Sweet-toothed Scallywag

[Energy: 17 - 10 = 7]

Mission Details:

Just east of Grassveil Town, north of Pecha Forest, lay a thick patch of greenery.  The relatively small trail leading there was evidence that it didn't receive many visitors, and upon drawing close, it was easy to see why.  The trees there were dense, tall, and immeasurably old, forming such a gnarled mess of plant life that it seemed more like a cave than a woodland.  There could be no doubt about it.  This was Shadowhue Forest.

It certainly lived up to its name, Darcy thought, restlessly lashing her tail back and forth as she walked.  The Skitty stared up at the sky, watching the canopy overhead grow denser and denser with each step until nothing else could be seen.  The gentle breeze rustling the blue ribbon around her neck came to a stop as it was blocked by the thick trunks that seemed to close in around her.

...It was a little unsettling, but fascinating at the same time.  She had never been anywhere like this before.  "Sure is gloomy...  I wouldn't expect a Sylveon to hang around in a place like this," she absentmindedly murmured to her companion for this expedition.  He was a...  Beldum, was it?  She had seen this Pokemon at the Grassveil Guild in passing before, but until this morning they had never spoken.  She hoped that she wouldn't let him down.

Energy: 20 - 10 (entrance fee) = 10

Ah, Shadowhue Forest. Not only did it have a reputation for being a mysterious location, but it lived up to its title with one glance at the scenery. Adamantine had recently met a new ally in the Guild to take a mission with, having their partner been absent for a while on a journey. Though it did dampen its mood slightly from the absence of Clyde the Abra, it refused to allow itself to stop productivity during his period of incapability. Besides, Darcy actually seemed like a pleasant Pokémon to the Beldum. The breeze flowed along its naturally streamlined body, the badge that clung to its body by a magnetic pull twinkling faintly as the trees obscured the light of day.

"Then again, this Pokémon is known for petty theft. Shadowhue provides the optimal cover for a hideout." the Steel type reasoned. "Also, an acquaintance of mine informed me that there are Ghost types in this forest, a Pokémon nor you or I can damage. Luckily though, they can only harm me with their attacks. I feel confident that my iron-cast composition can successfully resist, however." Adam began to take advantage of its photographic memory and recited the two mission requirements, which meant they could pick one depending on the situation.

"Officer Magnezone desired us to handle the situation of a rogue. We can either convince the target of their wrong doings and have them turn themselves in or we can apprehend the target by force. I hypothesize that we may be able to try and reason with them first before taking any rash actions. It would not do to gain a reputation of not being reasonable, no? Perhaps the Gummi that I brought with me may prove useful to our cause..."

"Oh, Skitty have a trick for hitting things like Ghost types!" Darcy said with a smile.  She was surprised that Adamantine only knew Normal-type moves as well, since Beldum were entirely foreign to her, but she was excited to make herself useful.  "Most Pokemon call it 'Foresight'.  I've never put it into practice before, but I understand the concept.  Shouldn't be too hard.

"As for the Sylveon, I was thinking the same thing..." she continued as she wandered to the side of the path and stared into the trees, keeping lookout for any sort of movement.  "I'm sure we'll be able to talk them into coming with us.  Magnezone seemed like they really wanted to give a second chance."

With how little light penetrated the canopy, and with how densely packed the forest was, Darcy could barely spot anything at all.  She meandered back to Adamantine's side.  "Assuming we can find them, anyway.  You're right.  This place would be perfect for hide-and-seek."

Energy: 10

A slight nod recognized Darcy's conjecture. "Foresight... Intriguing. A move that could potentially allow attacks previously thought impossible to connect with a Ghost type to land and deal damage? Impressive in my opinion. Sadly, though, I doubt I could learn the technique in my current form. The only move Beldum naturally know is Take Down, and it has the downside of a heavy recoil." Adamantine couldn't complain much, however; it was stronger than the basic Tackle attack. Evolution will allow me to utilize other offensive and defensive tactics I would have never thought possible... Oh, and I'll finally have arms! At long last, my curiosities of how limbs feel will finally be relieved!

During her description of how they would convince the Sylveon, Adam couldn't help but notice how innocent they sounded. It was an admirable trait, to be so optimistic and positive. "Yes, I do suppose this would be a prime location for a game of hide-and-seek, now that you mention it. Perhaps we could try a round or two after the mission is completed? I wouldn't mind." it offered with a cheerful look in its eye. After all, what better way to end a successful mission than with a game?

Darcy nodded as Adamantine spoke.  Having nothing but Take Down to rely on sounded rough, especially if it was a painful attack to use.  Her own abilities weren't anything special, but it seemed her body still lended itself to a wider range of techniques than Adamantine's did.  She hoped that the Beldum would have a chance to evolve soon.

As Adam suggested a game of hide-and-seek, a huge grin broke across Darcy's face.  "Oh, I'd love to!" she said as she wagged her tail, surprised that it would be interested.  She had been a little intimidated by the Beldum at first, with how robotic and analytical it seemed, but Darcy was quickly warming up to it.  The two of them had more in common than she first thought.

The Skitty trotted forward with a new spring in her step. Her excitement for meeting the Sylveon and for spending time with Adam made the dark, damp atmosphere of the forest seem almost inviting.  "I've played that game with my siblings more times than I can count.  It was one of our favorites, even though our parents didn't let us go far from home to play it.  They'd be jealous if they knew I was here!"

Energy: 10

"Is that so? I haven't played hide-and-seek very often when I was younger. It becomes less challenging when all of the other Beldum travel in a flock and all share a psychic connection that intertwines with your own." the Steel type joked. The first time it had played a game like that was with its Aron friend. Games were a lot more entertaining when you couldn't share information via a telepathic link that could stretch to all of your kind in a certain radius. Hide-and-seek in particular was its favorite game to play with the Aron. The game almost worked like a puzzle where one had to use their knowledge of the previous places checked and the tendencies of the hider to find them. Adamantine simply adored games that were both entertaining and challenging.

The Beldum's thought process was interrupted by a peculiar rustling of leaves to its right. It stopped in its tracks and tried to look at the source of the noise, but it could barely see under the forest canopy. My visibility has been reduced to its minimal distance... What could be causing such a suspicious sound? the metal entity wondered. For such a brief moment of time, it would seem quite early to encounter the target.

MCLikeANinja carried out 10 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

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"Wow, is that really how you grew up?" Darcy said breathlessly, her squinted eyes growing as wide as they could while she stared up at the steel Pokemon.  "Adam, that is so cool!  That sounds like it would make a lot of things challenging, though, not just hide-and-seek!  It must seem quiet now that you're on your own, huh?"

Beldum were such bizarre Pokemon, weren't they?  They were nothing at all like the ones native to the forest she grew up in.  She would have continued bombarding Adamantine with questions, but her ears twitched as the sound of movement in the undergrowth to the right interrupted her thoughts. "Speaking of hide-and-seek, though...  Sylveon, is that you?" she called as she hopped over to the side of the path and pushed her way through a pair of bushes, hoping to see their target...

Eventine carried out 7 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

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{OOC: Hey Eventine, do you want to control the Sylveon target when we get to it or should I?}

Energy: 10 - 30 (rolls' results) = 0

Though still not in sight, Adamantine could tell that there was something watching them. "Darcy, I do not believe this is the Sylveon we are supposed to find. I feel as if the Pokémon around us are not civilized..." it warned, readying itself to react to any ambush with a reckless Take Down. Surely enough, two Shroomish leaped out of the bushes and advanced on the Beldum. Instead of focusing on one, it twisted itself mid-attack and was able to connect with both Grass types at the same time. With the weight of its metallic body slamming against the fronts of the two ferals combined with the speed of the attack, it was enough to cause the Shroomish to be sent staggering backwards, disoriented and open for a finishing attack.

"They are now vulnerable to your attack." it stated with a nod, trying to bear through the recoil damage. Striking both targets at once meant double the recoil, which really took a toll on the Beldum's composure. It managed to suffer through the duration of the recoil, but the blow still left it considerably weakened. One elemental attack that its steel body couldn't resist would place the duo in a tough spot should they encounter a Ghost type, considering only Darcy would be able to defend the both of them. This is a troubling predicament... But I will refuse to eat the Gummi. It proves more useful to our mission cause, and I have confidence in my ally's battle capabilities.

{I wouldn't mind controlling them. I had a few ideas.}

Energy: 7 - 29 (roll's results) = 0

Darcy jumped with surprise as the Shroomish darted past her, caught off-guard despite Adamantine's warning. She whirled around just in time to see the Beldum make his attack and give her an opening. "I'm on it!" she called in response as she charged towards the grass Pokemon with all her might, slamming one into the other with a heavy Tackle.

Disoriented and hurt, the two ferals scrambled to their feet and darted back into the bushes. Darcy stared after them for a moment to see if they would return, but the sound of little Pokemon fleeing through the undergrowth only got farther and farther away. She turned to Adamantine and sat down on her haunches while letting out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that. I, uh... Forgot that we were in a dungeon for a while there," she said, giggling a little in spite of herself, though her laughter stopped once she noticed the toll their scuffle had taken on Adamantine. "Are you alright? That attack looked like it hurt."

Energy: 0

It couldn't help but try its best to mask the pain. After all, complaining about it wouldn't heal it, right? This was fairly easy to do considering it could only speak in a monotone, meaning it could simply deceive the Skitty with words alone. "I am fairing well. The shock of the impact merely stunned me, but I will recover quickly." Adamantine explained. Fortunately, the two Shroomish had scampered off and didn't seem like they would be coming back anytime soon. The Beldum nodded in satisfaction, pleased that it was able to fend off the feral attackers. Hopefully it would send a message to any other nearby Pokémon. It didn't mind that Darcy wasn't able to do anything more than the finishing move; it would have rather taken the blunt of the attack alone than allow them to hurt its companion.

"Do you suppose we might have more luck finding the target if we stray from the main path? If they were truly hiding, I do not believe it would be an intelligent idea to make a hideout near a popular location of travel." the Steel Type reasoned. In order to try and guess where Sylveon could be, it had to use its tactic of thinking like a rogue to catch one. We should take a cautious approach to communicate with Sylveon. Perhaps appealing to their cause would allow us to negotiate on better terms...

Darcy's usual smile returned her face and she hopped back to her feet.  "That's good to hear.  I'll keep a closer eye out from now on."  Adamantine was certainly tough!  She supposed that was one of the advantages of being made of metal.

"And you're right, now that I think about it.  This would be a really bad hiding spot..."  The Skitty said as she glanced around for any side paths that they might follow instead.  She couldn't spot much at first, with how dark the forest was, but eventually her ears perked up as something caught her eye.  As the Shroomish had fled into the undergrowth, they had exposed a small trail that snaked deeper into the forest.  It was overgrown with vegetation but still clear enough to follow.  "Let's try this way!" she said cheerfully as she trotted towards it.

She started humming to herself as she pushed her way through the grass and bushes surrounding the path.  "I'm, um...  Not used to exploring dungeons yet, if you couldn't tell," she said with a small laugh as she walked, hoping to start up a conversation.  She didn't have many friends at the guild yet, so she would love to get closer to Adamantine.  "My team is still only grey rank.  How about you?  How long have you been at the guild for?"

Energy: 0

The Beldum couldn't help but be impressed at how diligent and alert the Skitty was. It couldn't even find the passage itself before Darcy quickly pointed out the small trail! It nodded and followed after her, trying to keep up. After some time, the silence became deafening to the point that Adamantine almost sighed in relief when its companion brought up a conversation topic. It appears that I am not the only new member of the guild. it remarked with a small nod of acknowledgement. Despite joining a team that had already been made, they were also a Grey ranked organization like her team. Even so, I still bestow upon them the honor of coming up with a more creative name for a team. Radiance is a very interesting title, but Darcy's team surpasses that name in my opinion!

"I may have joined the guild approximately a few days before or after you. The only reason I am more comfortable around dungeons is because I used to live in one. I wasn't able to do so alone, however: an Aron assisted me through thick and thin daily, and I returned the favor. This dungeon is almost entirely new to me anyways, so perhaps we are in similar situations at the moment. After I departed from my companion's home, I met my partner and applied to the guild. But I digress; it wouldn't do to get so far into my story that I would completely ignore yours. Did you have an interesting reasoning for forming your team?"

Ah, so Adamantine was new to the guild, too!  She should have introduced herself sooner!  The Skitty couldn't help but smile upon learning why it was so comfortable in dungeons despite also being a beginner.  It was sweet that Adam and its friend were so close.

"Oh, my story isn't too interesting," Darcy replied, pausing briefly to stretch out her body. "My mom got in an accident and hasn't been able to work, so I moved to Grassveil and joined the guild to help my family save money."

The plants at the sides of the path seemed to be getting denser and denser as she proceeded.  The Skitty started to have trouble pushing through them all as she continued talking.  "I don't know whether or not I'll keep working here once she recovers.  I don't have much talent for it, and it's kind of scary, but it feels good to help people and I've made some great friends in Grassveil Town.  Maybe..."

She trailed off.  Something was wrong.  The plants around her were actually growing, not just getting thicker with distance.  She was already up to her neck in grass and bushes, and they showed no signs of stopping, emanating a faint green glow as they reached for the canopy as if weeks' worth of growth was occurring in mere seconds.

Darcy spotted the cause, a Flabébé clinging to a white flower up ahead, just before its Grassy Terrain blocked her vision entirely.  Unable to see anything else, she also caught sight of a Slakoth hanging among the tree branches directly above her.

"L-look out!  We have more company!" Darcy called just as a Fairy Wind rippled through the grass and struck her head-on.  She yelped with surprise--without sight of her attacker, she'd had no chance to dodge or brace herself.  The wind wasn't exactly painful, but she felt that the mysterious, heavily aromatic air could knock her senseless anyway, and the strange sensation left her stunned.  Did Fairy-type attacks always feel that way?

Energy: 0

Adamantine shook its head in concern. "Your poor mother. I do hope she is fairing well and recovers soon." it said. It was quite considerate for Darcy to try and help her mother during difficult times, and it could tell that getting money and/or items from missions like these would help a lot. Yet another reason that failure is not an option for me. In a way, assisting this Skitty will be indirectly helping her parent. the metal entity noted with a small nod. Being lost in its thoughts, it wasn't able to detect the Flabébé's presence until the edge of the Fairy Wind attack bounced off of its steel body as harmless as a speck of dust. Even though it was not very effective to begin with, Adam was grateful for its luck of having been on the very edge of the attack. Darcy, however, was not so fortunate and tool the strike head-on.

The vegetation in the area seemed to be growing at a surprisingly fast rate, which in turn sparked a solution in the Beldum's mind. "It appears that a feral Pokémon is causing rapid growth of plant life in the area. I believe this is part of the effects of Grassy Terrain. Grass Type moves are strengthened, but every Pokémon that resides on the ground is healed continuously until the effects wear off." it stated with a nod. A previous encounter with its Aron companion occurred that proved the conjecture. Moving in front of the Skitty, it scanned the area looking for the source of the attack. Judging from the way the grass was blown, it could trace it back to a creature holding a white flower. Levitating slightly higher above the ground, Adamantine was able to avoid most of the grass and charge at the feral with another Take Down.

Unimpeded by the grass, Adamantine's weight struck the Flabébé hard, sending it spinning dizzily to the ground and putting an end to the Fairy Wind blowing through Darcy. The little fairy seemed dazed beyond even floating, let alone fighting anymore.

Darcy opened her eyes, relieved to have the wind gone, and curiously poked at the ground with her forepaws. It... was hard to explain, but Adamantine was right about the grass. The Flabébé's move wasn't limited just to plants--it was subtle, but Darcy felt as if she herself was being filled with life, too.

It didn't completely erase the sensation of the Fairy Wind, but being buried in this enchanted grass felt delightful. It made her feel energetic, as if she was frolicking through a meadow on a sunny day rather than trudging through Shadowhue Forest. She couldn't help but giddily chase after her tail for a moment while laughing. If that fairy could do something like this, she didn't want to fight it anymore! "Adamantiiiiine, it's trueeee! It does heal you! Come try this out, it feels wonderf--"

She was cut off as something fell from the trees and crushed her into the ground with a heavy thwump. It knocked the breath out of her and left her struggling for air. It took a good few seconds for her to process what had happened. That Slakoth from before had taken the opportunity to Body Slam her. In her excitement, its presence had completely slipped her mind. She struggled against its weight, but it was easily twice as heavy as her, and the damp ground made it difficult to squirm free. "A... Adam..?" she squeaked, hoping that it wouldn't take the Beldum too long to spot her amidst the grass. At least the sloth Pokemon on her back didn't seem in any hurry to finish her.