CF-001: "Coral Forests"

First topic message reminder :

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)

The Porygon downed the seed. It was too bad that he didn't have the time to pay proper attention to the flavor, he would have to eat another one later. Somehow he was okay with this. It left a faint bitter aftertaste in his mouth, which Tec focused on as he reared up his flippers and paddled with a renewed burst of speed. He squeezed his eyes shut as he fought his way through the current, turning the whirlpool's own momentum against it to let him swim out. Freedom! And now they could resume checking which pokemon was Sierra.

A large blue pokemon crashed into a piece of coral unceremoniously with a heavy crack. Tec couldn't tell whether that crack came from the pokemon itself, or the dead coral it had crashed into. Another blue aquatic one... another water type, clearly. Perhaps an evolution of the last one? It laid there very still for a moment, breached on the now-cracked platform. It's eyes were squeezed shut. Perhaps it was in pain? It wasn't a feeling that he himself was familiar with, but it seemed to be triggered in other pokemon when they were damaged. He would be more surprised if the seahorse wasn't injured after an impact like that.

Tec floated over, looking up at the larger pokemon. "Hello. Are you Sierra?"

The Kingdra did not answer immediately, groaning in pain. "Goddamnit. Ow. That son of a bitch little snitch-" She muttered, almost curling up into herself. That wasn't an answer either, but she wasn't definitively not Sierra, since she hadn't attacked him nor run away.

Tec's energy: 10
(4 + 1 from natural regen = 5)
(5 + 5 from Apple = 10)

Venusian carried out 10 launched of one Coral Forest :

, , , , , , , , ,

Having covered her face with one paw, Viktoria had allowed Tec to take control and swim through the whirlpool.

They’re...alive. Somehow. Whatever happened ultimately, she was glad it did since they were both ultimately just bobbing above the water in the end. Though any thoughts she could have to ultimately process was cut short by the crack from the Kingdra colliding with the dead coral. Hopefully that noise wasn’t from the Kingdra’s body ultimately.

”That...that had to hurt to say the least... And um, thank you Tec for getting us out of that whirlpool.” She spoke quietly, now deciding to use this time to truly get over the fact she had nearly gotten dragged into a whirlpool to her doom if he hadn’t thought to eat a Quick Seed.

(I'm stealing an Oran Berry from you, you said I can.)/shot
Energy: 11
(1 from new page plus 10 from Oran Berry.)

StarDay carried out 10 launched of one Coral Forest :

, , , , , , , , ,

Tec hadn't wandered off just yet, bobbing in the waves as the Kingdra spoke. After all, he hadn't yet determined whether she was or wasn't Sierra. Why hadn't she answered yet? Had he made an error again? Possibly. He had made many more than usual today. ... or was this simply his first time noticing it? The thought was troubling.

That... had to hurt to say the least...

"Yeah, I'd say so." The beached Kingdra huffed, clearly in a foul mood. Probably from breaking multiple bones. That would do it. Maybe nothing was broken, but everything sure stung. She tried to wiggle her way pretty pathetically back to the water, her face scrunching up in displeasure. Okay. Not her finest moment. Forced to properly acknowledge the two of them, she looked up, skepticism written over her face. "Why were you looking for Sierra?"

"Someone was searching for her."

"I know where she is, but if you want to get anything out of me, stop being cheeky." The Kingdra huffed. Tec wasn't sure how to describe it any better, though. The pink pokemon hadn't given her name. He could describe her species? But then, weren't there many Luvdisc in this ocean? He had seen another one caught in the whirlpool.

Tec's Energy: 0

Ironic that this Kingdra’s being a pain in the rear when she’s the one beached. Well, guess it can’t hurt to try and talk to the beached Kingdra ultimately.

”A friend of Sierra’s has been trying to find her, a Luvdisc to be precise. She didn’t tell us her own name though.” Viktoria responded, trying to be as truthful as possible while being careful with her words. There was a possibility saying the two were in a relationship could result in the Kingdra being mad for (in Viktoria’s mind) absurd reasons.

Hopefully this goes well and they don’t get hit with a Hydro Pump. ….And she can get her bag with her stuff in it after this.

Viktoria’s Energy: 0 (Blame rolls and encounters.)/shot
(Note: Tori’s poisoned. Yay.)

The Kingdra jolted to attention at the word Luvdisc, wriggling back towards the water with a renewed ferocity. She finally managed to squirm her way back to the ocean with an unceremonious 'plop'. "Oh, Lugia. Kokoro, you disaster-" She huffed, urgently swimming up to the pair. "Listen, there weren't any Horsea, Seadra or Kingdra around her, right?"

"Not that I detected."

The Kingdra actually nodded in response to that answer, swimming around in anxious circles, cursing under her breath. She offered a strained smile. "Good. Okay. That's good." She muttered, cutting off her train of thought as yet another Seadra popped out from the water, causing the larger water type to groan. "Oh, gods, anyone but you, Miles, you snitch. Buzz off."

"Scared we'll hurt your girlfriend?"

"Fuck you."

"C'mon, sis, give up the game. Before mom and dad actually get mad. Where's the weird little pinkling?"

Pinkling... that must refer to the Luvdisc. She was the current topic of conversation, and she had been pink. Satisfied with his deduction, Tec nodded. "She was to the north." He volunteered helpfully. And he had erred yet again, if the flash of utter fury and despair on the Kingdra's face was anything to judge by.

The Seadra - Miles - was laughing. The Kingdra's voice was eerily calm, settling into a cold, quiet fury. "Give me one reason not to send you to the bottom of the ocean right here and now." She challenged, honing her focus on the pair. Oh, Tec recognized that move. It was Laser Focus. They were in danger again.

”Tec no! ...Be completely quiet for a while, okay? I got this.” Viktoria muttered as quietly as possible, making a note to herself to teach this Porygon the term context because now he screwed up horribly due to not seemingly getting it. So now she’s gonna have to do something she hates normally- figure out a strong enough lie that it’d trick Miles, but not a strong enough one that Sierra is fooled as well so this situation could be diffused. Or just get Sierra to not attack them, that’d be nice.

Quietly putting her paw on Tec’s mouth, she was trying to get him to shush. ”We saw a few Luvdisc, I think you might be mistaken there by a long shot, Tec. One was trapped in that whirlpool, another to the east trying to find….what was it, Petaya flowers for someone?” A quick lure to get the Seadra known as Miles to believe Kokoro was in an entirely different part of the area to prevent them both from getting destroyed.

Sierra on the other hand would probably know better than to believe Viktoria’s lie due to likely knowing Kokoro would be a bit too depressed from the separation to find them. A flower that was somewhat violet in hue although mainly white and pink, Petaya flowers sometimes got the association of being one for lesbians as far as she knew back in Grassveil. Something about a poet from long ago being the cause?

That and she couldn’t think of anything better to use as a ruse. Hopefully that’d be enough to protect them all in the end.

(OOC: Viktoria, why is this what makes me go ham on the writing.)/shot

He had erred again. What had he done wrong this time? He couldn't understand. Tec may have asked for clarification why. Viktoria said that questions were okay, after all. but he had new directions. Be completely quiet. And so he fell silent, looking up at Viktoria hollowly. She had slapped a paw over his mouth, trying to get him to shut up. That wasn't really necessary. He had his orders. The gesture was noted, though, and the Porygon stared absently at the Kingdra as he bobbed over the waves.

The Seadra's laugh was cruel and sharp. "Oh, that's adorable. Off collecting flowers for her valentine." He jeered, disappearing below the waves with a final wave of his tail. "Seeya, Sierra! I can't wait to tell you how Luvdisc taste!" He shot, and then he was gone.

He left the Kingdra trembling - Tec couldn't read whether it was from fear or rage or both. The murderous glint in her eyes had vanished, at least. "You have no idea how lucky you are that my brother's an idiot." She murmured, sounding almost... hollow, that was the only word he could place to describe it. "Goddamnit, Sierra. What am I going to do..."

Tec was tempted to ask for further clarification, but he still had directions to stay silent for "a while". How long was a while? He couldn't exactly ask, even as the waves roared louder and higher, just trying to stay balanced so that Viktoria wouldn't be thrown off his back.

To say Viktoria was glad that her lie had fooled the Seadra was an understatement, even if she felt pretty damn frustrated at herself for having to stoop to a lie in general. Still, it was better she had done so rather than Kokoro being possibly eaten.

”I...I’m sorry about Tec. He doesn’t seem to get the idea of context or reading the room at all…” Viktoria spoke while moving her paw away from Tec’s face, feeling horrible that single sentence of his had nearly ruined everything, although knew her apology likely didn't mean much in the end. Just…just dammit Tec, why did you say that right then and there?! This was entirely preventable!

Tec looked up at Viktoria with a tilt of his head. Sierra huffed out an irritated sigh in response. "Yeah, I noticed." She shot back, breathing out a huff of air. She fell dead silent for a moment, appraising the two of them, before finally landing on a decision. "Well. This little chat with good ol' mom and dad is gonna go on for a while. You should leave if you don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

Should he leave? Getting hurt wasn't exactly desirable. It did seem like the right course of action. Tec began to paddle away as the water roared higher, the waves from the whirlpool all but tossing him off course.

She forced the ghost of a smile. "If you actually want to help, take care of Kokoro, okay? Tell her I'll be back as soon as I can. ... maybe try to cheer her up?" Tec made an odd observation. The gravity of her situation far outweighed Kokoro's, a brutal fight in which she was outnumbered, versus... the Luvdisc being sad. Tec didn't need to fully grasp either the concept of 'sadness' or 'pain' to tell that one problem far outweighed the other. So why was she voicing concern now? He couldn't understand in the least.

Having erred so many times today, he paused and cast a glance up to the Riolu, waiting for Viktoria's opinion on what she would like to do.

”Help out Kokoro, huh…? Alright then. Just be careful in turn Sierra. I don’t think she’d take the idea of you getting hurt very well…” Viktoria responded, hoping her choice would be the right one in the end. She was also getting confused by how silent Tec had actually become, not sure if her plea for him to shush had affected him a bit too much and now he was mute.

Still, she was ready to go. There wasn’t much they could do to help here, is there. The whirlpool alone could deal with herself and Tec. All Viktoria could do is hope Sierra doesn’t end up injured too badly, and that Kokoro will be alright being separated from the Kingdra for just a while longer.

"I'll live. I always have before." Sierra shot the two a wry smile before vanishing below the waves, disappearing into the deep blue sea. Tec watched her for a long moment until he couldn't tell the blue of her scales apart from the blue of the ocean. Had they made the right choice? To know that, he would have to know what "right" was. It was the direction opposite from left. The other meaning was one that he couldn't wrap his head around, and he knew it.

Tec knew what he didn't know. Did that make any sense? ... it was frustrating.

He paddled back off in the direction of the Luvdisc, all too eager to leave this mess behind him. It took a lot of reminding not to ask any questions. He'd stay silent until his directions changed.

”....Tec, uh...you still able to talk?” Viktoria spoke after the Kingdra left, having only now realized he kinda took the idea of being quiet to an extreme. A soft sigh came from her soon after, still holding onto the bird. If only that had gone remotely smoother really, then this mess wouldn’t have happened. At least she can avoid that problem possibly in the future by teaching the bird what context was...

Still, it was best not to dwell on it forever- she should be focusing on the other task at hand. Helping out Kokoro and making sure she’d be okay in the end. Sierra’s probably not gonna be back for a while at bare minimum due to, well, the Kingdra’s own family.

Tec nodded in response, settling for a visual confirmation that he was still able to speak. Was that an oddly-worded request for him to talk, or was he still supposed to be quiet? Being quiet had been a more direct order, so he settled on that, at least until she asked a question that would require him to speak again. Her sigh was soft and almost imperceptible. Pokemon usually sighed when they were unhappy. What was she displeased about? He genuinely tried and couldn't place why.

He couldn't shake the idea that he should apologize, but he wasn't sure what for. Was she displeased by this situation, or by him, or by both? He left the thought behind, paddling towards where they had last seen Kokoro.

”........I get the feeling you took that request regarding being silent a bit too far. You can uh, talk now.” She spoke, rather awkward about the remote idea she had to order him to be able to do that in the first place.

At least they were heading the right way, right? Plus they didn’t have to endure that whirlpool again hopefully- it was just gonna be a punch in the face if they had to deal with that again. Kokoro should be to the north, just like she was prior to this mess, right? Then full speed ahead!

Oh, he could talk again. That had been what she was implying. "Hello." He nodded, not quite sure what to say. He couldn't sense anything off in the waters ahead. The waves were already growing calmer, and the pathway was a straight shot forward. He felt like he should say something, and he had many questions to ask, but... where to start? He didn't want to make the situation worse again.

Pokemon like her were so strange. But he seemed to be the only one who couldn't understand them... wouldn't that make him the strange one? He didn't like that deduction. He had to keep learning. "I'm sorry." He started hollowly, because that was what someone said when they did something wrong. He knew that much. He just didn't know what he had done wrong.

He did know that he had likely played a part in distressing the Riolu, though. What did pokemon do in situations like this? He didn't know. Maybe that was a good thing to ask first. "What do pokemon do after they make mistakes?" He asked, that spark of curiosity back as he looked up, almost guiltily, at the fighting type.