Week 15.

[azumods]

WEEK 15 The past week has been a difficult one, and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier; for the time being it seems the world is stagnating. This much lack of change isn't normal, at least not compared to the first time you've arrived; there are only two possible conclusions to be drawn - either Cyrus has finally succeeded in what he's been trying to accomplish, or some sort of drastic action is going to need to be taken before this world can even begin to be saved. That doesn't mean you have no potential resources, however; outside of a bit of a setback that will hit your group on Sunday morning, the departure toward Iron Island is a reasonably smooth one. Granted, it's a bit odd given that the sailor taking you out there is just as startlingly blank as the rest, but at least he seems to know where you're trying to go, it appears to have been discussed with him in advance, and getting you there is possible. The trip out there by boat will take half of Sunday; hopefully you enjoy being on the open ocean for that long. But eventually a rocky island will fade into your field of view on the horizon, and when you're allowed off the boat it'll become clear rather quickly that the island is very, very large. And with so many massive caverns to go through, it will soon become very obvious that this isn't just going to be a day trip. Finding Riley looks to be a fairly difficult task, but it isn't impossible; furthermore, there may be reasons for hope to be found in the abandoned mines of Iron Island. There are a few people here, and while they seem a little strange still, they also seem to have their spirits a bit more intact than those on the mainland; talking to them will reveal the same difficulties and conversational problems that the other citizens of Sinnoh were experiencing for a while, but they aren't nearly as blank as they used to be... CURRENT LOCATION: IRON ISLAND POKEMON AVAILABLE: IN CAVES SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY [OOC: Welcome to week fifteen of Azume; feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend.]

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SUNDAY

[azumods]

...

[azumods]

[it's been a while since this happened last.

As unfortunate though it is, the discovery may be a familiar one; waking up and preparing to leave in the morning for a new destination, trying to verify that everyone is present only to come up short in the count, trying to figure out who's missing from the group. That's slightly less of a process this time around, for better or for worse - after all, it isn't as though the member of your group that's vanished didn't have a fair amount of stage presence, and the lack of it over the last day or so was possibly enough to be noticeable.

As of this morning, Madame Flurrie is no longer among you; her Pokémon and possessions are likewise gone, as though she was never there to begin with.

But you know otherwie, don't you? As much as the world tries to insist that she was never here, you know for a fact that she was.]

[niceoppai]

[The boat is all right, Chelsea guesses. She'll wander around it, checking out all the rooms, but she hasn't really been on a boat too often; it's something that's supposed to be exciting, but right now, it's hard to find anything exciting.

Rolly, however, seems to think otherwise. The Spheal can be found all over the top deck, rolling around and making happy noises. Unfortunately, he keeps trying to go over the edge.]

Hey, get back here!

[And thus Chelsea keeps on having to grab the little guy and haul him back before he rolls off...]

[enjoymyatelier]

...

[hm. You know...]

On the one hand, he is a seal, but on the other hand, he doesn't look like he's shaped to move quickly...

[radiantflame]

[IS IT SOCCER TIME? Sorcha takes this as an invitation to run up and try to kick the poor round boy around.]

Sorcha, cease that at once!

[divinedescendant]

[ah yes, the struggle of a runaway orb... at least Emmeryn's can't put his legs away long enough to just roll off of things with this level of wild abandon but she can't help but sympathize—so she sees little Rolly making his way to fling himself into fucking oblivion and side-steps in front of him so ideally he bounces off her feet, or at least has to slow down to change course, to make Chelsea's chase easier.]

Now, where do you think you're off to?

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael seems pretty interested by everything during the boat trip. He walks up and down the deck, checks out the different parts of the boat, and leans over the rail at various points to watch the water rush by. After a while, he even releases his Milotic into the water, to swim alongside. It doesn't seem to have any trouble at all keeping up; the thing may actually rival the ship in length.]

I can see why humans like boats. This is neat.

[Upon landing on Iron Island, he lets Milotic remain out for the trip into the caves, at least once it's clear that there's plenty of room in here. There ought to be a lot of rock and ground-types around, after all, and the newest member of the party still needs a lot of training. He and his enormous slithering water serpent forge ahead a lot during the day's walk - never out of sight of the group, especially after this morning's loss, but far enough to clear the path of any Graveler or Rhyhorn that're still too spiritless to move aside on their own.]

boat

[bloodspent]

[...You know, Jake is not really fond of open ocean still, but he can't really complain too much about this particular excursion. For lack of a better word, it really is pretty neat? Could be worse, anyway.]

Definitely beats the last time I was on a boat. At least I'm not driving this time.

[thunderwolf]

[While the current state of progress isn't all that promising, Eustace actually manages to find a little bit of comfort on the boat ride to Iron Island. He's out on the deck and watching the waves more often than not, seemingly very comfortable and familiar traveling by boat. Or...well, as anyone who happens to stop by for some conversation will find out:]

Just like an airship... Never expected to find myself sailing through water on something like this.

[Being reminded of home is bittersweet, but Eustace is choosing to focus on the sweet part of it today. He's trying to, at least. Might as well hold onto whatever he can get.

It sure doesn't feel like it's already been a half a day when the group reaches Iron Island. Eustace spends some time scouting the area and assessing the situation.]

We should make a decision about our time of entrance into the cave proper. From the outside, it's difficult to say how long we'll spend in there or when we'll reach an outside area again.

[Would spending the night out here and then entering with a full day ahead be more beneficial...?

Whatever the decision is, Eustace makes preparations for the trek ahead. He's going through what he decided to bring with, and has a chat with Bolt about providing extra light. Now that he's an Electabuzz, that might be more feasible. For anyone else going over their gear, he offers a spare flashlight or batteries.]

Did you bring something like this? Looks like we're going to need as much light as we can get.

[This...definitely seems like it's going to be a very different ballgame in comparison to their exploration of the Lake Guardians' chambers.]

island

[niceoppai]

You mean like getting supplies and stuff, right?

Iron Island

[enjoymyatelier]

It's difficult to say, honestly. It's not like we're going to get attacked by Pokemon, so I would imagine that the primary dangers will be environmental issues.

Boat Ride

[takestheblame]

You seem comfortable despite having never been on a boat before.

[Way to go, Eustace!]

MONDAY

[azumods]

[greydients]

[If Rey hadn't been very very sure she was still in Sinnoh, she would have mistaken Iron Island for Ahch-To as their boat powered toward it on Sunday. Despite sharing the name 'ship', she found there is quite the difference between the sort she's used to and the ones that traverse the water; the experience of racing across the ocean leaves her feeling both terrified and exhilarated, and she ends up spending most of Sunday evening just...getting her bearings again.

It's hard to resist exploring their new location on Monday morning, however, and Rey is quick to gather up her Pokemon and head into one of the many caverns to be found on this odd island. She hasn't spent too much time in caves, and there's something strangely fun about pretending she's the first to discover them - even if finding the odd fellow trainer does ruin the fantasy.

It's while she's in one of the deeper caverns that she spots what she believes to be a gem of some description; it's large - almost huge, as gems go - and the scavenger in her can't resist inspecting it.]

What could this be....oh!

[It is most definitely not a gem, but a Pokemon; a Gible, to be exact. There's something strange about this one, however; unlike Cynthia's Garchomp, the Gible's skin is a bright blue and glitters in the light of Rey's torch. The intruder into its cavern appears to have interrupted a rather peaceful slumber, but the little Pokemon is far from angry (almost to Rey's disappointment). It merely watches her, no expression coming over its face, and no light entering its eyes. Just...blankness.

Grimacing, Rey reaches into her bag and grabs an empty Pokeball.]

Let's get you out of here.

[Throughout the rest of the morning you can find Rey and her team continuing their expedition through the caves, with their new sparkly friend keeping up nicely.

Late afternoon brings a respite from exploring, but not from general physical activity; if Rey had been determined to keep strengthening her Pokemon before their encounter with Cyrus, now she's almost religious about making sure they train, at minimum, once per day. At present, her Riolu and Ralts are facing off; the former in a determined fighting stance, the latter, completely limp in posture yet strangely serene.]

Quick Attack Riolu - Ralts, Double Team. You can do it!

[Riolu starts running towards his opponent, determined to land a strike, while Ralts doesn't react. In the second before either a) Riolu lands a hit or b) Ralts avoids the move, there's an explosion of white light, as if contact between the two Pokemon has caused a chemical reaction to take place. It's so bright that Rey can't help but throw up a hand, covering her eyes.]

What-

[When the light eventually dies down, it doesn't take long for Rey's vision to return - although she does doubt her eyes momentarily, as where her Riolu and Ralts should be standing, a Lucario and Kirlia now take up that space, the Lucario's fist mere millimetres from the (completely unbothered) Kirlia's face.

Not for the first time today, Rey is glad she isn't holding Cleffa, as her arms are immediately in the air-]

You...! You've evolved! You've both evolved! Look at you! You're so big now!

morning

[niceoppai]

Whoa, another one of those off-colour ones! With the cave and all, it almost looks like a gem in the middle of the rocks, huh?

[hyruglyphics]

[ Being in a cave here in Iron Island is actually fairly interesting. As they progress into the cave, Zelda is seeing numerous species of Pokemon that she's not seen anywhere before other than in the books that she's researched in the library. To that end, Zelda has actually gotten her Sheikah Slate out in order to take pictures of some of these errant species in the wild. Like Magmar or Zubat or Bronzor. She's actually particularly fascinated by the Bronzor. It's actually pretty cool?

It's cool.

It's depressing that they are so lifeless as they go about the efforts to survive (if they even do that) but it's... well, it's something she does right up until she realizes that she can't stand it anymore. It's to that end that with Urbin (her Graveler) beside her, she makes to try to talk with other Graveler. Or well, Urbin does while Zelda is a distance away, seeing how the arrogant and vain Alolan Graveler can negotiate with the normal ones. She sighs as she watches. ]

... This is, of course, a fool's errand.

[ Oh well. That said, it's actually later in the day when she notices the Pokemon. Namely, it's around the time she returns to her little camp she has set up (they can't light fires as much here, or at least she's worried about it, but she has flashlights at least) and Miphanus who is playing with some sort of sad clown. The greenish creature looks ... well, looks like nothing but given the garish color scheme it has, it has the effect of making it look depressed. And by "playing" it's more like Miphanus moves to the left and the creature moves to the left. It's not so much playing as some sort of practiced habit it does even spiritless, at least as long as the Metang is holding a berry out for it.

Zelda comes over and scoffs a little. ]

... It is distressing still to see everything so blank.

[ But that said, she's going to end up capturing this little creature. If nothing else, maybe by being with her it can look happier again. ]

TUESDAY

[azumods]

[gekkaju]

[Being out on the ocean wasn't...as terrible as it could have been? Though people might have noticed Atsushi being a little absent...mostly because he was feeling a touch seasick by the end. He's glad to have his feet on solid ground again, left with the huge expanses of the caves to explore.

...and it's not long at all before he realizes something very important as he stops walking part way through one of the caverns, all of his Pokemon out just in case they run into something (not that he expects to be attacked by any of these cave Pokemon, particularly).]

Uuh...I'm pretty sure we came this way already, didn't we?

WEDNESDAY

[azumods]

[fatalstrikes]

[Yuri's never really liked caves. Too many twisting tunnels to get lost in, and far too many monsters getting in your way. Sometimes caves hold really strong monsters that are fun to fight, but usually they're just annoying.

Thankfully the caves here aren't as annoying, but that might be because the wild Pokémon don't have any interest in battling. Considering just how many of those bats he's seen, if they did want to battle, this would probably be a massive pain.

It's sometime while they're traveling during the day that Yuri ends up wandering off a little; he'll catch up, that's not a problem, but he thought he saw something weird, so just give him a moment to check it out...

The weird thing happens to be one of those bats, only it's... green. Yuri's quick to climb up and grab the bat (he doesn't care about being moved from his perch or being carried by a human, of course, which is just kind of bothering Yuri even more) and then he brings the bat with him back to the group. If you're nearby, he'll ask you:]

Hey, do you think this one's sick? None of these bats have been green...

[Once we've stopped in the evening, Yuri's got the bat out with the rest of his Pokémon. Roc and Rukeno have taken to sparring because that's better than fighting the wild Pokémon when they're like this, while Dein Nomos floats around watching both them and Yuri warily. His two newer party members seem to be the ones he's more interested today, however, and Yuri's mumbling something to them.]

...Francisca? Kind of a mouthful. I guess I could call you Fran. What do you think?

[The Gible just kind of stares at him and Yuri sighs.]

Kalinga? Aries?

[Still nothing.]

This is harder than I thought it'd be...

[discutio]

[Ignis only had two Pokemon out as they traveled the caves during the day; Hemera leading him along through the terrain and Favilla shuffling along beside her. The Larvesta had fluffed herself up and gathered glowing embers on her horns to provide a little light for the others. Ignis himself didn't seem too bothered by the surroundings, walking behind Hemera just as easily and confidently as ever. Caves weren't anything new, and it was hard to be slowed down by the dark when you already couldn't see it.]

[When they settled down to camp for the evening, he seemed to be turning a thought over in his head, examining and analyzing it before speaking up.]

...Has anyone else noticed the state of the people on this island? It almost seems as if they've some resistance to what's happened.

[eudaimonikos]

[During today's cave adventure, Milotic is still out training. At one point, he can be found coiled protectively near one of the branching paths. Michael's crouched down behind him, laying berries out on the ground. One could be forgiven for thinking he's doing it for no reason at all, but on closer inspection, there's a couple of stones with faintly glowing markings lying among the normal rocks.

Look, he's not touching them this time!

That evening, Michael nips off briefly before returning to the group. This brief absence probably has nothing to do with the shape you might be able to faintly see lingering just on the edge of the darkness. Is it really there? Are you just seeing things? There's probably not any more out there, especially not behind you...right?]

THURSDAY

[azumods]

[azumods]

[One thing is going to make itself rather clear this week - Iron Island, as it turns out, is massive.

Large though it may be, however, it isn't completely impossible to navigate; there's certainly worse things in the world, and the fact that the people seem at least partially intact is overall a promising sign - both for the region, and for the outcome of your task of finding Riley.

Deep in the mines themselves, somewhere far into the latter chambers, you'll find someone who definitely doesn't seem to be one of the miners or other locals that are spending time here; he's dressed a bit outlandishly, and he's kneeling down on the ground next to one of the blank-eyed Riolu that can be found in the caves. He appears to be deeply concentrating on something, holding one of his hands out toward it; once in a while a white light of sorts manifests near his palm, crackling into being for a few brief moments before fading out again.

It's not a power that seems common in Sinnoh, whatever it is; it seems he's been at it for a while, and he'll continue what he's doing for a little while longer. Though he doesn't stop, he'll speak without looking at you or turning around to greet you properly.]

I know you're there; I'll be with you in a moment. I want to finish tending to this one first.

[He'll continue for a few moments longer before standing up in one surprisingly fluid motion; the Riolu he was working with still seems blank, but perhaps a bit less so as it wanders off. The man himself, however, seems alert, his spirit evidently intact.

...For better or worse. He seems a little on the abrupt side, honestly...]

My name is Riley. You've been here for a while; I've been aware of you in the mines. You obviously aren't like the others, and I doubt you're here because you have too much time on your hands, which is the reason most people come here.

So, you are...?

[...The "who the hell might you be" carries across clearly despite his wording, but at least he didn't say it.]

FRIDAY

[azumods]