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Trails of Tera Steel (Kiseki-inspired Pokemon Academy Quest)

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ArvisPresley said:
"Speak your mind." For once she cannot find the urge to antagonize him, and the long present kernel of disdain for her in the wyrm's core remains still but burns less brightly, less intensely than it usually does.

"...Thank you." Roland looks as if merely saying those words to her is like pulling teeth from his maw, and yet here he is, doing it. She nods in understanding before turning away from him again.
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A ghost never forgets a grudge.

Nor a favor
 
I'll be honest, I saw the update and immediately skipped to the end to see whether we got the S rank.

I am very happy and will enjoy taking my time with this one.
 
So, a nice batch of momentary flashbacks...
ArvisPresley said:
the girl has forgotten more of her life than she has lived of it she has forgotten her first friend her first name and now she has forgotten her mother all she remembers is the woman who was her mothers sad sad face and an empty feeling where her heart should be
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'Empty feeling where her heart should be' sounds like Rean, so Elise for sure.

The main part that jumps out is that she has forgotten her first friend. Person or Pokémon, I wonder. And alive or dead, too.

ArvisPresley said:
the child is ready to die theyre so hungry that they can no longer move theyre so hungry that they can no longer think theyre so hungry that theyre sorry that the murkrows waiting to eat will have to eat more bone than meat the last thing they see is that man with glasses approaching they think it mightve been better if they had died there
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Non-binary, so Ostia. And good lord that's too much trauma. I'm voting for any option I see involving Ostia and food. Give that child more cake.

Also the urge to throw Raifort off of a building is reaching greater heights. It wasn't her in the flashback, but still.

ArvisPresley said:
the girl cradles her younger sister to keep them quiet hoping against hope that the stench of rotten meat and trash will mask her scent from the mightyena prowling the encampment she covers her sisters ears from the screams and yells of terror a growl approaches and she hugs her sister tighter
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Mariana's Psychically repressed trauma. And it very much seems like something that would absolutely need repressing.

ArvisPresley said:
the girl struggles against the knee on her back against the tears in her eyes and kowtows at the foot of the man who took her home the thing who calls itself Father all to spare her real brother and real mother who took her in despite everything now she lives a lie a lie called living
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Theodora by process of elimination. This seems complicated. Definitely adding Theodora's 'father' to the throw-off-a-building list.

Need to deal with a lot of people to clean up Paldea. But there are a lot of buildings here.

In conclusion: Good lord everyone needs therapy / 10. How this team is even remotely functional is beyond me.

ArvisPresley said:
the pokemon struggles and fights despite his trainer vanishing into the cold ground he fights beyond that battle he fights against the restraints and needles and all the things that pierce his flesh he fights to keep his mind from the machine that takes and strips him down until hes nothing he fights to think he fights to resist he fights he fights he fights hefights hefights hefightsfght fghtfghtght
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And last but not least, Vigoroth. Rest in Peace.
 
LunaticPanda said:
Mariana's Psychically repressed trauma. And it very much seems like something that would absolutely need repressing.
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You know what? Mary's backstory is looking to be a more positive version of Joshua aha.

Traumatic backstory involving family? Town was raided? Emotional/Mental block about those events? Joshua had all of those, and so does Mary it seems like!

So I'm not saying that our mother is secretly this universe's version of the Faceless, but she did come in to clear our brain so we can function good. At least she didn't turn us into an assassin :V
 

View: https://youtu.be/fdm9E26SgVU?si=4E3svdj5ldk8dq9B

*VICTORY SCREECH*
....*wheeze* that....was hectic, insightful, beautiful.... just... a great chapter overall. We did it, we got the S-rank, we survived aaaaaannnd yup every member in this group has trauma. And now im curious to know WHAT the heck is inside the ARCUS that let us have a synchro flashback sequence. Kinda like with the explore Mezagosa actions that will unlock more gameplay locations and mechanica, what DOES the ARCUS system really do? I know its a trails thing, but in universe what are its theorlogical limits? We know it can terrastalyze our moms (Dreepy in the gym battle) and now it seems it lets us connect with our teammates (probably due to bonds).... also what pokemon is in there? An emphatic porygon? A supped up Rotom? Third option? Anyway cant wait to get back to the city, we really more "normal" actions.... that amd apperently have a serious convo with Renne.
 
Also, IT HAD FACADE! That was a bullet dodged... slightly... yeah vigoroth still kinda tore at us, but i still think it would have been worse if we had burned it.

Edit: it didnt matter much, but chargecadet burned it with incenarate. Woops... (that battle log was wild)
 
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Vs. Shadow Vigoroth Battle Documentation
Goal: Get Shadow Vigoroth to 75%/50% Health for an A Rank/S Rank

Shadow Vigoroth HP: 1200

Class VII Health:
Frontline: Rin (400+100 from Elise), Argy (400), Ruby (400), Leo (400), Roland (350)
Backline: Charcadet (350), Poly (400), Murkrow (350)
Support: Sharon (400), Renne (500)

Turn 1:
Initiative Bonuses:
+2: Roland
+1: Vigoroth
0: Rin, Argy, Leo
-2: Ruby, Renne, Charcadet, Poly, Murkrow
Turn Order: Roland (18+2), Leo (20), Poly (20-2), Espurr (17-2), Argy (14), Charcadet (14-2), Vigoroth 1 (10+1), Rin (8), Murkrow (9-2 Was Rerolled from a Nat 1), Ruby (4-2), Sharon (2-2), Vigoroth 2 (No Roll, Always Last, Unaffectable by Status)

Effect Bonuses (Not Including Trainer Skll)
-2: Vigoroth
0: Rin, Argy, Leo, Renne
+2: Ruby, Renne, Charcadet, Poly, Murkrow, Roland
Secondary Effect Activations: Roland (20+13+2), Poly (16+13+2), Renne (10+13), Argy (15+13), Charcadet (8+12+2), Ruby (18+13+2)
Effect Bonuses:
x1.05: Sharon
x1.075: Rin, Leo, Murkrow
x1.1: Argy, Ruby, Roland, Charcadet, Poly

Attacks Phase:
Roland uses Crunch (1d75+75) does 62.15 damage (113*1.1*.5). Secondary Effect activates, Vigoroth receives -3 to Initiative Roll next turn
Leo uses Metal Claw (1d50+100) does 91.375 damage (136*1.25*1.075*.5)
Poly uses Water Pulse (1d75+75) does 71.775 damage (87*1.25*1.1*1.2*.5) Secondary Effect activates, Vigoroth is Confused
Renne uses Barrier. Secondary Effect activates, lowers next Three Enemy Attacks by Half

Current Vigoroth HP: 974.7

Argy uses Headbutt (1d75+75) does 75.9 damage (138*1.1*.5) Secondary Effect activates, Vigoroth receives -3 to Effect Roll next turn
Charcadet uses Incinerate (1d100+50) does 92.4 damage (112*1.1*1.2*1.25*.5) Secondary Effect Activates, Vigoroth is Burned

Current Vigoroth HP: 806.4

A-Rank Achieved

HP Threshold reached (70%>HP): Activate Hyper Mode
Purge Volatile Statuses. All moves hit an additional Pokemon, Vigoroth hits 3 Pokemon per attack. Will return to 2 Pokemon next turn. Facade now allowed to be used
Vigoroth uses Facade (2d100+75) and targets Argy, Poly and Charcadet. Leo substitutes for Poly. Does 386.65 damage (202*1.25*1.75*1.75(Facade Bonus)*.5(Barrier)) before Effectiveness Modifier
Argy and Leo take 289.98 damage. Charcadet takes 386.64 damage. Charcadet effectively faints.
Elise and Rin uses Autumn Leaf Cutter (1d50+100) does 60.7375 damage (113*1.075*.5)
Murkrow uses Gust (1d50+50) does 44.343 damage (55*1.25*1.075*1.2*.5)
Ruby uses Spark? (1d75+75+25) does 75.35 damage (137*1.1*.5) Secondary Effect activates, Vigoroth is Paralyzed

Current Vigoroth HP: 625.97

Sharon uses Fire Spin (1d50+75) does 67.725 damage (86*1.25*.5*1.2*1.05)
Vigoroth uses Facade (2d100+75) and targets Sharon, Ruby and Murkrow. Elise and Rin substitutes for Murkrow. Does 472.77 damage (247*1.25*1.75*1.75(Facade Bonus)*.5(Barrier)) before Effectiveness Modifier
Ruby and Sharon take 472.77 damage. Elise takes 236.64 damage due to Resistant (x0.5). Ruby and Sharon faints taking 2 Wounds each, decreased to 1 by Healing Items.
End of Turn Vigoroth HP: 558.24
S-Rank Achieved
Class 7 "Wins"
Definitely a learning experience, next boss/Shadow Pokemon encounter will definitely be less overtuned. who knew numerical superiority would go crazy.
 
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OH THANK GOD LOKIX ISN'T DEAD!

The poor guy went through some serious shit, huh... I suspect my earlier fears were correct, if we'd failed to get Vigoroth's health low enough he wouldn't have survived that. Let's hope Theodora can get him the medical aid he needs, as well as the mental health treatment to deal with his near Shadow state...

Sadly, saving Vigoroth was indeed impossible. God that battle was horrifying... I really hope we won't fight another Shadow Pokemon anytime soon. Seriously, it actually ripped its arm off so it could beat the shit out of Argy, I do not want. Unfortunately, it seems Surge and his allies are involved in trafficking such monsters... let's hope we get the chance to shut them down one day.

Speaking of Surge, we get some new info on him - he seems to be a never-de-programmed veteran obsessed with turning people into "real" soldiers, with Leaf a former student of his. So was Silver, apparently Leaf's partner - I wonder where he is right now? He's also working with someone else - a former traitor to Team Rocket he seems to be restraining the desire to murder. In Kalos, apparently. Annoying that, can't exactly just hop the border and jump them unannounced.

We also get some information on the backstory of our friends. Its trauma. All trauma, always has been, even us - Renne at least saw the Mightyena incident, so we might be able to address that in a more permanent manner than Chimeco's seal. Meanwhile, Elise has amnesia and may have evil superpowers, Theodora's father needs to be thrown off a building, Ostia's "guardians" also need to be thrown off a building, and Group 2 probably aren't any better. Leaf is gonna be needing so much overtime, dear God.

Meanwhile, Ruby has come up with some custom moves - I'd rather focus on Railspike, her blowing up her hands is a stunt I do not wish to see repeated - and Roland has some hacked together versions of Dragon Tail and Dragon Breath. We'll be focusing on those for our next bout of training, I expect. Otherwise, Bond raising with Renne and speedrunning Agility so Roland can evolve is the order of business, as well as helping our friends and their new captures because oh dear lord EVERYONE CAUGHT TRAUMA CASES.
 
NMS said:
Unfamiliar with Trails series (and a bit sleep deprived at the moment). Who's Goldsmith and how bad is this?
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The Goldsmith moniker isn't from Trails - it's from the story that's provided faces for Theodora and Erika, and the name for the latter, Umineko: When They Cry. It's the preferred (and admittedly Trailsy) title of Kinzo Ushiromiya, an ultrarich mad alchemist in a world that doesn't believe in magic and patriarch of the most psychologically fucked aristocratic family in Japan. Without going into turbospoilers about why this is really really bad news given his connections to fascists and status as Theodora's legal guardian, it's enough to alert me to the Duke de Medali being connected to one of the worst characters morally I can think of, as well as being a genuine threat for what kind of insane shit he might get up to with his immense wealth.
 
I know nothing about Umineko beyond memes, and even I know Kinzo is something of a complete bastard.

This is…. Not great.


Edit: lmao we beat vigoroth in one turn.

… the next boss is going to destroy us.
 
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ArvisPresley said:
HP Threshold reached (70%>HP): Activate Hyper Mode
Purge Volatile Statuses. All moves hit an additional Pokemon, Vigoroth hits 3 Pokemon per attack. Will return to 2 Pokemon next turn. Facade now allowed to be used
Vigoroth uses Facade (2d100+75) and targets Argy, Poly and Charcadet. Leo substitutes for Poly. Does 386.65 damage (202*1.25*1.75*1.75(Facade Bonus)*.5(Barrier)) before Effectiveness Modifier
Argy and Leo take 289.98 damage. Charcadet takes 386.64 damage. Charcadet effectively faints.
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Damn, Hyper Mode is insane. That's the expected ~400 damage per attack After Renne's barrier. If it wasn't for Renne we'd be dealing with some PokePaste right now, that much overdamage is going to make Arvis do something cruel.

As Rocket-Tag as it was, it did end up a fair encounter - one powerful boss vs a horde is hard. Swing the numbers a little either way and the fight goes very differently.
 
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gamer50018 said:
We also get some information on the backstory of our friends. Its trauma. All trauma, always has been, even us - Renne at least saw the Mightyena incident, so we might be able to address that in a more permanent manner than Chimeco's seal. Meanwhile, Elise has amnesia and may have evil superpowers, Theodora's father needs to be thrown off a building, Ostia's "guardians" also need to be thrown off a building, and Group 2 probably aren't any better. Leaf is gonna be needing so much overtime, dear God.
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Hey, of Group 2 probably only Manuel has Trauma right now - Atticus has future bullying and Nemona isolation and loneliness from excellence in her future (that is Tempera's decree from the sidestory after all).

Nothing from Jacinto so far - as the son of Perfectly Normal Larry, his dad must be a Perfectly Normal Dad with no family trauma (it's funny that way with everyone else's parental issues, everytime Manuel confides in Larry in the yaoi future he doesn't have any equal weight stories to share)
 
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Good news is that nobody is getting a long-term stay in the hospital, everyone thank Renne.

The bad news is that Surge mentioned a creepy Alolan nonce in his narration and I'm scared we're going to experience O-Power.
 
nothingtoseehere said:
Hey, of Group 2 probably only Manuel has Trauma right now - Atticus has future bullying and Nemona isolation and loneliness from excellence in her future (that is Tempera's decree from the sidestory after all).

Nothing from Jacinto so far - as the son of Perfectly Normal Larry, his dad must be a Perfectly Normal Dad with no family trauma (it's funny that way with everyone else's parental issues, everytime Manuel confides in Larry in the yaoi future he doesn't have any equal weight stories to share)
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I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic about Jacinto or not.

Also… I'll be honest I'm not sure if I fully count Nemona given that we also know that said problem basically resolves itself almost immediately with Juliana's arrival. Which isn't saying it's not going to suck, but it's definitely not really something that we can actually have an impact on. If anything we'd just make it worse.
 
I really wonder what Nemona would have thought about the Shadow Vigoroth battle if she had been a participant.

On one hand, challenging herself against a vastly superior opponent is cool, but on the other hand, holy shit this is fucked up.
 
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