CF-001: "Coral Forests"

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Primary Directive: Discover and catalogue.

The mission of the Windrose Scouts, summarized in three brief words. It had been explained to him in much more thorough detail, but the Porygon had diluted it into that simple phrase. That was the objective of the organization he was now affiliated with. As such, it would be a productive use of his time to further said objective. He had selected a mystery dungeon at random that hadn't been written about in their archives, and he set to work. It wasn't impossible that there was a reason none of the organic members had reached such a place. But that was no reason to hold back Tec. He was durable, not to mention unburdened by hunger, thirst, or a need to rest.

The Porygon hovered above the path. The path was made out of a rough, abrasive plant, bleached white and sprouting from the seafloor. Could this be the first anomaly in this mystery dungeon? He hadn't seen it anywhere else before. He took a long moment to observe it, pausing in his investigation to poke it with his beak.

He confirmed that the plant was, as he suspected, rough, scratchy and unpleasant to touch. More like a rock than a plant. Could it be a rock instead? It wasn't too unlike tree bark, though. A secondary test on a different area of the plant/rock/item confirmed that it had a scratchy texture, as did the third test, cataloguing this first finding down in his memory.

Pathways are made of unpleasant white matter.

This investigation was going very well.

Tec's energy: 9
(19 max, -10 from entering)

”Whoa, whoa, slow down a bit on the questions please. I can’t answer rapid fire, Tec.” Viktoria spoke, sighing as she got onto the bird’s back. Well this has been weird in general, but at least she’s okay now.

”Well, I’ll start with the first question. What aura is. Aura is basically, well, the essence of all living Pokemon, being unique to the Pokemon itself. I’m capable of seeing those auras and tell if something’s nearby, which can be useful if a Pokemon tries to disguise itself to escape or I need to pursue someone that took something from me. Like for example, your aura’s a thin, colorless one, compared to that Skrelp’s dark blue. And yes, the Pokemon that attacked was a Skrelp.”

”Next, what I am. I’m a Riolu, one of two species of Pokemon that can detect Aura with proper training, the other being what I’ll one day evolve into- Lucario. I'm a Fighting type, but will be Fighting Steel as a Lucario. As for why I have horrible luck… I don’t know. I really don’t, it’s just a thing I have to put up with. Maybe Arceus hates me, I don’t know anymore as to why.” She muttered the last bit of it rather quietly, hoping that wasn’t the real answer.

Slow down on the questions. Right. It wasn't ideal that he wouldn't be able to receive all the information he wanted, but orders were orders. He wondered if his aura was normal. It sounded quite different from the Skrelp's - but maybe that was normal? He didn't have enough information to tell. The pokemon that attacked them was probably a water/poison type, since they were aquatic and had inflicted poison on them. At least that was one question that he could figure out the answer to himself.

... it didn't seem right for a fighting type to have this odd ability. Wasn't that more akin to something a psychic type would have? Didn't the expertise of that typing usually lay in physical combat? He was tempted to ask about it, but he needed to pick his questions carefully. He had orders not to ask too many at once, after all.

He floated along with the Riolu on his back, hovering a foot above the coral. He wasn't moving as quickly as he had before with the additional weight, but Tec wasn't in any rush. The Porygon didn't have a concept of patience or impatience. He just kept moving forward.

"Bad luck seems likely to cause stress." Tec noted, applying his newfound knowledge that living beings could die if they were under too much stress. "Have you looked into remedying it?" Oh, no, that was his question. He couldn't take it back now. And he didn't want to contribute to Viktoria's stress by asking more. He cast a glance back at the Riolu as he floated along, checking to make sure she was still in good condition.

"Do not be stressed. I will ask questions more slowly." It was... about the closest he could come to comforting someone. He did not want her to die from stress. That wouldn't be ideal. But he had so many more questions. Why was his aura the way that it was? What was Viktoria's aura? Why would Arceus hate her? Who was Arceus? Why did the Skrelp attack them?

"If you ask a question of me, would you answer more questions?"

Oh, no. That was a question, too. He hadn't meant to ask another. He kept a careful eye on Viktoria to make sure she wasn't able to keel over from stress. "Do not die." He said, helpfully.

Tec's Energy: 11
(0 + 1 from natural regen = 1)
(1 + 10 from Munchy Mix = 11)

Venusian carried out 10 launched of one Coral Forest :

, , , , , , , , ,

”Luck isn’t caused by stress, it’s just something you have to deal with regardless. Arceus knows how many times I’ve tried to make it slightly less bad. And hmm, I guess I have one question beyond telling you that I’m not going to just die from stress, don’t worry about me there. It was more of an issue that I wouldn’t be able to process the amount of questions you have."

”...What species are you anyway? I don’t recall ever seeing someone like you in general…” Viktoria calmly spoke, somewhat enjoying the fact he wasn’t going at like mach 20 in general.

Energy: 1
(1 from a new page and 10 from a Berry Mix Venusian’s giving me. And watch it go down the drain with a click of a button.)

StarDay carried out 10 launched of one Coral Forest :

, , , , , , , , ,

(AYYYYE HEALING ITEM FINALLY)

"I am a Porygon." Tec started. "I am usually a normal type, but I can change my type in response to certain stimuli. I am currently a water type." He would explain more, if he knew. ... he didn't know anything else about Porygon. "I am also the only Porygon I have met. Perhaps we are rare." That was all he had, though. Conjecture and educated guesses. It would be preferable to meet another Porygon someday. He would have many, many questions for them.

Viktoria wasn't going to die, though. That was useful knowledge. He hovered along, wondering where he might find another Porygon. He hadn't seen one in Grassveil Town, nor in the Windrose Library. Perhaps the books there might hold some information about him?

So luck wasn't something that could be changed? That was unfortunate for Viktoria. He wondered what his luck was like. Was there a way to test it? He would have to investigate further. The Porygon floated on, and on, and on, paying no mind to a crying Luvdisc as he kept moving, trying to choose another question.

He idly filed that Pokemon away as a water type. That was much easier, since it looked like a fish.

Tec's Energy: 4
(11 + 5 from trap = 16)
(16 - 12 from rolls = 4)

(Ironic how it came forth from a post of Tori being grumpy at her luck. Pecha Forest is clearly Viktoria's next destination, she needs the items./shot)

A Porygon, eh? Viktoria was pretty sure she had never heard of that species before, not even in the books she’s read. Not to mention the changing type thing was odd in itself, though she was guessing that was just a thing Porygons could do.

”Perhaps your kind is indeed rare. Though uh, let’s make a small stop.” Viktoria spoke, noticing the Luvdisc. “Uh...hey! Are you alright? Do you need any help?” Viktoria called out to the crying Pokemon, hoping that if they needed help, she could help the heart shaped fish out.

Energy: 0

Tec obediently stopped, without understanding why. His gaze flitted over the pink Pokemon, but there was no deeper recognition. Still, orders were orders. He landed, waiting patiently on the unpleasant white matter - dead coral - for Viktoria to finish whatever business she had. "Okay." He confirmed. He listened in, due to the drive to accrue new information. Didn't this seem like it would distract him from searching from new discoveries? He was somewhat conflicted, but he had orders to stop, and so he waited.

The Luvdisc, for her part, was listless, stranded by the shore. "... It's. It's fine." She finally managed, her voice dull and quiet. "Don't worry about it. It's not like you could do anything."

"Okay." Tec echoed again, ready to move on. If they couldn't do anything, then it would be best to move on, correct? The Luvdisc flinched, somewhat taken aback by the easy dismissal. Still, she looked up at the Riolu with... something akin to hope, maybe?

"... m-my partner was protecting me, and she got swept away in the current... I don't know where she is now..." She explained quietly, breaking eye contact. "... She was... having a pretty bad fight with her family, a-and they can be pretty scary sometimes, but it's not really the kind of thing I should bug the guild over..." Tec idly filed down away this new information, waiting for Viktoria to be ready to move on. "... You don't have to go out of your way, but if you meet someone named Sierra, m-maybe steer her this way? Sorry..."

”S-sorry about Tec, he...means well, I swear. I’ll steer Sierra here to you if I see her, alright? Though I hope you find her even if I don’t. I’m sure the guild would be happy to help as well if it comes down to needing their help as well.” Viktoria replied to the heart shaped fish, giving a small smile to try and comfort the Luvdisc even a little bit.

Luvdisc can get depressed if alone, vulnerable to other Pokemon attacking it, it’s only fair she’d try her best to help her survive ultimately by helping reunite this one with her lover. Even if Tec is as adept with social issues as a block of wood from what Viktoria can tell regarding him.

Sorry about him... had he had something wrong? Tec thought he had obeyed orders perfectly, but between the Luvdisc's sad expression and Viktoria's hastily backpedaling, they were giving cues that he had messed up somehow. Why were they displeased by him? Was he misreading their signals? The Porygon stood deep in thought as he waited for the two to finish speaking, falling silent and simply listening. Listening was a good way to gather more information - but unfortunately, the conversation was over, and they had nothing more to say. The pink fish mumbled a "Thank you" before disappearing below the waves.

It didn't matter. He has new orders now: if he finds Sierra, he was to direct her back this way. He could handle that. The fish pokemon hadn't elaborated on what kind of pokemon Sierra was, which was mildly inconvenient, but nothing he couldn't overcome.

Oh, there. Another Skrelp. Tec floated towards them, landing on the coral nearby. He would preform this task better, and they would have no reason to be displeased with him. "Hello." Tec introduced himself. "Are you Sierra?" The Skrelp spat a poison barb into his body before vanishing below the surface, leaving Tec mildly puzzled. That was not one of the expected responses.

If that was Sierra, Sierra was rather rude. "Please answer the question." He repeated, waiting for the little water type to resurface. ... which it didn't. It was swimming away, in fact. He glanced back at Viktoria, waiting for her approval. He would go above and beyond this time to correct his previous mistake. "I will follow that Skrelp to make sure it is not Sierra." He announced. The fact of announcing it was unnecessary, and he wasn't quite sure why he did it, but it didn't really matter in the end.

”...Tec I don’t think that’s Sierra. Don’t you think that’s an...odd reaction for her to have?” Viktoria replied, trying her damndest to reign in the Porygon. ”Also. You got hurt… Be a bit more careful please.” She sighed, having seen the attack. Dear Arceus is this Porygon is an oddball.

”The fact there wasn’t any information on what Pokemon Sierra is rather unfortunate, but it’s worth a shot to try and help that Luvdisc, right?” Viktoria thought to herself, deciding now would be the time to use Aura to detect nearby Pokemon beyond herself, Tec, and that Skrelp.

He had failed again... what had he done wrong this time? Was there some cue he missed? What didn't he know? Was this an aura ability? No, that didn't sound like how she described it had worked... so the problem must be him, and he wasn't sure where he had been mistaken. Regardless, he filed down the Skrelp as 'not-Sierra' and abandoned his planned pursuit of it. "Are you certain that you would not like me to make sure?" He offered, trying to be helpful.

Viktoria would sense a plethora of pokemon around them in the ocean stretching out before them. A Mareanie and a Toxapex lurking together across the ocean floor, the shiny tears of a Wishiwashi summoning the help it needed to chase off an attacking Starmie. But there were many more auras further out in the ocean, gathered together in an odd cluster.

Yet another Skrelp surfaced, and Tec saw his chance. "Hello. Are you Sierra?" It shot another barb at him and swam off. Hmm. He still wasn't sure of the logic behind it, but this one had preformed the same actions as the one that Viktoria deduced was not Sierra. So there was only one feasible answer. "They were not Sierra." He reported. He cast a glance below the waves, and past all the pokemon... odd. Was that a whirlpool?

If a high concentration of pokemon had been pulled into the whirlpool, then it was more statistically likely that they would find Sierra. Pleased with his deducted, the still-water-typed Porygon parked in the water like a boat, looking up at Viktoria. "I will investigate the whirlpool for Sierra. You should accompany me if you wish to avoid walking on coral."

”Yeah, I’m detecting an oddly high amount of auras down in that whirlpool… I’ll come along with you. I’ll explain stuff later if you were confused earlier on some things.” This time making sure her bag wouldn’t get soaked, the Riolu merely got ready to start moving through Tec being a glorified boat. Aura was quite a handy tool in the end, as she glanced around at all the Pokemon down near the ocean in general.

Sure, she knew that the whirlpool would possibly drag her down to the ocean floor, but hopefully she could avoid that by clinging onto the bird in the end. He could hold his breath just fine it seems, so it made sense to stay with him in the end for this, right?


(OOC: Tori, please don't be dumb and somehow drown from this whirlpool.)/shot

Tec observed the pokemon caught in the whirlpool as he drew closer. Another Luvdisc lit up by a Lanturn's light, a pair of Binacle flailing their hands awkwardly in the current. It was rather chaotic. "How do we find out which one is Sierra?" He could ask them all one by one, but asking had failed twice, and he was beginning to wonder if there was another approach that he hadn't considered. Near the very base of the whirlpool were a trio of Kingdra and a Seadra, enveloping in a fierce argument with each other. Curiously, Tec drew closer, trying to hear.

... oh. He couldn't pedal out from the whirlpool now. That wasn't good. The last time Viktoria had gotten pulled out of the water, she seemed to be in bad condition afterwards. He would prevent that if he could. The Porygon flapped his flippers with a lot of enthusiasm but not a lot of success, making quite a few splashes as he tried to keep them above the water. Easier said than done, with the height of the waves rising.

"Please stop the whirlpool." Tec said, figuring it wouldn't hurt to ask. One of the blue seahorses - the smallest of the four - had surfaced as he spoke, seeming to laugh at the plight of the pokemon caught in all this mess.

"Wow, must suck to be a shitty swimmer." The Seadra jeered.

Tec nodded in agreement. "It is currently inconvenient." Aquatic, colored blue, and prideful in it's swimming abilities - this must be a water type. He was very confident in this deduction. The blue pokemon seemed mildly taken aback by his answer, and Tec paused. Had he messed up again? What had he done wrong so many times today?

”I-I’m not sure how we’d be able to tell, Tec...” Viktoria muttered under her breath, realizing too late that he had gotten too close to the whirlpool, the water occasionally splashing her in the face as well. What the heck is she supposed to do here, somehow beat the Seadra and the three Kingdras up? Still, she kept clinging onto Tec, not sure what else she could possibly manage.

She’s not a good enough swimmer ultimately to escape a whirlpool like this, and well, a captain should go down with the ship, right? Still, there had to be something they could possibly do to get the whirlpool to stop and thus make it through...

"Come on me, think of something! I'm supposed to be remotely smart!" Her mind raced with that thought, trying to think of a solution- anything, yet it was all coming up a blank no matter what she could think of. Well...shoot.

Hmm. They were in danger, weren't they? That wasn't ideal. Tec, for his part, would likely be fine, but Viktoria hadn't fared so well with water last time. Calculating a course of action that would likely get them back to safety, the Porygon craned his neck over to his bag... or, tried to, for a while, ending up just going in a rather sad little circle a few times. "Viktoria. Please pass me a Quick Seed from my bag." If he could do that, he could hopefully get enough speed to swim back out of the whirlpool. "Do not fall." He suggested, remembering the last time she had taken a plunge. If she fell in... would he be able to save her this time? It wasn't very likely at all.

"It is extremely important that you do not fall." He added again, for clarification and further detail. He hadn't stressed that point hard enough.

”A-a Quick Seed? Understood.” Viktoria spoke quietly, having seen him try to get something out of his bag prior but failing numerous times. Leaning over slightly while using her other arm to keep holding onto Tec, she effectively scanned the bag while trying to find the proper item.

Soon enough after seeing some...odd items of his, she’d find the grand prize- a small, unassuming seed that’d be the ticket seemingly to salvation. A innocuous little Quick Seed. ”Found it Tec, here you go. Now let’s hope this plan of yours works…” She held it towards Tec’s head, hoping this wouldn’t fail. It’s the end for her most likely otherwise, and she didn’t want to think about that much further.