Everspring Exploration [Event]

[Energy: 0 (escorted by Darcy)]

Valen had flown to the very edge of the boundary between Everspring Vale and its surroundings. He couldn't stop looking into the dungeon - it was one of the most breathtaking places that he had ever seen. Near where he was, there were several hills, and farther in the distance, Valen could see a great waterfall rushing down. And nearly everything was a deep, beautiful green from the trees everywhere in this land of spring.

It wasn't just to look at the scenery that Valen had come here, however - hopefully at least. He had heard a story - the legendary Pokemon Zygarde had said that their final recruit is "Betwixt Winter and Summer." Valen had thought about it and come to the conclusion that the season being referred to was Spring - and this was the dungeon that had endless spring, like Fallen Leaf Copse was forever Autumn. And if that final recruit was found - that could be the end of the war between the deities and the return of the world to normal. Saving the world was a good thing, of course, and the idea of adventure strongly appealed to Valen in particular.

But it was also a weighty task. Valen was a generally confident Pokemon, but even he strongly doubted that he alone could help a god - especially as given the other stories he had heard, this could entail a physical encounter with another god. Most ordinary Pokemon, in Valen's experience at least, wouldn't do this task even if it was to save the world. But there were still many other explorers. Were some perhaps here right now to find this recruit as well?

Tempo couldn't say he's been this far away from home, but his previous adventures did give him the confidence and experience to go to new ground. After all, he had to deal with a seemingly deserted island, before, and that was after a near death experience in the ocean. It... was an interesting time... At least here it's mostly dry... Not any sunnier, but dry, nontheless...

Normally, there really isn't much of a reason for him to go all the way here... But there was that dream or vision or something he had about someone... betwixt spring and summer or whatever. Sounded way too fancy there, whenever they said it... Think they couldn't have just said "Hey, go here, idiot"? Then again, he never made the rules for how they give instructions...

As he entered the dungeon, he sat down next to one of the trees to catch his breath... This was far from his home, and while he did hitch a ride from a friendly Pokemon, he still walked a fair bit to get here. Before he had a chance to get his bag, he looked up to see a friendly face. It was a Pikipek that he met before. Valen, was it? He waves over to him, getting up and running over to meet up. "Hey! Valen!"

[Energy: 24 - 20 = 4]

Darcy stopped to rest as she finally came to her destination. She'd heard rumours that this place was important to... One of those deities in that little three way conflict they were having. Was it Arceus who cared about this place? Giratina? She didn't really care... The Skitty sighed, sitting down on the ground as she thought over the conflict. She hated it. All three of them seemed so... It seemed so needless. And so... Narcissistic of them, she supposed. Why did regular Pokemon have to run around doing the legendary's dirty work for them? If they cared so much, they ought to settle it themselves, she thought, instead of sending the whole world on a glorified scavenger hunt...

Of course, those were just rumours, and Darcy wasn't there to help any legendaries. She'd just heard the place was pretty, according to what Alki had told her about it. She'd come here with that Vulpix friend of hers, and spoken quite highly of this place. She'd said it was beautiful... And Darcy wanted some of that beauty. She was usually quite sociable, and quite pleasant, but for the past few weeks, she'd been in quite a downer mood. For a lot of reasons...

She just wanted to see something pretty in the world. That was all. And this certainly seemed to fit the bill! Spring was already her favorite season, and it seemed like there was spring all around, with the trees bright greens and the ground littered with flowers and plants. She could see a geyser off into the distance, and she wasn't sure, but she believed she even heard a waterfall nearby!

The skitty sighed, smiling contentedly as she took in all the sounds, and the smell, and the feeling of wind against her fur. It was pretty, and it was quite relaxing... Her relaxation, however, was interrupted by a loud sound that didn't seem quite fitting for this location. Words.

"Hey! Valen!" She heard someone cry out. A name. Somebody else was here? Darcy rose up to investigate. A bit of chit-chat wouldn't do anyone any harm, and it'd be nice to meet someone new...

Valen saw two Pokemon approaching. One was quite familiar - Tempo the Oshawott, whom he had met several times before. Valen had often thought about Tempo joining him in the Aileron Guild, but that hadn't happened - not yet, at least. And it wasn't as if Valen was doing any guild missions either right now - he hadn't seen any missions in Everspring Vale that were of a low enough rank for him to take. Still, it was nice to have Tempo around - hopefully, they could explore this dungeon together.

The other one, Valen didn't know. Well, not personally. But if he remembered correctly from the things he had managed to read recently... this Pokemon was a member of the Skitty species. Why is this Skitty here? I guess to explore and find the recruit as well? Valen wondered. He didn't know the true motivation, of course.

"Hi, Tempo!" Valen told the Oshawott. "And hello," he said again, this time turning to the Skitty. "I'm Valen the Pikipek. Nice to meet you!"

So here are some fellow explorers! Valen thought to himself. We can go here together and find this legendary Pokemon! He couldn't control his excitement. "I believe that there is a legendary Pokemon here whom Zygarde wishes to recruit. I want to help Zygarde because this could end the war between the legendary Pokemon and restore the world to normal. Do you want to join me?" Valen said.

And right then, Valen started to fly closer to the beautiful land. He could not wait to do this... except that even in all of his excitement, he was still scared, literally to the point of shaking. I'm not afraid! I can do this! he told himself, but still, he didn't fly very far, and he kept checking behind him to make sure the other two were still in sight. Then he realized that technically, neither of them had said whether they would join him yet. Hopefully they would. "Hope I didn't go too fast," he told them, trying to not sound serious.

As he approached, he soon noticed another Pokemon approach them. A Skitty. Did... Tempo meet with a Skitty, before? He tilts his head and tries to think for a bit, but he didn't seem to remember any. Ah, well. Actually, he remembered about Valen's guild. How was it going, anyway, and is it still open? He shook his head a bit. He'll ask later.

"You too, huh? I remember hearing that in a dream I had, last night. I tried helping... Shaymin, was it? And apparently there was some other Pokemon that I can't remember who it was off the top of my head, but I was busy being... let's say stuck on an island." He admitted with a bit of a chuckle. "I'm willing to help find whoever this is, but... this place is a lot more beautiful than the marsh I had to search through."

He saw Valen fly away, already. Guess he was excited... or just wants to get it over with. Also, there was still the Skitty. "Um... Excuse me, mister? Miss? Sorry, it's hard to tell, um... How are you doing? My name's Tempo."

"Ah, hullo!" Darcy said, as she seemed to be spotted before she could introduce herself. Well... This was embarrassing now, wasn't it? The Skitty gave a small little bow as she nodded at his introduction. Valen? That was an interesting name, but it sounded quite nice, to be honest... "It's nice to meet you too!" She said brightly, a large smile on her face. She wasn't sure what these two were doing here, but it didn't really matter! These two seemed friendly enough!

Darcy sat down, the cat's tail flickering lightly in the air as she listened to the other two pokemon converse. Something about Zygarde...? Who was that? The name sounded familiar... Important, somehow. She tilted her head slightly, closing her eyes as she thought before remembering:

It was from that whole holy war thing, wasn't it...? Did these two really intend to get involved in that...? But it was dangerous! And... Well, not to be rude, but she wasn't sure if they were entirely up to the task... Not to say that she was either! She'd just wanted to come sight-seeing!

"Umm... I-I'm a miss, I guess, b-but you can just call me Darcy! No need for 'Missus and all that, b-but..." She paused, looking down at the ground nervously, pawing at the blades of grass. Darcy took a few seconds before deciding to speak up. "A-Are you guys sure h-helping this Zygarde guy is a good idea...? I mean... It could be unsafe! And... t-that fight is between legendaries and stuff, and we're just n-normal Pokemon, s-so... I'm just saying. I don't know if it's such a good idea..." She finished, her body stiff as she looked between the two. She hoped they wouldn't take offense. She'd just hate to see anyone getting hurt, is all...

"Thanks, Darcy," Valen replied to Darcy. Well, certainly she has a point - this isn't exactly safe, Valen thought about what Darcy said. But... I'm not a coward. And this is necessary. Someone has to save the world; we live in it after all!

"Well, I know it isn't safe, but... I'm a guild member. Facing danger to help others is part of my job. And the world is literally what's at stake here, so I'm going to help everyone by doing this. Even if it's not an 'actual' guild mission," Valen explained. "And... it's true that I'm worried about facing legendary Pokemon, but technically, we have a legendary Pokemon giving us some kind of aid now as well, as Zygarde did inform mortals about this. I do wonder why they rely on us normal Pokemon now, and why the instructions were phrased in the way they were, but... they work in mysterious ways. Probably we are too limited to understand all of their reasons for what they do - but they have good ones." Neither Valen nor his family was particularly religious, but he had been taught to hold a decent respect for the legendaries.

Valen wondered whether to ask whether Darcy was an explorer or a member of a guild as well, but decided not to, as he had a nagging worry that it would seem rude. Not that he actually knew Darcy's thoughts, of course, but he wondered whether she would say whether she was or was not on her own some time. But now, he had managed to make himself somewhat more confident with his little speech. He still really hoped that someone would join him on this quest, though - and while he didn't know Tempo's thoughts either, he suspected that the Oshawott might join him. Hopefully, at least. And maybe Darcy too, if what he said had convinced her. "Who wants to lead us in? I certainly could, but I'm wondering if someone else happens to want to do it." he asked, hoping this would encourage them.

Pickup roll:

Shield carried out 1 launched of one Everspring Vale :

"Nice to meet you, Darcy. Unfortunately, you are right about that. Zygarde could be dangerous and secretly plans to destroy us... but for some reason, I feel like we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Besides, he keeps sending me dreams or something, and they're kinda bugging me about this. So... I guess this is also for me? I mean, look at the sky. It's so... depressing..." He said, looking up to see the ever present clouds, looming ominously over the group of Pokémon. "Let's just hurry, in case some Pokémon try to attack whoever we need to find. I... I can lead, if you want." The otter said, referring to Valen's question.

He slowly walks onward towards the path, keeping an eye out for any Pokemon out of the ordinary. It's strange, though... What Exactly will this god or something do to help? Or hurt? And what would happen to Arceus and... Darkrai, was it? Would they be stopped for good or only temporarily? Lots of questions swam through Tempo's mind, but for now, he figures to just go along with the plan and find the Pokémon.

DJOshawott carried out 4 launched of one Everspring Vale :

, , ,

Valen flew, following Tempo deeper into the Everspring Vale. He was continuing to feel excited - and more than a bit jittery. When are we going to meet Regigigas? he wondered, and what should I do when that happens? Fight... but how could I possibly fight such a powerful Pokemon? Could I try talking to Regigigas instead... but would I be heard?

And then Valen saw a glint of light from something on the ground, something that looked like a half-buried piece of metal. In his frame of mind, filled with thoughts about legends and epic quests, he wondered whether that could be an amazing treasure, maybe even linked to some legendary Pokemon. He flew down to it and picked it up and found that it was... just a TM. One that he couldn't even use himself, he found as he examined it more closely.

Well... at least... I wonder whether Tempo could use it, by any chance? I don't know whether Oshawott can, but just in case, I could show it to him, Valen thought, not noticing the sound of hoofbeats... "I was wondering, Tempo -" he was saying, holding out the TM, when a large, swiftly charging Pokemon suddenly struck him. Fortunately, the Pokemon's aim hadn't been the best, and only a relatively small part of its body had hit Valen - but it was still enough to throw him to the ground. The TM flew out of Valen's grasp, spinning through the air until it landed some distance away.

He continued down the path without much issue, at least. He did find a few things like an Oran Berry, which he pocketed for now, and some TMs. One was a TM about... digging. I mean, his webbed paws might help with digging, but he wasn't built for it. The tunnels he'll dig might just collapse in on him, too, anyway. The other was Scald, which was definitely something who can learn. So... how does this work? Maybe poke it with a paw...? Or... Maybe...

He noticed that Valen flew close with another TM in his talons/beak (Whichever he held it in) with a label that says... "Nature Power?" It doesn't seem like something that will work, unlike Scald... Before Tempo could say anything, too, the two were rudely interrupted by the charging Pokemon! It was too late for him to notice it, and he gets kicked down to the ground! He pulled his head out of the dirt and coughs a bit. "o... ow... *kaff kaff* wh... what was... that..." The otter asked, before noticing Valen flew far away... er, not like bird fly, but... Whatever. He grabs the Scald TM and runs over to help the Pikipek!

Ugh... Valen's body was still aching. He looked at the Pokemon that had just attacked him. It was large and brown, with big horns... Tauros, Valen thought, still a bit too dazed to realize that this Pokemon wasn't exactly like the descriptions of Tauros he had seen before, although he could tell that it wasn't Regigigas, at least.

Valen saw Tempo running towards him, and admitted to himself that he probably needed the help - he still wasn't able to get up. Fortunately, the Pokemon that had charged at Valen hadn't attacked immediately again, but was now snorting and looking at the two in a clearly threatening manner. Huh - where's Darcy? Valen wondered. He couldn't see her at the moment - hopefully she was okay. But Valen knew that he and Tempo might not be, as the next attack might come at any moment...

Darcy likely left to do his own thing... For now, they need to worry about their own safety, as they're being trampled an all. He looks around for it, making sure they'll be safe before helping the bird up onto his back. "We're safe. We need to run for now..." He suggested, but he trips over, the trample attack clearly causing some injuries...

Tempo grabs the TM from earlier, which seems to be glowing... before it envelops the otter, and the information on the move suddenly enters his mind instantly!

[Tempo has forgotten Water Gun and learned Scald, instead!]

As a bit of a test, he fires a burning beam of water, seeing it steaming off after it hits the ground. "I... guess that'll work, for now. Valen, you still OK?

"I... I..." Valen stammered out. I need to get up... I can't be like this when that Pokemon attacks again, he thought. Exerting himself, Valen managed to get back on his feet. "Okay now, I guess," he replied to Tempo.

There was something Valen needed to be able to do before he considered himself truly okay, he realized. To his relief, when he tried, he managed to fly. Not that high up, but enough to be out of the apparent reach of the Bouffalant, which Valen now remembered were not Tauros, even if the two Pokemon shared some similarities. He was now forming a plan...

Valen had recently learned a new move, Echoed Voice. He could attack from a somewhat greater distance with it than with the moves he knew that made contact - and it would grow stronger the more times he used it in succession. Valen flew over the Bouffalant, calling out at it with enough force to do a bit of damage. The Bouffalant clearly noticed, and with an angry bellow, tried to leap at Valen but wasn't able to reach him.

What if it attacked Tempo? Valen suddenly realized, Unfortunately, he can't fly, but I shouldn't be doing things that will put him in danger because of that. Valen, however, then thought to himself, But he would be in danger anyway, given how fast that Bouffalant could charge... I need to knock it out now. Valen quickly used Echoed Voice again, and it joined with the reverberations that were still present in the air. While the move was still relatively weak, it now did somewhat more to the Bouffalant than it had done last time.

The otter looked up to see Valen fly up and seemingly used an attack that seemed to stack onto each other... and it did seem to cause damage to the Bouffalant, who couldn't even reach the bird with its attack! But... unfortunately, it seems to have seen the Oshawott, who was in perfect tackling range! And soon, it dug his hoof into the dirt... then pushed off and ran for the Oshawott!

"N-No!!!" The Oshawott panics a little, firing another scalding water blast against his face, which distracted the Bouffalant, but not enough to stop the attack! Its head smashes into the otter's body. Tempo tried to block the blow to the best of his ability, but he simply got flung far away again, smashing into the ground, again! As he pulls himself up, he sees the Bouffalant charging again... Tempo fires more scalding water, this time starting to burn it up and weakening it!

Valen had actually found a strategy that seemed to work well against the Bouffalant - but then, as he had feared, the Pokemon had decided to attack Tempo. Valen tried to fly quickly to stop it, but he was unable to as he found himself weakening. The desperate burst of strength that had allowed him to take off earlier apparently wasn't going to last that long, and Valen feared he might soon be unable to stay in the air at all.

I need something to heal myself, Valen thought. He used his beak to go through his bag for an Oran Berry, but he ended up finding an Apple first. I need to be fast about this, he continued thinking, and managed to eat enough of it to give him just a bit more strength. By then, he managed to fly to the Bouffalant. He saw that Tempo managed to attack it with water, and the second time, the Bouffalant seemed to be... burned. How could a Water-type move cause a burn? Valen wondered, but at least it seemed to be weakening the Pokemon.

Valen used Echoed Voice on the Bouffalant once more. The power of the move was still increasing, and now it did quite a bit to the Pokemon. It wasn't knocked out yet, but it was weakened enough that Valen suspected it might be soon - and at least, as he knew, the burn would reduce the strength of its attacks.

[Energy: 0 + 5 (1 Apple) = 5]