Toxic Tourists

(Energy: 23 (Goro's home dungeon, so no entry cost)

In the depths of Cattail Marsh, there was a Croagunk. He lived in an abandoned run-down shack and made it a habit to patrol a particular area of land around it that he designated as his territory. This particular Croagunk spent his days patrolling his land, fighting any and all Pokémon he could find, wild or not, relishing in the battles he picked with the wildlife. He spent his nights relaxing and taking in the gorgeous view provided by the local Firefly Pokémon, Illumise and Volbeat. If you asked him, it was a simple if admittedly relatively barbaric and simplistic life. But it suited him just fine, and normally this kept him very happy.

His name was Goro, and he was not happy. Angrily, he prowled through the shallow waters of Cattail Marsh, smacking the tall cattail plants out of his way and grumbling to himself. He'd been walking around all day, and he'd found nothing! No wild Pokémon, no travelers that required a firm nudge toward the exit, nothing to spend his time on. As far as usual days went, this one was turning out to be awful, and he was very strongly considering venturing into the depths of the dungeon to look for something more powerful to fight, rather than sticking around his territory where the Goomies and Poliwags hung about. It was a dangerous trek, though, and the last time he did such a thing he had another Pokémon to help him...

Goro scrunched up his face at the thought, and despite his usual habits and tendecies of solitude and isolation, he deeply wished for some company. Stepping out of a particularly deep mudhole and making his way to drier lands, he was sure to keep his eyes peeled and focused for any encounters that could happen. What would his Mystery Dungeon bring him today?

Energy = 20 - 15 = 5

Ah, the Cattail Marsh. Back during the days of his childhood, when he still lived in Rainfront Town, his mother advised that he avoided the swamp, as the feral Pokemon were too dangerous. Of course, some nights, he would sneak out into the marsh anyway, and admire the glowing bug Pokemon. Luckily for him, he had never actually run into any ferals during his times in the marsh, and to this day, he didn't know what resided there, besides those bright bugs. Again, work at the guild had been slow, so Morty had set aside another day to go and have a little mini vacation. He was responsible enough now, and he wasn't keen on actually showing his face within the town, so he set his sights on the Cattail Marah. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do as much running around as he did the day before, in the town.

The marsh felt surprisingly homey and welcoming to him, almost like he belonged there. He was somewhat short, so the mud came up to about his chin, and it slowed his movements, too. Normally that would bother him... but here, it felt soothing. It made his walk through the swamp feel relaxing and carefree. It almost made him forget about the threat of being attacked by a feral, too. After he finished his zoning out, his sense of caution came back to him. Though, it was seemingly in vain, as he had been here for who knows how long and hadn't spotted a single wild Pokemon. Was everything going slow today?

There were many things about his Mystery Dungeon that he loved. The Pokémon, for one, were always good for a scrap. Some of the weaker and smaller ones couldn't put up much a fight, but they squealed pretty amusingly if you hit them just right, and the bigger ones were strong enough to work up a sweat on, usually. The horrid weather was something that he ironically enjoyed - it kept most folk out of his home, and during the nights the Firefly Pokémon would rise up and flare up, lighting the entire Dungeon and turning it into almost a tourist attraction. Folks from Rainfront and even a few travelers from Grassveil would make the trip here, and the closer ones would make a habit of it. That was perhaps the only thing that didn't sit right with him.

He normally loved company. Not actually speaking to them or spending time with others, but fighting travelers and chasing them off was great fun, and on the occasion that he was in the mood to talk with someone, then usually they were pretty amiable with the Croagunk that made a habit of beating on others. The last time he'd hung out with another Pokémon in Cattail Marsh, they'd teamed up and explored the depths of the Dungeon, and that was probably the best day Goro had in a very long time. That day had started out very similar to this one - sludging through the marshes and desperately longing for some entertainment.

It was then that Goro found what he was looking for. As the hybrid poison fighting type trudged along a patch of dry land, his attention was turned to a... trail of mud, sticking out like a sore thumb in the mushy soil. A small one, sure, but it was unlike anything he'd ever seen in the Marsh. The wild ones knew how to navigate the place well enough that actually hunting them was difficult for him, but this was perhaps the most obvious trail he'd ever come across. Absently, Goro started off in the direction of the tracks, wondering what kind of Pokémon would leave such a mark. Something not too large, so probably weak. But no matter what it was, Goro had his doubts it was wild. He let loose a content croak as he slowly meandered forward, eyes fixed on whatever lay at the end of this mysterious mud trail.

The mid-afternoon sun partially obscured by the trees, Morty continued his muddy trek through the swamp. There were still no wild Pokemon anywhere to be found. The silence was ominous, too... where was everybody? Did he just come at a bad time?

By now, Morty was getting annoyed. He had been here for who knows how long now, and nothing had happened yet. Sure, fighting ferals wasn't exactly the sole reason he came, but knowing him, it was pretty high on the list of reasons, or bound to happen eventually. Or at least, that's what he expected. What a waste of time.

Well, Morty's day had practically been wasted by nothing. It wasn't late enough for the bugs to come out, so he still had to wait for that. After another few minutes of standing around, his impatience finally got the best of him. Morty turned towards gap in the trees, and walked down the unknown path. Walking around was definitely more exciting than standing in place. The path was significantly darker than anywhere else he had been yet, as the local trees blocked off the sky.

The path was just as silent and boring as all the previous areas had been. Except this time, it was boring AND dark. To the sides, though partially concealed by shrubbery and trees, small, faint lights could be spotted. From the looks of it, some of the Firefly Pokemon were already out and about, but that might have just been because they were in a dimly lit portion of the forest. Morty yawned not-so-quietly, and stretched out his tail. He didn't put much effort into being careful at this point.

Eventually, the narrow path opened up into a sort of grotto. There were short blades of grass barely able to stick their heads out from the muddy ground. Hmm, that's strange... this area looked the same as the last one did! Had he gotten himself lost? His eyes quickly darting around the grotto, there were multiple different paths to take. All of them looked the same as the path he had just taken: dark and narrow. Oh, damn it. He had gotten lost! Morty let out an audible sigh, before grumbling to himself out of frustration, before dropping himself amongst the grass. He sat in place, considering his options, and taking a short rest. By now, the sun was close to setting. If he did stay here, he would get to see those beautiful lights, but he would also be pretty screwed. Fighting in the dark wasn't his specialty, and if he were attacked then, well... he didn't know what he would do.

Goro wasn't much of a hunter, but it didn't take a genius to track this particular trail. He meandered alongside the track of mud slowly, not wanting to rush in case whatever had made it heard him or detected him somehow. He wasn't worried for his own well-being, considering that in his opinion he was probably the strongest thing in this area of the dungeon, and it was only when he delved deeper that he really feared for his own safety. Coupling that with the fact that whatever was making this trail was probably pretty small, given the size of it, then he figured there wasn't much to worry about. No, he was more concerned with scaring it off and losing his entertainment for this evening.

And that's what he considered this to be. Given the lack of absolutely anything to do in Cattail Marsh, he had to entertain himself somehow, and if that meant tracking and hunting travelers in his territory then so be it. He wasn't sure yet what he'd do with the Pokémon once he found it - he supposed it depended on what it was. If it was something worth fighting or particularly exciting, then he'd be down for battling it, but it was more likely it was someone who had just gotten lost. A lot of travelers went through the Marsh to get to the infinitely more dangerous Misty Mire, but taking into consideration the direction of these tracks, he was certain that wasn't what his mysterious guest had in mind.

No, as the day went on and Goro tracked his quarry, it became more and more apparent that this Pokémon was just... lost. He kept his own footsteps quiet, and he moved as slowly as he dared considering he was chasing something. It wasn't until day turned to night and he tracked the Pokémon into a particularly dark path through the plant life that he began to hope for finally catching it. Was it coming here for rest? Most Pokémon would gravitate toward somewhere dark and concealed, and in a Mystery Dungeon, this path was probably as close as you could get. Granted, Goro wasn't much for sneaking up on a snoozing traveler, but if he could catch it before it began to rest in earnest, then he could weigh his options from there.

It was when Goro heard a loud yawn reverberate through the air that he knew he'd succeeded in tracking the Pokémon. He came to a small, enclosed clearing set about on different paths and the natural sounds of wildlife - bugs chirping here and there, faint buzzing and the beating of insect wings. In the center laid a small scorpion-like figure, resting in a patch of grass. It let loose a frustrated sigh, but otherwise remained quiet and made no other moves. Perhaps it was calling it quits for today - Goro would have none of that. He felt more curious about this Pokémon than ever before, and rather than making his appearance known publicly, Goro decided to be a little mischevious. He crouched down low in the mud, not able to hide very well considering the location but still making the attempt, and let loose a very low, loud croak from his gullet. He'd let his guest know they weren't alone, one way or or another.

Morty had adjusted to the quietness by now. With the sun starting to set, more and more bugs were appearing, their luminescent tails giving a faint lighting across the grotto. Besides an occasional chirp or other random noise, the silence continued. The relaxing atmosphere had settled into Morty's mind, and rather than look for his next destination, he gazed at the passing Volbeat and Illumise. None of them seemed to be hostile, strangely. Maybe they were just a peaceful species? ...Meh. He was probably overthinking things.

He didn't regret his decision to come out this far, not anymore. The view was breathtaking. And to think he used to live mere minutes away from all of this... maybe he should have come out here before. He hadn't ever gotten a time to simply relax, and reflect on things before, not that he remembered. After a couple more minutes of lingering in place, Morty got up off the ground and stretched himself out again. He hadn't gotten to fight anything today, but he was okay with that. It wasn't everyday someone got to see something like this. He made a mental note to come back the next time he had the chance. Heck, maybe he could bring Alki and Darcy! Though, they might not like the mud...

CROAK!!

Morty's thoughts were interrupted by a sound that suddenly ripped through the air. "Ah! Jeez!" He yelled loudly, and jumped up in shock, practically out of his skin. After becoming so adjusted to the peacefully quiet atmosphere, such a loud sound threw him back into reality. Morty took a short moment to recover from the sudden shock, before regaining his alertness and taking a defensive position.

That yell of his was pretty loud. Whatever made that noise had heard it, without a doubt. Judging based off of how loud and clear the croak was, whatever made the noise was nearby. If it were a feral, it was almost certainly watching him. It was still bright enough for him to see, but with some difficulty. A lot of the Firefly Pokemon were scared off by the noise, reducing the level of light around him. Without thinking, Morty blurted out, "Hey, whoever's out there, you better speak up! Don't try n' mess with me!". Why had he yelled that?! Now, whatever made the noise knew exactly where he was, there could be no way they didn't. What an idiot he was! He stayed stiff as a tree, in the same spot he had been. The only part of Morty's body that moved was his head, shifting from side to side, trying to find where the source of the noise was located. Unfortunately, because of the darkness, he had no luck.

The anticipation of the moment was almost palpable. Goro crouched low in the mud, keeping his body close to the ground so as to avoid getting seen if his quarry didn't linger on him for too long, further aided by the growing darkness of the night. He hadn't had much hope for hiding at the start of his hunt, but now, with the night growing darker by the minute, maybe he could really have some fun with this Pokémon. His fingers curled up on themselves, resting lightly against the muddy soil as Goro crouched in the dark and let loose his long, low croak. The sound carried itself far and wide through the night air, instantly drowning out the sounds of nature drifting about. Had he been the one in the center of that clearing, all alone in a hostile Mystery Dungeon after a long day's march, Goro knew that such a sound would have him jumping right out of his leathery skin.

Case in point - his quarry yelped loudly, and Goro felt amusement bubble up in him as the scorpion-figure jumped up into the air in fright. It actually took the little fella a moment to gather itself, and then it was back to business, settling into a ready stance, casting its eyes around the clearing. Apparently, it had some fighting words too, boasting out a challenge to the croaker in the distance. How foolish would the scorpion feel if Goro had been feral? Absently, an amused smile curled around the Croagunk's lips, and he silently shuffled around the clearing, abandoning his post in favor of slowly circling the scorpion in the center of the clearing. Its words had given away its position, and if Goro hadn't known exactly where the other Pokémon was by virtue of sight then he would by the sound of it yelling into the darkness of night.

It seemed his guest was pretty uptight! He decided to toy with the figure a little bit before revealing himself. Just scaring it wasn't very fun... well, no, the scorpion had a great reaction, and it was fun. But Goro wanted more out of it, and he wanted to know how well he could spook the little thing. Now circled around the clearing and on the other side of the figure, Goro crouched down even lower set about casting his hands in the mud, fishing for something to create a distraction with. His fingers crawled uselessly in the mud, and he took a second to curse the darkness of night. He'd certainly love something like a Goomy to lay as bait and to see the Pokémon's reaction when it found a croaking slimeball, but he'd have to make do with... a twig. Goro's hand grasped onto a medium-sized twig, and he appraised it for a moment.  This would work.

In one smooth motion, Goro pitched the lengthy stick of wood into the air, aiming for a particularly large bush of shrubbery in the distance. His aim was true enough, and a few seconds after he cast the twig, he heard the telltale sound of it tussling into the bush - and in the dead silence of the night, it was loud. Someone who didn't know any better might even mistake the noise for someone moving through shrubbery, and focus on that sound - giving a particularly mischevious Croagunk an ample opportunity to sneak up on them... As the idea took root in his head, Goro's smile turned from awnry to eerie, and he felt a certain tension run through him. Normally, he never took to messing with people, but it was actually kind of fun.

the sunset hero carried out 10 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

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The aftermath of the loud sound was fading away, as the usual chirps and buzzes of the bugs resumed. In the corner of his eye, he very faintly saw something brown blur by in the distance, followed by the sound of a rustling bush. Morty had been expecting to hear something else a little bit, so he wasn't startled this time. He was less alerted by the sound as he was the object that flew by. That definitely wasn't a natural occurence, it couldn't be. He turned his body in the direction of the bush, then ever so slightly to the left, where the object came from. Was it a stick, or a tree branch? It was definitely big enough for him to be able to see it, so it was within the realn of possibility. His breath hushed and slight, he looked at the bush again, before returning his sight to the projectile's origin.

If that was a stick, then it couldn't be a feral Pokemon. Morty doubted that there could be any ferals that utilized their environments like that, or even just threw things. Of course he could be wrong, but the possibility of this unknown visitor being a normal Pokemon was becoming viable. He remained motionless, waiting for whatever his potential enemy had in store for him next. By now, the sun had just about set, and night had fallen. The primary source of light was the tails of the Firefly Pokemon surrounding him. Since there were plenty more than before, his vision was obscured by their bodies, and the bright lights.

_literally_the_worst_ carried out 10 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

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(23 energy - 19 energy (rolls) = 4 energy)

Damn. Whatever it was, it didn't fall for his little stick trick. Instead of failing to notice it and getting startled by the noise it made, the scorpion was sharp enough to track the motion from the corner of its eye and witness the noise being made itself, and Goro only served to expose his location even further, rather than mess with the Pokémon and sneaking up on it. What could he do now? In the spirit of good fun, the gig was pretty much up unless he wanted to be mean about things. And this traveler hadn't exactly done much to Goro, other than meander through his territory and attract his attention.

At this point, the other Pokémon knew there was something intelligent messing with it, or at least suspected it. Unless Goro wanted to make an enemy here or piss his guest off, it was probably time to reveal himself. He could, perhaps, still manage to circle around the creature again and sneak up on it from behind, but he'd probably be met with fangs and claws rather than an amusing reaction like last time. That would normally be fine with him, but it was getting awfully late and Goro didn't feel like brawling in the darkness of night.

Resigned to playing nice, Goro rose from his crouch with a crooked grin and croaked once more, louder than last time. He walked forward into the Firefly Pokémon's light, his posture easygoing and lazy, willing to play nice for now. At least until he learned more about this strange visitor. "You git lost, stranger?"

Energy = 5 - 20 = 0

Another croak sounded and echoed through the swamp, even louder than the first time. The fireflies scattered again, along with the rest of the swamp's ambient noises. Again, Morty was startled, and he whipped himself it the direction of the noise. Out from the darkness, came a strange looking bipedal creature. It was predominately purple, but its cheeks were both orange. It casually strolled up to him like nothing had happened, like they were just friends, and asked about his situation. Were they responsible for the noise, and throwing the stick?

Morty stared silently, unable to come up with a response to the Frog Pokemon. What was up with him? If he was the one making that racket and messing with him, well, that didn't sit well with Morty. Still hushed, he eyed the stranger up and down before asking, "...Who're you? Were you the one doing all that crap just now?". It wasn't a very kind response, but it was the first that came to mind. If this Pokemon was the culprit, then being nice wouldn't be at the top of Morty's mental list anyway.

"I figured I'd screw with ya a lil' bit," Goro's tone was lackadaisical and easy going, in contrast to his attempts to spook the Skorupi. Despite poking and prodding at the other Pokémon with his actions and hunting it down all day, he really wasn't here for any trouble unless he found any. He figured he'd try to frighten the traveler on a whim, and he'd only half succeeded. If nothing else, the Croagunk was impressed at how quickly the scorpion-like Pokémon gathered its wits and readied for an attack. After traveling through the Marsh all day, it seemed absolutely willing to defend itself in case Goro attacked it. "Ya damn near jumped outta yer skin that first time, I couldn't help it.

"Still, yer tougher than I figured, sniffin' me out so quick. What's yer name, fella?" The curiosity he felt at this traveler was stronger now. It wasn't often someone so thick-skinned came through his territory - the last pair of travelers that made it this far had been filthy, tired, and nearing break-downs. Goro very much wanted to know what kind of Pokémon he was dealing with. If not for the genuine interest he held, then at least for figuring out why the scorpion was in his Mystery Dungeon - and his territory, in specific. He didn't have much of a reputation, so he doubted it was up to anything nefarious, but Goro still valued his privacy.

"...The name's Morty. And I'll ask it again, who're you? What's your name?". The stranger had a carefree tone, still as if they were old friends who had met up with each other. There was something extremely suspicious about this character... He was the one trying to scare him, absolutely no doubt about it. And now, he had just come out into the open, like nothing was wrong. How nonchalantly he walked around like he owned the place, without caution or fear... and the absence of any ferals. Was there something to fear around here, and he was dumb enough to ignore it? Or, is that thing to fear, him...?

Morty didn't break eye contact. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to just leave anymore. He had a feeling this Pokemon wanted something. He didn't seem to be evil or anything, but he did look strong. Stronger than himself. Whatever game it was trying to play, Morty figured that the best course of action would be to play along. "Sorry for being a little interrogative, but what are you doing out here so late? Are there not any ferals out here?"

Unfortunately, it seemed his guest was less of a wimp than he'd thought. Goro had figured he'd be easy to pick on and mess with, but even now after he revealed himself, his guest remained steadfast and unyielding. Aside from the initial surprise of his entrance, this Morty person seemed unflappable, thickskinned and focused. Usually admirable traits, but now that Goro was facing off against them he felt a little bit irritated. Wasn't he scary enough to intimidate someone? Or did this guy know enough about Croagunks or something that he wasn't worried when one rolled up on him?

It didn't escape his notice, either, that this Pokémon looked him straight in the eye from the moment he came forth. And that he was still doing it. Again, very admirable, but also a little unsettling to be the focus of all that attention. The Croagunk cocked a hairless eyebrow at the scorpion's words, making a show of tilting his head and rubbing his chin as if thinking about what to say. "Well, Morty... Nice to meet ya.

"This here's my stretch o' the swamp. My territory. I won it by drivin' all the other Pokémon off," Almost proudly, Goro turned his head to take in the sweeping flatlands in the distance, the murky waters and tall grass littered with cattail plants and slick, muddy soil. Most Pokémon would be absolutely unwilling to live in such a place, but to Goro it was a paradise. Leaning forward, he let his arms spread amiably, as if in welcome. "I'm Goro. I got a right ta be here. What's yer business in my swamp?"

This "Goro" fellow was an odd one. He rubbed his chin in an exaggerated fashion, like he was deep in thought. He welcomed Morty, but it didn't seem like a friendly welcome. Morty said nothing, still listening to his newly acquainted other. As he listened to Goro's speech of conquering the marshlands by himself, Morty slowly lowered his tail until it was submerged in the mud. He slowly swept it back and forth, looking for anything that could be hidden underneath him. It felt dirty, but if he found something useful, he could use it on Goro. It would probably be smarter to do that anyway. He wouldn't admit it, but the frog looked stronger than himself.

Goro's arms spread widely, as he announced that the swamp was his own. In his eyes, Morty was an intruder. Of course, that wasn't his intention. But if need be, he was prepared for a fight. His tail scanned the muck more, before finally... he brushed it across something. It had a smooth texture, almost silk-like. Judging based on the object's size, it felt like some sort of scarf or ribbon. Jackpot. The distance between the two was probably disadvantageous, but if Morty could find just the right moment, the exact right time, he could fling it into his opponent's face. He wouldn't be able to run away, nearly his entire body was buried under the mud and being slowed due to his height. If Goro wanted a fight, Morty would be forced to give him one.

Morty closed his eyes and exhaled, before opening them again and taking a breath. "I was just passing through. But, as you might have seen... I'm a little lost right now." Morty raised his tail ever-so-slightly, so it was just barely submerged, but still not visible. He was prepared for any attack Goro threw at him. Now he could do nothing but hope it didn't come down to violence.

Spoiler:

Even now, as Goro laid down the question and stared the other Pokémon down, it remained steadfast and calm. The scorpion's tail lowered into the mud slightly, hidden from view, but other than that, there was no motion from it. No signs of aggression or hesitance and the Croagunk realized that he couldn't get a read on this guy. Not that that was a strength of his, being able to read into people, but it was somewhat unsettling when faced with this other Pokémon. Goro knew that he was... probably stronger than his guest, but there was no guarantee and there had to be a reason that it was so calm. A quiet belief in itself and its abilities was an answer, but maybe there was another reason that the ferals stayed away from him. At first glance, he figured it was because they were in his territory, but what if the scorpion was so strong that the wild Pokémon didn't even bother?

Maybe he was overthinking things, but the way this guy was so quietly composed when faced with Goro didn't sit right with him. Couple that with the fact that Goro had no idea what kind of Pokémon it even was, and that was enough to dissuade the Croagunk from attacking. That didn't mean he couldn't interrogate the little thing right back, however.

"Passing through where, exactly?" Odds were that this strong, silent Pokémon was on his way to the Misty Mire if he had to guess. It was infinitely more dangerous than Cattail Marsh, but there had to be something worth going in there for since Rescue Teams rushed in and out of the sub-dungeon every other month. Goro relaxed his posture and took a few steps toward the Skorupi, his tone less inquisitive and more friendly. "The Mire? Or are ya on yer way out? Either way, yer lucky ya wound up in my stretch. Ferals around here know better than to try their luck, yeah?"

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