Spooky Hours With The Scout Squad

Robin didn't have many memories of the area around Rainfront, but this was a dungeon a bit above her usual paygrade, so she was a tad on edge coming here alone. She had offhandedly mentioned that she was heading to Cattail Marsh during a chat with Tec, on the off chance she didn't end up returning in time. But despite her best judgement, the rumor around the area had been a siren song to the curious little fox. She may as well make herself useful, yes? Robin had drawn her notebook, idly shifting her paw to create the correct footprint runes.

Marshy surroundings, flooded.
Unable to traverse terrain without getting wet.
Illumise and Volbeat light up the area at night. Reported to be beautiful.
Common knowledge suggests that water and poison types are common.
Pecha berries have been packed.

It wasn't the most pleasant dungeon, all things considered. She'd narrowly managed to keep her notebook dry, perching it on a stone where it was safe from the elements. Her trek here hadn't been treacherous, but it had been a pain in the tails. Her footsteps were heavy from her soggy fur, walking was a chore, and- oh, damn. Water had dribbled from her still-damp paw onto the page as she was trying to write, making the ink bleed across the paper. Watery, disorderly dark lines crept their way across the paper, making the Vulpix give off a panicked squeak.

This was a gift! She needed to be more careful with it! Scolding herself, she tucked it safely back into her bag, making triply sure that the cap of her ink bottle was screwed on tight. Apparently the view here was stunning at night... she wondered how long this exploration would take? It wouldn't be wise to stay out past dark, she knew that, not when she was all alone like this, but she couldn't help but wonder about it. Coming all this way out and not seeing it felt like such a waste.

... well, there was nothing to be done about it, in the end. Maybe she'd have a reason to come back here again someday, if she grew stronger. Washing the still-wet ink off of her paw and into the river, Robin picked herself back up to her feet, glancing out at the marshlands. She still had plenty of daylight left, and not enough spare cash to afford another room tonight, so it looked like she'd best get moving.

Robin's Energy: 10
(25 max - 15 from entering = 10)

That "siren song" that drew Robin to the Cattail Marsh resonated with more than just the Vulpix. Indeed, rumors about the supernatural had tempted curious explorers from around Rainfront Town: the tales of Pokemon mysteriously walking on thin air as if it were the earth itself. Records such as the astounding accounts of this phenomenon were bound to have their naysayers, but nonetheless a select few believed wholeheartedly in such an event and were determined to see it with their own eyes. An adventurer determined to discover the truth themselves needed to be capable, confident, alert, and ready for anything. Cattail Marsh wasn't to be taken lightly, as danger could lurk around every turn. One could fall into the clutches of a venomous hunter, or be overwhelmed by the vicious blasts of water- of which there was no shortage of, making everything a potential stalking spot for those capable of using it. Anyone lured in with the promise of an incredible find would need to know exactly what they were getting themselves into, and willing to accept what may come...

"B-Baa baa black Mareep, have you any w-wool...? Yes sir, y-yes sir, th-three bags full..."

...And then there was Lucas, the terrified Tynamo placed into a numb state of fear from the ambience and his overestimation of his willpower. He had been mumbling small rhymes to himself ever since his arrival, frozen stiff into his slow forward "march". He recalled that proper adventurers would sometimes sing songs to themselves and with companions to raise their spirits, but with how much his voice was quivering and how every meter forward felt like going deeper into the maw of the beast, it did about as much good as being silent. "...Ooh, I-I knew I should have asked for an escort or something! Not like being the f-first would really do much, b-but... Ngh, I've been going for hours and I ran from some r-ripples in the water twice," he mumbled under his breath, keeping his gaze downcast and trembling softly. Talking to himself didn't help either.

After a quick confidence boost in his first real confrontation, the little eel spent hours that night and the following morning hyping himself up for something like this. He would have appreciated the humbling experience in a moment that didn't involve trekking through a wetland filled with potential heart-stoppers literally and metaphorically. If he was being honest, he wasn't even sure if the claims had any basis other than hearsay anyways. Was that what proper explorers did? Travel out on a whim (not preparing adequately due to the inability to carry many things) and risk their necks?

His thoughts were interrupted by the ambient sound of the marsh being split by the flicker of a faraway Volbeat's glow catching his eye. Lucas froze, shuddering and letting out a shaky groan. He turned to his right to flee yet again-

W H A C K !

When anxiety takes center stage, spatial awareness and peripheral vision give their bows and exit stage left. Unfortunately for the poor Electric type, he had chosen to take a hard right and slam into an old tree trunk. He whined, blubbering and shaking his head with a wince. Not having arms to rub the aching impact site didn't help matters either. After a couple blinks to reorient himself, that light looked just like the others upon further examination: just another bug, like the others that didn't even spot the tiny lad. Lucas whimpered to himself again, this time with a combination of fear and pain.

Yep, this was going to be a long, long journey to being at least remotely competent.

Robin's trip had been peaceful enough so far, any feral pokemon being dispatched easily enough with Hypnosis. She wasn't much of a fighter, by her own admission, she much preferred to maneuver around her enemies when the option was open. Unless it was an... especially bad day, but she tried not to linger on that train of thought. She was trying not to cause a hailstorm when she'd been hoping to observe the natural climate.

But as a rule of thumb, Robin wasn't an especially strong fighter. Which was why she practically jumped out of her skin when a WHACK! cracked through the air, whirling around to face the source of the noise. So much for this being a peaceful trip, she supposed. She'd found a moment of quiet to write down some notes, but her luck demanded she was due for another inconvenience.

"Excuse me, who's there?" Robin called curtly, fully expecting another feral pokemon. That was by far the most likely explanation. A protective flurry of snow had formed around the white fox, summoning a Powder Snow to try and obscure her exact position. Just a little precaution in case the stranger fired a special move at her. She'd already taken a hit from a territorial Poliwhirl today, and while it's Water Gun didn't do her much harm, she wasn't looking to get a repeat of that. Her fur was plenty wet enough.

And besides, she needed to protect her journal! It would get water damage at this rate! Ideally, her own little display would scare off the feral pokemon and let her keep moving forward. She'd learned the hard way that most of them only answered to force - or an implied show of it, at least.

(Gifting five oran berries to Turtle, feel free to use 'em as you like. ^^)

Oh no. That fantastic blunder may as well have been the signal flare for anything and everything around to zone in on the fish's location. The burst of fear-driven adrenaline sent him into high alert, backing up to the tree he had just collided with and frantically looking around with a distressed scan. Whatever was nearby had a voice that spoke in coherent sentences. It probably wasn't going to eat him... You know, unless he missed the memo that cannibals were nearby. He did his research and found nothing, but at this point he just didn't know. Lucas' main concern at this point was just not getting robbed. While he had no belongings on him, being assaulted or kidnapped was still just as real of a possibility. His stream of thought went on a long-winded list of possibilities as to what could possibly go wrong. The cat had his tongue for a good few seconds before he finally reasoned it best to communicate before whoever that was decided to fire off a warning shot.

"U-Um... M-M-Me...?" the Tynamo weakly replied, only to jump and whimper timidly again as he catches sight of the frost gathering off to his right. That was the direction of the voice! He felt a sour, queasy sensation emanating from the pit of his stomach, and had he decided to eat a lot before heading out he would certainly have hurled then and there.

"O-Oh no, no no no. I don't wanna be a popsicle, p-popsicles get eaten!" Lucas mumbled to himself, pressing his side further against the tree trunk. Someone like him could recite the meanings of the different constellations and describe the process for cold home remedies, but begging a mysterious Pokemon from attacking was way out of his element. Even so, he felt compelled to say something: just to make his situation clear and beg for some mercy. "B-But I don't have anything! I can't c-carry anything anyways, a-and even if I could, I d-don't really have much! P-Please don't f-f-freeze me...!" the eel frantically pleaded in terror while barely poking his head out from behind the tree. That blasted snow obscured his vision of the stranger, so he had no clue who he was trying to crave boons of! Best to assume it's a Beartic or some other miscellaneous giant Ice type that would have no problems crushing him like a grape.


{OOC: Thanks! I'll store them for now and use some later.}

No response, at first... probably a feral, then? The snow rose fiercer at Robin's command, flurries sheltering the fox from sight. She didn't actually want a fight, truth be told. Scaring it off would be ideal, she just had to make herself look fierce enough that it'd decide she wasn't worth the trouble trying to eat. She couldn't get a good look at the pokemon, though, still tucked behind that tree...

... and a tiny head poked out, accompanied by an utterly terrified little voice. The snow stopped falling all at once, leaving a dumbfounded, fluffy Vulpix with wide blue eyes, taking a quick step back to try and show she wasn't actually a threat. "Oh. Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Robin squeaked in response. The little lumps of snow gathered around her feet were quickly being washed away by the lapping water, causing Robin to shiver. Now she was cold and wet. It was karmic, she supposed she deserved that.

She trudged forward slowly through the water, approaching the strange Pokemon like she would a scared rabbit. "I'm not going to freeze you! I just thought you were a feral, I'm so sorry." She explained hurriedly. Oh, no, this was terrible. She'd scared the poor thing half to death. She'd never seen a pokemon like this before, and she couldn't really even tell what it looked like, only able to see his tiny head poking out from behind the tree.

"My name's Robin, I'm just a researcher, I swear, I'm from Windrose, I'm not going to rob you." She rushed to assure the stranger, even if she was pretty sure it sounded like she was lying. The words sounded fake and forced as they left her mouth. She had meant it, though! Shifting her paws normally, the icy Vulpix couldn't help but stifle a sigh.

Now she was soaking wet, and cold, and guilty. This was a thorough trainwreck. "U-um, are you okay? I have heal seeds if you got frozen..." Her move wasn't be strong enough to freeze anyone solid, was it? She hoped not. She hadn't thought she could do that. "Or I have lots of healing berries, if you got hurt, and, um... sorry..."

Venusian carried out 10 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

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Lucas was frozen alright, but moreso out of fear than from a blast of icy force. Fortunately for him Robin hadn't opted to send much frost his way other than the chill from the concealing snow. It added another reason for him to tremble at the very least. It was the mention of her being a researcher, though, that snapped him right out of the shock and made his eyes widen with awe. Robin was a researcher? She didn't look like the run-of-the-mill ruffian looking for someone to torment, but the way she explained that really didn't sit well with him. The eel had no idea what this "Windrose" was or why it was important to mention that as if it would help him check her alibi. So far, all she really offered in terms of making amends for that was food...

G r u m b l e . . .

Turns out that nauseous feeling from earlier might not just have been from nerves. Lucas entered the dungeon after what felt like so long ago, and didn't bring any snacks with him. It was a battle between his conscience screaming about potential red flags and his stomach thinking that those berries sounded like heaven. That mental warfare continued on for a few more seconds before a smaller second growling of his stomach finally put his reservations into checkmate. This could very well be a trap, but the promise is so good he'd take the risk.

Giving into his hunger, the Tynamo slowly floated out from the other side of the tree: tiny full-body fin idly waving and all. Not one bit of him touched the floor, suspended in midair without even touching the tree. "I-I, um... If I can have one of those b-berries, please. I'm not hurt, b-but... Hm," Lucas trailed off, casting his gaze down rather shamefully. He internally prayed that this little gamble of his would result in something to snack on instead of a reminder about the importance of "stranger danger".

So he was hungry? Or maybe he was just saying that he wasn't hurt to try and make her feel better? Robin shifted uncomfortably, wading through the water towards the new pokemon. She rummaged through her bag, placing a few extra berries on a drier patch of ground. "I'm really sorry-" Robin managed again, her ears flattening. "- I didn't think I'd run into anyone else this deep in a dungeon. Someone who didn't want to eat me, at least." She joked weakly, breaking eye contact with the stranger.

Oh, she'd messed up. She swallowed hard, finally looking back up at the stranger to see- he was floating! The rumor was true! This would be a lot more exciting if she hadn't just made him think she was going to murder him. She felt excited and guilty, and then immediately more guilty that she had felt excited by this little discovery when the odd pokemon was still so afraid.

"I didn't think that rumor would be true." Robin managed a slight smile, shifting her weight anxiously. "About a place here where you can walk on thin air. How're you doing that?" She asked curiously, poking out a paw as if to test the air. Hmm. Still felt like normal air to her, and now she felt like an idiot, frankly. She buried her muzzle in the ribbon draped around her neck, wishing on some level that she could just turn invisible. It would save her a lot of awkwardness right about now.

... didn't she have a Vanish Seed? The idea of eating it was starting to sound more and more appealing. She already looked like a moron and a serial killer, poofing into thin air wouldn't hurt her image. It'd already hit rock bottom.

Instead of darting out to snatch a berry like a terrified animal, Lucas slowly stayed out to eat some of the food presented before him. While he couldn't be very reassuring just yet since he still wasn't entirely sure about the Vulpix, she did appear to be somewhat remorseful for the scare: until he knew otherwise, it would be alright to give her a little bit of reassurance that he wouldn't hold a grudge in the instance that she was being genuine. He nibbled away at one of the Oran Berries, making note that with a bit of finessing he could probably afford to take the rest with him. The snack brought some vitality back into his demeanor, and the flood of every flavor sans sweet helped him return to his senses.

Right: the stranger was staring. Swallowing the last of one of the berries, Lucas turned to Robin with a small frown. "O-Oh. This is awkward. I-I, ah... You're talking about the rumors of w-walking on air here, right? I, um... T-Truth is, I came here wanting to see th-that too. As for me... Eh heh. I-I always do this. T-Tynamo can float with electricity. S-Sorry if I got your hopes up...?" he mumbled apologetically, bowing his head again in submission. It was a reasonable query to pose, but unfortunately unrelated to the rumors. At the very least, that alone was evidence that she probably was interested in discovering what was happening in the Cattail Marsh! Still the possibility of a murderer or a thief, but a murderer or a thief with an interest in mysteries like this!

"Mmm... Oh, th-that's so much better! Th-Thank you for the food, ah... R-Robin, right? I'm, uh... I'm Lucas. Y-You said something about... 'Windrose'? What's that- Urk! Th-That is, if you're c-comfortable sharing about that! I-I know I shouldn't pry, I-I'm so sorry!!" the eel questioned, only to backpedal away from his curiosity bleeding out.

If Robin was embarrassed before, she was about ready to sink into the ground. Idiot, idiot, idiot, she scolded herself, her ear giving an uneasy twitch. Hadn't she just said she'd hit rock bottom? She had to go and keep digging, didn't she. "Oh! No, I'm sorry, you don't have anything to apologize for." That much was true, the Vulpix offered a bubbly smile through the storm brewing in her mind. An observant eye might notice the faint flicker to her smile, or the clouds overhead taking on a light gray tinge.

The Vulpix shifted her weight uncomfortably. What were those calming techniques? Breathe in, out, in, out... screw it. They never worked anyways, and the floating pokemon was talking to her. Right. Windrose. She could talk about Windrose. She'd had a slight miscommunication, once, that it was supposed to be secret. At least she wasn't going to have to start rambling about "Winston" the researcher again, like the last time she'd tried to explain away why she was investigating oddities.

"I guess they're a group of researchers?" She managed tentatively. "I came here on an assignment from them. They investigate mystery dungeons and other odd occurrences, and someday, they hope to map the world." Hmm... maybe 'they' was the wrong word to use, and 'we' was more fitting? Robin didn't exactly share their goal, though. Mostly she had just wanted a place to crash in emergencies, and a source of cash for when her pockets were running low. Her funds from her family had long since dissipated. She was oddly relieved from that, though she didn't know why.

She cleared her throat. Right, she should sound more sure of herself if she didn't want to sound so sketchy. "Our leader is named Russell, and our second in command is Deimos. There's some others there... they're a bit odd, and some of them are more intense than others, but none of them are bad people." She mused.

... Ah. The sky had grown still darker, and hail would soon start to tumble down. Robin knew the point of no return from experience, there wasn't any stopping it now. Hopefully the fish-like pokemon wouldn't recognize that was her. It felt bloody obvious, though, with her being the only ice type in a five mile radius. Maybe she could use a Rainy Orb? She had far too many of those. Would Lucas prefer the rain, though? And how did she ask? She was second guessing everything, now, down to the most innocuous thing.

... maybe she could use it without Lucas noticing? Then she wouldn't have to own up to bringing the hail, either, or ask any awkward questions. She was running the risk of looking even more like a creep if she got caught. She weighed her options, unable to entirely rule out the idea, despite her better judgement. This was stupid. But none of her words sounded right on her tongue, tasting hollow and bitter as ash.

"I'm one of the more novice members." She explained instead, filing away that debate to the back of her mind with a smile. She had worked hard, of course, but asking to climb the ranks just felt... egotistical? She wasn't that important, and she knew it. No use deluding herself. "And their base is in this huge tree in Fallen Leaf Copse, if you ever want to visit them. Do you like reading? There's a library there that's open for public access."

Robin was pretty sure it was bigger than any libraries in the major towns, but pointing that out just felt like boasting.

Lucas listened patiently and attentively to Robin's explanation of the Windrose Scouts and their mission. "'Investigating mystery dungeons'... M-'Mapping the world'? Th-That's... That sounds like a big task," he mumbled in reply, awe-stricken by the existence of such a group. Apparently a library exists in Fallen Leaf Copse where there was a group of researchers whose mission is to map the world? The geography part was neat and all, but the portion detailing their job in investigating dungeons caught his intrigue. To think that a library he had never even heard of could contain findings about dungeons and other places around the world...

Just hearing about it was enough to make him feel like a child on their way to the park! The eel gave a small giggle, and looked surprisingly giddy considering the utter terror he was in just a few minutes ago. "O-Of course! I can't really turn all the p-pages by myself if the parchment's thick, b-but I love to read! And the thought of browsing works of other researchers, t-to see the findings of places I've never even heard of... That'd be a dream come true!" he exclaimed, cheerfully oblivious to the brewing hailstorm.

Intentional or not, Robin did find a way to get Lucas to take his mind off of his predicament. "A-And if I remember correctly, Fallen Leaf Copse is in the western part of the continent... N-Not too far from Rainfront Town either, I think! Ooh, it just sounds so... S-So... So cool!!" His enthusiasm about something as modest as a library was evident, and his squeaky little voice rose up to a louder (yet still small) burst of longing. To think that the little Electric type had dreams of conducting his own research, while there was a living, breathing, fully-fledged researcher right in front of him!

"A-And, ah... S-Sorry, you said that you're one of the researchers from Windrose? Oh! Wh-Where are my manners?! I-I'm so sorry I've interrupted your expedition, Robin! I just got scared, a-and... Th-This is embarrassing, b-but do you have any published works? And where can I f-find them?! Are they only in the W-Windrose Library, or do you d-distrubute them elsewhere?! What places have you visisted, a-and what about any findings- Wait, wait, no! N-No spoilers, I should just read them for myself! I, ah... I-I'm sorry, was that too many questions? I'm just r-really interested in stuff like that, th-that's all: I d-don't think I could do it myself, b-but I really, really enjoy reading about others' findings 'cause I can't have any myself! Th-This is... Can I be honest? I-I just met you, b-but it feels like meeting a childhood hero. E-Even though I've n-never heard of you before!~"

...Oooookay, so it seems a certain fish is a little too excited about research and adventure. His tone had risen loud enough to attract the very attention that he was so desperately hiding from the entire time. Lucas' meek yet steadily growing presence had been noticed by something in the bushes to their left, and the minute that the rustling started, the poor thing froze up before darting right back behind Robin to shield himself. For selling himself as weak, he was decently quick and aware: most likely from that timid approach to literally everything and a well-honed flight response. His trembling came right back, and that hermit crab enthusiasm shot right back into its emotional shell.

TurtleTower carried out 10 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

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~~~
Lucas' Energy: 11

Robin offered a very confused, taken aback blink. She stood back in mild shock as Lucas expressed his enthusiasm about Windrose. Oh. This was, uh... a change of pace, Robin wasn't quite sure how to handle it. She wasn't really anyone worth looking up to! She had mostly just joined Windrose because she needed a way to earn money. But she didn't want to fess up to that when the fish was so excited. He had described her like a childhood hero, and, well... it was kind of nice?

Gaining a flicker of confidence, Robin offered a more genuine smile compared to before, if a somewhat sheepish one. "Well, I don't know if they count as published, but my reports are publicly available at Windrose, if you want to read them! I've only written three so far... well, technically four, I came here hoping to write my fifth." There was another paper she was working on, one she was quite proud of, but she had a hunch that her dissertation on the Echo World might make it to the restricted section... maybe she could explain her journey to the Echo World to Lucas firsthand? She didn't see any harm in it. But if Windrose thought it was something worth keeping secret, then she shouldn't just be blabbing about it.

She shuffled her paws, trying to figure out what to say. "I don't know if they're very good, but the rumor report was okay, and I'm very sure all the information in them is accurate." She added, her ears perking as the Vulpix felt a tad more comfortable in her own skin. "My last name's Pyralis, so I think they should be filed under P?"

The idea of someone actually wanting to read her work... she was nervous, but oddly excited, too, maybe a tad hopeful that Lucas would actually like them. Or at least that one about the rainbow trees, she felt like she might have actually done a decent job on that one. No sooner after she had finished speaking, the electric pokemon had darted behind her as ripples rose from the waves, blue scales and red fins rising from the water.

Robin shifted to stand in front of the fish, puffing up her fur and pulling back her lip in a snarl. The Feraligatr only answered with a much louder roar. So it wasn't intimidated. Speaking their language wasn't working this time. She weighed their chances of running away successfully and didn't find them particularly favorable - wading through the water would slow her down, and the gator was almost certainly faster in the water. The safest route seemed to be knocking it out. Robin wasn't exactly a fighter, but, well, she had a trick or two to get out of spots like this.

"Don't worry." She answered without turning to face Lucas, figuring the little fish must be quite scared by this turn of events. From her first impressions of him, he... didn't exactly seem to be the bravest. Tynamo could float with electricity, he'd said, so he was probably an electric type? Though Robin wasn't sure how much a type advantage would actually help them, if Lucas wouldn't be brave enough to attack... "I can handle this. And I have escape orbs if I can't." She added, trying to reassurance him with a slight smile. She was bluffing to try and reassure him, but she did think they'd be successful in the end. She just had to hit it with Hypnosis. Surely she could handle that?

But when she turned to shoot a smile to Lucas, the enemy saw her distracted and took the chance to charge. Robin ducked away with an undignified squeak, narrowly avoiding the gnashing jaws at her flank. It turned to Lucas in that moment, snapping at the smaller fish, jaws brimming with dark energy as it tried to Crunch down on the poor thing.

Normally, when your life flashes before your eyes, you start to get nostalgic. Sad, but nostalgic over the good times, the bad times, and everything in between. There was a certain peace that came with it, despite the fact that panic overwhelmed everything else. Those with near-death experiences could testify that the reliving of these life events brought a mysterious strength to the heart and a focus to the mind. The sensation was like nirvana, albeit without the lifelong journey of self-discovery...

...Yeah, not for Lucas. So far what he saw was just a whole lotta looking through glass jars and flipping pages in a book with his entire body. The poor quality of that little movie was enough to snap him back to a horrific reality, and just in time to dart to the right and away from the Feraligatr with a half-crying half-screaming "battle cry". "Waah! S-S-Stay back! I-I, ah-!" he stammered out weakly, staring up at the massive alligator like a mouse eyeing a house cat. Looking at the hulking behemoth only served to confirm another of his self-sustaining principles: in the world, he's the prey to an insurmountable list of predators. Even so... Prey had to fight if they wanted to live, right? Butterflies shed their scales to escape the spider's web, skunks spray the coyotes and wolves to keep them at bay, and eels... Shocked alligators? It was a stretch, but if he wanted to get out of here in one piece, it would probably be necessary.

"O-Oh no, no no no, th-this isn't happening..." Lucas mumbled, continuing to make distance away from the rampaging beast until his back hit the tree he slammed into before. The thought crossed his mind: he could run. The Tynamo glanced over at Robin, and the plan was already made. He could book it, maybe even swim in shallower waters for speed if that was faster, and use the Vulpix as a diversion. Escape Orbs be damned, if that giant caught him in his jaws, he'd be gone in one gulp! It would be one of the most painful ends he could imagine. The tiny fish crept back towards the water, taking a glance behind him...

And surprisingly enough, he didn't bolt. A sour feeling in his gut stopped him right in his tracks, and he looked back at Robin yet again. This was a researcher for crying out loud! And if that wasn't enough, it was another living being! As much as he wanted to run for his life, the Electric type had thought that Robin could have done the same: yet she stayed. "Ngh... H-Hey, you!" Lucas meekly called out to the Feraligatr, taking one deep breath and puckering his "lips" before spitting forth a thin, concentrated stream of electricity aimed at the feral's face. A Charge Beam was the strongest attack he could think of that didn't involve him sailing right into the open maw of the gator, and with enough charge built up he could manage to help out just enough to attract attention.

This wasn't good, she needed something to defend the little fish! Was he a fish...? It didn't matter, and she couldn't exactly ask if he got eaten! Did she have any items for this? She did have an escape orb, if worst came to worst, so the fox saw no real need to panic. Not that it wasn't a bit anxiety inducing, having teeth that close to her face... It would be a shame to cut the exploration short this early, though, before she found anything at all worth noting. The scouts would be disappointed in her! She couldn't turn back now!

Robin was surprised when the Tynamo didn't just disappear into thin air. She wouldn't have held it against him, not really. She'd been through worse without help, and it was her fault that he was so spooked in the first place. She still probably seemed like some weird kidnapper or serial killer. Not to mention she was a pretty bad battle partner, feeling a dark twinge in her stomach as she saw the dark hail clouds coalescing over the sky, meeting to become a mass that covered up the sun, growing deeper and darker for every minute that passed. Damn it all. She rummaged through her bag, looking for any items that might work to scare off the gater before it retaliated from Lucas' shock.

She had a few ideas, though nothing that wouldn't terrify Lucas... better this than letting him get chomped, right? "Sorry, Lucas! Close your eyes!" She called, drawing a Luminous Orb from her bag. The sound of glass shattering underfoot was almost lost past the Feraligatr's pained snarl, and just as it focused it's gaze on the Tynamo again, the world was wrapped up in a flash of white light.

Deimos had taught her it was hard to see a white pokemon in the snow. Her Powder Snow wasn't as thick as his Blizzard, but she was also smaller and pure white. She whipped up yet another flurry around the battlefield while the world had gone white, and when the Feraligator looked up again, Lucas was gone.

Robin hoped he was alright... the little fish(?) was also mostly white, so she hoped if he stayed quiet and out of sight, the enemy wouldn't see him. One thing that was easy to see, though, was that Feraligator. Bright, neon blue had a way of catching the eye. She crept slowly, hoping her movements would be blocked out by the howling wind, until... there! Taking her chance, the Vulpix launched a geo pebble at the Feraligator's head-

- and it pattered down pathetically to the ground, earning an irked roar from the beast as it charged in Robin's direction. With a shocked squeak, the Vulpix backpedaled, firing off Dark Pulses as quickly as she could in alarm. She'd given away her location, and it turns out that rocks aren't exactly the most effective weapon to use on an alligator. Weak pulses of darkness cut through the snowy air, though it didn't seem to daunt the water type at all, barreling forward towards Robin with claws outstretched.

This... was gonna hurt.

Robin's Energy: 15
(0 + 15, using a Sitrus Berry)
(Used: 1 Geo Pebble, 1 Luminous Orb, 1 Sitrus Berry. Sitrus Berry is not removed from the inventory because of Robin's Winter Laurel Crown.)