Field Exercise I: Thursday
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Dragon Bond
-[X] Day One Optional Task: Herbal Horticulture
-[X] Song of Roland
-[X] Day One Optional Task: Herbal Horticulture
-[X] Song of Roland
There's a handful of modern hotels around Cortondo, mostly catering to visiting high-end clientele (read:nobility). One of them, located in the east of the settlement, is the Cercle Maeul. A hotel themed around Hoenn culture, built in a style that used to be popular in places like Lavaridge and Lilycove.
And as per the request passed on to your group by Miss Ronah, the location of the VIP who asked for your Group's help.
Elise turns her head to Theodora as your group makes your way towards the front desk, as if she was expecting her to say something.
Theodora blinks, confusion clear, before responding. "What seems to be the issue, Elise?"
"Nothing, I just thought you'd know the VIP is. You always seem to know everything," Elise explains, causing Theodora to sputter and look away embarrassed.
"I-I appreciate the compliment, Elise, and I do have my guesses but it's better to err on the safe side for now," Theodora eventually pushes out. "If you truly want to know, though, I've heard that—"
"Oh, hey. You must be the kids we're waiting for." Your group is interrupted by the sound of someone approaching. It's a woman that looks to be in her 20's, wearing a snappy light gray uniform with black and white highlights. Atop a head of light green hair tied into a ponytail is a similar gray beret. On her left arm is a black armband emblazoned with a red wheel and yellow star, the insignia of the Railway Military Police.
Behind the person is a young girl around Ostia's age, more or less. She has deep black hair and her eyes seem to shine. She is wearing a gray and yellow dress, the kind you've seen worn by a bunch of kids around her age. She looks vaguely familiar.
Unable to help yourself, you look over to Theodora, and yup. Her eyes are wide and one of them is even twitching, she's even holding herself back from saying something. She absolutely knows who they are.
"Good morning, we're Group 1 from Class VII. You must be the client." Elise introduces your group to the woman in uniform.
"Heh heh, sorry, but the commander already left. I was told to stay and give instructions to your class. Sorry for the mixup," the woman sheepishly explains. "I'm First-Lieutenant Cassandra Ascunsion, at your service."
"And this little one here is going to be your charge for the day, say hello to—" Cassandra is interrupted by the little girl pushing past her to get closer to your group. She has a wide eyed look to her and yup, from this close of a view her eyes are definitely glowing.
"Are you guys really Mesagoza students!? I wanna attend but Rika says I'm not old enough, but I wanna know what it's like! People say I'm really good with Pokemon, would that give me a good grade in school?..." Elise, as the physically closest person to the little girl, is barraged with question after question. She turns to you with a pleading look all but asking for help.
Why do you feel like you're getting typecast for some reason?
You push that feeling down as you go and give Elise some backup. You crouch down to answer her questions, stopping her from craning her head up all the way just to look at you. You introduce yourself and the rest of Group 1, pointing at each member so she gets a good look at them.
Elise awkwardly waves at her as the little girl's gaze lingers on her, Poppy's face makes it seem like she's thinking something. After a bit, Poppy nods her head and moves on. Theodora has one of her classic looks, deep in thought while trying to hide it. She gives a polite hello before your introduction finally turns to Ostia. They shyly approach to say hello before going to hide behind you, they seem oddly nervous for some reason.
"And what's your name?" you ask to finish the introduction.
"People call me Poppy!" she proudly exclaims. That definitely sounds familiar, but it might just be a coincidence. After all, Erika once told you that there's a girl in her club named Maria. A lot of people just have similar names. After all, what are the chances that your class would somehow end up meeting a member of the Elite Four?
"Well, since you kids are acquainted with one another now, I'm gonna leave you to it. The Commander bid me to tell you that you'll have to keep an eye on her the whole day, make sure she's happy and entertained and to bring her back here around eight later tonight." Your group nods at the lieutenant's instructions as she lists them off.
"And uh, good luck." A relieved grin makes its way to the woman's face before she leaves as she hurries out of the hotel's lobby. You look over to Poppy and see an enthusiastic and eager expression, a near-constant smile on her face. It almost reminds you of your sister Tamara.
Shouldn't be too hard, right?
"HAVE YOU FOUND HER!?" You shout, panicked, into your ARCUS, receiving a negatory from Elise who's using Murkrow to look from above.
It was just a little storytime! Poppy wanted to know all about Class VII's adventures in Cortondo in the past week and you were happy to oblige. You regaled her with stories about your mandatory tasks, your fights with wild Pokemon and even Theodora pitched in, talking about how Elise fought a Skiddo on her own. Even Ostia was coming out of their shell, talking to Poppy about their Pokemon.
It was going great! The operative weird being, was.
"I'm sure Drilbur can find her, Miss Mary! So you shouldn't worry." Which brings you to why your charge just decided to go off on their own. You told her the story about how you and Theodora caught Drilbur and Leo respectively.
When the topic of conversation went to the Tinkatink that was with the battalion and how there was a local Tinkatink guild, though, everything went wrong.
Declaring that she was going to see 'Tinkie's family', she took out an Ultra Ball, releasing a Skarmory of all things. Riding on Skarmory's back, she flew off to who knows where, giving your group no choice but to chase after her.
Your best chance of finding her would be through Drilbur, who has a vague idea of where the Tinkatink usually are in the Heights. Hopefully she hasn't gotten hurt yet or wandered into a cave.
After nearly an hour of searching, Drilbur manages to find her, lifting some of the worry you're feeling. You give a call to Elise and Theodora, letting them know that you're on the right track and follow Drilbur's directions. You lift up Ostia to carry them, since they're getting tired running around looking. They're surprisingly heavy though.
The place Drilbur leads you to is less of a cave and more of an alcove located in the side of one of the hills and cliffs that make up the Heights. It's been refurbished with makeshift stone tables, beds and even a weird rudimentary furnace. In the middle of the abode, surrounded by more than a dozen Tinkatink, is Poppy, who also has a Tinkaton next to her.
You're starting to suspect she might actually be that Poppy. You don't know how to feel about that.
As you and Ostia approach, you manage to catch some of what Poppy's saying to the group of Tinkatinks.
"...don't worry! Those meanies are going down, Rika said so! Tinkie! You should help them get back on their feet, I'll be fine! This is more important, your family—" Poppy's conversation is interrupted by her noticing the two of you. She waves as if she hadn't just run off based on a whim. Yea, she's definitely like your sister.
The various Tinkatinks look nervous and back away from the two of you, fear and anxiety clear in their expressions. Paying closer attention, you notice that a lot of them are missing their iconic rattle-hammers. Less than half of the Tinkatinks you can see have one, and a lot of them are injured. From what you know about their species, that's not good. Tinkatinks rely on their weapons for even the most basic of tasks.
Turning your attention back to Poppy, she has a big smile on her face, but it feels plastered on. Like there's a little tinge of worry underneath it. Is she scared of getting scolded? At least she knows she did something wrong. You look at the Tinkaton next to them and yup, that's the same Tinkaton you saw while watching that battle with Class VII, massive warhammer and all. Are you really gonna try and scold an Elite Four member?
Yes, yes you are.
"Is this why you flew off without us?" you ask Poppy, to which she hesitantly nods.
You take a deep breath and take stock of what you're gonna do. This Tinkatink guild is important to her Tinkaton and thus to her. Even from just a glance, they're in dire straits. She's offering to let her Pokemon stay here to help them (you're not even gonna get into the impact an Elite Four level Pokemon is gonna have on the local ecosystem).
She is, in her eyes, doing a good thing. But she still ran off without your group on top of a Pokemon. She could've gotten hurt!
Right, you know what you're gonna say now.
"I understand why you wanted to help the Tinkatinks," you begin, "and it's a very nice thing you're doing. But you went ahead on Skarmory without us. You could've gotten hurt. You didn't know where to go, so you wandered in the air for a while, didn't you?" Poppy nods and so you nudge her to look at your Drilbur, who pops out of the ground, startling some of the Tinkatink as you continue. "Drilbur here knows this place, she's from around here. She knows where the Tinkatink live, and we could have helped you get here faster."
"Your heart is in a good place, but ask people for help next time, okay?" you finish. Poppy looks suitably chastised. "We wouldn't want to worry your guardian, after all."
"I'm sorry…" And she looks like she means it. Her Tinkaton gives you a look before nodding. Internally, you let out a sigh of relief.
"That's okay. Now that we're here, why don't we help? Some of them look injured. Ostia and I have some potions with us. Let's fix them up while we wait for the others." Poppy nods, looking grateful for your aid. You turn towards Ostia and they give you an indecipherable look. It vanishes soon after, and they start to pull out of some of the potions they have with them.
Your little group goes around healing up the various Tinkatinks in the alcove. There isn't a consistent trend to most of the injuries; mostly, there's a lot of cuts, scrapes and bruises. You have Roland and Drilbur to help you make splints and crutches from the sticks, wood and stone around the area for the worse injuries while Poppy and Ostia apply bandages and potions on the Tinkatinks that need them.
You're starting to run out of supplies when Elise and Theodora show up. After quickly explaining the situation to the two of them, they get to work alongside yourself, Ostia and Poppy.
While your group is helping with healing up the Tinkatinks, Poppy's Tinkaton has her own task in mind. Gathering up what little scrap and iron they and Drilbur could gather nearby, they're able to replace some of the missing rattle hammers. Not enough for all of the Pokemon in the guild, but enough to re-equip a solid majority of them, at least.
All of a sudden, while you're patching up one of the Tinkatinks, Theodora approaches you. "So is our little charge here…?" she asks, letting you fill in the blanks. You nod, causing an unreadable look to cross Theodora's face.
"Are you alright, Theodora?" you ask, suddenly worried about her. The look vanishes as her characteristic grin returns.
"Oh, just tired from our journey here, I've been thinking about our client since this morning. It's good to have confirmation, that's all." While a part of you doesn't really believe her, you've no reason to think its anything major, so you drop the subject.
You have your own suspicions on who your client is, especially with the name you heard Poppy mention when you arrived.
Once you're finished up, Poppy approaches you and Elise.
"Tinkie wants to stay and help. She says she'll come back once some of the Tinkatinks evolve. And don't worry about her being too powerful for the other Pokemon, Tinkie is too lazy to fight unless I tell her to." Poppy says, politely ignoring Tinkie blowing a raspberry at her before returning to work.
"That's great! As long as it's okay with you and your guardian," you say in response. You don't want to get on the bad side of someone who you're suspecting is also an Elite Four member if Poppy comes back with one less Pokemon.
"I'm sure Rika will be okay with it!" You send a look over to Theodora who's near enough to eavesdrop. "But that's not all!" Poppy suddenly exclaims, as she steps aside to reveal a Tinkatink behind her. One wearing a Pawniard helmet.
Is that…the same Tinkatink that you encountered earlier this week? A cry from Drilbur confirms it as your Pokemon rushes over to greet them.
"Pinky wants to join me so she can get stronger like Tinkie did when she joined my…dad." You mention how cute the two of them were together, ignoring the hesitation at the end there, not wanting to spoil the moment.
A cute little scene of Drilbur and Pinky plays out as your Pokemon drags the latter to play and dance with them. She even introduces the Tinkatink to Roland, causing him to grumble but play along.
Drilbur messing around with Pinky causes more Pokemon, whether the ones belonging to your group or Wild Pokemon, to join in the chasing and play-fighting.
As work crawls to a halt you take stock of the Tinkatinks. With the help of an Elite Four Pokemon, even temporarily, they should be back on their feet sooner or later.
Now's probably a good time for a break. You go over to where Ostia is. They're currently staring at Pokemon playing around, a strange expression on their face. Do they also want to play?
You ruffle their hair, causing them to giggle and laugh. The day might've started out hectic, but it's not looking half bad right now.
With Poppy's curiosity sated, your group- including her (she wanted to come along)- now head to the location of the day's optional task. Elise had received the instructions of what type of berries to get and where to get them from Miss Ronah, passed along by the client, a local Geomantic Priest. After your group finds enough, you're supposed to head back so that the local parish can make some Berry Juice.
While you're tasked with gathering berries of multiple varieties from a local berry patch, the most important among them are wild Sitrus Berries, more commonly known as Gold Berries. It differs from its more common and domesticated sibling in effectiveness, taste and most of all size. The wild variety here is easily almost twice as large as a regular Sitrus Berry- and twice as powerful.
The entire family of berries from Oran to Gold have long been observed to have some healing properties for Pokemon. Even wild Pokemon that consume only meat, stone or metals regularly ingest some when injured.
Back in the Highlands, cultivation of berries like that is rare. The soil simply isn't built for it. But wild groves of berries aren't uncommon. From what Jenkins told you, those areas alongside major watering holes serve as neutral grounds for a lot of the Pokemon in the Highlands. The best way for an Andosin hunter to disappear is to trespass into one with ill intent.
In the rest of Paldea though, Berry cultivation is an entire industry with Oran and Sitrus berries being grown and harvested in industrial quantities, the former much more so than the latter. Beyond just their usage in Pokemon food and cuisine, they're supposedly part of the ingredients that make up Potions and other similar healing items.
As you approach the grove, the hallmarks of a Pokemon attack are clear. Broken fences, abandoned tools and other debris typical of such an occurrence lie scattered around the ground. The grove itself is located in the furthest northern edges of Section 35, not that far from the place your group fought Lokix and the other wild Bug Pokemon.
So your group is suspecting a member of the little Triad as the culprit behind this. "Which one of the three do you think we're gonna encounter?" you idly ask as your group walks down a path framed by various berry trees plucked clean by Wild Pokemon.
"I wouldn't be opposed to facing Lokix again despite how strong he was. We're much better prepared now," Theodora says, causing an incredulous look to appear on Elise's face.
"I don't think we've actually fought the Ninjask yet. According to the locals, they have a Shedinja following them around. So technically, it's more of a Quartet than anything," Elise contributes, quickly moving past Theodora's suggestion.
"Well, I think—"
You aren't able to finish your sentence as a web shot hits your side, knocking you down. Roland is shocked from his resting position around your neck, worry, confusion and then anger flashing in quick succession as he searches for who dared to attack you.
You brace yourself for impact so you don't get hurt by the fall. From your position on the ground you see Nincadas and Tarountulas emerge from the trees to attack.
In one of the larger trees lay Spidops, who's firing off Sticky Webs and String Shots at your classmates, trying to pin them to the ground and their Pokeballs to their sides. You yourself are wrapped in web and string, your other two Pokemon trapped in their Pokeballs. You try to wiggle and find a way out but to no avail.
Your classmates are faring somewhat better. Elise, using Rin, has cut down any web or thread that gets close to her or Poppy, who's hiding behind her, stars in their eyes. Ostia has sent out both their Pokemon and are fighting off the onslaught of Bug Types. There's an absolutely furious look on Ostia's face.
Theodora meanwhile is stuck in the same boat as you are, only managing to release Leo before getting webbed down like you. The two of you share a look, reaching an unspoken agreement to never mention this to anyone else.
The battle goes on. Despite being horrendously outnumbered, Group 1 is winning handily. With their web attacks no longer being effective, the commanding Spidops seems to have retreated, picking up their fallen and fainted as they go.
In the skies Roland and Murkrow savage any Pokemon they can swoop down and grab, dodging String Shots and Poison Stings all the while. The former Crunching and Biting without mercy nor hesitation, maw filled with his erstwhile prey. Once his quarry no longer moves, he tosses them, now burning from the ghostly flames of a Will-o-Wisp, at another Pokemon. Murkrow on the other hand is actually eating some of the Wild Pokemon, mostly focusing on the Nincadas, piercing their shells and pecking into their soft interiors for a snack.
Down below Argy and Poly push back the Wild Bug Types, their Psychic and ranged moves throwing the attacking Pokemon away as Ostia grabs you and Theodora to pull you over to where Elise is. Leo is currently cutting his trainer free, but it's taking some time, the sticky web slowing him down despite how sharp the Pawniard's blades are.
Elise, freed from having to parry and counter Spidops' attacks with their retreat, has been helping Ostia's Pokemon fight off the Bug Pokemon. Argy is grabbing Tarountulas and throwing them upwards towards the waiting maws of Roland and Murkrow or towards Rin's blade.
Then-
Elise suddenly twists around to meet an attack from behind, pushing Poppy out of the way as they parry a strike from a newcomer. Ninjask. Elise pushes them back and readies herself to counterattack when Poppy finally speaks up.
"That's not very nice, Mr. Ninjask! Skaro, show them some manners!"
A deafening squawk fills your ears as a powerful gust of wind blows through the grove. All the wild Pokemon, a little over two dozen of them, are blown away, instantly taken out. The webs trapping you and Theodora are cut into pieces with not a single hair on your body being touched by the wind.
Ninjask itselfs is blown away by the wind, cuts tearing their shell and wings, only saved from getting torn apart by a Shedinja emerging from the shadows to grab them before disappearing.
In just a few seconds, what was a battlefield is now silent except for the wind slowly dying down and the sound of your own heartbeat. The trees and the environment aren't even touched, not a leaf nor a blade of grass out of place.
Slowly you get up, finding yourself surprisingly weak in the knees. You were more scared during the few moments of Skaro's attack than you were during the entire battle.
You suddenly feel two weights slam into you, one into your stomach and another from above. You look down and see Ostia hugging you and Roland wrapped around your neck, shaking in worry.
"I'm fine guys, barely even scratched."You do your best to assuage their worries, to little avail. "C'mon, let me up at least." At that, they do finally let you stand up properly. While Ostia backs off, calming down now that you're okay, you're starting to worry about Roland.
He's still shaking and wrapped tightly around your neck. It doesn't hurt since Roland can make himself partially intangible, but that heart to heart with him is probably gonna have to come sooner rather than later.
With the wild Pokemon gone, your group gathers the needed berries for your task. A lot of the berries in the grove are gone, mostly the Oran and Sitrus berries. Theodora muses out loud that that's how the Triad are able to bounce back from their constant skirmishes and battles aso quickly.
Berries in hand, your group now heads to a local parish of the Geomantic Church. Located on the very edges of the settlement itself, it is one of a handful of churches in Cortondo. The largest and oldest of them lie near the center of the town, decreasing in age and size the further out you go. Though that really doesn't mean much when comparing a church built nearly millenia ago to one 'only' built in the last two centuries.
The building that your group approaches is rather small but built on a large plot of land, the structure is made of white brick and old painted tiled roofs. Aside from the church there's a small apple orchard populated by a handful of Applins wandering about. As you head towards the entrance there's a nun waiting at the front that spots your class (and Poppy), waving to you once she does.
"You must be Class VII! My name is Felicia. Thank you for helping us with gathering berries. Things have been so hectic that we needed new stock and…" The nun has a bright sunny disposition and is an utter chatterbox. Little strands of orange hair occasionally slip out from under her habit as she leads your group towards the parish itself. You notice that she has two Great Balls on her belt, which doesn't surprise you- every member of the church you've met has skilled Pokemon with them.
As your class enters the church, shock and alarm ripples through your group as you take in the sight within. Dozens of Pokemon of various species were inside, many of them bearing injuries covered over by blankets or bandages.
There's a huge variety within, from Woobats to a Lurantis couple that had a small Fomantis with them, a couple of Butterfrees and even a Munchlax of all things. Looking above you see various bird Pokemon common in Cortondo and Mesagoza just resting in the railings and pillars of the church. There was only a single human that you can see, an old lady sitting down surrounded by Smolivs.
But none of them could compare to the Pokemon kneeling in front of the dais towards an altar of Xerneas. One armed and even now wreathed in Dark Type Energy, it was Lokix.
As if noticing your arrival, Lokix stands and turns to look at your group. The platform they were kneeling on is elevated so it looks as if they are looking down on you and your friends.
Elise doesn't hesitate to get in between your group and the Pokemon, Rin already drawn. All the other Pokemon react negatively, some of them even getting between your group and Lokix. Despite the injuries many of them had, all of them seemed willing to stand between you and the Bug-Type Pokemon.
"Please do not draw steel in this holy place. Let us not commit to any actions we may come to regret." A voice, deep despite the age, interrupts the stand off. An old man emerges from one of the side rooms of the Church, dressed in a priest's habit. Lean, tall and completely bald, he reminds you of the other old men that Jenkins sometimes drank with. He also has a Flittle perched on his shoulder.
"Apologies, Father Garcia! I forgot to tell them about our uh…guest. It's my fault, if anything." Felicia interjects, bowing in apology, causing the man to sigh as if this is a common occurrence for him.
Elise, eyes still glued at Lokix, slowly and with great hesitation returns Rin to their sheathe. With the threat gone, all of the Pokemon across the church return to what they were doing as tension slowly bleeds off. Father Garcia nods in thanks to Elise and the Pokemon before turning towards Lokix.
"While your visit has been enlightening, I believe it's time for you to go your way. May we meet again in better times," Father Gracia says, causing the Bug-Type to turn and kneel towards the altar one last time before heading towards the exit.
The exit behind your group. Shit.
The tension returns as Lokix slowly, almost lazily approaches your class. Their eyes flicker towards each member of your group.
Elise returns a glare as they pass her. Her hand never leaves Rin's hilt even for a moment.
A look of curiosity and contemplation flits over Theodora's face, one you're absolutely baffled by.
Lokix stares at you and Ostia. You do your best glare at the Pokemon, likely to little effect. Roland wrapped around your neck hisses at them in response, causing Lokix to make a scoffing sound. Your hands tightly grips Renne and Drilbur's Pokeballs, your fingers hovering over their buttons.
Ostia stares at them from behind you, caution and distaste clear on their face.
Poppy meanwhile looks like she's having the time of her life, eyes wide staring at Lokix, who suddenly stops in front of her. Your group tenses in suspense, which is quickly broken by Lokix giving the young girl a shallow bow of all things. One that Poppy returns.
And with that Lokix steps out the door to leave. With them gone, your entire class turns towards Father Garcia, a thousand questions at the tip of your tongues.
He gives a pained smile at your expressions "Well, I suppose an explanation is in order."
"How long has Lokix been visiting this church?" Theodora immediately asks before anyone has even a chance to sit down.
Father Gracia, wanting to thank your class for helping with the berries, decided to serve your class a meal in gratitude. You're now currently in one of the back rooms of the church, the father himself taking the opportunity to answer your question while Sister Felicia and another Sister by the name of Letitia prepare lunch and handle the berries respectively.
"This is the second time he has visited, though technically it is his third. He had… arrived here with his trainer a few months back. Her name was Marida." He hesitates in saying the latter half as if he was contemplating whether to say that part at all.
"So he is a Trainer Pokemon," you say, remembering your discussion with Alice earlier this week and yesterday at the Gym. It was one of many topics your class had been discussing with her before Nemona had—nevermind, you're getting sidetracked.
"Aye, and a skilled one at that, going toe to toe with my Appletun when his trainer had challenged me to a battle," Father Garcia explains as he prepares the table, placing plates and utensils.
"Why didn't you report him to the Trainer Association when he showed up?" It's Elise's turn to ask questions. She's barely hiding the indignant tone in her voice.
"I contemplated it, but he had approached seeking aid and guidance and I could not turn him away. Not when many of the Pokemon seeking refuge here had vouched for him." Which brings up another question.
"Why are there so many injured Pokemon here? Why can't they go to a Pokemon Center?" Ostia asks the question at the tip of everyone's tongues.
"This church is a refuge. It has always been a tradition of the Church to aid any Pokemon that seeks help within its walls, Wild or not. Before Pokemon Centers, parishes like these were responsible for the well-being of the Pokemon of Trainers in the centuries prior. As for why there are so many here today…" Garcia's gaze briefly flickers towards Poppy who's munching on apple fritters that the nuns brought. She and Ostia are seemingly in a competition to see who can devour more without the other members in the class noticing.
"Let's just say that even good and necessary work has its consequences. But that's enough talk. Come, consider this my thanks for accepting our request. The berries you delivered will go a long way in helping the Pokemon outside." At that the two nuns enter the room with lunch. Apple pie, apple-braised chicken thighs, more apple fritters for Ostia and Poppy to devour and finally apple juice to water it all down.
Not wanting to impose anymore, and with Gym battles approaching for two members of your group, your class says farewell to Garcia's little church. Heading back towards Cortondo, your class barely discusses the events of the day, already exhausted despite the fact it's nowhere near over yet.
At Poppy's insistence, your class heads to Pirotin Inn to rest and recuperate. While Poppy goes with Elise and Ostia to watch TV, Theodora announces that she's going to train and bond with her Pawniard. Meanwhile on your end, you're gonna take this opportunity to have that little talk with Roland.
Heading to one of the bathrooms in the Inn (why are all of your talks with your Pokemon in bathrooms), you sit down in one of the stalls to have a chat with Roland.
"How are you? Doing alright?" you ask him. It's been a pretty stressful and hectic week, all things considered and you have a feeling it's not over yet. Roland gives you a look, all but returning the question towards you.
"I'm doing alright, Gym nerves aside. How are you handling being part of a team?" Even though you caught Renne a few weeks ago, it's only really now that Roland has regular contact and interacts with other Pokemon outside of a battling context.
Roland responds with a blank face and a low hiss. You sigh.
"While I get you have an issue with Renne—" Roland interrupts you with another hiss, one filled with a surprising amount of venom.
That bad, huh? You expected him to not like Renne, but this is starting to worry you.
"Look, you're hissing at just the mention of her name. That's not healthy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see you get along with other Pokemon but…" Roland refuses to respond, curling into himself, a funny image considering he's still floating.
Eventually he peeks out and just stares at you. It's one of those moments where you wish you can actually talk to Pokemon rather than just pantomiming to communicate and understand them.
"Give her a chance, she's helped us a couple times now already, even when it would've been easier for her to not do so. You don't have to like her, but what you're doing is not good." Roland slowly nods in response. It's probably the best you're gonna get from him for a good while.
You hold back another sigh, you have a feeling this isn't the end of things yet.
"What about Drilbur?" In contrast to the hostile hiss from earlier, Roland chirps indignantly, almost petulantly. It's something you recognize without a shadow of a doubt. Sometimes you forget just how young he is.
"Oh c'mon you know she's just messing with you. It's like you with Timothee or Cornelia." Roland chirps a denial as you grab him to pet. He makes a show of resisting before letting himself sink to your touch. He does love getting spoiled.
"You're like my brother, I know these things and she's just being playful. Don't take it too personally but if she does push too far, it's important you tell her instead of bottling it all up." Roland makes grumbling noises but doesn't disagree.
"C'mon we have a Gym Battle later, let's rest up for your big debut." Roland brightens up at the prospect of battle. You've already explained to him what a Gym Battle entails and he seems ecstatic about it. "It's good you're excited, but remember the plan alright?"
It's been a strategy you've been brainstorming on and off for the past few days, taking in what you know and seen of Drilbur and Roland's capabilities. It's going to serve as your strategy for the upcoming Gym Battle.
You're somewhat confident in it, but you know that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. And it definitely can't compare to the thing Nemona had done yesterday, which you're still processing in your head.
What is your plan for the Gym Battle?:
[] Seismic Shadow: Drilbur's good at digging, like- really good at digging. Not quite a master at it yet, but more than good enough for your purposes during this battle. It was during one of the sparring matches between Roland and Drilbur yesterday that you got the idea. Drilbur will focus on digging around the battlefield, using her Ground and Rock moves to pelt and attack the enemy. Outcroppings of rock, dirt and stone casting shadows across the field, and below, vast dark tunnels leading all over will create the perfect field for Roland to take advantage of, striking like a shadow from anywhere he pleases.
- Drilbur will focus on Ground and Rock moves. Roland will focus on Ghost and Status Moves.
- Katie's 2nd Pokemon might be something that tries to wrest control of the battlefield away from you.
- Katie's 3rd Pokemon might be something good at hunting slippery and evasive Pokemon.
- Will form the foundation of your future battle style.
[] Fast and Furious: Drilbur and Roland are stronger than what most people probably expect that a no-Badge Trainer might have. Beyond that, both are speedy Pokemon with the potential to either chip away at their opponent or to punch right through at the opportune moment. The game plan is simple then; Speed times Force, equals Victory. Drilbur has a number of moves that can make her strikes hit faster and hit harder. That combined with her trump card in the form of her rare Electric Tera Type and accompanying move could lay the groundwork for weakening and paralyzing the opponent for Roland to sweep in. From there Roland will take advantage of his superior speed and evasiveness to do as much damage as possible as fast as possible. Slipping away from the grasp of his enemies to weave in and out of their defenses to strike at the opportune moment.
- Drilbur will focus on Steel, Status and Electric moves. Roland will focus on his moves that increase his Initiative and allow him to avoid damage.
- Katie's 2nd Pokemon might be something that matches your first, blow for blow.
- Katie's 3rd Pokemon might be something tough and hardy or something that can keep up with fast Pokemon
- Will form the foundation of your future battle style
Pokemon Materials Gained:
Applin Seeds, Ninjask Wing, Spidops Web, Flittle Feather
Cash and STAT Gains this turn
32000 Pokedollars, 400 Poke XP, 500 PROW XP
Items Gained:
Berry Juice x2
Moratorium for 12 Hours
Thanks to Tempera and Illuma for proofreading this update
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