Paradise of the Paranormal

(Energy: 22 - 16 (entry) = 6)

Creeeeaak...

The large outer door of the Ruined Chateau opened a crack, and in peeked the long face of a Girafarig, with eyes narrowed in deep focus. Damien looked about briefly before backing out and pushing the door open some more to allow himself full entry. Behind him, a floating wax candle on a porcelain plate followed, glowing faintly with psychic energy in addition to providing light through the small flame at the tip of its wick. Though Damien mainly looked serious as he entered, the corners of his mouth were starting to tick up into a small smirk of fascination. A house that's also a mystery dungeon! Not a temple, not a shrine, but a mere home. Supposedly terrible things had transpired inside, cursing the mansion and turning it into a dungeon. Imagine what one could uncover inside such an unusual place! Whatever this "curse" was, he could possibly gain an understanding of it, and use that knowledge to understand other dungeons as well. The danger of the dungeon's mysterious and eerie nature was far outweighed by the value of the intelligence he could gain, and he was eager to take the risk.

The first room Damien reached was a walk-in closet, reminiscent of those back in his former house in Aileron. Except with copious amounts of dust and unidentified dark spills on the floor and walls. And the fact that it was right by the house's entrance instead of someplace that would make more sense. It had him furrowing his brow, but he figured it was as natural for constructed dungeons to rearrange themselves as it was for the more natural ones, even if it looked weirder. There was a tall door with an ornate frame visible in the other end of the dim room, but Damien turned to the rows of clothes and pulled his candle close rather than speeding into the next part of the house. It was investigation time!

The southeastern region was uncharted territory for the nomadic ground type. To the east stood his home desert, and the most direct route to that desert had previously faced him against one of the strongest and dangerous creatures he's ever seen. Not that Yigo intended to return to the Eastern desert, not yet. This expedition was not about reaching a destination but about leaving the starting point far behind. That said, the southeastern region felt especially miserable. A big enough outpost was the only remarkable location and considered safe while the lands surrounding it are so venomous that he'd have to wrap himself in Pecha skin to pass by undisturbed.

And Yigo was hungry. It wasn't an issue yet but his supplies had almost run out. He needs to find something to eat and he has to find it today.



Creeeeaak...


The large outer door of the Ruined Chateau opened, a Sandslash pushing it from the outside until the crack was wide enough for him to make his way in. Despite the old appearance, the air was clear of poisonous smog which was a welcomed sensation. The dark didn't bother the eyes of a Pokémon known for digging tunnels but, as soon as the door behind closed, a light that pierced the dark made itself clear. It looked like a flame, flickering. Was a Charmander inside? Or does this dungeon generate candles within its shifting structure? It wouldn't surprise Yigo, the latter possibility making him smirk and wishing it was the case.

There wasn't anything wrong with investigating where that came from. Besides, if someone was around, the door hadn't made him any favors by loudly announcing that someone had come in. Worst case scenario, he can always escape back to the outside and explore the dungeon at a later time.

The coathangers made quiet scraping noises as Damien pushed the clothes aside on the rusted rod on which they hung. Behind the parted walls of fabric were more splatters and spills. He was still not able to identify what the mysterious liquid was, and it did not seem to lead anywhere either. Just random splotches and splatters all around the room. When he let the candle fly closer to the ceiling, all he uncovered was planks and an unlit hanging lamp, just as dusty as the rest of the room. Oh well, it wasn't like he had put all his hopes into finding something in the very first room anyway. Damien was about to head for the next door, when a sudden creaking sound made him abruptly turn his head.

The darkness of the closet made him grateful to have a candle. He let it descend and moved it closer to the entrance door, about halfway between him and where he believed the newcomer to be. "Who goes there? Step into the light and identify yourself." The door had just opened, so simple deduction said they'd likely be some sort of traveler or guild member from outside the dungeon exploring the place. Someone he was sure could be reasoned with. Unless some ghost was messing with him, of course. But even they might possibly be willing to comply. We'll see what kind of person they are soon enough. And if they might be of any use, he thought, assuming a broad stance as he waited for the mysterious stranger to reveal themselves.

[Energy: 32 - 16 (Dungeon entry cost) = 16]


A few steps into the chamber and the source of light was already on the move, approaching the hungry wanderer. A small candle, it turned out to be, had shifted low in his direction, halting before the light would illuminate his whole self. A request from the dim room from which the candle had departed made it clear that Yigo should be the one to fix that. It made shivers go down the spine of the ground type while a tinge of fear compelled him to comply. At first, he took a step back and gave it a few seconds to gather his thoughts and avoid giving into a panic.

Whoever said that may think themselves safe but Yigo could look into them without the need for a light. Sure, eyes can't determine colors in the dark but the general shape should be enough to tell what kind of Pokémon that was. Besides, why would Yigo obey an order? At least he had to know whether or not that who called the shots was threatening enough for him to complain. To accomplish that, he circled the candle, making sure to stay out of reach of its light, walking slowly on all fours as if he was prowling a foe. Will that who came before him tell apart what he was by his shadowy figure? Because he could tell what was inside that room. While he couldn't tell what Pokémon it was, their size and shape weren't that hard to identify. The Pokémon was tall, about double his height while looking fit unlike something like a Stantler. Moreover, around their neck, they were wearing something which gave away that they hadn't come unprepared and that they weren't feral.

Regardless, it didn't seem like an overwhelming opponent if they were to start a fight. Moreover, they were alone. Yigo's chances were, if not great, workable. That made Yigo feel confident, making him act bolder than usual "And what if I don't? I've just come in and you're already demanding  I do something" Yigo smiled, stopping in place and sitting down "I don't need a light to see you" His smile faded as soon as he said that. It was no time to feel self-congratulatory or cocky " And you don't scare me. Threaten someone else under your service"

Damien's eyes narrowed to a squint as he heard more movement on the other side of the room. Were they moving around the candle rather than simply stepping forth? He squinted harder, trying to use the now slightly stronger lighting to determine what they were and if they were doing anything else he should be worried about. They seemed to be walking on four legs, and Damien thought he could see the light reflect on pointy spikes on their body. Perhaps it was a Jolteon? No, the walking was all wrong. It was too close to the ground. They even seemed to have large claws, sort of like a Sneasel. That was no Jolteon. And they had ample weapons.

He took a step back, working his head hard to predict what this pokémon was going to do. They were clearly avoiding the light, and seemed to move in an odd, almost predatory way. Had he been wrong about them being civilized...? Damien was about to urge his tail to help deter the mysterious figure, when they finally spoke up.

"Threaten?" Damien scoffed. "It is not a threat; it is mere insurance. I only demand it to be sure of what you are and what you want. And I believe the way you are acting is proof that attaining such insurance is a good idea." While his tone was condescending and rife with smartassery, he was still analyzing the situation hard behind the mask. The stranger had claimed to not need light to see; that was bad. With the now heightened chance of him being hostile, that was a disadvantage Damien did not like. And while the stranger's confidence was admirable, it was also threatening. How did they compare in terms of power? Damien was sure he would not lose to some random passerby in a dungeon, but he wanted to have a comfortable grasp of the situation and his options if push came to shove.

"You are hiding because you have violent intentions, yes? I see no reason to refuse if you come in peace." He took another step back, keeping up the egoshow while also quickly eyeing what little of his surroundings were still visible. There were lots of clothes, so maybe cluttering the battlefield via telekinesis could help mess up the visibility? The coathangers would not make for good blunt force weapons for his Confusion, but  twisting them could potentially yield some useful tools. If he got into a fight with someone who could beat him in sheer strength, he would just have to get crafty instead.

Such defiance by the stranger's part! Not only were they refusing to back down their demand, but they were doubling down and accusing Yigo of having violent intentions. That made him growl under his teeth and making them visible as if to drive someone away from him. That Pokemon spoke with fine words, like that chaos Pokémon Yigo liked, yet lacked tact or respect. It was getting under his skin.

"Violent intentions?!" Yigo was now visibly angered, raising his arms and upset at that claim. He had done nothing wrong! "That light is easy to snuff out. You are cornered and would have to get past me to escape. Even if you could fly, the height of this place works against it" Yigo scoffed, stomping the floor with both of his front paws "If I wanted to attack you, I wouldn't have wasted my time talking to you..." His words may look as if he was doubling down on the threats but, coupled with a weaker tone, someone perceptive enough could tell that he's been wounded. His snout turned away from the room and directed itself to the side, further into the residence. There were certainly other ways by which Yigo could proceed into the dungeon further. This stranger was rude though it didn't seem like a danger to the Sandslash "Don't you just assume. Now, leave me alone"

The voice ended up quiet in volume. Soon, Yigo would leave his sitting stance and get back into motion, walking away from that candle and hopefully leaving that brat behind. As his claws clicked against the ruined fabric of a carpet that covered the hallway, Yigo looked at them and felt some longing. Not for someone or somewhere but the shape he had before his evolution. Other Pokémon thought he was cute in the past, but now? He looked terrifying, hideous even. Yigo growled to himself further, stopping at some crossroads from which he had to decide what door to pick should he want to continue. Did it matter which one to choose? He's going to follow whichever path he opens regardless.

Damien contemplated backing off some more when the stranger grew mad, but decided against it. Instead he stood by, listening (while just barely holding back his refutations) to what he at first believed to be threats. However, there was something off about this stranger's voice as he spoke. What's up with this reaction? Is he sad? Why? His brows briefly furrowed in confusion and slight annoyance as he watched the stranger's still shrouded figure turn away, being obscured further by the darkness as he left. Damien's face went blank for a good couple of seconds after that, like his mind was buffering and loading what was happening. Then, almost with a little "ping!", his thoughts gathered to form his next course of action.

"Why are you so upset about this? You understand why I did it, don't you? Hey!" he called out, hastily trotting after the other pokémon while pulling the candle along. His tone was oddly similar to the one of a child demanding attention. Which did make sense, seeing as he was doing something quite similar. He just felt so insulted that this random stranger had decided that he, Damien Neimad, was not worth talking to. Walking away like that was unacceptable! On top of that, he was talking as if he could beat him so easily, like he was of no threat to him whatsoever. The stranger could attack and fight him or he could cooperate and discuss the dungeon with him, but an end like this was just plain unfitting for someone like him. Even if the stranger turned out to be useless to him or even dangerous, he demanded proper acknowledgement!

Scypho carried out 6 launched of one Ruined Chateau :

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Yigo could choose between heading to the left, to the right, or straight ahead. The choice was meaningless since he can't foresee what was at the end of the paths unless they are dead-ends. With that in mind, the Sandslash chose to head to the left door, getting on his hind feet to open the door with his claws. But it wasn't going to be that easy, now was it? That Pokémon, the one Yigo was hoping to leave behind and forget about,  kept nagging him with an even more annoying tone.

It made Yigo cringe, taking a step back and resisting to turn around and lash out at them. But the Pokémon had to pick on the fact that Yigo was upset, had they? Although the question they brought up was reasonable, Yigo had since given in to his emotions  " "Hey" what?!" He shot back, turning around and examining the Pokémon now that the light was closer to them. The gear and clothing they were wearing would mistake him for a student back at Peak Academy. Not that it made Yigo ease on his methods. He got back onto all fours, lowering his snout and raising his rear as if he were to pounce onto the stranger while the tip of his claws pierced and ripped the old carpet.

"I told you to leave me alone!" Despite being battle-ready, his voice was even more nervous than before, even sounding desperate. Was he feeling afraid? Of this wimp? "Back off!"

(Energy: 6 - 10 = 0)

"I am merely questioning you!" Now that he was closer, Damien looked the stranger over, identifying him as a Sandslash. With how his spines and claws had looked back then, it annoyed him that he had not realized that sooner. A Jolteon, as if! He also noted he was wearing a Stamina Band, and thought that must mean he was more than a little acquaintanced with dungeons. That was equipment meant for long treks, so unless he had chosen it by pure chance he must be exploring rather long ones. He might even be fairly experienced with them. Too bad Damien was too busy interrogating and reprimanding this guy to him about this dungeon.

He caught on to the Sandslash sounding scared, the way Damien would expect him to sound if he were truly cornered and in danger, but the discovery only served to confuse him. Did this guy have a bad history with being questioned or something? Was Damien a threat to him in a way he was unaware of? "You are acting as if I just told you I will terminate you. Relax and answer me; what do you mean by "waste your time"? If anyone should feel upset here it is-"

His voice was muffled by a loud "bonk" coming from the door closest to them. Something had hit it head on, and the door creaked open to reveal a Hatenna knocked down by the impact. Her body stirred with an attempt to get up, but it got her nowhere. A woozy "Ow-ow-ow..." came out as she moved one rickety hair-flap to her face to cover the hurt area.

Damien's head turned to the newcomer, his teeth visible and gritted in annoyance at the interruption. "What the hell?" he muttered, scowling at her. Yet there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Didn't Hatenna usually avoid conflict?

That stranger just won't stay away! Yigo grew anxious by the second and the lack of space that the annoying dungeoneer was giving him served to provoke an increasingly hostile reaction from the Sandslash. He just had to wait for an opening to act. His stance grew meaner by the second, shuffling his footing so as a future charge has a better start and withdrawing a single claw with which to do the name Sand-slash justice.

So distracted he was with this plan that, just when he had the perfect opportunity to go at him and had jerked into motion, a slam on the door that Yigo had been mere seconds away from opening cracked it open. Yigo had to change his momentum by dashing to the side, using one of his claws for balance and planting the other firmly on the ground, expecting the exchanges between him and his harasser to have drawn in a dungeon dweller ready and primed for battle. Instead, a small, hurting Pokémon was the cause of the door opening and, by the looks of it, she may have been hurled against it.

Some further examination gave away that she couldn't even get up on her own. What happened? She looks harmless! And young! Yigo's guesses had shifted his attitude from lonesome and hostile to a more caring side of himself. He had abandoned his battle-ready stance and was approaching to aid her in a worried rush. Hopefully, with a bit of help, he can get her back on her feet while taking a glimpse of what may have caused her pain. "There, there..." He spoke softly, trying to soothe her and, done that, he raised her and placed her back on her feet, releasing her right after that. "Are you alright?"

Yigo wasn't sure if the Pokémon could speak or not. Not like it mattered since any action she does right after the question should be enough answer. Now, for a more interesting question, what kind of Pokémon was this well-dressed, well-spoken yet disrespectful brat. Was he going to take advantage of this situation and exploit it or is he going to concern himself with it and get involved?

PrimordialPrim carried out 10 launched of one Ruined Chateau :

, , , , , , , , ,

Vexation sparked in Damien yet again at the focus fully shifting from his interrogation and over to the Hatenna, but he refrained from showing it in a way that would be clear. He would deal with that Sandslash later. Instead, he stayed quiet, merely watching the Hatenna and the hallway she had come from. For now, it seemed oddly empty. Had she run into the door on her own, then...? He was starting to think the newcomer might be some kind of idiot or klutz. Observing her closely, he looked for something that would prove his suspicions wrong.

Right now she was making a second attempt at pushing herself up from the floor, managing it with the Sandslash's help. Damien did not swoop in to help, yet moved a little closer due to curiosity. Curiosity directed at both her and the ground-type. He had seemed about ready to fly at Damien's throat earlier, so the flip-switch in behaviour came as a surprise. The way he was now asking her if she was alright and letting go to let her catch her balance again reminded him of the gentleness of the nurses in Rainfront Town's medical clinic. She, in turn, did seem calmed as she got back on her feet. "I-I think so..." came as an answer to the question she had been asked. It was followed by a second or two of silence, before she seemed to notice something.

"W-wait! You're not from here, are you? T-then... You're... Uaaaah!" With that, she twitched back, almost toppling herself over again in the process.

"We are what? Explorers or visitors, I presume? That much was obvious from the start, was it not?"

That clarification did little to calm the Hatenna, who only grew more defensive in posture.

"S-so you're the ones who've got Monique, then... That was what made me detect those emotions..." She looked to be thinking hard, steeling herself and overcoming the fear and stress that was shaking her body. Though she briefly gave the Sandslash a conflicted glance, she did at last manage to gather her determination and let out a shout. "I-I'll fight you! If it might get Monique back, I'll f-fight you!!"

[Energy: 16 - 18 (Rolls after applying Stamina Band reduction) => 0]


The Pokémon seemed fine, calm and safe. It was a great relief to Yigo, giving him a slight smile. The small creature got back on her feet and spoke, confirming Yigo's suspicion. As expected, she wanted to know who they were and Yigo would have answered with his name but he didn't have the chance. The other roamer spoke first with his usual lack of tact, which earned him a frown from the ground type. Being so complacent when she was assessing the situation didn't change Yigo's opinion on him.

But that wasn't far from what he expected. All bark, no bite. That guy was harmless or he would have done something by now. What Yigo wasn't expecting was for the kid to accuse them of taking some other Pokémon away from her. The Sandslash's ears dropped and his smile faded. He didn't even want to answer that, stepping away from the disturbed creature and holding one of his arms with a paw while he looked away. He knows that she is just making wild guesses by it still hurts. What's with everyone accusing him of whatever comes to their mind? To that, Yigo had no response. He wanted to leave, to go away and to escape from those who would disrespect or wound me. But this Pokémon had the wrong idea and leaving would just make it worse, perhaps having her make wilder and worse assumptions while causing trouble for him in the future.

It was then when he saw a shadow of his past self in that Pokémon, more afraid than anything, wanting to change a bad situation without having any semblance of power to make her wish come true. "Don't you just assume" He spoke, coming to him naturally. Those words were the same ones spoke to him when he was in her situation, even when he thought of them as meaningless "I won't ask you to calm down. Attack me until I can't get up if that will take your anger out..." So familiar... those words...

A soft rumbling sound came from Yigo. Even with the Stamina Band making sure he can be on the move for longer without a proper meal, he still has to eat and will faint if he doesn't find something. This situation is not only delaying him but stressing him down. And the clock is ticking.

At this point, Damien was starting to suspect all the pokémon he would meet in this house would have hair trigger tempers of some sort. His ears twitched up in surprise at the Sandslash even letting her indulge in that excessive rage. He had no interest in seeing that mopey beatdown happen, and letting it would surely not give him answers to his questions. "Even if he will not ask you to calm down, I definitely will. Sit right down and listen!" The Hatenna seemed like she was about to either protest or come at him, but Damien stomped a hoof loudly against the floor as if to tell her to quit it.

"We do not have your friend, whoever she may be. I know for myself that I just entered this dungeon, and I am quite positive that he-" Damien lightly tipped his head to the side to point at the Sandslash. "-did as well. Fighting over this would be pointless. Now tell us: what is going on in here? Who is this 'Monique'?"

Before she could speak up or get started with whatever she had thought to do before, a rumble was heard, prompting both her and the Girafarig to look at the Sandslash. Neither said anything, but the Hatenna looked at the floor for a moment, questioning her aggressive stance in the situation some more as something like worry or pity set in. The explorer sounded so hungry...

"W-well! Monique is a Misdreavus, and she's disappeared! The others said explorers came and took her, so I looked for them. Someone was f-feeling strong emotions over here, so I thought something was g-going on in this room, and... and then I found you! If you haven't got her, then what were you doing?" Though still accusatory, her hostile tone sounded more forced this time. One of those two was adamantly refuting her, while the other acted nothing like how she expected a kidnapper to act. Was this really a misunderstanding after all...?

The explorer had a point in doing the explaining, but Yigo thought that providing evidence was not worth it when the listener is overwhelmed by emotions. It turns out that the Girafarig was right in explaining, even if he was harsh in his methods and intimidating to some point. With the little one on the same page as them, it was only a matter of asking for more information, something the two managed to achieve.

"Miss-drea-bus" Yigo mumbled, mostly to himself. That was a ghost type if he wasn't misremembering things. The prospect of having to look for one in a mysterious manor, where many more could be hiding wasn't all that appealing "When I came in, there was no one else outside. If she's recently gone missing, she has to still be inside" It was some solid rationalizing. If they were, in fact, explorers who caught her, they must be interested in reaching the depths of the dungeon. Looking for them at the very heart of the chateau was not only where they'll most likely find the troublemakers but encountering food on the way was more than expected.  

"I came here to gather any food I can find" Yigo finally revealed his motives. He didn't mind telling the little one but the brat didn't deserve any information from him based on how he treats anyone "It's a Mystery Dungeon and I'm hungry, but this Pokémon wouldn't leave me alone ever since I came in" Hopefully that'd suffice as an explanation "They didn't have any Pokémon with them from what I saw"

So, neither Damien nor the Sandslash had seen anyone outside, and nobody had seemed to leave either. Assuming that there existed only one exit and that the kidnappers could not leave in some other way, the Sandslash was probably right. Why they had not yet left, despite so much time passing that several pokémon had found out about the crime was an interesting question, though. Weren't they done? Maybe they could not find the right way out again? Though Damien found the thought humorous, it did make sense in a mystery dungeon.

The funny theories his imagination came up with for why the culprits were stuck were, however, quickly shoved aside as his companion spoke some more. "Yes, I came alone too. But you do realize why I would not leave you, right? That thing you said earlier, I wanted to discuss-"

The Hatenna, who was still stressed out and awaiting closure on her question, butted in.
"Alright, s-so you supposedly don't have Monique, you're hungry, he's bothering you and you both came alone, but that still doesn't explain it! It's like you're saying all that was just annoyance or something. It doesn't sound like something that would cause that much emotion!"

Damien sighed, straightening his glasses through telekinesis to redirect the annoyance of yet another interruption somewhere that wasn't his voice. "Let me speak and I will answer you. I was questioning this Sandslash about something he said, and he got highly defensive for some reason or another. That is what I believe he means to refer to. And it was worse earlier, believe me. I think that caused the emotion you detected. Not us victimizing your friend." Alright, maybe there was a bit of aggression left over. There probably were more neutral ways to explain that. It seemed to get the point across to a certain degree, at least, judging by how the Hatenna was silent, seeming to think about what the two had said. Then she slumped down, facing the floor rather than them. She seemed more hollow now than angry, like accepting that she most likely had been wrong had set her back to square one. Then there was the wasted time...