The Island that Time Forgot

Valen had finally reached Ancient Island, not only with his power of flight, but also a few friendly Water-types who had let him rest on them when he was feeling tired. There hadn't been any specific mission that had made him come here - he had just heard there were ancient Pokemon and plants that could only be found here, and decided that writing up a report on the place and its features would be useful for the Windrose Scouts. Indeed, along with his other supplies, he was also carrying ink and paper to take notes, but unlike for his trip to Pecha Forest, it didn't seem that anyone else had written a report on this island so far. There was also a rare and powerful item Valen had finally managed to buy earlier - a Flyinium Z, a crystal which could change an ordinary Flying-type move into a devastating "Z-move." It seemed that now, the only move he knew that was actually Flying-type was Mirror Move, but still, he thought it might be helpful, especially because of the claims that Pokemon here were particularly aggressive.

Valen looked around. He didn't see any other Pokémon at the moment, and the beach looked fairly normal, with just some very tall trees with big leaves at the top growing there. That did remind him about some unusual things that he had heard and already written down, although not from the Scouts. One was that there had been reports of traps helping rather than harming those who triggered them, and that some Pokémon claimed this was due to a "forest protector." Also, the Pokemon he had met while traveling here had mentioned oddly powerful and long-lasting storms had happened some time back - although thankfully, while Valen had been traveling, the seas had remained fairly calm. Valen wasn't sure whether anything on the island would give clues to either of these, but it was worth keeping in mind. He wrote brief notes on the (not terribly interesting) scenery in this part of the island, but still made sure to watch out for danger.

[Energy: 22 - 15 (entry cost) = 7]

[Energy: 23 - 15(Dungeon Entry Cost) = 8]


Darios had been warned against entering the Ancient Island. The Heracross's father-in-law had visited the area back in his days serving in the Aileron guild and remembers the dangers lurking within. The plants that Darios wanted to examine for their properties, whatever those may be, could be acquired through a guild mission instead. But not only did the bug type see that as lazy for himself, but he wanted to keep his visit a secret. Aside from the potential usefulness, Darios wished to see the flowers of the plants and see if they would be a suitable anniversary gift to his beloved. Her pale, green self could use a dash of tropical colour. A flower with the colour pattern of a Persim or Oran berry would be ideal, but he wouldn't know until he sees it for himself.

Using the his connections to Aileron's guild, Darios requested to be brought into the island alongside one of the teams dispatched there for a quick mission. Apparently, there were some rumours about dungeon traps behaving mysteriously, more than usual, and although he would have preferred to live an adventure with that team, they decline arguing that increasing the team size would be too hard to lead and manage for their rank. Alas, disappointed, he bid farewell to the team as they headed into the wild on their own while Darios remained on the beach, observing the scenery.

With him, he carried some glass flasks with nutritious soil for a few plants to be transplanted, a wonder map with which to find his way in these uncharted lands and his trusty black adventuring robes with dark blue details, the colours of his family. He extended the blank map in front of him, holding it with both hands and walked to beach to test that it worked properly. Each step he took was reflected on the map, filling itself out in the geography of the rather unremarkable coast. It was so unremarkable that his senses stopped paying attention to the sound of the waves crashing into the shore or the soft rustling of grass and leaves to the maritime breeze. Focused on the map, he ignored that there may be something, or someone, small enough for the held, extended map to hide completely and towards which he was heading...

After finishing up his notes for that area, Valen moved on. He had been thinking about going inwards, but instead, he decided to see another part of the coast just in case there might be something more interesting there. As he flew, he finally saw another Pokemon, a Heracross, on the ground. But Valen could tell that this wasn't an ordinary Heracross - it seemed to be wearing robes and was holding a map. Another explorer? Guild member, maybe? Valen wondered. The Pikipek did have a Wonder Map of his own from the guild, but he hadn't been using it that much while he was exploring, especially because, embarassingly, he had forgotten about it more than once.

That Heracross really does seem like an explorer, so they probably won't be hostile if I make sure to show them that I'm friendly, Valen thought to himself. He adjusted his guild badge and flew down to the ground, but made sure to be prepared to fly up immediately again if he was attacked. He knew that Heracross had wings and could fly, despite not being Flying-types or having the Levitate ability, but not too well, so he probably had the advantage in that regard. If only he still also had a damaging Flying-type move... But he didn't really have the hang of making his pecking do much else besides smashing rocks and defenses at the moment.

"Hi! Nice to meet a fellow explorer here!" Valen said.

"Hi! Nice to meet a fellow explorer here!"

Darios looked around and put the map away to see past it. A flying type Pokémon was right in front of him. He let out an "oh" as a reflex before he examined the Pikipek. The guild badge was a good sign, and the sky-blue scarf was an even better sign. The Heracross smiled to that and wrapped the map into a scroll before addressing this guild member "Salutations" His voice sounded pleased and friendly despite his archaic speech. Aside from that, he sported some accent that would be familiar to someone of the floating islands of Aileron "I must admit that I don't own any badge such as yours but explore this land I will regardless"

He felt proud announcing that, looking around to see for himself if this Pokémon was all by his lonesome. At a first glance, he didn't seem part of a team which was uncommon "Now, what brings you to this forgotten land? You must be on a mission, correct?" Darios guessed, imagining that it'd be the reason why someone carrying a guild badge would be in the Ancient Island.

"Well... I'm not really on any specific mission, actually," Valen replied, "I'm just exploring this place in general. This island is said to have rare plants and ancient Pokémon, and I want to see them and bring information back. Also, I've heard of two unusual claims - that traps have been healing their victims and that there was an unusual storm in the sea sometime ago." Should I mention the Windrose Scouts? Valen wondered. He had thought about this kind of thing in previous explorations, and he knew the group wasn't really as secretive as they apparently had been before, but he still couldn't fully shake off that uncomfortable feeling when talking about it to strangers. Maybe when I find out more about this Heracross. From the introduction, Valen could tell that the Heracross was not in a guild, and he couldn't help but wonder whether he could eventually ask them about the possibility of getting a guild partner. He quickly wrote down a note, although not for the Windrose Scouts: Need to get teammate. If the Heracross was not interested in joining, the note might help Valen remember to put more effort into finding one.

This Pokémon heard some rumours and arrived to investigate them on his own. Either he was curious enough to see the rumours for himself and had nothing better to do or he was hiding something. Seeing how the Pikipek behaved, Darios leaned more towards the former, seeing him write some notes down right in front of the Heracross. As a sign of good faith, Darios took a hold of one of the bottles he carried and showed it to the flying type Pokémon "I'm after some of the island's flora. My shop could use some exotic remedy or pigment, and my beloved a beautiful flower with which to adorn her already flawless image"

With that, he returned his bottle back into his bag and opened the Wonder Map again. Much of the coast now appeared in the map. While not much, it was enough to headstart the expedition but, before that "Where are my manners?" Darios put the map away again and bowed respectfully "Darios of Bibra, pleased to make your acquaintance. Since our goals seem to complement each other, would you want to join me?"

Despite not knowing his name, this Pikipek already had much in his favour. A flying type Pokémon was not only a good scout that could fly alongside him if a retreat was in order, but he found the Pokémon interesting to be with. A guild member is someone fascinating in his eyes and they would make adventuring far less risky. Moreover, he had an air of mystery despite seeming friendly and looking stylish. If he'd agree to go alongside Darios, it'd be a stroke of good luck.

"I'm Valen, and I would certainly like to join you!" the Pikipek replied, bowing in return. So the Heracross owns a shop? Interesting. Well, things are turning out quite well so far, he thought, ...How many times have I met other explorers who just so happened to be going through the same dungeon as me now? Quite a few, but I REALLY need a permanent partner. Come to think of it, how common are explorations in general?

He also remembered that he had been thinking of having Saturn the Cubone come along, as Valen technically was here for Windrose, but then again, there could be Water-types. Or maybe not on the island itself - Valen didn't know, but then again, maybe there were Grass-types because of the plants... They needed to get on and actually find the answer out. "Do you think we should continue exploring the coast for now, or go deeper into the island immediately?" he asked Darios.

Pickup roll:

Shield carried out 1 launched of one Ancient Island :

Regular rolls:

Shield carried out 7 launched of one Ancient Island :

, , , , , ,

"Unless you're certain that we have better chances to find our prize in the coast, I declare that we delve further inland" Darios declared, now knowing the name of his soon to be companion. If his goal was to report about the wildlife, the coast would only give him so much. Fish? There would be plenty but Darios doubts that sealife is what Valen is after.

"Just as a precaution, let's meet in here should we split up and get lost" Darios wasn't certain whether or not Valen had his own Wonder Map but, as an explorer, his orientation should be above the norm. With that said, he started to walk away from the coast. The soil soon turned from sandy to rocky to dirty, with no road to make the journey easily traversable. For a bug, this was not a big deal, even if he was wearing something fancy. The thrill of exploring was too strong to care. But a question lingered in his mind so, soon after setting foot into the dungeon proper, he turned to the Pikipek with a curious glance.

"Did you come here on your own? Should we wait for a teammate before going too far in?"

"... I don't have a teammate right now, actually," Valen explained as he followed Darios, "But I'm going to find one." Should I ask now? he wondered, But wait... he said he had a shop... that probably means he couldn't join a guild, as he would be too busy with his shop. Unfortunate. Well, there are others, at least.

Valen, quickly, mentally reviewed his other options besides Saturn. There was Tempo the Oshawott, who had also adventured with him a few times, but there was something that made Valen unsure of choosing him... what was it... his apparent propensity to get into serious trouble during explorations, probably. He didn't think he knew anyone else who might be willing to join his team as well as those two. Duro the Aron and Nobi the Hoppip popped into his mind, although he had only met them on his last expedition, but he believed that Duro wanted the Grassveil Guild and Nobi didn't want to join a guild at all. So it was probably Saturn, or maybe Tempo, after all.

[Energy: 7 - 1 + 15 (trap) - 1 - 5 - 1 - 1 - 1 = 12]

(OOC: I suppose I'll wait just a bit before finding the items and trap. Not sure where to encounter the Omanyte, as our characters have moved away from the coast - perhaps when they move back? Oh, and Valen doesn't know that Tempo's actually been to this island before xD - see the "Marooned!!!" thread.)

The lack of a partner felt odd to the Heracross. He attributed this to recency since Valen doesn't strike him as the proud, loner type of Pokémon. Moreover, he appeared to be somemon too social to be wandering alone. Acknowledging this reply and knowing that the explorer assured him that he is getting a partner, Darios moved ahead.

The sandy coast soon turned rocky, and then dirty. A lack of civilization meant that roads were nonexistent and even the random nature of the Mystery Dungeon seemed to ignore their existence. Darios pushed through vegetation and cut through vines with his claws, reaching a clearing amidst the palm trees growing near the coast. The forestry will grow denser the further they head in. A mountain could be spotted from there, towering with the still-dark skies behind it.

Taking a moment to pause before deciding the way ahead, Darios decided to rekindle the conversation "What guild do you hail from, Valen?" This question had some hidden intentions behind it. This Valen seemed to have more style and professionalism than those working from Grassveil which gave him a good guess. If Darios happened to be correct, perhaps he could have an adventuring partner to explore dungeons with and, if not, he'd be a potential client to his store. Nothing suits a guild member better than his wares after all.

[OOC: The details of this island are vague. Aside from the ancient aesthetic, you can put the Omanyte in an underground river or stuck to a rock near a lake. Last case scenario, I never specified what the team that brought Darios is composed of. We could make one of them be an Omanyte]

"I'm from the Aileron Guild," Valen replied, "It is supposed to be of high quality, but because of its location, there aren't that many members. I don't believe I have seen any existing teams there who were accepting new members, but I suppose I should check again. I've actually been doing things in Grassveil and the surrounding areas for some time, because quite a few missions were there." Should I mention the Windrose Scouts now? Eh... I'll wait a bit more, Valen thought to himself.

As he flew, Valen looked around. He noticed that the plant growth was increasing now, and wrote some notes about what he saw - although he wasn't a plant expert, and couldn't really identify what kind many of them were. After a bit, he noticed a particularly large plant - a "fern," from something he had read earlier - that seemed to have something underneath it. When he landed, he saw that under the fronds, there were two Orbs - Escape Orbs. He picked them up. On the backs of the leaves themselves, there were small brown dots that he believed were the spores he had read about. "Well, these Escape Orbs are convenient. If we get into danger that we have no other way of dealing with, we could just use them to make sure that we get out of here safely. I think we should each take one," he said, putting one in his bag and holding one out for Darios.

(OOC: Thanks for the Omanyte suggestions. I'll think about which one to use. And I'm perfectly fine with you taking one Escape Orb).

Darios's guess was correct. This Pikipek was part of the Aileron guild, which made Darios happy. Lately he's been running errands and trying to expand the business outside the floating islands but knowing that he may see a familiar face when he returns to a calmer life brings him some peace and joy. Now to seal the deal and reel the bird in. It's nice to think about the future yet the opportunity of a fruitful present awaited.

The Heracross observed how Valen took notes and how the woodpecker spotted and retrieved a couple of Escape Orbs. Moreover, he offered one for Darios, which would make a scramble or retreat to the coast much safer and quicker. He took the one offered and placed it into his bag "Hm... Indeed. They will prove useful. Now, if you ever run out of them, my shop is near the Aileron Guild. Ask around and someone will give you directions" Now Valen knew where to find Darios, giving away that they may not be that far apart if they wanted to meet again "I'll even throw in a little discount for you and if you don't can't find a partner I wouldn't be against going on an adventure again"

He tried to hide a smile, turning away from the Pikipek after giving the guild member a bold clue of what a solution to his partner issue could be. Wandering off and away from Valen, the Heracross would walk a small distance, teasing his companion to reply before continuing on further into the dungeon if he has nothing to say.

Valen continued to follow the Heracross deeper into the island. The Pikipek could tell that Dario seemed to like him and his adventuring ways, but there was the thing he had thought about earlier. "Adventuring with you in the future would certainly be something I would enjoy. But... if you wanted to be my guild partner, I wonder how you would manage both doing guild missions and running your shop. Wouldn't Pokémon constantly show up to buy things, so it would be difficult for you to be away from it for long periods of time?" he asked. Then again, Valen thought, I'm in the Windrose Scouts and Peak Academy as well - even if the latter hasn't been very active lately - so perhaps there would be a way to manage it. But those aren't quite as dependent upon being on time for buyers as a shop is. Hmm... Does Dario have assistants for his shop? I'll hear what his answer is.

Knowing that Valen had bitten into his proposal, Darios turned back to face him, giggling in a smug tone and bringing his hands to his sides "Whenever I am away, my parents or my wife run the shop. We are more than it is needed to attend customers. As you can see, I have the option to go on a mission" He nodded and relaxed his arms. His expression became friendly with eyes staring at Valen gently while he smiled softly. He left behind the facade, the grandeur and was direct to the point "Besides, I would regret staying all day inside. The world has interesting places such as these and I want to make the most of it before responsibilities take the chance away from me"

A very noble desire if not a little selfish "Your words suggest that there is a chance that I may join your team. Let's suppose that it is possible and that I want to. Do you have any other concerns?"

PrimordialPrim carried out 8 launched of one Ancient Island :

, , , , , , ,

Valen was becoming quite excited, and it showed in his tone. Could this really be happening? "In that case, I do not believe there is really much else that would be a barrier to you joining my team!" he replied. "I suppose we will see how we work together in this expedition."

As he flew, he felt a bit of moisture. He seemed to have moved into some mist, which wasn't enough to wet his feathers to the point of preventing him from flying, but felt quite refreshing. Nevertheless, he flew closer to Darios, about to say something before he noticed a few items lying in some undergrowth. As he collected them, he saw that they were two Sleep Seeds and a Yellow Gummi. "We've found quite a few items, but I haven't seen any native Pokémon since I've arrived. Which might be a good thing, as I've heard claims that there are some particularly aggressive ones here. But still, I know that inhabitants of dungeons aren't necessarily hostile, and it would be interesting to see ancient Pokémon," Valen said. He decided to wait for the Heracross' reply before saying the other things he was thinking about, to try to cut down more on the tendency to ramble and get distracted. Being distracted in a dungeon is not a good idea.