Toxic Tourists

First topic message reminder :

(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?

Goro continued his interrogation. The damp nighttime air between the two was becoming more tense by the minute. It felt like an explosion could combust in front of them at any second. Keeping his composure, Morty calmly answered everything he was asked, such as if he was going to the Mire, or... what was the Mire? "By 'passing through' I just meant I was visiting. I was gettin' ready to leave too. Must've just been a slow day, 'cause you're the first other actual Pokemon, I've seen in here yet, besides those light bugs. And, since you brought it up, what's the Mire? Is there something more in here?"

Now they were both bombarding each other with questions. Goro's tone had become much softer and less fake-friendly sounding, which was quite relieving to Morty. Even though he was more comfortable, he kept the cloth under the mud firmly within his grasp. Yes, Goro sounded more genuine, but he still was threatening. The way he had been putting it, he was the reason there were no ferals, and it seemed true, so Morty was still quite cautious.

Goro hummed lowly to himself as Morty explained himself. Part of him was relieved by the scorpion's quiet cooperation, as his stoic demeanor and unflappable personality made it hard to get a read on the other Pokémon strength level. And at this point, if a fight was going to break out between the two Pokémon, it probably would have already. The Croagunk let himself relax, turning away from Morty entirely and leaning against one of the nearby trees, bending forward to rest his hands on his knees.

"Ya ain't heard about the Misty Mire?" The Croagunk cocked his head at the scorpion before staring into the distance behind the other poison-type. From here, he wasn't actually sure how to reach the sub-dungeon, but if he retraced his steps back to his home could probably find it from there. Not that he'd want to, of course - the one time he braved the Misty Mire's entrance, he couldn't even bring himself to enter. Somehow, instinctively, he knew he wasn't strong enough to go in there and survive. Maybe it had changed in these recent weeks since he'd been slowly growing stronger, but Goro wasn't going to risk it anytime soon. "Apparently, there's another Mystery Dungeon real deep inside the Marsh. I ain't never gone in there, but sometimes the Guild sends a team or two in there huntin' somethin' or someone down.

"I wouldn't recommend headin' in, though. Not everyone who goes in comes back if ya catch my drift." Perhaps he was... stretching the truth a little bit, but Goro really didn't like the idea of this mysterious Pokémon hanging out in his metaphorical backyard. So far he proved difficult to scare, but even if he was strong, the Mire would still probably chew him up and spit him right back out. Leaning back up against the tree, Goro raised his arms and joined them together behind his head, the picture of nonchalance. "I could probly show ya out if ya want an escort. It'd be the polite thing ta do, anyway. Or ya could stay and watch the Fireflies."

Energy = 0 + 1 (new page) = 1

Morty exhaled a sigh of relief. The tension finally split, he could relax. It looked like he wouldn't be needing that hidden object anymore, so he put it into his bag. As it slipped inside, his guesses were correct - it was a faded cloth garment. He didn't know what it was used for, but he didn't really care either. Maybe he could sell it when he got home.

The Misty Mire, the way Goro described it, was not a very friendly place. He was probably stronger than Morty, and if he had to warn him about it, Morty definitely wouldn't ignore him. "Hmm. I've already spent enough time down here. And, uh, like I said, i think I'm lost. So if it isn't much trouble to you, I'll take you up on that escort offer." He stretched out his legs and tail. He hadn't moved much at all for what felt like hours.

(short post, sorry)

With Morty's verbal consent, Goro felt his grin widen. It was nice to come to terms with a guest every once in while rather than chasing off, especially when they seemed strong. He was still a bit curious as to why the scorpion would visit the Marsh with no real motive - it couldn't have been for the view since Goro had been tracking the other Pokémon all day. Honestly, though it didn't really matter since he was consenting to be escorted right back out, and during the darkness of night, Goro would be lying if he said he wasn't grateful for the company. Generally speaking the ferals in his territory did tend to leave him alone, but they were just that; ferals. Some of them took a very long time to learn and others didn't learn at all. One at a time they weren't much, but it was easy to get swarmed.

So late at night, he was grateful for another Pokémon at his back. With a lazy wave of his hand, Goro beckoned Morty to follow behind him as he leaned up off his tree and started in the direction he came, opting to simply retrace his steps for as long as he could. Mystery Dungeons were strange in that they sometimes... shifted around. You couldn't count on going back the way you came, as areas of land or rooms would simply transform or warp somewhere else in the dungeon. But the Croagunk knew his home dungeon perhaps better than anyone. Eventually, he'd find a way out.

"So, Morty, huh?" After a few moments of shuffling forward, his pace deliberately slow so as not to cause the smaller Pokémon to rush to keep up, Goro turned his head to check to see if his guest was following or not. "This yer first time through the flatlands?"

(ey don't worry about it bb any post is a good post)

With a wave of his hand, Goro beckoned his guest to follow. Morty silently complied. He had no idea how long this trip would take, as it had taken him most of the day to get to where he was now. Also, he had never gone too deep into a Mystery Dungeon before. He'd only ever gone a few minutes deep into one, with the entrance in his sight. Here, he didn't know what to expect. If he wasn't lucky, then on the off chance that any ferals were actually here, he would have to deal with them, and in the darkness, nonetheless. On a more positive note, he did have Goro on his side, who seemed like a capable ally.

Regarding to his new acquaintance's questions, he responded, "Yeah, I've never been here before. A loooong time ago, though, I lived in that Rainfront Town right outside here. The way you're puttin' it, I was lucky that I was smart enough not to go in here, haha.". His mind trailed back to the suspicious lack of ferals, before speaking his thoughts again. "Oh, and, uh, by the way, I haven't seen any other Pokemon here all day, not besides those bright flying ones. Is that normal around here?".

Goro was relieved when he saw his guest was following him. He didn't expect much else, but given the stoic, unflappable nature of the traveler, there were always other options. Perhaps the scorpion would decide that it didn't need an escort, and strut off to go do its own thing. Of course, in that case, Goro would have a fight on his hands, since the last thing he was going to do was let someone else play in his Dungeon. Moreover, he knew he didn't want to fight this particular guest, seeing as how he was mostly polite and cooperative, in addition to quietly strong.

Traveling through the Marsh was never an easy thing to do. For the benefit of his charge, he stuck to the drier paths as well as he could, avoiding any of the mudholes or shallow stretches of water. This meant he was stuck marching through wet grass, smacking cattail plants out of his face every other minute, but it was at least something he was used to. As the pair of poison-types traversed the Dungeon, they were treated to the sight of the Fireflies dropping down in full, lighting up in the darkness of night and illuminating the area. It turned the normally disgusting, stuffy flatlands into an actual tourist attraction, beautiful lights reflecting off the swamp waters.

"It's... kinda normal," Morty's question was a little bit more complicated than he knew. "Normally, yeah, ferals in my territory don't try their luck against me or anyone else they see... but there are exceptions.

"I usually get a challenger at least a couple times o' day. Sometimes more than that, if it's a good day. But it's been pretty quiet this evening." Curiously, Goro scanned their surroundings at the pair of Pokémon walked, as if to spot any lurking wild Pokémon. Of course, it seemed they were mostly alone in the swamp, accompanied only by the Illumise and Volbeat flying overhead. At this point, Goro would have preferred something to jump out at them, if only to settle his rising nerves. "Somethin' shoulda turned up by now, either way. Yer not wrong, partner."

Morty shrugged after hearing to the frog's answer. His new "friend" was nice and all, sure, but he still couldn't fend off the looming suspicion that this Pokemon wasn't a friend at all. There was this strange, menacing atmosphere around Goro. Morty could tell he was dangerous compared to himself just from looks, no doubt, but it felt like it wasn't just because of that. Goro looked like the secretive type, considering he lived alone in the middle of some dangerous dungeon. And yet, in the end, Morty felt a little bad for still being suspicious of him. It was okay though, he was just overthinking things, right? He hoped so.

Mentally scrapping the thought, he continued forward. The swamp was mostly silent, save for some chirps and crickets from distant bugs. This had stayed the same since nighttime came, so when Morty heard something distinctively different, a chill ran up his spine and he stopped. Moderately visible in the dim lights were three liquid-y looking things, their colors a different shade from the swamp muck. They all had a mostly consistent circular form, but it would jiggle and distort if they moved. The three were talking amongst each other in an unintelligble dilect.

Morty extended his tail in front of Goro and advised him, "Hey, stop, stop for a sec. See those things?" before directing his tail ahead, towards the creatures. "Those things're ferals, right? I mean, they look like it, at least. I doubt they would be too tough for you, so why not go deal with them, right?". Morty wanted to know just how tough the frog really was, and this would be the perfect opportunity to see for himself. He felt manipulative over having him deal with it instead. ...Then again, he wanted to know just how careful he would have to be around Goro, and he would rather find out sooner than later.

At Morty's suggestion after pointing out the goomies, Goro couldn't help but scrunch up his face sourly. Goomies were not fun to fight. Not because they were strong or anything; rather the opposite, in fact. They were small and slow and dumb, and a good shot could put them down. Giving them the time of day was just a waste of time. Why spend his time kicking around slimeballs when he could go find something that could actually fight back? Still, given the absolute lack of anything else in the general vicinity, exceptions would have to be made. Plus, he was an escort! If the goomies were scaring his little guest, it was his duty to go take care of them.

He watched the group of slimeballs slither around each other slowly, disinterest radiating from him strongly. One of the three slowly trailed away from the other two, whatever it was that had them grouping together apparently no longer interesting the Goomy. Its progress was slow and tedious to watch - just witnessing it, Goro felt annoyed. As relieving as it was to finally notice a wild Pokémon in his Dungeon, the fact that it was a group of slimeballs was irritating.

With absolutely no fanfare, Goro suddenly lurched forward and lashed out with a leg, catching the solitary Goomy squarely in the body. Immediately, the much smaller Pokémon gave way to Goro's strong kick, and it was launched bodily into the air, soaring through the night sky like a soccer ball. It tore a path through the air and into the darkness, presumably crashing against a tree or plopping into a mudhole somewhere - it honestly did not matter. Still, the act itself was gratifying, and afterward, Goro turned around looking much more satisfied with himself. Dimly, he noticed the other two Goomy witnessing the show of cruelty and scattering, slowly trudging away from each other and attempting to escape.

Without warning, the frog ran forward and punted one of the unsuspecting slimes, sending it blasting through the air. In an instant, it was out of sight. The other two seemed concerned and attempted to escape. Based off of his acquaintance's display, Morty could guess that they weren't very powerful opponents. He figured he would follow suit and take them on. His speed was hindered by the mud, and he was already not very fast to begin with, but he was still able to catch up to the two Goomys. With a spin of his body, he whacked one with his tail, sending it barreling backwards. It didn't go nearly as far as the first, but it wouldn't be getting up anyway. As for the remaining Goomy, it was still close by, so Morty scuttled over to it and used the pincers on his tail to cut it. It momentarily split into to sections, but being a moldable ball of slime, its two sections reconnected, before the once-again whole Goomy collapsed in defeat.

The opppnents weren't much trouble, not at all. Morty walked back towards Goro, as he breathed out a small sigh. If all the Pokemon were like that around here, then the walk home wouldn't be hard. That is, if. "Are all of the other Pokemon 'round here like that? Because, uh, they weren't exactly strong, or intimidating.". He looked around the area some more, but right now there didn't seem to be any more Pokemon in the immediate vicinity (as far as he could see, at least). He would be disappointed if there just a ton of weak Pokemon around. If he was gonna end up fighting ferals, he wished they would be worth his time.

_literally_the_worst_ carried out 5 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

, , , ,

His eyes trailed the airborne Goomy as best as he could, squinting into the darkness as the ball of goo soared through the night. Truly, Goomies were less entertaining than anything else he'd ever seen in the Marsh. Every so often there would be one or two who could actually do something, and if he had to guess why then it was probably because they were close to evolution. He'd done battle with said evolution only once, and the jump in power from Goomy to Sliggoo was tremendous, indeed. But things as they were, the slimeballs they'd stumbled upon were a very disappointing find after such a long trek through the marsh.

The Croagunk turned to take in his guest and see how he was faring and was pleasantly surprised to see that Morty had dispatched the other two. He knew just from how the scorpion carried himself that there was at least a respectable amount of strength hiding in the diminutive creature, and even if Goomies were no proud conquest, it was heartening to see that he wasn't wrong. "Goomies tend ta be the weakest, I find. They ain't uncommon, I guess.

"But not everything is as weak as them critters. If they were, I wouldn't be here, yeah?" Deftly, the Croagunk shook out his leg, trying to shake the feeling of slime on his foot. Without a word or gesture, he turned on his heel and continued in the way they were traveling, his gaze fixed ever-forward. "If ya want a challenge, wait 'til we run into a Poliwhirl! They're big as can be and stubborn as all get out. Or we could go fishin', and wrestle us up a fish - they're hard to fight for sure."