just feed him a bunch of rare candy to get him spun up asap? Man, this paints a picture and it is not a happy one. Evolving an umbrion needs maxed friendship if I recall, which means things are either not as bad as they look or so so much worse.
*listed mons are torchic and its line, Zangoose, Lucario, or Mienfoo and it's evoloution.
I can't tell if the capture pokemon vote is about catching one for our team which I don't want, or catching one for information and then leaving them to someone else which I would prefer. Either way I'm voting for none to be safe about it cause I'm really not interested in another Eeveelution on a team, I feel like there are much more interesting pokemon for us to find.
Ah, sorry I don't really have another choice for a support Pokemon for the next several generations that knows Taunt alongside other critical utility moves, is bulky, and doesn't infringe upon Forretress' identity. It's a pick-two out-of-three situation for every other possible choice but the last thing we want is a Pokemon that never gets used due to identity overlap or whose job it is to get one shot at the start of every fight after using one or two key status moves.
Round 1 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon on Glaceon (DC1: 97). Umbreon Leader intercepts the attack. A Critical Hit! Umbreon lost 50% of his HP (50%).
Smart lad this one. I'll have to keep this tactic in mind going forward for battle strategy against non-AOE moves since those presumably bypass it. Regardless this looks like a highly useful way for our walls to save on critical Protect uses in multi-mon battles.
That is quite the bulky Glaceon considering she must have both her Health and Defense at least at C++ considering the C++ Health, and D++ defense Alakazam took over 100% damage from Outrage with a significantly lower Attack stat on Dragonair's end.
Nice! And, with that, we've finished off our support roster for Dragonair so all that's left is to pick up some sweepers that work well with him. Now, let's see what we're working with.
He has the good ability so that's nice. With this, he can return Burn, Poison, and Paralyze so the status effects commonly used to remove walls from play making such counterplay against him actively counterproductive considering there's a Chansey in our party who will be able to cleanse status conditions.
Its stats are noticeably lower than I would have expected for an Umbreon when comparing the base stats of one from the games to a Dragonair or Forretress so I would normally assume he's under-leveled compared to the rest of our party but will catch up in a few training sessions, and battles. But something's off here namely his moveset paints the picture that he should be relatively close in level to the rest of our party meaning for some reason his stats are suppressed in level compared to his move pool.
The only real conclusion I can draw from this is that he's almost certainly done a lot of battling but very little actual training since as seen with our own post-battle gains Pokemon can gain a lot of experience with their moves, and learn new ones as they level up if you just throw them into battle after battle. But what battles don't tend to give a lot of is stats which are instead gained primarily from dedicated training, and secondarily from evolutions.
And, when factoring in how low this Umbreon's stats are generally across the board except the ones trained most intensely in battles such as Stamina, and Evasion it starts to paint a pretty clear picture of a Pokemon that's spent pretty much its entire life fighting. With its only real stat ups coming from its evolution to Umbreon, and the rare Stamina or Evasion stat up from a battle.
Having never used the move, Umbreon only knows the barest aspects of it.
Charm (F++/C--)
Having never used the move, Umbreon only knows the barest aspects of it.
Copycat (F++/C--)
Having never used the move, Umbreon only knows the barest aspects of it.
Covet (E++/C--)
Having used it once or twice, Umbreon isn't entirely incapable of using it. Even if it leaves him open in battle to do so.
Double Edge (D++/C--)
Unwilling to use a move that causes him that much damage, Umbreon is out of practice with it.
Tackle (F++/C--)
Having never used the move, Umbreon only knows the barest aspects of it.
Tail Whip (F++/C--)
Having never used the move, Umbreon only knows the barest aspects of it.
Take Down (E++/C--)
Having used it once or twice, Umbreon isn't entirely incapable of using it. Even if it leaves him open in battle to do so.
Sand Attack (E++/C--)
Having used it once or twice, Umbreon isn't entirely incapable of using it. Even if it leaves him open in battle to do so.
Confuse Ray (E++/C--)
Having used it once or twice, Umbreon isn't entirely incapable of using it. Even if it leaves him open in battle to do so.
Bite (D++/C-)
Out of practice, Umbreon nonetheless does possess strong jaws even if he struggles to use it accurately.
Growl (C)
Growling in an intimidating manner, Umbreon lowers the attack of other Pokemon. He is decent at it.
Helping Hand (C)
Boosting the power of a teammate, Umbreon used this a lot before his evolution. Since then he practices it for nostalgia.
Swift (D++/C)
Out of practice but liking a move that can hit evasive targets, Umbreon has used it a few times before.
Quick Attack (C+)
A fast attack which Umbreon likes, he's rather decent at it but not exceptional.
Baby-Doll Eyes (D++/C)
Preferring to use Growl instead, Umbreon has nonetheless practiced with this move in the past.
Assurance (C++)
Responding to an attack with greater force, Umbreon is good at the move and has polished it somewhat.
Detect (B--)
A move he's known since birth, Umbreon is very good at calling it on the fly. And can sometimes use it twice in a row.
Hyper Beam (B-)
An incredibly powerful attack that has to be recharged after use, Umbreon is scarily accurate with it.
Other Stats
Tactician (B)
A Pokemon as skilled as some Pokemon trainers, Umbreon possesses a keen analytical mind that caught the attention of those who trained him and his kind.
What moves he's trained in only serve to support this as it appears he operated as a dedicated support Pokemon until about level ten through the use of Detect, Growl, Helping Hand, and his Tactician stat. Something, you'd only see in a Pokemon specifically trained for group fighting that would be expected to battle frequently as otherwise moves like Tackle would have at least some training as well as use since no normal trainer would disregard singles battles.
After that, he would have learned Quick Attack which would have allowed him to begin supporting the others with a priority move that could be used to take out low-health targets before most likely evolving around level twenty-five based on his skill with Bite relative to his skill level with Assurance pointing towards the former seeing little use before the latter was introduced a scenario that only unfolds if he evolves around that time period.
Sprinkle a few TMs into his training time to give him Hyper Beam, and Dark Pulse the latter of which appears to be missing from his character sheet Daemon Hunter despite both Umbreons using it in the battle, and you get the experienced soldier standing before us.
what the actual hell. Ok so a lot of these moves that are "have never used"? they are moves evee learns naturally, at low levels even. how on earth has he never used tackle? Detect might also be a clue, its an egg move so he was bread for it. Worringly, looking at the wiki? most of the mons that could pass it down are not from kanto. at least going by the Wiki.* so, at a guess whatever program bred him also somewhow, got him to evolve very young, to the point where he mostly has experience with moves learned by umbrion.
Bite seems to be the first move he learned that he actually used. That means he was not fighting before level 25. Did whoever is behind this just feed him a bunch of rare candy to get him spun up asap? Man, this paints a picture and it is not a happy one. Evolving an umbrion needs maxed friendship if I recall, which means things are either not as bad as they look or so so much worse.
*listed mons are torchic and its line, Zangoose, Lucario, or Mienfoo and it's evoloution.
I believe most of what you've mentioned here I covered above but to give a TLDR he appears to have been bred for use as a soldier where he spent his early levels working as a dedicated support in group combat before gradually moving towards the front lines as he learned Quick Attack at level ten, got a few TM moves, and evolved into Umbreon around level twenty-five based around his skill level with naturally learned moves.
Which all screams of a morally repugnant military or terrorist operation. Also, if I had to guess one of his parents is a Lucario since that's the only native Kanto Pokemon on the list.
Edit: Daemon Hunter we're also missing our third badge on our character sheet.
Did whoever is behind this just feed him a bunch of rare candy to get him spun up asap? Man, this paints a picture and it is not a happy one. Evolving an umbrion needs maxed friendship if I recall, which means things are either not as bad as they look or so so much worse.
No shot. This thing was bred with Detect as an egg move which no one is going to sell as a pet when a trainer or someone using it for combat would pay astronomically more for an Eevee with the move, and it was trained in status moves useful for group combat to boot. It might still be stolen instead of being bred or purchased in bulk with a bunch of other Eevees by whichever military group deployed it but it almost certainly wouldn't have lived as a pet before being stolen if it was.
Lags noticed that he was using support moves he learned, so shifted from support to striker and officer. I think the friendship requirements for his evolution came from his bonds with his fellow pokemon, not the whoever is behind this mess.
Hey, Daemon Hunter would attempting to clear the field of hazards with Rapid Spin when there's a Ghost type on the opposing side still cause the move to fail to both deal damage and clear the hazards as it does in the games?
[X] The Experienced Umbreon - Skilled enough to know Assurance and Hyper Beam while capable of acting as a trainer, he would be a valuable Pokemon to catch but also the hardest to catch. He would know the most about what's going on.
[X] Send Chansey to assist the other trainers - Losing the healing ability of Life Dew will be difficult but manageable. Then again it would mean that other trainers can get their Pokemon in the field once more.
"Dragonair - " Violet began to order her Pokemon around, with the Dragon Pokemon immediately bursting from his Pokeball. His eyes glowed as he took in the situation, immediately focusing on the Glaceon as the biggest threat to him. "Take the Flareon." Dragonair exhaled, his entire body tensing as he threw himself into an immediate Outrage. The lead Umbreon took a step to try and intervene, by he had nothing on Dragonair's speed. Slamming into the Flareon, the fire-type bounced across the ground before falling unconscious.
Glaceon immediately began to prepare a Blizzard causing Violet to clance at Forretress. A silent command passed between the two and the Bagworm Pokemon knew what to do.
Magneton was tossed out next followed by Chansey. Giving them their orders, Magneton began to charge up his Flash Cannon while Chansey turned towards the remaining battles and prepared Life Dew. In response, both Umbreon used Dark Pulse, twin spheres of dark energy slamming into the Magnet Pokemon causing them to rock backwards clearly hurt. A burst of frost followed as Glaceon's Blizzard struck Forretress' Protect. Focused as she was on protecting Dragonair, the freezing cold bit deep into Magneton and Forretress, causing minor damage to the latter but leaving the former looking significantly worse for wear.
Then Magneton's overcharged Flash Cannon fired at Glaceon, and Violet took the attack for granted, already planning to handle the two Umbreons with ease. Only for the lead Umbreon to step in the way of the attack. As the dust settled Violet observed the situation, overall happy with the situation even if it could be far better.
Turning towards Glaceon, Dragonair threw himself forward as the lead Umbreon barked an order to his younger partner. Throwing himself in the way, the Umbreon was tossed backwards from Dragonair's Outrage. Injured but still able to fight, the Moonlight Pokemon got to his feet, drawing a bead on the weakened Magneton. Meanwhile, the lead Umbreon began to charge a Hyper Beam, the powerful attack building within his maw. And besides him, Glaceon prepared a second Blizzard.
It was a good plan Violet thought to herself. As far as Umbreon knew, this should remove both Magneton and Dragonair from play leaving a three versus one against Forretress. But Umbreon lacked critical information, and he was about to pay for it. "Magneton," Violet ordered, "Protect."
The Magnet Pokemon took their place in front of Dragonair, and three incredibly powerful attacks struck a glowing sheet in front of them. A storm of dirt and rock was thrown into the air from the sheer force of the attack, causing Violet to momentarily lose track of the battle in front of her. Closing her eyes, she focused on her hearing, listening to a quadrupedal Pokemon faint followed by a whoosh of what was likely a Quick Attack that preceded the sound of a metal object falling unconscious. Then came the sound of Dragonair's Outrage alongside a cry of pain from Glaceon who surprisingly remained conscious.
A third Blizzard was used, and Violet opened her eyes just as the dust cleared. Only four Pokemon remained. The lead Umbreons at roughly half health, Glaceon who was barely standing, an undamaged but disorientated Dragonair, and a moderately injured Forretress. This would end in one last exchange. "Dragonair, take out that Glaceon," Violet said confidently. "Forretress, Bug Bite."
Within the blink of an eye, Dragonair used Outrage again. Pulling the blow to avoid serious injury, Glaceon nonetheless collapsed. However, that did leave the Dragon Pokemon open to a brutal Hyper Beam from Umbreon which caused him to fall to the ground. Letting out a call for the other Pokemon to run, Umbreon's eyes darted around as he looked for an escape. Unfortunately for the Umbreon, Forretress then landed a rather damaging Bug Bite which caused him to stagger leaving him unable to dodge the Pokeball Violet threw.
*Umbreon has been captured!*
*Dragonair upgrades Outrage from C- to C*
*Magneton upgrades Flash Cannon from C to C+*
*Forretress upgrades Bug Bite from C to C+*
With her battle now over, she turned to observe the rest of the fights. As expected, the moment she sent Chansey over the healing provided allowed the other trainers to turn the tide. Tetsuya himself had been one of the main sources of damage thanks to his Pokemon, even if he repeatedly had to deal with type disadvantages with Krabby and Onix. But the three Flareons had been fended off and the tents and supplies were intact. The only downside was a relatively swift, but disorganized retreat by the wild Pokemon which allowed most of them to withdraw. Of the rest, they were housed in a variety of Pokeballs although that was unlikely to hold.
Contrary to popular belief, the League had a poor view of capturing wild Pokemon that didn't want to be captured. While there were definite exceptions such as the current situation, gym leaders and the Elite 4 had pushed through regulations to prevent forcing Pokemon to fight when they didn't want to. It was rarely actually a problem and had only been used against Team Rocket's practices in the past (and the occasional major scandal).
As the camp was packed up, Violet took a moment to have Tetsuya share the details of what occurred with the other groups who had also been attacked. Everyone besides Sabrina's group had been ambushed near simultaneously. Based on what happened, Violet suspected that Espeons had been used as a telepathic communications network which was surprisingly sophisticated for Pokemon. As for the other fights, all of them had been defeated thanks to the presence of elite trainers and a rapid response from Sabrina.
Seeking answers, and more than a little curious, Violet looked at the Pokeball that held Umbreon. Pressing the button on it, the Moonlight Pokemon emerged. Far calmer than she expected, Umbreon looked around, spotting the various trainers and Pokemon milling around. Stretching his legs, he momentarily glanced at Dragonair, giving him an appraising look trying to see if he could stand a Quick Attack.
"He knows Protect," Violet preempted any chance of a fight breaking out while Dragonair puffed up rather proudly.
Umbreon looked at her with annoyance, clearly unhappy at the fact that all of Violet's Pokemon knew Protect. He'd never been taught it.
"So…" Violet trailed off trying to think of how to word her rather direct question. "Why did you attack us?"
Looking bewildered, the Moonlight Pokemon looked at her, trying to figure out if that was a joke. Growling under his breath, Umbreon felt an intense feeling of anger before snapping off a quick retort. They weren't the first to attack, that was the humans that moved into their home. They were just working to chase them out.
"What did they look like?" Violet asked, trying to figure out who was responsible for agitating these Pokemon.
Umbreon shrugged, that was a rather complicated question and he only had vague ideas of how to describe them. They'd been careful to disguise themselves after all.
"Do you recognize this person?" Violet switched topics, mentally kicking herself for how this sounded like an interrogation. Opening up a picture of the gym attendant, Umbreon took one look at it and immediately clammed up.
Clearly recognizing them, the Moonlight Pokemon was nonetheless entirely unwilling to say anything about him. Violet tilted her head, trying to read Umbreon's body language further. He had an odd mixture of emotions as if the wild Pokemon were involved with him in some way. Even if he disapproved, he wasn't going to say anything about it.
"Do you want to ask me any questions?" Violet asked, hoping to avoid turning this conversation into an interrogation. "I have a lot for you, so it's only fair if you get to ask some."
Intrigued at the offer, Umbreon contemplated it for a few seconds. Hesitantly nodding, he conveyed a question that rather disturbed Violet. 'Why did none of the trainers have younger Pokemon involved in the fighting?'
The rest of their conversation was a mixture of disturbing and enlightening. Umbreon had been raised in a pseudo-military setting where he had been thrust into continuous fighting among groups of Eevee after quite literally a week of being born. Likely choosing the Evolution Pokemon for their variety of evolutions, a third of them had evolved immediately after birth via various stones. He himself had focused on acting as a support Pokemon for a long while, growing close to the Pokemon on his "team." Eventually evolving from this bond, he'd begun to act as a frontline combatant and officer, with Umbreons and Sylveons being pushed into command roles by the human overseers.
One day, however, the project effectively collapsed as growing dissatisfaction among the Pokemon subjects led to the lab being torn apart by swarms of Eevolutions and Eevee. That had happened a few months ago and since then they had been living in the remains of the facility, occasionally managing to learn from some of the TMs left. However, a few weeks ago a group of elite trainers had appeared who managed to drive the large group from their home. Mistaking this group as representing the broader Kanto region, they began a harassment campaign against the trainers involved as well as the broader region where innocent trainers were.
Violet wasn't sure where the gym attendant came into play, but she suspected he'd underestimated the threat involved and chose to take the week-long hike toward the complex. Forwarding the information she learned to the rest of the group, she swiftly learned that Sabrina was going to lead a small group up towards the compound and Violet was invited to join. Glancing towards Umbreon who was observing her, Violet hesitantly broached the topic, asking if he could help them with this whole incident.
Having been swayed to give Violet a chance, the Moonlight Pokemon hesitantly said he could bring Violet to their de facto leader, but if he did, then Violet would be expected to come alone. While their leader was open-minded (too much according to Umbreon), they would also expect Violet to follow their lead rather than be the one leading them. Although based on their rumored strength, she didn't think that would be a problem at all. Either of these options however would take nearly a week of travel.
[] Join Sabrina - Getting to the heart of the matter and solving the problem's core, Violet isn't sure if she can face a group capable of defeating nearly 300 Pokemon. But she may be able to provide some insight into everything.
[] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
[] Write-in
Round 1 Dragonair: Dragonair used Outrage on Flareon (DC1: 56). Flareon lost 100% of his HP (0%). Flareon fainted!
Round 1 Umbreon Leader: Umbreon used Dark Pulse on Magneton (DC1: 86). Magneton lost 33% of their HP (67%).
Round 1 Umbreon Follower: Umbreon used Dark Pulse on Magneton (DC1: 45). Magneton lost 22% of their HP (45%).
Round 1 Forretress: Forretress used Protect (DC1: Autosuccess).
Round 1 Glaceon: Glaceon used Blizzard (DC25/1/1: 31/9/9). Forretress Protected Dragonair! Magneton lost 22% of their HP (23%). Forretress lost 13% of her HP (87%).
Round 1 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon on Glaceon (DC1: 97). Umbreon Leader intercepts the attack. A Critical Hit! Umbreon lost 50% of his HP (50%).
Round 2 Dragonair: Dragonair used Outrage on Glaceon (DC15: 20). Umbreon Follower intercepts the attack. Umbreon lost 50% of his HP (50%).
Round 2 Magneton: Magneton used Protect (DC1: Autosuccess).
Round 2 Umbreon Leader: Umbreon used Hyper Beam on Dragonair (DC15: 84). Magnteon protected Dragonair!
Round 2 Umbreon Follower: Umbreon used Dark Pulse on Magneton (DC1: 64). Magneton protected themselves!
Round 2 Glaceon: Glaceon used Blizzard (DC25/1/1: 79/62/3). Magneton Protected Dragonair! Magneton lost 22% of their HP (1%). Forretress lost 13% of her HP (74%).
Round 2 Forretress: Forretress used Bug Bite on Umbreon Follower (DC15: 61). Umbreon Follower lost 50% of his HP (0%). Umbreon fainted!
Round 3 Umbreon Leader: Umbreon used Quick Attack on Magneton (DC1: 63). Magneton lost 1% of their HP (0%). Magneton fainted!
Round 3 Dragonair: Dragonair used Outrage on Glaceon (DC15: 24). Glaceon lost 95% of his HP (5%). Dragonair was Confused!
Round 3 Forretress: Forretress used Protect (DC1: Autosuccss).
Round 3 Glaceon: Glaceon used Blizzard on Dragonair (DC25/1: 65/57). Forretress Protected Dragonair! Forretress lost 13% of her HP (61%).
Round 4 Dragonair: Dragonair used Outrage on Glaceon (DC40: 57). Glaceon lost 5% of his HP (0%). (DC75: 47). Dragonair is still Confused!
Round 4 Umbreon Leader: Umbreon orders a retreat! Umbreon used Hyper Beam on Dragonair (DC30: 100). A Critical Hit! Dragonair lost 80% of his HP (20%).
Round 4 Forretress: Forretress used Bug Bite (DC20: 67). Umbreon lost 36% of his HP (14%).
Violet Throws a Pokeball (DC14: 74)
Hey, Daemon Hunter would attempting to clear the field of hazards with Rapid Spin when there's a Ghost type on the opposing side still cause the move to fail to both deal damage and clear the hazards as it does in the games?
While it would do no damage, I'll rule that it still clears the hazards on the field. However it will leave you open to an attack from the Ghost type who can basically just ignore the Pokemon's movement and attack that way.
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
I like diplomacy. And if we fail to sway the Umbreon into joining Violet within the week giving him up would hardly be a bad thing.
We can always befriend a basic Eevee later or another Umbreon if this one doesn't want to travel with us. But we should probably tell Sabrina about what's going on and what we're planning on doing if we're going to go talk to the Eevee leader simply so she doesn't accidentally destroy the trust we're building by barging in or snooping around because she doesn't know we're there, what we're doing or worse yet thinks we're a hostage.
Which I'm pretty sure would require a write-in variation of the vote unless I'm missing something @Daemon Hunter?
But we should probably tell Sabrina about what's going on and what we're planning on doing if we're going to go talk to the Eevee leader simply so she doesn't accidentally destroy the trust we're building by barging in or snooping around because she doesn't know we're there, what we're doing or worse yet thinks we're a hostage.
It would be weird to run off on a solo diplo mission without telling anyone and therefore letting Sabrina start an attack on them and ruin our diplomatic efforts.
I'm pretty sure we'd tell her what we're doing as a common sense thing.
We can always befriend a basic Eevee later or another Umbreon if this one doesn't want to travel with us. But we should probably tell Sabrina about what's going on and what we're planning on doing if we're going to go talk to the Eevee leader simply so she doesn't accidentally destroy the trust we're building by barging in or snooping around because she doesn't know we're there, what we're doing or worse yet thinks we're a hostage.
Which I'm pretty sure would require a write-in variation of the vote unless I'm missing something @Daemon Hunter?
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
[x] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
it does in fact, sound like this whole fight is a misunderstanding. I think we could explain to them that the human who attacked them and the humans they attacked back are different packs pretty easily. The evee are if anything, the victims here. Lets see if we can end this without further conflict.
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
Alright, on that note I'll be closing the vote here. Looks like it's a unanimous decision to conduct solo diplomacy. Now for a random encounter roll.
31 - Heavy rainstorm
Scheduled vote count started by Daemon Hunter on Aug 16, 2024 at 8:33 PM, finished with 11 posts and 7 votes.
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
It's very sad that the non-Sabrina options keep being superior to the Sabrina options, even when we have her inviting us to things. Them's the breaks for wanting to be actually effective instead of a glory hound, I guess. At least Violet's new rival seems very result-oriented, so we'll probably be impressing her some more by the end of this.
[X] Meet the Pokemon's Leader - Talking with the Pokemon can accomplish a fair bit, but it would mean Violet has to conduct diplomacy while alone and isolated. While Umbreon is unlikely to turn on her, she may have to give him up as a sign of good faith.
"Thank you for telling me all this," Violet said softly, looking at Umbreon.
The Moonlight Pokemon gave a short, sharp nod. More open than before, but still wary. While Violet wasn't like the humans that raised him and the other Eevolutions old wounds healed slowly.
For a while, Violet thought about joining Sabrina. It would undoubtedly entail less responsibility and give her a shield in the form of a powerful gym leader. But if she went with Umbreon she could work to ensure there were no more victims involved in this mess. And based on what he had said, the Pokemon's leader was rather strong. They would make for a powerful ally or dangerous foe.
"Can you take me to your leader?" Violet asked, keeping her voice firm but caring. "I want all of you to know not all humans are the same."
Umbreon's gaze softened further. He was still cautious but he appreciated her decision. The Moonlight Pokemon didn't waste a moment, casually loping further into the wilderness away from Saffron City.
"Wait!" Violet interjected, shuffling through her supplies. Umbreon glanced back, annoyed at the delay. Grabbing a potion from her bag, she took a step towards the Moonlight Pokemon. "You … shouldn't run off without healing first."
As she applied the potion, Violet glanced toward the rest of the trainers who were now coordinating with Tetsuya. Of them, she was given several glances after choosing to undertake a solo mission. Her childhood friend especially was giving her looks that conveyed both full confidence and concern. She'd have to meet with him after this. She missed hanging out with him.
The journey towards the Eevolutions would be long thanks to the untraveled wilderness, steep mountains, and the need to avoid routes susceptible to mudslides or flash floods. Especially with the sky turning gray. Looking up, Violet silently prayed to Arceus that the clouds didn't signify a rainstorm.
During the week, both Umbreon and Violet were certain he had listened and was a dick. Trudging through the torrent of rain Violet had donned her wetsuit normally used for caving while the Moonlight Pokemon refused to use a Pokeball. After a day, she quietly released Umbreon from his Pokeball. She didn't know if he would be fine staying with her, but Violet thought it was kinder to start a discussion on a Pokemon journey with a free Pokemon.
After days of traveling, the rain had yet to relent, and Violet wondered how Sabrina was handling it. Pitching a tent yet again, Violet huddled in the cramped space alongside Umbreon and Dragonair. She really should have insisted Dragonair stay in his Pokeball, but he was surprisingly warm. Umbreon, shivering slightly, had curled up by his side. In response, the Dragon Pokemon had draped his tail over him, offering as much warmth as he could.
"Get some rest," Violet whispered, gently drying Umbreon's wet fur with a damp towel. Giving a soft, content purr, the Moonlight Pokemon's breath slowed as he fell asleep despite the storm raging outside. Curling around Dragonair's head herself, Violet let a hand trail across the back of his neck as she whispered, "Thanks Dragonair."
The rain was still pouring as Violet and her Pokemon approached the "home" of Umbreon's pack. Hidden away in a crevice in the mountain, water poured on the left and right sides of the crevice, the natural geography acting to prevent their resting place from being flooded. Stepping into the area, Violet was surprised at how green it was, only to notice the Leafeons and Vaporeons tending to the plant life inside.
The larger part of Violet was more concerned with the ten Pokemon looking at her with a mixture of suspicion, curiosity, and reluctant gratitude. Umbreon himself was being greeted by other Pokemon, some of whom Violet recognized such as a Flareon and Glaceon. Behind the row of evolved Eevee was a group of much younger Pokemon, some of which likely just hatched. Frolicking around the area, Violet resisted the urge to take pictures and coo over them. Instead, she forced herself to look around and locate the actual leader of these Pokemon.
Finding the Pokemon in question, Violet tilted her head as the Leafeon in charge approached her. A powerful Pokemon she would expect to face in a late badge gym battle, he radiated confidence and age. He looked between Umbreon and her, a faint sense of approval crossing his face before he struck up a short conversation with the Moonlight Pokemon. Asking about Violet's treatment of him, his part of the overall plan, and what Umbreon had learned from his time with her.
The Moonlight Pokemon answered honestly and completely. Explaining that Violet had been the reason for his failure, Umbreon clarified for the group that she wasn't involved with the humans that raised them or the group that evicted them. A statement that brought no small amount of whispering among the Pokemon present. Feeling like an outsider, Violet shifted uncomfortably as the story continued, with Umbreon describing what she had asked him as well as why he had brought her here. She was willing to come alone despite the fact that she could easily have left or stayed with a group they would struggle to defeat. For that, Violet had earned his trust.
Leafeon took the story in, clearly mulling it over. Looking at the Verdant Pokemon, Violet could see how he became the leader of these Pokemon. Demonstrating a degree of strategic wherewithal that allowed for the coordination of large groups of Pokemon as well as showcasing a clear care for the Eevee (she'd spotted him humoring some of the younger ones, pretending to be defeated in a battle). Turning towards the other high-level Pokemon, including a few she suspected would give Sabrina a minor challenge, Leafeon asked for their thoughts, as the various Pokemon began to argue back and forth over what to do.
Twenty minutes later, they were still talking. During that time, the conversation had been growing slowly more favorable from what Violet could tell with the looks she had been getting morphing into ones of tentative trust. At long last, Leafeon chimed in, flicking his tail to grab their attention. For a moment, he simply observed the situation before turning his gaze toward Violet. He hesitated, not enough for most to notice, but just enough for Violet to spy, and gave a slow approving nod towards her.
Feeling a sense of relief that the door to full negotiations had been opened, Violet's mind spun as Leafeon slowly approached her. Directing a glance toward the Pokeballs on her belt and then toward Umbreon, she realized what he was referring to.
"Oh, I …I already freed him," Violet said quietly as Umbreon sat on his paws watching.
This time Leafeon's surprise was clear to all, his face all but screaming in confusion. Most of the other Pokemon had similar expressions about them besides Umbreon who had a better understanding of Violet by now.
"Well, he didn't seem to like the Pokeball," Violet awkwardly explained, trying to forget the fact that she was talking in front of a crowd who was directing their attention to her every word. "A-and I-I didn't want that hanging o-over him."
Swallowing nervously, a genuine smile appeared on Leafeon's face. He could work with this.
The next hour made Violet's head spin as she was forced into a role that she had no experience with. Negotiating. It didn't help that she was feeling very self-conscious about the whole thing, but at the very least Sabrina had given her carte blanche when it came to discussions. As long as a few red lines weren't crossed she would accept a fair few outcomes.
[] Relocation - Sabrina can coordinate with other trainers to find the Eevolutions a new home (+1 Favor)
[] Reclaiming the Lab - After taking over the lab that made them, Sabrina will allow the Eevolutions to reclaim it (+2 Favor)
[] Poaching Privileges - The Eevolutions will be extended greater protection from trainers, with captures requiring a license from Saffron City or the Pokemon League (+1 Favor)
[] Move Sharing - Violet will spend a few days teaching Protect to many Eevolutions present. It will take up a lot of her time (+1 Favor)
Pokemon Side
[] Assistance with the Lab - While Sabrina can likely handle the human trainers within, it would make her life easier if she had help. The Eevolutions can provide it (-2 Favors, -1 if taken with Reclaiming the Lab)
[] The Missing Attendant - This whole thing escalated because an attendant went missing. While the Eevolutions don't know where he is, they did seem to meet with him before. (-1 Favor)
[] Investigation Assistance - While the Eevolutions don't think they can identify who raised them, Sabrina is a psychic of incredible power and skill. Having them agree to be mind-read would simplify the inevitable investigation (-2 Favors)
[] Search and Rescue Assistance - On occasion, trainers and civilians can get lost in the wilds. Having the Eevolutions assist in those situations would be invaluable (-1 Favor)
[] Umbreon - Umbreon will join Violet on her Pokemon journey. After having spent time with her, he's looking forward to it provided he can visit home regularly (0 Favors due to taking this meeting as soon as possible)
GM Note: Please vote in plan format for this. Additionally, leftover favors do lead to the Pokemon thinking more positively of Violet and humanity.
[X] Protected Eevee Paradise +2 favors
-[X] Reclaiming the Lab - After taking over the lab that made them, Sabrina will allow the Eevolutions to reclaim it (+2 Favor)
-[X] Poaching Privileges - The Eevolutions will be extended greater protection from trainers, with captures requiring a license from Saffron City or the Pokemon League (+1 Favor)
-[X] Move Sharing - Violet will spend a few days teaching Protect to many Eevolutions present. It will take up a lot of her time (+1 Favor)
-[X] Investigation Assistance - While the Eevolutions don't think they can identify who raised them, Sabrina is a psychic of incredible power and skill. Having them agree to be mind-read would simplify the inevitable investigation (-2 Favors)
-[X] Search and Rescue Assistance - On occasion, trainers and civilians can get lost in the wilds. Having the Eevolutions assist in those situations would be invaluable (-1 Favor)
-[X] Umbreon - Umbreon will join Violet on her Pokemon journey. After having spent time with her, he's looking forward to it provided he can visit home regularly (0 Favors due to taking this meeting as soon as possible)
Honestly it low key amuses me to inconvenience Sabrina. This plan ensures the pokemon get the best possible paradise while helping the investigation and making the area safer... at the expense of making Sabrina work harder XD
