Diving Into Trouble

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[Energy: 20 - 10 (Entrance Cost) = 10]

Just past the outer reaches of Rainfront Town, a sickly Oshawott waddled down the beach, staring at the ocean with an awestruck expression. So this is what it looks like... Wow, my heart is racing for some reason! Must be a water type thing. It's only natural for me to want to go in, The otter supposed, clearing her throat and approaching the shoreline. The waves softly lapped over her feet, sending shivers down her spine. This feels so good... Mom would kill me if she found out that I went in alone, though.

The Oshawott sighed deeply, recalling the lecture that her mother had given her about the ocean when they arrived at Rainfront the night before. Because of her crippling breathing condition, it wasn't "safe" for her to go out swimming without somebody watching her. But with her parents meeting with some old friends at the Steamrise Inn, there wasn't anybody around to come with her! "What a stupid rule," She grumbled, crossing her stubby arms as she glared back at the town. "It's not like a quick dip would hurt anybody..." With that thought, the otter longfully casted her gaze back to the water, biting her lip. Clearly, there was a decision to be made.

As much as she feared the disapproval of her parents, the otter eventually caved in to the alure of the sea, taking a few steps deeper and then diving in, completely immersing herself in the salty water. A wave of euphoria shook her body. It just felt like she somehow... Belonged. The sensation was almost indescribable. Dear science, why doesn't the Small Pond feel like this? The Oshawott questioned, paddling her feet and tail to propel herself through the water. At this point, she knew that she wasn't turning back. If only I could live in Rainfront instead of Grassveil... I would be out here every day!

The ocean was murky due to the cloudy conditions, but thankfully, the aquatic mammal's well-adapted eyes allowed her see quite well regardless. As she swam further from the shore, she watched the ground turn from completely bare to vibrant and colorful! Science, this must be the Coral Forests... She thought, peering down at the vast reef from a safe distance. She didn't want any of the feral Pokemon living there to attack her, after all...

"Pfft!" The piplup let this little sound slip out of his otherwise shut beak, expelling little bubbles as he did so and puffing his chest in and out in the same movement as a laugh. I can't believe this. A few select comments, a lovely coincidence, and a quick wink gets her from someone cold and indifferent to a blushy, stuttering mess! There has to be a word for this. He swam downwards just a little bit more to make room as he saw the oshawott diving in after him. When she was completely submerged, he motioned for her to follow him, while at the same time swimming backwards towards the coral 'forest' he had been at earlier.

Clovis looked back and forth from where he was going and at Delta, to make sure that he wasn't about to hit her or some fish pokémon swimming around underwater. If no one interrupted him in his path, he would continue to swim downwards until he reached the spot he was at immediately before he had noticed Delta. "Feh." He snorted, with little bubbles coming out of his beak once again. I'm a real bully, aren't I? He put back on his characteristic smirk. Hmm... Nah.

OOC:

[Energy: 10 - A Lot (Roll Results) = 0 + 1 (Natural Regeneration) = 1]

Delta nodded her head and idly swam after her companion, her mind in a completely different place. She couldn't help but think about what Clovis had done above water. The smooth talking, the wink, that all-too familiar sly smirk... It reminded her of somebody else. A certain Zorua, whose name she thankfully could not recall. Of course, the darkish fox had been actively seeking her affection, whereas with Clovis, it seemed to be more friendly jabbing than anything... Or was it? Delta couldn't really say for sure. Romance wasn't exactly her area of expertise.

The otter snapped back into reality when she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. Something pink darted just beyond her peripheral! By the time she swung around, however, whatever she had seen was gone. Must've hid in the, uh... "Peculiar collection of marine invertebrate," Delta thought to herself in the geekiest, most nasal voice possible, causing an amused smirk to momentarily replace her deadpan expression. What a nerd! She swam up to the penguin's side and gave his flipper a tug, pointing in the direction she had seen the Pokemon.

[Energy: 9+1=10]

Clovis continued to lead the oshawott downwards, repeating the same swimming motions over and over again as he approached where he wanted to be. His pattern of swimming was interrupted when he felt a tug on one of his flippers, prompting him to turn towards the source of the tug. "Hmm?" He muttered, one of the few sounds he could make without opening his beak. Not that it mattered of course, no one could hear him underwater anyway. He saw Delta pointing towards something which apparently required his attention. He stopped swimming downwards, and instead stayed beside Delta as he searched for whatever it was that she was pointing at.

Then...! Clovis saw a hint of some pink fish poking around the coral below. He looked over at Delta, confused, then looked back again. I don't get it. He thought, and tried to demonstrate with his clueless expression. Is this fish important, or are you just feeling extra cautious today? Clovis continued to watch the coral, seeing progressively larger glimpses of the fish as it made its way in and out. It took a few seconds for him to get a good enough view to see exactly what kind of pokémon it was. It was a luvdisc, the rendezvous pokémon. Some say that couples meeting this pokémon are promised unending love... Luvdisc wasn't a particularly dangerous or aggressive pokémon, so what was she so concerned about?

Oh, goodness. A conclusion reached him. He looked back and forth between Delta and the luvdisc. It was pretty obvious what she meant by this. He gave a look of unsurety. While he had done a bit of flirting back on the surface, most of it had been in the sake of lifting spirits, and her sudden change, or at least perceived change in attitude had him a little bit weirded out. Still, he wasn't completely opposed to what she seemed to be Implying and gave an enthusiastic, if rather awkward smile.

It took Delta a few moments to discern the pink fish from the similarly-colored coral. Huh, I guess I did see something, Delta mused, staring at the oddly-shaped specimen as it peeked out from behind the reef. Doesn't look like much of a threat, though... It's a Luvdisc, if I'm not mistaken. Interesting how it blends in like that, She thought, admiring the feral's camouflage. The way that Pokemon adapted to their environment had always been fascinating to her!

Clovis, however, didn't seem to share the same sentiment. When Delta looked to her side, the Piplup was giving her a perplexed look, as if asking why the Luvdisc was of any significance. Probably isn't his first time out in the ocean, She realized, a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to share her excitement with somebody else. Oh, well. I guess having him around is better than being alone...

Not even noticing her companion's awkward smile, the otter flicked her tail and fluttered her feet, propelling her even closer to the Coral Forests.

"Mmm hmm." Clovis growled through his throat, sinking down slowly after Delta. It appeared as though she wasn't aware of the myths like he had thought. No matter, of course. He followed the oshawott towards the forest, shifting his gaze left and right all across the ocean in search of some valuables or eye candy on the way. Come to think of it, it might not be a terrible idea to see if he could find a heart scale on the luvdisc from earlier. Heck, maybe that was why Delta was heading towards it. He continued swimming at a relaxed pace, watchful for anything worthy of his attention.

vonSteakhand carried out 10 launched of one Coral Forest :

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As Delta approached the dense forest of coral, something in front of her caught her eye. It was a familiar-looking piece of white fabric, embroidered with a peculiar pattern... It appeared to be a Joy Ribbon, the exact article of clothing that she was currently wearing around her neck! Brother told me that they're really expensive... Score! The otter happily thought, quickening her pace and arriving beside the valuable item. Looks like it got snagged on the reef. Some dumb explorer must've lost it while they were poking through here... Heh, what a sucker! She extended her paws to remove it from the coral, when...

Riiiiip.

The Oshawott's smile quickly vanished when she heard that dreadful noise. A few bubbles escaped from her mouth while it was left agape in shock. Oh, dear science... Did I just ruin it? She asked, holding up both pieces of the torn cloth. No, I can get it fixed, right? I just need to find a tailor when I get back. Yeah, everything is fine. I hope...

Wait... Delta cocked her head, staring at the two tattered pieces. Is the effect is the same, even if it's cut in half...? She quietly wondered. Spells and enchantments weren't exactly her thing, but... They still interested her. Gotta look into that when I get home, She told herself.

The piplup followed his companion downwards, towards the coral, twirling around in the water as he swam so as to entertain himself. The oshawott he was behind took particular interest in a single patch of coral, and swam towards it. Clovis swam down with her, curious as to just what it was that she was doing. He adjusted himself to see what it was she was looking at.

Fabric? Must be of some pretty decent quality to survive underwater this long. This belief was immediately proven wrong, when he heard a rip, muffled a bit by the sound traveling through water to reach his ears. Clovis closed his eyes and chuckled silently to himself, before making his way into Delta's field of vision, placing his flippers on his hips and shaking his head with snide, almost comedic disapproval at the way she had 'broken' it.

Clovis swam upwards, then did a half-flip, pointing his head downwards. He looked all around below him, surmising that, as there was one such piece of fabric in the coral, it would be reasonable to assume that he could find another in the general area. And, just as he expected, there was another bit of fabric just a few feet away, wrapped around what appeared to be a rock. He swam down after it, gently wrapped both of his flippers around the ribbon and slowly lifted it up, and off of the rock. He swam back towards where Delta had been, with the ribbon wrapped around his wing. Momentarily, he pondered giving Delta the bit of cloth, as she had seemed to have put quite a bit of value on the one that ripped, but she was already wearing one around her neck. Clovis wondered how he had missed this earlier.

He looked back behind him. Strangely, the rock seemed to be swimming away with two blue legs and flippers. Huh. He thought. I suppose a tirtouga does make a good rock.