With The Odds Against You

Lumina, you've just been full of bright ideas lately, haven't you.

Her own thought dryly chastised her as the six-tailed fox stood outside the entrance to Serene Cave. Despite the guild badge, treasure bag and wonder map poking out of the before mentioned bag, she wasn't here on a mission. No, she had decided to give herself a small break from her guild work.

She was here for something else. To grow stronger. To satisfy her curiosity. To come where she hadn't come before, in an attempt to learn about the world around her. Or maybe she was just here to entertain herself. What could she say, she enjoyed a good challenge now and then. Most likely, it was a little bit of all these reasons combined.

Her head held high, the Vulpix stood outside the cave regally, her ears perked attentively. She stepped inside, the cool air inside replacing the warmth that the sun left on her fur, and for some reason she couldn't quite explain, this gave Lumina a chill down her spine.

Energy: 1

"Noel you are a genius" Noel says sarcastically to herself as she walked around the area her scarf blowing in the wind as she had moved around the area she was still in the woods she had decided to explore around the forest but she ended up getting lost with nothing but her bag at her side she moved through the area.

She ended up walking near a huge cave being who she was she walked into the cave like it was the most normal thing to do using her sense to guide her path as she moved into the large cave.

After a little while she ended up sensing something familiar as she quickened her pace and spotted what it was as she switched back to her normal eyes and walked next to the vulpix she had sensed "hey lumina" Noel said with a smirk.

(2)

"Hmm... didn't expect to see you again. Especially so soon." The Vulpix frowned, but her words were lighthearted, carrying no real complaints about seeing her friend and ally again. "Well, at least you weren't abducted by a random bird Pokemon and dropped in the middle of a desert again, that had been weird. Mind if I asked what you're doing here? It couldn't have possibly been any stranger than that."

"Eh happy to see you to" she said with a small laugh and hearing about the bird she was most likely never gonna forget that as Noel smiled "oh no actually some digging Pokemon had started to come around and the I got grabbed and dragged through the caves and I found my way outta the hole over there" she pointed to the edge of the cave and laughed "nah all I did was get lost saw a cave and decided to go in cave" she says with a small smirk "you?l" She adds right after

Lumina lifted a metaphorical eyebrow. Had she jinxed it when she said that the reason the Riolu was here couldn't have possibly been stranger than how she met her back in Scorchfall? ... this was why she needed to stop pushing her luck. Though she managed to cheer up a little once she discovered that the Fighting type was joking, and managed to smile in response. "I'm here on vacation. I decided to head to Rainfront." She said dryly, knowing that her story for being here was much less... exciting than the one Noel had spun up just now.

"Huh vacation?" Noel said as she crossed her arms and tilted her head to think could Noel possibly go on vacation did she really have a job or was exploring her job she had only given this a small thought as she mentally shrugged deciding that was a moronic topic to be thinking of now "so could ya do with some company" Noel says as she returned her arms back to her side she enjoyed exploring with the vulpix and they were going the same way sorta

Lumina paused, considering this. "If you'd like, you're welcome to come." She offered. She always found it hard to change her tone just right, so she neither sounded condescending nor desperate. But she didn't have much success, and always seemed to lean on one side or another - she blamed her own lack of social skills, and Lumina was very much aware of them. "I've heard this Mystery Dungeon is a long one, so it would be safer to have someone else with you."

"Ok then happy to be aboard" Noel says with a smile she was glad to have someone to explore this random cave she had walked into maybe they would find something grand though that was wishful thinking on Noel's part but hey anything could happen "lead the way" she says as she waits to follow her

"First things first." Lumina replied, grabbing a pair of Sitrus Berries from her Treasure Bag. "You remember these from Scorchfall, I assume." She wouldn't bother Noel by explaining what these things were, chances were that she already knew. But the Vulpix placed the two berries on the cave floor and quickly scarfed down hers, enjoying the sudden rush of energy that flowed through her veins.

Energy: 16

Noel smiled and picked up one the other berry as she threw it into her mouth and ate it she really liked berries well any but really spicy ones though other then that they were good as she felt refreshed by the berry she had not noticed how much energy she had lost along the way so happy she patted her leg "thanks lumina" Noel says with a small smile

(17)

"Not a problem. Someone needs to come prepared." The Vulpix added in a vaguely mocking, but still lighthearted kind of way. She took a few steps forward into the cave, her brown eyes scanning for anything that could've been around them. From traps on the floor, to Zubat hanging from the ceiling. This was a cave, after all, and those Bat Pokemon were sort of infamous for living here and annoying travellers.

PhantomSun carried out 1 launched of one Serene Cave :

(This'll be the last post I'll be able to do for the night.)

Noel the mockingly grabs her chest and spins around like that comment had mortality wounded her as she followed stumbling along next to lumina looking like a idiot but she felt like it was funny as she stopped and looked at the floor and saw more random floor candy she still wondered who was dropping candy on the floor seems like a really strange way to pass the time she shrugged and kept going.

Rezikun carried out 2 launched of one Serene Cave :

,

Lumina turned back to look at Noel, at first not understanding the joke. She was suddenly worried that her friend was having a heart attack or something of the like, but after a second, she recovered just fine. She must've been faking it, judging by her body language now, she seemed okay. Lumina gave a small chuckle and focused on the road ahead of her again.

The Vulpix passed by another piece of candy, not bothering to pick it up. Whose bright idea was it to put candy everywhere, anyways? Maybe it was just because she didn't like sweets, but she had to admit, the fact that they were everywhere inside the Mystery Dungeons since the beginning of the month had left her bewildered. She probably just wasn't into the spirit of these things.

"Hey, Noel, you don't happen to have any branches on hand, do you? Maybe we could make a torch. It's really dark around here." Noel would probably be okay, with that aura vision of hers, but their light source, the sun that shone through the mouth of the cave, was gradually thinning as they continued forward.

That was what Lumina would use as an excuse for her own clumsiness, anyways, when she stubbed her foot on a rock. She backed away with a surprised yelp, her fur bristling. She glared at the rock silently for making for look like a fool. It was only then that she noticed that the rock had arms and a pair of small black eyes. "Careful. It's not just a rock, it's a Geodude." She warned, preparing to fight it.

"Branches huh" Noel reached into her backpack and started to pull some stuff out maps and other types of random prices of paper also a book finally she managed to find a stick but she looked at it for a second it was a rather large stick "why did I put this in my backpack?" She asks herself

She goes over so lumina could light it but using her aura she was able to sense the stone it had opened it's eyes as Noel stood ready just then something had fallen from the.roof as Noel didn't care and kicked it making it hit the roof and fall to the ground "holy" she said as she noticed the feral Pokemon she had kicked "gotta love reflexes" she says as she waits for the rock to do something with a stick in hand

"Reflexes? There must be more to it than that. Half the time I think you're a medium." Lumina replied as the Riolu kicked whatever it was that tried, and utterly failed, to attack her. Sadly, talking wasn't a free action for the Vulpix. When she was turned towards Noel, the Geodude had thrown a rock at the vixen, which collided with her side and sent her crashing away from the Rock type.

After a moment of fighting with the stone, the Vulpix managed to shake it off, her side stinging. She steadied her stance, bristled her fur, and her tails flared up behind her. She gathered her strength and concentrated it into a single, vocal attack, as she used Roar. She was trying to immediate the Geodude and whatever other feral Pokemon it was. Maybe if she was lucky, it would scare them off completely.