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Unprecedented Times [A Pokemon Ranger Quest]

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Paperbag said:
If there's one thing I expect the military to do well without us, especially with some ranger help, it's defending a site. Being at the teleporters seems like a waste.
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Remember that the military here is predominantly wielding dragon types, which is why they had to largely ball their pokemon to avoid toppling the already fragile Altaria hierarchy.

No one knows how many dragons they can keep out how long before the Altaria start rampaging and the island needs to be evacuated, but every time they have to actually fight that margin of error shrinks.

Not to say we necessarily have to defend the teleporter, I trust our Ranger colleagues to handle stuff, but "let the military fight" is imo not a good argument right now.
 
[X] Join the team watching the cliffs

Mainly because Darke is here and I like his interactions with Kylie. Still, I think nearly all of these missions play to Kylie's strengths in some way - except maybe the heir combat team, but that one Shou is uniquely well suited for with his battle-trained Pokemon.

Actually, here's an interesting thought - can we guess which missions Shou would like more or less? He'd prefer missions that he and his team have the skills for - notably, he's good with a styler and his `mons are battlers. I think maybe he'd prefer not to do the town defense (since it's the role least likely to see combat), and would lean more towards the heir interuptors, or maybe the cliff watchers since that's the most dangerous role and he's shown a liking for doing the high-risk missions (albeit because he doesn't trust other people to get them right).
 
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[X] Join the team extracting the explosives from the munitions depot
[X] Join the team protecting and observing the area around Reedpier

Either of these, I think.
 
[X] Join the team protecting the teleportation site
You'll be part of the group protecting the site where munitions are to be teleported and frozen by ice-type Pokemon the military has trained for this purpose. You and your Pokemon have proven your ability in guarding sites before, with B.B. and Urchin both being powerhouses in defensive combat, making you a solid choice in this area. While there's little to no chance of the explosives themselves posing a risk once frozen, throwing that much ice-type aura around in the open plains surrounding Reedpier is unlikely to go unnoticed, whether by local Altaria or, more likely, the inhabitants of the grasslands.

[X] Join the team protecting and observing the area around Reedpier
 
Indivisible said:
but the fight with Old Storm showed that we lack the moves for Altaria combat
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Saying we aren't good at fighting dragons while having only the fight against a centuries old patriarch of a flock and combat veteran is a bit like saying you aren't a good boxer because you first match ever was against Mike Tyson and he knocked you out.

[X] Join the team watching the cliffs

Our team is really good at being annoying, distracting and hard to remove. Being a final backstop and distraction seems good to me
 
Tobtorp said:
Saying we aren't good at fighting dragons while having only the fight against a centuries old patriarch of a flock and combat veteran is a bit like saying you aren't a good boxer because you first match ever was against Mike Tyson and he knocked you out.

[X] Join the team watching the cliffs

Our team is really good at being annoying, distracting and hard to remove. Being a final backstop and distraction seems good to me
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The century old Dragon that thrashed everyone that went there, including Gereon himself. It is true we aren't a match for him, but we are really, really not expected to be.
 
allmightytoaster said:
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Fair point, honestly. I'm more banking on the fact that as a 4x Ice weak dragon, they're going to sense all the Ice TE and fuck right off instead of running towards it.

Also the vote description mentions local mons are more likely to appear than Altaria, and presumably with other Rangers there to help the military, I'm doubtful there will be a catastrophe that we should've been there for.

Edit: though since we are removing bombs, it might be a cause for concern that some of them might go off accidentally.
 
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[X] Join the team watching the cliffs
[X] Join the team waylaying the heirs
Kind of want to be part of the Old Storm's rematch, but fighting off the heirs would be just as good
 
allmightytoaster said:
I knew Kylie was more qualified than the average ranger for that mission, but I didn't think she was the only boat certified ranger to volunteer. And it's not like she was just early to the signup either, she explicitly waited until most people were gone. I think we saved Gereon quite the headache.
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Yeah, that whole bit was a shocker. Kylie also had to point out that the ship had to be untied from the dock, which would have damaged the ship too had they just taken off.

Shou admitting that he trusts Kylie was huge, and I'm so happy that he can say that. Maybe he can start opening up to others after this mission?

The whole thing with the Carvahna and Sharpedo gave some action to the mission while also hammering in that there are pokemon absolutely everywhere that have been affected by the legendaries, we just can't see them all. And given what Kylie stated... I think the water mon were shaken up from the raging storm. They're probably in unfamiliar waters too, and don't know what does and doesn't belong here, or what else might be displaced like them, so nudging the boat to get a move on was the safest option for such aggressive pokemon. Although Old Storm's aura might have also been a factor that scared them somewhat, given how powerful he is. But that's speculation that won't matter after this mission.

Now for the vote. It's a tough one. There's pros and cons for every choice. I'm currently leaning towards Reedpier since Kylie and Shou have a...relationship? Experience with the Altaria there. Kylie has also showed to be quite reliable in taking a leadership role. Though, we also have to think of Shou's team, too, and what they can contribute not just Kylie.

We already know that this whole mission will not go smoothly. Something or other will go fubar and battling is guaranteed.

So we have tracking Old Storm and battling any heirs that make it past the waylaying team. OS will not go down without a fight which means anyone in the flooded ammo depot may have to deal with possible ceiling collapses as battles rage above, as well as disturbed pokemon in the caves as whatever happens, happens. (I forgot how far down that depot is, but I'd bet the high powered attacks up above will affect this area.) I'd rather our team not be in confined quarters, and the flooding means Shou's mon may not be as effective as they could be in dryer conditions.

We have the teleportation defense in the plains which means wild mon and maybe an Altaria. This feels like a solid choice as Shou and Kylie can both have their mon contribute, although Urchin would have to deal without any water. Also less of a chance for her to be traumatized via Altaria again.

The waylaying team might run into the Vigoroth in the jungle (which like to pluck smaller mon away). But may also run into the Oranguru depending on how far in they go. Kylie and Shou's mon would be put to the test, as while the heirs aren't on OS's level, they are still strong.

The Reedpier team is there in case things get dicey in town, and they will. As already mentioned, Shou and Kylie have experience with that roosting Altaria so if she becomes a danger, those two already know how to deal with her. Though it's possible that wild mon, scared by the Altaria, will come into Reedpier, too.

ETA: Thinking it over, I'm now stuck between 2 choices. One would have Kylie's and Shou's teams showcase their might and ability to protect, while the other is holding down the fort and keeping an eye on things so the locals will be safe.

[] Join the team protecting and observing the area around Reedpier

[] Join the team protecting the teleportation site
 
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I was pleasantly surprised that the Carvanha/Sharpedo pod (is that the right word?) was so unaggressive about the boat full of humans in their territory. No attacks, just gentle-ish bumps to show that they're not pleased and that the humans should move on.
 
OxfordOctopus said:
You settle deeper into your chair with the dawning realization that you are, probably by a wide margin, the most experienced person on board.
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Made me laugh. A good reminder that everyone has their own skills and even a lvl 1 ranger can be better at something than a higher lvl one because life experience, sometimes.

Also reminds me about something I noticed during Urchin's basic training: Kylie isn't the only one getting skill perks. The girl with the alolan sandshrew (sorry, bad with names, too tired to check) certainly got "commanding voice" for her advanced handling skill while Kylie got "soothing prescence". The perks we pass over for Kylie can be picked up by other characters we encounter.
It made me start playing 'spot the origin story' with the other characters as well, for a bit of a look into who we might have played as if we picked a different region or backstory.

OxfordOctopus said:
"It's also mating season," you say, finally grasping the knowledge that had begun to bubble up when you first saw those fins jutting from the ocean's surface. "Or at least it is in Orre. Pups will be emerging within the next month or two, once eggs are laid, and then they'll migrate into shallower waters for winter, both for the easier access to food and the safety it provides their young."
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And this is what a successful 'pokezoology check' looks like, Kylie is familiar with 'mon from back home and always have something interesting to show for it.

I also liked the little training montage at lunch, besides being very cute it's a callback to Urchin failing the recover command during the OS battle and the training will help prevent something similar happening in the future. Slice-of-life and foreshadowing in one go.
 
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[X] Join the team watching the cliffs
[X] Join the team extracting the explosives from the munitions depot

I want to see how the extraction goes
 
Welcome back, Ox! Great chapter as always, I really enjoyed the nautical chapter for a change!

[X] Join the team extracting the explosives from the munitions depot
[X] Join the team protecting and observing the area around Reedpier

Either the CAVE we missed on or furthering our social link with the town Altaria works for me
 
[X] Join the team protecting and observing the area around Reedpier

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but the powers at play with pokemon like old storm are somewhat outside our wheelhouse, at least for the moment. I'd prefer to avoid areas where we would encounter pokemon like that in battle, even if most of the pokemon are not quite so powerful.

It was this or the teleportation site, and I think this is better.

Thanks for the chapter! :D
 
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