SF-002: "Shadowhue Forest"

Mission Information:

Phosphor squinted down at the mission in his hands with a frown. The items wouldn't be the hard part, but tracking down the client without being able to see them... yeah, that was high-stakes if he messed it up, so he was a little nervous. The Ralts shifted his weight, trying to come up with a game plan. He could probably sense the client via emotions? The damn ability actually came in handy for once, who figured.

The wrench in the plan was the weird bird pokemon.

The little pink-and-blue 'mon had somehow gotten itself tangled upside down in a tree, it's gears whirling sadly as it tried to free itself. Phosphor lifted an eyebrow, trying to figure out how to get the stranger down. "Er... do you need help?" He offered, a bit awkwardly, but with good enough intentions.

"Hello." It answered, because 'hello' is how you begin a conversation. The pokemon flapped it's flippers(?) in a rather sad attempt to escape it's current predicament, before finally offering what it considered a concise explanation. "I am stuck."

Phosphor's Energy: 3
Tec's Energy: 9

Alki wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do. This mission would be the easiest thing in the world, if it weren't for... Well... It wasn't the Mimikyu's fault! But it was scary. Darcy had explained everything about Mimikyu, and even wanted to come along with them! ...But the doctor had said that was a bad idea. She needed to rest, after hitting her head so hard.

Supposedly, a Squirtle had fallen on it. According to her. Darcy wasn't one to lie! Maybe she was confused.

Focus.

Here she was. Jumping at every little shadow; because that's what Mimikyu were, right? But they were also so scary they could kill you. Small, kill-y shadows. Alki stuck close to Phosphor, attempting to navigate as best she could with her eyes half-closed. Figures it'd be in Shadowhue. Where everything was a shadow.

Phosphor was addressing someone. Alki jumped, following the sound of his voice, before bumping into him. Oops. She mumbled her apologies, before directing her gaze downards.

Hello. She heard from above her. What an odd voice. It sounded like a dream voice. Oddly... Flat? It was unique, that was for sure. I am stuck.

Ok, she shold probably open her eyes for this. If Phosphor hadn't been spooked to death yet, the Mimikyu... Probably wasn't here.

"Oh..." Alki mumbled, staring up at the... What Pokemon was that?? She'd never seen one before... "Do... Erm... H-How... d-did you get up there...?"

So Phosphor didn't love that he was bringing a twelve-year-old into a forest with a very lethal shadow lurking around, and he was questioning his life choices right about now, but it was too late to send her back. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, accepting his fate as a babysitter. To Alki, yes, but he was worried that this strange Pokemon might also need to be looked after. It spun it's flippers again, trying to paw it's way out of the tree with little success.

"The prime directive of the Windrose Scouts is to find and catalogue new discoveries." He explained, still in that weird, flat voice. "Robin Pyralis once wrote about the trees in this mystery dungeon. I am searching for more anomalies." Windrose Scouts? Phosphor wasn't sure what that was, but it must be an... eventful group, with members like this. He squinted up at the odd pokemon, trying to figure out how to get it out of the tree, but he didn't have any good ideas yet.

"I still don't know how you got stuck in the tree..." Phosphor bemoaned, a frown creasing his face. The stranger only stared, as if trying to process the question.

"I was searching for new discoveries. I fell." He explained simply, if not very helpfully. Well... this was a civilian, and he was a guild member. Any weirdness aside, he had a duty to help out.

"Oh! R-Robin! I know her!" Alki exclaimed, eyes widening, before a shadow caught her attention, behind the strange newcomer. The Jigglypuff jumped, covering her eyes as she directed her gaze back at the ground. "She's nice," She continued, before thinking over the strange Pokemon's predicament. Phosphor had a point. How did this happen?

"I c-can c-climb the tree t-to help, if y-you w-want me to, Phosphor," Alki said, rocking back and forth, as she turned to face the Ralts' general direction, eyes shut tightly. She'd have to open them to help, but until then, it was better to be safe than sorry, right? Her ears quivered as she kicked at the ground, before turning to face the general direction of Robin's... Friend? Colleague?

"D-Don't worry, we'll get you d-down... s-somehow...?"

The Jigglypuff kicked at the ground. She'd have to open her eyes to know where to actually teleport to, let alone knowing what to actually do once she was up there, but... Well, Phosphor seemed smart. He could figure something out for both of them, surely?

They weren't getting anywhere fast. This stranger wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, and Alki kept jumping at shadows. This mission had already gone, just... so off the rails. Phosphor crouched next to Alki, shooting her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "That'd be a big help, Alki. Thank you." He wasn't great with kids, but he was trying his best. Encouragement wouldn't hurt, right?

"I will be fine if you break the branch." Tec informed them helpfully.
"I am very durable." It was true, Porygon was very hard to break. He didn't feel pain, either. Or at least, being damaged didn't distress him in the way that it seemed to with organic pokemon. He craned his beak to peak at the branch holding him hostage, and... confirmed that yes, he was still very stuck.

Phosphor dug through his bag, frowning in thought as he sorted through his items, trying to find something that'd help him knock the strange pokemon down. Rainy orb? No, that was useless. Iron thorns? He supposed he could try to throw them at the branch and break them, but that just sounded like a good way to waste some items. Out of ideas, he glanced back at Alki, offering a slight smile.

"I think we've just gotta break the branch. Don't worry, there's no one else around. I'd be able to sense them." He confirmed, tapping his horn. He could sense emotions, sure, but the weird part was that it... wasn't working right. He wasn't getting anything from the stranger at all. That alone set off an alarm bell, quietly deep in thought as he tried to figure out what to make of it.

Maybe he was sick? Or something about that adventure through the portal had broken something about his horn? Not that it would be all bad, the thing was a pain, but the third option that crossed his mind unsettled him far more. Did this pokemon have any emotions at all?

No. That'd be ridiculous. It must just be a weird psychic type with some counter-abilities, or... something, he told himself, shooting a skeptical look up at the pink and blue pokemon.

Tec's rolls:

Venusian carried out 9 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

, , , , , , , ,

Phosphor's rolls:

Venusian carried out 3 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

, ,

Alki's eyes peaked open as Phosphor addressed her, crouching beside her and offering a large smile. He was already thanking her, and that meant that she couldn't disappoint! Alki exhaled a shaky breath, as the strange new Pokemon offered her some... Well, information. She wasn't sure of its usefulness, but it was the thought that counts! And even if he was durable, she still felt the tiniest bit bad about just... dropping him. But if it couldn't be helped, it couldn't be helped, she supposed.

"Ok..." Alki said shakily, nodding at the Ralts as she offered him her own small smile. It was comforting to know that he trusted her, at the very least. "I'll d-do my b-best..."

The Jigglypuff turned to face the strange pokemon, still suspended in the tree. "Ok, I... m-might be a bit, t-though, I'm n-not... t-the strongest." She said, before teleporting into the tree, behind the newcomer. Just cut the branch, huh? Well, that was simple enough. Alki leaned on the trunk of the tree, staring down at Phosphor. Arceus, she was high up. The girl placed a hand on a darkened patch of the trunk, extracting a bit of shadow, before sharpening it like a saw. She placed her hidden power against the branch in question, before beginning to saw it.

"So, ya' know Robin? H-How'd ya meet?" Alki asked as she worked. It was slow going, and she was hardly the epitome of physical strength, and her arm was already growing exhausted. Balancing on the branch was hard too. While she was up here, at least she could make some small talk though. "Ya know, I helped her on a report once? That's how we met. Also... Um. I d-don't mean to b-be rude, but... W-What species are you?"

Mada carried out 10 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

, , , , , , , , ,

Dropping the strange pokemon wasn't ideal, but Phosphor couldn't think of a more graceful way to do it, and the pokemon seemed unconcerned by the idea. That was... good? Maybe not. He wasn't really sure. It wasn't as bad as it could be, he settled on that. Nor did he seem bothered by the idea that this might take a moment, only staying statue still in his little perch in the branches.

Tec mused over the question for a long moment. "I have not met Robin Pyralis in person. I have only read her reports." He answered. "She is a fellow member of the Windrose Scouts. I am aiming to make new discoveries like she has."

Robin Pyralis, huh? Phosphor hadn't heard the name before, but apparently Alki had met her. The Jigglypuff clearly had a good impression of her, so that'd have to be good enough for him. He continued on to her second question without missing a beat. "I am a Porygon." He explained, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

That being said... he didn't really know a lot about Porygons. He was the only one he had ever encountered. He wasn't pleased by that idea, though he couldn't identify why. "Porygon are normal types, though we can change our types in response to certain stimuli."

He would offer more information, but truth be told, that was... all he really had to offer. Having knowledge so incomplete was not preferable. He glanced back towards Alki. "What are you?" He returned the question, naive to the fact that asking it so bluntly could be considered a bit rude.

(Well, damn, I have to roll again after that. Giving Phosphor an oran berry and giving Tec a Clear Gummi.)
Phosphor:

Venusian carried out 7 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

, , , , , ,

Tec:

Venusian carried out 1 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

Alki nodded as she worked. Slow going, but she was getting there! Maybe... Halfway through the branch now? This... Porygon, as he called himself, wasn't a very emotional type, it seemed. His voice was flat and informative, like a teacher bored with their job. But even then, not quite, it was...

Arceus, she wished she was smarter so she could put her thoughts in order...

He wasn't a bad guy, she finally concluded.

And besides, he was a member of the scouts too! Just like Robin, and just like Russell. That meant, for all his oddities, surely he'd be just as intelligent as the others?

"Oh!" Alki exclaimed in surprise, as he asked her a question. He was facing her now, and she blushed. Why was he asking her? Her mind worked overtime, trying to arrive at a conclusion. Nothing made sense!

Unless... Maybe it was a softball on purpose? So she could answer correctly, and feel better about herself?

Well, that was kind of him.

"I-I'm a j-jigglypuff!" Alki finally stammered, resuming her sawing, only now realizing she'd stopped in the first place. "I-I'm a normal t-type, and... Um, a-also Fairy type. I'm both." She paused, smiling at the Porygon, before working up the courage to ask another question.

"Are... R-Robin's reports good? I can't... actually read them. But the handwriting, it's... r-really pretty! All loopy, and... Um... Yeah..." She looked back down at the branch, eyes widening as she realized she was almost done.

Correction: She was done.

"WATCHOUTSORRYIMDONE" The Jigglypuff cried out, before teleporting back down to the ground, again, bumping into Phosphor in her urgency. She should've been paying more attention!

She should apologize. Once... Once he'd picked himself up a bit.

A Jigglypuff, a normal and fairy type. Tec filed that away for future reference. "Thank you." He said, because that was what you said after someone helped you. He looked down at the bipedal pokemon on the ground, Phosphor crossing his arms as those creepy, empty eyes focused on him. "What are you?" The weird pokemon asked him, and frankly Phosphor wasn't sure how to answer that question.

"Phosphor." He answered back, somewhat uncertain. "I'm... a psychic type?" He offered. He wasn't really sure what answer he was looking for, but the bird-like pokemon seemed satisfied with his answer, offering another "thank you" before turning back towards Alki in one robotic motion.

Tec filed that down accordingly, too. So these pokemon were a Jigglypuff and a Phosphor. Back to the Jigglypuff's next question, what would constitute a good report? Reports were supposed to have information in them, and Robin's did, so he could guess that her reports counted as 'good'. She had completed her assigned objective. "Her reports are good." He confirmed. "Her writing is very loopy. Regardless, the reports-"

The branch snapped, and Phosphor was unceremoniously bowled over by the teleporting Jigglypuff. "Owww..." He groaned, letting himself stay flopped over on his back for a moment. He needed the rest. This had been a long day. He eventually managed to pick himself up, dusting off the leaves and shaking off his hands.

Tec, meanwhile, was much less daunted, despite his fall. The Porygon hadn't stopped talking as he plummeted down, nor had he stopped now, even though his angular body had buried him into the dirt face-first. "-contain a vast amount of information." The muffled voice continued, seemingly with no signs of stopping. "I am using them as a benchmark for when I write reports."

"U-um, excuse me, are you the rescue team...?" Piped a very, very small voice from the shadows, sounding more than a little bit confused.

"YESWEAREPLEASEDONTCOMEOUT," Alki cried out the moment she heard the small voice, off in the distance. It was soft, and quiet, and asking for a rescue team. That was them! Well, technically, there were two rescue teams, but semantics hardly mattered much right now.

It was the Mimikyu! Her eyes had long since closed, and she hoped, dearly, that everyone else's were too. For their sake... But she couldn't really check, could she?

Wait. The Porygon hadn't come with them? He wouldn't know about this! Alki hopped up and down, unsure what to do with this new anxious energy. Everything was so stressful! Her arms were shaking as she held them close to her chest, ears quivering as she yelled out at the Porygon.

"PORYGONCLOSEYOUREYESITSMIMIKYUDONTDIEPLEASE" Alki cried out. She felt the tiniest bit bad that she hadn't caught his name. She'd have to ask him, after she'd apologized. To him, and to Phosphor. But this was more important! He could get... Well... Hurt. She wouldn't want that!

"W-We are!" She finally said, after collecting herself. She ceased her small hops, as she tried to regain control of her shaking arms. Her eyes were shut tight, and likely would be for the next... However long this mission took. "B-B-But please d-don't come out yet, I... W-We...'re not r-ready..."

"O-oh. Okay. No rush I guess..."

"Hello. What kind of pokemon are you?" Said Tec, helpfully, a good chunk of his head still buried in the dirt. He would have turned to face the Mimikyu, if he wasn't stuck. Still, he listened to Alki's concerns, obeying the order to close his eyes. Don't die? That was... open-ended, but he would try to follow directions.

Oh god, the poor client. Phosphor buried his face in his hands. Part of it was out of survival, the rest out of embarrassment. This was humiliating, his poor pride was in pieces. Alki was twelve, what excuse did he have for this circus show? "Alki, please! I'm sure the client doesn't want to hurt you." He tried to reassure her, though with his own eyes closed, he wasn't sure he was even facing her. Probably not, knowing his luck.

"D-don't worry, I'm hiding! I'm a Mimikyu, p-people get really hurt if they look at me... I'm in the bush, so you should be fine... but just to be safe, d-don't look this way, please..." The Mimikyu answered, trying to reassure her as best as he could. Which probably wasn't very well, considering that he was the exact thing she was scared of. Phosphor rubbed his eyes, trying to think of a way to salvage this situation.

"I'm Phosphor." He introduced himself to the ground, feeling pretty stupid. "Phosphor Arcadio of Team Daybreak, and that's Alki from... Team Friendship Alliance." Please, Zamazenta, guard him. Let him get out of this with some dignity intact. No offense to Darcy's choice of team names, but...

"We've brought the items you asked for." Phosphor added, desperately trying to seem a little bit professional, placing a Cacnea Spike and a Special Band on the ground by his feet. "Is there anything else that we can do for you?"

"I-if you wouldn't mind, you could make sure no one comes this way while I'm fixing my costume? I don't wanna hurt anyone..."

"I am stuck." Said Tec, helpfully.

"A-Ah, sorry! Sorry!" Alki exclaimed to the Mimikyu. That had been rude, hadn't it? Even if it could kill her, Phosphor was right. He wouldn't want to. Why would he have post the mission if he did? She took a few deep breaths, eyes still shut tight nonetheless. Phosphor seemed to be handling the talking, and honestly, she was grateful for that. She didn't think she'd be able to talk to the client properly. She felt bad. She'd have to apologize to it too. But... once his costume was finished.

"W-We can do that!" Alki stammered, ears still quivering, even as she got her hands under control. "Um, w-what... Er... w-where should we... Uh, g-go, P-Phosphor, t-to do that? And... Um... Is the, uh, Porygon, uh... Ok? And, uh, s-sorry... " She finished her questioning with an apology, directed at... Well, everyone present.

Phosphor seemed to have everything under control. Why had she come again?

Despite Alki's confidence that he had everything under control, Phosphor would argue that he absolutely did not. He sure didn't feel like he did, anyways. With his back turned to the Mimikyu, Phosphor gave the girl what he hoped was a reassuring pat on her head. "Everyone's fine." He hoped that was comforting. The Porygon... well, he still had his face stuck in the ground, but he seemed unbothered by that.

"I am undamaged." Tec informed them, his eyes still shut after Alki's command. Phosphor heaved a sigh, straining to lift the Porygon back out from the ground. He hated his noodle arms. Finally the Porygon was pulled from the ground with an unceremonious 'pop'.

"Everyone's fine, but keep your eyes shut, Porygon, Alki." He heard some scampering from behind him, and a quick retreat back into the bushes. The Mimikyu must have grabbed the items, he figured, now they just needed to protect the client until the job was done.

The client's voice was a little bit bolder now, perhaps gaining a bit of his lost confidence back now that he had the items he needed to fix his costume. "W-well, if anyone comes by, it'd probably be through the entrance of the dungeon. I'll stay hidden just in case, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't want anyone to see me like this..."

And, of course, because nothing could go right on this gods-forsaken mission, Phosphor could only bury his head in his hands as Mimikyu let out a startled squeak, and a call broke through the air, a chatter of children's voices quickly approaching.

"We finally get to go into the cool dungeon!"

"Field! Trip! Field! Trip!"

"Alright, class! Let's all go over the rules one more time." A teacher said, to a chorus of disappointed sighs. Phosphor, for his part, still hadn't taken his face out of his hands.

"You've got to be fu-" Oh shit, Darcy's sister, she was like, seven? Ten? He was bad at telling ages but she was definitely too young to hear him swearing. "-... fudging... kidding me."

Truly, no one had suffered as he had.

Alki did a perfect job of obeying exactly what Phosphor told her to do. She kept her eyes shut, very, very tightly, and her face directed squarely at the ground. What else was she supposed to do? She wanted to help Phosphor out a bit more, but she also very much didn't want to look in the wrong direction. The Mimikyu had said he was in a bush. How was she supposed to know which bush?

"I want fudge..." She said softly to herself. That sounded incredible right about now. It was better than dealing with... whatever their current predicament was. A cacophony of voices, off in the distance, but growing louded and louder. Approaching them. Kids...?

One of them even sounded like her.

"P-Phosphor...? W-What... What do you want me to do?" The jigglypuff asked, rather unhelpfully. She felt bad, just being dead weight on the mission, and perhaps her voice betrayed this. She ambled her way towards the Porygon, bumping into him, before patting his... Whatever she was patting. She couldn't quite see.

"Are you sure y-you're ok? D-Don't open your eyes, a-alright...?"

Tec could feel a pat on his... leg? Flipper, perhaps? He had never thought to assign a name to it. The duo had reiterated three times now that he needed to keep his eyes closed. "You do not need to remind me. I am good at following orders." With the eternal monotone, it was hard to tell whether he was even trying to reassure or scold her. He stayed still, his eyes still closed. He would wait until he had further instructions.

Phosphor finally steadied himself, gently taking Alki by the shoulder and guiding her away from the Mimikyu's bush. Okay, this was something Alki could help him with. He just needed to give her some direction. That was fine, that was his job as the leader. "You can open your eyes, Alki, it's okay. We just need to distract them while Mimikyu's fixing up his costume, okay? Don't worry, you're a guild pokemon, they'll love you." He flashed her a smile before picking up his pace, bursting through a bush to wave to the class, dozens of awed eyes turning on him.

"Hi. Phosphor here, I'm a guild pokemon, I'm afraid you guys are gonna have to wait a minute. We're just wrapping up some guild business here." He waved his hand, flinching somewhat at the chorus of disappointed awwwwws. Shit. Uh, improvise, Phosphor. "But we can answer some questions about the guild while you're waiting!"

"Guilds are boring..." A Shroomish said, "The bad guys are cooler."

"What rank are you?" A Ledian asked, looking up at him with curiosity, and Phosphor held back a sigh. "How many points do you have?!"

"... None, yet. I'm just grey rank for now."

Another chorus of awwws, complete with one shrill voice of a Flabebe volunteering "This guy's a noob."

An Ambipom and a Noctowl, seeming to be teachers, were trying to calm down the crowd without much success. Phosphor could tell already that this was gonna be a long day.